It goes without saying that a small business owner strives to have solid customer relationships. That is the goal of any business. But, with all the competition, especially from large competitors with more resources, small businesses can feel particularly vulnerable to poached clients, negative feedback, or lackluster sales. To help you level the playing field, [...]

It seems like every week, I hear about another start-up with a bribery-based business model. Some genius decided that they can pay people to visit their web site, and that this would somehow evolve into loyalty. But sure enough, a few months later, they all vanish just as quickly as they appeared. The simple fact [...]

“I always pass on good advice. It is the only thing to do with it. It is never of any use to oneself.” – Oscar Wilde Wilde’s clever line came via an email newsletter one morning.  Chuckling and admiring how he’d fit so much into so few words, I shared it on Twitter. Several hours later [...]

Sometimes Internet marketers seem to do everything right tactically… but they can’t seem to get the sales they’re after. Whenever I see this, especially with extremely hard-working entrepreneurs, the problem is usually one of those “big picture”  strategic issues that can be easily missed when you’re caught up in the work. It’s easy to forget [...]

As the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day approaches, consumers and businesses everywhere are thinking about ways to reduce energy consumption and lower their energy bills. Affordable alternative energy sources are years away and utility-driven conservation measures like the Smart Grid won’t help SMBs in the short term, if at all. While we await advances in [...]

In this age of social media marketing, it’s easy to forget that one of the easiest, most cost-effective ways  to get your small business in front of people is to give them a gift. According to an Advertising Specialties Impressions study, 84% of promotional products recipients remember the advertiser on the product they receive. And, [...]

This month Small Business Trends is offering readers a deal that is really hard to pass up.  They have 3 Wilson Electronics MobilePro portable cell phone signal boosters up for grabs! That’s right, you heard me correctly.  A total of 3 cell phone signal boosters valued at $269.95 each will be given away in a [...]

Let’s talk about strategy for a second. If the Internet has torn down so many of the traditional barriers that prevented businesses from becoming successful, why is making money online so much harder than doing business in “the real world”? Well, strangely enough, the lack of barriers is actually a disadvantage since it pushes more [...]