Does Your Company Suffer from a Weak Website? | Allbusiness.com

August 4, 2014 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Are you doing the bare minimum when it comes to your small business website? Just having a website is no longer enough if it ever was. You’ve got to take action to get potential customers to discover, engage with and buy from your business. And that means creating an integrated online marketing plan where all parts of your Web presence work together.

Deluxe Corporation recently polled small business owners to find out what they’re doing online. Here’s some of what they found:

Small business owners say word-of-mouth is their most important way of engaging with customers 73 percent. However, they don’t seem to realize that social media has become a crucial part of word-of-mouth. Just 21 percent say social media is an important way to engage with customers; in comparison, 40 percent say business cards are.

What about websites? While two-thirds of small business owners have a business website, that number is still way too small. As I mentioned earlier, having a website is the bare minimum these days. Small business owners are also falling short in what features they have on their website. Fewer than half have photos or videos; just 32 percent use search engine optimization SEO, and only 28 percent have reviews or social media share/follow buttons.

Tackling Modern Customer Service Challenges | Businessnewsdaily.com

July 25, 2014July 24, 2014 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Customer service should be a top priority for any company. Customers keep your business going, and making them happy is the best way to ensure that they’ll continue to come back. In today’s world of social media and 24/7 connectivity, it’s easier than ever to keep the lines of communication open between you and your customers.

“We live in an age when everyone is constantly connected to each other via the digital universe across email, Twitter, chat, etc.,” said John Joseph, co-founder of data solutions provider DataGravity. “Technology gives [businesses] the ability to correspond with customers more efficiently, and companies — especially startups — need to take advantage of the tools they have to communicate with customers.

When You Should Delegate, and When You Shouldn’t | Mashable.com

July 24, 2014 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

“Non-delegator” sounds so much nicer than “control freak” or “know-it-all,” but truth be told, that’s just semantics. Delegating can be scary — especially if you’ve been burned before and if you know exactly how you like things done — but I probably don’t have to tell you that it’s a crucial part of moving up the ladder.That said, that instinct to hold some projects close to the vest isn’t always a bad thing. Sometimes you really should keep a project on your own plate. The trick is knowing when you should pass a task along hint: the correct answers go way beyond when you’re too swamped to care how it’s done and to whom.So, take a deep breath, have faith that your colleagues and employees are capable of doing a great job, too, and use the guide below to discern if you’re keeping a project because it’s the sensible rather than territorial choice.

6 Entrepreneurs Anonymously Share Their Secret Fears | Inc.com

July 23, 2014July 22, 2014 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Launching a business is not for the faint of heart. Even those who have been at it for years and appear to be “successful” are plagued with anxiety and fear. Some of their fears may seem irrational to you, while others are ones you may experience yourself.

Is it possible that the secret ingredient to becoming a successful entrepreneur is to never let go of your fear? Maybe. But one thing for certain, it isn’t always easy to share your fears with others.

Many entrepreneurs feel it’s their job to exude confidence to instill trust in their customers, employees and investors. As a result, they hide their feelings and their fears become secrets. We asked six entrepreneurs to share their secrets with us:

1. “I worry that I’ll work so tirelessly that I’ll miss out on living or enjoying my life. That includes spending time with my family. I have twin toddlers and don’t want them to grow up feeling like they’re competing with the back of my iPhone or laptop. I want to be present and undistracted when we are together. I want those times to be often and enduring, not cut short by an incoming email or call. I want to be able to have free time to just think or read or take a leisurely walk just without a looming pressure that I’m neglecting someone or something. When I first started my company, being busy made me feel important. Now, having free time I work on vacation, nights and weekends feels like the ultimate sign of success.”

4 Things Remarkable Startups Have In Common | Entrepreneur.com

July 11, 2014 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Why do some start-ups succeed and others don’t? Here’s a hint: It doesn’t have to do with if an idea is good or bad. Indeed, the successful entrepreneurs are able to run with amazing concepts and pivot other when needing. There are a few more tried and true principles that can contribute to the success of your new company. Among other things, these are four things remarkable start-ups have in common.

1. Founders are insanely passionate about the idea. Don’t start a business without passion. You won’t be able to see it through if you are not really into your idea. Founders of most successful start-ups started searching for solutions to a problem they cared about and made it their focus.

“You have to be burning with an idea, or a problem, or a wrong that you want to right. If you’re not passionate enough from the start, you’ll never stick it out,” Steve Jobs has said.

Founders with great passion tend to inspire others to greater success, and they look out for those traits in new hires. According to best-selling authors and workplace strategists Kevin and Jackie Freiberg, passion enables innovation and creativity and makes employees want to stay in their jobs and contribute, even when they’re not feeling their best.

Small Business Saturday – Shop Small | americanexpress.com

November 19, 2012January 22, 2015 ~ lmehit ~ Leave a comment

What is Small Business Saturday®?

Small Business Saturday is a day for everyone — from the business owners who create jobs to the customers who buy locally — to support small businesses that invigorate the economy and keep communities thriving.

It began in 2010 when American Express founded Small Business Saturday to help small businesses get more exposure during one of the biggest shopping weekends of the year. Last year, over 100 million people came out to shop at independently-owned small businesses on the day. Now, in its third year, Small Business Saturday will be even bigger.

Find Out More.