Posts Tagged small business owners
How Do You Approach Time Management?
An article was recently posted at Small Business Trends™ that explored how small business owners can benefit from focusing their thoughts on a few particular subjects. Check out Anita Campbell’s article, “A Brain Map for How to Spend Executive Time,” to see how Mark Hurd, CEO of HP, spends his thinking time. Then ponder how you, a small business owner or manager, spend your time.
According to Campbell, small business owners should split their thinking time between internal and extrernal business factors. We want to hear your thoughts. Do you find yourelf dividing your time equally, or do you tend to focus more on one area of business than others? How have you overcome the difficulty of managing your time?
Add comment April 27, 2009
Free Small Business Planner
The U.S. Small Business Administration is an extremely valuable resource for entrepreneurs. It provides several services and tools to help small business owners achieve success.
One extremely beneficial tool provided by the U.S. Small Business Administration is the Small Business Planner. This planner provides a variety of information to guide small business owners through every phase of the business lifecycle. To access the Small Business Planner, click here.
Add comment April 21, 2009
Professional Development Can Help Your Business Succeed
“Small business owners have challenges in growing business revenues. Half report moderate or no success in doing this.” – The Small Business Success Index* (SBSI)
The statement above is quite frightening; however, many entrepreneurs neglect to take heed of its warning. Rather, they go on to use their limited capital on unnecessary investments, thinking they’ll reap the rewards in upcoming years. In many cases, their rate of return is much lower than anticipated, and instead of basking in their newfound wealth, they struggle to make ends meet. The SBSI explains, “The ability to overcome challenges around capital and marketing can have a major impact on small business success.”
In the effort to control cost and achieve business success, “a plurality of business owners expect to hold spend steady through 2009; [however] 23% plan to increase this in the area of professional development.” So why is professional development such a worthwhile investment? The answer is simple. A well-educated workplace makes well-educated decisions.
Free Professional Development Opportunities
If you wish to engage in professional development but do not have the funds to do so, you’re in luck. Many consulting agencies and professional organizations now offer complimentary Webinars almost on a daily basis. You may also access sites like MySolutionSpot.com and SolutionsArePower.com, both of which offer relevant and industry-specific information for free. The more you educate yourself, the more likely you will be able to overcome your challenges.
*The Small Business Success Index, an ongoing measurement of the overall health of U.S. small businesses, was commissioned by Network Solutions, LLC and the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business. To take the survey yourself, click here.
Add comment April 15, 2009
Do Small Businesses Offer the Best Customer Service?
Everyone is familiar with the phrase “customer service.” We all have an idea of what good customer service entails, and we have all experienced our share of bad customer service in the past. Most business owners realize that customer service (or lack thereof) can either make or break their business; therefore, business owners are now focusing their efforts on building policies and practices that give their customers the best service possible.
Small businesses have an edge over large businesses because of the relationships they are able to build with their customers. According to the Small Business Success Index, an ongoing study conducted by Network Solutions, LLC, and the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business, “Customer service is an area where small businesses feel that they excel.” While most large businesses have customer bases that number into the thousands and beyond, small businesses usually have only a fraction of that. This gives small businesses an advantage when it comes to serving their customers and building customer loyalty. Since large businesses have such a high number of customers, they are often unable to cater to each customer’s individual needs. While it isn’t always possible, small businesses are more likely to be able to “bend” to meet their customers’ demands during special situations without compromising their business’s well being. Customers who frequent small businesses and receive this type of treatment are more likely to feel that their patronage is appreciated. They also feel confident that should any problems arise, the situation will be handed swiftly and respectfully. This combination results in lasting customer loyalty.
Small businesses can’t always offer the cheapest prices or the largest product selection. What they can offer, however, is unparalleled customer service. We would like to hear your thoughts on small businesses and their customer service. Do you notice a difference in customer service between small businesses and their larger counterparts? Do you prefer one over the other because of this reason? As a business owner, what have you done to ensure that your customers receive the best treatment?
*The Small Business Success Index, an ongoing measurement of the overall health of U.S. small businesses, was commissioned by Network Solutions, LLC and the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business. To take the survey yourself, click here.
