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.
Posted On: August 08, 2013
Outsourcing the sales function makes sense for growing manufacturers and for some professional-services businesses, too.
There are all sorts of reasons small-but-growing manufacturers should consider hiring outside sales representatives, according to Jeffrey Simon, co-founder and CEO of Eden Prairie, Minnesota-based RepHunter Inc. Outside sales reps can help you:
Stabilize sales costs. Most such salespeople are paid on commission. “Therefore, manufacturers who want...
Posted On: August 07, 2013
Creating and analyzing cash-flow projections regularly helps keep unwanted surprises at bay.
“Cash is king” has been a guiding principle of the business world for generations, but does it still ring true in today’s technology-driven global economy? You bet, say financial experts who believe that cash not only rules the business world, it is an essential tool in assessing the strength...
Posted On: August 02, 2013
Retailers, especially, should leverage these one-day or weekend shopping events with sales, coupons, and more
Let’s be clear up front: Tax holidays are meant for consumers. By dropping sales tax for a couple of days in late summer, states give shoppers a chance to stock up on school supplies and other items at a discount.
But retailers can win, too. They can...
Posted On: July 31, 2013
The concept of local sourcing is growing far beyond its origins in the restaurant industry.
There’s a new buzz phrase emerging in the small business marketplace: “Local sourcing.” The concept started in restaurants, promising customers meals with greater freshness and authenticity, thanks to the use of produce and meats derived from nearby farms.
The movement has grown as small businesses have come...
Posted On: July 25, 2013
Creating an effective risk-reward strategy unique to your business can be critical to long-term success.
Anyone who has owned or operated a business knows that playing it safe usually doesn’t pay off. Indeed, risk-taking is an essential skill of any successful business owner. Should you expand into a new market, add staff or acquire a competitor—or all of the above? And...
Posted On: July 23, 2013
Understanding net profit and your customers’ purchasing habits is key to cooking up a delicious menu for your restaurant.
Stumped as to how you should organize—or, more likely, re-organize—the items on your restaurant’s menu? Here’s a tried-and-true method that Gregg Rapp, a Palm Springs, California-based restaurant consultant and menu engineer, employs while assisting restaurateurs from coast to coast.
It begins, he says,...
Posted On: July 18, 2013
Set your business apart from competitors without giving away the farm.
If you’ve long thought that the best way to differentiate your small business from its competitors is to offer customers the lowest prices, well, you might want to think again.
At least, that’s the word from two in-the-know experts—business coach Pamela Bruner and Becky McCray, an author, speaker, and co-owner of...
Posted On: July 17, 2013
The idea that customers don’t want to talk to salespoeple isn’t true. They just don’t want to talk to all sales folks.
What do clients really want and need from salespeople? What do they want from the sales process? Well, although it may seem to many frustrated salespeople that what clients want is to be left alone, this isn’t entirely the...
Posted On: July 15, 2013
Moving your business is a costly endeavor, but a few smart solutions can help minimize expenses.
On the road again? Many small businesses likely will be this year, according to Citibank’s recent Small Business Pulse survey. Researchers found that 6% of small businesses are planning to change locations in order to achieve business goals. Some seek international opportunity, while others are...
Posted On: July 12, 2013
Entrepreneurship and government can mix, but only if you obey the rules.
By day, Donna Lewis is an attorney in the Office of General Council in the Department of Homeland Security. By night, she’s the author of the syndicated comic strip Reply All. She doesn’t just scribble out pictures: She runs a global enterprise.
“I get paid every time a property runs...
