List Of Small Businesses

The Terminator: Small Business Guru – Who Knew?

As much as it pains me to admit this, I may have learned something from the Terminator. Well, to be clear . . . it was actually from the new Fox(R) spinoff series, “The Sarah Connor Chronicles.” I have never been much of a fan of this series of movies, but after viewing them again recently with my husband, I must reluctantly admit that “Ah-nold” just might be on to something.

Those of you who may be die-hard fans will know the line I am referring to, but if not, just indulge me a moment. I promise there is a method to my madness.

In both the movie and the series, there is a (variation) of the line, “Come with me if you want to live.” Direct, forceful, and certainly insightful on its own. But here’s where it gets a little weird (and I will warn you up front to make a bit of a leap with me).

In both the movie and in the series, the characters look toward technology to help them. We need these pseudo-human beings to guide us, and ultimately, to save us. It got me to thinking about how it parallels so much of what is happening with technology today, and how important it is that we both embrace and trust the technology around us if we want our small business to survive.

There are literally dozens of advancements that have come on the scene, and, whether you follow these developments or not, they can, and will impact you. You have two options here: you can choose to ignore them and resist accepting them, or, you can embrace them, and leverage them to your advantage. History teaches us that no matter how hard we may try to resist change, it is inevitable. Those who resist change are often left behind.

What Can You Do to Make Technology Work For You?

There are many small changes that we can make to begin the process of embracing the technology around us. I know how it feels to be hesitant, or even downright resistant, to these changes. I wrote many of them off as nothing more than fads, then watched with surprise as many industry titans began implementing them. THAT got my attention. And, fair reader, it should get yours, too.

So, just how can you start making technology work for you? I am so glad you asked. I have worked up a short list that I think will help get the gears turning for you. From there, I encourage you to expand and revise the list to suit your needs.

Utilize Small automations. Setting up reminders in your email client (check out Outlook’s Calendar feature, for example) can help keep you on track, and on schedule. I set reminders for everything from client conference calls to reminders to change out content on my various websites. I would be lost without it.

RSS News Feeders. Streamline your web-surfing by setting up feeds from your favorite news outlets, blogs, magazines, etc. This puts all the information in one place, and allows you to read them at your leisure.

Automatic Credit Card Processing. I used to waste several hours a week in processing orders for my various sites — because I was doing all of this manually. Last fall, I had finally had enough. I switched over to 1ShoppingCart.com, and it was one of the best decisions I ever made. Not only are my orders processed automatically, but the cart system also handles my affiliate program, autoresponders, and can even handle delivery of digital products. It is a bit pricey at first glance, but if you take the time to price out all of these elements separately, you’ll soon realize it is a valuable investment in your business.

AudioGenerator.com. This service is one that after you begin using it, you will wonder why you didn’t start sooner. You can record (via phone, or upload your own file) short messages for your website — welcome messages, product instructions, special announcements, etc. — and upload a short line of code to add them to your site. Because the file is third-party hosted, if loads quickly and won’t bog down your server. You can also give out a special phone number to your customers, and allow them to record product or service testimonials.

Productivity Tools. Embracing technology allows us to work smarter, rather than harder. That said, below are some time-saving resources, along with a short explanation of how they can serve you.

BizJournals: Search 41 business news journals at once.

http://www.bizjournals.com

TrackEngine: Set up alerts to monitor changes on frequently visited websites. http://www.trackengine.com

TinyURL: Shorten lengthy URLs for easy emailing. http://www.tinyurl.com

ZoomInfo: Don’t Google someone, ZoomInfo them! http://www.zoominfo.com

DomainTools: Identify web sites owned by the competition. http://www.domaintools.com

Blinkx: Track the TV coverage of your competitors. http://www.blinkx.com

Jux2: Locate unique results between 3 search engines. http://www.Jux2.com

Wikipedia: Search and browse the ultimate online reference site. http://www.wikipedia.com

Ask: Answer who-is and what-is questions instantly. http://www.ask.com

TurboScout: Search across multiple search engines for comprehensive results. http://www.turboscout.com

Social Networks. I saved this as my last list item (although I could go on for quite a bit longer) simply because it is one that I personally resisted for far too long. The good news is, if you aren’t using it, you haven’t missed the boat on this. Follow these helpful tips, and start using these networks as another promotional method for your business:

Always provide valuable content. Nobody likes a spammer. Avoid hopping on these sites shouting from the rooftops about how great you are. Let folks come to that conclusion naturally by seeing all of the valuable knowledge and content you have to offer.

Go for quality, not quantity There are tons of social networks out there, and more springing up each day (trust me on this, I have a news alert set up to let me know). Select one or two and test the waters. Get a feel for the community, and then become a productive and respected member of it. You don’t have to be a member of every social network in order to reap the benefits.

