Large companies place resources and focus on strategic planning at least once a year. Small businesses seldom complete a strategic plan. Yet in every way, planning is just as important to a small business as to a large business.

While operating a small business successfully can be very rewarding, the typical small business does not have the staying power financially to weather a business downturn. Avoiding a business downturn requires that business managers not only attend to the day-to-day functions of the business but also have an eye on the horizon so that “bumps in the road” ... Continue Reading

Although many business leaders are obsessed with the concept of branding, few really understand what it means to develop a successful brand. Here’s what it really takes.

(Biznik) How do you define your brand? Is it how you position yourself in the minds of stakeholders and the public in general? Is it shaped by what people think you do and how you do it? Is it determined by the design of your website, the quality of your marketing collateral or the success of your public relations efforts?

I just finished reading Gregg Lederman’s Achieve ... Continue Reading

By Tommy Jaye

Positioning your business for the economic recovery starts now! It’s no longer “business as usual.” Small business owners and entrepreneurs take notice! Today’s market savvy customer, bruised, wary and somewhat disjointed by the recession, is up for grabs.

To all small business owners and entrepreneurs:

Know this, it’s no longer business as usual.  The economic landscape has changed forever and it will never function again as it did in the pre-recession economy.  At least we should hope not!  Easy credit, over-valued real estate and dot com mindsets (a.k.a Wall Street) were the tailwinds of ... Continue Reading

He began his career at the business school at the University of Illinois and then taught at the University of California, Berkeley, and he has been a visiting professor at the Harvard Business School, Singapore Management University, London Business School, and IESE in Barcelona.

Pfeffer currently serves on the board of directors of ... Continue Reading

Once you know what’s getting in your way, it will be easier to overcome these issues.

By Kaya Singer

(BizNik) If you own a small business you likely spend more time marketing than everything else put together. You also know that in marketing there’s an  order and a system to the process and when you follow the system correctly, it works and it brings you more clients.

One of the biggest mistakes small business people make is trying to sell to people before building a ... Continue Reading

By Scott Gerber

(Entrepreneur.com) I write Entrepreneur.com ‘s Young Entrepreneur column because I believe there are far too few resources directly addressing the nonacademic trials and tribulations young entrepreneurs face along their journey. Whenever possible, I encourage up-and-comers and established entrepreneurs to mentor the next generation of dream-seekers; for it is this insight and insider education that will provide the foundation for the entrepreneurs of tomorrow. With that, here are 10 pieces of advice that I wish someone had given to me before I launched my first venture.

1. Focus. Focus. Focus.

Many ... Continue Reading

The Goal Is To Find The Right Social Media Mix For Your Internet Marketing/Advertising Campaign

By Gregg Towsley

This article is from the latest edition of the Inside Edge – your monthly report on Internet trends and advancements that can turn your business into a more profitable business!

“Sites Like Facebook and Twitter Are For Kids”

Fear: Businesses have a difficult time grasping the concept that the same network their children use to ... Continue Reading

Rekindle that startup spirit with agile development

By Darren Dahl

(Inc.com) The first thing you notice when you walk into the Chicago offices of Total Attorneys, which provides software and services to small law firms, is the number of people on their feet. Every morning, the company’s 180 employees gather around the office in groups of five to 10. Close your eyes, take in the often raucous banter and laughter, and it’s easy to mistake Total Attorneys’s headquarters for a college cafeteria. But these meetings, which last for about 15 minutes, ... Continue Reading

How Datotel overhauled its employee-appreciation, -recognition, and -incentive programs

By Nadine Heintz

(Inc.com) David Brown thinks it’s important to make his employees feel valued. So Brown, founder and president of Datotel, an IT services and data storage business in St. Louis with 38 employees, was dismayed when he realized his employee-of-the-month program wasn’t helping morale. Recipients didn’t seem enthusiastic about the award, which consisted of a $25 gift card, a perfunctory e-mail, and a mention on the company intranet.

It seems like a simple concept: Make employees feel appreciated, and they will ... Continue Reading

By Kurt Andrew Schlichter, Esq.

The article appeared in Business Insider Magazine’s first issue of 2009

While the economic downturn will increase most businesses’ exposure to legal problems, it can also be a good time to get your legal house in order. Companies and individuals in trouble often look to the law as a quick way to avoid debts or to collect on real or imagined claims that in good times would be put aside. But when things are slow, businesspeople have the chance to focus on legal matters they would otherwise ... Continue Reading