Trucking companies and building contractors dominate the fastest-growing industries for small businesses, according to new data from Sageworks, a financial information company.

complete article

Social media may be the last thing on your mind after a long day of managing employees, interacting with customers, ordering inventory and keeping an eye on your finances. But it is an important tool that can help you market your business and engage with customers.

complete article

After seeing the dreams of so many wonderful people end with a closed store sign, we were determined to find out how to help so we enlisted the aid of several resources for business owners to come up with a list of what they need to know.

complete article

Imagine this:  You have found the perfect business idea, one that seems to add up from every angle and could not be better for you and your future plans.  The only problem is that you do not have the capital to open the doors.  Well, unfortunately this is a rather significant problem for a small business startup ... particularly in todays lending environment.

complete article

How small is small? New federal data shows that most small businesses are very small. By definition, a small business could have up to 499 employees. The average American small business has about 8!

complete article

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.

complete article

According to a new study, one in six marriages that began in the last three years has resulted from an interaction that started online. At the same time, Nielsen also reports that four out of every five corporations in America are now leveraging social media to help expand their client base and build relationships with customers.

complete article

Thorough research and strong internal security practices can help small businesses secure their data and IT infrastructure in the cloud.

complete article

With every passing week comes a story about some technological snafu at big companies—and even in the government. But small businesses are very vulnerable to cybersecurity issues, both because they lack the resources of big enterprises and because their lack of resources means that an attack can be even more devastating.

Here are some best practices that small businesses can put into place to make sure that they are secure.

complete article

From struggling with a business plan to hiring the wrong talent, there are a lot of opportunities for small-business owners to make mistakes, especially when starting out.

complete article

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.

complete article

Connections. Community. Mentorship. Immersion in management theory, market strategy and financial forecasting. A big, fat résumé boost.

The benefits of getting a business degree are multifold. But as many MBAs and their undergrad counterparts can attest, so are the falsehoods imparted.  

complete article

There is a convenient narrative about small business that we have all heard a million times.  Small business represents a huge, underserved, and highly lucrative market for finance-oriented entrepreneurs and large organizations alike. The prevailing wisdom is that these businesses run on Intuits QuickBooks, which enables them to have organized, accurate, and timely financial information at their fingertips. By all accounts, the small business market should be an easy one to serve. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Organizations big and small have struggled to serve the small business market in an efficient and effective matter, and it is all due to what we call the 90% challenge.

complete article

Between handling customer complaints, keeping track of employee work schedules and monitoring expenses, running a small business is hard work. If you’re looking to increase productivity and organization — or just make your life as an entrepreneur a little easier — a good app might be just what you need.

To help you navigate the seemingly endless sea of apps out there, we’ve compiled a list of our favorites. These 20 apps can help you stay organized and on top of your small-business to-do list.

complete article

As a small business develops, it moves through five growth stages, each with its own distinctive characteristics. Small businesses vary widely in size, industry focus, management styles and capacity for growth.

While each enterprise is unique in many ways, all experience common problems arising at similar stages in their development. For owners, understanding what can be expected in each stage of development will aid in assessing challenges and smooth the transition for business growth.

complete article

Among the countless factors a small business owner must consider when running his or her business, social media is quickly becoming one of the most important.

complete article

For the fourth year running, California and Rhode Island earned an F in a massive survey of small business owners rating state and local governments’ friendliness to small business. At the other end of the spectrum, also for the fourth year in a row, Texas and Utah earned an A+ from entrepreneurs.

What matters to small business owners? Nearly 18,000 entrepreneurs surveyed by Thumbtack.com said: Chamber of Commerce-style training and networking; regulatory and licensing simplicity, helpful government websites to cut red tape, and taxes.

complete article

The Internet of Things includes, among many other items, sensors for monitoring business and home security.

How IoT Can Help Small Business Compete
Here are two examples of small businesses that have figured out to compete against Goliath by finding low-cost ways to incorporate IoT into their operations:  

complete article

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.

complete article

In 1938, Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard began working part-time in a Palo Alto garage. With $538 just in working capital, the pair developed an audio oscillator: it would become the first product for the fledgling Hewlett-Packard HPQ +0.00% partnership. Today, Hewlett-Packard sits at #35 on Forbes’ list of most valuable brands, with an estimated worth of $57.9 billion.

complete article

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.

complete article

Labor Day is a holiday to honor hard working Americans, and small business owners are among the hardest workers around. They are often the first ones in and the last ones out. They toil and sweat beside their employees on the same job site, under the same tough conditions, behind the same counter or in the same office.

