07/31/2012
It seems like the word of the week for social networking companies is local.

First, Foursquare unfurled a new feature that lets businesse send promotions and updates to followers based on whether or not they have checked in near specific locations. But Facebook and Twitter have also announced improvements to their local targeting features this week, and the same theme is behind an update from mobile marketing technology company Pontiflex.

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08/01/2012
Our revolution was about individuals and business being forced to do business in accordance with British dictates.  It was called Mercantilism.  Colonists were allowed to buy only products specified by King George III from approved suppliers.

The justification was that we colonists owed our existence to the Crown that provided the environment for our success.  Trade laws were enacted between 1650 and 1674 designed to give Britain a virtually complete monopoly on colonial trade, with them setting the prices.  The problem was not just taxation and a lack of representation that caused the revolution; it was excessive government controls and restrictions on everyday business and life.

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07/30/2012
Video is also great for offering tips and tricks on how to use your products and services most effectively. Imagine a customer on the verge of deciding whether to order from you or from your competition — similar product, similar price — but, you happen to have 2 or 3 how to videos showing unboxing, assembly, optimal placement, usage or device settings… now which company do you think will get the sale? These videos do not have to be fancy, just helpful.

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Sample RSS Video Tutorials from a Small Businesses
SMS Video Tutorials from a Software Company

07/19/2012
As your company grows, or as the economy declines, you may run in to the problem of dealing with debt. Small businesses and startups may have the toughest time with debt management because of a lack of related experience or a tighter budget.

The best debt management differs depending on the size of your business.

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07/18/2012
In this highly competitive and transparent world, Zappos has become a shining example of how corporate culture can be leveraged into stellar financial results. Following in the footsteps of Disney, Starbucks and others, Zappos particular cultural focus — that of delivering happiness — has already delivered a billion dollars of success.

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07/17/2012
For small businesses looking to expand outside the U.S., China typically was not an option. But ExportNow, a new service, is working to change that, by enabling small businesses to sell online in China without investing millions of dollars in the gamble.

Since launching four months ago, ExportNow counts small businesses from around the country and the National Football League as customers. Small businesses pay as much as $3,000 to become a member and ExportNow handles the rest, taking a 20% cut of all sales.

ExportNow boasts of handling all aspects of ecommerce for the small business, including listing the products on Tmall.com, one of Chinas largest businesses to consumer platforms. Shoppers to Tmall.com view the products in their language, deal with customer service in their time zone and receive their products from a local shipper.

07/16/2012
The Small Business Administration defines a small business as one with fewer than 500 workers, and that is 99.7 percent of everything out there. There are 5.7 million firms with employees in this country, and about 5.7 million have fewer than 500 employees — rounding slightly, said Robert McIntyre, the director of Citizens for Tax Justice.

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07/12/2012
As a business owner, you should always be on the hunt for new customers and seeking methods to bring them to your door. If you are not consistently looking for opportunities to build your customer base, your business could fall off of the growth track. There are lots of ways to reach your prospects. I offer you these tips that will help you keep your business out in front of your target customers:

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07/11/2012
Small business owners, an increasingly disgruntled sector of the electorate, will be casting their votes with pocketbook issues at top of mind in this fall's presidential election. They believe the economy is the No. 1 issue facing the nation today and that the Republican Party has the edge at positioning itself as the party most supportive of small business interests, a national survey shows. But a sizeable number of small business votes are still up for grabs, promising to turn voting day into an economic slugfest between the GOP and Democratic Party candidates.

The economy and jobs are major pain points for small business owners today, with 60 percent of them citing the economy is one of the top issues facing the country today; 41 percent say that jobs are the paramount concern, according to a survey of more than 6,000 small business owners commissioned by MerchantCircle.com, an online merchant network.

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07/10/2012
You can find plenty of events for small businesses and startups this summer and fall, to educate yourself and your staff, and to network with your peers. Here is our hand-picked list of conferences, seminars and events.

small business events

07/09/2012
In the following conclusion of this interview, we discuss how algorithm changes affect the future of SEO techniques and strategy.

Uncovering Google Mysteries

07/05/2012
Recent polls and surveys reported by Fox Business News are showing that Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney is leading in the polls when it comes to the votes of small business owners across America. In one survey, 38% of the respondents noted that they had the intention of supporting Mitt Romney in the 2012 Presidential election. This is compared to the only 28% of respondents who said that they would support President Barrack Obama for a second term in the White House. This survey was conducted by Manta.com, a small business website that has a very strong community of small business owners. In this particular survey, Manta polled 1,213 small business owners and entrepreneurs. The poll also asked the business owners about their overall thoughts on the credit crunch, their ease of accessing credit as of late and their opinion on the overall political environment in the United States. The conclusion of the poll is that many small business owners are generally leaning to the Right side of the political spectrum for the upcoming 2012 US Presidential election, which is now 5 months away.

07/04/2012
For small business owners there never seems to be enough time in the day. They work hard and they get results. Statistics show they employ the majority of all private sector workers. And according to the U.S. Small Business Administration, they have created 60 to 80 percent of all new jobs annually over the last decade.

Being successful means being constantly on call. The business is part of every day life no matter where one is - on the job or a thousand miles away from it. Juggling this responsibility with other commitments is challenging and can be stressful.

Many small business owners accept this as part of the territory. In todays world, with technology at our fingertips, it does not have to be this way. There are solutions to help entrepreneurs gain freedom and flexibility while keeping an eye on return of investment.

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07/03/2012
A big worry for small businesses that opposed the Obama administrations health care law was that it would increase their costs. But now that the Supreme Court has upheld it, some small companies could opt to go a route that will save them thousands of dollars each year.

Under the law, companies with more than 50 workers must provide health insurance that the law defines as affordable, or pay a penalty. Paying the penalty may be cheaper, and some business owners vow to consider doing just that.

I have to consider not paying for health insurance, said Nick Balletta, owner of TalkPoint, a New York firm that runs online broadcasts for businesses. Balletta has just under 100 employees, and he says he is paying $8,000 a year for each employees insurance and $16,000 for family coverage.

I have a fiduciary responsibility to shareholders to have that discussion. The penalties are set according to a complicated formula and start at $2,000 per worker, with the first 30 workers excluded from the calculation. This is a huge savings for us, he said.

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07/02/2012
There are 3.2 billion likes and comments made on Facebook each day

175 million tweets are sent on Twitter a day

The Google+ button is pressed 5 billion times a day

17 million visitors go on Pinterest a day

Nearly 830,000 YouTube videos are uploaded daily

Every day, 526 million people sign up for Facebook

Google+ increases its number of users by 625,000 a day

Every second, 58 photos are uploaded through Instagram

StumbleUpon adds 2.2 million pages a day

300 million photos are uploaded to Facebook each day

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