Archive for the ‘Small Business For All’ Category

How to Use Social Media for New Product Launches

Thursday, March 1st, 2012


One of the biggest challenges for a small business is getting word out when you add something new and excited to your product or service offering. Your social media presence can help immensely, but it doesn’t happen automatically … so, here are seven key DOs and DONTs for getting the most out of social media on your next product launch.

1. DON’T wait until your launch to start using social media.
I can’t tell you how many inquiries our agency gets along these lines: “Hi, we’re launching a new product next week and want you to set us up a Facebook page to promote it.” Nope. It takes mont

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Overwhelmed By Job Applications: 4 Ways to Manage the Madness

Tuesday, February 21st, 2012

I recently polled a bunch of managers and small business owners on how many resumes they receive for every opening they put out there. The result was staggering – 50 to 200. Whether or not you have a dedicated person managing these incoming resumes, it can be quite daunting and counter-productive not to have some process in place to weed through the pile.

Here are four simple steps every small company can follow:

Get Backup for Your Inbox

Email is great. But you cannot open 100 attachments from your email and make notes in spreadsheets. H

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Why Do I Need A Business Plan?

Sunday, February 12th, 2012

Thanks to the vast amount of online businesses that are launched every year, there are many who have come to the conclusion that starting their own business is relatively easy. In a way, launching a business is easy, should you possess a good, concrete idea and a clear idea of how you will make it a success. However, in order for your business idea to be a success it requires thorough planning, in particular, a clear and thorough business plan.

One of the main purposes of a business plan relates to when a starting or even an established business requires financial help from banks, venture capitalists or any additional investor.

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5 Top Tips When Considering ERP Technology

Saturday, February 4th, 2012

Allowing a small business to expand, without keeping a close eye on how efficiently it is run, is a common error made by small business owners. As more staff are hired, and departments start getting bigger, tasks that used to need a few spread-sheets and a filing cabinet suddenly seem disorganised. ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) systems are becoming the preferred method for many growing businesses when this situation arises, so here are 5 tips to consider when making the move to ERP:

  1. ERP systems allow every department in a business to access and update a common database and every department has a unique ‘module’ to access the database with. By having each department using a system that is the same, data is more easily transferred between departments and efficiency is improved. Now,

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15 YouTube Marketing Tips for Your Small Business

Monday, January 30th, 2012


Video Marketing on YouTube is a must for small businesses and startups in 2012. YouTube videos are longtail pieces of marketing content that can drive organic traffic to your website for many years to come. Here are 15 tips to know about marketing on YouTube.

1. Anyone Can Do a Video

The best part of YouTube Marketing is you do not need to hire models, buy fancy equipment, or have a baller studio. Most of the “highest viewed” videos are shot by a simple cell phone or webcam. Another option for those who are camera shy is to use Powerpoint or a similar program to make the presentation. Use

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You’re An Expert, But Are You An Entrepreneur?

Tuesday, January 17th, 2012

So you are an expert, but are you really cut out to be an entrepreneur?  Is this what you really want to do, or is this a desperation tactic?  Entrepreneurship as a solution to employment is fast becoming a popular decision many are making.

There are many great resources to help you evaluate if, in fact, you are the right temperament and type of person to take entrepreneurship on. Here are a few of my favorites:

Entrepreneur.com SBA.gov Success.com

I recently interviewed Joe Abraham, author of Entrepreneurial DNA and the founder of the BOSI formula, which offers four personality types: builders, opportunists, specialists and innovators. A

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