Sir Post A Lot

Hire a Celebrity to Promote Your Brand as Cheaply as Possible

2012-01-24T23:11:00.002-05:00

Everyone loves the random celebrity endorsement. Clearly we all believe everything they tell us since they are after all trustworthy. They are on TV and movies and play sports. CAn't get more trustworthy than that can you? If your saracsm detector hasn't gone off you need repairs.

That said it doesn't really matter does it? People like to hear about stuff form people they recognize. They clealry have never met a celebrity, but they can feel great when they see that guy on TV and say to themselves "Hey that's Tony Danza playing with that yoyo!".

Where was I? Oh yeah...Affordable Ways to Get Celebrity Endorsements

Raise Your Prices, Somewhat Painlessly

2012-01-24T22:45:00.002-05:00

We all love and hate the time to raise prices. Trying to figure out what the line is that is too much, but what is also reaquired to stay profitable enough to make actually having a business wotrth having. Upping prices at say a restaurant is probably not a huge deal if ou nickle and dime it a bit so it is relatively painless, but what's the best way to do it for most businesses without forcing your customers into a need for medical help?

Take a look at 5 Painless Ways To Raise Your Prices This Year for some tips.

Time Management and the Serial Entrepreneur

2012-01-17T22:41:00.002-05:00

These days it is more and more likely that entrepreneurs like yourself have their hands in more than one pot. Personally, I do a lot of things to make money now and finding a balance of getting them done on time, or spending time on my personal addictions like finishing the books in my ebook readers to be a bit overwhelming at times. I may not have to run 10 businesses, but I do spend an awful lot of time working for and with a number of different companies and do a lot of independent contractor work which must be organized to get it all done.

As an entrepreneur, or an independent contractor you are free to work on things at your own discretion most of the time. You may have deadlines, but typically your schedule can be resolved on your own and you must make sure you have the time to get every contract done, or every assignment in on time.

So...when you find some helpful tips on managing your time from other entrepreneurs it can only help you find more time for yourself probably right? Here are 5 serial entrepreneurs that are offering tips on managing your time and your life.

NEW YEARS EVE PARTY AT MY PLACE

2012-01-13T23:56:00.001-05:00

The Author of this post is Solomon Dejesus

Before the holidays, we switched our television service because we got some great dish deals. My favorite thing about having satellite tv is the music channels. It is sort of like the Pandora stations, but I think that the music mixes are better. Every time that I have a party, I just switch on one of the stations. I think that my favorite is the eighties mix for the parties. I also turn on the country station when I’m cleaning the house alone. I hate to admit it because all of my friends tease me about it, but I love country music! This new years, I had a party at my house. We usually go out or go to concerts, but I wanted to keep it low key. We had four other couples come over, we all just cooked out, listened to music, and drank champagne. It was the first New Year’s Day that I woke up without a headache! We had a great time, I definitely wouldn’t mind keeping it low key again next year!

Mark Cuban: Don't Listen to Your Customers

2011-12-29T23:47:00.002-05:00

Great title of an article I must say. If you don't know who Mark Cuban is, he's an entrepreneur that bought the Dallas Mavericks, and pro basketball franchise in the NBA. He's one of the most outspoken owners int he league and a HUGE fan of his team. He acts like most fanatical fans do and seems to be a a guy that goes against what an owner should be. He's entertaining to say the least and an owner any sports fan would love to have.

He's successful enough that when he says something you at least take a minute to read what he has to say. He's much like his NBA Champion Mavericks namesake in how he speaks out. Not John McCain Maverick, but an actual one. HE would jump over your swimming pool fence and into your pool if he felt the need.

Check out his thoughts on why customers ideas are usually the wrong ones.

2012 Franchise 500

2011-12-18T23:30:00.002-05:00

Entrepreneur.com has done an annual top 500 for franchises for the past 33 years. Once again at the top of the list for 2012 is Hampton Hotels. Putting on your start up Hats may be in line with one of these top 500.

The franchise 500 list is compiled with this in mind:

"The most important factors include financial strength and stability, growth rate and size of the system. We also consider the number of years a company has been in business and the length of time it has been franchising, start up costs, litigation, percentage of terminations and whether the company provides financing." complete rankings explanation

Black Friday is Upon Us

2011-11-24T22:26:00.003-05:00

Black Friday isn't just for Friday anymore. Retailers seem to be trending to earlier starts to the post-Thanksgiving sales and starting Black Friday Eve.

Among the major big box stores, Toys R Us will kick off its Black Friday sales at 9 p.m. Thursday night, followed by Wal-Mart at 10 p.m. Then, at the stroke of midnight, Target, Best Buy, Macy's and Kohl's all plan to open their doors.

Record numbers are expected this year for the Black Friday festivities, but are you really crazy enough to go out to these stores and forearm shiver old ladies?

The way I see it you can do it all from home now. Black Friday deals are all over the place online. I plan to buy a ton of video games at about half off. What about you? Maybe some buy diamonds online for your lady?

She Works Hard for Her Money

2011-11-22T22:38:00.001-05:00

Thanks for the guest post by Esteban Vinson

Work, work, work. All work and no play. Sort of. I love my work so when I work it sort of feels like play. I just branched out and started my own company. Yep, cupcakes are my livelihood now. Who would have thought that some sugar and flour can bring home the bacon? Certainly not my dad when I told him my idea. Now he may not have been totally on board the cupcake train, so to speak, due to the fact that I dropped out of college to start it but he’s slowly coming around. So I’m officially an entrepreneur. A business woman. There has been a huge learning curve, but I’ve done well at making frugal decisions to keep my overhead low. I have kept most of my business through online orders, so I needed to get internet at my bakery. Luckily, my searching led me to satelliteinternetbroadband.com which was a perfect fit for my company. I can get online orders through our company email. I can send pictures of all the varieties of cupcakes that I offer and am thinking about setting up a company webpage.

5 Social Media Mistakes to Avoid For Startups

2011-11-06T19:52:00.003-05:00

You know that if you have a public business that needs to connect with its customers to make more money you need to market in the social networking realm. You may not know how to do this though. You may just think that you need to throw up some info now and then and it is enough. To do it well you need to plan it out and understand it. You can't just "wing it" right off the go.

Not only do you need to know what you can do, it is important to know what you can't do. Maybe even much more important. After all, making yourself look bad when all it took was a little bit of research to prevent it is never a good sign. So don't take a yellowbox in the behind and follow along some of the Do's and Don'ts of social networking for your business. Start with some of the mistakes to avoid.

How Do People Still Not Understand? There is NO Privacy on Socail Media Sites

2011-11-06T19:09:00.002-05:00

You may hear people rage on about how an employer saw something on their Facebook page and they got reprimanded for it. How about courts allowing those you sue to look at "private" wall postings and bring them into court if they are relevant?

You may say: "Hey that's private! They can't do that!". You may be right in some instances, but the real problem is that people still believe they have any sort of privacy whatsoever when they post things online. Getting upset over it seems more ignorant than it does justified. Before you had Myspace, or Facebook, would you announce on a billboard that your boss was a jerk? Would you talk about company secrets on a billboard? This is literally what you are doing when you post on blogs, Facebook, and anywhere else online that others can see. Just because you have your Facebook set to private means very little. People hear stories about being hacked all the time, but think nothing of bringing private info to a public website? Think idiots!

If you want to tell people you can only sleep on the grouhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifnd in a sleeping bag, don't post pictures of yourself in deep sleep on a foam mattress. Lying online when you use your real name is never going to end well. If you have 100 friends I'll guarantee you that 1 of them isn't that stupid, and they aren't going to let you get away with it.

On to being an employee and trying to pull a fast one. Just because you are an attention whore and want people to think you are clever doesn't mean Facebook is the place you should go to prove you are screwing your company with a false injury claim. This doesn't make you clever. It makes you stupid. Take a look at some court rulings that people like you may have to deal with one day when you try to get away with faking injuries.

Power Networking and Referrals, Group Interst More Profitable Than Self-interest Including Clients

2011-10-20T20:28:00.003-04:00

Many people think of networking to gain referrals for just themselves. This is kind of a negative attribute to many sales professionals as it is anyways, as a selfish way of doing business. While you may argue that there needs to be that selfish aspect to succeed, you are only part right. The people that tend to be most successful at marketing, and eventually making a ton of money in sales are those that network well with a sort of "Team" aspect in mind.

What do I mean by this? It's not just the other remembers of the network you are buttering up to get you more business. That is important and you need to scratch each other's backs, but the clients benefit almost as much, if not more if you have a good network. rc batteries

It's a way of approaching it from a less self-interest standpoint. It's better business to do it this way. If you have a client and want to do the best possible job for them, you offer them resources and choices. If you run a real estate office let's say, you can offer so much more than just what your service is specifically. You can help people find insurance within your network, you can help them find a mortgage broker, a building inspector, etc. This is GOOD business for you to do these things in not just the benefit of referrals from your network. Clients want to be taken care of and shown the way to get things done. The more you offer the better your service is. It's not self-interest doing it this way. It is doing what's best for all involved to benefit you the most as well. At the end of the day you probably end up doing even less work after all is said and done, for much more benefit, and a much better conscience.

For more look at this article that describes how to build a network and what questions you need to ask yourself.

Some handy Appps For Startups

2011-10-20T20:24:00.003-04:00

One of the greatest time savers and organizers int he last few years has been the smart phone no doubt. Perks galore, but maybe none more helpful than the addition of time saving Apps to give you all you need to stay a head. If not for productivity, at least there are many to keep you sane and waste a lot of your time like games.

Whether you are selling plus sized lingerie, or computers, there are Apps that can help you keep it all together, or even get a head.

Here is a short list, but it will be added to with comments so make sure you check back regularly.

Top 10 Secrets of Successful Leaders

2011-10-17T22:38:00.002-04:00

There must by a million secrets of successful leaders rounded up in top 10 lists over the years. Which means that you probably should document many of them just to make sure you catch them all. Obviously there will be overlap, but I am hesistent to suggest that the Top 10 successful qualities of leaders will be universal over the top 10 lists you will see over the years. Surely times change, but some core values tend to pop up over and over.

Taking some time away from your orlando fishing guides trip that you were looking at you may as well look at the next best 10 qualities of leaders. Taking vacations is #1 of course. :)

Rent-A-Grandma?

