FAQs

We really enjoy hearing from you. You have great questions and suggestions. These FAQs may help answer some of your questions in advance. If nothing else, they give you another page to squander your time on. 🙂 — Anita Campbell, Editor

Question: A link in one of your posts is broken. What should I do about it?

• Answer: Please report the broken link by leaving a comment under the post, and we will try to replace it. Usually the problem is that the source we cited has moved the page. We try hard to link only to publications and pages where we think the link is likely to remain indefinitely. Unfortunately, sometimes this is out of our control, and we apologize for the inconvenience.

Question: Why did you link to a subscription only article?

• Answer: We avoid linking to subscription-only sources whenever possible. Sometimes the source is just too good or too important not to write about it — for instance, Wall Street Journal articles. In that case, we try to give an extended quote or summarize key points of the article in our own words.Readers have asked why we do not just copy the entire article. Due to copyright laws we cannot do that without permission. After all, the whole point of a subscription publication is that the publisher expects people to pay to read it.

Question: Where can I get copies of research reports from companies like Forrester without paying thousands of dollars?

• Answer: When you find the answer to this question, please let me know. :)Kidding aside, we probably get asked this question more than any other. You can try several things, and depending on what you are looking for, you might get lucky:(1) The James J. Hill Reference Library offers an affordable monthly Internet subscription to its vast business reference resources. Part of the offering includes access to a version of Market Research.com, in which some (especially older) reports are available.(2) Try your local library’s business reference desk, especially in large cities. Most libraries do not carry the pricey market research firm reports, but who knows, you may get lucky.Many small businesses cannot afford the pricey subscriptions to analyst research reports. It’s too bad the research firms do not see the opportunity potential and package an affordable research offering for small businesses. Hint. Hint.

Question: How long have you been editing this site?

• Answer: I started the site officially in October 2003. It started as a blog. Eventually I starting accepting the occasional guest blogger contributions. Then in 2007 the blog was officially transitioned to become a multi-author publication. Small Business Trends is now a multi-author publication showcasing other subject-matter experts to highlight a variety of voices to serve the small business community more fully.

• Question: I have written an article on my blog that I think your readers would like. How do I bring it to your attention?

• Answer:  As Editor I will certainly take a look at your site, time permitting!  I especially enjoy visiting quality sites or blogs run by entrepreneurs or small businesses.  Readers know I often try to visit several sites a week and leave comments.Does your site offer useful content on some topic of interest to other small business owners and staff?  Then we want to hear from you.   The best way to get our attention is write a good quality article on a small-business topic and have something fresh and interesting to say.  Feel free to send me an email pointing out your post if you think it would be of interest to Small Business Trends readers.

• Question: Why did you not respond to my email? I sent an email with a question but did not hear back.

• Answer: Ever since I started this website, I have made my email address accessible and open. I enjoy hearing from you — very much! Time permitting I do attempt to respond to emails. I even use selected emails for the “Letters to the Editor” feature of the newsletter (without revealing your identity, of course).However, just like you I have to work for a living and pay my bills. Sometimes that means I cannot always respond to every email message — or I cannot respond right away.Also, the state of my email inbox is reaching crisis proportions — even with spam filters and an elaborate system of topical folders and follow-up flags in place. If I don’t have time to respond right away, or if I get interrupted or I am traveling, email messages get buried. After a few days they can be impossible to find again.Please do not take the lack of a response as a personal affront. You might re-send your message to me after a while, with a kind reminder.

Question: Where are you located? 

• Answer: I work from Ohio, in the Midwest USA. I am within easy driving distance of Cleveland, Akron and also the world’s largest Amish settlement.  Other contributors write from wherever they happen to be located.

Thank you for visiting. Please have a look around the rest of the site. Then bookmark it and come back often!