Small Business Digest Leaders need advance information about the key economic, social and environmental factors that can affect small businesses. Small Business Digest is a free monthly intelligence report and email newsletter. http://www.2sbdigest.com Copyright 2008 Information Strategies, Inc. en-us Tue, 9 Mar 2010 12:06:07 -0500 dmazzella@is-incorp.com Tue, 9 Mar 2010 12:03:34 -0500 gary@kolesarmedia.com FeedForAll v2.0 (2.0.2.9) http://www.feedforall.com Five Things to Consider When Opening a Business In this age of corporate downsizing, many unemployed managers are thinking of following their dream and opening a restaurant. This newsletter asked the renowned head of the International Culinary Institute to offer some thoughts on what to consider when following such a dream. http://www.2sbdigest.com/starting-a-business Organization 05D3A4BE-01DE-40ED-9FB7-CACAD55EA0BB Tue, 9 Mar 2010 12:03:34 -0500 Small Firms Report Difficulty in Obtaining Financing for the Third Year Despite a great need for capital by smaller companies, banks and other financial institutions appear to be reluctant to make loans critical for their growth. http://www.2sbdigest.com/small-business-financing Financing D8922001-9C90-486E-9241-EB127C401CE4 Tue, 9 Mar 2010 12:03:04 -0500 Are Meetings Dragging on Too Long? Maybe This Will Help. If your company's employee meetings are taking too long and wasting time and money, Brad Johnson's new gadget may help. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Timing-Device-Brings-Efficiency-to-Meetings Organization ED582978-A716-45CF-BA4D-0CE6E413B03E Tue, 9 Mar 2010 12:02:23 -0500 Intuit Launches New Employee Index Indicating Small Businesses Are Hiring Small businesses are showing signs of an economic rebound. This is the main finding of the just-released Intuit Small Business Employment Index, a new, monthly report that provides near real-time insight into employment trends of the smallest of small businesses. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Intuit-Employment-Index Staffing 2F560EBE-0838-45DF-BC2A-0A12A9ADEA7F Tue, 9 Mar 2010 12:01:52 -0500 Local Small Business Internet Advertising Growing, Some Caveats Remain Small businesses usually get 80% of their sales from customers located with a 70-mile radius of their main location. http://www.2sbdigest.com/local-ismall-business-nternet-advertising Trends 115DC0C7-9166-44DD-83EF-FBD4A60B7FBD Tue, 9 Mar 2010 12:01:18 -0500 Marketers Doubt Effectiveness of Customer-Loyalty Programs, Fail to Leverage Potential Most marketers doubt that their customer-loyalty programs are highly effective, a survey shows. But the same survey that most marketers believe such progams are essential. And it also shows that marketers and customers agree that loyalty and rewards programs need to be personalized. http://www.2sbdigest.com/customer-loyalty-programs-doubted Marketing 01B9FBB6-551C-41E4-933D-0F40715DEE0D Tue, 9 Mar 2010 12:00:43 -0500 Direct Mail, Other Print Promotions Are Still Cost-Effective for Small Firms A growing group of small businesses are marketing to their clients and customers the old-fashioned way - direct-mail and other print promotions. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Direct-Mail-Grows-as-Sales-Booster Marketing 8351A1F2-D996-4689-893D-8E97A44E3C2F Tue, 9 Mar 2010 12:00:03 -0500 Most Small Businesses Plan to Hire in 2010, Survey Shows Two-thirds of small and medium-size companies say they plan to hire new employees this year, an HR survey shows. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Small-Businesses-to-Increase-Hiring Staffing CBC55E84-C458-4652-9616-647417B35E5E Tue, 9 Mar 2010 11:59:17 -0500 Unprofitability Fears? Five Predictions May Help Chase Them Away in 2010 It has been rough out there for small business, but of marketing's most knowledgeable and effective gurus, Stan Rapp, predicts that profitability this year will be driven by harnessing the Internet and cellphone communication, federal assistance, daring to be different and more. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Stan-Rapp's-Success-Predictions Finance AAEB796A-BECF-4281-B51E-0032778D10E1 Tue, 9 Mar 2010 11:58:38 -0500 Investing Personal Retirement Funds in a Current or New Business Can Be Rewarding, Risky There is a saying that a person is not a true entrepreneur until he or she mortgages a home. http://www.2sbdigest.com/401k-investment-options Finance A2A97668-38B6-48B6-8CFB-8A1D80E490BC Tue, 9 Mar 2010 11:57:58 -0500 Small Businesses Are Focusing on Adding Customers, Survey Shows Finding and retaining clients is a growing concern of small-business leaders, according to a recent survey. http://www.2sbdigest.com/small-business-marketing Marketing 2DA2C3FF-47BB-408F-9CBD-FCF0B25ABA56 Tue, 9 Mar 2010 11:57:11 -0500 HR Departments to Increase Some Budgets in 2010 HR buyers plan to increase their budgets by 25% in 2010 for corporate social-networking tools, employee-wellness programs, management and leadership-development initiatives, performance-management systems and other training and development programs. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Some-HR-Budgets-to-Increase Finance 342B3EE6-52B6-4120-BFB8-D8D029F34270 Tue, 9 Mar 2010 11:56:23 -0500 Majority of Firms in Survey Plan to Return to Normal Pay Practices This Year A slim majority of firms in a salary-budget survey said they plan to return to normal pay practices this year, but many companies said they would turn to non-monetary rewards. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Most-Firms-Plan-Return-to-Normal-Pay-Practices Staffing 2CAC099C-E976-4A25-9518-A6C63B9939D7 Tue, 9 Mar 2010 11:55:41 -0500 Still Hurting From Economy, Firms Adjust Talent Measurements to Promote Growth In the face of the continuing impact of the economc downturn, companies are promoting growth by making adjustments in measuring and managing talent, a new report indicates. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Firms-Seen-Adjusting-Talent-Measurements Trends\ 60354E16-CF7A-4DCA-9A96-9F34062C4B07 Tue, 9 Mar 2010 11:55:07 -0500 Baby Boomers Emerge as 'Social-Networking Mavens' Aging baby boomers are emerging as a force among social networkers and are contributing to of a shift of time away from traditional media to time spent online, a new survey shows. The findings could be significant for companies that market to mature consumers. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Baby-Boomers-Shift-Toward-Online-Media Trends 94209CD9-6E3D-4960-9D61-887582216BD1 Tue, 9 Mar 2010 11:54:32 -0500 If Your Firm's Message Gets Stuck in Complexity, New Online Service May Help A New Jersey entrepreneur has launched an online service to help small-business owners market themselves to local and national audiences. http://www.2sbdigest.com/One-Step-Platform-Gets-Marketing-Message-Out Marketing 38AA2F9B-B0F9-4824-8BA6-F11790D6B04F Tue, 9 Mar 2010 11:53:41 -0500 Amid Downturn, Loans for Small Businesses Are Still Possible Although the economic downturn has forced many financial institutions to revisit their lending practices, it is still possible for small-business owners to secure funding to improve or expand their enterprises. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Small-Business-Loans-Are-Still-Available Trends 85A8E2EA-D5D9-496F-8D18-D55A894126AC Tue, 9 Mar 2010 11:52:52 -0500 It's a Dirty Job, and Somebody Isn't Doing It Despite acknowledging that first impressions are important, nearly 30% of small business owners surveyed say they have cut back on cleaning in the workplace. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Many-Small-Businesses-Surveyed-Cut-Cleaning Organization 299CD77C-C6F5-46A1-85EF-A56987D9B49B Tue, 9 Mar 2010 11:51:33 -0500 Employer Satisfaction With Health Insurers Is Slipping Large U.S. employers have become less satisfied with their health insurers, a study released by PricewaterhouseCoopers’ Health Research Institute shows. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Firms'-Happiness-With-Health-Insurers-Slips Healthcare 8EFB6EF8-73C3-4D46-86BA-CFD0762B707F Tue, 9 Mar 2010 11:50:57 -0500 Small Businesses Solutions Now Available For Facebook, Twitter Marketing Opportunities Social media such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter have overtaken the marketing landscape, as more consumers are gathering their information within these gated communities and making purchase decisions. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Small-Business-Social-Media Marketing 04610968-FA63-4249-98D9-B1F0660BF34E Tue, 9 Mar 2010 11:50:31 -0500 Small Firms Caught In Bankruptcy Of HSA Tech Support Firm, But No Harm Done Healthcare premiums are a great concern to small businesses constantly looking for ways of reducing costs. http://www.2sbdigest.com/No-Harm-In-HSA-Tech-Firm-Troubles Healthcare 24D801BC-88EF-4B74-9A17-137C2AE8F3F8 Tue, 9 Mar 2010 11:48:24 -0500 Small Firms Caught In Bankruptcy Of HSA Tech Support Firm, But No Harm Done Healthcare premiums are a great concern to small businesses constantly looking for ways of reducing costs. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Healthcare-Buyers-Face-Uncertainties Trends EBC324C6-F61A-4B04-ACD5-30C5BC4D2EFF Fri, 15 Jan 2010 13:45:57 -0500 Five Tips to Help HR Professionals Prepare for 2010 CheckPoint HR, a Web-based human-resources-management provider for small to midsize companies, offers five tips to help HR professionals focus on successful staging and preparation for the year that's unfolding. http://www.2sbdigest.com/HR-Tips-for-2010 Human Resources F214E78C-82A1-4CD1-8CCA-DC6C3A489599 Fri, 15 Jan 2010 13:45:12 -0500 Online-Backup Tips for Closing Out the Old Year The end of a year marks an important milestone, and is a logical opportunity to take an electronic snapshot of all documents, presentations, e-mail messages, calendars and appointments, and contact records. http://www.2sbdigest.com/It's-Electronic-Backup-Time Technology 90D06D77-6BD7-4881-854D-129A3637DA01 Fri, 15 Jan 2010 13:44:17 -0500 Proposed Federal Regulations Would Threaten Small-Business Access to Credit, Think Tank Says If a proposal to establish a Consumer Financial Protection Agency should be passed by Congress and signed into law, new-job creation would be discouraged and the likelihood of economic recovery would be reduced. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Report-%20Says-Consumer-Finance%20Agency-Could-Hurt-Recovery Management 2CEEB7B4-9BA4-4F7F-A765-6163F4201030 Fri, 15 Jan 2010 13:43:31 -0500 Debt Illiteracy Imperils America's Families, Professors Say Many Americans don’t understand how interest rates work or the basic decisions associated with borrowing money. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Families-Called-Imperiled-by-Debt-Illiteracy Staffing A0109A10-9545-4A84-A46B-3EF8916AE4BA Fri, 15 Jan 2010 13:42:51 -0500 Put Character Before Profit, Author Urges When seminar leaader and author Dave Anderson urges executives to run their businesses by the Book, it's with a capital B. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Character-Before-Profit Marketing 16B1A729-E893-4AE2-B8F4-3A16B1A6918F Fri, 15 Jan 2010 13:42:13 -0500 Challenges of New Hispanic Immigrants Are Target of Virginia Firm's Initiative A Virginia-based tax-preparation company is well into its second year of an initiative to provide wide-ranging assistance inside and outside the workplace to recent Hispanic immigrants. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Firm's-Initiative-Aids-New-Hispanic-Immigrants Success Stories 281BC75C-B6AF-41F2-8F30-666DC1984D6F Fri, 15 Jan 2010 13:41:26 -0500 Can't Raise Capital? Maybe You Sound Confused If your company is having trouble attracting investors, clarify your business plan. That tops the list of suggestions offered by a Chicago businessman to owners seeking capital. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Unclear-Business-Plan-Spooks-Investors Marketing 4EF95A5C-E78C-4E58-BAD3-7259DB838B0A Fri, 15 Jan 2010 13:40:27 -0500 If Clients and Revenue Are Scarce, Free Classes May Help Two marketing professionals are separately offering free classes and advice to small-business owners to help attract and retain clients and increase revenue. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Free-Marketing-Classes-Offered Success Stories 6F269EED-BCA9-495F-9A27-19191D8E2130 Fri, 15 Jan 2010 13:39:36 -0500 But Wait! That 'Make Money From Home' Scheme May NOT Be a Scam. The problem with finding ways to earn money while working from home is that they all seem to claim to have the perfect opportunity - one that requires minimal effort but offers handsome rewards. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Site-Screens-Out-Home-Franchise-Scoundrels Marketing 7C24834E-1498-4DD3-9420-B3D580B4A735 Fri, 15 Jan 2010 13:38:46 -0500 For 1 in 6 Laid-Off Workers, an Apparent Glimmer About one in six laid-off employees is being rehired by the company that let the worker go, a survey of more than 1,100 employers shows. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Limited-Rehiring-Is-Reported Staffing 46F01DF4-E721-4084-B5B4-83DAD0CA3C46 Fri, 15 Jan 2010 13:37:28 -0500 2010 - The World Is Writing Prescriptions for Small-Business Disaster Business managers, especially small-business leaders, enter 2010 facing a plethora of problems. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Prescriptions-for-Small-Business-Disaster Trends 985C738D-CA2B-4C29-BEA9-5EF70E839F7F Thu, 3 Dec 2009 16:08:24 -0500 When It Comes to Ecology, Status Quo Will Do, Most Firms Say In the next year, two-thirds of chief financial officers surveyed say their companies won’t be making any changes in focus on eco-friendly programs. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Most-Firms-See%20No-Change-in-Ecology-Focus Success Stories 7FF6C342-EB76-4A4D-B04D-96C7F4837F73 Thu, 3 Dec 2009 16:07:29 -0500 Dangers Lurk for Employees Abroad, and Firms Must Provide Protection Companies that ask employees to travel or live abroad must make those staffers' health, safety and security a top priority. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Firms-Must-Protect-Employees-Abroad Staffing FF8468FD-E249-4A3E-9C0E-749BD319FD3E Thu, 3 Dec 2009 16:06:53 -0500 Most Entrepreneurs Say They're Glad They Started Own Companies Small-business owners are faced with many personal and professional challenges, but despite those stumbling blocks, a majority of entrepreneurs are pleased with their decision to start their own companies. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Most%20Entrepreneurs%20Are%20Glad%20They%20Launched Management 3E9B5D51-541C-48F1-9233-D11AF57034CF Thu, 3 Dec 2009 16:04:22 -0500 Calling Co-Worker 'Stupid,' 'Ignorant' or 'Fool' Would be Stupid, Ignorant and Foolish Conflicts are bound to rise in the workplace, but how you deal with them is what will be remembered. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Office-Civility-Pays-Off Management 4C7A740C-0FA2-4073-94E7-7FC18C1FAAEF Thu, 3 Dec 2009 16:03:39 -0500 Paperless Faxing Can Save More Than Paper Companies can take a step toward a greener future with a range of paperless fax services, e-mail faxing provider Max Email says. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Paperless-Faxing-Saves Trends 9EAEC4D5-C630-4EB4-A6F3-04F6C6131B6D Thu, 3 Dec 2009 16:02:28 -0500 Stop Wasting Money on Training Without Accountability Each year, American companies invest $50 billion to $60 billion on workplace training. Yet too often, no one is accountable for ensuring that this investment contributes directly or indirectly to business results. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Measure-Training-Outcomes Management C4D81A6C-5426-4845-8301-6C159756F6EB Thu, 3 Dec 2009 16:00:13 -0500 Nonprofit Teams Up With Firms to Fight Lethal, Costly Employee Obesity In an environment where the latest, sobering statistics on the health of Americans and the costs of healthcare spending seem to be announced daily, http://www.2sbdigest.com/Fighting-Employee-Obesity Benefits 364D8DC2-D8DE-403D-B7DA-64318E80F48A Thu, 3 Dec 2009 15:59:25 -0500 A Customer's Fury Is an Invitation to Improve Your Business It happens to the best of people. An upset client calls to complain about a product or service, and someone is completely caught off-guard. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Client-Anger-Is-Door-to-Improvement Marketing 9405577E-A018-4514-9F08-3B3A9A519A14 Thu, 3 Dec 2009 15:58:41 -0500 Failure to Retain Documents Can Make Your Company a Lawbreaker You may view document retention as a nuisance, but it's usually much more than that: a legal requirement. And what you don't know about it can hurt you. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Document-Retention-Is-Legal-Matter Management 6522556D-ACB6-4063-B920-F59F30B46EA4 Thu, 3 Dec 2009 15:50:50 -0500 Hating Your Job Calls for Self-Examination Half of U.S. employees are dissatisfied with their jobs, up from two-fifths 10 years ago. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Job-Hatred-Demands-Examination Trends 87DFCF82-93EF-4BC9-BE25-8FD56C090CFD Thu, 3 Dec 2009 15:49:56 -0500 Fragmented Efforts Won't Find and Reach Your Target Customers When it comes to making critical decisions about marketing plans and budgets, it's easy for business owners to get overwhelmed. For every seemingly great advertising opportunity, there are countless others vying for attention and capital. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Effective-Integrated-Marketing Marketing 0876C38A-97DB-4668-BC6B-38FE70E7E90E Thu, 3 Dec 2009 15:48:35 -0500 Small Businesses Prepare to Hire but Struggle With Benefits The nation’s unemployment rate may have hit a 26-year high, but many small-business owners are getting ready to hire. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Benefits-Are-Hiring-Hurdle Benefits F03C5BF6-0AE0-4841-BAC0-ABD4DDB4A055 Thu, 3 Dec 2009 15:47:53 -0500 Layoffs Force More Americans to Work at Home - Here's How With the U.S. unemployment rate at more than 10%, many people are transitioning from employee to entrepreneur. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Work-at-Home-Professionally Staffing 0A17DD7F-9EB5-4B92-8E3F-B5EADE82698B Thu, 3 Dec 2009 15:47:11 -0500 Two-Thirds of Workers Don't Feel Appreciated Does your organization encourage a culture of gratitude? http://www.2sbdigest.com/Make-Workers-Feel-Appreciated Staffing 0B373C6B-5FF6-4967-A7A9-292AB3D75153 Thu, 3 Dec 2009 15:39:28 -0500 New Service Offers Inexpensive, Ready-to-Use Ads From Online Menu What if a small business could go to a Web site, find a finished TV, radio or print ad for its business, order it up and get it customized with its logo and other information at a fraction of the price the business would typically pay an ad agency? http://www.2sbdigest.com/Ready-to-Use-Ads Marketing 70AB5F94-9526-433B-8BFE-D529402053A5 Thu, 3 Dec 2009 15:38:39 -0500 For the Growing Unemployed, Holiday Gatherings Offer Job-Hunting Opportunities The holiday season is always a time for shopping, but this year, with unemployment in double digits, it's a time for shopping for jobs. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Holiday-Job-Search-Opportunities Staffing 6202AFB8-15BD-4D78-B7A7-98F753C096A6 Thu, 3 Dec 2009 15:37:57 -0500 Firms That Fail to Market Online Are Losing Business Organizations that aren't pursuing an online marketing strategy in the current economy are going to lose business to competitors that are. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Optimize-Online-Marketing Marketing 7729C5F6-8AC0-475F-B1B7-831A847F0AAB Thu, 3 Dec 2009 14:06:02 -0500 Remedies for That Aggravating - and Costly - Failure to Communicate From botched tasks to derailed projects to clashes between employees, nearly everything that aggravates managers stems from a failure to communicate with people. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Solve-Communication-Problems Management 35A66FBD-81AD-4D7B-92F6-B2EE5867C186 Thu, 3 Dec 2009 14:04:58 -0500 Take It From Gordy the Goldfish - You Can Re-Energize a Burned-Out Work Force There’s no doubt about it: The past year or so has been a lean time for most companies. And while there’s hope that the worst, economically speaking, might be behind everyone, companies aren’t out of the woods yet. http://2sbdigest.com/Re-Energize-Burned-Out-Work-Force Management 4A347A38-5AF6-4225-B8E9-8390B38A5A28 Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:30:01 -0500 Six Ways to Negotiate With an Over-Controlling Boss The No. 1 reason employees are stressed out or dissatisfied in their jobs is "lack of control," several national have shown - and that may be because your boss has too much. http://2sbdigest.com/Dealing-With-Overcontrolling-Boss Management 69BA3D9D-30BC-450F-A1FF-494C457E8A66 Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:29:15 -0500 Small Businesses Have Opportunity to Improve Handling of Employee Benefits Even as the national legislative spotlight shines on employee benefits, small businesses should take time to consider how they might improve their approaches to the benefits challenge. http://2sbdigest.com/Employee-Benefits-Improvement-Is-Doable Benefits 8D0BAC4B-E7F2-4B7A-9332-EA997FCF37D1 Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:28:36 -0500 Survey of Recruiters and HR Professionals Shows Hiring for the Rebound Has Already Begun In a sign that companies are preparing now to meet post-recession talent needs, nearly one-third of professionals in recruiting and human-resources roles say hiring is already under way, according to a new survey. http://2sbdigest.com/Hiring-for-Rebound-Has-Already-Begun Staffing 86CA0918-E23B-4280-8079-B19D7DC558E4 Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:27:51 -0500 Most Employees Work Against Employers' Best Interest, Survey Shows A massive nationwide survey shows that about 75% of employees aren't actively engaged in their careers. http://2sbdigest.com/Most-Workers-Are-Disengaged Staffing 2229234E-A4E0-4BFB-93E2-ED77325BE480 Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:27:02 -0500 New Survey Reveals Rise in Employee Confidence in Q3 Employee confidence rose in the third quarter, but along with it rose employee expectations of a significant rise in costly rehiring and benefits when the recession abates, an important survey shows. http://2sbdigest.com/Employee-Confidence-Rose-in-Q3 Staffing 8E05774C-E3CC-4BDA-AD40-38708AF74D01 Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:26:30 -0500 Dec. 2-4 Conference to Highlight Web Technologies for Recruiting Traditionally, when a company sought new employees, staff in the human-resources department would craft a job description and post the advertisement in local and regional newspapers. Some employers even turned to head hunters to track down qualified employees. http://2sbdigest.com/HR-Social-Media-Summit-Is-Set Staffing B42B7E66-B841-496C-8490-F5535D879547 Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:25:45 -0500 Online-Business Veteran's Articles Offer Launch Advice Entrepreneurs hoping to launch successful online businesses can look to an industry leader who is providing the latest tips to newcomers - free of charge. http://2sbdigest.com/Tips-for-Web-Business-Launches Management B82AA957-EEB7-4A23-9754-127766759077 Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:25:02 -0500 Tennessee Recruiting Firm Grows in Face of Rising Unemployment RecruitWise, a Tennessee-based technology-recruiting and -staffing-services firm is reporting healthy growth despite - or perhaps at least partly because of - the recession. http://2sbdigest.com/Recruiting-Firm-Grows-Despite-Unemployment Success Stories 2E4313A4-D269-49FD-9A33-26C6A78DEF22 Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:24:04 -0500 Annual Salary Guides Project Trends for 2010 Pay in the accounting and Finance fields will increase slightly in the coming year, while pay in the administrative and information-technology fields will decrease slightly, according to the Robert Half organization's 2010 Salary Guides. http://2sbdigest.com/Robert-Half-Projects-2010-Salaries Staffing 2EBE6080-085D-441E-A122-485957A95D39 Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:05:32 -0500 Speakers Are Sought for Internet-Marketing Conference Speakers are being solicited for an April 13-15, 2010, conference to be focused on the latest in search, social and marketing trends. http://2sbdigest.com/Marketing-Event-Seeks-Speakers Marketing 93CAB98B-DE0C-468A-A645-2081132FECE7 Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:04:29 -0500 Amid Budget Cuts, Small-Business Owners Keep Association Memberships Despite dwindling revenues and strict budgets, a majority of small-business owners are members of business associations, according to a recent survey. http://2sbdigest.com/Amid-Cuts-Association-Membershiips-Thrive Management 5E65A9C7-130F-40D9-9591-3887D46D8B84 Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:03:34 -0500 New Web Tool Helps Unhappy Customers Broadcast Beefs Getting the word out about a rude store manager or a product that didn’t live up to its advertised hype has just become easier with a new feature rolled out by an online consumer-complaints Web site. http://2sbdigest.com/Web-Tool-Makes-Consumer-Complaints-Easier Marketing 3B114219-F9EB-4E67-9122-D543C2965E83 Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:02:29 -0500 Small Businesses Are Warned to Be Diligent to Survive Tough Economy The past 12 months have been trying times for the more than 25 million small-business owners throughout the nation. And in the coming year, an industry expert predicts that entrepreneurs will have to be even more diligent if they want to keep their doors open. http://2sbdigest.com/Small-Business-Challenges-Lie-Ahead Marketing A08A58EC-E33A-4F89-8A16-6B689EF4D64B Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:00:15 -0500 It's Not Whom You Know but Who Knows You Navigating the business world is no longer just about whom you know. What’s more important these days is who knows you. http://2sbdigest.com/Student-CEO-Preaches-Networking-Lands-Jobs Staffing 3058C193-721C-4214-866B-F5413C787B0B Wed, 14 Oct 2009 08:41:23 -0400 Five Challenges Facing Small Businesses As Economy Changes Small business leaders are dealing with a multitude of challenges to keep their businesses afloat as the economy turns. http://2sbdigest.com/Five-Small-Business-Challenges Management 508EFDD7-A241-426C-9346-50481E7293F3 Wed, 14 Oct 2009 08:40:41 -0400 Oct. 22-23 Conference to Highlight Economical Web-Based Marketing, Growth Tools San Francisco will be the site of a two-day technology conference to help entrepreneurs learn the most effective and economical Web-based tools to market and enlarge their companies. http://2sbdigest.com/Conference-to-Highlight-Web-Tools Technology 7522045E-315A-4D44-A022-1CACCC3CBEBD Wed, 14 Oct 2009 08:39:53 -0400 Tough Times Bring Opportunity for Small-Business Growth Strategizing Although the timing may seem ill-placed, when the economy is struggling is the perfect opportunity for small to midsize companies to take strategic steps toward creating future growth for their firms. http://2sbdigest.com/Tough-Times-Briing-Opportunity Management DECF0AAE-25EC-4578-A038-6BB4E2E091E5 Wed, 14 Oct 2009 08:38:56 -0400 Houston Financial Firm Offers Businesses Alternative to Bankruptcy Filing for bankruptcy was often seen as the last resort for business owners who got in over their heads. But with a spiraling economy, many entrepreneurs are choosing the option sooner as a way to free themselves from debt. http://2sbdigest.com/Debt-Settlement-Is-Alternative-to-Bankruptcy Finance D101FCAC-774E-4A3B-A876-D3F842BF2241 Wed, 14 Oct 2009 08:37:58 -0400 Recruiting Firm's Services Come in Small, Medium and Large Although a company may be in need of qualified employees, not all hiring managers have the time or expertise to draft a job description, review resumes or schedule interviews. http://2sbdigest.com/Tri-Tier-Recruiting Staffing 8EFD18D4-3C38-4EBF-B7BE-DB5CAC668880 Wed, 14 Oct 2009 08:37:15 -0400 Forums on Ethical Leadership Are Offered at Company Sites Business executives and university presidents are more concerned than ever about not only conducting themselves with integrity, but also fostering that trait among their employees and staff. http://2sbdigest.com/Ethical-Leadership-Forums-Offered Management 81309411-9E10-4690-8248-F91B3354CAE8 Wed, 14 Oct 2009 08:36:02 -0400 Business Owners Increasingly Use Social Media to Drive Growth, Sales While the impact of social media like LinkedIn and Facebook is well-known among individuals, especially younger users, an increasing number of business owners are turning to these outlets as serious, even vital, motivators for new growth and sales. http://2sbdigest.com/More-Businesses-Use-Social-Media Marketing 6BAB6B8F-3BA0-4722-893B-D95CEC7B7E1E Wed, 14 Oct 2009 08:35:04 -0400 Virtual Phone Service Caters to Small Businesses A virtual phone service can serve a small business for as little as $10 a month, delivering capabilities often found only in large, expensive corporate phone systems - and with no equipment costs. That's the case with the my1voice virtual phone service. http://2sbdigest.com/Virtual-Phone-Service