Succeeding in Your Business from Creators Syndicate

When You're So Far "Ahead of The Curve" You Disappear From View for 07/08/2008

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0700

"I have a small e-retailing business and want to make sure I'm attracting the most traffic I can on the Web. I've got about a dozen books on how to market your business online, and I admit, I'm pretty confused. It seems like every month there's a new place you can advertise your business — a new social networking site, virtual communities like www.secondlife.com, and so forth. Are an ...

Updated: Tue Jul 08, 2008

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Your Insurance Broker Can Save Your Business . . . for 07/15/2008

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0700

"I'm just starting a small service business. Even though I've formed a limited liability company (LLC) to run the business, I know that I still need insurance. But what kind? I've spoken to at least three insurance brokers about my needs, but their advice so far has been all over the place. Do you have any suggestions?"

First of all, congratulations on realizing that you still need i ...

Updated: Tue Jul 15, 2008

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What People Look For When They Shop Online for 07/22/2008

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0700

"I've had a successful retail business for some time, and am thinking about selling online through my own website, and perhaps a Yahoo! Store. I carry a variety of merchandise, though, and there's no way I will be able to list everything on the website. What type of merchandise do people look for online, and how do I set this website up to attract the maximum amount of traffic?"

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Updated: Tue Jul 22, 2008

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Why a Web-Based Business Still Needs Merchant Accounts for 07/29/2008

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0700

"I have been running a small online service business for several years. Up to now we've accepted only checks or cash, but a number of our customers are now asking to pay by credit card. It seems to be a lot of hassle to maintain merchant accounts with all four major credit card companies (American Express, Discover, MasterCard and Visa). Would it be better for me just to open an account wi ...

Updated: Tue Jul 29, 2008

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How To Sell Anything To Anybody . . . In Three Easy Steps for 08/05/2008

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700

"I've been running a business the past couple of years. I do OK with it, but I know what my biggest problem is, and it's me. I just can't sell. I can't look somebody straight in the eye and tell him he needs something when I know he doesn't. I was taught as a kid not to be pushy, and it's hard to let go of that. Do you have any suggestions on how I can sell without lying, being unethical o ...

Updated: Tue Aug 05, 2008

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Customizing Your Internet Marketing Program for 08/12/2008

Tue, 12 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700

"I have a small business helping lawyers and accountants set up birthday greeting card programs for their customers. For a fee, they give me the names and birthdays of all their customers, and I generate a customized birthday greeting card for each customer — something unique to that customer which shows the professional really cares about them as individuals. I send the cards back t ...

Updated: Tue Aug 12, 2008

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The Only Two Ways To Raise Revenue for 08/19/2008

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700

"I'm an accountant in a solo practice. For some time now, I've been thinking about raising my fees. Because I spend a lot of time in my car, the rising cost of gasoline is really biting into my income more than perhaps it does for other accountants. I need to cover these increases in my operating costs, but I'm afraid that if I raise my fees to cover these costs, I may lose some key client ...

Updated: Tue Aug 19, 2008

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My Faceless Friend on Facebook for 08/26/2008

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Joseph Blow, a man I don't know, is sitting down eating a muffin . . . right now.

I know this because he told me so, along with a couple of hundred other people.

I do not know Joseph Blow, but he is my friend. My friend on Facebook.

Joseph Blow is my friend because he is a friend (on Facebook) of someone else I don't know. Who is a friend of someone else I don't know. Who i ...

Updated: Tue Aug 26, 2008

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When LLC Members Are Married . . . To Each Other for 09/02/2008

Tue, 02 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0700

"My spouse and I are the only members of a limited liability company (LLC). We understand that if someone ever sues the LLC, our personal assets are protected from the lawsuit, while our business assets are at risk. But what happens if one of us is sued directly because of something we did outside of the LLC business? For example, let's say one of us is sued because of an automobile accide ...

Updated: Tue Sep 02, 2008

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They Were Networking, But What Were They Thinking? for 09/09/2008

Tue, 09 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0700

For the past several months I have been speaking on small business legal, tax and marketing issues at business conferences and trade shows around the country. While I would be flattered to think that attendees flock to these programs for the privilege of touching the hem of my garment, I realize that their mission is primarily . . . to network with one another.

