by Iris Dorbian. When the economy nosedived in 2008, Jeff Weiner, president of Uniondale, New York-based HKM Insurance, felt an immediate effect. Because many of his clients were laying off employees, his 30-year-old firm snagged fewer premiums, leading to fewer commissions for his full-time staff of four. As the recession dragged on and customers cut back or left altogether, Weiner’s business experienced two straight years of tough times financially. “Learning how to manage that sinking...

How to tap overseas markets for more sales By Christopher Freeburn For small businesses, one of the upsides of rapid globalization has been the ability to sell products in foreign markets. A confluence of technological innovations (telecommunications, the Internet), cheap shipping costs, and the spread of trade-friendly policies throughout the world has made it relatively easy for even the smallest businesses to sell their products abroad. Last year, the sliding value of the U.S. dollar...

When does it make sense for small businesses? By Christopher Freeburn The Internet has been a great leveling technology, evening the playing field between small and large businesses by giving small companies easy and cheap access to a worldwide marketplace. The Internet has also provided unprecedented advertising opportunities for small business, permitting not only access to a global marketplace, but the ability to target and alert potential customers on a local, regional, national, or...

Did last year's sales lag behind your projections? Here is some solid advice to get you going in 2008 BY MICHAELA CAVALLARO When Jennifer Younge joined New York City marketing communication and design firm Ross, Culbert & Lavery Inc. in late 2001, the company had a long established method of drumming up sales: It sent prospects a portfolio of work it had done for other clients. The message, says Younge, was simple: "Look what we did for this company; we can do something even better for you."...