2011-10-07T18:47:00.002-04:00

You thought all the new ideas have been taken? Well, guys like Todd Pliss show you how your experience in one field can lead to the next great small business idea. Todd Pliss was working as a tutor to child stars like the Jonas Brothers when he started hearing complaints. They weren't about groupies or the paparazzi or bad lighting--they were about child care.

Yeah...easy enough to bank on the rich right? The idea is interesting, however. The complaints that younger sitters and caregivers are unreliable is one of the biggest concerns. He thought who would be more responsible than "grandma"? She won't sit around texting the night away, or inviting boys over will sh? Of course not. That's when he decided to start recruiting women over 50 to to become sitters. Beats looking for Software Engineer Jobs.

After Rent-A-Grandma was profiled on Fox News in March 2011, Pliss received more than 300 calls asking if he was franchising the concept. He decided to give it a shot: In May, he offered franchise territories in 36 states. So far, he has sold units in Dallas and Houston. He hopes to have 15 in operation by year's end and 20 more in 2012. full story

Expanding my purse collection with an oversized clutch for day

2011-09-19T19:22:00.000-04:00

Guest post written by Katherine Hinson

The one part of my wardrobe that I would say is definitely lacking is my purse part. I have all kinds of great shoes and dresses. But I've just never been much of a purse buyer. Well I'm looking to change that and know that buying a few cute bags can really expand my outfit combo possibilities! Besides, I have a friend that swears the accessories make or break an outfit and I've come to believe that she's right about that.

Well, I actually asked my friend about what kind of purse I should get for this season and she told me an oversized clutch. While I was online looking around for some examples of what she described, I ran across some info on internet companies. I showed it to my husband and we decided that we would switch over our home internet service to one of those companies.

I eventually found a clutch like she was talking about and instantly fell in love with it. It's light gray with charcoal accents, really just my style. It's also big enough to tuck under my arm easy and for it to stay there, so I'm not so worried about losing it during my everyday adventures.

New Patent Law Reforms

2011-09-18T22:35:00.002-04:00

Even if you know very little about patents, I'm sure most people know what they are for, and have thought about getting one for some random idea they have had. Navigating through the patent laws and trying to figure out what is needed for you to actually patent something is another matter entirely. Now new laws for patents are being reworked.

Why exactly would you need a patent anyways? People use them so they don't get their ideas stolen, but who benefits from the new laws? Who gets the hose? Your small inventors are going to get screwed with the new laws if they don't have a ton of cash lying around. I can't explain it as well as these guys so just see what they have to say. Pay particular attention to the "first to file" vs. "first to invent" explanations. You may as well be a gps trucker if you can't afford to file.

Unique Gifts For Men

2011-09-04T22:31:00.003-04:00

If you are looking for some Unique Gift Ideas for Men it may be a bit of trouble when you have a man that has everything he wants. That is why you have to look a bit outside of the normal places and check out something different like the link above.

Usually it just takes a bit of browsing to find something you wouldn't have though of on your own. A beer holster for the man who likes to play games out in the backyard and needs the free hands. A poker chip set that most grown men use rather than money and piles of change now. Even a beer brewing kit, or a wine making kit are available and unique. Not only are they practical, but save money as well.

10 Things to Thank Steve Jobs For

2011-08-31T22:25:00.002-04:00

If you haven't heard yet, Steve Jobs, founder of Apple Computers, is stepping down as the CEO of the company. While Apple is a company that brings love and scorn from its detractors, nobody can deny that they have developed some of the most innovative and interesting products over the years.

While personally I prefer to still use a Windows computer due to the value and the compatibility. Not to mention it can do more things. That doesn't mean I am not well immersed into the Apple culture anyways. I still own an iPod Touch, as well as owned an iPhone. At some point I will probably own an iPad as well. I think if you looked at what I used daily, my Windows computer and my iPod are the two things other than my TV, my foose custom wheels, and my cell phone I use every single day. In fact I use my iPod to fall to sleep with and play video games on it when I am in the "library".

I've been downloading music since Napster was invented. Not pay NApster, but before they got shut down. Having .mp3s that I would burn to disc to listen to in my car, and anywhere else. Music I likely never would have heard if it weren't for Napster. Apple gave us a way to carry thousands of songs with the iPod and totally changed the way DJ's ran events for good.

Here is an article that thanks Steve Jobs for his time with Apple entitled : 10 Things to Thank Steve Jobs For.

Startup Now, or Finish School?

2011-08-31T22:20:00.002-04:00

Many of us have degrees that work for ourselves. That doesn't mean that most of us agree that the degree has much importance to what we do to make money. Having a bit of a business background helps for sure, or if we need some sort of technical expertise it certainly is important to get that education. Many times though you have an idea, and you still have school left. When exactly do you decide if staying with college is worth your time, or should you just jump into your business right away?

It is definitely situational of course. Obviously there are many businesses where having a degree has almost no real value, and waiting is going to cost you. Some businesses are time sensitive. First to market with your new super diet pills, first with an online media idea, etc. all are a factor on if you should wait.

What do you really need to consider when deciding between start up and college? Here is an article that discusses just that.

Entrepreur of 2011

2011-08-31T22:13:00.002-04:00

Always a fun award to follow for business owners is the Entrepreneur Magazine's Entrepreneur of the Year Award. The award isn't just about the biggest money maker, or the biggest turnaround, or anything like that. In fact once all the finalists are in, like now, website users can help choose by voting. Anyone can win, be it a seller of best appetite suppressant, or the next social networking idea.

The contest is broken down between the normal entrepreneurs and the college entrepreneurs. As you can imagine some of the college ones are a bit more interesting. After all some of the biggest companies in the world right now were developed from college students in their dorm rooms. Microsoft and Google probably come to mind as college kids making it big.

You can follow the 2011 Entrepreneur of the Year Award here and even vote on who is the best. Take a look at some of the interesting new ideas and see if you can figure out what the standards are to win.

U.S. Monetary Authorities Remained Silent During Second Quarter

2011-08-19T19:03:00.000-04:00

The latest forex news, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York announced on August 11, 2011 that the U.S. monetary authorities did not intervene in the foreign exchange markets during the April through June quarter. This week has seen major swings in stocks, following a major drop on Monday, a severe rise on Tuesday and sharp drops on Wednesday. The New York Times and other outlets are reporting that the stocks and forex exchange rates have not been this volatile in years.

In its quarterly report to the U.S. Congress, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York announced that the dollar depreciated 2.4 percent against the euro and 3.2 percent against the Japanese yen. Also during the three months that ended June 30, the dollar’s trade-weighted exchange value depreciated 2.0 percent as measured by the Federal Reserve Board’s major currencies index.

The New York Times had this to about the foreign exchange markets. “The financial markets this week have been held hostage to worries about the global economy, Europe’s troubles and the implications of a ratings agency’s unprecedented downgrade of the United States’ credit rating.” The good news is that the main structure is there, which means you can continue trading, whether via forex robots or traditional trades.

Overcoming the Age Gap in Business

2011-08-07T18:00:00.002-04:00

AS a guy that was in financial advisory work as young as 22 years old, I know all about having to deal with being a baby face in a world of big money decisions. Looking like a kid fresh out of college was definitely NOT a positive attribute to have in that sort of business when dealing with 50-60 year-old doctors, lawyers, or any other well to do clients, and this is something I could completely understand. Still...I had to make money, and I had to overcome it. It became a confidence issue, and simply just being way more prepared and knowledgeable than I needed to be to gain their trust. Results were also a part, but that wasn't getting me in the door.

How Young Entrepreneurs Can Bridge the Generation Gap goes into some strategies for overcoming this gap. Matthew Toren started young, so he knows all about this kind of "discrimination. The article is how he suggests to overcome it. Doesn't matter if it is a tangible good like Cherokee uniforms, or a service industry.

Having co-owned a series of businesses with my brother since I was 7 years old -- we sold stunt airplanes at a festival with my grandfather -- I've seen my share of that kind of discrimination. full story

Benchmark 10-year Yield Drops Below 3 Percent

2011-07-19T15:46:00.001-04:00

Guest Posting by Bobby Quill

Concerns about the European debt crisis were further aggravated when Moody’s Investors Services downplayed Ireland’s credit rating, according to a report on the leading forex news and trading site Forexyard. This information held the yield on the 10-year Treasury bond under 3 percent on July 12.

In related news, CNNMoney.com reported on July 12 that the benchmark 10-year yield dropped under 3 percent for the first time since June 27. The yield ended the session at 2.88 percent. Experienced traders using online sites like Finexo know how to use this information to help them make trades which minimize their risks and improve the strength of their overall assets. The ability to gather information and analysis from leading forex news sites like fx360 provides every trader a competitive advantage.

EZBloomers.com: Changing How We Send Flowers

2011-07-16T23:32:00.002-04:00

Flowers have been the gift of choice for decades. No matter if it is for a friend on a birthday, an apology to the wife, a sympathetic funeral gesture, or a get well soon bouquet. The way we send flowers to others has changed drastically over the years as well. Before the flower stores we had to grow our own and deliver them ourselves. Now we can do it online, over the phone, or stop by a florist directly and have them deliver the "surprise".

EZBloomers is looking at changing the way we all get our flowers. EZBloomers.com custom floral arrangements are sent to you at the best price possible, and with the best service possible. Their mission is to make sure that you get more value than any other florist out there and to give you great service that the floral brokers only dream of. Floral brokers may have bigger buildings, but they end up being much less connected to their customers. EZBloomers.com is there to help you get what you need, and not throw a bunch of service charges on top of your bill to make sure that you, and those you send flowers get the best possible experience.

Get Bored Easy With Only One Business?

2011-07-10T20:24:00.002-04:00

As entrepreneurs many of us have a lot of ideas. We may have a great idea and start a business, but we always have more ideas. We look at things a little differently I suppose. We see something that others see and don't look at it just as something useful, but we look at it and try to figure out how we can make money off of it. There is always something else we could jump into right?

While we work in whatever industries we are in we always run a crossed things that we think are either underrepresented, or at least represented so poorly that we think we could make some good money off of them if we do it better. While they are getting calls from collection agencies we are seeing dollar signs at their failure to take advantage. This kind of entrepreneur, or the "serial entrepreneur" is a bit of a different breed. Take a look at 11 Historic Serial Entrepreneurs and see what you might have in common.