Entire books have been wri ...

Updated: Tue Sep 09, 2008

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Some Legal and Tax Tips for Professional Speakers for 09/16/2008

Tue, 16 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0700

"I do a lot of public speaking to promote my small business. Most of my speaking is for local organizations; I don't charge them a fee, and there's no contract involved. But lately I've been contacted by some event planners to speak at trade shows around the country, and their contracts are several pages long! What are some of the things I should be looking for in these contracts? Do I nee ...

Updated: Tue Sep 16, 2008

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Growing Your Business in Challenging Times for 09/23/2008

Tue, 23 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0700

"I have a small service business. I was doing OK until recently, but in the past several months a lot of my business has dried up, and I'm struggling to stay afloat. Do you have any tips on how to run a service business in difficult times?"

When you run your own business, there's never anything BUT difficult times. The rules of good management apply no matter what the economy's ...

Updated: Tue Sep 23, 2008

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Two New Web-Based Services You Should Know About for 09/30/2008

Tue, 30 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0700

When you write a column like this one, you get lots of e-mails from public relations firms talking up their clients who offer services and "resources" to business owners. Most of them are "ho hum, same old, same old" — companies offering employee benefits, information technology services and the like, with little that is new, exciting or innovative.

But every on ...

Updated: Tue Sep 30, 2008

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All You Need Is . . . (It Ain't Love) for 10/07/2008

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700

"Cliff, we love your column, and we would love to hear your reaction to the Wall Street shenanigans of the past several weeks. Do you have any special wisdom on how small businesses can survive the coming, almost certain, financial storm?"

This is a column of practical advice for business owners, and I generally try to avoid political and "macroeconomic" topics. It's ...

Updated: Tue Oct 07, 2008

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News Flash: Greedy Landlords Are Killing Small Businesses for 10/14/2008

Tue, 14 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700

If you're curious about "the impact of the current financial crunch on small businesses," just read this e-mail message:

"We opened up a franchised retail store using a home equity loan a couple years ago. We've been keeping our head above water, but with the current economy, things are going south. To add insult to injury, the home equity line of credit has been since fro ...

Updated: Tue Oct 14, 2008

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Partners . . . And Other Strangers for 10/21/2008

Tue, 21 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700

"Over the years my company has developed a close working relationship with one of our suppliers, and we're thinking of setting up a joint website where we can offer each other's products and services, sometimes with blended or reduced prices if people buy 'packages' of our products. Do you see any potential legal issues with that?"

Generally, whenever two people or companies ei ...

Updated: Tue Oct 21, 2008

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The Changing World of Ebay for 10/28/2008

Tue, 28 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700

"I've been selling on eBay the past several years, but frankly I'm thinking of quitting. It's just getting too hard to sell on the site. eBay keeps changing the rules every few weeks, and these rule changes seem to favor the big retailers over the little people who made eBay what it is today. Other sellers I know have shifted to Amazon and other sites, but I'm afraid I will be 'lost in the ...

Updated: Tue Oct 28, 2008

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Building An Internet "Octopus" for 11/04/2008

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0800

"Last week's column on 'The Changing World of eBay' got me thinking a lot about building an e-commerce presence for my small business. Do you have any thoughts on the right way to do that in a rapidly changing online environment?"

Consider the octopus.

The octopus basically has two parts: a combination head and digestive system, and a bunch of tentacles that spread out f ...

Updated: Tue Nov 04, 2008

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A Management Checklist For Troubled Times for 11/11/2008

Tue, 11 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0800

Clearly, the past several weeks have not been kind to small businesses (heck, they haven't been kind to ANY sort of business). There is a growing consensus that we are looking at some "hard times" in the world economy for at least the next several business quarters, and possibly longer.

If your business has experienced a falloff in sales, now is the time to take action. You wil ...

Updated: Tue Nov 11, 2008

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A Message From Your Brok . . . Er . . . Financial Advisor for 11/18/2008

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0800

Hi, all. I just returned from an investment conference where for four days from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. (when I usually manage your accounts), I listened to numerous industry experts, economists, strategists, money managers and analysts from our company, its affiliated investment funds and a couple of "screamers" from CNN, who discussed the current economic environment. Even though these wer ...

Updated: Tue Nov 18, 2008

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