Leadership sets the company’s direction and atmosphere, and if you fail to establish an environment that encourages creativity, then you get what you get — the status quo. Even in a hectic and fast pace setting your attitude toward innovation and creativity can still make room for your staff to toss some fresh ideas your way. But everything starts with the conversation that you have with yourself.

Do you socialize with creative others in your industry? Being around your contemporaries can awaken a competitive and creative spirit in you. Dir

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Would you consider a marketing tactic a success if it didnt ultimately put money in your bank account?

Consider this. You place an ad in the newspaper. One thousand people read the ad. And you consider it a success even though no one bought your product or service. Sounds silly, doesnt it?

Well thats exactly what many companies who measure search marketing with number of clicks or top search engine ranking are doing. And its a good way to dump a lot of money with little return quickly.

We get what we measure.

Measuring click volume or positioning doesnt tie into business goals.

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You might not know it, but you’ve probably already used a site that employs A/B testing. You might have also unknowingly participated in an A/B test yourself and contributed to that site’s design optimization in the process.

A/B testing is nothing new in the Internet marketing scene. In fact, it has already been around and in use for the past couple of years. Many people prefer it versus the other methods of testing because of its relative convenience and its simplicity.

What is A/B Testing?

Defined, A/B testing is a method that allows webmasters, web designers, and email marketers to test out two versions of their website or email copy in order to optimize it, increase sales, and improve conversion rates. It

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As entrepreneurs we do it almost instinctively, but are we taking the wrong approach when networking for our small businesses. Here are some resources that may help.

What Reid Hoffman can teach you about connecting? Whether youre an entrepreneur or not, networking is the key to your success. Realize that as an entrepreneur your ability to connect will define the direction your small business takes. Bloomberg Businessweek

Even businesses without Websites can network online. A surprising number of small businesses may still without a Website, but that doesnt keep them from networking online. LinkedIn specifically creates a hub for entrepreneurs even without other Web presence.

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So you have a fabulous idea for a new business, and youre looking for investors. One of the first steps is to develop a business plan that can help to secure funding and build a client base. Since many start-ups have little seed money for developing a written plan, having devoted most of their to the business tangibles like office space, equipment, and supplies, the business plan may have to be budget-based and written by the entrepreneur rather than a professional writer or plan software. Here is a no-frills approach to writing a budget business plan for your new business.

Keep it simple. Structure your business plan with the basic categories.

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Yep, I get it. You cant live without your smartphone. I know. Im in the same boat. If I forget my phone when I go out of the house (which I rarely do), I feel like Ive left half my brain behind.

We are all so mobile these days. And its so cool that we can take our business with us in our back pocket. But theres a problem with that too. Its easy to forget how much sensitive data our phones have access to. Losing it could put your business at a huge risk.

In a news release from Deluxe Corporation, they said nearly 40 million Americans currently access bank accounts and financial records through mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets, according to Consumer Reports.

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