Today’s small business owners are lucky to have a myriad of resources available to help them start, run, and grow their business, including government programs and agencies that provide free assistance in the way of education, information, advice, funding, and more. Take your business to the next level with this list of top government...
There are thousands of powerful apps available to help today’s small businesses. Whether you are managing your finances, digital marketing, contacts or sales, there are specific apps to help you control each. However, each area of your business should not be running independently; they need to run together. Sales needs to talk to Marketing....
This article is published in partnership with Insightly, providing CRM and project management solutions for small business owners. Customer Relationship Management, or CRM, is an integral part of any small business looking to optimize their ability to manage prospects or leads through a sales funnel to becoming a customer. A strong well-managed CRM then allows...
Have you ever experienced truly exemplary customer service? I bet you’ve never forgotten it if you have. But of all the hundreds of customer service transactions you experience every year, have you ever considered why a particular instance should be quite so distinctive? Chances are, it’s because the customer service representative you were dealing with...
Getting blindsided by a cease and desist letter chalk full of technical legal jargon is an extremely intimidating experience for small business owners. Oftentimes, a C&D letter involves a claim that your business has infringed on the sender’s trademark or copyright. For most business owners, being threatened to halt a business action or face...
To remain viable in today’s competitive business market, leaders are always working towards growth. When growth becomes a reality, the need to scale up resources to support those efforts often must be done quickly. Outsourcing is a way for companies to increase efficiency and decrease costs by transferring portions of work to outside suppliers, rather than...
I'm a business owner. I'm also a Mom. These two have more in common than you might think. You see, before I started my business over 30 years ago, I thought that being a mom was pretty much the toughest thing that I had I ever done. Sleepless nights, temper tantrums, and a nagging worry...
Failure often has negative consequences. If you "fail" at something, you FEEL like a failure, you feel worthless and often times dejected. Of course, in the "startup world" failure is often a badge of honor and at times I think it's TOO much of an honor for startups. However, overall, failure is a good thing....
In a recent Main Street Pulse Report published by OnDeck, 86 percent of small business owners identified time management as a critical component of running a successful business; 61 percent of them said: “…they constantly feel like they are racing against the clock.” If this describes you, I think it’s safe to say you’re...
As a small business owner you are proud of your work and deliver a great finished product. You love a good review. Your customers love you and your business grows through referrals. If things ever go wrong you work this out with your clients often privately to the satisfaction of your customers. Then this happens....
