April 2009 - Posts
If everyone at your small company started coughing tomorrow you might suspect swine flu. But would you send your workers home? Could you send them home?
After reporting earlier this week that one of its employees was diagnosed with swine flu, Ernst & Young told its workers they could work from home. Typically, large firms like Ernst & Young have the technological resources and size to make such an offer.
The accounting giant later said it could not confirm the earlier diagnosis, but with the number of swine flu cases growing each day this is an issue you should think about carefully. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano has told American workers to stay home if they feel sick. If they were to take her advice, what would that mean for your business?
CONTINUED >>
Louis Hotchkiss and Junko Kobori, owners of Kobo Candles, a candle making business based just outside Albany, New York, pride themselves on running a "lean and mean" operation. After starting out with 18 employees, they trimmed their staff to just six, and have found that efficiency is the key to success. With a high importance placed on every employee, they've been careful to hire people who can perform many different jobs. Find out how you can run your business more efficiently.
Panelists
--Rod Kurtz, Senior Editor for Inc. Magazine
--Barbara Weltman, author of numerous books on small business, host of the weekly radio show "Build Your Business," and author of the monthly e-newsletter "Big Ideas For Small Business"
Dollars & Sense: Reducing Your Rent
Every dollar counts in this economic climate, and rent is often a large monthly expense for small businesses. Howard E. Greenberg, active tenant broker and President of Howard Properties Ltd., provides some tips on how entrepreneurs can re-negotiate their rent and save precious dollars.
Learning From The Pros: Michael Eisner
Michael Eisner knows what it takes to build and run a successful business. Eisner is the former CEO of The Walt Disney Company, and is now involved in a number of ventures through his investment firm The Tornante Company. Find out some of the business philosophies this media mogul lives by.
1. Refurbished systems
2. Check out retailers and wholesalers
3. Consider a netbook
4. Make sure hardware is compatible
5. Hardware should be manufacturer certified and have a warranty
Source: BMighty.com
UserVoice.com can help you build a more interactive homepage. The site provides software as a service that collects and manages customer feedback through polls and surveys. The polling widget can be built directly onto your homepage.
I'm a big fan of finding a mentor or a counselor to help you launch or grow a business, but that doesn't mean everything they tell you is right.
Lately, a couple of entrepreneurs told me horror stories about advice they got early on in their careers.
One woman who runs a successful fashion Web site told me this week that a small business counselor actually discouraged her from leaving Corporate America and starting her own firm.
Thank goodness she didn't listen.
CONTINUED >>
One of my regular guests, Phil Town, author of the book "Rule #1" has offered us the following advice many times on the show:
"Hire slowly, fire quickly."
CONTINUED >>
Business incubators such as the Brooklyn Navy Yards are commercial areas where startups can find space with modest rental fees and a supportive atmosphere in which to grow their business. See how Miranda Magagnini, co-owner of Ice Stone, and Kevin McElroy of Green Matters have used this supportive environment to grow their businesses, and find out if a business incubator is right for you.
Panelists
--James Barrood, Executive Director of the Rothman Institute of Entrepreneurial Studies at Silberman College of Business at Fairleigh Dickinson University
--Steve Strauss, small business columnist for USA Today, and author of "The Small Business Bible: Everything You Need to Know to Succeed in Your Small Business"
Profit Margin: Web 2.0, Twitter
Joel Comm, CEO of new media firm InfoMedia Inc., and author of "Twitter Power: How to Dominate Your Market One Tweet at a Time" provides some tips on how small business owners can use Twitter to market their businesses.
Elevator Pitch
Scott Farrell, President of Scott Farrell Media pitches The Happeseat, a revolutionary car seat cover that is washable and can be installed and removed in seconds. He is looking for capital to expand production and distribution.
1. Eliminate raises and bonuses
2. Cut back on 401(k)
3. Examine medical coverage
4. Look at phone service
5. Cut shipping costs
Source: BarbaraWeltman.com
Schedulicity.com provides easy online reservation software so you never lose track of appointments. Registered users can create a listing for their business and link to it from their homepage. Clients can access your calendar and browse your schedule to find a time that works for them.
I keep hearing lately how a recession is a good time for people to start businesses.
Call me cynical, but this sounds like something a crazy person would say, or someone just being counterintuitive to get attention. There’s a lot of that has been going around lately.
“It’s completely counterintuitive,” agrees Thomas Koulopoulos, author of "The Innovation Zone: How Great Companies Re-Innovate for Amazing Success.”
