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There are many reasons why a business needs to keep an eye on the competition. From pricing your products competitively, to gauging how similar businesses are reacting to market forces, to understanding where you stand in the highly competitive space of online search rankings.

But how do you effectively sneak a peek at the competition, or even snuggle up to it? Here are five tips for researching and getting to know your competition Read More

Thinking of investing in social media but struggling to know where to start? According to a recent survey, 46% of small business owners said they wish they knew more about social media. And, while coming up with a social media strategy is one thing, it also helps to have a basic understanding of what each of the major social media sites can and can’t do for your small business and its customers. Here’s a quick 101 on how to best leverage the top three social networking sites – Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn Read More

Hiring the right employee, the first time, is probably one of the hardest parts of running a small business. And nothing is more costly than getting it wrong. Here are some tips, from the experts at SCORE, for navigating the hiring process and finding and retaining the right talent. Read More

The last few years has largely seen the demise of the published edition of the Yellow Pages and the growth of Internet-based search tools.

This is good news for small business owners – if you can make your business listing stand out from the crowd.

But, before you rush out to hire a search engine optimization consultant, consider these tips for making sure your small business is prominent in an online search Read More

The U.S. government offers many resources and programs to help small business owners expand into overseas markets. But, you might be surprised at just how much Uncle Sam has to offer.

For example, did you know the government can help target and facilitate meetings with potential partners and buyers? Or that Uncle Sam provides U.S. exporters with international marketing and promotion opportunities?

Let me introduce you to Export.gov Read More

The recession withstanding, government-backed small business loans account for billions of dollars in lending. Yet many myths and misconceptions exist as to what government-backed business financing is and what it isn’t.

This post explains away some of the myths about government loan and grants for small businesses and also helps build a picture of the available financing for which you might be eligibl Read More

Ever wondered what it takes to operate a door-to-door sales operation? Interested in expanding your existing sales channels to include door-to-door selling?

Here are a few tips to help you start a lawful door-to-door sales business, and, who knows, set you on the way to becoming the next Avon empire Read More

“When you’re the business owner, there’s no one behind you. You’re the back-stop.” (Warren Brown, Washington, D.C. Small Business Person of the Year 2006). But what happens when you need help? Back-stop or not, you can’t go it alone forever. Help is at hand, if you know where to find it. Read More

We’ve all heard about the benefits of using social media to engage with customers and market your business. But just how is it done?

So many brands make the mistake of using social media for just pushing messages out there while ignoring the fundamental point of social media – being SOCIAL!

But just how do you get social? Learn more with these three tips from a successful small business who is using social media on a tactical level to engage with customers, market their business and grow foot-traffic. Meet "Fuego Mundo Read More

If you are in the market for business financing you may have noticed that the SBA is tentatively reporting a healthy increase in small business lending.

However, finding the right bank for your small business financing needs can still be a time-consuming challenge.

So just who is lending? And what is your best strategy for finding and approaching a bank? Here are five tips to help you find small business friendly banks Read More