Posts tagged Small Business

Click here to embiggen (see full infographic) With so many mom and pop shops opening, and then quickly closing, the way to win in small business is endurance and outlasting the competition. This infographic provides data on the longevity of small businesses and how your business can live into it’s old age. (Via Intuit) Read more: http://blog.intuit.com/money/how-to-ensure-longevity-for-your-business-infographic/#ixzz2TTWYjbQa

Click here to embiggen (see full infographic)

With so many mom and pop shops opening, and then quickly closing, the way to win in small business is endurance and outlasting the competition. This infographic provides data on the longevity of small businesses and how your business can live into it’s old age.

(Via Intuit)

good: Turns Out Bike Lanes Are Really Good for Local Business- Meghan Neal wrote in Business, Transportation and Cities Good news for bike activists: Making a safe place on streets for cyclists (and pedestrians) boosts sales for the small businesses in the area. This according to a recent report from the New York Department of Transportation. The study found that on commercial blocks where new bike lanes were built, the businesses saw a nearly 50 percent increase in sales. Continue reading on good.is Join us for our Fix Your Street Challenge on the last Saturday of May. Click here to say you’ll Do It and be sure to share stories of transportation innovation all month. With Citi Bike launching in NYC, we are happy to hear that new bike lanes increase sales for small businesses!

good:

Turns Out Bike Lanes Are Really Good for Local Business
- Meghan Neal wrote in Business, Transportation and Cities

Good news for bike activists: Making a safe place on streets for cyclists (and pedestrians) boosts sales for the small businesses in the area.

This according to a recent report from the New York Department of Transportation. The study found that on commercial blocks where new bike lanes were built, the businesses saw a nearly 50 percent increase in sales.

Continue reading on good.is

Join us for our Fix Your Street Challenge on the last Saturday of May. Click here to say you’ll Do It and be sure to share stories of transportation innovation all month.

With Citi Bike launching in NYC, we are happy to hear that new bike lanes increase sales for small businesses!

The 99% Success Formula on Inc.com1. Know where you’re starting from (A).2. Know where you want to be (B).3. Build a plan to get from A to B.4. Take massive action based on that plan.5. Observe whether you’re closer to B.6. If the plan is working, double down on step 4.7. If the plan isn’t working, go back to step 3. (via The 99% Success Formula | Inc.com)

The 99% Success Formula on Inc.com

1. Know where you’re starting from (A).
2. Know where you want to be (B).
3. Build a plan to get from A to B.
4. Take massive action based on that plan.
5. Observe whether you’re closer to B.
6. If the plan is working, double down on step 4.
7. If the plan isn’t working, go back to step 3.

(via The 99% Success Formula | Inc.com)

Why It Pays to Be Humble by Gary Vaynerchuk on OPEN Forum

These days, starting a new company, pivoting or bringing your existing company into the tech field is common fare for the small-business owner. In this video, expert and experienced entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk offers his best advice on how to succeed when you’re entering unknown territory. Hint: it’s much more discreet than you’d think.

(via Why It Pays to Be Humble | | The New OPEN ForumThe New OPEN Forum)

Click here to embiggen (see full infographic) Is email marketing still relevant and useful for small businesses? According to this infographic it is; 67.8 billion dollars in sales will come from emails. Use this infographic to motivate and double check that your email marketing strategy is on point. (Via Visual.ly)

Click here to embiggen (see full infographic)

Is email marketing still relevant and useful for small businesses? According to this infographic it is; 67.8 billion dollars in sales will come from emails. Use this infographic to motivate and double check that your email marketing strategy is on point.

(Via Visual.ly)

One Thing You Might Have in Common with Sheryl Sandberg on OPEN Forum The main reason women business owners can’t have it all? A recent survey by Manta of 1,000 female entrepreneurs reveals their biggest challenge is not having the help they need to run their business (26 percent). One in four of the 95 percent of women in the survey who are moms say running a business is more difficult than raising kids, while 69 percent think they’re equally difficult jobs. it’s interesting that the biggest challenges these entrepreneurial moms face aren’t unique to moms, but are shared by almost every small-business owner. Married or single, male or female, parents or not, we can all relate to not having enough “hands on deck” and wishing we had an experienced advisor we could turn to at all times to help us out. Read more on the takeaways of this survey on OPEN Forum.

One Thing You Might Have in Common with Sheryl Sandberg on OPEN Forum

The main reason women business owners can’t have it all? A recent survey by Manta of 1,000 female entrepreneurs reveals their biggest challenge is not having the help they need to run their business (26 percent).

