As a small business professional – amateur or veteran – you have many questions. In every blog post, we strive to answer those questions for you – from technology to finance, we are happy to be a source of information for you each and every day.
So, we decided to round up the most visited posts of the quarter, just in case you missed them the first time around! Read the full entry
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In 2009, the Dropbox team uploaded a video explaining their product. Before that, no one even considered the need to access your computer files outside your own home. The concept was so new that it was almost impossible to explain.
Yet, in a simple video, Dropbox explained its product and made it such an obvious solution to a problem no one realized they had. Of course you need access to your files on any of your devices whenever you wanted. Why hadn’t we thought of this before. Read the full entry
Look out your window: if there’s a line of cranky employees outside waiting to punch a time clock before starting their shift it might be time to invest in attendance tracking software.
Using a time clock is the equivalent of asking your employees to yell “here” every morning as you dutifully check off their name in an attendance notebook similar to the one your second grade teacher used. Read the full entry
Your logo is your brand, and you worked a long time to determine what would best represent your growing business.
So, for a business to change its long-established logo, it faces considerable risk. The old logo is recognizable, respected, and carries specific connotations reflective of the business brand – and an alteration to the logo can damage that brand.
However, when a company is in the process of upgrading its brand, a new logo can be a symbol of greater changes taking place: changes to the business’s mission, focus, and values. Evolution is healthy for any business, which is why many brands choose to revamp their look. Read the full entry
Just watch an hour of TV and you’ll find a half dozen 401k companies vying for your attention.
This one wants you to follow a green line. That one wants you to listen to that guy from “Law & Order.” The other one has a talking baby. And they all make your eyes glaze over when they start talking about markets and investing and retirement.
Given how confusing and daunting retirement savings can be (especially in the wake of a struggling economy) it’s no wonder there are so many gimmicks — not to mention so many mistakes made — in regard to 401(k) plans.
But neither companies nor individuals should let talk of tax codes and portfolios bully them into denying their employees a valuable benefit or opting for a retirement-savings-sized piggy bank instead of investing. To administer or participate in a plan successfully, all you have to do is avoid these common pitfalls:
When it comes to valuable websites, we’re guessing everyone can name the heavy hitters: Google, Facebook, Amazon, Yahoo.
But how do you know how much your site is worth?
Do you consult with an oversized rodent who peeks out of his burrow once a year and announces which sites rank supreme? Maybe there’s a wizard at the end of a yellow brick road who’d be willing to tell you (as long as you snuff out that pesky witch first). How ’bout that psychic from Long Island — you know the one with the crazy fingernails? She be able to tell you, right?
No matter what time of day it is, there are always people roving the internet in search of everything from fencing foils to tickets to Fiji to football scores. And for every person surfing the net, there are millions of sites vying for their attention.
So if your site is down when a potential customer navigates to it, chances are they’ll just move on to the next one that offers the same service or products yours does, never to return. Read the full entry
Strong marketing strategies are the foundation to any successful business. In fact, the U.S. Small Business Administration recommends spending 7 to 8 percent of your gross revenue for marketing and advertising, or slightly less for small and start-up businesses. The recommendations vary between 1 and 20 percent, based on a number of factors about the business including its revenue, competition and budget.
Each year, B2B businesses focus on how to change their marketing approach for additional success during the upcoming months. From content marketing to offline marketing, each method is paramount in its own way, and each needs spruced up on a regular basis to ensure that people are aware of your business and the products and services offered. Read the full entry
Business.com Media, Inc. the leading online destination for business purchasers looking for business-to-business (B2B) solutions, today announced the appointment of Tony Uphoff as Chief Executive Officer and Director, effective immediately.
Mr. Uphoff, a leader in the business information and media industry for over 20 years, was most recently CEO of UBM TechWeb, a provider of digital media, live event and marketing services.
He was also previously the founding CEO of Beliefnet.com, President of VNU Media’s Entertainment Group, and Publisher of The Hollywood Reporter and InformationWeek. Mr. Uphoff was named “Folio Forty C-Level Visionary” by Folio Magazine, a Top 100 business media exec by B2B Magazine and a “Top Media Innovator” by Mins B2B in 2009. Read the full entry
At the Business.com blog, we strive to give you up to date information on everything small business – from the equipment you need to the marketing strategies that work best. So, we decided to bring back some of our best articles from 2012. As we approach the New Year, it’s a great time to reflect on what your business has done well, what it can maintain and where you can improve. Consider how your business has evolved in 2012 as you read through some of our favorite posts. Read the full entry