The National Federation of Independent Business represents more small businesses than any other organization. In fact, 60 percent of our 350,000 members employ between one and five workers

complete article

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.

complete article

You run your own business. How do you describe yourself to others when talking about what you do? Are you a small business owner? An entrepreneur? Or something else? And more importantly, is there really a difference between these terms?

complete article

Why devote 10 minutes a day to Facebook? There are many reasons why, but most importantly Facebook can help strengthen your relationships with your customers. The smaller your business, the more important these connections can be to help keep your company thriving.

complete article

The battlefields of Iraq are a world away from Merrimack, New Hampshire, and its new microbrewery, Able Ebenezer Brewing Co. But for this companys owners, the can-do attitude they lived by as combat officers has contributed powerfully to their success as entrepreneurs.

complete article

During Twitters analyst day in November, the company announced that it had 60,000 advertisers on its platform. Earlier this month, the company announced that it had grown its active advertiser base to 100,000 and laid plans to reach thousands more. The company is expanding its self-serve ad platform from 33 countries to the rest of the world, counting businesses in some 200 countries and territories eligible to send sponsored tweets.

International revenue accounted for just 36% of Twitter's total sales last quarter, but 79% of its users are based outside the United States.

complete article

There is a lot to be said for those rare few that possess the ability to create huge companies with hundreds or thousands of employees that are all just ecstatic to be at work. It is exceptionally difficult and equally as impressive, which is why they end up taking up space on the front page of a major magazine or journal.

Although it appears flashy and glamorous, particularly with the amount of celebrity that todays super entrepreneurs wield, there is a tremendous amount of flexibility that is lost, almost by default, once you pass a certain size. Now, not only am I not one of those few, but I really do not want to be.

complete article

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.

complete article

More than eight in 10 U.S. small-business owners say they would still become a small-business owner if they had it to do over again. This sentiment has changed little over the past 11 years, which suggests that the difficulties many small businesses experienced during the Great Recession did not cause owners to regret their decision to start a business.

complete article

Being a savvy spender is crucial for small business owners. These entrepreneurs have to watch every dollar to manage cash flow, make payroll, and generally stay in business. But being cash conscious shouldn't mean spending as little as possible on everything.

complete article

Put a hundred small business owners in a room and you are likely to hear a hundred different stories of how they became successful. You will find people as different as night and day. People from all walks of life and with varying strengths and skills. But look closer and you’ll begin to see commonalities. While their stories will differ, there are also common talents among those who are successful. Take a look and see if you recognize yourself.

complete article

There are many books available on the market to read about starting a business and how to structure a business startup.

I have many favorites, but my advice to friends and students is one that I came across all the way back in October 1987. My business desires started and I read almost every book that was available in my local Memphis, Tennessee, library at the time. The book has been revised and reprinted many, many times and continues to be a good read to this day.

complete article

In fact, a prominent study from the financial services company U.S. Bank found that as many as 82 percent of startups and small businesses fail due to poor cash-flow management. So, even if you are a brilliant entrepreneur in every other way, you must stay squarely focused on managing your company’s cash flow to avoid putting your business in imminent danger.

Here are five of the most common cash-flow problems:

complete article

Meet Fred Warmbier, entrepreneur. Warmbier owns a small business, Finishing Technology, located near Cincinnati, Ohio. The company finishes and anodizes metal parts –and is growing rapidly.

complete article

As a small business owner getting ready to build your first website or redesign your existing one, you might wonder what you should be considering in terms of making your web design search engine friendly.

There are lots of things to take into account, but here are the five key things that you should know about SEO friendly web design and how it can benefit your visitors, too!

1. It Needs to be Responsive
For small businesses, especially local ones, having great rankings in mobile search is incredibly important. Why? For starters, 50% of consumers who perform a local search on mobile devices visit a store within a day of their search. What’s even more exciting is that 78% of mobile searches for local business lead to offline purchases.

complete article

Over the last few years, a new generation of digital apps such as Uber and Just Eat have been available to download to our smartphones and tablets. They are designed to make it easier to find a taxi or order a meal, but have received as much criticism as they have praise for the way they have taken control of traditional markets and damaged business models.

