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5 Small Business Success Secrets That Work For Big Business

We usually learn more from our work for smaller clients and that’s counterintuitive, is not it? When I was very young, I thought that knowledge and business experience flowed downhill from the lofty heights of executive boardrooms to home offices. I have since learned that just as often, the knowledge flow is uphill from the small to the huge. I should have known that, anyway.

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Personal Relationships Influence Small Business Owners Most

Small business owners can get pretty personal. At least, they are influenced by personal relationships more than anything else, according to a new report by the National Association of Women Business Owners ( and credit card company Ink from Chase.

In fact, at 89 percent, a vast majority of small business owners said that their personal relationships have an impact on the way they run their business, and 67 percent said their peers influence them. Fifty-three percent reported that other small business owners influence them as well.

So what influences small business owners the least? Surprisingly, mentorship — only 51 percent of business owners admitted to being influenced by mentors in their field.

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Secrets Of Successful Small Business Owners

Here are five lessons we learned from this unique and experienced group of successful small business owners:

1. Start With a Clear Purpose

All the entrepreneurs articulated a clear and powerful purpose for starting their business — and none mentioned money as a major driver. Rather, they started their companies to do what they love, solve a problem, provide awesome service, live in a more desirable location, create jobs and give back to their community.

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3 Reasons Websites Are Vital for Small Businesses

Running your own business is no easy task, and your to-do-list is guaranteed to never end. This said, you should not use this as an excuse to take short cuts when it comes to having online visibility. Beginning with your website, its vital to position yourself online with a strong, professional destination that gives customers the impression you mean business and the motivation to want to engage more with your business. With this in mind, consider these five reasons why having a strong website is important.

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Entrepreneur Vs. Small Business Owner

An Entrepreneur is an individual who starts and runs a business with limited resources and planning, taking account of all the risks and rewards of his or her business venture. The business idea is usually a new innovation, product or service, rather than an existing business model.

Such entrepreneurial ventures target high-returns, with high level of uncertainty. The entrepreneur is willing to put his or her financial security and career at stake to take risks on an idea, spending time as well as capital on an uncertain venture.

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5 Common Mistakes Small Business Owners Make

For many Americans, starting a small business is an exciting experience, and potentially financially rewarding. However, when opening a new company, owners are understandably so focused on getting off the ground that they often overlook some basic considerations that can have a major impact on the company's value down the road. Below are the five most common mistakes that small business owners make, as seen by individuals who value or appraise businesses.


1) Short-term is short-sighted

Although it can be tempting to make decisions that will save money in the short term, it is important for business owners to consider the long-term growth of their companies. Rather than saving a few dollars today, owners need to think about how to sustain growth and drive value tomorrow.

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Boost Your Small Business Intelligence

So much goes on in the world of small business, that it is impossible for one outlet to cover it all. That's why each week we look comb the Web in search of interesting small business tips, guidance, and trends that can help you increase productivity, cut costs, engage customers, and grow your small business empire.

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Nominate a Small Business

It is time to nominate your favorite small-business owner for the U.S. Small Business Administrations 2015 Small Business Awards Week, which is in May.

The SBA is looking for owners and companies that have made contributions in their local communities, and to our nations economy.

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3 Design Tips for Building a Website for a Small Business

Many small businesses will turn to local developers when it comes to building their first business website, while others will rely on agencies, or even step up and take on the challenge themselves. Today, we want to help those who're brave enough to be building their own website.

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Dreaming Big: The Fuel for Small Business Ambitions

There is nothing wrong with having high hopes for your small business. Fulfilling a dream usually is what brings us to starting a business, and we get to decide how far and wide that dream will go.

Dreaming big is not for every small business, but it is something that many small businesses aim to grow.

With your head in the clouds…

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Internet Marketing: A Small Business Guide

One of the easiest, fastest and cheapest ways for businesses to reach consumers today is via the Internet.

