After a winter most of us would like to forget, spring is here. But with the good, comes the bad it is time for a little spring cleaning, or to spruce up your small business technology. Considering how fast business is evolving, this is going to take more than the traditional broom and dustpan.

If you, like many small business owners, have been reluctant to invest in new business technology dues to the after-effects of the Great Recession, this is the time to finally get moving and create and implement digital priorities. Here are some tasks you need to put on your  spring cleaning checklist:

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At Sage, we meet with small business owners regularly to get a complete picture of how their businesses run. We have had countless discussions about the tools these business owners use and why they chose them. These are businesses of all types, sizes and ages; but do you know what is common among them?

To some degree, they all use a mix of tools that are either the wrong fit or not connected with each other…or both. One conversation that comes to mind was with a consultant who was using desktop accounting software that she described as too much for her needs. This business owner used three separate applications to track time, organize tasks, and collect online payments, none of which were connected to each other. She struggled with sharing pertinent information with her business partner who was in another city. The result was frustration and wasted time as she tried to make it all work, and she is not alone.

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If your business has only a few employees, you may think you are too small to offer a 401k plan. But even entrepreneurs have to retire someday, and there's no time like the present to start planning for the future.

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Small businesses need to consider their tech purchases just as carefully as enterprises do. A single doctor medical practice must comply with the same stringent patient-privacy regulations as the largest hospital. Run a two-person bakery or a small auto repair shop? In addition to tending to bread and brakes, you still need a solution for managing your finances and customer information, just like a major retail chain does. Moonlight as a club DJ? You need to know the best tech for storing your jams, and what service will help you quickly recover your data if your storage hardware gets hosed, just like a Fortune 500 company does.

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The latest neuroscience suggests you can literally edit your memory. Here is what this big breakthrough means for you.

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Much will be about the same. Only with Wifi-enabled neural dust. And probably the blind will be able to see.

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Need a reason to start your own business? Here are 20 of them.

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Many of us dream of starting a small business. Whether it s the romantic ideal of being your own boss, or the desire to build something from nothing, having a dream is different than actualizing it. Often, it is the fear of failure or the daunting amount of work that keeps us from being bold enough to launch that next brilliant startup.

START SMALL

An effective way to build confidence and remove the fear of failure is to break down the basics of starting a small business into smaller tasks. By completing these tasks one at a time, you may soon find you’re well on your way to laying a solid foundation for your bold, lean startup to thrive.

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Here are some tips to discuss with your tax pro to improve your tax situation and hopefully keep working capital in your bank account rather than in Uncle Sams pocket:

Start a retirement plan. If you are finally a few bucks ahead and don’t have a retirement fund, now is the time to start one. Here is the bonus: it is deductible!

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To succeed in todays world, one must adapt to todays developments, including the ever-expanding implementation of technology. One small way to do this is to modernize your business card; because the means by which businesses communicate have expanded, you may want to rethink what is included on your business cards. By doing this, you can unite your offline marketing with your online marketing efforts. Below are a number of tips for updating your card.

Is it Time to Update You Business Card

Facebook. Pinterest. Google+. Instagram. Twitter. LinkedIn. YouTube. So many social networks, and so little time!

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Track Influencers

A key principle to inbound marketing is to leverage industry influencers to help promote your content. This can be done a number of ways, but ultimately requires a holistic approach to network and relationship development. One of the highly useful features of Google+ lies in its audience management capabilities. Specifically, the ability to bucket users into group segments, otherwise known as circles. This is valuable to businesses because it means they can track the activity of industry influencers, who can have an impact on their reach, Marc explained.

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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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Being an entrepreneur is synonymous with being financially unstable at times. While you are growing your company, it is important to be focused. But what if you could get a side hustle that would help bring in a healthy secondary income to alleviate some of that financial stress? And, best case, what if this side hustle could also help you grow your core business?

The good news is that there are a lot of companies that create opportunities for entrepreneurs that do not require full-time work and can become a great companion to the work you are doing.