One in four of the 95 percent of women in the survey who are moms say running a business is more difficult than raising kids, while 69 percent think they’re equally difficult jobs.

it’s interesting that the biggest challenges these entrepreneurial moms face aren’t unique to moms, but are shared by almost every small-business owner. Married or single, male or female, parents or not, we can all relate to not having enough “hands on deck” and wishing we had an experienced advisor we could turn to at all times to help us out.

Read more on the takeaways of this survey on OPEN Forum.

Have you seen the new OPEN Forum?Scott Roen, Vice President of Digital Marketing and Innovation at American Express, introduces a brand new OPEN Forum by asking, why do entrepreneurs share advice? The new OPEN Forum helps entrepreneurs share ideas, get and give advice, and discuss experiences leading to small-business success.More than a redesign (though we’re pretty excited about that, too), OPEN Forum features a community where you can give and get advice. It’s where you can find, save and share insights from OPEN Forum—and from around the Web. And it’s a place for meeting fellow entrepreneurs and business owners, experts and other like-minded individuals. We recognized that building connections is still as important today as it was in 2007; it’s just how we do it that’s evolved. (via OPEN Forum: Why Do Entrepreneurs Share Advice? | | The New OPEN ForumThe New OPEN Forum)

Have you seen the new OPEN Forum?

Scott Roen, Vice President of Digital Marketing and Innovation at American Express, introduces a brand new OPEN Forum by asking, why do entrepreneurs share advice? The new OPEN Forum helps entrepreneurs share ideas, get and give advice, and discuss experiences leading to small-business success.

More than a redesign (though we’re pretty excited about that, too), OPEN Forum features a community where you can give and get advice. It’s where you can find, save and share insights from OPEN Forum—and from around the Web. And it’s a place for meeting fellow entrepreneurs and business owners, experts and other like-minded individuals. We recognized that building connections is still as important today as it was in 2007; it’s just how we do it that’s evolved.

(via OPEN Forum: Why Do Entrepreneurs Share Advice? | | The New OPEN ForumThe New OPEN Forum)

“In the words of Sir Richard Branson, ‘Screw it, just do it,’” says El Brown, founder of KinderJam, a company that facilitates music and movement-oriented tactile learning programs for children. “That’s what I tell every mother who wants to start a business.” In just four years, this mompreneur has met Oprah and expanded to 11 states and eight countries. Read more on El Brown’s startup success story on OPEN Forum.

“In the words of Sir Richard Branson, ‘Screw it, just do it,’” says El Brown, founder of KinderJam, a company that facilitates music and movement-oriented tactile learning programs for children. “That’s what I tell every mother who wants to start a business.”

In just four years, this mompreneur has met Oprah and expanded to 11 states and eight countries. Read more on El Brown’s startup success story on OPEN Forum.

Bestselling author Michael Port talks exclusively to OPEN Forum and reveals how it’s possible, even in this era of vanishing customers, to build a business that’s booked solid.

Bestselling author Michael Port talks exclusively to OPEN Forum and reveals how it’s possible, even in this era of vanishing customers, to build a business that’s booked solid.

The Number-One Secret for Social Media Success by Dave Kerpen for OPEN Forum For many business owners, the temptation is to use social networks to promote themselves and broadcast their messages. But if you stop thinking like a marketer and start thinking like a customer, you’ll understand that the secret to social media is in the “social” more than in the “media”—it’s in being human. That is, it’s in being the sort of person at a cocktail party who listens attentively, tells great stories, shows interest in others, and is authentic and honest. The secret is to simply be likeable. Here are five ways business owners can be more likeable and ensure greater success using social media: 1. Listen first - and never stop listening. 2. Start with one social network. 3. Don’t tell your customers to like you and follow you, tell them why and how they should. 4. Share pictures and videos. 5. Spend at least 30 minutes a day on social media. Read more on OPEN Forum (via The Number-One Secret for Social Media Success | | The New OPEN ForumThe New OPEN Forum)

The Number-One Secret for Social Media Success by Dave Kerpen for OPEN Forum

For many business owners, the temptation is to use social networks to promote themselves and broadcast their messages. But if you stop thinking like a marketer and start thinking like a customer, you’ll understand that the secret to social media is in the “social” more than in the “media”—it’s in being human. That is, it’s in being the sort of person at a cocktail party who listens attentively, tells great stories, shows interest in others, and is authentic and honest. The secret is to simply be likeable.

Here are five ways business owners can be more likeable and ensure greater success using social media:

1. Listen first - and never stop listening.

2. Start with one social network.

3. Don’t tell your customers to like you and follow you, tell them why and how they should.

4. Share pictures and videos.

5. Spend at least 30 minutes a day on social media.

Read more on OPEN Forum

(via The Number-One Secret for Social Media Success | | The New OPEN ForumThe New OPEN Forum)