Business Generation

Social media and more specifically blogging have become increasingly important to marketing a small business in today’s evolving business world. But probably no part of running a small business has evoked more debate or created more stress for entrepreneurs unsure just what their blogging and social media campaigns should look like. And how can small business owners grapple with a specialization often so distant from their core competency? Still, social media and blogging give small businesses a great reach, a literally global reach. We hope this small business news roundup answers some questions and perhaps raises some for discussion too. Read on.

Tools and Trends

Managing your social media. O

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It’s been a couple of months since we bought our car. Since I bought my car, I’ve been keeping track of our mileage, as well as how often we fill up in gas. The point of this is twofold. First, I am genuinely curious as to what type of gas mileage I am getting out of our vehicle, driving it the way that we drive it. Second, with that information, I want to be able to create a gas mileage budget – an approximation of how much it is going to cost to drive our car each month.

There’s two bits of information that you need in order to create this type of budget. The first is the number of kilometres you are driving in between filling up your vehicle. There’s two ways to do this. The next

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While it may be a bit of an exaggeration to say that most new businesses don’t survive past the first two years, government data does show that seven out of 10 new employer firms last at least two years, with only half surviving for five years (source).

Statistics aside, there is no doubt that steering a fledgling business venture through the startup phase and the immediate years that follow is likely to be a huge test of entrepreneurial character.

Here are some strategies and tactics to consider as you struggle and stride through the first few years of entrepreneurialism.

Year 1

One of the first things start-ups learn is that very few things in business go quite to plan.

While there are many things you can do to take care of setting up your business (take for example these 10 Steps to Starting a Business) – you will always encounter the unexpected.

From un-forecasted demand that you can’t yet cope with; new tax laws that you had no idea applied to you; unreliable suppliers; unruly business partners; or clients that don’t pay on time – the unpredictable lurks around every corner.

And while you may not be able to predict the pendulum swings of running a business, you can prepare for them and this means having a plan and plenty of cash reserves.

A business plan is one of the most important tools in your business arsenal . Yet,

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Over the past few years problems with finances, higher mortgage rates, and the global financial crisis has plunged many people into severe financial difficulties, and as a result of this many homeowners have been unable to keep on top of their mortgage repayments.

The high level of mortgage defaults over recent years has resulted in many people having their homes repossessed, which naturally caused a great deal of concern amongst consumers and officials. The recession also took its toll on the ability of homeowners to make repayments on their mortgages, with many people losing their jobs as a result of the recession.

However, with the recession now over and the financial markets easing up the level of mortgage repayment defaults has been falling recently.

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Here’s an updated list of contests, competitions and awards for small businesses, brought to you every other week as a community service by Small Business Trends and Smallbiztechnology.com.

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Intuit Green Grants for Small Businesses
Enter by July 18, 2010

Enter at Love a Local Business. Follow the instructions to complete the Local Hero Challenge registration form and 10-question survey.  Limit one nomination per business.  One person may nominate multiple businesses using seperate Local Hero Challenge registrations with a unique email address for each business.  Winner will receive a $500  grant, plus sustainability training.

Bonus Nomination: Earn a bonus nomination for your business by adding a post to Intuit’s Facebook Wall including your business name, city, state, and the name of the badge that your business earned after completing the Local Hero Challenge sustainability survey. (Note: You m

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Especially during the busy summer travel and vacation season, lots of credit card consumers will be faced with an often-perplexing question or choice. Should they go ahead and pay extra for auto insurance when renting a car, or decline it and hope that they are covered by their credit card membership’s insurance program?

Sometimes the cost of a daily rental car insurance premium is a huge additional expense that can escalate the cost of auto rentals into the stratosphere. But without it, if there is an accident, the renter could wind up owing a car rental company the price of a brand new car. So

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