4 Essential Ways Service-Disabled, Veteran-Owned Businesses Can Drive Innovation

May 24, 2013
Marianne Strobel

With 34,000 troops – about half the U.S. force in Afghanistan – set to withdraw by early 2014, service-disabled veterans will be flooding the wavering job market by starting or joining small businesses. While economic improvement seems hopeful, service-disabled veteran owned businesses (SDVOBs) still need to make wise choices in order to make the supplier connection with companies like AT&T – and drive innovation....

3 Apps To Maintain A Remote Workforce

May 22, 2013
Mario Armstrong

My own small business is up to 6 employees—some here on the east coast, others working daily from as far away as Texas. We work from home, the train, planes, coffee shops, and yes, sometimes, real offices. We're constantly switching between...

What You Can Learn From The Top 25 Brands On Twitter

May 21, 2013
Rieva Lesonsky

Are you trying to build more user engagement for your small business on Twitter? Then you could learn a lot from a new study of how the top brands on Twitter interact with their followers. A Study of the Most Engaged Brands on Twitter,...

3 Steps To Success For Women Business Owners

May 13, 2013
Susan Solovic

For the past two decades, I’ve been focused on the success of women-owned businesses.  In 2008, I wrote a book called The Girls’ Guide to Building a Million Dollar Business. At the time, fewer than three percent of women-owned firms had reached $1 million or more in revenue.  Fortunately, when I wrote the book...

On With The Show—Make Your Own Low-Cost Video

May 10, 2013
Lisa Durrett

Have you seen that cheeky video from that guy who sells razors online for $1? I watched it again today with my husband. Once he finished laughing, he said he was going to check out the website and look at the company’s programs. The savvy business owner recognized the power of video and within the...

Get The Most From Your IT Dollars

May 9, 2013
Allyson Fralish

Many small business owners know how critical technology is to their success. Recent research shows that those who embrace it grow their companies faster, but keeping up with the latest tools can be a challenge. As you maneuver your company through the still-turbulent economy, how can you get the most from your IT...

3 Tips To Avoid Being Hacked On Social Media

May 8, 2013
Mario Armstrong

A couple of weeks ago, a major news service’s Twitter account was hacked, and several fake tweets not only sent ripples through the media, they impacted stocks globally. While there’s a key lesson here about the importance of social media, this...

SMB Leading In Technology Adoption? Believe It…

May 7, 2013
Abhi Ingle

We read about it all the time in the business and political press: small business is the engine that drives the economy.  But when we look at the innovation that’s occurred over the past decade, the consumer and enterprise segments seem to get all of the...

Get More Bang From Your Promotional Buck

May 3, 2013
Alice Bredin

The past few years have been brutal from an economic standpoint. Although challenges remain, the outlook is improving, especially for small businesses: 27 percent are increasing their 2013 marketing budgets to grow their...

Risk Taking For Small Businesses

April 29, 2013
Susan Solovic

When I worked in corporate America, I managed a national sales force.  Because the majority of our clients were big brands, we frequently participated in the major industry trade shows many of which were held in Las Vegas....

Fog Ahead: Getting To Clarity With Cloud

April 26, 2013
Jeff Morgan

In a recent Infoworld article, Matt Prigge brought up a host of valid points about the way we market the cloud. Is it a disservice to the small business owner without an IT staff to overly simplify the concepts behind our wares? Surely it sells an account, but at what cost? I’m forever walking the line between too much detail and not enough, but what if the vendor doesn’t actually provide the service as promised? What if, in spite of...

3 Best Cloud Apps For Business

April 24, 2013
Mario Armstrong

Last week I discussed the best cloud apps for managing your contacts and business cards, but what about everything else you do while on the go? Can you use the cloud to be more productive in other areas? Of course you can! There are apps that leverage the cloud to do almost everything you do online...

Building Your Brand With Google+

April 23, 2013
Mark Burgess

Now that Google+ has been around for a few years, the benefits have come into sharper focus.  Most notably, this rapidly-growing social network is proving to be a popular, integrated platform for small business.  The brilliance of Google+ lies in...

What’s Your Business’s Cherry Garcia?

April 15, 2013
Susan Solovic

Over half of all small businesses fail in the first three years.  I’m sure you’ve heard that statistic before.  It’s difficult starting and growing a successful small business.  It’s even tougher in today’s challenging economy.  I talk to business owners every week who tell me how they’re struggling to keep their doors open....

4 Ways To Avoid Being Foolish About Cloud

April 1, 2013
Jeff Morgan

April Fool’s Day comes but once a year, but you might think it comes once or twice a week if you’re struggling over the promise and disappointment of SaaS apps and the cloud in general. As far back as the days of Chaucer, we’ve celebrated the day where no news topic is sacred, no personal space is private, and no...

3 Tax Time Tips To Save You Money

Susan Solovic

Like it or not, it’s time to start planning for this year’s tax season.While you can’t escape paying Uncle Sam, you can make sure you don’t pay more than legally required.  However, because the tax laws change every year, knowing what you can and can’t write off is confusing to say the least. ...

Seize The Day—And The Cloud

March 29, 2013
Allyson Fralish

When you think about businesses using the cloud, chances are your neighborhood bookstore or clothing store isn’t among the first to come to mind. A recent survey on cloud usage supports my theory, showing only 16% of small and midsize retailers currently use the cloud. However, as an avid cloud watcher, I believe this statistic is...

2 Ways To Leverage Cloud For The Perfect Follow-Up

March 27, 2013
Mario Armstrong

Last week I broke down my step-by-step tips for how to network and pitch while at conferences, events, and talks. No matter what line of business you're in, there's always people to pitch who can help your business or with whom you can create mutually beneficial partnerships. But let's say you're...

The DNA Of Good Content Marketing

March 26, 2013
Mark Burgess

A good story helps your audience to connect more deeply with your brand. Content marketing is generating a lot of buzz in 2013. Businesses of all sizes are engaged in finding ways to leverage this new approach to marketing. According to Gary Vaynerchuk, wine entrepreneur and social...

50 Marketing Leaders Over 50 You Should Know

March 25, 2013
Alan See

Let’s recognize that age has little to do with ability. You’re never too young or too old if you’ve got talent.  In the marketing world, Advertising Age and Direct Marketing News have their “40 under 40” lists. Forbes has their “30 under 30.” This blog post counterbalances with 50 who are over 50 because to my knowledge a list of this nature has never been published. Now, before I present my list let me provide some...

Influence vs Advocacy: Which Rules The Digital Kingdom

March 20, 2013
Brian Solis

In the world of social marketing, digital influence is akin to saying holy water. It is sacred, mysterious, and purportedly carries with it healing properties. Influencers speak and the world stops to listen. Almost as prestigious in the new world of conversational marketing is the word advocacy. Advocates are the disciples of brands. They are customers or fans and they live to join branded communities and also go out of their way to tell...