But he still thinks there’s some benefit to unleashing your entrepreneurial dreams during a crummy economy.
CONTINUED >>
Despite the down economy, some small businesses are actually thriving. Elizabeth Frank, founder of Eye5 Marketing, which books models and actors for corporate events, and Alex Grossman, founder of Men on the Street Productions, a boutique advertising agency, are seeing increased business as a result of their competitive price points and the flexibility they can offer to clients. Find out how your business can benefit from a recession.
Panelists
--Michael Port, creator of the business consulting brand Book Yourself Solid and author of "The Think Big Manifesto: Think You Can't Change Your Life (and the World) Think Again"
--Liz Hamburg, President of Upstart Ventures, and co-host of Launchpad, a weekly radio show dedicated to small business and entrepreneurship
Profit Margin: Web 2.0, The Power of Facebook
Larry Weber, founder of the W2 Group, a marketing services company, and author of "Marketing to the Social Web: How Digital Consumer Communities Build Your Business"
Green Matters: Green Office Gadgets
Michelle Madden, CEO of GreenYour.com, a green living website, shows off some eco-friendly tools that can help you go green around the office.
1. Discount goods
2. Fast food
3. Education and health services
4. Secondhand goods
5. Medical facilities
Source: Entrepreneur.com
TopCoder Direct connects software developers with potential clients. Users can create a proposal listing all of their needs on a variety of projects, and developers can compete for the job. TopCoder Direct can help you with projects such as software creation, building a web site, and graphic design.
Many of you who read my Twitter post a couple of months ago took me up on the offer to get on the social networking site and started tweeting to help promote your business.
Unfortunately, many of you just don't seem to get Twitter yet (don't worry -- I'm not going to name names).
You can't just tweet over and over again about your products or services. Well, actually you can do whatever you want on Twitter, but just listing products in hopes someone will head over to your Web site and buy your wares is going to get you ostracized, aka un-followed, and fast.
For the majority of people out there that don't know, first I'll start by explaining what the heck Twitter is.
CONTINUED >>
Your opinion counts!
We've made changes to the Your Business show page based on your previous feedback, now please fill out our survey and tell us if you like it.
CONTINUED >>
Evident Technologies has an adaptive business plan. The Troy, New York based company originally started out in the telecom industry, but CEO Clint Ballinger shifted their specialization to the "small" world of nanotechnology when he saw that was a more profitable line of work. Evident Technologies now sells nanotechnology to a diverse group of customers including the military. Find out how small business owners can continually adapt their businesses to the changing demands of their market.
Panelists
--Steve Little, author of "The Milkshake Moment: Overcoming Stupid Systems, Pointless Policies and Muddled Management to Realize Real Growth"
--Kylie Sachs, partner with Ascend Venture Group
Learning from the Pros: Maxine Clark, Build-A-Bear Workshop
Maxine Clark, founder and CEO of Build-A-Bear Workshop, discusses the strategies she's used to grow her teddy bear themed retail entertainment empire to more than 400 locations around the world.
Profit Margin: Blogging 101
Elizabeth Kanna, business strategist with Kanna & Co., a boutique consultancy, discuss the blogging phenomenon and how small business owners can use blogs to cost-effectively market and grow their businesses.
MyFico.com provides personal credit information and education about the world of credit reports. You can find out what your credit score is and how to lower it. You can also look into what type of loan might work best for your business.
1. Detailed company history
2. Personal information
3. Finacials
4. Legal documents
5. Verify everything
Source: Business.gov
I attended a trade show down south last week and was surprised at how busy it was. In spite of the economy, attendance by both exhibitors and attendees was strong.
In fact, many companies I spoke to told me that this is not the time to skimp on marketing. While most of them are not planning any over-the-top campaigns, they're still continuing with efforts to attract leads and customers. So in light of that I wanted to go back to a story we did a while ago on "Your Business" called Trade Show 101.
Now more than ever, if you spend thousands of dollars on a trade show, you want to make sure you get a return on that investment.
CONTINUED >>
It's April 1 and the world has not come to an end.
Many of you might seem surprised because the latest cyber worm threat, Conficker, was billed as a ticking time bomb. Even 60 Minutes got into the act this past weekend with a scary piece on the cyber threat.
I don't know about you, but these endless stories about cyber sabotage are starting to sound like parent threatening a child with the bogeyman.
CONTINUED >>
