Owning a small business often means wearing every possible hat available, from marketer to sales clerk and inventory manager to HR professional. Learn from the experiences of the small business owners who are NFIB members as well as the best experts for each industry. Below you will find small business tips for everything from taxes and regulation to promotion and networking.
The Small Business Owner: Jeff Fischer, partner, Fischer, Harris & Associates, a manufacturer’s representative firm for municipal water and wastewater industries, with offices in St. Charles, Illinois, and Stillwater, Minnesota The Book: Selling the Invisible: A Field Guide to Modern Marketing by Harry Beckwith Why I Read It: The title intrigued me because I sometimes have trouble discerning whether I’m a product marketer or a service...
Small businesses increasingly are moving some of their critical software functions to the cloud. The reason: Software-as-a-service programs that reside on an off-site server and are accessed via a Web browser can be cheaper and more efficient than software running on in-house computers or servers. “The small-to-midsize market definitely has the greatest opportunity with cloud applications,” says Patrice Cappello, senior principal...
Despite their reputation for being decidedly old school, email messaging and e-newsletters are digital tools of choice for small businesses eager to reach customers and prospects. But are email blasts and e-newsletters still viable marketing channels in the age of social media and mobile texting campaigns? Yes, according to a survey of small business owners. Email tops the list of small...
Have you heard the one about the tech geek who walked into a comedy class and came out a comedian? It goes a little something like this: Dan Nainan was a senior tech engineer with Intel Corp. Part of his job required traveling the world with then-Chairman Andy Grove to present new products. Unlike Steve Jobs’ famous presentations, these demos involved “tech geeks”...
Moving your brick-and-mortar business online could be tempting for many reasons. You’ll immediately save on overhead costs, and the world of e-commerce provides more flexibility than ever. The Web in 2018 will account for 11 percent of total retail sales, up from 8 percent in 2013, according to a recent Forrester Research e-retail forecast—which could mean opportunity in some sectors. But temporary...
The Small Business Owner: Irina Jordan, founder of Artisurn, an online marketplace that sells handcrafted cremation urns, jewelry and keepsakes. Jordan is located in Oswego, Illinois. The Book: To Sell Is Human: The Surprising Truth About Moving Others by Daniel H. Pink Why I Read It: I was searching for books on Amazon that didn’t talk about traditional selling as I knew...
The economic slowdown sparked by the U.S. financial crisis of 2007-2008 was felt worldwide, but it was especially challenging for small businesses. Here, three small businesses share their lessons learned. Kishau Rogers CEO, Websmith Group—Richmond, Virginia Lesson: Learn to Let Go In a downshifting economy, most businesses are stricken by the thought of losing business. But in 2009, five years after launching her software-development...
Airlines, event venues and hotels have been using dynamic pricing for decades. But small business owners in other industries can also benefit from adjustable pricing formulas to experiment with the market, spur demand during slow periods and maximize profits during their busiest times. According to M. Kim Saxton, clinical associate professor of marketing at the Kelley School of Business at Indiana...
You know your business inside and out after years of experience in the industry, but when you become a small business owner, tax forms and paperwork become an overwhelming part of your job. Finding the right accountant early on can help you tame the paperwork and focus on your business. According to Fred Slater, CPA and managing partner of MS 1040...
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