STill Have Crappy Jobs to Hire for that the Desperate Don't Even Want?

2011-07-10T20:19:00.002-04:00

You would think that hiring for ANY job right now would be a piece of cake wouldn't you? Even at bargain rates of pay there are so many unemployed around the country that it seems as if almost any job you post would get plenty of interest. Apparently, some jobs are so bad that employers actually are having a hard time filling them.

Well...this job might not be the most enticing:

Take entrepreneur Cassie Piasecki, 42, who had to hire preppers at her Southern California nail salon to carry heavy tubs of water, then clean them, along with tools and towels, of dead skin and nail clippings after pedicures.

"It was a gross job," says Piasecki, who has since closed her salon. "I did my hiring two ways. I used Craigslist to put a detailed description of the prepper job. I didn't want to surprise applicants by the job duties or the pay. I wanted them to know exactly what they were getting into. And, the other way was word of mouth. Either a client or a friend of an employee. They would usually relay the job duties to the friend."

I think I'd rather forgo my surge protectors and just stick a metal fork in a wall socket. If you have jobs like this that you can't hire for take a look at some tips on how to get someone to do the job for you.

Cashing in on the Phone App Markets

2011-07-10T20:11:00.002-04:00

If you have a smart phone such as the iPhone, or the Android you know exactly what Apps are. You also know that the market is booming, and you also probably look at it like it would be so easy to cash in on. We've all had the thoughts of throwign together a stupid app and seeing it sell a million copies at $0.99 right? I know I have, but I just don't have the expertise, or the time to learn how to get going.

Lisa Bettany found the time to learn about it. You probably don't want to figure it out the same way, however. For her, an ex-Canadian figure skater, she learned after an ice skating injury and being laid up in recovery for a long, long time.

Bettany, 29, not only got back on her feet but took advantage of her seven-year recovery to master photography, start a blog, and, two years ago, partner with an international team of six developers to create Camera+, the top-ranked camera app in Apple's iTunes store. The app, which gives iPhone and iPod Touch users the ability to enhance, edit and share photos via Flickr, Facebook, and Twitter, has been downloaded more than 3 million times since it launched in June 2010. The 99-cent app, designed to turn iPhones into high-quality digital cameras, has generated close to $2 million for Bettany and her partners in less than a year ( I was really curious as to what the actual cut was so this is pretty helpful info.). That's after Apple's 30% cut. Read more

Not sure if I have the next big idea, or useful toy for the app store, but this makes me want to work on it again. I could probably make a hitch bike racks app or something real quick. Good old Apple and their ideas of gold.

Dad Inventors

2011-06-22T22:36:00.002-04:00

I know I have definitely talked about Mom inventors on more than one occasion. I haven't ever talked about dad inventors though. We have called mom inventors mompreneurs, so should we also call dad inventors dadpreneurs? Do you even like those words? I'm not sure if I do. :P

Mom and dad inventors are labeled as such because their inventions and subsequent businesses are built on inventions that make their lives easier as parents like finding an incredible s price. Inventing something for themselves that they think was great for their kids they see an opportunity to deliver it to other parents with the hopes that a lot of them will find their inventions useful too.

Here are 3 Dad Inventors and their stories. They offer a few tips on how to get it all rolling as well.

Real World Examples of Successful Facebook MArketing for Small Businesses

2011-06-22T22:29:00.002-04:00

Everyone that owns a business knows about Facebook. It is a place that we can leverage a lot of free advertising and marketing. If done correctly, we can get ourselves noticed, or even create a huge boom for whatever it is we are trying to sell. It's even helpful for things like naltrexone acamprosate campral treatment centers, charity events, and much more.

Of course just knowing that it is there and tossing your business on there isn't going to do a whole lot for you. You have to have some sort of marketing strategy, and you need to develop a plan that will translate into business. Sometimes it is helpful to see how others have leveraged the social networking giant. So take a look at 3 real world small businesses that used Facebook to market successfully.

5 Twitter Marketing Ideas

2011-05-28T23:32:00.002-04:00

If you have used Twitter enough you probably realize that people are using it quite regularly as a marketing tool. Either completely blatant, and horribly wrong, or you may see some have very unique ideas. WE all know that social networking is a free marketing goldmine. Twitter is no different.

People link to stuff all the time, or make tweets about things that may, or may not be marketing. Celebrities telling you how to get rid of pimples fast is surely a good strategy. What are some unique ones you may not have heard about? Check these out and see if they make a difference.

Entrepreneur's 100 Most Brilliant Companies

2011-05-28T23:01:00.002-04:00

There are all kinds of lists for companies. Usually it has to do with income statements and revenues. Like the Forbes lists that show us who is rolling in gold cars and swimming in epiduo pools. This one is a little different. Let's look at their criteria of a "What Makes a Company Brilliant":

"Good ideas are common," the aptly named British humorist Ashleigh Brilliant once said. "What's uncommon are people who'll work hard enough to bring them about."

Thank goodness, then, for the entrepreneurs on our annual list of 100 Brilliant Companies, who have coupled genius and execution to fantastic -- and, in many cases, fantastically lucrative -- ends. We picked 10 areas, some that have been booming for years (mobile tech, seniors) and some that are just now hitting their stride (social shopping, startup-to-startup), and spotlighted some of the most innovative and inspiring companies in each. The brilliance runs the gamut, from a deal site aggregator recognizing a void in a crowded sector to a service that simplifies the notoriously difficult process of creating an app.

Here's hoping that reading about all this brilliance will spark some in you.

Ok...fair enough. Interesting concept, and something different. To see the full list of companies and the brilliant ideas click here.

Planner…

2011-05-17T12:26:00.000-04:00

I appreciate the guest post, Emerson Moses

I need to get planning on this year’s spring break since it’s only like a month away! I had gotten Clear recently through one of those wireless internet offers online and I’m really glad, since I’ll now have home internet to easily look up travel rates. I would like to avoid having to fly anywhere since the baby’s still so young but who knows, maybe I’ll pack the whole family up and take us to Hawaii! In reality, we’ll probably go to Chicago to visit my parents and maybe even up to Canada for a weekend. I want to take my kids somewhere fun but unfortunately all the affordable places are really cold this time of year, so they’ll just have to manage. I can’t believe the week is almost upon us and I haven’t booked anything yet…I’m not the best planner so my procrastination shouldn’t surprise anyone in my family one little bit! Either way, we’ll be together as a family and we’ll be off school and work so it should be a fun week for sure!

How to Approach Reatialers to Carry Your Products?

2011-05-16T01:23:00.002-04:00

IT is hard enough figuring out how to manufacture and implement an idea right? What about after you have figured out the details of the creative process and need someone to partner with to actually sell your stuff? If opening your own shop to sell your good isn't you ideal situation, or if you don't want to do it you are going to have to find someone that will sell it for you.

So how do you go about starting that relationship and getting your brand new products on the shelves without requiring a breakdown service for your stress? See if you can pick up a few tips from a swimsuit maker that is looking for just the right approach to find a boutique they want to sell at, to actually want to sell their products.

More Mompreneurs

2011-05-11T23:29:00.000-04:00

I Always love reading about inventors that changed their own lives by inventing something to make their own lives easier. Their idea is so good that it has a market to sell it to others though so they become Mompreneurs and take advantage of their great ideas.

This is a story of 3 moms that took everyday problems they faced with their kids and solved them. Then made a business out of it rather than ending up looking for dual diagnosis treatment centers for drug and alcohol abuse because of the stress.

While there are many moms that invent, these 3 had some pretty cool ideas, but one of them is one of the more fun ones I have seen. Monster Spray! I'm sure that many, many moms have come up with a simple solution to the "monster under the bed", but this mom went a little further. It isn't just a spray of some sort of water that will help they kids get to sleep. She used known scents that were known for calming and made it into her spray from her own tests. She may not be making millions yet, but after jsut 2 years she is getting it test-marketed in Bed Bath & Beyond.

Losing Leads With Your "Contact us" Page

2011-05-02T02:05:00.002-04:00

The "Contact Us" page is pretty important. Well let's not fool ourselves here. it is extremely important for websites. I have some sites that I was too lazy to put contact info on so I just never did it. While this is a huge mistake since I know that I have some value there (people actually do find contact info from whoIs and other places) that I could expand on I am overextended and just never got to it. Wasted potential.

Wasted potential in that form is pretty ludicrous. It's just lazy I must admit, but there are a lot of websites that waste this potential even with a contact us page. Not that a traditional contact us page won't work, but there are probably some nice tips that you could implement into expanding how users can contact you that would be extremely helpful to them, and to you. Take a look at Making the Most Value 'Contact Us' and be on your way to more leads to get your jewelry tools out to more people.

Fast Growing Companies and Social Media Marketing

2011-05-02T01:59:00.003-04:00

I think we can all agree that social media marketing isn't an if we use it, but how effectively we use it now. Since it is typically free for us to use all these social networking options (outside of time of course) we all try to make the most of it. Sometimes to our detriment if we have no actual plan on how to best utilize these resources.

When we start a company I know that I am always wanting it to take off fast. The faster the better. I want to have that problem where I feel like I am trying to catch up to my growth lipoquick. I have to work harder to get leveled off, but having that growth is something that eventually makes it all worth the effort. Some fast -growing companies are using social networking in way that help drive this growth. Here is how.

Cherry Moon Farms Discount Coupons

2011-05-01T02:11:00.000-04:00

Cherry Moon Farms is a a pretty amazing retailer of beautiful gourmet gift baskets. They aren't a place that just has a few gift baskets that you can choose from, but they offer them for all occasions and holidays.

Mother's Day gourmet gift baskets offered right now are astounding. Fruit, nuts, chocolate, and beautiful designs make it a difficult decision just figuring out which one she would love the most. I think I can help you out a little by hooking you up with some cherry moon farms coupon discounts! Go check it out. They have gift baskets for all seasons.

