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Small Business Blog

Charles M Cooper

Playing Broadband Monopoly: Watch Your Internet Costs!

The broadband companies are looking to raise your Internet costs. Learn what they are doing, why they say they're doing it and start thinking how you can protect yourself and your business.

Tags: broadband, internet

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Posted: 6/9/2008 | Comments (12)

Cheryl Sowa

How To Generate and Receive Effective Feedback

Along with the good always comes the bad. Even though many of us do not want to acknowledge criticism, it is an essential component of success of any small business. Feedback is the simplest way to gain valuable information about your business from your customers' point of view. How you decide to provide a way to receive feedback from your customers is up to you, but it is important you do so.

Tags: customer feedback

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Posted: 6/9/2008 | Comments (0)

Charles M Cooper

Webinars, Webcasts and Podcasts for Your Business

The following events, which deal with a number of Internet-related topics, are of interest to any business owner who depends on the Internet. Some can be accessed on demand while for others there are dates and times as well as “limited seating.” Check them out and get ahead of the competition.

Tags: webinars, webcasts, podcasts

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Posted: 6/6/2008 | Comments (0)

Cheryl Sowa

Top Ten Social Network Websites for Small Businesses

A successful social network allows users to connect virtually by sharing common ideas, goals, and values. Social network services can prove useful to small businesses as they provide a way for them to get their name out there. Here are some sites you might want to consider for your business.

Tags: social networks

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Posted: 6/6/2008 | Comments (31)

Charles M Cooper

D-Day and Small Business: A Story of Success in World War II

Tomorrow is the anniversary of one of the greatest—and most terrible—days in human history: The D-Day Invasion of France. When we think of D-Day, we think of the landings at beaches called Omaha and Utah, Juno, Sword and Gold; but we should also take a moment to reflect on the contributions made by small businesses that helped our forces prevail.

Tags: history, wwii

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Posted: 6/5/2008 | Comments (0)

Charles M Cooper

Incentives: Making the Most of High Gas Prices

Leave it to American business to take a problem, such as the high gasoline prices that plague drivers today, and turn it into an opportunity. By turning gasoline into a purchase incentive for cars and hotel stays, these businesses are showing that even in bleak economic times, there are ways to do well by doing good for their customers.

Tags: gas, incentives

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Posted: 6/4/2008 | Comments (0)

Charles M Cooper

Saving Money on Company Health Insurance

Employers everywhere are looking for ways to cut the cost of the health care benefits they offer to their employees. Here are some tried and true methods that can lower your costs without leaving your employees unprotected.

Tags: health insurance

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Posted: 6/3/2008 | Comments (0)

Charles M Cooper

Helping with the Gas Crisis: What You Can Do for Your Employees

The national average price for regular gas is nearly at $4 a gallon and we are all feeling the pinch. Have you considered the expenses of your own employees? How much does it cost for them to go to and from work each day or, more to the point, what percentage of their income must now be devoted to commuting and what can you, as an employer, do to ease the pain caused by ever-increasing fuel prices? You might be surprised.

Tags: gas, car pool, public transportation

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Posted: 6/2/2008 | Comments (3)

Charles M Cooper

Exempt vs. Non-exempt Employees: Which One Are You?

the good old days when it was just a question of whether you had a salary or an hourly wage! If you were salaried, you got a yearly income figure and no overtime. If you were hourly, you got an hourly income figure and overtime. This basic set-up has been around since the inception of the Department of Labor’s Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) in the 1930s, but over the years things have become a little complicated, especially when it comes to small business.

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Posted: 5/30/2008 | Comments (7)

Charles M Cooper

Protect Your Affiliate Marketing Efforts

Affiliate marketing has been a great thing for many companies and has allowed a large number of people to work from home. However, as with any good thing, there are those intent on abusing it and turning it from a way to make a legitimate living into a tool for thievery. Learn how to spot the scammers and what you can do to protect your affiliate marketing efforts.

Tags: affiliate, marketing

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Posted: 5/29/2008 | Comments (1)

Lisa Doyle

Our Favorite Things

For our May/June issue’s cover story, “Hot List 2008,” we covered 100 of the must-know items for small businesses in America today. Inspired by the topic, we surveyed ABC employees to find out what some of their personal favorite things are!

Tags: favorite things

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Posted: 5/28/2008 | Comments (3)

Charles M Cooper

Emergency Planning for Small Businesses

How prepared are you for some natural or man-made disaster? Now that we are well into the 2008 tornado season here in the U.S., that’s a question many small business owners should be asking themselves. Most people don’t have the first clue as to how to prepare their business for a disaster of any size, but have no fear. By taking the kinds of hazard that might be faced one at a time, we’ll show you how to plan for a disaster and get your company up and running again as quickly as possible.

Tags: tornado, fire, flood, disaster plan

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Posted: 5/27/2008 | Comments (0)

Charles M Cooper

Airline Customer Service: A New Morality Tale for Businesses Large and Small

Any good businessman understands one thing—if he understands nothing else—that customer service is vitally important to the continued survival of a company. In fact, ask any small business owner the secret of his success and the answer will usually have something to do with customer service. That is a lesson that the airlines seem to have forgotten.

Tags: airlines, customer service

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Posted: 5/23/2008 | Comments (1)

Charles M Cooper

LifeLock Founder Learns a Lesson in Marketing

Lessons that arise from marketing mistakes can have severe and often unforeseen consequences. LifeLock, the folks that promise you that your identity cannot be stolen while using their service, and their founder, are learning such a lesson.

Tags: marketing, lifelock

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Posted: 5/22/2008 | Comments (0)

Lynn

Money Saving Tips for Hitting the Road

In addition to small business owners that may have a small fleet of company vehicles, vacationers will soon feel the crunch at the gas pump this Memorial Day weekend. Here are some tips for minimizing the strain on your wallet.

Tags: gas, money, save, small business

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Posted: 5/21/2008 | Comments (22)