We spoke to two businesses – one in the takeaway industry and the other in the private minicab industry – about the challenges these disruptive companies pose, what they are doing to combat them and how other small businesses can follow suit.

complete article

No business owner ever expects it to happen. After closing up for the day or the week, a phone call at 6 a.m. lets you know that the severe storm that passed through town overnight took a punch at your small business, with flood damage, fire, tornado or other damage.

Or it could have been an earthquake or hurricane. Still, what may have taken years to build is in ruins. How do you begin to recover?

complete article

Fear stops the decision-making process because fear is a decision, a decision not to take action, a decision to accept the status quo.

For some small business owners, fear is seen in their reluctance to speak, to share an emotionally compelling reason why a potential buyer should connect with them.

complete article

It is easier than ever to start a business from scratch without any overhead costs, which is great news for aspiring business owners who do not have the capital to start anything big. But to grow a business from an idea to something profitable, you do have to put some money into it. Here are five investments you should make to grow your business.

complete article

Today, tens of thousands of people are considering starting a home based business, and for good reasons. On average, people can expect to have two and three careers during their work life. Those leaving one career often think about their second or third career move being to their own home. People who have been part of the traditional nine-to-five work force and are on the verge of retiring from that life are thinking of what to do next. The good news: Starting a homebased business is within the reach of almost anyone who wants to take a risk and work hard.

complete article

You know you want to start a business and give yourself the best shot at success, but perhaps you’re still considering the kind of business you want to pursue. After all, you probably have a number of small-business ideas.

One thing is for certain: the type of business you start should be well-suited for your expertise and business goals. Successful entrepreneurs bring their varied experiences and skills and allow these assets to inform their business decisions.

So, assess your priorities and lifestyle and business goals.

complete article

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.

complete article

Owners of both new and established small businesses can benefit from a broad range of valuable perks offered with credit cards. Business credit cards not only provide a means for building and establishing business credit, but they can assist in record-keeping, preserving cash flow and separating business and personal finances. Much like consumer credit cards, the right business card can offer a plethora of rewards that you can redeem for flights, hotel stays and cash back on purchases.

Here are seven significant credit card perks for small business owners.

complete article

For more than a decade, thousands of businesses have enjoyed the benefits of high rankings in Google searches (and searches on competing engines) thanks to their SEO efforts. Larger corporations pour hundreds of thousands of dollars and allocate entire departments to gaining more online visibility, but even small- to mid-sized businesses can use a fraction of that budget to get more traffic and sales.

However, according to a recent survey by the Small Business Authority (SBA), less than 50 percent of small business owners in the United States think of inbound traffic from search engines as an important source of future business. Another 14 percent declared themselves unsure.

complete article

Millions of small businesses are vulnerable to cybersecurity attacks that can cost an average of $20,000 per attack. Here is some basic wisdom to help SMBs protect themselves.

complete article

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!

complete article

The Perceived Amazon Effect

As David and I spoke, he echoed some thoughts that many small businesses have also shared with me. Many businesses see customers come into their stores to learn, and then they make their purchases online via Amazon or other online retailers. The online retailers don’t have the overhead of a brick and mortar store. For one of the products, David mentioned that I can purchase it on Amazon for less than he can purchase it. Of course, in his local market, his Yelp reviews show how much his customers love his store and appreciate his value. If he was local to me, I would happily pay a premium for their high level of service and expertise.

complete article

The best sorts of business plans tell a clear story of what the company plans to do and how it will do it. Given the high failure rate of startups in their first year, a business plan is also an ideal opportunity to safely test out the feasibility of a business and spot flaws, set aside unrealistic projections and identify and analyze the competition.

complete article

When a key employee quits, it is a gut-wrenching experience for most small-business owners.

That single loss will likely result in a significant performance drop for the firm because that lost employee might represent an entire function. The drain will last for months because a good replacement takes time to recruit, hire, train and get up to speed. Plus, a significant portion of the manager’s time will be diverted toward recruiting and training a replacement.

Most small-business managers know little about retention. Their focus is often elsewhere. So they find themselves completely surprised when a key employee quits.

complete article