Multimillion-Dollar Domain Name Sales

2011-04-26T23:31:00.002-04:00

If you have ever purchased a website domain name you know that sometimes it is kind of difficult to find that one you are looking for. There are so many already owned by others that many times that one perfect domain name you thought was going to be the one for your business ended up not being available. You probably settles on something else, but there are those that certainly did not, and they paid millions for it.

Everyone thinks of buying that big money domain name, but those days are mostly behind us. Some of the highest priced domain names are exactly what you would think they were. Business.com sold for $7.5 million, Porn.com sold for $9.5 Million, and Sex.com sold for a staggering $13 million! You can't buy gold online like that anymore. You probably have to just get really lucky now and find something that becomes huge later on.

Entrepreneur.com wrote an article about all the top selling domain names. The Business.com one that sold for $7.5 million and the business that used it actually sold for $350 Million from RH Donnelly. Take a look at some of the highest.

Giving Employee Feedback

2011-04-12T22:08:00.002-04:00

For many managers this is a chore. It's extra work that many find unnecessary when they work with these people and berate them everyday *wink*. Of course feedback is a little more structured than just having a quick "you're doing that wrong" conversation.

Many employees dread the evaluation meeting. Many places it is just a joke, and more of an anxious meeting where you more or less just hear some random things that you aren't excellent at, but at the same time you get almost no feedback. Knowing you aren't doing something perfect doesn't help much if there is no extra effort to break it down. May as well just be reading the label off of progesterone supplements since many of these meetings tend to feel almost scripted and the same for everyone.

How do you make feedback a priority, and make the employee feel like this is being used constructively rather than as a "warning" session? Here is a list of 5 Productive Feedback Steps.

What's the Deal With Franchise Territories?

2011-03-30T23:36:00.005-04:00

One of the factors of looking into a franchise is not just the popularity of the franchise itself, but how they go about assigning territories. Not all franchises can throw a Starbucks up on every corner of a town in NYC and expect to get a ton of business.

You probalby won't have much competition in a small town selling OxyElite Pro to the public, but in a bigger town you might.

Here is an article discussing how to look at this topic. Many, but not all, franchises grant an "exclusive territory" to their franchisees as part of the rights given under the franchise agreement contract.

Business Owners Say the Economy is Getting Worse

2011-03-30T23:36:00.002-04:00

Yes, the economy seems to have been in a horrid state forever now. I can remember back in 2000 when the stock market went into a nosedive and we haven't even been back there since. It just doesn't look like it is getting any better now than it was then. Business owners are sayign it might even be getting worse.

How? Well first of all if you watch the news at all you know we are fighting in about a dozen wars worldwide so it isn't like the government is going to be having much to work with anytime soon. Probably feels like we are going to get a best colon cleanser every time they talk about taxes.

According to this article things are getting worse, not better.

Warning Sign That Your Workers Are Stressed

2011-03-30T23:32:00.002-04:00

It's hard enough to keep your workers motivated. I mean it is a job after all and they don't typically have the same dreams, nor do they have the same consequences of failure as you have being the owner. Over-stressed workers are bad for morale, and could be bad for business.

Do you want to get rid of them all, or do you want to deal with it and move forward with help? Besides spying on them with high quality compact digital cameras you probably have to take some action and observe a little.

First and foremost you have to see the warning signs of problem employees. Then you figure out what to do about it. Here are 7 that should give you some help.

19 Years Old, and Taking on Google

2011-03-16T13:25:00.002-04:00

Well...let's jsut say that he is working on a project that will expand the use of search on the internet, but he isn't exactly taking on Google. Daniel Gross, as he has almost $5 million in funding backing his search engine, Greplin. It is designed to search for things that Google doesn't look for. The social slice of the Web, plus everything that an individual has password-protected hovering in the cloud, has been largely off-limits to traditional search engines.

You aren't going to find honda generators for sale, but you might find a blueprint for them with Greplin. Daniel Gross, along with co-founder Robby Walker, 27, created Greplin, a user-authorized search that can access Facebook, Twitter, Google Documents, Salesforce, and more. The site launched in late February. Here is an interview with him and how it all came about.

Inc.com Looks Up Some of Their Past College Startup Alums

2011-03-05T00:39:00.002-05:00

Inc.com and some of the other large business owner websites have some pretty neat contests every year. Entrepreneur has the "Build the Best Lemonade Stand" for kids that is always a fun contest to watch. Inc.com has the College Start-up feature that they do quite a bit that has some pretty cool ideas in it as well.

Now they are looking back at a few past alums that were featured to see "Where are they now?". Nope, they aren't all living in the Outer Banks on a permanent vacation yet. They actually plan to keep working, and some have made it a living.

9 of the past alums are featured in this article. Pretty fun read. From SAT prep website makers ready to sell out for a nice paycheck to the founder of CollegeFitness.com who has upped his annual sales to a healthy $3.5 million with just 15 employees

BAsic Employee Benefits, and What You Should Look at as an Owner

2011-03-05T00:33:00.002-05:00

Employee benefits are a tricky business. On one side they help draw in better and more experienced employees on various health care job site, or specialized sites for certain positions. That is if that is the kind of employee you need. It also helps you KEEP your most trustworthy and valuable employees by serving as a reward that acts almost as a raise without them seeing it in their paycheck, but many times more beneficial On the other hand they can become quite expensive, and a severe headache for all the red tape involved.

Deciding to offer employee benefits is a start to a long process of deciding what kind of benefits to offer, as well as exactly how much you are willing to foot the bill as the owner. Here is a good primer to get you started in thinking about what is needed, what is good policy, and what is required to get rolling.

Getting Your Products In Movies?

2011-02-26T17:17:00.002-05:00

Ever wonder how small business products end up in the movies? Then all of a sudden they are huge, and everyone knows about them? Wine, fat burner, or cool toys find their way in all the time.

Kathy Joseph, the owner of Fiddlehead Cellars, a 100-acre vineyard and winery nestled in California's Santa Rita Hills, in Santa Barbara County found a way to get in and take advantage.

Her wine has been featured in not one, but two major films over the last decade. I bet you thought to yourself immediately that one was the film Sideways right from a few years back? You would be right, and I thought exactly the same when I saw the story, but they hid it from me at first. Her wine was in the Oscar-nominated film The Kids Are Alright starring Annette Benning and Juliane Moore just this past year as well.

It made its movie debut in the 2004 Academy Award winner Sideways. The film's director, Alexander Payne, had visited her vineyard and decided to write her sauvignon blanc into the script, Joseph says.

The placement in The Kids Are Alright, which has been nominated for four Oscars this year, came about when the same property manager who worked on Sideways was hired to work on The Kids Are All Right and, according to Joseph, wanted to bring Fiddlehead back to the big screen.

So how do they do it? Take a look at this article that explains the most common methods to get yourself onto the silver screen.

10 LAws Of Social Network Marketing

2011-02-26T17:02:00.002-05:00

Facebook is by far the easiest, and maybe the best way to build an online presence for a small business. Most small businesses now don't even need a website to take advantage of the internet, and give themselves presence due to the massive amount of social networking sites and all the tools the search engines offer. Of course many still do try to throw a website together and it is literally a waste of their time for most small businesses.

Unless you are actively selling products online, and this is your business such as weight loss supplements like adapexin-p, you are an online retailer, etc. most brick and mortar businesses have no need to pay someone for a website. Facebook is considered by the search engines as literally about the same value as your own website. Your website would rank just above it, but the social network pages would still rank higher than everything else when it came to your business. Some people find that their social pages show up higher since they are better equipped with keywords that customers search than their actual websites.

Take for instance if you are a doctor. Doctors most of them time know little to nothing about making a website. They know even less about internet marketing. They have a nice sized marketing budget, and they also have a big bullseye on their backs for web designers. They get taken for thousands to build websites, and the internet marketing that goes along with it. Local doctors have it easy with their keywords. Their competition is so low on the search engines that they have nobody to beat most of the time unless you are in a big city. Paying someone a ton of money for this presence is absurd for the majority of mid-sized to smaller city businesses.

If you get the time read a bit about search engine optimization, and really think about what your customers are going to be searching for to find you. "Traverse City foot doctor"? Yes this is the kind of thing they would search for if you ran out of that city and are a foot doctor. You can blow your competition away if you have even remedial understanding of what search engines use to place your sites and the terms that point to them.

Here's an article to help yo understand it a bit more after you get some basics down.

Too Many "Unlikes" and "Unsubscribes" Lately? Find Out Why

2011-02-26T16:57:00.002-05:00

Even typing out those words seems ludicrous, but it is part of the marketplace now. Facebook "Likes", and "Subscribers" to Twitter, blogs, and any other form of contact with customers are important aspects of many businesses to keep them hooked on your products be it new pre workout supplements, beauty products, or new gadgets.

As you may have guessed, people actually analyze why this happens. What you might be able to do about it in the future, or how to avoid it altogether. ExactTarget, an Indianapolis-based interactive marketing services provider, has released "The Social Break-up," a report exploring why consumers terminate their relationship with businesses and brands through these three major social media channels: Facebook, Twitter and email marketing.

Feeling the blues of a breakup? Check out their report and move on to your next one.

Mobile Coupons For Your Business?

2011-02-26T16:51:00.002-05:00

Coupons are a proven strategy to get customers into the door. Many times getting them to come back for more, but most importantly, they tend to make you a little bit of profit regardless of whether you are giving the customer a discount. They will likely purchase something else since they are there anyways.

What about the new, and increasing popularity of paperless coupons? Is your business set up to accept such a coupon? Many customers now are able to use coupons straight from a mobile device at the point of purchase, and if you aren't able to accept them, you obviously aren't getting part of this market. Anyone at a mall checking out hgh reviews and then seeing more than one shop that sells health supplies may see a coupon for one place, but not yours. Figure out some easy steps to set your store up for mobile coupons.

Keeping Your Day Job While You Start a Business

2011-02-17T23:39:00.002-05:00

Starting a business leaves you pretty broke when you come out of the gate usually. Very few circumstances will have you financially healthy early on in the dream. You might have some cash tossed your way to work with, but most of us don't have that luxury. So...we may be forced to work our day job while we build our own business up enough to survive on.

What are some ways that you can do both and still function without having to sleep for 10 minutes at a time while you are driving? Technology like the apple iphone, laptops, and many others are a great start, but how else can you do it? Here are some tips.

