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November, 2009

Changes in Small Business Marketing in an Uncertain Economy

Submitted by Greg Salsburg on Tue, 11/03/2009 - 11:11
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Are you like me? Do you miss the easier days when an entire “strategic” marketing budget hinged on the Ad campaign using stock photography of people shaking hands to depict “teamwork,” or the scantily clad couple, fondling each other in the elevator? Nothing says “buy my product” or “we have a better service” than the depiction of wild sexual encounters or cliché photos and taglines.

Outsource Your Accounts Receivable Management With Factoring

Submitted by Tracy Eden on Thu, 11/05/2009 - 12:25
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One of the biggest business trends of the past 20 to 30 years has been the move toward outsourcing.

There was a time not so many years ago when most companies handled almost all business functions internally themselves: payroll, hiring, human resources, financials, accounting, IT, etc. Well, do the names ADP, Paychex, Randstad, or Tatum ring a bell? Each has become a leader in providing specialized business services for companies on an outsourced basis.

Meet the Five Finalists and Vote for Grant Winner

Submitted by Elena on Mon, 11/09/2009 - 16:50
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Having the chance to vote for their favorite business idea, Idea Café regulars made their choice and selected the five finalists out of the list of our stellar semi-finalists. We are honored to present you the people and companies who will compete for winning the grant:

What’s new with Go Green Go?

Submitted by Susan Jenkins on Tue, 11/10/2009 - 15:44
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What a month October has been. Sailing in the Caribbean for 12 days. Oh wait, you don’t want to hear about the vacation, you want to know what’s been happening with Go Green Go”. Actually, if you do want to hear about sailing in the BVI’s – just send me an email ( [email protected] ) and I will be happy to talk about sailing and give you some great places to visit.

Insurance Claim Tips for Business Owners

Submitted by Ron Reitz on Mon, 11/16/2009 - 14:11
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Most business owners don’t necessarily think about their insurance coverage until a loss occurs and they need to file a claim. However, the time to analyze your insurance is before you need to file a claim: Preview is always nicer than review.

If you do suffer an insured loss, you need to be very familiar with certain aspects of your claim. Here are the three areas that cause the biggest business insurance disputes with insurers.

Have You Lost Your Focus?

Submitted by Michael Angier on Thu, 11/19/2009 - 12:36

We all know how important it is to focus on what we want.

But what happens when we LOSE focus?

It’s easy to do, isn’t it?

We get distracted. Something captures our interest and diverts our attention away from our chosen objective.

We suffer setbacks. Things don’t work out as planned. Someone lets us down. Circumstances change and good plans go bad. We get interrupted. An important matter takes precedence—sometimes for long periods of time.

We, or members of our team, get sick or hurt. We don’t have the energy we had before and often find it slow to get back in the game.

Go Green Go is Going …….and Wants to hear from YOU!

Submitted by Susan Jenkins on Fri, 11/20/2009 - 12:05
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Since the birth of Go Green Go” – one of the greatest challenges has been the process of making decisions. This process can be painfully slow and full of uncertainty, particularly if you are a one man show.

The Development and Sharing of the Idea with Friends

It all starts when a little voice in your head says “Hey, have you ever thought of doing _______?” (You get to fill in the blank.) You keep thinking about the idea, rolling it around and around in your brain. The little thought grows and evolves until you can actually put words to the idea and intelligently describe the vision to others. The next step is to tell a few people about your idea, usually the first victims are your close friends. This is a very scary step, because you are putting “IT” out there. You’re putting your brainchild on the line, along with your ego, and waiting to see their reaction. Do they think your idea has value or do they try to keep the laughter at bay?

Four Tips for Using Social Media this Holiday Season

Submitted by Steve Nielsen on Tue, 11/24/2009 - 11:15
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This holiday season, the need for cost-effective marketing tools is more important than ever – especially for small businesses. With a continued shift of shopping to the Web expected, using social media to reach customers with special coupons and other incentives, will be critical to success. In addition to using social media to communicate offers, these channels allow small businesses to create a dialogue with their customers and reach a broad audience with a minimal cash outlay.

Congratulations-It's A Business!

Submitted by Leah Grant on Mon, 11/30/2009 - 12:02
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Imagine having a newborn dropped off on your doorstep wrapped only in a blanket with a note attached that reads, "Take care of me."

For the sake of argument say you wanted a baby so this is like a windfall. You bring the child in the house and it only takes a couple of moments to realize that you have no diapers and no formula, so out you go (or you send your husband) to buy the necessary items.