Do you find yourself spending time trying to figure out what happened to a customer’s order? Interested in keeping staffing counts stable while growing revenue? Do your auditors want to see the details of how transactions were processed, including approval signatures? We all want to increase efficiency, and are often becoming more customer-driven. Many of [...]

Small businesses know that there is a number of ins and outs of getting started. The first rule, get to know the C.P.A., and perhaps have a attorney who will look over contracts as needed, but the next rule, generating business, needs to be continuously developed. The economic downturn has been burdensome and congested for [...]

Do you have a favorite online marketer that you look up to?  Well now you have a chance to cast your vote for them in Invesp’s Top 100 Online Marketers of 2009. The nominees are individuals chosen by Invesp’s readers and from their selection committee’s input. Our website is in the Small Business Trends family [...]

If you’ve been watching any television lately you may have noticed the recent wave of Flip Video commercials.  Flip video cameras are small handheld devices that let you record high quality videos that you can share online.  For only a few hundred dollars, you can produce your own videos that can help you promote your [...]

Are you too busy to scour Twitter for new informative business experts to follow?  Have no fear, I’ve made it really easy for anyone who hasn’t had the time to explore Twitter lists.  I’ve gathered a collection of 50 Twitter lists that are full of the most influential small business Twitter users. This is an [...]

I know first hand how easy it can be to spend countless hours on social media sites.  It can be so easy to lose track of time.  You think you’re just hopping onto a site to do something real quick and the next thing you know, it’s an hour later.  Luckily, there are a few [...]

After the trials and tribulations of this past year, consumers are looking to end this economically challenged year on a lighter note.  They want you to make them laugh.  How?  By sending your customers and clients humorous holiday cards. According to a recent survey conducted by Hallmark Business Expressions and Harris Interactive, 62% of the [...]

Great word-of-mouth can do wonders for your business, sometimes even more than any advertising campaign.  Why?  Because consumers trust other’s opinions and experiences about your services or products more than just seeing an ad or commercial.  So, how does your business attract great word-of-mouth? Over at the American Express OPEN Forum, Yvonne DiVita recently gave [...]

If your business is still against adopting social media practices, you may want to think that through a bit more.  According to a study conducted by the Center for Marketing Research at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, 91% of Inc. 500 companies use at least one form of social media.  That number has increased from [...]