11/30/2013
Small-business owners do not want to be Scrooge, but a pessimistic outlook this holiday season means many are cutting back on gifts, parties and bonuses.

A new survey from American Express OPEN indicates that less than a third of small retailers think holiday sales will be strong this year – down from 41% last year – and 34% of all small businesses expect this season will be weak. The government shutdown and other economic uncertainties are weighing heavily on small business owners’ minds, says Alice Bredin, Small Business Advisor to American Express.

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11/29/2013

11/28/2013
Need an Idea for a Corporate Gift? Check out some of these websites for ideas.

Golf Themed Gifts


Christmas Ornaments


Wild Animal Gifts

11/27/2013
According to a 2012 report by the Small Business Administration, between 1993 and 2011, small businesses helped create 64% of net new jobs in the United States. Whether or not you believe they are the backbone of our economy, it’s clear they represent a sizable percentage of the U.S. economy and the way they use modern technology to stay competitive has evolved significantly in the past several decades.

Cloud technology that had once been too expensive and difficult to use has become affordable, accessible, and pervasive. However, while innovation in consumer and enterprise technologies has flourished, advances in technology for small businesses has lagged behind.

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11/26/2013
Shop small is next Saturdays motto. On Nov. 30, American Express holds its annual Small Business Saturday event, offering a $10 credit to cardmembers who register in advance, then shop at a small business that day and pay with their American Express card.

But shoppers could also find other freebies and discounts. The credit card company said 67 percent of small-business owners nationwide are offering their own incentives to encourage holiday shoppers to patronize them on the Saturday following Thanksgiving and Black Friday.

11/25/2013
Twitter has implemented new security measures that should make it much more difficult for anyone to eavesdrop on communications between its servers and users, and is calling on other Internet companies to follow its lead.

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11/22/2013
Building an online community demands time and sustained effort. While numbers are not everything when it comes to communities, there are several tricks that can increase the number of subscribers to your forum. However, it is important to note that a large number of members does not determine the success of a community; a smaller number of active and interested members can often result in a very successful online community.

Building a Successful Community

11/21/2013
Ninety-six percent of the world’s consumers live outside the US, and they account for nearly two-thirds of the world’s purchasing power according to the US Small Business Administration. Despite these shocking statistics, only one-percent of American companies currently exports its products and services overseas. What was once a game reserved for multinationals is now open to anyone. Why have not small businesses gotten the memo?

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11/20/2013
Small businesses have had a tough time recently with many finding it hard to survive. Here are 14 things you need to know about small businesses.

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11/19/2013
Facebook is entering the review game, but in the social network’s case it includes a star rating system, Facebook starred reviews. Facebook introduced the feature recently for businesses with physical addresses. So for those Web entrepreneurs who only have a website, this does not seem an option at the moment.

Facebook Reviews

11/18/2013
Developments in technology have made it possible, if not easy, for small businesses and employees to telecommute. Working from home can be quite a different experience from an office job, and many find it a preferable one. However, those who work from home may also face some of the intrinsic downsides of telecommuting. To sort out the good and the bad of telecommuting, we have compiled a list of the major pros and cons that those who work from home might experience.

Working From Home

11/05/2013
Data released yesterday by small business (SMB) marketing platform Pricing Engine argues, as a number of others have in the past, that Bing ads are a more efficient buy than Google AdWords. While Google has more search volume and higher CTRs, Bing emerges as a lower cost source of leads for SMBs according to the companys analysis.

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11/04/2013
Small business columnist and author Steve Strauss explains how small business owners can network with other owners for support, in new and old ways.

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10/31/2013
As anyone who has ever pulled an all nighter in college or basically lived at the office to get a product launched can tell you, for most of us deadlines are quite motivating. Having that big red circle on your calendar coming closer and closer is the only way to get yourself towards meeting the goals you have set for yourself, right?

Not really, suggests a thought-provoking recent post from entrepreneur James Clear. While time pressure may have a place in driving you to overcome that final hurdle to an important achievement, Clear argues that if you really want to accomplish more, you need to swap schedules for deadlines.

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