This Week's Highlights Get to the Top! – Tips for Making your Business Web Site More Prominent in an Online Search
The last few years have largely seen the demise of the published edition of the Yellow Pages and the growth of Internet-based search tools. This is good news for small business owners – if you can make your business listing stand out from the crowd. But, before you rush out to hire a search engine optimization consultant, consider these tips for making sure your small business is prominent in an online search. Read more...
Recent Articles in the Community Small Business Matters Selling Internationally? 8 Reasons why Export.gov Might Just Be Your New Best Friend
The U.S. government offers many resources and programs to help small business owners expand into overseas markets. But, you might be surprised at just how much Uncle Sam has to offer. For example, did you know the government can help target and facilitate meetings with potential partners and buyers? Or that Uncle Sam provides U.S. exporters with international marketing and promotion opportunities? Meet Export.gov. Read more... Business Law Advisor Ultimate Guide to Starting Your Business
Everyday we get questions in the community about starting a specific type of business. In response to the most popular inquires, we’ve written articles that give steps and tips on starting and operating these of business. We cover everything from trendy new ventures like cupcakeries and dog treat businesses to “old faithfuls” like travel or consignment businesses. Here we’ve compiled a list of our best “how to” guides to starting a business in many popular industries. Read more... The Ultimate Business Law Guide – Choosing the Right Business Structure
Deciding how to register your business can be a daunting task if you do not know all the ins and outs of the different ways you can structure your business. Differences in taxing, liability and administrative fees all have to be balanced when you choose a business structure. For this reason, we’ve created this “ultimate guide” as a go-to resource to help you pick the best business structure. Read more... Small Business Cents Paying Your Business Taxes Can Be Easier
Stop fussing with mailing deposit coupons and all the IRS forms. You can simplify your tax process by using the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Electronic Federal Tax Payment System. This is a free service offered to anyone paying federal taxes. You can create an account for your business or yourself, and then submit payments online or over the phone directly from your checking or savings account. Read more... In the Loop Idea Exchange: Traditional and New Media Marketing
How can traditional marketing techniques be changed to accommodate the rise of new media marketing, such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, online coupons, and email campaigns? Traditional marketing and new media marketing can be integrated to cross promote your business and hit different potential customers. Trying to find synergies between tradition and new media marketing, we asked the Community to share with us what they’ve done and what’s worked for them. We asked “How do you use traditional and new media marketing together?” Read more... The Industry Word How Franchising Your Business Leads You Down Two Different Paths
Let’s say that you’ve done the legwork that’s needed to determine that your business is franchise material. You’ve done a feasibility study, and it turns out your concept is solid. Congratulations! What now? There are two distinct marketing paths that you will be going down as a franchisor. Here are the basics and resources for you to explore more. Read more... Government Contracting: Explaining the Process in 5 Steps
It is very common for small businesses to have services and products to sell to government – and the drive to make those sales happen – but not necessarily to understand the government contracting process. While the government is the world’s largest consumer, it is also a completely different market than the commercial space. It can be quite helpful to understand how the process works and what to expect. Here is a quick look at the overall contracting process. Read more...
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