small business

Women in traditionally male-dominated fields, such as the v-twin industry, are rare but success is possible as women are proving.  For seven years, Mary Jo Light operated a successful daycare center after graduating from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania with a degree in Elementary Education.  She then decided to run for a local school board position, and to own and operate her own state licensed day care facility.  Her center provided early learning and educational assistance for school age children where she had 62 students revolve through her program. 

Have you ever thought up an idea so brilliant, you checked it out online to be sure someone else had not thought of it first? There are plenty of innovators working hard to bring us some truly great products and services these days, so it can be tempting to want to share that bit of spotlight for your brilliance. However, some ideas should never even be thought about more than once, much less carried out. If anyone were to spend money on developing these ideas, it would be total chaos.

If you're just beginning to think about your 2011 income tax return, you’ve got a late start - but it's still not too late to cash in on some savings.

“A lot of the deductions associated with the economic stimulus package will disappear in 2012, so if you want to take advantage of them, you’ve got only until Dec. 31,” says Jessica James, CPA and author of Justice for None (www.AuthorJessicaJames.com), an insider look at IRS tactics in a tax fraud investigation and trial.

Companies lose an average of 10 to 30 percent of their customers each year. Much of this loss can be attributed to poor service. Companies that focus on customer retention tend to see profits grow anywhere from 25 to 100 percent annually. Nonprofits that focus on customer retention often see reductions in turnover and better results. In business, we all strive to provide outstanding customer service. Unfortunately, we don't always live up to those ideals. Here are four keys to unlocking richer, more meaningful relationships with your customers:

Starting a new business takes a lot of preparation, scheduling, hiring, and number crunching. While you are working as the CEO or COO of your company, it is easy to get consumed by the internal needs and maintenance. Instead of focusing all of your attention solely on picking out conference room chairs and desks, you are going to need to perform some outreach and market yourself through social media.

Who sits in your cubicles or other areas around the office should be of utmost importance to you as a small business owner.

That being said, the background check provides a very useful tool in allowing you to make sure you know as much as possible about the people who will join your payroll.

Horsepower Inc. is the leading manufacturer of the original big bore throttle body.  Our beginning dates back to the summer of 2002 when members of our crew were utilizing our machine shop facility after hours to improve the performance of their fuel injected bikes.  We knew then there was a need for performance products in the Electronic Fuel Injection (EFI) market. 

With the New Year just a couple of weeks away, have you thought about where your career is going?

For many women, 2012 could be the year they break out and go into business for themselves.

In this day and age, marketing and advertising plays a huge part in any business. Being innovative is key in any strategy to raise public awareness of your brand, as simple billboard advertisements won’t cut it on their own. One way to publicise your company or brand is through the use of printed t-shirts.