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Small Business Digest
Leaders need advance information about the key economic, social and environmental factors that can affect small businesses. Small Business Digest is a free monthly intelligence report and email newsletter.
- Thinking Outside the Door Builds Sales Even In Down Times
In todayās challenging business climate, an organizationās need to develop new and innovative products and services is at an all time high. - So Who Really Does Establish Company Policy?
For good or bad, the days of a CEO marching in and rebirthing a corporate culture, establishing key initiatives and making it happen are for the most part gone. - Simple Steps Businesses Can Take to Protect Themselves from Cyber Crime
When the World Wide Web launched almost 20 years ago, it generated a lot of buzz about how it would revolutionize the way people do business, but many questioned whether these projections were fact or just grand words. - Press Releases Help Improve SEO Presence for Small Businesses
Press releases can be a powerful tool, if leveraged correctly. Donāt just send them, file them to a popular section of the company Web site as well. - 9 Ways to Leverage the Company Grapevine
Web 2.0 technology is great for spreading information fast throughout a company. But podcasts, video blogs, intranet, instant messaging, and wikis are only as good as the message they carry. - US and Global Anti-Counterfeit Efforts Launch on Larger Scale
But small businesses that export still know little about protecting intellectual property. - Experts Urge Companies To Look Inward For The Keys To 2009 Success
The seeds of company success in 2009 may rely on internal resources, according to a survey of experts across a broad spectrum of expertises. - 8 Skills For Closing The Communications Gap When English Is Not The First Language
A little known but critical element in today's multi-cultural company environment is the fact that employees whose English is a second language often suppress their contributions for fear of being misunderstood or laughed at. - Timeclocks Offer Positive Advantages For Employers, Employees
Timeclocks Offer Positive Advantages For Employers, EmployeesWhile timeclocks may be an echo of the past, nonetheless, they do serve a positive function. - Smaller Companies Report Greater Value, More Responsiveness From Healthcare Benefit Providers
As more and more firms look for ways to improve their healthcare benefits while keeping a handle on costs, healthcare insurance providers have responded. - Staples Offering IT Services To Small, Medium-Size Firms
Hoping to take advantage of its position as a supplier to small and medium-size firms, Staples is branching out with a new offering that permits these companies to outsource their IT needs. - Hiring Plans For The Holiday Season Down For 2008, Survey Reports
Despite an 8-point decline from in overall hiring plans, four of 10 hiring managers surveyed said they were increasing hiring plans this year. - Scalable Electronic Commerce Supply Chain Solution Improves Efficiency, Increases Profits
Today, timing is essential and inventory management makes all of the difference in a companyās success. - Study Provides An In-Depth Analysis Into The Payment Priorities Of The Small-Business Owner
The recessionary pressure evident in the on-going financial meltdown is affecting small business payment patterns. - Turning Reality Into Perception: The True Path To Growth
Turning Reality Into Perception: The True Path To Growth - New IntelĀ® vProā¢ Technology Enhances Security, Adds Automatic Tune-Ups
Technology is catching up with the need for easy-to-use methodologies for maintaining security, upgrading computers. - Recessionary Times Require "Out-of-Box" Thinking
With every problem there is an opportunity. An economic downturn is an excellent time for instituting a "pay-for-result" business model. - Promoting āFamilyā Brand Linked to Companiesā Financial Success
A new study by Oregon State University researchers shows that promoting the fact that the business is a āfamilyā business positively influences customer purchasing decisions. - Sound Bite Introductions Can Spur Growth, Sales
Creating a "sound bite" that tells the firm's story is a key component to building growth, sales. - Employees Should Be Challenged, Rewarded For Helping To Build Brand
As companies grow, they often invest a great deal of money into defining and refining their brand. - Remotely Monitoring Unattended Computers Can Prevent Cyber Attacks
Unattended computers can be the achilles heel for many firms. - Overcoming Racial Stereotypes Is Smart Business, Spurs Professional Growth
Racial stereotyping has hurt more than one career and many business efforts. - Developing A Work Strategy That Closes Sales
Closing a sale is not an event, but rather a series of meetings and little victories that start out with the first phone call placed to a potential customer. - Successful Holiday Email Strategies
Retailers will be competing hard to stand out in the customer's holiday shopping consideration set and inbox this year. - The Rise of the "Little Guy" in the Art Prints Industry
Many businesses start off as the "little guy," fighting hard to survive in a highly competitive, well established, and heavily saturated market. - Five Ways To Cut Startup Costs In Today's World
The main goal of any startup is to test assumptions and obtain feedback in the form of sales that sustain the business. - Franchising Growing As Alternative For Many Managers
Many managers often think about alternative careers. - Developing Leadership Skills and Clarity at Machu Picchu
In this era of hyper-connectivity, it is increasingly difficult for people to look outside of themselves for new approaches to learning. - Insurance For College Students May Not Be A Bargain
More than two million young Americans are going away to college in droves this fall. - Bridging the Gap Between Sales and Marketing
Companies are trying to winnow sales leads so that the marketing efforts are more tightly focused. One approach is to be more selective in the lead generation process. - Three Strategies to Help Turn Around a Losing Sales Game in the Fourth Quarter
The fourth quarter is here, and it's a time that makes most sales managers anxious even in a good year. - Economic Stimulus Tax Adjustment Enables Firms To Deduct All Costs Of Equipment
As part of the economic stimulus package, businesses are now allowed to take all of the cost of purchasing or leasing equipment in the current tax year. - Managing Bead-Based Enterprises Made Simpler With New Software
Jewelry enterprise owners or dedicated hobbyists can now better manage all aspects of their work with a new software package "Bead Manager Pro. - The Unexpected Rise of an Artistic "Little Guy."
Editor's note: While not directly associated with our industry, this story shows how an