Business Generation

Small business owners have many choices to make when it comes to employees. You not only need to choose the right employees, but also select the best benefits that attract and retain the right employees for the long haul.

What health benefits should you offer? Here is a list of the usual health benefits available to small business owners:

Medical Insurance – This is a must-have for any business. Keeping your employees covered for medical expenses is one of the most basic and essential benefits you can offer. Small business owners have many choices when it comes to group medical plans, including the split between employer/employee premiums, co-pay, and amount of benefits. Talk to an insurance agent to help you find what you need at the right price.

Dental Insurance – Most large businesses offer this health benefit, as do many small businesses. Thi

Read more…

Thinking of investing in social media but struggling to know where to start?

According to a December 2009 survey by Ad-ology, 46 percent of small business owners said they wish they knew more about social media.

And, while coming up with a social media strategy is one thing (the resources at the end of this article provide pointers on this), it also helps to have a basic understanding of what each of the major social media sites can and can’t do for your small business and its customers.

Here’s a quick 101 on how to best leverage the top three social networking sites — Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

Twitter

It’s a common misperception to think that Twitter is just about personal updates and “Tweets” (messages of 140 characters or less) about where folks are and what they are doing. Today

Read more…

Ah… the joys of summer. That time of the year when people gather for backyard barbecues, children sign up to play in baseball leagues, and families turn their attention to summer vacation plans.

Summer is also a time to reflect on the reasons why you decided to become a small business owner and declare independence from the traditional 9-to-5 workforce.

So, why did you decide to declare independence?

Was it because you wanted more flexibility and freedom in your life? Perhaps you were tired of working for someone else and wanted the independence that comes from working for yourself.

Whatever your reasons, think about how your personal declaration of independence has opened up and changed your life.

What’s your story?

My Story

In June of 2004, I finally did it. I ha

Read more…

Small business owners must monitor their cash flow to ensure that the business can stay solvent. When cash flow grows tight, tough decisions must be made, and oftentimes, cutting or reducing expenses is a strategic way to keep the cash flow positive.

However, did you know that choosing certain “green” appliances and energy strategies can cut your costs considerably? According to the SBA’s report, “Improving Energy Use and Efficiency for Small Business,” you can save from 10% to 30% on utility and other energy usage costs by making certain eco-friendly choices. Here are a few suggestions:

Light Bulbs

Your light bulb choices have a bright impact on your electric bill. Rather than energy-sucking incandescent bulbs, choose compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs). These use considerably less energy and last much longer than regular filament bulbs.

<

Read more…

Despite what you feel about President Obama, you have to appreciate the sheer amount of work he’s managed to get Congress to do in the few years he’s been in office. Whether or not they’re the right things to do will remain to be seen, but one topic that is sure to take center stage within the next few months, if not weeks, is what we should be doing about the soon-to-be expiring Bush-era tax cuts.

A little history for those of us who weren’t paying taxes before 2001 (that includes myself, at least on any meaningful level). President Bush signed the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 and made one of the largest tax cuts we’ve seen in quite some time. Among other things, the EGTRRA (quite an acronym) lowered every tax bracket, lowered capital gains tax, and effectively lowered the tax burden on every single American. If you re

Read more…

When you’re an entrepreneur and run your own business, chances are your marketing budget is limited.  But you can make up for that limitation with attention marketing.

Attention marketing is all about attracting attention to your business and your brand — in such a way that you turn that attention into revenue.  And that’s what the new book, “Attention!  This Book Will Make You Money” is about.

Author Jim Kukral said on my radio show earlier this week that the worst thing for a marketer is for people to forget about your brand. Your goal sh

Read more…