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Small business is not for the faint of heart. And, while we’re on the subject, it’s not for those who want a predictable existence where everything stays the same. Making your small business work and then grow will require sharp thinking and decisive action. But most importantly, it will require a competitive edge. For any small business, survival will depend on going head to head with larger companies that are, in many cases, better financed and more experienced than youRead More

From Small Business Trends

Small Business News: The Competitive Edge

August was crowded, as far as small business research goes. So, without further ado, here’s a good sampling:

Devil in The Details

Verizon released a survey late last month which found that larger-revenue small businesses are more likely to have Web sites than smaller- revenue firms — at least, within limits.

They found that 56 percent of firms with revenues between $250,000 and $750,000 have company Web sites, while a much more substantial 73 percent of firms earning between $750Read More

From Small Business Trends

Research Roundup: Big Picture, Little Picture

Are you a local small business retailer? If so, Google made an announcement last week that you should pay attention to. Are you listening?

A few months ago Google began experimenting with Google Local Shopping, a service that lets customers find and buy products that are in stock nearby. Whether it’s a certain kind of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream or a special set of headphones, with one search customers can find the retailers in their area that sellRead More

From Small Business Trends

Google Local Shopping Tells Customers You Have It In Stock

The real key to economic recovery isn’t in the form of a piece of legislation waiting for passage in Congress or on the President’s desk awaiting signature. In fact, the real key to economic recovery doesn’t lie in the hands of any legislature or government entity on the face of the Earth. The real key to economic recovery lies in the hands of people like you and me. Small business owners and entrepreneurs with the imagination and drive to innovateRead More

From Small Business Trends

Small Business News: The Real Key To Economic Recovery

A recent Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) report on entrepreneurship training asks a central question for anyone interested in starting a business: “Does entrepreneurship education make a difference?”

You might think that this question has been resolved. After all, the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation reports that more than 2,000 U.S. colleges and universities teach entrepreneurship. How could all those professors teach something that might not matter?

As surprising as it may sound, we don’t know the effect that entrepreneurshipRead More

From Small Business Trends

Does Entrepreneurship Education Make People Better Entrepreneurs?

I’m excited to tell you about BizTechDay, which is coming up in 3 cities:

Seattle – September 18, 2010
New York – September 24, 2010
San Francisco – October 23, 2010

I’ll be attending and speaking at BizTechDay in San Francisco. I would love to see you there at that event.

BizTechDay is an intensive one-day conference founded by Edith Yeung, a young entrepreneur herself. I met Edith in New York earlier this yearRead More

From Small Business Trends

Get Fired Up at BizTech Day: Join Me

There are dozens, if not hundreds, of social media books out there.  So how is a many-hat-wearing business owner supposed to know which ones to read?   Here is a list of the 10 social media books that small business owners can read to get the most bang for their social media investment of time and money.

About the List

Putting together this list was challenging because there are so many wonderful books to choose from.  Ultimately it came down toRead More

From Small Business Trends

10 Social Media Books Every Small Business Owner Should Read

This fall has lots of great contests and competitions – don’t miss the opportunity to win some nice business services, prizes, cash and even investors.

This list of contests, competitions and awards for small businesses is brought to you every other week as a community service by Small Business Trends and Smallbiztechnology.com.

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The Franchise Council Contest
Enter by September 6, 2010

ARead More

From Small Business Trends

Small Biz Contests and Competitions

Want to be the one that makes the big play in business?

Don’t just imagine a single monumental act like a scene from a movie.  Instead, plan on a series of well-executed plays.

At least that’s my takeaway from the new book Clutch: Why Some People Excel Under Pressure But Others Don’t by Paul Sullivan, a New York Times columnist who writes the “Wealth Matters” column for the paper.  I received a review copy of this book, and was intriguedRead More

From Small Business Trends

Clutch Helps Business Owners Perform in Tough Times

When I received Competitive Selling: Out-Plan, Out-Think, Out-Sell To Win Every Time from the publisher, I wasn’t exactly eager to pick it up.  After all, I feel like they should have paid me for all the sales training courses I’ve taken in the last 20-plus years.

I’m not going to bore you here with the myriad sales role-plays and sometimes ridiculous models and processes that I’ve been subjected to and tried, because you probably have your very own history that’sRead More

From Small Business Trends

Competitive Selling: A Myth-Buster That Will Improve Your Performance