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8 Ways to Market on a Shoestring
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Posted by: Steve Strauss, Jan 31, 2012

The dirty little secret about entrepreneurship is that most people who start a business had no idea what they were doing when they began – myself included. Oh sure, they may have read some books and articles, gone to seminars, or maybe have even written a business plan. But actually knowing what to expect, what slings and arrows would come their way – no. The good news about that, as one intrepid entrepreneur once told me, is that you don’t know what you don’t know. That is – you don’t know...
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 5 tips for a Successful Small Business Blog
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Posted by: SBOC Team, Jan 30, 2012

Many small business owners are already well versed in writing and managing a blog. Others are just getting started. No matter your level of experience, it’s important to remember blogs can be more informal than traditional business correspondence.  Here are some key guidelines to writing a blog post: Be concise. Once you’ve written your first draft, start cutting words.  After you’re done, continue to edit your post.  Eliminate extra adjectives or explanatory clauses.  Blogs are often as...
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You’ve hired interns. Now what do you do with them?
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Posted by: SBOC Team, Jan 27, 2012

According to a survey conducted by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), nearly 50% of employers would like to see an internship on a student’s resume. Following up on a previous article about identifying an intern for your small business, here are some guidelines on how to manage interns once you’ve brought them on board. If you’ve found an intern who has some background in your industry, there’s no reason to pigeonhole them into the most obvious position based on...
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Five Secrets to Making Great Sales Presentations
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Posted by: Steve Strauss, Jan 24, 2012

Small business and sales go hand in hand. Indeed, it is impossible to be a small business owner without learning a thing or two about sales in the process. But that said, it doesn’t always follow that making sales comes easy, because for some people it most certainly does not. The good news is that sales is one of those things that, even if it doesn’t come naturally, can be learned with a bit of effort. This is especially true for those all-important presentations. Small business folks...
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Six Ways to Make Your Small Business Brainstorms Better
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Posted by: SBOC Team, Jan 23, 2012

Compare these two definitions of “brainstorming”: Merriam Webster defines brainstorming as a group problem-solving technique that involves the spontaneous contribution of ideas from all members of the group. By contrast, the Oxford Dictionary defines brainstorming as a moment in which one is suddenly unable to think clearly or act sensibly. Note the difference. While brainstorming can spark innovative business ideas or solutions – that does not always happen. In some cases, a group...
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Business Coaching – Not Just for Big Businesses
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Posted by: SBOC Team, Jan 20, 2012

Broadly speaking, business coaches provide expert guidance and advice to help businesses and employees achieve their goals, but there are many types of coaches who have specific areas of expertise, ranging from small business coaches to executive coaches to career coaches to work-life balance coaches. For business-specific coaches, there is an exclusive 1,000 member Worldwide Association of Business Coaches that has set certification standards and exists solely for business-related coaching. If...
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Three Ways to Create Great Social Media Content
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Posted by: Steve Strauss, Jan 17, 2012

What is it that separates those small businesses that are very successful with their social media efforts with those that are not? Let me suggest a one word answer: Content. The phrase is not “Content is prince” or “Content is duke.” No, they say, “Content is king” for a reason. Because it is. Offer your folks great content and they will pay attention to you. Don’t and they won’t. So what is great content and how do you create or offer it? The first thing to understand about social...
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5 Things You Shouldn’t Do if You Want to Keep Your Customers Happy
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Posted by: SBOC Team, Jan 16, 2012

Whether it is having your Starbucks Frappuccino redone because your order was wrong the first time or the convenience of free shipping and returns at Zappos.com, good customer service is the lifeblood of any business and something consumers never forget. Unfortunately, the same is also true for bad service. In fact, it takes 12 positive service experiences to make up for one negative experience. Moreover, research has shown that a dissatisfied consumer will tell between nine and 15 people about...
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7 Types of Workplace Culture – What’s Yours?
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Posted by: SBOC Team, Jan 13, 2012

Workplace culture can be broadly defined as how employees describe their working environment. While some cultures will be defined naturally based on a small business owner’s leadership style or industry type, a lot of it will also be determined by the employees you hire and the office tone that management sets. How you implement your unique small business culture in day-to-day operations can help to attract and retain talent while ultimately contributing to your business’ success.  Here are...
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Tips and Lessons I’ve Learned from Readers
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Posted by: Steve Strauss, Jan 10, 2012

A while back I asked folks who read my USA Today column to share their best business tips. I received many good contributions, several of which I want to share with you today. The idea behind this exercise was to hear about the valuable ideas and lessons learned from different small business owners. The question friends and family ask me most often is where I get the ideas for my column. They come from many sources – articles and books I have read, business associates, press releases,...
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8 Different Types of Small Business Management Styles – What’s Yours?
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Posted by: SBOC Team, Jan 9, 2012

There are numerous perspectives on the different types of “management styles.” To help you identify your type, or learn more about, we’ve outlined eight different styles below. Active leadership: Active leaders tend to lead by example and set a high standard for themselves and their employees. They wouldn’t ask an employee to take on a task they’d be unwilling to do themselves. They are highly involved in the day-to-day work and fully aware of what’s taking place in the office. Democratic...
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Eight Ways to Navigate Workplace Conflict
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Posted by: SBOC Team, Jan 6, 2012

Leaving workplace conflict unaddressed can have significant costs. For example, in 2008 U.S. employees spent 2.8 hours a week managing conflict, according to CPP Inc, the publishers of the well-known Myers-Briggs Assessment on decision making styles.  In addition, 25 percent of employees said that they missed work due to a work-related conflict, 10 percent said it contributed to project failure, and 33 percent said it led to someone leaving the company, according to the CPP Study.  All of this...
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6 New Year’s Business Resolutions
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Posted by: Steve Strauss, Jan 3, 2012

While we are all familiar with the making of personal New Year’s resolutions (maybe too familiar!) a recent and emerging trend is to make New Year’s business resolutions. The challenge of course is that, like personal resolutions, we want our business resolutions to stick. So how do we do that? Experts say that people who are able to make and keep resolutions know not to bite off more than they can chew. Here are a few simple, easy-to-implement, small business resolutions that can make a...
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4 Questions to Consider When Choosing a Database for Your Small Business
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Posted by: SBOC Team, Jan 2, 2012

As a small business owner, it’s possible that Excel is sufficient for your data storage and management needs.  It may be enough to help you track customer contact information, search for data and even manage basic accounting. However, how do you know when it’s time to take a step further and determine whether or not you should invest in a database? Start by asking yourself the following questions: Will a database save time? Spreadsheets can become unwieldy, costing a small business...
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