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Word-of-mouth is one of the best ways for a small business to attract new customers. It requires no expensive and time-consuming advertising or marketing campaigns and uses the most trusted spokesperson you could ever find for your business—a satisfied client. But while the power of word-of-mouth can drive business to your door, even if your marketing

Freelancer, sole operator, independent contractor and free agent are all terms for a similar type of small business operator with a key trait in common—all are constantly looking for new gigs to fill their time and pay the bills. For these business owners, the Internet has become a boon to finding work. Web sites that

“Do I trust him or her?” Others may ask many questions about you, but this is a key one. Trust lies at the root of building good interpersonal relations. Research into human relations proves that if trust is present, weaknesses tend to be overlooked and mistakes tolerated. Some people are trusted, and some are not,

The recession is not yet over. Business is still slow. It’s tough to find new customers. Traditional advertising just doesn’t seem to be working. What to do? First forget about finding new customers. They are expensive to acquire. Many are only price buyers and have no long term loyalty. Why bother chasing after them? Your

Everyone knows that backing up computer files is important, and most of us will face a computer crisis of some type sooner or later. But simple laziness, or perhaps a lack of information and belief that backups are too costly or time-consuming cause business owners to put it off. And that can have disastrous consequences.

Successful business owners shine at most aspects of operating their business. Usually they’re great at planning, or marketing, or creative thinking or crunching numbers, or knowing just how to satisfy customers. But when it comes to leading, managing and motivating others involved in the business, whether employees, outside sales reps or key partners, they sometimes

To become successful it is necessary to be committed to yourself, your ideas, your desires and your goals. The word commitment strikes fear in the hearts of many people, but commitment is as simple as setting goals and action plans. Goal setting to most people is a chore they do only on a small scale,

As you launch or expand a business, keeping track of the money, preparing tax returns and performing other financial tasks can quickly become a burden. If you need more time to do other things, it might make sense to turn over tax, accounting and other financial chores to outside specialists. Choosing the right type of

For many small businesses, the administrative burdens of hiring, managing and paying employees are just too much to contemplate. As a result, many business owners are turning to alternative methods of hiring staff, including something called the “professional employer organization” or PEO. PEOs are companies that help businesses find and hire people, plus manage such

Like most entrepreneurs sooner or later you will give a speech or presentation to a group of prospective clients or customers. You’ve seen plenty of presentation before so you know that you will have to get to work on your PowerPoint skills. After hours of work, you finally have the ideal presentation done just like

When most of us think about sending out, let’s say 10,000 brochures or offers, we naturally think of using bulk mail. After all the printing costs are the same, but First Class costs twice as much. Here is how most of us think the mailing process will happen. The printer prints 10,000 copies of your

The key to pulling everything together in tough times is to develop unlimited enthusiasm. Enthusiasm is the element that inspires us to greater achievement and success. You can sell your ideas, your products, your services or yourself to others if you approach them enthusiastically. With enthusiasm, you can move the mountains of doubt and negative

A winner has a positive confident attitude about themselves, others and the situations which they find themselves. They realize the subconscious mind has been recording everything they have ever seen, done, smelled, tasted, felt and thought since birth. All of these recordings are called our “old tapes” and these tapes play a large part on

In this age of instant communications and Web-based business services, there’s more than one way to start and build a business. If your budget and time are limited, and potential partners or co-workers are widely dispersed, a good model to consider is to operate as a “virtual business” where most of the business structure exists

 Some small business owners believe they can stand out with just a great product and exceptional service, and that they are too small to create a “brand.” But to set your business apart—no matter how small—branding is a vital strategy in today’s competitive marketplace. Buyers have short attention spans, so you need all the tools

Choosing to go into business for you is a major decision that usually means a commitment to hard work and long hours. As you struggle to build your business, however, you also must be careful not to overdo it and succumb to business owner burnout. It’s vital to take some time off to recharge your

Owners of new and growing small businesses today know one thing for sure: conditions on the business playing field can change rapidly. The technology that seemed cutting edge last year is now outdated; or worse, obsolete. Buyer moods can swing dramatically, and marketing strategies are in constant flux. Anticipating trends can be extremely valuable in

  Before you invest time and money into promoting your website with search engine optimization, social media, linking, or advertising, you should test your website for any problems. There are many easy ways that you can do this yourself without getting too technical. If you want just an overall score of your website go to

When many women retire they usually find that their Social Security benefits are much lower than they thought – especially if they are divorced, single, or a widow. This article will explain why. First here is how Social Security benefits are calculated. The Social Security Administration will look at the best 35 years of your