Digital marketing, also known as Internet or online marketing, is quickly replacing print, television and radio advertisement as the marketing approach of choice for businesses of all sizes. Recent research revealed that 1 in 4 of every business-advertising dollar is dedicated to Internet marketing.

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Small Businesses Prepare for the Holiday Season

While children are making their holiday wish-list, families are preparing to go out of town and big businesses are expecting long lines of shoppers, there is one group of people who will be working extra hard this holiday season: Small business owners.

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Small Businesses Assess Their Apple Pay Options

With the introduction of Apple Pay, many small-business owners are weighing whether they should take the necessary steps to accept the new form of payment.

So far, most of the merchants that have signed up to accept Apple Pay are large ones, like Macys, McDonalds, Subway and Whole Foods. To use Apple Pay, businesses must have an N.F.C. reader, which is also called a contactless reader and refers to near field communications. Right now, less than 10 percent of American retailers do, according to Mark Hung, an analyst with Gartner, an information technology research firm.

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What it is Like to Start a Small Business

Officially a month into my new business venture, I have fully immersed myself in my company. While each day is an incredible learning experience, I have certainly felt a vast range of emotions over the past few weeks (and I am sure there is more to come).

So, what is it like giving up a steady paycheck and benefits to start your own endeavor?

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3 Reasons Small Business Websites Fail

A website is now a mandatory component of a business regardless of its size. But the road to every business’ online journey is rife with costly traps that have long-lasting effects. This can be very detrimental to small businesses with limited budget for a website build.

Here are common mistakes that small businesses often make when going online:

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Quick Guide to Small Business Health Insurance in 2015

A major trend this year among small employers is to drop group health insurance coverage to help their employees pay for individual health insurance policies. By switching their employees to the individual health insurance marketplace, the small employers are ensuring that their employees get to choose the coverage that is best for their families. In addition, by not offering a group health insurance policy, the employers are making sure their employees have access to premium tax credits to assist them with the cost of their premiums.

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SEO Basics For Small Business Owners

Every small business should have a basic knowledge of search engine optimization. In fact, you should almost be exhausted by the term  SEO at this point, as you have been undoubtedly told time and time again just how important it is. But unlike many trending industry buzzwords, SEO is here to stay. Why? In our web-facing world, the (already) dominant search engines are becoming the cornerstone of the internet. Standard procedure for individuals looking for information is to search first.

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Helping Your Small Business Go Social

Here are four ways to start making your company a truly social organization:

1. Recruit the best and brightest -- the smart way.

For companies of all sizes, hiring top talent is a cornerstone of success, but for smaller companies, finding the right fit for your team is downright critical.

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Avoid These Common Small Business IT Mistakes

When one component goes out on an older PC, there’s a good chance more failures are coming soon. Newer software and peripherals also may not work with older hardware. If you just want to boost performance or storage capacity, adding RAM or a new hard drive will do the trick. However, if something serious like the processor, or the motherboard itself dies, it makes more sense to look at a whole new computer rather than hobbling along with expensive repairs.

Eventually a time will come that you need to get rid of old smartphone, computers, or other technology your company no longer needs.

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Small Businesses Are At Higher Risk For Fraud And Cyber Crime

Although major companies like Staples and Home Depot have dominated news headlines lately, they are not the only companies at risk for cyber crime and hacking. Small businesses are far more susceptible to hackers than their larger counterparts, according to information from the National Cyber Security Alliance

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Fewer Small Business Owners Perceive Themselves as Successful

Fewer small business owners perceive themselves as successful now than did at the start of the economic recovery, a Wells Fargo-Gallup survey of a representative sample of 601 small business owners reveals. In 2009, 43 percent of small business owners reported feeling extremely or very successful as a small-business owner. By 2014 that fraction had eroded to 37 percent.
The results are perplexing.

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Small Businesses and Interns

Internships provide many benefits. They help you meet your immediate work needs and you get to test-drive potential future employees. They boost your brand and demonstrate that you give back to the community and its students.