Be Prepared to Welcome the Leads. Do you have a lead-capture plan in place? If not, get one. Make sure you have a prominently placed opt-in area on your home page — preferably “above the fold.” Offer a free report, coupon, discount or other promotional offer to encourage conversions of that traffic.

These are really only the tip of the iceberg in terms of embracing the technology available to us as small business owners. The most important fact that I’d like to leave with you is that if you aren’t using technology, you run the risk of being left behind. The Internet offers us the unique opportunity to enjoy a global marketplace; don’t kid yourself into believing that your competition isn’t going to be employing these exact same strategies to get the jump on you.

Little do they know that we have the Terminator on our side. “Hasta la vista, baby!”

Credit Score Formula Changes, Impact on Small Business Owners

Small businesses are extremely important to our culture and our economy. In fact, small businesses make up a very significant portion of our economy. They thrive on local business and give life to the monetary heartbeat of America. The financial success of America’s small businesses lies heavily on their ability to attain credit in order to maintain their business.

Recently, FICO has changed some of its rules for the credit approval systems for these businesses. It is important for business owners to understand these changes to the credit score formula. These types of changes may affect some of the decisions business owners make for the success of their business and it is important to pay close attention to these changes.

FICO has announced that authorized users on credit accounts will not have that credit account factored into their credit scores. In other words, credit determine by a credit account for the primary user on the account. This means several things for a small business owner as a credit holder.

Loss of credit: Small business owners should be aware that their credit scores might likely drop because of this change. They are essentially losing credit because they will no longer get credit improvement for being an authorized user on a successfully managed credit account. Business owners should look into their credit to see how many accounts they are on where they are listed as authorized rather than primary. Be mindful that the more authorized accounts you are on, the lower your credit may drop.

Fraud: If you actually had to pay to have your name added as an authorized user on a credit account, you should be aware that you might actually be guilty of fraud. Business owners should be aware of this and have their names immediately removed from any accounts that they paid to have their names added to. The last thing a small business owner needs is a fraud lawsuit coming up on their record. It is best to stay away from these types of accounts all together.

Stop adding yourself to new accounts: Especially newlyweds or business partners. If you are considering having a joint credit account, do not. This decision could only put your small business in jeopardy. Consider opening two separate credit accounts with your name only as a primary user. This is the only way to ensure you maintain a good credit score.

Open a credit account: If you do not have any credit accounts that list you as the primary user, it may be a good idea to open one or two credit accounts of your own. Make sure they are accounts that you can afford to maintain and pay off. This is a great way to improve your credit score. Especially consider opening an account if you are a woman. Women tend to be authorized users more often than men. This means that women will be more impacted by these changes and should consider their own accounts.

4 Must-Attend Small Biz Tech Conferences in September

4 Must-Attend Small Biz Tech Conferences in September
Remember when you couldn’t figure out where July went? Well, now it’s September. Summer is indeed coming to a close, but to help soften the blow, ReadWriteWeb has compiled a list of four essential technology conferences for small business owners and professionals coming up this month. These events are US-only, but if you know of any international events worth checking out, please leave a note in …

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City not meeting needs of small businesses

City not meeting needs of small businesses
Greater Sudbury must become better attuned to the needs of its business community, two independent business groups said Monday. The results of a survey conducted by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business show Greater Sudbury is not meeting the needs of its small business community.[...]

Read more on The Sudbury Star

Twin Cities’ Best Places to Work

Twin Cities’ Best Places to Work
The Minneapolis-St.. Paul Business Journal’s list of Best Places to Work in the Twin cities is out. See the list and read about the companies.

Read more on FOX 9 News Twin Cities

Mosque developer built business deal by deal

Mosque developer built business deal by deal
Eight years ago, Sharif El-Gamal was just another ambitious striver from Brooklyn, casting about for career leads and dreaming of a grander future in real estate. Real estate – Business – Sharif El-Gamal – United States – Brooklyn

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Inc. Magazine Unveils Its Fourth Annual Exclusive List of America’s Fastest-Growing Private Companies – the Inc. 5000

Inc. Magazine Unveils Its Fourth Annual Exclusive List of America’s Fastest-Growing Private Companies – the Inc. 5000
Inc. magazine today announced its fourth annual Inc. 5000, an exclusive ranking of the nation’s fastest-growing private companies. The list represents the most comprehensive look at the most important segment of the economyâAmerica’s independent-minded entrepreneurs.

