October 2008 - Posts
It's amazing to me that more women-owned small businesses are not taking advantage of a huge revenue stream -- the federal government.
Only 3.4 percent of all the federal contract dollars went to female entrepreneurs last year, according to data released by the Small Business Administration last week.
That figure's just unacceptable.
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Decision '08
The election is just days away, and both candidates are pushing hard for votes from the small business community. Find out about John McCain and Barack Obama's respective tax and healthcare proposals for small businesses, as well as their strategies for protecting business owners during these difficult economic times.
Unleashing New Products
Selecting the right product mix is critical for success. As a small business owner, how do you know when you're selling the right number of products? See how Marco Giannini, founder of Dogswell, makers of natural dog treats, has increased his product mix to more than 100, and has stayed profitable throughout the growth.
Panelists
Joan Schneider, President and Creative Director of Schneider Associates, a marketing and communications firm which specializes in launching new products, and author of "New Proven Launch: 10 Proven Strategies."
Susan Wilson Solovic, CEO of SBTV.com, a small business portal delivering advice and information, and author "The Girls' Guide to Building a Million Dollar Business."
Benjamin Nemo, founder of Scorpio Ventures.
How To Succeed In Small Business: Raising Money From Friends and Family
Mariam Naficy, founder of several successful e-commerce companies, including Minted.com, an online store selling custom stationary, provides tips on how to safely borrow money from friends and family members.
Elevator Pitch
Ernabel Demillo and Meredith Kasun, co-founders of TennisRAQ, a lightweight belt that you wear around your waist while you play tennis, with three pockets in the back to hold tennis balls, are looking for capital to grow their business.
1. Splurge on a chair
2. Create a cordless desk
3. Buy an inexpensive desk
4. Purchase nice art
5. Put up a whiteboard
Source: Outlaw Design
technorati.com can show you what bloggers are saying about your company or your competitors. Type in any term or business name, and the site provides recent blog posts that match your criteria. Technorati can also provide you with a list of blogs by category if you are looking for places to get the word out about your business.
Everyone is talking about how difficult it is for small business owners to get loans these days.
But, for some reason, we've all forgotten about the firms that already have loans but are struggling to pay them off in a tanking economy.
That's why I was happy when I got an e-mail this week from the Small Business Administration describing the problem.
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1-800-Autopsy:
Vidal Herrera has built a successful career on death. Herrera has franchised his company 1-800-Autopsy, a private autopsy company, and he's also built several related businesses selling couches made from coffins and renting vintage autopsy equipment to Hollywood.
Weathering The Storm:
Find out what the federal government is doing to help small business owners during these turbulent times. Rod Kurtz, Senior Editor at Inc. Magazine, discusses the state of the economy with Carlos M. Gutierrez, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce.
Panelists:
Cynthia Franklin, Senior Associate Director of the Berkley Center for Entrepreneurial Studies at New York University's Stern School of Business.
Jolyne Caruso, Founder and CEO of Alberleen Capital Management:
Nick Marsh, Managing Partner of GrowthPoint Capital Partners, a venture and private equity group focusing on micro-market consumer businesses.
Learning From The Pros:
Sarah Blakely, Founder of Spanx, a multi-million dollar shapeware company, discuss the strategies she has employed to grow her business into a nationally recognized brand.
Youmail.com offers a number of free services to help you manage your incoming calls. You can set up different voice mail greetings for different numbers, or have all of your messages sent to your inbox as emails.
I received an e-mail recently from a telecommunications company touting how they are cutting prices to help small businesses struggling in the current economy.
Now, I've covered business long enough to know that few, if any, business owners change their operating strategies just to help others. So I e-mailed back to ask why.
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Weathering the Storm
Rod Kurtz, senior editor for Inc. Magazine, Ken Yancey, CEO of the SCORE Association, and William Dunkelberg, chief economist for the National Federation of Independent Business, discuss the latest developments in the nation's financial crisis, and provide tips on what small business owners can do to survive.
Bartering for Business
Small business owners are using creative methods to grow their businesses during these difficult times. See how some entrepreneurs are using trade exchanges to barter their goods and services with other businesses in an effort to save money and reach new customers.
Panelists
Steve Strauss, USA Today's small business columnist, and author of "The Small Business Bible: Everything You Need to Know to Succeed in Your Small Business"
Phil Town, partner with Oracle Equity, and author of "Rule #1: The Simple Strategy for Successful Investing in Only 15 Minutes a Week!"
Elevator Pitch
Francine Glick, President and CEO of Water Journey LTD., pitches Hands2Go, a line of alcohol-free hand sanitizers, to the panel, she is looking for capital to expand her product line, and open a manufacturing facility that utilizes alternative energy sources.
1. Palm Centro
2. Nokia 6263
3. Blackberry Pearl 8100 Series
4. Samsung SPH-M520
5. LG VX4500
Source: PCMag.com
Yahoo!'s Zimbra desktop service is a free downloadable program that collects all of your emails in one place. The program also has tools for editing spreadsheets, tables, and charts.
It's getting ugly out there for small- and medium-sized businesses.
According to a semi-annual economic report by PNC Financial Services Group, "the outlook for the nation's small and mid-sized business owners is at a new all-time low."
Here are some of the report's key findings.
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Building a sales team is one of the most important and challenging parts of developing a business. Entrepreneurs can add salespeople to their staff or hire independent reps, but they have to stay within their budgets. AK Kennedy, founder of Hype, a yoga clothing company, has devised a cost-effective plan for selling her line of clothing by finding the perfect salespeople. Find out how small business owners can develop sales teams that work for their businesses.
Panelists:
Greg Alexander, CEO of Sales Benchmark Index, a strategic advisory firm.
Jeffrey Carr, Executive Director of NYU's Stern Berkley Center for Entrepreneurial Studies.
Erica Duignan-Minnihan, CEO of Minnihan Consulting, which provides advice and services to startups looking to raise capital and expand.
How To Succeed In Small Business: AdWords
Steve Strauss, USA Today's small business columnist, and author of "The Small Business Bible: Everything You Need to Know to Succeed in Your Small Business," provides tips on how small business owners can use adwords to increase traffic to their business's website.
Elevator Pitch:
Kathy Miller-Kramer, founder of the Invisibelt, a clear plastic belt that is virtually undetectable, is looking for capital to expand product development, manufacturing, and marketing efforts.
1. Look at corporate culture
2. Communicate with staff
3. Make sure employees are committed
4. Monitor systems and procedures
5. Plan ahead
Source: Score
The Federal Deposit Information Corporation's
website provides detailed information on deposit coverage and insurance. The site has links to bank lending rating services across the country that can help you make sure you money is in a safe place.
While Congress fights over whether to pass the $700 billion Wall Street bailout bill, one small business group is hoping for a majority of "yahs" from legislators.
Todd Stottlemyer, president and CEO of the National Federation of Independent Businesses, or NFIB, sent out a statement on the bill earlier this week to a bunch of journalists like me.
In it, he outlines where he stands on the issue.
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