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2015 Small Business Ideas

What worked in 2014 may not necessarily work in 2015.

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What Small-Business Owners Should Do Between Now and New Years

With Christmas finally in the rearview mirror and New Years Day coming up fast, millions of Americans have some time to reflect on their year and look forward to the next one.

Sharon Goldman, a New Jersey small-business consultant who runs the website BloomGrowThrive, says entrepreneurs would do well to have an end-of-the-year talk with themselves.

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6 Small Business Trends To Watch Out For In 2015

Small businesses are driving the U.S. job recovery, according to a recent blog post by Maria Contreras-Sweet, the administrator of the Small Business Administration. In her post she points out that about 7 million of the 10.9 million jobs added since the Great Recession were created by startups and small enterprises.

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Small Business Owners Face New Challenges in 2015

The turkey has been carved, the gifts have been purchased and business owners are ready to celebrate the holiday season reflecting on a successful 2014. While small business owners may be thinking about holiday traditions, they are also beginning to focus on priorities and potential challenges ahead. Changes in technology, growing cybersecurity concerns, and shifts in the political landscape are all top of mind as small business owners enter 2015.

As the clock strikes midnight and the champagne bottles pop to ring in the New Year, three topics will be top of mind for entrepreneurs in 2015.

New Year, New Tools

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10 New Years Tips for Small Businesses

To ensure success in the new year, most small businesses don't realize that the process begins long before January 1. Instead, a lot of work goes into setting your business up for a running start when the clock strikes 12. Do not wait; start now with this list of 10 New Year Tips For Your Small Business.

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5 ways to Reduce Small Business Fraud

According to the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, the median loss in small business fraud cases is $154,000. Can your clients absorb a loss like that?

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Small Business Takeaways from Sony Hack

Small businesses may not be the prime target for a hack on the scale of the recent attack on Sony Pictures, but that does not mean it can’t happen. A data breach can happen to any-sized company, and for the small ones it can be catastrophic.

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Small Business Predictions For 2015

A community of small business owners was polled to find out what they thought the top industries would be for next year. Technology, at 42%, is predicted to be the most successful industry in 2015, followed by health care 28%, retail 14%, and finance 14%.

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10 Trends that will Impact Small Businesses in 2015

Here are 10 trends to keep an eye on as you develop your marketing plan.

1. Social media will continue to propel consumer spending. In 2014, both Twitter and Facebook began testing a new feature that will make it easy for users to buy products and services in just a few clicks.

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5 Tips to Grow Your Small Business

If you are a small business that is weighing the advantages of advertising versus public relations, there are some compelling reasons for making PR a cornerstone of your organization's strategy of growth. This might even include shifting some of your advertising resources to your PR efforts.

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Top 10 small business resolutions for 2015

What do you want to achieve in 2015 for your small business? The beginning of January is the time for New Year's resolutions, so here are my top 10 resolutions for small business owners and entrepreneurs.

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50 Big Ideas, Predictions and Trends for Small Business in 2015

From the ever-changing technology sphere to ideas about the economy and business growth, here are 50 big ideas, predictions and trends to look out for in the small business world in 2015.

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How to Develop Your 2015 Small Business Goals

Developing goals for the new year is always something good to do.  However, there are plenty of people out there who believe it is not a productive use of time. It is probably because they do not develop smart goals that they can actually accomplish. Below are a few helpful tips for you to consider for picking, and more importantly, achieving your 2015 small business goals!

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10 Secrets of Success for Small Business

What do you want to achieve in 2015 for your small business? The beginning of January is the time for New Year's resolutions, so here are my top 10 resolutions for small-business owners and entrepreneurs.

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4 Goals Every Small-Business Owner Should Set in 2015

As we settle into 2015, it is the perfect time for small-business owners to reevalute old processes and implement new ideas for a happier and more productive year ahead. Here are four goals that every small business owner should set this year:

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4 Small Business Ecommerce Trends

Small business ecommerce operators may be in for good news in the New Year. We spoke with a couple of ecommerce experts to get their perspective on how the ecommerce industry will shape up in 2015, and which trends are likely to affect small business etailers.

