2012 Trends

5 Trends to Shape Your Business This Year

By Rieva Lesonsky - Jan 18, 2012 - 8 Comments

Trendwatching firm, JWTIntelligence, recently released its seventh annual trend forecast, JWT 10 Trends for 2012. Which of the 10 are most likely to affect small business going forward? Here are my picks. Navigating the new normal: With the current economic situation showing few signs of major … Read More

Top 5 Microbusiness Opportunities for 2012

By Dawn R. Rivers - Jan 6, 2012 - 6 Comments

Believe it or not, the economy is slowly getting better. I'll grant you, the last two calendar quarters for which we have numbers (2nd and 3rd quarters, 2011) have seen pretty sluggish growth but it was growth nonetheless. Meanwhile, the NFIB reports two consecutive months of improved (if still … Read More

5 Internet Marketing Predictions for 2012

By Susan Payton - Dec 28, 2011 - 27 Comments

When a new year begins, we business owners wonder what's in store for the upcoming 12 months. After all, with technology moving faster than ever, who could have foreseen the takeover (then falter) of daily deal sites a year ago? Or the ability of Google to take some sites to their knees with Panda? … Read More

The Top Franchise Trends for 2012

By Joel Libava - Dec 22, 2011 - 20 Comments

There’s certainly no shortage of dynamic concepts to explore in franchising in 2012. Finding opportunities to get into a business of your own is the easy part. Finding a willing financial partner to help you invest in a franchise business is still a bit more challenging. For example, if you … Read More

Top 9 Rural Small Business Trends for 2012

By Becky McCray - Dec 20, 2011 - 15 Comments

Rural small business trends are always different from general small business trends. This year, the difference is in the economic outlook. With the consensus of economic predictions for 2012 showing slower national growth and the odds of a renewed U.S. recession at 1 in 3, the national economy … Read More

Hot or Not: Sales and Marketing Trends in 2012

By Barry Moltz - Dec 19, 2011 - 39 Comments

The techniques that are effective to keep and get new customers continues to radically change. In 2012, they will evolve even more. Here is what’s going to be hot (and what’s not) in the year to come. 1. Direct Selling Not: It used to be that every sales effort started from picking up … Read More

Small Business Software Trends for 2012

By TJ McCue - Dec 13, 2011 - 14 Comments

Are you confused by the terms SaaS and cloud computing? In their simplest forms, software as a service (SaaS) is the application, and the cloud is the place where you store the data from that app (and in most cases the application itself). Many of the latest technology announcements have … Read More

5 Internet Marketing Trends for SMBs to Watch in 2012

By Lisa Barone - Dec 12, 2011 - 22 Comments

In just the blink of an eye it will be 2012. And with that comes the opportunity for us to focus in on the hottest trends of the upcoming New Year, and maybe even those that eluded us in years prior. While you’re putting the finishing touches on your action plan for 2012, let’s dig into some of … Read More

Green Business Trend: Turning to Nonprofits for Help

By Kelly Spors - Dec 8, 2011 - 1 Comment

Becoming an environmentally responsible business isn’t an overnight process. It can take weeks of research and data analysis to make wise decisions that help both the environment and the bottom line – time many business owners don’t have to spare. To cope with this challenge, more … Read More

10 Food Business Trends to Watch for 2012

By Rieva Lesonsky - Dec 7, 2011 - 14 Comments

Are you in the restaurant, foodservice or food manufacturing business? No matter how tough the economy is, people still need to eat. And foodservice entrepreneurs have shown a lot of creativity in the past few years—in fact, you could almost say the recession has sparked a renaissance of … Read More

Top 10 Small Business Tax Trends for 2012

By Barbara Weltman - Dec 5, 2011 - 10 Comments

Can a discussion of the federal deficit, now in excess of $15 trillion, be separated from a discussion on taxes? Of course not! Therefore, taxes will continue to be an important topic on the federal level because of the dichotomy between raising taxes to address deficit concerns vs. keeping taxes … Read More

Small Business Outlook for 2012: Business as Usual?

By Rieva Lesonsky - Nov 30, 2011 - 12 Comments

As 2011 draws to a close, what are the biggest challenges small business owners are facing? And what is their outlook for the coming year? A new survey conducted by online survey company Zoomerang Online Surveys and Polls and my company, GrowBiz Media, creates a mixed picture. Overall, the … Read More