SmallBusinessNewz

Small Business Owners Work the Hardest!

It appears that small business workers are not only the happiest, but small business owners are the hardest working, if there is any accuracy to a recent survey conducted by Rasmussen Reports. Among statistics found by Rasumussen are:

NFIB Endorses Heap Of Politicians

It's that time of year again.  Turn on the television and - assuming the market isn't crashing and Russia hasn't invaded another country - all the news coverage centers on politics.  So with a sort of "when in Rome" attitude, here are some political endorsements made by the National Federation of Independent Business.

Business Plan Part 1: Executive Summary

The Executive Summary is the first section of a business plan and is usually the first part to be read. However, it should be written last. As strange as that sounds, it is actually easier to summarize the details of the other sections after you've written them.   

Email Archiving Ignored Too Often

It's an all-too-common sequence of actions: click, click, scream.  Data is just terribly easy to lose and delete, so to protect yourself from at least one potential source of trouble, think about archiving your business emails.

Target Case Sparks Site Accessibility Controversy

Those of you selling online may want to start paying closer attention to the accessibility of your site if you are not already doing so. Last week, Target settled a lawsuit with the National Federation of the Blind (NFB), paying out upwards of $5 million because their site was not deemed accessible enough.

Small Businesses Make Employees Happy

Most people have jobs so that they can live and retire in reasonable comfort.  They look forward to weekends, not Monday mornings.  Yet the UK-based Trades Union Congress has found that small businesses' employees are among the cheerful workers out there.

Ad Targeting is Great. Just Don't Be Insulting.

I read an interesting and thoroughly entertaining article this morning from Washington Post staff writer Rachel Beckman. In it, she discusses how Facebook ads have basically been calling her fat and preying upon psychological "soft spots".

What's Needed in a Business Plan?

For many people a business plan is one of those things that you know you need to do but have trouble making yourself do it. Writing a business plan does take a lot of time, but it doesn't have to be difficult.

FPB Addresses Issue Of Late Payments

The ideal business cycle isn't really that complicated; some money comes in, less money goes out, and the owner makes a profit.  Only it seems that customers' payment practices are posing a major problem for small businesses.

Real Life Business Lessons from Labor Day Weekend

My wife and I went shopping for a new bed over the holiday weekend, which just happens to be a big time for furniture sales. We went to a couple different furniture stores, both of which had friendly and helpful salespeople. In fact they were both so friendly, it really brought to mind my recent article about befriending customers as I watched them reach out and do just that. Good Sales Practices