Building Business With Facebook Deals and Facebook Ad Benchmarking

2011-02-06T19:59:00.003-05:00

Facebook is now a necessary part of almost every business out there. Not only does most of the internet world use Facebook, but it is designed in such a way that allows you to promote your business easily, update your customers efficiently, and communicate directly with your customers in a more laid back setting. Good for any kind of business from ecommerce web hosting which can actually get a lot of clients from their pages, or restaurants that can show new food items and specials to their loyal customers for almost no cost.

Traditional advertising on Facebook, however is an option that many have used successfully, but it seems that not many know what the value is of that advertising. That is why I found this article interesting in that it discusses the cost of advertising on Facebook, as well as how much it is increasing year to year. It suggests getting into it now rather than waiting for the price to go up even more and it links to some stats on who the most likely conversions are.

Facebook Deals is another form of business building with the platform. Facebook Deals is a simple concept that enables businesses like yours a means of offering bargains and discounts that can potentially bring traffic to your business, create buzz, and foster customer loyalty. Like the theater punch card, Facebook Deals entices loyalty from your customers by offering them a tangible discount -- and you don't have to deface a raggedy ticket to make it work. See more

Annual Super Bowl Ads LEssons

2011-02-04T23:30:00.002-05:00

The Super Bowl. The championship game of the National Football League is one of the biggest events of the year, if not the biggest in all of sports (Apologies to the World Cup. Not in America.). Not only is the game huge, everything surrounding it is a circus as well.

Obviously, one of the most talked about things the Monday morning after the game besides the game itself are the Super Bowl ads. Many people actually watch the game for these ads alone. They certainly area huge platform for any business and can make a company a household name overnight. You want people to know about your brake rotors? The Super Bowl is probably the biggest stage of any.

What is there to learn from this whole fiasco? What is it that these commercials do so well, or so poorly that you should take notice? Whether it's a new jingle, laugh-out-loud humor or shock value, some of the most powerful brands invest millions of dollars each winter to get their marketing messages in front of consumers during the most important NFL game of the year -- the Super Bowl. Hands down, the big football championship is by far the most-watched single-telecast in the U.S. each year. more

Cutting Costly Clients Without Costing You With a Load Of Grief

2011-01-19T15:56:00.002-05:00

Hopefully, at some point, your business will grow where you have bigger fish to work with. Some clients that drain your profits, but were once needed may need to be purged. Whether clients are not worth the hassle to the bottom line, or you find that you have a few problem clients that like to abuse your policies, it may be time to cut them loose.

How do you get rid of them without causing your company a lot of heartache and bad karma? You certainly want to make this as painless as possible for both you, and the client. LAst thing you need is to stress yourself out so much you are packing an array of the best acne products in your briefcase to fix the sweat. While it can't always be a happy divorce, here are some tips for purging your least valuable clients and customers so you can focus on the ones that make you the most money.

How Can Charity Boost Business?

2011-01-19T15:52:00.002-05:00

Most companies spend at least some part of the revenues on charitable endeavors. AT least if they don't they have thought about it. Certainly there is an argument that helping the community can indeed hlep your bottom line even if it costs you a little bit at the same time. Good will goes a long ways for a lot of businesses. That is unless you are a tobacco, or a gasoline company most likely, or running some sort of acai berry diet scam.

Serving charitable causes in your community is not only good for your spirit, it can also become a deciding factor when customers choose where to spend their dollars. With consumers demanding higher levels of social responsibility from businesses, it's never been more important to focus your corporate giving into a cause-marketing campaign that motivates your target customer base. And when you create an ongoing strategy for giving, everyone wins -- the charitable cause you support, your customers and, ultimately, your business.

But the first step is to find the right cause-marketing strategy. Here are four ways you can share your corporate altruism with your customers.

Mompreneurs Is a Word

2011-01-19T15:49:00.002-05:00

I think it is pretty self explanatory what a Mompreneur is. Well maybe not. You may just think it is a mom that happens to be an entrepreneur. Partially true, but it describes one that is in the business of "Mommy" and making it a successful venture financially. They don't spend their time worrying about a weight loss diet. Well...maybe some do.

Moms start businesses for a variety of reasons. Some want the flexibility of spending more time with their kids. Others uncover a need -- often inspired by motherhood -- that no one else is filling. Whatever the incentive, the growth of women-owned businesses has soared in recent years. In fact, women entrepreneurs are expected to create up to 5.5 million new jobs nationwide by 2018, according to the Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute. Here, a look at nine successful mompreneurs and their homegrown inspirations.

Return Policies and Your Business

2011-01-10T02:32:00.002-05:00

As consumers we've seen many, many variations of return policies. From "no questions asked" to "if you open it you own it for good". Small businesses are hit a little bit harder with a lot of returns compared to big corporate accounts, so they need to be a little more careful on how they manage them.

While not every week is Black Friday with your business shipping and selling more than every other week, the problems you see are the same at any time of year. The same mistakes are made by many, but these 3 guys want to share their most common mistakes and what they did about them.

Some Small Business Tax Changes For 2011

2011-01-03T21:47:00.002-05:00

As with any client I've ever had when discussing taxes I always need to preface the conversation when they ask about stuff they can "look back" on and write off and say that after this time you have to think a head. There is no reason a small business owner isn't up to date with upcoming tax changes that could help them, or at least their tax man better be and let them know about it in January instead of waiting until next January. Sure they may be jerks and want to look like they pulled a genius idea out of their butt, but they aren't doing you many favors. It doesn't do you much good to plan backwards does it? Of course not. PLAN A HEAD. I don't care if you run a vending machine business, or a lemonade stand.

Even as you prepare your 2010 taxes, consider also looking ahead to make investments in equipment or other fixed assets before Dec. 31, 2011. The Small Business Jobs Act enacted in September doubles the Section 179 expense limitation to $500,000 for fully writing off fixed assets the year they were acquired. This specific tax break is applicable to 2010 and 2011 tax returns. Eligible investments include office furniture and equipment, machinery and computer software. Another provision from the same law allows 100 percent writeoffs of up to $250,000 of qualified real property such as leasehold improvements and some restaurant and retail improvements. more

Oh Captain My Captain: Motivating Your Team

2011-01-03T21:42:00.002-05:00

You may have a lot of stars at your office, but are they really motivated to do their best job? What helps motivate your workers? Are there some things that all employers can work on to give their employees more motivation? Of course there are. Give them a bunch of samsung lcd tvs and a PS3 to play games with instead of work? Nah...

In a recent study by TowersWatson, an international HR consulting firm, fewer than 21 percent of employees surveyed described themselves as "highly engaged," down from 31 percent in 2009. 8 percent admitted to being fully disengaged.

Having only one-fifth of your employees highly engaged is not the hallmark of a "Winning Business." Other studies show that employee engagement derives from three important factors:

-Alignment of the employee with the goals and vision of the company.
-Faith of the employee in the competence of management and their commitment to realize the goals and vision.
-Trust in their direct supervisor that he or she will support his or her people and help them to succeed.

14 ways to motivate them all

There Are Niches Everywhere

2011-01-03T21:31:00.002-05:00

Do you think there is anything else left in the matchmaking industry to try and make money off of? At least something where you don't have to beat the competition to death, or at least just try and share a piece of a piece of the pie with every other low rent website out there matching people up?

Apparently someone found a niche and is doing it up right. I'm not exactly saying this was brilliant, as I'm shocked that someone actually could make this work, or was the first to really bring it all together.

It took two years of Internet dating for Jasbina Ahluwalia to find a husband--yes, online--but she found a business idea, too: A matchmaking service for South Asians in the U.S. that combines the personal elements of Indian matchmaking with online technology and social networking. Everything but a side business of document management. Sparks flew.

Just goes to show that the right person coming a crossed the right business, at the right time can be extremely profitable. You still ahve to get it right, but there are niches everywhere if you keep your eyes peeled.

Social Media Trends For 2011

2010-12-25T14:03:00.002-05:00

Social media is one of the most important aspects of advertising and marketing in the technology age so following the trends fr the upcoming year is pretty much something we all should look at.

After a year of high profits sit back and enjoy a couple arturo fuente cigars and see what the year has in store a head.

You think you have Twitter, Facebook, and everything else down to a science? What is next in the upcoming year? What trends are you going to have to get used to? Here are 10 Social Media Trends of 2011 to watch out for.

Entrepreneur's 32nd Annual Franchise 500

2010-12-12T22:55:00.002-05:00

Entrepreneur magazine is one of the most read small business and entrepreneurial magazines in the U.S. With the internet they are one of the best websites out there on the subject. Entrepreneur's Franchise 500 is the world's first, best and most comprehensive franchise ranking based on objective, quantifiable measures of success. There's no better place to start a franchise search.

Their top 10 this year is:

1. Hampton Hotels
2. ambm (gas stations)
3. McDonald's
4. 7-Eleven (surprising to me as most in my area have closed)
5. Supercuts (lean times, cheap haircuts...lol)
6. Day's Inn
7. Vanguard Cleaning Systems (Commercial cleaning)
8. Servpro (insurance disaster cleaning)
9. Subway
10. Denny's Restaurant

While none of these places will need much in the help of getting a website directory submission due to how big they are it is an interesting list at the top. Two cleaning companies. One for normal commercial cleaning and one for disaster such as fire in Servpro. 7-Eleven and Denny's are a bit of a surprise to me as both franchises have pretty much closed out in my area of West Michigan. 7-11 is almost completely gone. At least half of them are. Denny's has closed twice in my town only to re-open again recently.

Holliday Gift Season For Employees

2010-12-12T20:21:00.002-05:00

While a lot of employers give out gifts to their employees around Christmas, does anyone actually give gifts that people want?

I've always found that getting a bonus check of even $50 was the best gift. Cash always wins. If not I always liked getting a gift card. Not a specific store card, but just an overall Visa card, or something similar. Again, being able to do with it what I want.

I've worked at some places that are a bit creative, but most tend to just give something like a free turkey, or ham around Christmas. While not a bad thing, when 4-5 other people in your family get the same thing at their jobs it is a bit much to have that many in the freezer.

With the gift cards you can get anything. If it fits into the accounting books I always like the idea. Women can pick up some nice women's sweaters, buy some stuff for the kids, or you can even use it for something you have to have like groceries. Most people that work and get small gift cards could use an extra 50 bucks just to pay their bills, but it also helps for buying gifts.