3 comments April 8, 2009
The CEO of Network Solutions® Discusses Today’s Small Businesses
Roy Dunbar, CEO of Network Solutions®, recently sat down with Fox Business News to discuss the current state of small businesses. During his interview, Roy discussed the challenges and successes of today’s small business. Some of the information I gathered from watching includes these interesting tidbits:
- One of the largest challenges small businesses face is access to funding.
- The majority of small business owners have a positive outlook on their future.
- Small businesses create the majority of American jobs
To view the complete interview, visit http://growsmartbusiness.com/2009/04/small-business-success-index-on-fox-business-news.
Add comment April 2, 2009
Create Win-Win Situations with Contracts
Over at Small Business Trends™, Diane Helbig recently posted an article that explores the reasons small business owners should consider implementing contracts into their business procedures. “Death by Contract—Or Lack Thereof” discusses the ways in which setting up a contract can help a business and its clients get the most out of their relationships. Helbig also illustrates the benefits of setting up a contract between a business and its employees. It’s a good read for all business owners, but owners of small businesses that provide a service to their clients should especially take a look.
For more information on how client and employee contracts can help your business, visit MySolutionSpot™ and browse our selection of articles on business operations and procedures.
Add comment March 12, 2009
A Little Positive Thinking Goes a Long Way
In tough times, it is good to remind yourself that things could be worse. The following article, written by Rhonda Adam, explains how small business owners can improve their business simply by showing a little appreciation: http://www.usatoday.com/money/smallbusiness/columnist/abrams/2009-02-06-all-you-need-is-love_N.htm
Add comment February 6, 2009
Free Small Business Tools
Recently, we came across some handy tools we know you’ll appreciate. All of these tools were designed to help small business owners.
The first tool we found was a small business loan calculator. No matter which industry you are in, you probably rely on a small business loan. Yahoo’s small business loan calculator helps you determine the ideal monthly payments for each of your fixed-rate loans. To view this loan calculator, simply visit: http://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/r-calculator-loan
Like Yahoo!®, SCORE® also provides complimentary tools for small business owners. SCORE’s selection of small business tools includes a business plan template, sales forecast template and cash flow template. Users can also take a variety of business quizzes, which help evaluate their current performance. To check out SCORE’s tools, go to: http://www.score.org/business_toolbox.html
MySolutionSpot’s Free Business Tools
MySolutionSpot™ features a wide assortment of free business tools, as well, and we’re always open to suggestions. Therefore, be sure to take advantage of our tools and let us know what other tools you would like to see on our site.
5 comments November 6, 2008
How to Use the Internet to Benefit Your Business
Network Solutions® has teamed up with ooVoo®, a popular online video chat and conference network, to present:
Solutions Stars Video Conference
October 29, 2008
1 p.m., EST to approximately 3:30 p.m., EST
This video conference will educate small business owners on how to effectively use the Internet to improve their business performance and boost their business’s overall visibility. The conference will include the following topics:
- Building Web Presence
- The Social Opportunity
- Start with Listening
- Strategy Drives Outreach
- You Need Social Networks
- To Blog or Not to Blog
- Visibility Through Search
- Rising Above the Noise
- Time Demands
Participants can choose to watch the entire conference or view only the videos that interest them.
For additional information about this free event, please go to: http://www.solutionsstarsvideo.com/
Add comment October 22, 2008
MySolutionSpot™ Makes It Easy for Small Business Owners to Connect
Small businesses make up the greater part of all U.S. business population. However, they face some of the toughest challenges. For that reason, many small business owners have begun to work together to help each other excel in their industries and overcome unnecessary challenges.
MySolutionSpot™ makes it easy for small business owners to connect. We present them with a platform where they can easily introduce themselves and converse with other business owners from across the country.
Currently, MySolutionSpot members can:
- Receive valuable business advice from industry experts.
- Use their expertise to provide business advice.
- Cultivate new partnerships.
- Build industry presence.
However, since MySolutionSpot is still in its beta phase, we have encouraged all of our members to provide us with their feedback. All suggestions and comments will be considered and will strongly influence our end product.
Add comment August 18, 2008