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Having a clear vision of your expected customer base will increase your business chances of success. Clearly defining your target audience — whether it is senior citizens, busy moms or millennials in California — can help answer a lot of questions and overcome obstacles that may be plaguing you as you kick-start your online store. Some of the business questions you will be addressing include:

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A corporation is a business structure that is owned entirely by the shareholders. Shareholders are individuals, companies or other institutions that own at least one share of the corporations stock. One of the major benefits to the corporation business structure is that the business itself and not the shareholders are held legally responsible for any actions and the debts incurred by the business.

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Website, social media, blog. If you are a small business owner, chances are you've already checked off those must have boxes. If you have not, get those launched and then circle back to continue reading.

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For large brands with big marketing and advertising budgets, one or even several hundred dollars is just a drop in the monthly marketing budget. But for entrepreneurs and small business owners, every dollar counts – and investments need to pay off in real and immediate marketing ROI.

But could a marketing strategy be executed with as little as $100?

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McMahon explained his companys performance review process -- and how he thinks it should be done -- in five steps.

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At one time or another, virtually everyone thinks about starting a business. The allure of being your own boss can be strong, but it is important to remember that launching a new business is risky: According to a recent SBA report, [about 50% of all small businesses will fail within just five years.

Managing a startup can be a minefield, especially when the pull of entrepreneurship clouds your decision-making – and when you go it alone with no business experience.

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Every business owner should be forecasting sales. You may use actual numbers if you have historical financial records. But what do you do if you have nothing to refer back to? You will need to determine how many potential customers are there and how many of these potential customers are likely to buy from you, decide the average sale per customer, and then project this out for the year.

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All major wireless operators available in the U.S. offer some international roam, but the volume varies by network. To get an understanding of how your network will fare abroad, or to understand which carrier to choose if you are a regular traveler, you should first understand the two basic major technologies that wireless operators use.

How to Travel With Your Cell Phone Without Breaking the Bank

Is big data just for big business? For several years, larger corporations have been gathering informative insights from this next-generation approach to data analysis. But now small businesses are finding ways to leverage this comprehensive data analysis for marketing insights.

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Chances are that you have already gone paperless. The Cloud has largely replaced reams of paperwork, stuffed file cabinets, and onsite data storage, making it easy to keep and maintain all the information you need. In fact, in the next five years the number of small businesses using the Cloud is expected to double to 78 percent.

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Cloud-based services such as Spotify and OneDrive have irrevocably changed the way we consume, store and share content in our personal lives.

Similarly, many large organizations have become well accustomed to the cloud, having years ago turned to hosted storage and remote disaster recovery to boost productivity, reduce costs and preserve business continuity.

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You built a stellar reputation for your business. You sold your heart out bringing in a new client. You gave that client your best work. And months later, you are still waiting to see the money in the bank.

And waiting. And waiting.

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Can you operate your own small business inside your IRA? From 1974 to 2013 that question was in a gray area--the answer was a definite maybe. But the multiple shades of gray have recently turned to black and white.

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There is a reason it’s called exit planning -- the steps involved in determining how to ultimately leave the company you have built require careful thought, deliberate consideration, and plenty of time.

There are many directions you can take in the sale of a company, and considering who you’ll eventually find at the other side of the negotiation table is one of the most important things to understand as you get started down the path to an exit.

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Up to a point, it behooves small business owners to be resourceful and handle the lion's share of the work. But before it's too late and their companies lose out on its market timing, entrepreneurs need to hire in order to grow, even if that means taking on more costs.

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Your personal brand is how you appear to the world. Therefore, it serves to reason that a strong brand is preferable to one that is unpolished and uninteresting.

Once people know who you are and begin to identify you with a specific area of understanding or expertise, you will be well on your way to becoming the go-to person in your niche or industry.

