06/28/2013
26 Great Ideas for Blog Posts!
Blogs have increased in popularity because they provide a steady stream of new and unique content. The only issue presented by this quality of blogs is that it may become difficult for those who run blogs to think of interesting and novel posts. If you have jumped on the blogging bandwagon but suffer writer's block, do not panic: we have created a list of 26 ideas for blog posts.

Great Ideas for Blog Posts

06/27/2013
Small business owners and entrepreneurs have good reason for many of the sleepless nights they experience. New research has found that small business owners admit a number of things keep them up at night.

First and foremost, small business owners say they are worried about how they will generate new sales.  Additionally, business owners also say they worry about expenses eating into their profits, time management and managing their employees. Small business owners also admit worrying about keeping their existing customers happy, not growing fast enough and finding the right employees.  

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06/26/2013
A recent study suggests some cities are better for small business than others.

Credit-card comparison website CardHub put out a list earlier this month ranking the best and worst cities for employees at small firms.

Denver tops the list, with Boston, Minneapolis, Seattle and San Francisco rounding out the top five. And San Diego, Philadelphia, Sacramento, Riverside and Detroit land squarely at the bottom of the list.

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06/25/2013
While many small business owners take measures to keep their physical office secure, unprotected company data stored on a computer poses a grave threat – and that data is getting more and more difficult to shield.

Cybercriminals are increasingly targeting American small businesses. According to Symantec.coms 2013 Internet Security Threat Report, companies with one to 250 employees were the victims of more than 30 percent of all cyberattacks last year, up from about 18 percent in 2011. And while 77 percent of small business owners surveyed by Symantec said they think their company is protected against cybercriminals, 83 percent of respondents lacked any official security plan.

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06/24/2013
The Small Business Administration has changed some of its standards that determine which businesses are small enough to receive benefits from the organization.

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06/15/2013
Employees today value a healthy work-life balance as much as they value a promising paycheck. Not only does an offering like an employee wellness program provide a more positive work experience, but it can also boost camaraderie, morale and--best of all--productivity at the office.

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06/13/2013
Providing eco-friendly and sustainable products and services appears to give small businesses a competitive advantage, according to a new report by Green America, EcoVentures International and the Association for Enterprise Opportunity (AEO).

Nearly four out of five (79 percent) of the small businesses they surveyed say offering green products and services gives them a leg up on their rivals. Meanwhile, three out of four say sales for green products and services increased over the past few years, despite the economic downturn, and plan to add more to their portfolio. What's more, the greener the business, the greener its bottom line. Businesses that show a stronger commitment to green services and practices report higher sales, the report finds.

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06/12/2013
What seems counter-intuitive is actually in keeping with another social media dictum: that listening is critical.

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06/11/2013
No matter how far the marketplace advances, there will always be problems that plague consumers and that no company can seem to solve.

This is not necessarily a bad thing, because it creates a niche for the right company to fill. For example, motorists experience considerable straining when cleaning their windshields from the inside. So the makers of the Windshield Wonder saw an opportunity to address an unaddressed problem, a successful product was born, and the rest is history.

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06/10/2013
Keeping up with the latest developments in marketing for your small business means staying up-to-date on the world of social media. Aside from the challenge of simply staying informed about new platforms and changes to existing platforms, figuring out how to maneuver within the sometimes overwhelming sea of actual socializing to make your company’s presence felt – and not ignored or resented – presents a serious challenge to small business owners and marketing professionals.

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06/09/2013
According to survey results, small businesses appear to be more at risk for safety concerns than medium-sized businesses, with less than half of small businesses saying they are prepared for severe emergencies or that safety plans are communicated regularly. In addition, 38 percent said their small business does not have safety training or drills.

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06/07/2013
Small businesses drive our national economy, but fewer than half survive beyond their first five years. Sadly, a number of them fail simply because they do not plan effectively for potential growth.

Many small business owners hope to grow their firms — but not all of them are prepared to seize the opportunity to expand when it arrives. Many grasp for every customer and collapse under the weight of their own ambition, rather than developing a practical plan for reliable and continued growth over the long term.

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06/05/2013
Business slows down a bit in the summer as people head away to take vacations. But that doesn't mean you should flip the sign on the door to closed, pull out the bikinis and swim trunks and head to the beach until Labor Day.

True, taking some time to hang out with friends and family to enjoy the better weather is a great idea. But the more relaxed summer months are also a good time for company owners to step back and take steps to improve their businesses.

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06/04/2013
Organizing and holding an event takes planning. Whether it is a conference, seminar or a customer appreciation day, and whether you have three weeks to plan or an entire year, your events success is in the details.

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06/03/2013
In surveying 603 small business owners, Gallup found that net hiring for the past 12 months has slumped to negative 12 on its index. The index is computed by subtracting the number of number of companies cutting jobs from those adding positions.

With only 11 percent of small business owners reporting an increase in jobs, and 23 percent reporting a decrease in jobs, the hiring landscape looks a lot like it did back in January 2011.

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