Read more on PR Newswire via Yahoo! Finance

Small Business Accounting Firm- Your Ladder to Success

You would agree with the fact, that first five years of a business is very hard to get through. If the business survives, the first five years, then no doubts, it will yield good returns later or sooner. Most business entities wind up their business in first five years, either due to lack of funds or lack of business management. They are inexperienced and are not able to direct their funds and energy in the right direction. This brought in the concept of small business accounting firms in the scenario.

Small business accounting firm popularity has seen a tremendous growth recently. The reason is that the new business entities or the one which are recurring constant losses prefer to get the services of small business accounting firm outsourced. The small business accounting firm helps the business houses to manage their funds efficiently and make most of it.

The Small business accounting firm recruits well qualified and professional staff to help people have a hassle free fund management. The employees are all CPA’s which make their services reliable and trustworthy. Their services are sure to take your business to a high level, making it run successfully. The professionals help you in maintaining the business records, account book and sales record. They even help them cutting down their expenses and economizing their purchases. Sales promotion is even looked by them. They target the audience, so as to minimize the expenses on the sales promotion.

By availing the services of small business accounting firm, the business firms even economize on maintaining staff for managing and handling various departments. The firms look after all the aspects necessary for running a successful business. No matter how dedicatedly you work, until your efforts are directed to the key areas, all is a waste. Without a second opinion, everyone agrees to the fact that accounts are the most important aspect of any business. It requires special attention and professional assistance.

If you want to look out for a small business accounting firm the easiest option is search online and you will get long list of them. You can shortlist two or three of them and then compare their price quotes and their policies. If possible view the list of the existing clients and read their reviews if given on their website. If any of your kin or kith, recently outsourced the services of small business accounting firm ask their experience. If they sound satisfied, you can even choose the same accounting firm.

But, before you choose the firm, be careful, as it pertains to your life and career. They should be sincere and dedicated and give attention to the business issues, to make it bloom, among the existing names. Make sure that the firm keeps your details confidential, as all your valuable data is in their hands. The names of the buyers and suppliers are with them. Also, the small business accounting firms make sure that the client is well satisfied with the quality of their services, as customer satisfaction is their motto.

Search Engine Marketing Strategies for Small Business

Here’s an easy listing of search engine strategies any small business can do and all should take advantage of. Just pick a few, implement and master, pick a few more and repeat.

Search Engine Strategies

1. Write a Page Title.

2. Write a Description and Keyword META Tag.

3. Include Your Keywords in Header Tags

4. Make Sure Your Keywords Are in the First Paragraph of Your Body Text.

6. Make Your Navigation System Search Engine Friendly.

7. Develop Several Pages Focused on Particular Keywords.

8. Submit Your Webpage URL to Search Engines. Next, submit your homepage URL to the important Web search engines that robotically index the Web.

9. Fine-tune with Search Engine Optimization.

10. Promote Your Local Business on the Internet.

11. Submit Your Site to Key Directories, since a link from a directory will help your ranking – and get you traffic.

12. Submit Your Site to Industry Sites and Specialized Directories.

13. Request Reciprocal Links.

14. Write Articles for Others to Use in their Newsletters.

15. Begin a Business Blog.

16. Issue News Releases.

17. Include Your URL on Stationery, Cards, and Literature.

18. Promote using traditional media.

19. Develop a Free Service.

20. Install a “Signature” in your E-Mail Program to help potential customers get in touch with you.

21. Publish an E-Mail Newsletter.

22. Send Offers to Your Visitors and Customers.

23. Rent targeted e-mail lists.

24. Promote Your Site in Online Forums and Blogs.

25. Announce a Contest. People like getting something free.

26. Ask Visitors to Bookmark Your Site.

27. Exchange Ads with Complementary Businesses

28. Devise Viral Marketing Promotion Techniques.

29. Buy a Text Ad in an E-Mail Newsletter.

30. Begin an Affiliate Program. Essentially, a retailer’s affiliate program pays a commission to other sites whose links to the retailer result in an actual sale.

31. Purchase Pay Per Click (PPC) ads with Yahoo Search Marketing (formerly Overture and Google AdWords.

32. List Your Products with Shopping Comparison Bots and Auction Sites.

Even with the above road map … here’s some honest advice.

The best marketing in the world today is that you have a GREAT product or service that people will want to talk about.

That to me is the only real marketing. The rest are all the channels that you can leverage to get the word out. But if you have a lousy or so-so or ‘already have’ kinda product or service, don’t expect to get anywhere far even though you have the money to spend to use all the internet channels available.

Theresa Kennedy

Theresa Kennedy
Theresa Kennedy is an active member in too many Jackson metro organizations to list. “I want to create my life, not just to let it happen,” she says. “That’s a lot of the reason that I am as involved as I am.”

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