An ideal entrepreneur or office employee is able to generate ideas on demand that neither strain the resources of the company nor have an unreasonable chance of failure. Every team member will likely have a wealth of ideas, but only experience or careful research will uncover business building plans that will be profitable no matter where the wind of chance blows. Becoming that one worker with planning skills is the ticket to a rich career.

As you build up your small business, improving administration, product development, customer service, marketing and sales, you also want to make sure that you protect your company’s finances.

1. Get General Liability Insurance

General liability insurance is inexpensive, and can cost as little as $700 a year. In fact, in most states, every business is legally required to carry it. For that small amount of money, you will avoid unexpected financial loss from damage to your office building to crazy things like getting sued by a customer for falling down. If you think it’s unnecessary to get a high-level of insurance protection, think back on that famous case where McDonald’s got sued for providing hot coffee because a customer poured coffee on themselves.

Over the past 5 years, we’ve seen a plethora of fun and interesting ways that brands are coming up with to grab people’s attention. Through social media like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, amazing things are happening between brands and their customers that allow for a ton of exposure for the companies, and benefits for the users involved. It’s truly a win-win for all marketers out there looking to connect better and in more meaningful ways with their supporters. Listed here are some of 2014’s most amazing social media campaigns (so far) that all brands can learn a thing or two from.

According to the American Barista and Coffee School, Oregon is the new Mecca for coffee and cafes. With a coffee shop on every corner, today’s entrepreneur has new opportunities in mobile business. E-commerce and free Wi-Fi have made office fronts obsolete for many business models. Many businesses, especially services, can be run from a tablet as long as you have Internet connection and the right applications.

Most entrepreneurs with their own startup fall victim to the "if only I had more funding" bug at one time or another. Many of us think that additional funding is the key to a successful startup. But in falling prey to this sort of mindset, we're unconsciously limiting our ability to run a successful business.

Some people see negotiations as art; others on the other hand, are 100% confident that it's science behind the whole process. What do you need to succeed? No MBA or degree will ever help you master negotiations. For that to happen, you need experience. The key to success when negotiating a deal is to be prepared for the unexpected. In business, anything can happen, especially when your counterparts are more skilled than you. Always have a plan B in mind, and keep your calm no matter what. There are different types of negotiation styles; some are more aggressive than others, so you shouldn't be afraid to speak up even if an opponent approaches a deal with an overly confident attitude.

As you are probably aware of, owning and managing your own business is no easy feat. According to Forbes Magazine, 8 out of 10 businesses fail within the first 18 months. This staggering number is due to a number of causes, many of which can be prevented by taking the right steps to ensure that your business stays on track. You certainly do not want to be part of the above statistic. Not only do you lose your investment, but you also somehow forfeit your dream. Below are a few of the best tips to incorporate into your business to ensure that you are the exception and not the rule.

Running a small business, to some, is considered a never-ending job.

There's always something that needs to be done - whether that's fine-tuning a product, adding additional products or services, managing employees, hiring new employees, balancing the account, keeping current customers coming back, trying to gain new customers and more.

This article will serve as an introduction to the concept of relationship marketing, and a primer on how to effectively build strong relationships with two distinct groups. The first group we’ll look at is potential customers, next we’ll talk about keeping the relationship strong with existing customers or clients. Are you ready to see things in a new light?

Nobody said starting a brand new business from the ground up would be easy.

Seasoned and novice entrepreneurs alike will be all-too aware of the eventuality of encountering obstacles and pitfalls whilst both setting up their business, and running it day-to-day.