Top Small Business Ecommerce Trends for 2015
1. More consumers shop with mobile devices

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9 Terrible Reasons To Start A Small Business

There are a lot of articles out there telling you to go forth and start a business! But the truth is, not everyone should start a business. If more of the 80 percent of small businesses that fail had but hesitated and considered why they were getting into business, we would probably have fewer businesses and more successes in those that did exist.

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12 Online Marketing Blogs Every Small Business Owner Needs to Read

Online marketing is an industry that is constantly changing. The search engines are constantly rolling out updates and data refreshes, pay per click advertising platforms are always revealing new features and social media marketing is always evolving.

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Buy an Sell Agreements for Small Businesses

The transfer of ownership interests in a small business should take into account all of the considerations that make each business, and especially a family-owned business, unique. The vehicle for accomplishing the transfer is usually called a buy-sell agreement. Its name barely begins to describe the buy-sell agreements various purposes. With professional advice, the agreement can be tailored to meet the objectives of each small business, whether the business is in the form of a close corporation, partnership, limited liability company, or some other structure.

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Small Business Taxes 2015: Everything You Need to Know

Following the most wonderful time of the year is a season that strikes fear in the hearts of many small business owners: tax time.

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How the Small Business Staged Its Comeback

One of the most popular case studies used to decry the rise of the corporation is the apparent downfall of local bookstores. With Borders now just a fond memory and Barnes & Noble living on borrowed time, it’s clearer than ever that Americans have spoken and Amazon has won—or has it?

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A Survival Guide to Small Business Taxes

The more things change…the harder it becomes to do your small business taxes. Between the Affordable Care Act coming into full effect, on-again off-again on-again tax credits gurgling out of Washington, and even a shakeup of the venerable TurboTax product line, this year—more than ever—small business owners need guidance and support as April 15 approaches.

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How Social Media can Make your Small Business go Gangbusters

Like professional marketers, successful small business owners target their social media activities for maximum impact. While their competitors are adrift in a sea of tweets and blog posts, savvy strategists focus and fine tune their social-media plays. Consider three social media campaigns that generated big results through careful targeting:

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7 Smart Ways for Your Small Business to Reduce Costs

As a small-business owner, you are always on the lookout for ways to boost cash flow. Although increasing sales is one way to make that happen, cutting costs can be a faster way to increase cash. Here are seven of the most effective ways to reduce expenses without compromising quality.

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Is Bitcoin a Good Fit for Your Small Business?

Online electronics store Adafruit began accepting bitcoin as a payment method in November 2013. Just over a week later, sales surged.

The DIY electronics merchant raked in tens of thousands of dollars that month alone, boosted by the annual shopping surge known as Bitcoin Black Friday. While sales have been up and down since, site founder Limor Fried says that, as a small business owner, she loves the cryptocurrency despite its potential pitfalls.

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7 Ways To Get Ahead In The Hyper-Competitive Small Business World

Between working all the time and being high energy in all circumstances, establishing a small business is more exhausting than ever. Here is how one entrepreneur does it.

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Prepare Your Small Business for Tax Time

Whether you decide to outsource your tax tasks or perform them in-house it is important to arm yourself with the relevant knowledge to make sure your business not only complies but also saves time and money wherever possible. Here are a few resources to get you started:

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How Small Businesses Can Nail Social Marketing

For many independent business owners, embarking on a full-blown social media program can seem like a daunting journey into unknown territory. Thankfully, the payoff is worth the effort. When done right, there is massive potential for SMBs to directly connect and communicate with targeted, local audiences.

In fact, recent research has shown that 91% of small business owners rely on social media as a means of driving increased sales. So what is the secret? Where do you start, and what are some of the most important things to keep in mind as you look to boost your bottom line?

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