Help Finding Those With Influence Online

2010-12-11T19:05:00.002-05:00

I don't care who you are. You likely don't know everything there is to know about how business on the internet works. You may not be able to code, you may have no idea how to market, and you may not even know the most effective ways to network. There is always something you have to look out for on the internet with business. A lot of aspects that many of us who grew up without it have to either learn on our own, or find someone else that already knows it to get help from.

Over the past five years, connecting on social networking sites has rocketed from a niche activity into a phenomenon that engages millions of Internet users. In fact, “member communities” are now visited by more than two-thirds (67 percent) of the global online population, including social networks and blogs, according to The Nielsen Company, a global research firm.

In today's networking space, you need to be efficient with your time and even more effective with whom you choose to connect with. There are two types of networkers online: the posters and the seekers. Your business is a poster, which means you actively post valuable information, resources, tips and offers. The seekers are your customers. They're actively seeking your products and/or services. You'll find seekers in discussion areas, forums, groups and engaging on fan pages.

How do you better connect with these seekers? Someone out there you don't know yet, or doesn't know you wants your non slip solution. How do you reach them? The age old question.

You probably know most of the major social networking players like Facebook and LinkedIn, but look here to see how to utilize them better.

Is Word Of Mouth Nature, or Nurture?

2010-11-27T17:42:00.002-05:00

Many, many salespeople, and anyone that could benefit from referrals believes that word of mouth is something that comes with just doing a great job at what you do. Being bad at what you do, or even mediocre certainly isn't going to give you good word of mouth business, but you aren't exactly going to be turning customers away at the door if you just rely on your work being what brings people in the door.

That is why there is a need to nurture the paths that lead referrals to your door. Waiting for them to come to you rarely works. You need a plan to get that business with referrals, or someone else that makes the effort to nurture the referral angle is going to steal them away from you. After all, you probably aren't the only one in your industry that does an above average job with the work you do. You need to inject a little hgh into the system.

A good reminder on why word of mouth is not just important, but why it must be worked on by YOU can be read here.

What Color Are Your Products, and Does It Matter?

2010-11-27T17:25:00.002-05:00

Everything matters when it comes to the impressions you want to make with your products. Labels, packaging, and even the color of the product itself. How much does it matter? It all depends.

Ten years ago, Heinz unveiled a new type of ketchup that became an immediate success. It sold seven million bottles in its first seven months and gained international attention. It became so popular that when it sold out of some supermarkets, people actually auctioned it off on eBay.

On the flip side, Crystal Pepsi was a colossal failure. Why? Even though it tasted exactly like Pepsi, consumers didn't like the idea of drinking a clear colored cola. The sales were atrocious, and it was discontinued.

So I would guess that some ugly brown, or green color for something that would be used to show how to lose weight quick wouldn't exactly work. Well..maybe it would...

So...Learn how to choose your color and make millions.

Gift Card Sales to Exceed $90 Billion This Year; Double Your Gift Card Sales and Win Big

2010-11-27T13:45:00.004-05:00

I don't think anyone would be surprised to know that a few people never use a gift card that comes into their possession. Especially those small $5-10 ones that sit there and won't exactly pay the entire bill for whatever store the user would use it at. OF course it may not be as high as one would expect. It is projected that it will be about 3.1% this year, but that is still $2.5 Billion of the entire market. This is lower in part due to increased consumer protection under Title IV of the Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility, and Disclosure (CARD) Act of 2009, which severely restricts expiration and nuisance fees for gift cards, a subset of prepaid debit cards.

While unused cards seem like they would be a good thing for most businesses as it is literally "free money" the unused cards probably cost them money overall due to what was described above. Those cards of very little cost like $5 typically forces consumers to spend their own money to cover the rest, but they probably wouldn't even be at the shop if they didn't have the card.

With all that said Gift Cards are a huge boon for most businesses. Spending almost $24 Billion last year on cards just during the holiday season alone, and it is only going up this year. Annual projections for gift cards are in the $90 Billion range. That's a lot of cleanse colon.

How do you get a bigger piece of this pie with your business? There are lots of ideas out there, but this article claims they can help you DOUBLE your gift card sales. Take a look.

Some New and Old Cheap and Tested Marketing Ideas

2010-11-27T13:38:00.002-05:00

The technology age changed marketing a bit. While a lot of the principles remain unchanged, and many of the old techniques still work, there are a lot of new ideas out there. A lot of ideas that cost very little, and take very little effort. Things that you can do to give yourself a boost with just a couple minutes of thought.

Marketing is one of my favorite subjects because it allows us to think constructively and creatively. Marketing ideas are really only limited by our own imaginations. For me bouncing ideas around is fun. Testing them not so much, but if you like your idea enough it isn't quite as hard to test as most other projects. Especially now with so much instant gratification tech to play with. No down and dirty scrubs uniforms for most of it. Just a little tinkering.

Small changes to your marketing mix can have a big impact -- especially if you tap the wealth of low-cost tools available to you online.

Here are seven small marketing changes that you can make now to boost your sales in 2011.

Test-Drive Your Dream Business

2010-11-27T13:22:00.002-05:00

Starting a business is pretty scary. Having an idea and then going through EVERYTHING you need to decide you can even do what it takes to succeed with it are a big job. There are all kinds of idea men. Anyone can have an idea, but very few of them can take that idea and make it into a reality. Many try. Many fail. They fail because they have no idea what they are getting into, their idea stinks, or any other excuse you can come up with.

What about working paycheck to paycheck and taking out payday advance loans just to get by wondering if your idea works, or the business you want to run could actually be right for you? Maybe you need to take a test-drive....

Here's an interesting idea. VocationVacations, a company that exposes people to alternative careers in one-, two- and three-day getaways. Brian Kurth founded the service in 2004 and has steadily expanded his network of vocational mentors to 30 states. The mentors -- all working professionals -- offer one-on-one training in 185 careers, from archeology to sports play-by-play announcing. Clients learn directly from brewmasters, make-up artists and television script writers -- a few of the most popular choices, Kurth says. The more adventurous step far beyond the 9-to-5 world to try bison ranching and guiding white-water rafting tours.

"You can be a total novice in whatever it is," says Kurth, who took a circuitous route to forming the company. He left his Chicago marketing job, got laid off from a dotcom, and traveled by car for six months, mainly in Colorado and on the West Coast, asking people about their careers. After finally settling in Portland, Ore., he went into marketing for the wine industry. He also launched VocationVacations, a moonlighting business based online. The concept proved so popular and rewarding that after a year he gave up the wine job.

Online Marketing Budgets: Skip Social Media?

2010-11-15T14:05:00.002-05:00

I know that I'm doing a lot of badmouthing social media today, but a lot of this stuff should be thought about at least by those that use it a lot for their businesses. Knowing the downsides of things is usually the best way to decide if the upsides are worth the hassle right?

Is social media the right choice for an online business? Most people believe it is great, but where is all the money coming from? Probably e-mail marketing, which has been around for over a decade. Someone that bought your weight loss drinks probably wouldn't be upset if you sent them an e-mail about your weight loss bars. Some of the cross-marketing of e-mails for people that don't immediately mark them as spam has always been very effective marketing.

Social media may get all the ink, but it is not getting most of the dollars – at least not from small businesses, says a new report.

The majority of small companies will plow most of their marketing funds into traditional websites and e-mail, says a report by online survey firm Zoomerang and GrowBiz media. The report surveyed 751 small firms, nearly all (89 percent) of which had fewer than 25 employees. more

Is Too Much Social Media a Bad Thing For Business?

2010-11-15T13:53:00.002-05:00

Business owners love all the social networks. It's free advertising in the simplest form. You can connect many social networking accounts like Twitter, Facebook, Myspace, etc. and update them all to keep your customers informed about what is going on, sales, and anything else. Is it possible there is too much, or it can hurt you? Of course, but is there any reason NOT to use them?

For some business owners all these social networks are more time than they are worth. We actually have to spend time updating this stuff, and thinking abut what we are going to be posting on it don't we after all? What if none of these things really drive you business? What if they waste too much time? Maybe you should think about pulling back and focusing on what does. After all, are you going to sell a metal building on Twitter?

For two days this past summer, online men's clothing retailer Blank Label's social media presence went dark -- 48 hours without a new Twitter post or fresh Facebook posting. This was no technical hiccup, but rather a deliberate experimental maneuver by company cofounder Danny Wong and his partners to adjust the custom shirt design venture's social media strategy on the fly. Because from a revenue standpoint, they could no longer justify spending as much time and money on generating and updating content for networks such as Facebook and Twitter. more

Do You Overthing Social Network Marketing? Some Easy Tips

2010-11-15T13:01:00.000-05:00

Today I'm going to post a couple things on social networking. You know, sites like Facebook, Twitter, etc. that we all love because they are free and we can reach millions of people for not much effort. Usually.

Sometimes we over think these mediums and spend too much time on them. These things aren't brain surgery to use, and many think way too long and hard about what they use them for, and how they go about it rather than spending time on something more important like the side effects of diet pills.

In the rush to gain subject matter credibility in the eyes of anyone who's paying attention, PR firms, advertising agencies, marketing organizations, application service providers, and consultants and consultancies in nearly every business vertical are all publishing reports, studies, white papers and more about social media-related marketing. But in nearly every case, they're either repeating what someone else has already said or, worse yet, they're wasting everyone's time by pointing out the obvious. more

10 Tips For That Killer Speech

2010-10-26T22:51:00.002-04:00

The #1 ear for most people is public speaking. Too bad for you that you have no choice in the matter. You have to get up in front of that crowd and wow them. Want some tips? Well...besides making sure you take care of the blackheads on nose problem you have?

Giving a speech is very nerving. Both getting ready for it, and giving it. Leading up to it you feel like you are gonna blow it probably. IF you ever have to give one I bet you watch other people give them and try to see what they do wrong instead of what they are doing right. That may help you some for sure, but obviously it also makes you think of all the negatives that can come while you give yours!

The better part of a million dollars was on the line. Every year the Postcode Lottery Green Challenge in Amsterdam gives away 500,000 Euros for the best idea for a green product or service. In 2008, Eben Bayer and Gavin McIntyre presented their alternative to synthetic building materials.

