We’ve been hearing a lot of good news about the economy for a couple years now.
That includes today, with the release of the second quarter GDP, which saw a 4.1% rise.
So it’s a bit of a surprise to see a report this week showing that a majority of small business owners surveyed by Insurance Bee said current economic policies are putting them most at risk right now.
It caught my guest for this week’s This Week in Small Business by surprise, too. On the show, we take a closer look at my personal picks of the best articles to appear on Small Business Trends in the last week.
Trump Trade Policy Worries
John “Colderice” Lawson had a hard time wrapping his head around that 55% number initially as we kicked off the show. However, I reminded him of some of the things that may be causing some of that worry: Trump trade policy (including tariffs and talk of trade wars), the internet sales tax …
“We’ve had a good economy for 5+ years. But I think the uncertainly stems from our political environment,” he says in our discussion. “But when have you ever had certainty? Never.”
Check out the rest of the discussion we had on all the risks faced by small business owners today.
We then shifted our focus to an article by Ronald Dod on conducting a content audit of your ecommerce site. While John wasn’t familiar with the term “content audit” he does support the concept and its goal.
He says, “We’re always putting content out there. Find the ones that have the most engagement and then utilize those. That’s a great exercise business owners should probably do. Find out what is really working and do more of that.”
This week, we wrapped by talking about some new advice from the Young Entrepreneur Council on which business documents you should keep in paper form.
We are surprised that “young entrepreneurs” are advocating for print copies of documents. You can see by our reaction that even us, uh, wiser gentlemen think that digital documents are all you really need these days.
Check out the full episode in the video above and be sure to never miss a new This Week in Small Business by subscribing to the Small Business Trends YouTube channel today.
Economy
85% of Small Business Owners Say They’re Living the Dream
“The American Dream” is a concept that can vary from person to person and seem almost impossible to really achieve. However, the vast majority of small business owners seem to feel that they’ve already reached that lofty goal.
64% of Small Business Buyers are now First-Generation U.S. Immigrants, Says BizBuySell
The Second Quarter 2018 Insight Report from BizBuySell.com is reporting record levels of business are changing hands. And of these, a third are being bought by non-natural born citizens, of which 64% are first-generation immigrants.
What is JOBS Act 3.0 and How Could It Help Your Small Business?
A new bill will allow small businesses to raise capital like larger businesses. Proponents say it will help small buinesses start a new venture and grow their company in a robust economy. A bipartisan vote in the U.S. House created the JOBS and Investor Confidence Act, also known as JOBS Act 3.0 reform.
Marketing Tips
HubSpot Launches Small Business Marketing Tool for Beginners
Small business marketing is not as simple as used to be, and the constantly shifting technological landscape may be partly to blame. HubSpot’s new Marketing Hub Starter has been created to simplify the process for small business owners. According to HubSpot (NYSE: HUBS), the Marketing Hub Starter platform was specifically designed with small businesses in mind.
Retail Trends
eBay and Square Capital Partner to Give Sellers Access to More Capital
A new partnership between eBay (NASDAQ: EBAY) and Square Capital will give US eBay sellers access to funds in as little as one business day. eBay and Square Capital Offer Seller Financing Eligible eBay sellers can get up to $100,000 from Square Capital, a financing arm of Square.
Yelp and Gather Partner to Help Restaurants Book Events Easier
Leading event management software Gather has officially launched its co-partnered program with Yelp, the Gather Booking Network. Gather Booking Network Gather and Yelp’s Booking Network is aimed at addressing issues in the restaurant and events industries by helping restauranteurs and other venue owners connect with event planners and people booking parties and other events.
Say What? Small Businesses Racked Up More Than $1 Billion in Sales During Amazon Prime Day
Saying Prime Day 2018 started with a bang is an understatement. Small and medium-sized businesses were able to generate more than $1 billion in sales on the first day. Prime Day 2018 Results Small businesses who took part in the 36-hour event experienced great numbers. In some cases, small business sales were 10 to 100 times higher than their average day.
Small Business Operations
Heads Up for Small Businesses Running WordPress, Huge Changes Coming with 5.0 Gutenberg
Developers love change. Making something “new” and “better” excites them. They are really excited that WordPress (WP) as we know it is going away. But for small business owners, managers and personnel, change means lost productivity, expenses and a new learning curve. It will cost you time and/or money to make this transition.
U.S. Oil Boom Fails to Help Small Businesses at the Pump
U.S. oil production continues to break records this year, and the latest federal data shows crude output hit 11 million barrels a day in the previous week, with U.S. oil production doubling in the last eight years. US Oil Production American Enterprise Institute economist Mark Perry noted the production milestone on Twitter, citing the latest U.S.
Startup
How to Learn Summer Productivity While Working on Your Small Business
The summer is one of the most challenging times to freelance. Having to juggle multiple projects is part of our job description. Juggling various projects with clients who are off on summer vacation or less responsive can be pretty tough. Then there are vacations that you want to take, and you have to make sure that your business is running smoothly while you’re away from the wheel.
15 Must-Reads Small Business Owners Can Choose from This Summer
Summer is often a time of rest and relaxation, with plenty of time to sit out by the pool or on the beach with a good book. It’s no surprise that entrepreneurs fill up their summer reading list with books that will help them run their business better.
Technology Trends
Would You Troll Your Competitors Like Samsung Did in These Ads Targeting Apple?
Samsung released a slate of new advertisements for its Galaxy S9 smartphones, all of which are direct attacks on one of its top competitors: Apple. Samsung Trolls Apple in S9 Ads One of the commercials, published July 20 on YouTube, does more than poke fun at the iPhone X’s lack of a classic 3.5mm headphone jack.
Comcast Launches Xfinity Stream App for Business TV Customers
Comcast (NASDAQ: CMCSA) has launched the Xfinity Stream app for business, giving its business TV subscribers the opportunity to offer customers and employees access to live streaming TV. If you run a small business which sees your customers waiting, Comcast’s new live TV streaming app could prove to be a cost-effective way to keep your customers entertained and satisfied.
New Samsung Galaxy Watch Could Help Small Business Owners Become More Efficient
The Samsung Galaxy Watch is no longer a rumor as the company leaked images of the watch on its site — then quickly took them down. Images of the Samsung Galaxy Watch Leaked The snafu was reported on CNET by Scott Stein, who also managed to get a screenshot of the watch before Samsung removed the images.
Small Businesses in Charlotte, Raleigh and Oklahoma City will Get 5G from AT&T Soon
The addition of Charlotte, Raleigh, and Oklahoma City brings the total number of cities where AT&T will be providing 5G services this year to six. Dallas, Atlanta and Waco were announced earlier this year. And if all goes according to plan, AT&T looks to provide the service to a total of 12 cities across the US by the end of 2018.