Technology 3ECF5F2D-6E88-47B3-B6D8-FD8C3E2A2C95 Wed, 14 Oct 2009 08:34:08 -0400 http://2sbdigest.com/Cubicle-Interruption-Barrier America's more than 50 million cubicle workers share a common problem - interruptions from co-workers that waste time and reduce productivity. http://2sbdigest.com/Cubicle-Interruption-Barrier Success Stories 21C56E68-1258-400E-8FDB-4A50FD89DE2A Wed, 14 Oct 2009 08:33:16 -0400 Hiring Independent Contractors Versus Employees: The Tax Impact Small-business owners need to know that their decisions to hire independent contractors on one hand or regular employees on the other will have an impact on taxes. http://2sbdigest.com/Contractor-or-Employee-The-Tax-Impact Staffing F3B72A71-DA28-4FEB-B775-7F7FF16D7210 Wed, 14 Oct 2009 08:32:09 -0400 From 'Lean and Mean' to 'Lean and Smart' The current recession and the lean, more competitive era that is expected to follow will bring for many organizational leaders unprecedented challenges. For many, the days ahead will require new ways of implementing strategy, of getting work done and of thinking and leading. http://2sbdigest.com/Strategic-Organization Management 1D013B26-4914-40AC-B96A-DBCF17E803A1 Wed, 14 Oct 2009 08:31:11 -0400 Social Media Aren't Seen as Guiding Buyer Decisions Although a majority of the Internet population frequently use social-media sites, when it comes time to shop for a new pickup truck or different brand of shampoo, buyers don't rely on those sites to help them make purchase decisions, a recent study shows. http://2sbdigest.com/Social-Media-Absent-in-Buying-Choices Marketing F5E684AB-1ADB-4D52-A727-E883851EC75F Fri, 18 Sep 2009 13:21:26 -0400 Online Mall Offers Merchants Way to Pool Customer Incentives A Florida-based customer-incentives company has assembled a network of more than 900 merchants into an online shopping mall that allows customers to spend at one store the rewards points they earn at another. http://2sbdigest.com/Online-Mall-Pools-Customer-Incentives Marketing FB073F7F-A223-41E2-A3A1-82D8F2AEA7D4 Fri, 18 Sep 2009 13:20:49 -0400 Franchising Could Be an Option for the Out-of-Work A recession may seem an odd time to launch a business, but for some people who are out of work, the best opportunity to make a living might be franchising. http://2sbdigest.com/Franchising-Offers-Unemployed-an-Option Marketing 50FE4E96-BA8C-46FB-B581-2BE341FACC20 Fri, 18 Sep 2009 13:20:13 -0400 Addressing Weaknesses Can Make You Strong Organizational leaders need to spend as much time addressing their weaknesses as showcasing their strengths. Finding managers who can fix mistakes may be more important than identifying people who can deal from strength. http://2sbdigest.com/Addressing-Weaknesses-Recommended Management 0C70CF9B-56E4-47DA-BA60-9EA080C942FD Fri, 18 Sep 2009 13:19:13 -0400 Moving Beyond Employee Satisfaction to Employee Engagement Companies that help employees align themselves with customer needs are rewarded with significant surges in customer satisfaction and increased profits, research shows. http://2sbdigest.com/Employee-Satisfaction-to-Employee-Engagement Staffing 981AEF4F-ED54-417B-A0D7-1A028FBC90DC Fri, 18 Sep 2009 13:17:23 -0400 Creative Clout Is Seen on the Rise The economy may be down, but the influence of marketing departments is up, a survey indicates. Although the recession has hit many marketing departments hard, 61% of marketing and advertising executives interviewed in the survey said marketing teams have greater influence on business decisions than they did three years ago. http://2sbdigest.com/Creative-Clout-On-The%20Rise Marketing 8EF9AB79-89FF-4870-8681-0F6FB1C2E7F8 Fri, 18 Sep 2009 13:16:24 -0400 Strategies for Achieving Career and Personal Goals Arlene Johnson has spent more than two decades helping companies and leaders achieve extraordinary results. Now, for the first time, she is sharing her expertise, so that people everywhere can develop their own step-by-step Success Map and begin reaching their career and personal goals. http://2sbdigest.com/Career-and-Personal-Goals Staffing 25E52884-CEFB-428D-A4A6-EB05E462CB7E Fri, 18 Sep 2009 13:15:11 -0400 Corporate Use of Social Networking Is Still an Executive Concern Senior U.S. marketing, management and HR executives are concerned about the risks of increased use of social networks within their companies, a new study shows. 51% of executives surveyed say they fear social media could be detrimental to employee productivity, while 49% say use of social media could damage a company's reputation. http://2sbdigest.com/Social-Networking-Is-Still-an-Executive-Concern Staffing 943F5C5C-FEEC-4BDE-8FB7-765ADF15A40D Fri, 18 Sep 2009 13:13:21 -0400 Success Leads Handbag Maker to Lead Others Into Manufacturing The creator and maker of a popular line of handbags is sharing the secrets of her success with others who want to be manufacturers but don't know how. http://2sbdigest.com/five-steps-to-prototype Success Stories 81AFEE4D-FF11-4A20-B6F5-C4690FDAB343 Fri, 18 Sep 2009 13:12:13 -0400 The New Business Boon - Social-Media Marketing Use of social media is revolutionizing the digital world - and is evolving as an important business-marketing strategy. This is the practice by online users of generating and sharing content, photos and videos that began as a way to help friends and acquaintances to connect and build online communities. http://2sbdigest.com/Social-Media-Marketing Marketing CDE943E3-70F1-4491-BFA4-11F4935467EC Fri, 18 Sep 2009 13:09:11 -0400 Telecommuting Opening New Legal Problems For Employers Telecommuting has reduced costs for employers while giving employees greater flexibility and benefits. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Telecommuting-legal-solutions Trends 9BEEAAEF-D06A-491B-9A2A-FC193623C611 Wed, 19 Aug 2009 09:01:49 -0400 Airline Travelers Face New Security Requirements Airline travelers boarding flights now - as of Aug. 15 - face an added layer of security based on new federal guidelines. http://www.2sbdigest.com/TSA-Requires-More-Information Trends D1E36DFE-2EE4-4C78-A05B-60169FDB7948 Wed, 19 Aug 2009 09:00:24 -0400 Exhibit Professionals Can Help Maximize Effect of Trade-Show Display Hosting a table at a trade show provides companies with crucial face-to-face time with their clients. But if the displays are poorly organized or don’t highlight the company’s attributes, the time will be wasted. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Professionals-Can-Help-Exhibits Marketing 1868FB60-EDB5-4BDA-8E94-C29504B7FC52 Wed, 19 Aug 2009 08:59:44 -0400 Shifting-Focus-May-Pay-Off To survive the economic downturn, many companies are cutting expenses instead of investing. Yet others are finding that what may help them keep turning a profit is to shift their focus from one aspect of their business to another. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Shifting-Focus-May-Pay-Off Management 9721478F-34C6-4523-B179-FF684CB22423 Wed, 19 Aug 2009 08:58:32 -0400 Internet 'Summit' to Offer Advice for Launching Online Business Online-business owners looking for tips to help make their Internet-based enterprises a success might consider attending the World Internet Summit USA 2009. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Event-to-Advise-Web-Start-Ups Management 0B8F1ADF-21F8-4315-B2C7-CE882C7542F2 Wed, 19 Aug 2009 08:56:42 -0400 In Dressing for Success, Sex Doesn't Sell In Dressing for Success, Sex Doesn't Sell http://www.2sbdigest.com/Office-Garb-is-l-Not-Sexy Success Stories D2BAF919-B4EE-4764-B0F2-9C05C9DB3FFF Wed, 19 Aug 2009 08:55:55 -0400 Small-Business Owners Call Self-Reliance Key to Survival Despite a recession that some predicted would last two more years, small-business owners were more confident than ever that their ventures would succeed, a recent survey showed. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Self-Reliance-is-Survival-Key Success Stories D8D81EB1-11C5-41D1-A909-D3B6204635C2 Wed, 19 Aug 2009 08:55:08 -0400 Howdy Duty: Not-Quite-Human Receptionist Is an Avatar "And you are—?" the new receptionist might ask the office visitor. "Never mind about me," the visitor, perhaps now a bit rattled, might reply. "Who - or what - are you?" The new receptionist is a what, not a who. It is an avatar. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Scared-to-Evaluate Technology 71C6035F-5B8B-42DF-896C-323FBC3B602A Wed, 19 Aug 2009 08:52:38 -0400 Are Training Departments Scared to Evaluate? Companies spend an average of $1,202 per employee on training, according to a 2009 report by a leading training analysis firm, Bersin & Associates. But even in today's tough economy, many companies are still handing out smile sheets to evaluate the value of this investment. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Scared-to-Evaluate Trends 5C3AE403-5C67-410E-98A3-6FEB78103DED Sat, 8 Aug 2009 13:15:14 -0400 Employee Engagement Surveys Benefit Employer, Employees A general look around the office or factory and break room discussions today would make it obvious to all that wanted to see it that employees are not so much engaged as they are worried about their jobs. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Employee-Engagement-Surveys Management BB87DE2E-4AEA-4E8D-865F-AB1611947BC7 Sat, 8 Aug 2009 13:14:00 -0400 Sun Life Study Shows Employees Value Benefits More than Cash A new study released by the Employee Benefits Group of Sun Life Financial (NYSE:SLF, TSX:SLF) finds that employees value their total benefits offering more than cash--even in this volatile economic environment. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Benefits-More-than-Cash Benefits 12826AD8-92B6-4F21-8156-DB27B07B606A Sat, 8 Aug 2009 13:13:18 -0400 Leading By Example Can Be Stronger Than Cash In Current Times After months of economic tough times, a glimmer of light is starting to appear at the end of the proverbial tunnel. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Leading-by-Example Management 65B071E1-9F7C-4C0D-B75D-67079B8B4106 Sat, 8 Aug 2009 13:12:00 -0400 The Trouble With HR Is It Can't Keep Good People Anticipating a client’s changing needs...thinking outside of the box...adapting to a global environment.... These are required skills for any business that strives to stay one step ahead of its competitors. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Trouble-With-HR Staffing F983842B-7ADE-4769-9547-C24774C62E4C Sat, 8 Aug 2009 13:11:18 -0400 Maximize the Impact of Temps Can Add To Profits Temporary workers, by their nature, may easily escape the attention of management. But when that happens, a company misses out on maximizing a valuable resource. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Impact-of-Temps Staffing D8296029-DE6F-4D11-8AA7-65BF626A8C82 Sat, 8 Aug 2009 13:10:30 -0400 Human-Resources Pros Are Planning for Post-recession Hiring Fully half of the nation's human-resources departments are actively preparing for the return of hiring after the current recession, a survey of more than 8,000 companies and HR professionals indicates. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Postrecession-Hiring Staffing 5519D3CE-D0AC-4A36-BC57-BEE1190869B7 Sat, 8 Aug 2009 13:09:42 -0400 Americans Increasingly Turn to Internet in Search of Employment Americans are increasingly turning to the Web instead of the newspaper to find employment. A study of more than 500 Americans, conducted by Sway Inc. and commissioned by VisualCV (http://www.visualcv.com), found that 50% of all respondents currently have an online resume, have a resume posted online or have a professional profile on a job or career Web site. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Turn-to-Internet Staffing 747778B5-3FC9-49BF-893B-D398ADB38585 Sat, 8 Aug 2009 13:07:17 -0400 With The Economy Turning Around, Checklist Needed To Meet Challenge Experts offer advice on what should be done now. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Checklist-Needed-to-Meet-Challenge Management 6423369C-BF94-4EC6-BF99-ED1299617D06 Sat, 25 Jul 2009 18:12:09 -0400 First Steps to Starting a New Business Because of the present state of the economy, many people are leaving the corporate world, not always voluntarily. Some choose to start their own business rather than to find a position with another company. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Starting-a-New-Business Marketing 3AD31BA1-4A24-4768-ADCE-2BE209CA307F Sat, 25 Jul 2009 18:11:40 -0400 Employee-Communication Strategies Are Critical to Managing Change When an organization needs to engage its staff in a transition, management must actually communicate, not simply provide information. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Employee-Communication-Strategies Staffing E7C2DE5B-1B5B-4BE4-BCDE-8965EDE46AC3 Sat, 25 Jul 2009 18:11:03 -0400 Fotolia Launches PhotoXpress as Free Source of Graphics For smaller companies, a new source of photos for use in brochures and online activities is now available. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Free-Source-of-Graphics Marketing 3579F879-8396-49FA-B22F-477C6F830D9F Sat, 25 Jul 2009 18:10:23 -0400 The Boring Truth About Being the Best Five back-to-basics tips to help create a culture of greatness (and power through the recession). http://www.2sbdigest.com/Being-the-Best Marketing FA8E5949-8922-48C9-AD6C-D405C4C11D47 Sat, 25 Jul 2009 18:09:32 -0400 Eight Tips to Manage Stress on the Job In this challenging economy, even those who are fortunate enough to keep their jobs can feel stressed by increased workloads and uncertainty. But there are ways they can help themselves. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Stress-on-the-Job Management 2FE66C47-DC65-4B6B-B10A-EF6363CD9E14 Sat, 25 Jul 2009 18:08:34 -0400 More Americans Over 70 Are Delaying Retirement Economic crisis forces hard choices. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Delaying-Retirement Trends 64D1745E-F01C-4EBA-87C7-DF13A8547B9F Sat, 25 Jul 2009 18:07:22 -0400 Five Ways to Boost Employee Loyalty Which can lead to greater happiness at work. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Boost-Employee-Loyalty Management A04420B1-8704-4C47-B4B9-F1C632924CA4 Sat, 25 Jul 2009 18:00:35 -0400 Regular E-Mails to Clients and Prospects Mean Extra Sales and Profits While the Internet has opened new marketing channels for small-business leaders, it also has generated challenges. One of the biggest challenges is identifying, contacting and keeping customers. http://2sbdigest.com/Regular-E-Mailings-Raise-Sales Marketing D1182108-6545-4E74-863D-B074DB01B155 Tue, 23 Jun 2009 09:54:18 -0400 New SBA Program Offers Loans That Can Really Help A Small Business An unusually lenient, short-term financial help for smaller enterprises is now available through the Small Business Administration’s American Recovery Capitol (ARC) program. http://2sbdigest.com/SBA-ARC-Program Finance F0AEEE6F-A4E9-4B58-B61B-594A643E3453 Tue, 23 Jun 2009 09:52:59 -0400 Retaining Customers Is Key to Maintaining Profits, Growing Businesses Some experts argue that while customer acquisition is an investment, profitability is built on customer retention. With the economy in its current state, this axiom is proving even more important. http://2sbdigest.com/keeping-customers-is-key Marketing 054BADEA-5F05-4760-874A-0DD33FDAADBA Tue, 23 Jun 2009 09:52:02 -0400 Small Firms Being Hit With Trademark Challenges Concerning Their Domains Many small companies are caught unawares that a domain they own somehow infringes on a trademark. Often, the first they are aware of the problem is when they get a phone call from an attorney representing the trademark owner. http://2sbdigest.com/domains-attacked-for-trademark-violations Technology 3873FAD3-1329-4E2F-A696-EE48D46CD11F Tue, 23 Jun 2009 09:50:48 -0400 Clearing a Passage Through Today's 'Frozen' Economy Companies are facing challenges in the economy, the likes of which haven't been experienced in most business leaders' lifetimes. News seems to bounce from bad to worse to hope to despair, leaving relatively rare moments of optimism and huge holes of uncertainty. http://2sbdigest.com/Today's-Frozen-Economy Management FF073D72-6A83-43CB-A283-E9CF2A3E144E Tue, 23 Jun 2009 09:42:20 -0400 Jamba Juice Aims to Raise $1 Million for Schools Jamba Juice, a provider of healthful-themed on-the-go food, snacks and beverages, has launched a yearlong effort to raise more than $1 million nationwide for local schools. In the effort's six-week initial program-dubbed School Bananananza '09-participating Jamba Juice locations are donating 20% of sales to a different nearby school each week, the company says. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Jamba-Juice Success Stories 8002B4CC-5BBD-4636-AC92-8E1EBC656FF9 Thu, 14 May 2009 10:40:24 -0400 Social-Networking Tips for Professionals Recent headlines read "Twitter Gets You Fired in 140 Characters or Less," "Facebook Photo Convicts School Aide of Drinking Charge," and, in Philadelphia, "Eagles Fire Disabled Game-Day Employee for Facebook Comments." http://www.2sbdigest.com/Social-Networking-Tips Management 42F697FB-DCB4-4DEB-8AFE-93507CF57EAF Thu, 14 May 2009 10:36:02 -0400 Maximizing the Message in Public Speaking Mahatma Ghandi, Winston Churchill, John F. Kennedy, and Ronald Reagan aren’t merely famous speakers; they’re great communicators. The art of public speaking is more than making eye contact, speaking clearly and “imagining your audience in their boxers.” http://www.2sbdigest.com/Maximizing-the-Message Marketing 00919E78-955F-4751-A5F3-D03AF448092E Thu, 14 May 2009 10:34:28 -0400 Now Hiring Despite daily headlines bearing bad news about the economy, now isn't the time to put off strategic hiring, Shawn Boyer, CEO of SnagAJob.com warns. Many hourly employers may be tempted to lie low and stop recruitment and hiring to save money these days. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Now-Hiring Staffing 414CF153-89B6-4C89-ADBE-5266D4CD80C5 Thu, 14 May 2009 10:33:49 -0400 Computer Support Options Frustrate Small Business, Survey Suggests: New Solutions Offer Help ASAP Small and home-based business leaders often make decisions based on the trade-off of their own time versus the cost of hiring someone to do a task. When a computer problem arises, many smaller enterprises, with limited personnel resources, face the dilemma of diverting time and staff from their main tasks or finding an expensive expert to fix it. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Computer-Support-Options-Frustrate-Small-Business Technology 0D39003B-E694-4A87-955C-0C27654C468E Thu, 14 May 2009 10:31:25 -0400 National Benefit Survey Reveals Regional Differences Among U.S. employers, those in Northeast are least likely to use health-risk and -screening programs and to identify prevalent chronic conditions in their workforces in administering employee benefits, the latest annual benefits survey of the nation's employers found. http://www.2sbdigest.com/National-Benefit-Survey Benefits AAAED276-9C30-49E5-87D7-FF81DC98103F Thu, 14 May 2009 10:30:51 -0400 Learning Better Franchising Franchise owners seeking ways to expand their brands and sell products better than their competitors' may well find those ways at the 2009 Franchise Development Super Session in Los Angeles Sept. 30 and Oct. 1. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Financing-Seminar Finance A9910442-C23D-443C-9781-141E19C6DCC9 Thu, 14 May 2009 10:29:48 -0400 Watching the Office Web-Watchers Employers used to worry about the cost of pens and staples employees took home and of the long-distance personal calls they made from their desks on company time. Those worries, relatively speaking, may have been child's play. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Watching-Web-Watchers Staffing B2C7A75C-14F1-4028-940A-14003DB22569 Thu, 14 May 2009 10:27:17 -0400 Hard Times Can Offer Opportunity for Expansion Running a small business is hard work, but now that the economy has taken a dive, finding ways to manage and expand a small enterprise is even more difficult. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Hard-Times-Opportunity Organization EAC984AB-A18B-47CE-A7B7-37D797472E7A Thu, 14 May 2009 10:24:59 -0400 Inbox Detox An out-of-control email inbox is much more than a headache – it's part of a nearly trillion-dollar problem. But help is on the way in the form of a new book that can assist in turning inbox slaves into inbox masters – and save small businesses a small fortune. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Inbox-Detox Technology B54247F5-1A10-4022-A325-E173F9A58ECD Tue, 14 Apr 2009 10:33:51 -0400 MyFax Offers Free and Easy Service MyFax has announced a free no-fuss service for businesses and individuals needing to send a fax only occasionally. MyFax Free allows users to transmit two faxes a day of as many as 10 pages without going through the bother of setting up an account or providing a credit-card number. http://www.2sbdigest.com/MyFax-Free Benefits 4CB0CE35-ECBD-4164-8C81-262E2AEEBD29 Tue, 14 Apr 2009 10:31:09 -0400 Six Ways to Show Grace Under the Pressure of Tough Times at Work It's easy to lose one's cool at work these days, and it's no wonder. Budgets have been cut, people are being asked to do more with less, and many employees are worried about losing their jobs. So people are stressed in today’s workplace and can more easily unravel when difficulty arises. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Verbally-Graceful Organization AC644322-B4F9-4CFE-B24B-028EE5B313FD Tue, 14 Apr 2009 10:28:22 -0400 The Fearless Entrepreneur’s Guide to Chasing Dreams Today’s graduates face the toughest job market in 10 years. Many of their peers, only a few years older, who just started their careers, are now back on the job hunt with few prospects. There is a highly competitive pool of applicants for companies that aren’t hiring. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Fearless-Entrepreneur-Guide Staffing 97238976-C959-44F4-95AE-976378434B4D Tue, 14 Apr 2009 10:23:58 -0400 Survey Shows the Boss’s Assistant Can Influence the Hiring Decision Hiring managers aren’t the only ones applicants need to impress when they arrive for job interviews. Candidates also should be on their toes when greeting the boss’s right-hand person, a new survey shows. Six out of 10 executives (61%) polled said they consider their assistant’s opinion important when evaluating potential new hires. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Assistant-Can-Influence-Hiring-Decisionv Management 8014D87E-93AA-4AC6-93FA-57419278C63E Tue, 14 Apr 2009 10:20:20 -0400 'Reclamation' Can Protect a Small Company in a Time of Bankruptcies With more and more large retailers filing for bankruptcy, a common question is whether there is anything small businesses can do, or whether they are stuck at the end of the line, where they will most likely receive nothing. Unfortunately, for the most part, the small-business owner doesn't have much recourse, other than to file a claim and hope that one day payment arrives. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Reclamation-Can-Protect-a-Small-Company Trends 8E1C6303-DF72-4AA3-B438-0B3ADB96B319 Tue, 14 Apr 2009 10:18:41 -0400 Green Case Study: Financing May Kill the Dream A small-business owner may have to shut the doors to her earth-friendly toy company this fall if she can’t secure funding to produce her inventory for the end-of-year holiday season, Katrina T. Gathers writes. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Financing-May-Kill-the-Dream Finance 6DF40744-6836-45A3-B455-47961126483E Tue, 14 Apr 2009 10:16:19 -0400 Summer Applicants Up, Jobs Down People seeking summer jobs will have to beat the pavement harder than ever this year. That’s because more people will be scrambling to fill the fewer positions available. In addition, stay-at-home moms and retirees must now compete for the same seasonal jobs once relegated to teens and college students http://www.2sbdigest.com/Summe-Applicants-Up Success Stories 29289D53-014D-4961-9429-55FA97E76599 Tue, 14 Apr 2009 10:11:52 -0400 300+ Managers Tell How They Grew Companies In Prior Down Cycles Four things to consider when looking for or keeping a public relations partner. http://www.2sbdigest.com/managers-show-growth-strategies CEB7860C-47FD-43DA-94D8-E6CC7F64B26E Tue, 3 Feb 2009 16:06:37 -0500 Five Recession Pitfalls to Avoid at All Costs Entrepreneurs face challenges on many fronts, including lower consumer spending, rising unemployment and tightening credit. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Five-Recession-Pitfalls Organization 34B367AF-8446-4FC1-91AC-3D74A2F5C2A7 Mon, 2 Feb 2009 12:25:23 -0500 Four Guerilla Marketing Tactics to Engage Customers In recessionary times, even the biggest companies need to take a leaf from the efforts of smaller enterprises and market more effectively and in new venues. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Tactics-to-Engage-Customers Marketing 8764364B-11F2-4531-A0AB-8E8303AFE333 Mon, 2 Feb 2009 12:24:41 -0500 Supercharging Resume Searches Through Better Selectivity Processes With the rise in unemployment, competition for jobs has grown more intense http://www.2sbdigest.com/Supercharging-Resume-Searches Finance 731DE2E2-B118-4903-9A6B-EE4FB78F38CA Mon, 2 Feb 2009 12:23:36 -0500 Business Owners, Managers Need To Focus On Financials in 2009 Most businesses fail because of financial shortfalls. In economic times such as being experienced in 2009, this factor has become more important. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Financial-Survival-in-2009 Finance 5CE78672-C4E6-4983-9AE8-87D18ED01589 Mon, 2 Feb 2009 12:22:50 -0500 Lessons Learned Across The World Need To Be Applied Domestically Advancement in technology and thriving global trade has led to a modern breed of international workers. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Busting-Diversity-Myths-in-the-Workplace Finance 142B7D33-3B68-4BB7-BC39-24A0F28E85D7 Mon, 2 Feb 2009 12:20:47 -0500 Business Incubators Are Best Investment of Public Dollars, Study Says At a time when the U.S. Congress and President Obama are considering investing $850 billion to create jobs, a recently announced study asserts that business incubators need to be part of the job creation equation. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Business-Incubators Finance 2FCA7F2F-1051-4998-AF14-4DBA530A246E Mon, 2 Feb 2009 12:19:29 -0500 Small Businesses Finding Ways Of Keeping Healthcare Benefits Despite some survey reports to the contrary, not all small firms are getting rid of coverage. Some are trying creative ways to hang on according to Information Strategies, Inc. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Small-Business-Healthcare Benefits 3FB7FB9B-42B9-429E-998E-C4F4C5489752 Mon, 2 Feb 2009 12:18:09 -0500 Countrywide Employer Healthcare Mandate Would Wipe Out 1.6 Million Jobs In a simulation conducted by the National Federation of Independent Business Research Foundation analyzed the potential impact of a national employer mandate on small businesses to provide healthcare. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Employer-Healthcare-Mandate Finance ADB291CC-8DFE-40E8-8855-8EC20637358F Mon, 2 Feb 2009 12:15:57 -0500 The NASE's Top Small Business Tax Tips Whether gathering documents and forms, studying receipts or working through math calculations, entrepreneurs are getting ready for April 15th one step at a time. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Small-Business-Tax-Tips Finance 45EF68CB-B160-416E-BDB9-DCD7ABD789DC Mon, 2 Feb 2009 12:15:08 -0500 Economic Downturn Leading To More Fraud Against Firms, Individuals In down economic times, scams against business owners and individuals rise. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Fraud-Growing-As-Economy-Tanks Finance EADCD0D3-8BFA-4147-B6D4-E54956835A5B Mon, 2 Feb 2009 12:14:05 -0500 Safeguard Sensitive Data from Disgruntled Employees Being Laid Off Fifty eight percent of office workers faced with being laid off or termitted admit they will take valuable data with them, if they could get away with it! http://www.2sbdigest.com/Safeguard-Sensitive-Data Finance 76000746-E968-4ED9-9AEB-0F9EFEE7C580 Wed, 28 Jan 2009 11:42:20 -0500 When It's Time To Move On, Selling a Business Is Not The Only Option Like every other business effort, planning and then executing a selling strategy for a business can mean extra dollars in the seller's pocket. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Time-To-Move-On Finance 506DDEF9-0041-405F-A1E3-09A02AD534E4 Wed, 28 Jan 2009 11:39:44 -0500 PayCycle Launches 1099 E-File Service The IRS requires that employers distribute 1099 forms by January 31, 2009 to all independent contractors paid at least $600 in 2008. http://www.2sbdigest.com/E-File-Service Technology 13FDA666-BAAF-403F-98F9-A6614D81A072 Wed, 28 Jan 2009 11:38:26 -0500 Seven Tax Tips for Businesses and Self-Employed Individuals Tax Filing Season is here, and there are still several things people can do to reduce their taxes for 2008. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Seven-Tax-Tips Organization 988E5FFB-5381-46B3-9467-A9D8DAC3376D Wed, 28 Jan 2009 11:34:58 -0500 Fourteen Big Businesses That Started in a Recession Several well-known enterprises were founded in a recession. Why did these companies succeed? http://www.2sbdigest.com/Recession-Start-Ups Success Stories 364ACE6A-C0BE-493D-9DC1-0F14705F9C66 Wed, 28 Jan 2009 11:34:06 -0500 When It's Time To Move On, Selling a Business Is Not The Only Option Like every other business effort, planning and then executing a selling strategy for a business can mean extra dollars in the seller's pocket. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Time-To-Move-On Marketing 0766ADED-4F9A-4679-9AF0-DAF44CED258E Sun, 4 Jan 2009 11:54:56 -0500 Safeguard Sensitive Data from Disgruntled Employees Being Laid Off Fifty eight percent of office workers faced with being laid off or termitted admit they will take valuable data with them, if they could get away with it! http://www.2sbdigest.com/Safeguard-Sensitive-Data Finance 27600F95-A397-49C1-A846-8978E8B37442 Sun, 4 Jan 2009 11:54:04 -0500 Economic Downturn Puts Health at a Premium There’s a new epidemic sweeping across America, and for once it isn’t caused by the latest exotic flu virus or bacterium du jour. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Economic-Downturn Marketing 65499852-A5DC-41D1-BBFB-656266FCEEA1 Sun, 4 Jan 2009 11:51:40 -0500 Helping the Bottom Line by Retaining Hourly Workers In 2007, 31 million Americans quit their jobs, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Retaining-Hourly-Workers Staffing B72CD968-351B-4A79-B1C0-8AA90BB86D50 Sun, 4 Jan 2009 11:50:14 -0500 Slowing Desktop Computer Speeds Identified As Growing Challenge To Smaller Businesses Over the past few years, as the number of programs and add-ons installed on company and personal computers have grown, their speed and usefulness diminished. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Slowing-Computers-Hampering-Small-Firms Marketing 45A570E4-7AAD-4DFB-967D-1EB21EE597DE Sun, 4 Jan 2009 11:48:12 -0500 Women Business Owners Optimistic About Revenue Growth in 2009 Despite the challenges of a down economy, many women business owners believe their firms will grow in 2009. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Women-Business-Owners-Optimistic Management F142BF13-9CEA-49F4-9B00-A73FF9482188 Wed, 17 Dec 2008 14:21:56 -0500 Workers Believe It Is Still Possible To Find A New Job in This Challenged Economy While some workers may feel that hunkering down in their current positions is the only choice in this economic storm, a large percentage of workers remain confident that employment prospects remain strong. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Finding-a-New-Job Trends 357069C5-18FE-48E2-A193-9039F6CF065F Wed, 17 Dec 2008 14:20:59 -0500 Integrity Pays Off: Leaders Who Keep Their Word Enhance The Bottom Line It seems like common sense that the integrity of leaders is key to their success and the financial success of their companies. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Integrity-Pays-Off Success Stories 6BF36F7D-D622-4731-99A1-084412B9D95B Wed, 17 Dec 2008 14:20:03 -0500 Economic Downturn Requires That Firms Make Every Dollar Count in 2009 In this tight economic world, small businesses must make every dollar they spend count in order to stay competitive and successful. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Making-Every-Dollar-Count-in-2009 Finance 8B788C4D-D7F8-46F2-A1CB-C8429FDD9152 Wed, 17 Dec 2008 14:19:20 -0500 Meeting the Needs of Generation Y Shift Workers Key To Productivity Younger works have differing needs that need to be addressed on the shop floor and in the office to maximize productivity. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Generation-Y-Shift-Workers Organization E9A3B33F-FF6A-4902-BE7A-0C7377579948 Wed, 17 Dec 2008 14:18:18 -0500 Small Business Leaders Report Growing Success With Consumer Driven Health (CDH) Benefit Programs A majority of smaller companies (54%) surveyed by Information Strategies, Inc. (ISI), recently said they were either contemplating or already had adopted a consumer directed health (CDH) offering for employees. http://www.2sbdigest.com/small-business-healthcare-benefits Benefits 91CC1F9A-9BD7-4994-9A6E-29E70120627F Wed, 17 Dec 2008 14:17:32 -0500 “Control Issues” May Hurt Email Marketing Campaigns In the field of email, the difference between marketing bam and spam may be found in whether marketers give control over to the target clients. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Who-Controls-Marketing-Email-Campaigns Marketing 5AEC52C1-EBFB-4E77-A41B-D3C84EF5F67C Wed, 17 Dec 2008 14:16:35 -0500 Donating Your Old Cell Phone? Make Sure You and Your Employees Kill the Old Data Thinking of buying that new cell phone with the larger screen and super-soft keypad? http://www.2sbdigest.com/Donated-Phones-Need-Wiping Marketing ADFB478C-F58B-49C7-9A25-C06D710DE676 Wed, 17 Dec 2008 14:15:14 -0500 Small Firms Offered Integrated HSA Package By Industry Heavyweights Under a new alliance between SunTrust Bank and ConnectYourCare, a division of ExpressScripts, the package they are introducing saves time and effort for smaller companies http://www.2sbdigest.com/Integrated-HSA-Package Finance 89A5E2D3-5E28-4C9D-9FBE-0CAD4C955F0E Wed, 17 Dec 2008 14:13:36 -0500 Thinking Outside the Door Builds Sales Even In Down Times In today’s challenging business climate, an organization’s need to develop new and innovative products and services is at an all time high. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Thinking-Outside-the-Door Benefits 158ADE4C-52D5-4BBD-B554-FA24AC70D5C7 Thu, 13 Nov 2008 15:54:39 -0500 So Who Really Does Establish Company Policy? For good or bad, the days of a CEO marching in and rebirthing a corporate culture, establishing key initiatives and making it happen are for the most part gone. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Establish-Company-Policy Marketing E2FB791B-F765-4172-88FB-4F98B9DC6C98 Thu, 13 Nov 2008 15:53:23 -0500 Simple Steps Businesses Can Take to Protect Themselves from Cyber Crime When the World Wide Web launched almost 20 years ago, it generated a lot of buzz about how it would revolutionize the way people do business, but many questioned whether these projections were fact or just grand words. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Protect-Themselves-from-Cyber-Crime Technology 0A225263-98E5-4FB0-8B63-FE255E3E3A93 Thu, 13 Nov 2008 15:51:24 -0500 Press Releases Help Improve SEO Presence for Small Businesses Press releases can be a powerful tool, if leveraged correctly. Don’t just send them, file them to a popular section of the company Web site as well. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Press-Releases-Help-SEO Management AE81519B-46CB-4C76-9EEC-A2AF3DE26CD6 Thu, 13 Nov 2008 15:47:32 -0500 9 Ways to Leverage the Company Grapevine Web 2.0 technology is great for spreading information fast throughout a company. But podcasts, video blogs, intranet, instant messaging, and wikis are only as good as the message they carry. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Leverage-The-Company-Grapevine Technology 27A74F62-ABCD-4D42-A6FC-8A6D998BE37D Thu, 13 Nov 2008 15:46:32 -0500 US and Global Anti-Counterfeit Efforts Launch on Larger Scale But small businesses that export still know little about protecting intellectual property. http://www.2sbdigest.com/US-And-Global-Anti-Counterfeit-Efforts Finance B162BEEC-DB84-4318-AECE-962E634C4689 Thu, 13 Nov 2008 15:44:33 -0500 Experts Urge Companies To Look Inward For The Keys To 2009 Success The seeds of company success in 2009 may rely on internal resources, according to a survey of experts across a broad spectrum of expertises. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Companies-Need-To-Look-Internally Success Stories 88D4BC93-FB45-421B-B902-2BBA938A8BBB Thu, 13 Nov 2008 15:40:07 -0500 8 Skills For Closing The Communications Gap When English Is Not The First Language A little known but critical element in today's multi-cultural company environment is the fact that employees whose English is a second language often suppress their contributions for fear of being misunderstood or laughed at. http://www.2sbdigest.com/skills-for-communicating Trends DE28395B-6596-4BEF-8D17-E01CC6F1E8F9 Thu, 13 Nov 2008 15:38:54 -0500 Timeclocks Offer Positive Advantages For Employers, Employees Timeclocks Offer Positive Advantages For Employers, Employees While timeclocks may be an echo of the past, nonetheless, they do serve a positive function. http://www.2sbdigest.com/timeclocks Technology B7ED0ECF-8D3A-4580-82D2-D3A3DED450B3 Thu, 13 Nov 2008 15:37:37 -0500 Smaller Companies Report Greater Value, More Responsiveness From Healthcare Benefit Providers As more and more firms look for ways to improve their healthcare benefits while keeping a handle on costs, healthcare insurance providers have responded. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Value-Responsiveness-From-Healthcare-Providers Management F67CD77A-D919-45FC-B2DF-B4377989230D Thu, 13 Nov 2008 15:36:16 -0500 Staples Offering IT Services To Small, Medium-Size Firms Hoping to take advantage of its position as a supplier to small and medium-size firms, Staples is branching out with a new offering that permits these companies to outsource their IT needs. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Staples-Offers-IT-Services Finance 2C5167DF-118B-4597-88AA-C1BA2C686614 Fri, 3 Oct 2008 16:39:38 -0400 Hiring Plans For The Holiday Season Down For 2008, Survey Reports Despite an 8-point decline from in overall hiring plans, four of 10 hiring managers surveyed said they were increasing hiring plans this year. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Seasonal-Hiring-Plans-Down Success Stories F3987B67-232A-4509-991D-4ADD3703CA3A Fri, 3 Oct 2008 16:36:47 -0400 Scalable Electronic Commerce Supply Chain Solution Improves Efficiency, Increases Profits Today, timing is essential and inventory management makes all of the difference in a company’s success. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Supply-Chain-Solution Marketing 282C4C0C-371F-434A-B2B1-B86933DBB1D3 Fri, 3 Oct 2008 16:35:55 -0400 Study Provides An In-Depth Analysis Into The Payment Priorities Of The Small-Business Owner The recessionary pressure evident in the on-going financial meltdown is affecting small business payment patterns. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Small-Business-Payment-Priorities Finance 7D9FF0CA-1213-4A03-BFE9-964BFFCE0D89 Fri, 3 Oct 2008 16:33:57 -0400 Turning Reality Into Perception: The True Path To Growth Turning Reality Into Perception: The True Path To Growth http://www.2sbdigest.com/True-Path-To-Growth Staffing DE7744FD-48E2-4535-94EE-771D3726B0E9 Fri, 3 Oct 2008 16:31:40 -0400 New Intel® vPro™ Technology Enhances Security, Adds Automatic Tune-Ups Technology is catching up with the need for easy-to-use methodologies for maintaining security, upgrading computers. http://www.2sbdigest.com/New-Intel-vPro-Technology Technology ABE8DAC4-C8A9-42E1-A6D7-7ACF49207790 Fri, 3 Oct 2008 16:24:43 -0400 Recessionary Times Require "Out-of-Box" Thinking With every problem there is an opportunity. An economic downturn is an excellent time for instituting a "pay-for-result" business model. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Succeeding-During-Recession Finance 23AE87DA-D70C-46B4-8D85-9E618902341B Fri, 3 Oct 2008 16:24:15 -0400 Promoting ‘Family’ Brand Linked to Companies’ Financial Success A new study by Oregon State University researchers shows that promoting the fact that the business is a “family” business positively influences customer purchasing decisions. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Promoting-Family-Brand Finance AE4C21A9-1810-4697-BEA3-9AF504A5EF3C Fri, 3 Oct 2008 16:23:36 -0400 Sound Bite Introductions Can Spur Growth, Sales Creating a "sound bite" that tells the firm's story is a key component to building growth, sales. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Sound-Bite-Introductions Success Stories 62F6B68D-ECFC-43D7-92FA-ECCFFD6BA1F0 Fri, 3 Oct 2008 16:23:10 -0400 Employees Should Be Challenged, Rewarded For Helping To Build Brand As companies grow, they often invest a great deal of money into defining and refining their brand. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Rewarded-For-Helping-To-Build-Brand Success Stories 2185A719-5EF5-45F9-A0D4-C00784C90D73 Fri, 3 Oct 2008 16:22:37 -0400 Remotely Monitoring Unattended Computers Can Prevent Cyber Attacks Unattended computers can be the achilles heel for many firms. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Control-Unattended-Computers-Remotely Technology D00B6C48-C051-4192-A536-5088DF99945A Fri, 3 Oct 2008 16:22:04 -0400 Overcoming Racial Stereotypes Is Smart Business, Spurs Professional Growth Racial stereotyping has hurt more than one career and many business efforts. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Overcoming-Racial-Stereotypes Staffing 7E64A6F9-119C-4BD9-AF2C-932ABEB935D2 Fri, 3 Oct 2008 16:21:45 -0400 Developing A Work Strategy That Closes Sales Closing a sale is not an event, but rather a series of meetings and little victories that start out with the first phone call placed to a potential customer. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Tips-for-Closing-the-Sale Management EC8798A2-3353-4AEA-B0FD-1227434DA85F Mon, 15 Sep 2008 15:55:32 -0400 Successful Holiday Email Strategies Retailers will be competing hard to stand out in the customer's holiday shopping consideration set and inbox this year. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Successful-Holiday-Email-Strategies Marketing C27CDCF2-EC33-42C8-A741-FE5C2C78F3B1 Mon, 15 Sep 2008 15:54:55 -0400 The Rise of the "Little Guy" in the Art Prints Industry Many businesses start off as the "little guy," fighting hard to survive in a highly competitive, well established, and heavily saturated market. http://www.2sbdigest.com/The-Rise-of-the%20-Little-Guy Success Stories 8398F065-84BA-4FE7-AF6D-B392061CF77E Mon, 15 Sep 2008 15:53:08 -0400 Five Ways To Cut Startup Costs In Today's World The main goal of any startup is to test assumptions and obtain feedback in the form of sales that sustain the business. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Cutting-Startup-Costs Finance D30ED69D-5406-4297-BBA4-3ABA0EF4ACF9 Mon, 15 Sep 2008 15:47:51 -0400 Franchising Growing As Alternative For Many Managers Many managers often think about alternative careers. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Tax-Preparation-Franchises Finance 64BA8AAA-D96F-436D-91E7-BD80B323AC9E Mon, 15 Sep 2008 12:21:35 -0400 Developing Leadership Skills and Clarity at Machu Picchu In this era of hyper-connectivity, it is increasingly difficult for people to look outside of themselves for new approaches to learning. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Clarity-at-Machu-Picchu Management 333C06DC-D287-4A4F-982D-936E810CE7B3 Mon, 15 Sep 2008 12:18:22 -0400 Insurance For College Students May Not Be A Bargain More than two million young Americans are going away to college in droves this fall. http://www.2sbdigest.com/College-Student-Healthcare-Insurances Trends AD4890FC-624C-49F3-B46D-FBF3D2F42D6E Mon, 15 Sep 2008 12:17:31 -0400 Bridging the Gap Between Sales and Marketing Companies are trying to winnow sales leads so that the marketing efforts are more tightly focused. One approach is to be more selective in the lead generation process. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Bridging-the-Gap-Between-Sales-and-Marketing Marketing 5CCBF1F5-A043-479C-B166-9E58F1B9B43F Mon, 15 Sep 2008 12:03:40 -0400 Three Strategies to Help Turn Around a Losing Sales Game in the Fourth Quarter The fourth quarter is here, and it's a time that makes most sales managers anxious even in a good year. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Sales-Game-in-the-Fourth-Quarter Marketing 3FB59D82-0B24-48A3-B3F7-922FB0FFA64A Mon, 15 Sep 2008 12:02:31 -0400 Economic Stimulus Tax Adjustment Enables Firms To Deduct All Costs Of Equipment As part of the economic stimulus package, businesses are now allowed to take all of the cost of purchasing or leasing equipment in the current tax year. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Economic-Stimulus-Equipment-Deductions Finance 0866E178-3139-495B-88D5-22CAE5B5673C Mon, 15 Sep 2008 12:01:53 -0400 Managing Bead-Based Enterprises Made Simpler With New Software Jewelry enterprise owners or dedicated hobbyists can now better manage all aspects of their work with a new software package "Bead Manager Pro. http://2sbdigest.com/Bead-Enterprise-Management-software 93182C74-F1C8-4590-95FB-F28B360C38F8 Tue, 26 Aug 2008 10:08:03 -0400 The Unexpected Rise of an Artistic "Little Guy." Editor's note: While not directly associated with our industry, this story shows how an artistic venue can be successful. http://2sbdigest.com/Artist-Based-Company-Grows EDE4A982-B29E-4530-AC26-D58D922068F4 Tue, 26 Aug 2008 10:07:21 -0400 Advice to Minorities to Navigate and Succeed in Corporate America After more than 25 years in some of America's top-earning companies, Keith Wyche knows a thing or two about surviving in the workplace. http://2sbdigest.com/Advice-to-Minorities 4C478554-10D9-40AC-9855-FF8CF7B4CF64 Tue, 26 Aug 2008 10:06:45 -0400 A New Way to Analyze and Improve Phone Traffic Small and medium size companies are in need of products and services that help them better understand how their employees are handling phone traffic. http://2sbdigest.com/Improve-Phone-Traffic CA2CA9D5-77F2-4E78-ACA9-F88AA4694221 Tue, 26 Aug 2008 10:06:02 -0400 With Stress Levels Mounting, Experts Urge Managers, Employees To Use Vacation Time With stress at work increasing, advisors are suggesting that managers and workers should be taking vacation. http://2sbdigest.com/Stress-Levels-Higher-Vacations-Urged 2C7367D9-588A-407B-833B-48AFA16078FD Tue, 26 Aug 2008 10:05:19 -0400 Avoiding Project Management Wobbles That Can Make Or Break Careers Project management has its advantages and disadvantages in terms of career advancement. http://2sbdigest.com/Project-Management-Tips DE901261-4CA6-4FD8-9C46-C8745ED45D65 Tue, 26 Aug 2008 10:04:37 -0400 Frequently Asked Questions About Running a Business on Ebay When eBay first got off the ground in the mid-1990s, the site seemed to most people like a fun way to make a few dollars - the online equivalent of a garage sale. http://2sbdigest.com/Running-a-Business-on-Ebay A31E4409-DE26-41E2-9518-57EBECE00AB3 Tue, 26 Aug 2008 10:03:16 -0400 Working Longer: the Secret Weapon for Winning the War on Talent With legions of Baby Boomers approaching retirement age, employers may soon be facing a shortage of skilled, knowledgeable workers and a loss of institutional knowledge. http://2sbdiadigest.com/Working-Longer 1191F6B3-5C61-4A0A-982F-AF536445D2A8 Tue, 26 Aug 2008 10:01:51 -0400 Creating A Promotional Wallop Cheaply And In-House In the not too distant past, only big businesses with deep pockets could create quality in-house color brochures, presentations and collateral. http://2sbdiadigest.com/Adding-Promotional-Wallop 36708FBD-3C43-42F3-80D9-E9FE9D110A64 Tue, 26 Aug 2008 10:01:05 -0400 Integrated Multifunctional Digital Surveillance Solution for Small Businesses For small business owners, keeping their business safe is critical for peace of mind, as well as to protect invaluable assets such as products, employees and customers. http://2sbdigest.com/Multifunctional-Digital-Surveillance 9816C2F9-DA80-4DB6-B864-AD7C931674A4 Tue, 26 Aug 2008 10:00:09 -0400 7 Ways to Lower Healthcare Benefit Costs Without Decreasing Coverage ) With the increasing cost of healthcare premiums, HR professionals must continually look for ways to cut costs in ways other than shifting the full increase to employees. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Lowering-Healthcare-Benefit-Costs FF3E3EE1-E0CA-4B58-85E0-444184F83D78 Tue, 26 Aug 2008 09:59:28 -0400 Free Security Software for Small Businesses A crucial element in business growth is properly maintaining IT infrastructure so it performs and stays protected at all times. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Free-Security-Software 4679E507-0170-473F-8CCE-BE3186EFF518 Tue, 26 Aug 2008 09:54:42 -0400 Two Small Beverage Producers Step Lively Against Big Brands, Win Marketshare In recent months, two upstart companies have demonstrated that smaller competitors can battle big brands and win. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Battling-Brands-Successfully F7371FA1-0907-471D-8F57-99CF1443BFAF Mon, 25 Aug 2008 14:24:17 -0400 Advice to Minorities to Navigate and Succeed in Corporate America After more than 25 years in some of America's top-earning companies, Keith Wyche knows a thing or two about surviving in the workplace. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Advice-to-Minorities 8FB965BD-96BE-4957-960A-B869066FB8D3 Mon, 25 Aug 2008 14:23:26 -0400 A New Way to Analyze and Improve Phone Traffic Small and medium size companies are in need of products and services that help them better understand how their employees are handling phone traffic. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Improve-Phone-Traffic 63E23FA6-9252-42E3-9436-13B2905023A4 Mon, 25 Aug 2008 14:22:36 -0400 With Stress Levels Mounting, Experts Urge Managers, Employees To Use Vacation Time With stress at work increasing, advisors are suggesting that managers and workers should be taking vacation. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Stress-Levels-Higher-Vacations-Urged 0807A009-0F9B-4CE9-A807-D11B43363D94 Mon, 25 Aug 2008 14:21:51 -0400 Avoiding Project Management Wobbles That Can Make Or Break Careers Project management has its advantages and disadvantages in terms of career advancement. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Project-Management-Tips A33BD572-F8EB-4A9C-A340-B4540F08CA66 Mon, 25 Aug 2008 14:20:59 -0400 Frequently Asked Questions About Running a Business on Ebay When eBay first got off the ground in the mid-1990s, the site seemed to most people like a fun way to make a few dollars - the online equivalent of a garage sale. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Running-a-Business-on-Ebay 44366936-4ED0-40B5-95A6-D2A0F03A46EF Mon, 25 Aug 2008 14:20:16 -0400 Working Longer: the Secret Weapon for Winning the War on Talent With legions of Baby Boomers approaching retirement age, employers may soon be facing a shortage of skilled, knowledgeable workers and a loss of institutional knowledge. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Working-Longer B3F5EDB1-68F0-4E0C-908B-81D0A776EBBA Mon, 25 Aug 2008 14:19:24 -0400 Creating A Promotional Wallop Cheaply And In-House In the not too distant past, only big businesses with deep pockets could create quality in-house color brochures, presentations and collateral. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Adding-Promotional-Wallop C3F78896-5F10-4309-AFE3-344CCE8FBBDC Mon, 25 Aug 2008 14:18:51 -0400 Integrated Multifunctional Digital Surveillance Solution for Small Businesses For small business owners, keeping their business safe is critical for peace of mind, as well as to protect invaluable assets such as products, employees and customers http://www.2sbdigest.com/Multifunctional-Digital-Surveillance D029D346-F5C0-49F3-9CF2-5E52C63F799D Mon, 25 Aug 2008 14:17:35 -0400 7 Ways to Lower Healthcare Benefit Costs Without Decreasing Coverage With the increasing cost of healthcare premiums, HR professionals must continually look for ways to cut costs in ways other than shifting the full increase to employees. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Lowering-Healthcare-Benefit-Costs B003ECE8-F770-40FC-8B9E-CC371E80AFE4 Mon, 25 Aug 2008 14:16:50 -0400 Free Security Software for Small Businesses A crucial element in business growth is properly maintaining IT infrastructure so it performs and stays protected at all times. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Free-Security-Software 6EC0A46D-274B-414B-92F4-E515EDE4E168 Mon, 25 Aug 2008 14:16:06 -0400 Flex-scheduling Growing As Profit Tool For Small Business Managers Increasingly, small business managers are turning to flex-hours to better utilize their staff. Approximately one fifth of firms with less than 100 full-time employees offer alternative or flexible scheduling as a retention tool, according to a new Achilles Group survey of small businesses. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Flex-Schedules-Gaining-Favor 9F59016F-5DC7-43D8-87FA-12806C27E700 Thu, 3 Jul 2008 18:00:16 -0400 Creating, Marketing A “Cool Soup” Leads To Successful Venture For two Houston, TX entrepreneurs, overnight success in the foods business took more than three years. It also required hard work, a commitment of substantial capital and a willingness to try different formulations of their product to get just the right blend. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Marketing-New-Cool-Soups Marketing 762DE82A-BF13-4D37-9837-2588AB181F95 Thu, 3 Jul 2008 17:58:51 -0400 New Online Tool Helps Companies Cope with Layoffs Nobscot Corporation has released RIF Manager, a Web-based survey and reporting tool designed to assist companies in recovering from downsizing. The product combines automated exit interviews, surveys of surviving employees, risk assessment, a severance calculator and a variety of other capabilities intended to help organizations deal with the repercussions of reductions in force (RIFs). http://www.2sbdigest.com/Cope-with-Layoffs Marketing 6FF1784D-39BB-41EA-BA09-2262DF9C1E3F Thu, 3 Jul 2008 17:57:58 -0400 How to Reach and Engage Human Resources Buyers and Convert Them to Leads HRmarketer.com has released a new eBook that guides suppliers of human resources (HR) products and services through a three-step process to achieve increased publicity, web site traffic, improved SEO and greater sales leads. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Engage-Human-Resources-Buyers Marketing 92116369-E8AB-4044-AE6D-3875CDD068F5 Thu, 3 Jul 2008 17:56:04 -0400 The Role of Executive Coaching in Today’s Business Environment In today's business environment the forces of globalization, technology and virtual teamwork require additional competencies of leaders. Previously, leadership was focused on unilateral management and dictatorial authority. Today, business leaders are focused on team success, persuasion and influence with an emphasis on coaching over managing. http://www.2sbdigest.com/The-Role-of-Executive-Coaching Staffing CA4DFAFA-CD4E-4848-9988-4BA5BECBBA9E Thu, 3 Jul 2008 17:54:15 -0400 Transpromotion -- New Marketing Concept Gaining Acceptance Marketing professionals are honing on a new concept – transpromotion.Transpromotional solutions combine transactional and promotional content in order to leverage predictable and long-term customer communications. http://www.2sbdigest.com/New-Market-Promotion-Concept Marketing F5D1EBDD-DC53-46E6-A03A-452DF9F87F31 Thu, 3 Jul 2008 17:52:50 -0400 Work Hard and Get to the Top? Experts Say, Not a Chance! Donald Trump, Martha Stewart and Stephen Colbert have in common? They're natural self-promoters. Like top-notch salespeople and empire-building entrepreneurs everywhere, they seize opportunities to make themselves visible. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Work-Hard-and-Get-to-the-Top Staffing F3F6551B-DEBD-4343-9EFB-216E0552FC59 Thu, 3 Jul 2008 17:50:08 -0400 Restoring Pride and Purpose to the Sales Profession The argument is growing that sales professionals are now becoming more consultative in their approach.This has drawn cries of dismay from some experts who lament "Whatever happened to the sales profession?" http://www.2sbdigest.com/Restoring-Pride-and-Purpose Marketing 16B270E8-6F24-4781-9C10-AAF4CD14E07D Thu, 3 Jul 2008 17:48:30 -0400 Online Marketplace Aiding Impoverished Women Impoverished women in the Middle East, Asia, and South America have a new chance at life thanks to the brainchild of a U.S. Marine Captain reservist and a social media technology and online marketing company. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Online-Marketplace-Aiding-Impoverished%20Women Marketing B16A304E-EA32-4954-899B-80BC1A152910 Thu, 3 Jul 2008 17:46:24 -0400 Aligning Work, Fitness and Emotional Wellbeing Aligning personal goals with career goals has never been more difficult than it is today. As technology shrinks the world and businesses compete on a global level, executive workloads have increased dramatically. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Aligning-Work Staffing FFDB73F6-0B09-4CFB-9A92-C009367AE715 Thu, 3 Jul 2008 17:42:15 -0400 Smaller Companies Are More Likely to Experience a Loss Overseas As businesses continue to grow their foreign operations, small to mid-size companies are more likely to experience a loss to corporate assets outside the United States or Canada than larger companies. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Experience-a-Loss-Overseas Trends 6E98C5E0-FA66-4814-9272-A343B4247CAA Tue, 17 Jun 2008 17:57:09 -0400 Hiring Top Talent Getting Harder, Not Easier Despite rising unemployment, hiring quality talent is not getting easier. At a time when recruiting key positions is a cornerstone for corporate competitiveness, a survey of 775 recruiters and managers show that locating qualified candidates for key positions is a huge challenge. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Hiring-Top-Talent-Getting-Harder Staffing 93E91AD4-6F8E-4841-BF2F-9FC54E9E7C65 Tue, 17 Jun 2008 17:56:48 -0400 National Store Location Closing Spells Opportunity For Some Employees One way to jump start a new business is to take over an older, national brand outlet and continue the store concept. In Santa Fe, NM, a veteran employee did just that. http://www.2sbdigest.com/National-Brand-Closing-Spells-Opportunity Success Stories 5C6B5FBB-11C0-40AD-91FD-538E2FE52A11 Tue, 17 Jun 2008 17:56:26 -0400 Tested Spammer, Email Protection Available For Smaller Firms Increasingly, companies are suffering from spammer problems. Like mosquTechnologyo protection, as companies ramp up protection, spammers find ways around these efforts. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Enterprise-class-Email-SecurTechnologyy Technology 1B5A0CF2-1C69-4400-854F-CFA65D9F298A Tue, 17 Jun 2008 17:55:58 -0400 Hispanic Widow Grows Foods Business, Adds Products Like many women, Lydia Gutierrez was forced to keep a business going after her husband and partner died. As is the case in many situations like this, not only did the company survive but it thrives today, thanks in great part to her leadership and fortitude. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Hispanic-Widow-Grows-Foods-Business Success Stories D1B1401B-F245-4AFC-956A-071671667F0B Tue, 17 Jun 2008 17:55:20 -0400 Travel Expenses Gaining Greater Attention From Corporate Management, As Alternatives Sought Travel and entertainment (T&E) is an area of significant spend within an enterprise. With increase in gas prices and other expenses associated with travel, this drain on resources will continue to grow. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Travel-Expenses-Need-Monitoring Finance 550CCDF3-2784-4383-B4DC-B6E9B12D2494 Tue, 17 Jun 2008 17:54:56 -0400 Georgia Adopts Tax Policy To Help Small Business Provide Healthcare Insurance To Employees Georgia has adopted a new tax policy in a further sign of the growing use of HSAs as a means of helping small employers provide healthcare insurance benefits. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Georgia-HSA-Tax-Incentives Finance 9FF0C8E9-3A83-471B-9267-18866E9CA2BC Tue, 17 Jun 2008 17:54:36 -0400 Companies Can Generate Sales With Book That Highlights Expertise For companies looking to generate new sales, one expert has an interesting, effective approach --- books. More specifically, one book written by a senior manager, usually President or CEO, that is designed to display the firm's prowess in the target sector. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Company-Written-Books-Generate-Sales Marketing 6696FAEA-A1C5-489F-83FD-A23F5D5E707E Tue, 17 Jun 2008 17:53:53 -0400 How to Discover a Brand's Truth Branding is at best an art and at worse, a difficult task that leaves many companies with questions. For many companies, finding the right position within the marketplace is also a time-consuming and frustrating task. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Discover-a-Brand's-Truth Marketing D0F94515-ED4B-4D23-AFD1-51BAA9E1F976 Tue, 17 Jun 2008 17:53:31 -0400 Using Social Networking To Sell Products Especially Helpful To Smallest Enterprises Companies of all sizes, including home-based businesses, now have a new marketing channel. A Colorado company has merged social networking with specialty sales, a model that can enable even the smallest companies to build storefront with a built-in audience. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Social-Networking-Sales-Channel Marketing BB99FAFD-3D3D-4EF2-BFF4-D482BFEB1F2C Tue, 17 Jun 2008 17:53:04 -0400 Growing Dependency On Broadband Means Even Small Firms Face Pitfalls Caused By Providers As more and more of even the smallest homebased businesses become increasingly dependent on high-speed intertet connections, they are also subject to increasing problems. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Growing-Dependency-On-Broadband-Pitfalls Technology 7EBE1582-002B-4AD6-BB13-50C91DCABCFF Tue, 17 Jun 2008 17:52:33 -0400 "The Curse of Knowledge" Muddies Corporate Communications Business communicators sometimes become the victim of their own success and insularity. It’s called the curse of knowledge. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Corporate-Communications-Problems-Solutions Management 036A03FD-2F24-4D94-B18D-4AFD9D1E8DE1 Tue, 17 Jun 2008 17:51:38 -0400 Six Rules for Increasing Revenue and Profits In today's business world, much of the work is focused on cost management. What many business people have failed to realize, however, is that almost any company has the potential to geometrically increase their revenue stream and profitability. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Six%20Rules-for-Increasing-Revenue-and-Profits Marketing 478816F6-AFDC-4D22-9F0F-385E42BA597E Tue, 17 Jun 2008 17:51:06 -0400 Infomercial King Gives Tips On Selling Products On TV Many business leaders have wondered if they can use television “infomercials” as a way of jump starting their products. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Infomercial-King-Offers-Tips Marketing A529F697-E0E1-410C-9A22-F0994E79127B Tue, 17 Jun 2008 17:50:45 -0400 Four Factors To Consider In Resolving Job Dissatisfaction Over half of U.S. workers are dissatisfied with their jobs, and problems have persisted unresolved for at least two decades without improvements on the horizon, says one respected non-profit business group. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Four-Factors-to-Resolving-Job-Dissatisfaction Management 92335AF4-0087-4E79-B5F2-DD978F7ECC7A Tue, 17 Jun 2008 17:50:20 -0400 More Small Manufacturers Considering Expansion, But Not Physical Plant More owners and managers of manufacturing businesses plan to grow their operations during the course of the next 12 to 24 months, but they will be doing so more through investments in human resources and customer needs rather than in facilities and processes, according to the latest Small Business Research Board (SBRB) study. http://www.2sbdigest.com/More-Small-Manufacturers-Considering-Expansion Trends 8DBB0739-EC64-4D60-926B-F87860C4987C Tue, 17 Jun 2008 17:49:59 -0400 Online Marketplace For Lead Generation, Sales An interesting new approach for obtaining sales leads has been launched out of beta testing is now available to all users. An exchange where sales leads can be bought and sold has been launched by Salesconx.com, an online business referral marketplace. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Online-Marketplace-for-Lead-Generation Marketing 86968F5E-F9BA-444C-95B4-0389419707BD Tue, 17 Jun 2008 17:49:32 -0400 Tips For Finding The Right Decision Person Within A Target Company Whether contacting someone to submit a resume to or as a source of sales lead generation, it can be extremely difficult to locate the right person within a company. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Finding-the-Right-Person Marketing A1FB3C08-656F-447B-B08B-8DB5C0646EA6 Tue, 17 Jun 2008 17:49:14 -0400 Businesses Face Harsher Rules If Employee Social Security Numbers Are Not Verified Business managers are faced with a requirement that they resolve social security number discrepancies within 93 days or face penalties if they have not discharged the employee involved. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Harsher-Rules-For-Mistaken-SSS-number Staffing 971CAD2A-C5B9-4E43-A7AB-38EF429ECC3D Tue, 17 Jun 2008 17:48:41 -0400 10 Tips to Boost Business in Down Economy Small and family businesses are facing tough challenges from the economy’s slowdown, but they can weather the downturn by considering 10 business-boosting strategies, according to the small business unit of Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Co. (MassMutual). http://www.2sbdigest.com/10-Tips-to-Boost-Business Marketing 7F67C90E-3493-4B3B-81A1-07C53C87FF3F Tue, 17 Jun 2008 17:48:18 -0400 Government Program Offers Easy, Free Method To Verify Immigration Status Of Potential Employees Companies wanting to check on the immigration status of employees have a little known but effective program available at no cost that is being provided as part of the federal government’s homeland security agency. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Social-Security-Verification-Offering Staffing 15288CE0-EF45-4671-8E33-9427DD868070 Tue, 17 Jun 2008 17:47:48 -0400 Business Leaders Planning Recession Measures But Few Are Implementing Now This newsletter's parent, Information Strategies, Inc., has surveyed more than 6,000 business leaders on what actions they are taking under the threat of reduced business activity http://www.2sbdigest.com/Business-Leaders-Preparing-For-Recession Trends 5714A3D4-43D0-4C55-A389-C8608E247F34 Tue, 17 Jun 2008 17:44:05 -0400 Intuit Survey Mirrors Positive Feeling Amongst Small Firms About Recession Challenges Intuit Survey Mirrors Positive Feeling Amongst Small Firms About Recession Challenges http://www.2sbdigest.com/Intuit-Survey-Shows-Optimism Trends E17D0C2D-0E42-4C45-B5F4-816367EADFE3 Tue, 17 Jun 2008 17:43:10 -0400 Top 10 Tips For Surviving An Economic Downturn With the economy sliding into a recession, business leaders should be taking action now to ensure their survival and continued success. “Many of our clients are asking us what they should be doing now to prepare for an economy that goes south,” said Matt Kuchinsky, a partner in the White Plains, N.Y., office of Citrin Cooperman http://www.2sbdigest.com/Surviving-An-Economic-Downturn Trends 70A1C3BA-D4FC-42C9-8D80-910776D04891 Tue, 17 Jun 2008 17:42:02 -0400 Payment Collections May Slow As Recession Grows, Expert Offers Some Suggestions To Speed Collections The prospects of a recession are raising fears that businesses will not be paid as quickly for goods or services rendered. An expert offers advice and a solution for business leaders concerned about their customers’ ability to pay bills on time http://www.2sbdigest.com/Improving-Collections-In-A-Recession Trends F7409240-559B-46A2-AB1F-50B90320455A Tue, 17 Jun 2008 17:40:10 -0400 5 Reasons Why a Small Business Should Choose a PEO Experts have argued about the merits of having employees managed through a Professional Employee Organization (PEO). Often times, the "pros" outweigh the "cons." http://www.2sbdigest.com/Top-Five-Reasons-to-Choose-a-PEO Staffing CBA3B91C-0E3E-4633-A868-2C9DEA800D4C Tue, 17 Jun 2008 17:39:28 -0400 Six Truths Companies Need to Know about Really Putting the Customer First Most leaders wake up each morning hoping to live up to their company's promise to maximize customer value and deliver the best possible customer experience. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Six-Truths-Companies-Need-to-Know Marketing F46107FF-3682-42CE-BFB9-BA98E6ED3035 Tue, 17 Jun 2008 17:38:39 -0400 How to Negotiate Anything with Anyone Anywhere Around the World In this age of the "global village" it takes world-class negotiation skills and international savvy to close successful business deals in other countries. But where is information easily available on the etiquette and practical nature of wheeling and dealing abroad? http://www.2sbdigest.com/How-to-Negotiate-Anything Marketing 8B61186E-97A0-41A1-8998-C4C97DD03BBC Tue, 17 Jun 2008 17:38:17 -0400 Six Ways to Manage Anxiety, Calm Down Employees and Save the Company The uncertain economy keeps everyone, even those who work for successful companies, slightly off-balance. With economists predicting that the US has slipped into a recession, these pressures will grow even more intense. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Six-Ways-to-Manage-Anxiety Management 2BE53561-43D2-4C31-8D8F-DADC3D2A3E3A Tue, 17 Jun 2008 17:37:54 -0400 Creating a Virtual Office for a Small Business With GotVMail, a small business can sound more professional and streamline its communications by creating a virtual office that connects callers to employees wherever they are, on any type of phone - home, office, VoIP, or mobile - without any equipment to purchase or maintain. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Creating-a-Virtual-Office Technology 4CEFCF05-F55C-4DC5-8375-8ED74A6A3A6B Tue, 17 Jun 2008 17:37:29 -0400 Tips For Small Businesses Dealing With New Technology Realities As businesses of all sizes become more dependent on technology to build and sustain growth, there are considerations that must go into the purchasing and maintenance process. Another key consideration is the need to insure that there is a back-up plan should the firm be hit with a disaster, either natural or man-made. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Dealing-With-New-Technology-Realities Technology F25A424E-5642-4115-8F1B-5430C6F9DD92 Tue, 17 Jun 2008 17:35:20 -0400 Creating Highly Personalized Marketing Pieces Leads To Better Marketing When’s the last time people received a direct mailer with their name on it that felt personal? Or, how about the branded pens, coffee mugs and other trinkets that are personalized to the company trying to sell something -- not to the person receiving it? http://www.2sbdigest.com/Prospecting-That-Gets-Personal Marketing 3076E0D2-FF0C-4330-BE00-CF5A81BE2C96 Tue, 17 Jun 2008 17:35:04 -0400 5 Top Security Issues Facing Individuals, Companies Who File Taxes Electronically Filing corporate and individual tax returns electronically is becoming more popular and in some cases required. However, there are pitfalls that must be addressed by filers to insure data is protected. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Five-Top-Online-Tax-Filing-Problems Technology 2D4D7486-B469-454D-98C5-F163C46EE984 Tue, 17 Jun 2008 17:30:38 -0400 7 Branding Trends for 2008 Experts are projecting new directions for companies planning to build their brands in 2008. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Branding-Trends-for-2008 Trends DA2528C1-CDD6-4203-91FA-1C45D794B954 Tue, 17 Jun 2008 17:30:27 -0400 Companies Need To Think, Plan Before Making Their First Hire Companies need to think and plan before making their first hire. Karen White, Vice President of Product Management, PayCycle Inc., offers 7 important things to know before a company brings its first employee in the door. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Think-Plan-Before-First-Hire Staffing 9C8978AF-567D-457C-B317-2DB215831DBD Tue, 17 Jun 2008 17:29:50 -0400 Top Ten Steps To Effective Delegation Executives and managers are often left feeling frustrated when their staff doesn't perform a task the way they expected. This feeling can be eliminated by sharpening communication and filling in the gaps that are often left open for interpretation by employees. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Ten-Steps-To-Effective-Delegation Staffing 3D94DB3D-13A1-4C83-8A91-37FFEA74135E Tue, 17 Jun 2008 17:29:31 -0400 Flex Business Leadership Muscles (Without Intimidating) Consider, for a moment, the analogy of business to personal fitness. Imagine one of the universal weight-lifting machines at a local gym, or the one gathering dust in the basement. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Flex-Business-Leadership-Muscles Management 77189028-3286-42F4-9DC3-F5FE0848E668 Tue, 17 Jun 2008 17:29:18 -0400 How Mobilizing the Enterprise Can Improve Productivity, Profits Mobilizing the enterprise can improve productivity, reduce paperwork and improve profitability in any organization that has a significant percentage of the workforce in the field. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Mobilizing-the-Enterprise Management 3C010679-FA58-4138-BE08-34D032213A24 Tue, 17 Jun 2008 17:28:54 -0400 New Hire Retention Trumps Productivity As Top Factor Driving Onboarding Companies are recognizing that new hires require up to six months to make a decision to stay. Managers must begin to build rapport early and to work with new staff members over a longer period of time to insure staff stability, new study indicates. http://www.2sbdigest.com/New-Hire-Retention Management 71D8DF51-AC4B-4E29-9EAA-49CBA8EA211D Tue, 17 Jun 2008 17:28:24 -0400 Businessman Goes From Hospital Orderly to CEO Mike Murphy floated through life for a while, having held several interesting positions, including janitor's assistant, busboy, cook, welder, Maytag repairman, hospital orderly and orthopedic technician. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Businessman-Goes-From-Hospital%20Orderly-to-CEO Success Stories 2DB891B2-BB1E-4F9E-922E-428CEFA57184 Tue, 17 Jun 2008 17:28:00 -0400 Getting a Leg Up on the Possibilities of Personal Recession There are some proactive steps consumers can take to avoid being hit hard by the possible waves of a recession and that companies can share with employees who may be concerned. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Possibilities-of-Personal-Recession Management D6B950C0-0CC9-498E-846C-088C98826363 Tue, 17 Jun 2008 17:27:29 -0400 Stricter Credit Card Rules Going Into Effect For Merchants Because of the growing risks surrounding Web applications, the PCI Data Security Council -- founded by Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express, and JCB Cards -- will be enforcing stricter rules when it comes to Web app security starting in June. http://www.2sbdigest.com/PCI-Web-Application-Security Marketing E159FD3B-656F-4FE1-8BB9-CC6CBE462AC8 Tue, 17 Jun 2008 17:27:00 -0400 Five Pricing Strategies For Companies During A Recession Pricing during a recession or economic downturn or recession is tricky, requires considerable thought and is fraught with dangers. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Five-Pricing-Strategies Marketing 2C32EA9E-7052-4820-9053-095557312DE6 Tue, 17 Jun 2008 17:26:29 -0400 Companies Save Money, Increase Sales With New Broadcast Technology To Clients, Sales Force, Others While there is no substitute for face-to-face meetings, companies are increasingly faced with the need to maximize their resources. One solution already being used is radio webcasts. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Internet-Television-Meetings-At-Less-Cost Technology 5D8C024C-9931-449E-B771-404ABEB3FE34 Tue, 17 Jun 2008 17:25:51 -0400 Glass Work Artist, Owner Offers Tips On Building, Promoting Smaller, Niche Shop While glass work is an art and has unique promotional opportunities, there is much to learn from successful practioners, recognized as one of the fastest growing craft areas. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Tips-To-Drive-Sales-Profits Success Stories 9127AF9B-02EF-4CC2-A0E4-575E88D5B35E Tue, 17 Jun 2008 17:25:40 -0400 Access to Marketing Content Results in Increased Sales Effectiveness The relationship between sales and marketing departments has traditionally been a fragmented one. One way to increase sales effectiveness is through the mutual sharing of content and information between sales and marketing, which a recent survey suggest has emerged as a method to increase sales productivity. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Aligning-Sales-Marketing-Key Marketing 1035CAC1-28C2-43B5-912A-7BB9455C9948 Tue, 17 Jun 2008 17:22:11 -0400 Seven Top Online Marketing Trends for 2008 To know where companies are headed in 2008, they must understand how Americans adapt to the latest information and communications technology. According to May 2007 research from the Pew Internet & American Life Project, roughly half of Americans actively use online communications devices. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Online-Marketing-Trends-for-2008 Trends 5F963DBD-D089-4B53-A9C3-5C68E7608722 Tue, 17 Jun 2008 17:21:43 -0400 Renowned Trend Spotter Sees Significant Changes Ahead For Marketers "The cultural "uber-movement" is represented by the trend Anchoring; reaching for our spiritual roots to secure the future," says leading trend forecaster Faith Popcorn in BrainReserve's 2008 forecast (www.faithpopcorn.com). http://www.2sbdigest.com/Trend-Spotter-Sees-Changes Trends E319E746-61BC-4911-9105-0CEFA91F26E5 Tue, 17 Jun 2008 17:21:09 -0400 Secrets to Success in Wellness Programs Wise executives recognize that while employees are most definitely human beings, they also are machines of production that require maintenance. According to the federal Centers for Disease Control, preventable illnesses and medical conditions comprise approximately 90% of United States $1.4 trillion medical care costs. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Success-in-Wellness-Programs Benefits B291228C-FC52-4C8B-9395-D2AEE044C3D8 Tue, 17 Jun 2008 17:20:36 -0400 New Technology, Virtual World Challenges Force Consumers To Use Support Offerings Even with advances and awareness of computer security, viruses and spyware continue to infiltrate computers, leaving consumers frustrated and unable to protect their computers properly. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Consumers-Seeking-PC-Support Technology 185D7623-B121-42FE-8482-CF2BE4527124 Tue, 17 Jun 2008 17:20:15 -0400 Rewriting the Rules of Great Salesmanship and Customer Loyalty The most successful business today isn’t part of the Fortune 500. With more than four billion customers, many people don’t realize that it’s a business at all, says bestselling author and business maverick Mark Stevens. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Rules-of-Salesmanship-and-Customer-Loyalty Marketing 0B200AF4-F20E-4E4D-A522-EBCF51745EF3 Tue, 17 Jun 2008 17:19:57 -0400 Executive Intelligence: What All Great Leaders Have Why is it that some business people lead so effortlessly, while others struggle trying to find the right ways to create strategy, solve problems, motivate, and manage? http://www.2sbdigest.com/Executive-Intelligence Management 21892E33-2102-435E-B2F4-D4DCF062F252 Tue, 17 Jun 2008 17:19:31 -0400 Companies Still Wary Of RFID Usage But It Is Growing And Will Soon Demand Resources Of Many Suppliers Many business managers are aware of the growth in RFID as a tool for managing products and inventory. For several years, large domestic giants such as Wal-Mart have been increasing their use of RFID and demanding that their suppliers participate. http://www.2sbdigest.com/RFID-Usage-Report Technology BC760F40-0CEB-4E42-B6ED-C8847A57A303 Tue, 17 Jun 2008 17:19:06 -0400 Service For Small Enterprises Reduces Operation Needs, Expenses Not only do home-based business leaders and consultants need to sell their products and services, they need to manage their firms as well. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Back-Office-Provider-Reduces-Costs Technology 776F6D84-597F-4FA3-9F65-A436441C04F9 Tue, 17 Jun 2008 17:18:51 -0400 Business Referral Marketplace to Offer Profitable Online Networking Salesconx is a business referral marketplace that is offering profitable online networking to its users, through Salesconx. More than 1,000 active users have already signed up for the free service and 400 business transactions have been completed. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Profitable-Online-Networking Marketing 56CDA96E-8E0B-4CBC-BF6F-123922FCB7F0 Tue, 17 Jun 2008 17:17:32 -0400 Fear Of IRS Audit Keeps Many Home-Office Users From Filing For Tax Deduction Many home-office users are afraid to take the tax deduction due them under the IRS code. The main reason, experts suggest, is because they are afraid of being audited by the IRS if they do. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Home-Office-Tax-Deduction Finance B3C550A2-CA51-4A35-A3FF-06FEC4D90F81 Tue, 17 Jun 2008 17:16:35 -0400 HR Executives Pessimistic About 2008, Plan Cutbacks Human resource trends in 2008 are expected to focus on reduced salary, benefit costs and improved productivity as many companies fear a slowdown in the economy. http://www.2sbdigest.com/HR-Executives-Worried-About-2008 Trends C5579E23-3F91-4880-B8BF-C3E2FD2E7A30 Tue, 17 Jun 2008 17:15:52 -0400 Small Businesses Find Solution to Age-Old Question: What Advertising Works? Running a business is more than just providing a great service for a fair price. Some experts argue that as much time should be spent growing a business as perfecting its services. For most business leaders, promotion http://www.2sbdigest.com/What_Advertising_Works Marketing CC8ADF23-112D-4D8B-95E9-9D4DCA723958 Tue, 17 Jun 2008 17:15:20 -0400 2008 New Year's Resolutions Signal Shift in Consumers' Priorities Over the years, individual New Year's resolutions have been clues to the changing outlook of individuals and groups. This year's crop of resolutions show a greater than normal change in these vows. http://www.2sbdigest.com/2008_Resolutions_Signal_Shift Marketing 1C6A21C1-8B85-4C79-B8FE-4FB0CF03CD0A Tue, 17 Jun 2008 17:14:50 -0400 How to Attract and Hire Generation Y Candidates Companies today face a significant hiring overhang that will change the chemistry and corporate culture of many companies. Particularly in the sales and service area, the nation is moving from staffers in the so-called Generation X to Generation Y employees. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Attract_and_Hire_Generation_Y Management DD030A68-F0D5-4A82-BFA7-69F9E2B0B3DF Tue, 17 Jun 2008 17:13:56 -0400 Work-Life Balance - Tips for Staying Focused and Productive Twenty four hours. That’s all people get. No amount of wishing, complaining, or creative time management will ever change that. Each day contains only so many hours, each week just so many days. Yet the amount of work people must try to squeeze into those hours can be mind-boggling. Not to mention the family responsibilities, household maintenance, social commitments, and life in general. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Work_Life_Balance_Tips Management F3A88210-6008-469A-8961-AF7108EA5D4F Tue, 17 Jun 2008 17:13:02 -0400 Nurturing Talent in 2008, Key To Long Term Profits One of the most important and toughest tasks facing managers and HR professionals in the coming year is to nurture the talent within an organization. One way of accomplishing this task is to improve and encourage mentoring and coaching within the organization. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Nurturing-Talent-in-2008 Management 81B2930D-66CC-498B-8A9B-F271F711BD1B Tue, 17 Jun 2008 17:12:18 -0400 As Businesses Mature, Internal Controls Needed to Prevent Employee Theft With growth of a business, comes the same challenges that established businesses face, one of which is employ theft and fraud. Theft or fraud at a these businesses can take on many forms, in most cases cutting into profit margins. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Default.aspx?DN=463c2b31-d199-42ce-8945-7fc6b35103db Organization 0EECB5B5-CAD6-4296-AFE3-877434387238 Tue, 17 Jun 2008 17:11:43 -0400 Seven Secrets To Negotiating With Government Agencies Business leaders interact with government entities every day. They are often competing for government contracts, facing new sets of negotiations as they expand, seeking approval for a new building, etc. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Secrets-for-Negotiating-with-Government Marketing CA4B1636-86CE-4D82-B501-88E4A6486089 Tue, 17 Jun 2008 17:11:37 -0400 An Avalanche Of HSAs Expected To Descend In Early 2008 Millions of Americans will start using their Health Savings Accounts begining this January. For many of these individuals and their families, this will usher in a brave new world where they face unexpected challenges and at the same time find they are in greater control of their healthcare both in terms of Finance and delivery of services. http://www.2sbdigest.com/HSA-Growth-Explodes-In-January Benefits B68D7F35-A8EA-46D6-BB21-99C73A54F5AF Tue, 17 Jun 2008 17:10:23 -0400 10 Marketing Resolutions for 2008 It's that time of year again when people list their New Years resolutions. Lose 10 lbs, get to work early, call Mom every week. Sometimes they seem too hard, even though people know they should do them. Here is a list of 10 achievable marketing resolutions all businesses should focus on in the New Year. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Marketing_Resolutions_for_2008 Marketing A160D8D9-96C6-401B-9458-6E202E6D51A8 Tue, 17 Jun 2008 16:52:17 -0400 Manufacturing Up, But Service Sector Down In Cash Management Survey The whirlwind that hit the housing and credit markets appears to be seeping down into business credit efforts. A major credit index dropped to its lowest point in its more than five year history. With growth in the nation's manufacturing sector being trumped by a sharp contraction in the service sector. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Cash-Management-Woes-Reported Trends EFB01434-10FC-47A7-90E5-B6ECC315ECC7 Tue, 17 Jun 2008 16:51:46 -0400 Flash Drives As Giveaways May Be Carrying A Computer Virus Or Worse Visitors to trade shows and other events might want to forgo consumer electronics products like digital picture frames and USB flash drives. Reports are surfacing that some of these giveaways have been found infested with malware. http://www.2sbdigest.com/Giveways-May-Contain-Viruses Technology 8416946A-45FC-462E-8EF8-87CD16B95C7E Tue, 17 Jun 2008 16:39:49 -0400