A few years ago, on a bright Sunday morning, a friend and I decided to take a drive around the city. As I sat in the passenger’s seat basking in the morning glow of the sun, I noticed something that snapped me out of my bliss. Because my friend was driving I was able to look on both sides of the streets. I like to compare and contrast the houses and see which one I would … [Read more...]
Top 10 U.S. Cities for Online Small Business
PayPal has dug through their data from hundreds of thousands of online merchants, and determined which U.S. cities are the most friendly to small business. This is the first time PayPal has ever released any findings from its transaction data (which is quite significant since the company processes 20% of all e-commerce transactions). Of particular interest, nearly 40% of … [Read more...]
Business the Carmelo Anthony Way
Carmelo Anthony is supposedly toying with the idea of being a free agent, definitely a gutsy move for a Knicks player. Here’s why I think it’s the right move and how his thinking can help move your business to the next level. You have to assess your worth Carmelo likened his choice to an evaluation exercise. While this may not make sense to some, for me it’s a brilliant … [Read more...]
Marketing Your Company, Not You
As I stumble through this minefield of entrepreneurship, I have learned that there has to be a significant switch in your thinking. We start businesses for a variety of reasons, mostly because we are really good at something specific. What happens is that you quickly realize that you cannot be the person that runs the business and the person who does the work. There has to be … [Read more...]
Lead by Numbers
I used to be petrified of failure, but being an entrepreneur cured me of that. I used to think that business owners knew some magical formula for success, but being an entrepreneur cured me of that too. The secret is in knowing that separation breeds indifference. When you aren’t close to your customers, you don’t care how they are treated. Or if you do care, you care too late … [Read more...]
The Fine Line of Work-Life Balance [Infographic]
For most small business owners, there is no such thing as work-life balance. Did you know that 44% of small business owners believe that the stress of running their businesses has damaged their health? Did you know that one out of two small business owners only take major holidays off, and two out of three work more than 40 hours per week with one in 10 working more than 70 … [Read more...]
Will Your Startup Business Fail? [Infographic]
What are the chances of success for your startup business? Did you know that in 2005 just 47% of startups were still in business after five years? Did you know the startup businesses that are more likely to fail are independent restaurants, retail stores, direct sales businesses, and consulting a business services companies? The news isn't all bad for startups though. When … [Read more...]
Best and Worst States and Cities for Small Business Ownership
A new study from Thumbtack and the Kauffman Foundation ranks U.S. states and cities based on overall small business friendliness. Nearly 8,000 small business owners responded to the survey, and the results show some clear winners and losers. Interestingly, small business respondents were relatively unconcerned with tax rates. More than one out of two respondents believe they … [Read more...]
Small Businesses – The Most Tried and Failed [Infographic]
Which small businesses are the most tried? Which are the most failed? An infographic from Top Business Degrees that I stumbled on thanks to David Wallace of Small Business Trends provides all of the stats for you to review. As you read through the infographic, you might feel discouraged when you see stats like 95% of small businesses fail within the first five years and only … [Read more...]
Small Business – Big Savings [Infographic]
Did you know that one in five dollars that your business earns goes towards paying your employees? Obviously, this is an expense you can’t avoid, but what are the other ways your business can save cash and grow? Making every penny count is the key to success for most businesses, and it's also one of the biggest challenges, especially for smaller companies where it could mean … [Read more...]