"In terms of a high pressure talk, that was probably the hardest in my memory," Bayer says. He practiced the talk out loud in front of his computer, making changes to his slides as he went. In the end the talk was a success. Bayer's team won the coveted check. 10 Tips on Speeches

Designing an "About Us" Page?

2010-10-26T22:48:00.002-04:00

How much thought have you ever put into this page for your website? For many of my sites I don't think about it at all. I spend maybe 5 minutes of improvising some speel and call it a day. Of course most of those sites aren't really that important that you need to know "about Us", but many of your sites probably do need that information. You need a little trust don't you if you are gonna sell yme your how to remove pimples products right?

It's one of the most important elements on a company's website and also one of the most undervalued: the ubiquitous "About Us" page—that section on your site that has been collecting virtual dust because you haven't bothered to read it since, well, you first wrote it. more

How To Pay Yourself From the Beginning to Maturity

2010-10-26T22:44:00.002-04:00

Business accounting probably isn't your biggest strong suit. Sure you understand numbers and probably picked up a few things about how you should consider your own salary, but that is what you pay other people to decide for you right? Of course figuring it out for yourself probably saves you a bit more and allows you better options.

If you want to do it yourself and worry about eye wrinkle creams because of the stress you need to figure it out. Want some help for free? Take a look at How Much To Pay Yourself and figure out where you are at the start-up phase, and beyond.

Free Advice From Pros

2010-10-26T22:41:00.002-04:00

One of the most valuable tools in the business world is getting advice from people that are already where you are trying to go. You could go out and hire, or just flat out pay for it, but getting it for free is so much sweeter. This doesn't mean spying over walls with binoculars, or breaking into corporate computer systems. It is much less illegal than that :).

If all it costs him are some body bruises, facial nicks and the occasional fat lip, Matt Whitteker says he's happy to absorb the punishment his executive sparring partners dish out, as long as they keep feeding him valuable -- and free -- consulting advice once they step out of the ring. 4 Rules To Free Advice

Identify Your Most Valuable Customers

2010-10-22T23:49:00.003-04:00

There is nothing more important to a business in the business of selling something to know who your best and most profitable customers are. You clearly need to understand these people as much as possible to keep them happy. If you have never thought about who the best are, you may want to think a little bit about it rather than just saying "the ones that pay".

Let's face it. We all have our favorite customers -- the ones who pay promptly, handle problems respectfully and, most important, give us repeat business. So why waste our time on any other kind?

It's impossible, of course, to avoid every problem customer. The first step is to identify your best customers (if you don't already know) -- and then devote yourself to keeping them utterly delighted with your goods or services. Over time, this will help grow your business. They are much more likely to give great reviews for your products such as hydroxycut review.

"This is hugely important," says Wendy Rogers, who with her husband, Hal Kunnen, owns the HouseMaster home and termite inspection franchise in Phoenix, Arizona. "You've already showcased your goods and services to your best customers. In a sense, they're already sold on you. You should work doubly hard to keep them happy because it's much more difficult to get new business
than it is to keep old business." more

Having Fun At Work

2010-10-22T23:45:00.002-04:00

Not everyone does what they love. Either they don't know what they love, or they aren't in position to do what they love. Certainly not everyone loves to work. Myself is very much included in that latter statement. I am more like the guy in Office Space that has a dream of doing "nothing" than I am anything else. I'd rather talk about reducing stretch marks than working and I'm a male.

Find out how you can pump up the fun in your office in 5 easy steps:

Q: How can I make my office a fun place to work?

A: If you're serious about it, so to speak, be prepared to put in some effort. Most people aren't used to having fun at work, so you'll need to set an example -- even if it means sporting a peg leg, all by your lonesome, during the office's first "Talk Like a Pirate Day." more

7 Commn Sales Mistakes

2010-10-12T16:24:00.002-04:00

Are you a sales failure? Well...probably. We all are. As salesmen we know that we fail more than any other profession. Repeatedly. All day. Every day. What makes up for it is when we land the whale and when that final signature gets through the barcode scanner we rake a huge commission and feel like we are Gordon Gekko from Wall Street. We are the king for the day and we are partying our butts off that weekend.

We also realize that we need to try and decrease the failure percentage as much as possible and we try so many different tactics to increase our success rate that we probably have 500 self-help books in our closet. We've tried it all. Even if we are actually born salesmen.

Here are 7 Common Sales mistakes that you may want to avoid.

Free Wi-Fi and Hackers

2010-10-12T15:36:00.002-04:00

So...you like to sit in Starbucks and work? So do hackers. Most people don't consider that hackers are all over the place, and there is no easier way to hack into a network than there is at a free Wi-Fi access point.

Unless you are just researching diet pills that work at your local Wi-Fi hotspot, you may want to take a few measures to ensure your security for your precious business files.

So for an entrepreneur who considers Starbucks -- or any other coffee shop for that matter -- his home office, what options are available to ensure the privacy and security of his or her data when accessing the internet on a free Wi-Fi connection? more

Getting a New Product to Market

2010-10-05T23:52:00.002-04:00

Everyone has ideas about something that would "make millions" don't they? I know I do. Daily. Other than just pure laziness that I have the disease of holding me back, what else holds back your genius idea? I'm sure it isn't that upcoming colon cleanser you plan to do.

On one side of the hall at this year's National Restaurant Association Show in Chicago, a first-time inventor was displaying a handsome menu folder that subtly lights up, letting diners read what's on order without destroying the dark-and-moody ambience. On the other side of the hall, another first-time inventor was proudly showing a check folder that, yes, lights up when diners are ready to pay the bill. read more

Non-Profit Success Stories

2010-09-22T23:57:00.002-04:00

You don't wnat to pay any taxes do you? DO YOU!? Of course you don't. Have yo ever looked at a non-profit and wondered how they are able to get all this money and never have to worry about paying it out to the government? Well look no more. Finding a successful non-profit is right around the corner. At least finding someone ELSE that has one is right around the corner. You can keep worrying about fat burning supplements yourself.

Here are a couple sisters that run a Bee company and do pretty well for themselves and the people they work to help.

When their grandfather died of esophageal cancer in 2003, sisters Molly and Carly Houlahan wanted to do something significant that would both honor his memory and help fund the search for a cancer cure.

"He was our best friend and role model," Molly says. "It was the first time we had lost someone, and you recognize how precious life is."

So Molly, now 18, and Carly, 16, put a family hobby to work and formed Hives for Lives. The Devon, Penn.-based company harvests, filters, bottles, labels and sells its own honey, and all profits are donated to fund cancer research.

Who Should You Hound For Money?

2010-09-22T23:55:00.003-04:00

Finding start up cash is one of the more exciting things in business. Did I say exciting? I meant scariest. Finding someone to believe in you and give you some dough is a lot of pressure after you actually get the cahs, but how do you go about it in the first place?

Take some Strong diet pills and check out this article on how to get people to pony up some dough so you can realize your dream of becoming the next business mogul.

Top Entrepreneur Schools 2010

2010-09-22T23:47:00.003-04:00

Entrepreneurs typically like to claim that they never needed college. Most of them really didn't. College probably helped in many aspects if they did go, but a lot of business owners are more "street smart" than book smart so college was probably a bit of a struggle. At the very least we learned some new fat burning exercises in our Phys-Ed REQUIRED classes we had to take right?

BUT, there is a lot of value and things that can be learned in business school regardless. Here are the top small business schools for entrepreneur's for 2010.

Being a Small Business Owner Is Great

2010-09-22T23:44:00.000-04:00

Don't you love waking up everyday and knowing you have nobody to answer to? I know I do. I barely get any work done most days though because I'm pretty lazy. It takes a bit to get me rolling in the morning, but once I do I am really pumped to be at homes with nobody hounding me every second of the day. After wasting my morning reading news, watching Youtube videos, and readins aobut stuff like glucosamine sulphate I actually crack the whip on myself. Kinky huh?

I am one of those that needs a deadline to work faster I think. I need to go down to the wire and figure out if I can beat the clock.This is a blessing, and a HUGE curse at times I guess, but I know one thing: I am CLUTCH.

The New Twitter and You

2010-09-18T23:06:00.002-04:00

Do you use Twitter for your business as a tool to market yourself? I certainly do for anything I run online as it is a great way to get some keywords pumped into the world wide web that others will see pop up when they browse Twitter.

Twitter has announced that it will start rolling out a new interface in the coming days. The updated version will include photo and video sharing capabilities integrated directly into users' streams.

Check out their new ad campaign:

Twitter is also a great way to look and find gifts. With the new Twitter being more accessible to merchants all over the place finding the perfect gift is even easier than ever. No longer do you have to search everywhere to find redenvelope birthday gift ideas for women. Just start up a conversation on Twitter and millions will share their gift ideas in one stream so you know exactly what to get. Of course discussing your gift ideas for her on Twitter probably isn't the BEST idea if you aren't smart enough to use an alternate account :).

5 Best Small Businesses To Work For 2010

2010-09-11T23:36:00.002-04:00

When most people think about who they are going to work for they typically think of corporations in a big steel building. Big corporations are well known, and usually have the resources to offer employees a lot more monetarily, as well as other financial perks like insurance and retirements plans. Small companies tend to treat employees a little better than most would think, however.

Working for a smaller company is a bit more like a family. If they aren't too big you probably know everyone that works there, and you may even have face time with the owners on occasion. These environments almost always feel like more of a team since your work is very important to the success of this business.

So what makes a small business a great place to work for? Take a look at Entrepreneur's top 5 small companies to work for and see what they all do to make their employees love them.

Why Business Owners Head Back to School

2010-09-08T00:01:00.002-04:00

It doesn't take a brain surgeon to realize that the everchanging business environment needs to be followed. You can't possibly know all the new tactics involved in running a business, and continuing education is probably something you need to invest a little time in at least. As important as getting life insurance quotes for business partners it is just as important to keep up with the trends of running a business.

