POST CATEGORY : Economy & Environment

Is Freelancing The Answer To Today’s Unstable Economy?

The recent economic depression in the United States alerted many working professionals to just how delicate their employment situation is. Many people lost jobs and others lived with the fear of joining former co-workers in the unemployment line. Inevitably, some turned to freelancing as a way to curb their financial losses.

Is Freelancing The Answer To Today's Unstable Economy?

But for some, those freelancing efforts became not just a part-time source of income, but a full-time gig. Laid off professionals found so much success in their freelancing efforts that, in some cases, they stopped looking for new work and stuck with their new source of income.

Of course, that’s not the case for everyone who ventures into the world of freelancing.…

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Is Your Business Aware of Carbon Accounting?

Carbon accounting is the accepted method for calculating how much, or little, your business contributes towards global warming. The concept of carbon accounting has been around for a while now and ERP software developer Epicor has conducted a global survey of businesses, ranging from start-ups to multi-national corporations, on the topic.

They have presented their findings in the above infographic.

Some of the results are astounding:

The fact that 58% of all businesses surveyed were not even aware of carbon accounting is the first shocking statistic, especially from the perspective of green campaigners, but it is maybe even more shocking that of the 48% who were aware of the process, less than 25% understood it correctly.…

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How Could Going Green Benefit Your Small Business?

The reasons to go green are often pitched as necessary changes for the continued existence of the world with growing populations and pollution. While not wrong, going green often comes with a stigma of raising costs of business, and in an unstable economy it can seem dangerous to go through any dramatic change in doing business.

How Going Green Could Benefit Your Small Business

Here are some examples of ways going green can save you money and be good for business, all while helping the environment.

Any PR is Good PR, but Positive PR is Better PR

While it may seem like a bad way to think about going green, the fact is that it can easily turn into a great marketing campaign.…

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6 Simple Ways To A Greener Business

6 ways to a green business

Start-ups to large enterprises are looking for ways to be greener businesses. Aside from the fact that your company does its share to preserve and nurture the environment, it is also good for business since it would allow you to conserve resources which means, more savings.

We cannot control underlying forces which are responsible for price hikes of almost everything from gas prices to energy costs. However, what we can control is our usage. I am not a full-blown nature advocate. What I am an advocate of is sustainable and growing businesses.

Without further ado, here are 6 simple ways you can increase your business’ bottom line by running a greener business:

  1. Turn off all your equipment when not in use.
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25 Million Small Businesses May Have Zero Employees, But They Contribute to Our Economy

In a recent interview on Barbara Weltman’s “Build Your Business” Radio Show, Anita Campbell of Small Business Trends shared some interesting statistics about small businesses.

She mentioned that roughly 79% of US companies have no employees. Yet, these same businesses, over 25 million, provide full or part time employment for their owners.   So, why does “everyone insist that these types of small businesses don’t contribute to jobs?”   Campbell says that they should be counted. After all, that’s 25 million people NOT in the unemployment line.

25 million small businesses have zero employees

She adds that jobs aren’t everything-when measuring the impact of the smallest, small businesses.   Regardless of what you think of their impact, single employee companies contribute to our economy as they buy products and purchase services.  …

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Five Ways to Tell the Recession is Over

recession recovery0

One of the largest recessions in recent history has been plaguing our economy and impacting the worldwide market for over four years. With unemployment rates still high, market shares making vague, inconsistent progress, and a record number of homes in foreclosure, the question on everyone’s mind is: when will this recession end?

Unfortunately, as people with online finance degrees will tell you, the only way to determine the exact point at which the economy starts its recovery is by living through the tough times and studying the records once it’s over. However, in the meantime there are a few indicators you can use to figure out when the economy is starting to recover and the recession has an end in sight.…

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The Regulatory Strategy for Small Business

It is common knowledge that small business drives job growth and in hopes to generate more jobs, President Obama is ordering government agencies to consider reducing burdens on small businesses. In fact, the president urges a “government-wide review” of business regulations as stated in a Wall Street Journal Op-Ed article. This review of business regulations aims to help small business owners and this is a welcome reprieve as the industry is given a much-needed break by the government.

small business regulatory system

Striking the right balance is important in business as in life. For so long, small business owners have been stifled by different regulations apart from other risks in operating a business, such as the most recent financial woes that businesses continually find themselves in.…

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Three Tips – Preparing for Economic Recovery

preparing for economic recoveryA week ago, I had an opportunity to hear an economic update from a Federal Reserve Bank economist. While the numbers are far from fabulous, most seem to agree we are on the road out of recession.

Have you reduced employee counts and canceled or delayed capital projects? Do you lack the bench strength and infrastructure to support significant customer and revenue growth? Here are three tips for getting your house in order now:

1. If you haven’t yet taken advantage of the slower business cycle to make the day-to-day processes in your company more efficient, start now. Increase productivity so initial growth can be absorbed by existing employees.…

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Analyzing The Business Boom To Save Money

saving money in your businessSmall 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 small businesses to thrive. The sturdy foundation of creativity and ingenuity for the United States comes from the birth of small businesses; however, the future for small businesses comes down to money. That brings us to how, and what small businesses can do to survive and thrive; thus, continuing to be able to hire and expand.…

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Growing Pains – Positioning Your Business Now for the Upturn

recovering from the recessionWhat do you see your business doing 12 months from now, when we’re out of the recession and making the upturn?

If you’re like many U.S. businesses, you will be playing catch up to where you were before you cut staff and put projects on hold to reduce costs.

You don’t want to be behind when the economy begins strengthening and coming out of recession. Many companies are going through tough times right now, but the smart ones are positioning themselves for growth so they are ready when the economy recovers.

Four Problems You Don’t Want to Have to Deal With

What happens when companies grow before they have the processes and technology in place to support the growth?…

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