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Owning a cell phone has come to be regarded as a necessity in modern society, and with the great advances that have been made in smart phone technology, most of us rely on our phones to help us in an array of situations. While most smart phone owners are acquainted with the helpfulness of features such as navigation apps and mobile broadband, many people have yet to discover the array of uses they may put their phones to in the event of a true emergency.

10 Things Your Phone Can Do in Emergency Situations

You nominated them and now it’s time to cast your vote to support your pick. Small Business Trends and Small Biz Technology bring you the Small Business Influencer Awards 2015. Here’s a chance to celebrate the people, businesses, and even apps that have made an impact in the small business market.

Even if you missed the nominations, you can still jump in and vote for your favorite. But you might want to hurry. There is less than a week left to vote!

To see a full list or to submit your own event, contest or award listing, visit the Small Business Events Calendar.

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Pricing can be quite difficult to compute.

There are so many factors to take into account it boggles the mind. The simple way to approach pricing for a product is to create a spread sheet that will calculate it for you.

For example, when I make a gluten free mix, the Food and Drug Administration requires I report each product based on total grams, converted to ounces and pounds, which is then reported on the box. The ingredient list on the box is reported by heaviest ingredient to the least weight. This is used to calculate the Nutritional Statement by an outside company based on each serving. WHEW!

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At this time of year business owners will be reflecting on their 2015 brand strategy to evaluate what worked and what did not, and deciding how to promote their brand in 2016. They may not have huge amounts to spend on conventional advertising and marketing campaigns, but there are other options that are effective.

Strategic partnerships
When major brands sign up to cross-promotional activities with other brands, the public sits up and takes notice. When smaller companies do it, there may be less public interest but small business tie-ups are by no means less important.

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Up to a point, it behooves small business owners to be resourceful and handle the lions share of the work. But before it's too late and their companies lose out on its market timing, entrepreneurs need to hire in order to grow, even if that means taking on more costs.

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Cash flow is a common concern among many small business owners, with many business models dependent on incoming cash flow at various, often unpredictable times a year versus a steady flow of income. Sound familiar to you, by chance? If you are among the thousands of businesses that are not sure when your next paycheck will come in, pay attention.

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If you are like most small business owners, you spend a lot of your time researching ways to save money. After all, running a business can quickly break the bank. There are office supplies to buy, employees to pay, and software to purchase and install, among many other things.

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Technology can be a powerful driver of business growth. There are seemingly endless areas where you can invest your time and effort.

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Starting a business is a bit like falling in love for the first time: it is exciting, exhilarating, and new. You want to savor each moment and be your very best every minute of every day.

After the adrenaline rush subsides, however, reality sets in and you may discover that not everything about running a business is so wonderful. There will be tasks you don’t like to do, activities you find stale and boring, technical difficulties to test your patience, and clients and vendors who might challenge you.

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As with personal credit cards, business cards can be dangerous if you do not use them responsibly. High interest rates and fees can add up. But if your business needs a little leverage and you do not have more favorable options, a small-business credit card can be a valuable tool both to get your business up and running and to streamline your handling of operating expenses.

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Imagine if you could become a millionaire. How great would it be to have the money you need to live the lifestyle you have always wanted? Now imagine if you could do this in your 20s?

Even if you think it sounds like a stretch, it is possible to become a millionaire at a young age. I became a millionaire by age 21. My second millionaire student who followed my program became a millionaire by the age of 23. The most impressive part? He did it all by trading penny stocks.

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Many people who work a regular job dream of walking out of their cubicle and starting their own business. And every year, about 800,000 Americans do just that.

Dave Selden is one of them. His business grew out of his passion for beer — glass after glass of it. That is immediately clear when you take a look at a video on his website.

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For any business to succeed, achieving product/market fit is a primary goal. But verifying that your product or service meets a strong market need and can stand up to competitors is certainly not an exact science, nor does it typically happen overnight. Building momentum in a market requires patience and comes with no guarantees as customers’ needs, regulatory landscapes, and competitive pressures change over time.

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