There's no substitute for the education entrepreneurs get in the competitive trenches, starting and running their own business. But there are cases in which a return to the classroom is the best--if not the only--way to get ahead. Some seek the type of immediate and tangible returns that come from learning a new language or skill, while others are searching for long-term solutions to jump-start stagnant businesses. And no matter their motivation for hitting the books, they're also challenged with keeping their companies afloat while they do it. These entrepreneurs are taking the leap--making a return trip to academia in search of the expertise they can't get on the job.

Billion Dollar Retail Industry I Have Never Heard Of

2010-09-03T23:30:00.002-04:00

Let's preface this by saying I'm male first and foremost and that should probably explain everything. That's right I don't "bargain shop". If I want something I just go buy it because I instinctively know if it is a good price, or not, and what that widget should sell for and the value it has in money. Except maybe stuff like say pedestal sinks.

So...I wasn't really surprised that there were membership-only, sample-sale websites that bring the excitement of a door-buster sale online, with prices as much as 80 percent off. What did surprise me is that some guy introduced one in November 2007 and has $1 Billion in sales already. Take a look.

20 Something Millionaires Made It Online

2010-08-25T07:23:00.002-04:00

If you have an idea that you think a lot of people are willing to pay money for there is no more cost-efficient way to get started than to do it online. Almost anyone with a search engine and internet access can learn, or find all the information they need to get started. You just have to have the idea, and the desire to work, rather than sitting in your dorm room playing xbox 360 all night.

For a little inspiration it makes a lot of sense to see a few people that have done it before and done it right. It isn't all just having what people want and slopping together a website. There are plenty of other things you will need to learn, and you need to know how to make it all work. Take a look at 3 booming ideas that took off for these owners online when they were just hitting adulthood.

Time Saving Tech

2010-08-21T03:25:00.002-04:00

What good is tech for business if it doesn't save you a lot of time? Certainly that IS what you use it for right, and not just so you can set up a LAN game of your favorite FPS in the office to play with other people in the office? *cough*

Tech is unavoidable, and even the least tech savvy these days has to learn at least some of it just to get by. Computers are becoming more and more user friendly and dummy proof for basic office functions and a 10 minute tutorial. As easy as tying your designer ties. What about all the gadgets that we entrepreneurs love to use to save us time?

Connectivity is probably the most important aspect of business tech. With the smartphones, laptops, and all sorts of handheld devices we can take off froom the office and still get things done. Here are some of the better time saving tech for business.

Doing Business Outside the U.S. Isn't the Same Everywhere

2010-08-10T21:37:00.002-04:00

It may seem like common sense to many, but there are a lot of business owners that think they can just jump right into a market outside the U.S. without having to do much different. They find out the hard way that they had no idea what they were getting into because they had no idea what that market required. Just because you have a nifty yakima rack that sells one way to Americans, you may not be able to get anyone in China, or Germany, or Poland to buy them.

There are many reasons why you can't do things the same in all place, but here are a few general guidelines to the mistakes most people make.

George Steinbrenner's Business Lessons

2010-07-15T21:25:00.002-04:00

"The Boss", George Steinbrenner may have been the most hated man in baseball by everyone who wasn't a Yankee fan, and maybe by a few that are. One thing that can't be argued, however is that he was incredibly successful as a businessman.

He died earlier this week at the age of 80, but will be remembered for his legacy as the owner of baseball's New York Yankees. Arguable the most recognized sports team on Earth. Didn't matter that he was probably in need of wrinkle cream reviews in his later years to stay looking sharp. He was still pulling the strings no matter how he was doing. Not to mention how he likely pulled the strings for the Yankees even when suspended by the league several times for as long as 2 years.

What made him so special? Take a look at what he taught us.

The Early Bird Catches the Worm

2010-07-15T21:17:00.003-04:00

Probably one of the oldest sayings you can remember. Everyone has heard it. In fact this has been around since the 1600s. This is first recorded in John Ray's A collection of English proverbs 1670, 1678. It's still as true today as it was the first time you heard it. For humans and birds.

Studies show that morning people are more likely to succeed. Even if other studies show that night people are more creative, funny, and smarter. Clearly it is up for debate.

Christoph Randler, a biology professor at the University of Education in Heidelberg, Germany says a mornign person that gets up about the same time everyday be it a day on, or off.

"When it comes to business success, morning people hold the important cards," Randler told the Harvard Business Review of his research, some of which originally appeared in the Journal of Applied Social Psychology. "[T]hey tend to get better grades in school, which gets them into better colleges, which then leads to better job opportunities. Morning people also anticipate problems and try to minimize them. They're proactive."

They are probably more likely to be healthier and eat food that burns fat rather than junk from being behind all the time. Waking up late for most businesses probably isn't the way to go as the rest of the world isn't working anymore. read more

Old Spice Blows Up Marketing With Social Networking

2010-07-15T21:06:00.002-04:00

If you haven't figured out by now that social networking probably the greatest free form of marketing out there, you should now. After Old Spice and it's hero Old SPice Man proved it beyond a reasonable doubt this past month.

What did they prove? That virtually anyone with a strong enough character, or idea can reach anyone, and get their backing. If you had a good enough marketing idea for guaranteed life insurance even you could probably get world renown celebrities in your corner if you played it right.

Just take a look at how Old Spice Man became an overnight internet viral marketing sensation. He's everywhere. Everywhere I have looked at small business news, and business news in general I have seen this campaign discussed.

Raise Capital For Your Business By Not Wasting It

2010-07-15T21:00:00.002-04:00

Using money in a business for things you absolutely don't need seems to be a problem for many a business owner. Then they are left scrambling for some capital, when they probably have much of it available all along.

What's the biggest trap many entrepreneurs fall into? The old adage "Fake it until you make it." comes shining through for many of them. They try to appear successful, and spend a pretty penny trying to accomplish that lie. Spending ridiculous amounts of money on cosmetic things when the business doesn't even need it. Trying to dress like a Fortune 500 CEO, or just plain live like one when you can barely keep your doors open probably isn't a wise use of your cash. There is a time and place for all of that, but certainly not for MOST business owners when they are getting started. It's not like you are running an apidexin scam and need to look like an upstanding citizen are you?

Here are 10 ways that Entrepreneurs waste money.

Making a Marketing Plan

2010-07-09T22:47:00.002-04:00

For a lot of us business guys we see marketing as common sense most of the time. We are all pretty creative thinkers so we can think of neat ways to get some exposure and find ways to draw people in. Of course we sometimes just go about it completely the wrong way and don't formulate a direct plan. Instead trying things out that we "think" might work, but we haven't really given a lot of in depth thought.

Of course when you go into detail and formulate a marketing plan with all aspects of your business in mind things start to become a bit more clear and concise. Things just work better if you plan them out more. Doesn't matter if you are hawking prototype 37c, or you are a service company.

Here is a How-To Guide to Writing a Marketing Plan that should be a bit of help to become more organized in this area.

Selecting the Right Retirement Benefits For Your Business

2010-07-09T22:39:00.002-04:00

While it may seem that there is a sea of options for retirement benefits for employees and your business there really aren't that many. Most of the time they are obvious as to what fits best for your type of business and how you want to run a retirement program for it. The major problem usually is the guy that comes in and tries to set you up with the wrong retirement package because, for lack of a better term, they are greedy.

You see, different retirement plans have different sorts of fees involved with them. The agent that runs your plan gets paid a bit differently depending on how it is set up. Either a large admin fee every year, or a little cut on the money being put in, or both. Some of these cost you a little more than others, and may not even be the best for your business. Any agent worth a damn knows he is going to make money on these plans anyways so if they aren't finding the most logical one for you they are dirt. You aren't looking for a bargain here by any means like you would for say cheap adipex, but you need to at least know your options.

So...it may do you a bit of good to at least familiarize yourself with the basics so you have a slight plan before going into the meeting with an advsior. Know the questions you want to ask, or the questions you want answered for the plan going in. Here's a good primer for different plans that will help you get rolling.

Climbing Rate of Sexual Harassment Claims From Men?

2010-07-06T23:42:00.003-04:00

When you think of sexual harassment you rarely think of it being directed towards men do you? I guess most of us men don't consider ANYTHING sexual harassment. Just flirting :). Of course things are a lot different when you are married, or in a serious relationship. While it is nice to get offers it certainly isn't alright when you clearly aren't interested and it can hamper your career (yes...men actually aren't interested sometimes).

It doesn't happen as often as it does to women, but it DOES happen. Men being sexually harassed at work isn't unheard of, and it seems that claims by men is on the rise. In fact it has doubled in the last couple years. Maybe that female boss at your scanning software company wants you to stay late one night, or FIRE YOU. What are you gonna do when you have a wife and kids at home?

During fiscal year 2009, 16.0 percent of all sexual harassment cases were filed by men in the U.S., the highest percentage ever, according to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. That comes fresh on the heels of the record number of such complaints filed by men (more than 2,200) set in 2008. The rise is despite the fact that the overall number of sexual harassment complaints has declined.

How do you put a stop to it in your business, or prevent it in the first place? Take a few tips from Inc.com.

What's a Chief Cultural Officer?

2010-06-17T22:01:00.002-04:00

While I have always found it important to be "in touch" with current trends and what is going on in our culture as someone in business, I have never looked at it from this perspective before. That perspective is that of an anthropologist who studies not ancient civilizations, but modern culture and how it evolves, or even forms. Looking at not only short-term fads, but long-term culture that transforms much slower than quick fads.

This is what gets cultural anthropologist Grant McCracken invitations to help companies tap into what makes people really latch onto products. In an interview with Entrepreneur.com, McCracken discusses these differences as well as his book Chief Culture Officer: How to Create a Living, Breathing Corporation.

You can see more aobut McCracken's ideas on his culture blog CultureBy.

Business and Repairing Your Credit Rating

2010-06-05T23:21:00.002-04:00

When you first set out on the business track your credit rating may be superb. It probably had to be. As things get rolling you may hit some snags along the way and your personal credit may start taking hits just to help your business take off. I know my credit was ugly when I opened my doors at first because I had to buy all kinds of office stuff, equipment, and whatever else out of my own pocket while I had little time to bring in the income to pay for it. I certainly didn't need any phentermine to lose weight with the stress I was under.

If you need to get some credit for your business you better pay attention to your personal credit first. No new business is going to get squat from a bank if the owner has terrible credit because the business has no history. Here are some tips to spruce up the personal side of your credit to make your business more stable.