01/31/2016
Lately I have been binge watching Shark Tank. If you are a small business owners you might be surprised what you can learn. The innovation out there is fairly impressive. I have been self-employed since 1989, and I am finding myself learning things....

01/29/2016
What is your best six word advice? Check out the slideshow below to get inspired.

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01/27/2016
There is no shortage of predictions regarding where technology is headed in this bright and shiny New Year. Not all fortune tellers have the same perspective, however. Take the design and innovation consultancy Fjord (part of Accenture Interactive), for example. It tapped more than 750 of its experts in 19 studios around the world to amass its annual trends compilation.

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01/25/2016
Fortunately, there is a better way. Here are 17 simple things to do sometime in 2016. They are all one-time events (although you can certainly repeat them as many times as you like). And each is a lot easier to accomplish than some hopefully-life-changing-but-in-the-end-never-accomplished New Years resolution.

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01/22/2016
Those small business owners who want to take their company to the next level can get some help.

Peggy Cenova, regional director of the East Central Indiana Small Business Development Center, says she works with small business owners to help them achieve their goals.

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01/20/2016
I know, I know. It is hard to start thinking about the New Year when we’re stuck in the middle of the hectic holidays. But with January 1 right around the corner, now is the perfect time to reflect on how to grow your business in 2016.

As a fellow small business owners and solopreneur, I know first-hand how tricky it can be to even find the time to think about business development. Some days we are so busy juggling our current client demands, big picture goals — publishing great thought leadership articles, going after a dream client — take a back seat to a ringing phone or email deluge.

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01/18/2016
Lose weight. Quit smoking. Floss. January’s the traditional time for making new years resolutions. But in addition to your personal goals, what do you want to achieve in 2016 for your small business? I have come up with a list of New Years Resolutions for Small Business, and since its 2016, it seems only natural that I have 16 of them:

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01/15/2016
People make resolutions about losing weight, stopping smoking, and other habits that they probably will not give up. Business owners should take advantage of this time-for-future-thinking opportunity to set goals to enhance their businesses. Here are five resolutions to help entrepreneurs have a more profitable 2016.

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01/13/2016
Have a plan, and stick to it

When you walk into the office every Monday morning, it is crucial that you understand the goals that you need to accomplish that week and then map them out.

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01/11/2016
For as far back as free markets go, word of mouth has been the primary tool small businesses have used to spread their message and market their brand. Within the last few decades, though, the explosion of media has led to wide array of marketing opportunities and techniques.

While word of mouth is still important, social media has taken over as one of the most effective avenues for public relations and marketing for even the smallest of firms.

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01/08/2016
One thing is for certain in business these days — nothing ever stays the same, and my annual list of the top emerging trends in small business certainly bears this out. This year, while yes, we see some of the same old stalwarts (like social media, but even that is changing, see below) a few new, surprising entries make it onto the list. For instance, the top trend for the upcoming year, while right before our eyes, is a fairly recent phenomenon and we will get to that next week.

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01/06/2016
Up to a point, it behooves small business owners to be resourceful and handle the lions share of the work. But before it's too late and their companies lose out on its market timing, entrepreneurs need to hire in order to grow, even if that means taking on more costs.

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01/04/2016
The Kauffman Foundation recently released their Main Street Entrepreneurship Index. And, according to the Foundation, small business activity is growing in 49 of the 50 states in the US and in 38 of the top 40 largest metropolitan areas. Of course this is great news for small business owners all across the country, but it is also great news for everyone else too.

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01/01/2016
At this time of year business owners will be reflecting on their 2015 brand strategy to evaluate what worked and what did not, and deciding how to promote their brand in 2016. They may not have huge amounts to spend on conventional advertising and marketing campaigns, but there are other options that are effective.

Strategic partnerships
When major brands sign up to cross-promotional activities with other brands, the public sits up and takes notice. When smaller companies do it, there may be less public interest but small business tie-ups are by no means less important.

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12/31/2015
Social media has become a necessary business tool for companies big and small. There are now more than 2 billion active social media users around the world, according to a LinkedIn article about upcoming social media trends. More people are now regularly using social media than the populations of the United States and China combined, and the number is growing at a clip of 25 percent a year.

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12/29/2015
Take the time to understand your finances
Understanding the nitty gritty of your finances is crucial to running a successful small business, but this is especially true if you're coming from a place of bad credit. The best way to get a handle on your finances, says Brad Farris, a business advisor with Anchor Advisors, is to sit down once a month and review your income statement, balance sheet and cash flow for the prior month. Use the time to look for changes and trends, as well as to monitor your receivables and inventory.

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