Small Business News You Might Have Missed The Week of June 26 |  |
- Small Business News You Might Have Missed The Week of June 26
- 21 Intriguing Business Designs On Dribbble
- Even If All You Have Is a Shoestring, You Can Start a Business
| Small Business News You Might Have Missed The Week of June 26 Posted: 29 Jun 2013 12:30 PM PDT
Didn’t have time to read everything this week? Never fear, we’ll quickly get you up to speed. This week the small business news we covered included healthcare issues, such as the possibility of higher costs under Obamacare for employers that have younger, healthier employees. Crowdfunding was in the news, too, with one of Kickstarter’s biggest success stories stepping into controversy. You’ll also want to read about the service that could replace social media and paid texting and about technical problems with the latest MacBook. Small Business Trends’ editorial team finds stories important to small businesses — and puts them into perspective. HealthcareHealthier employees may lead to bigger healthcare increases. It’s a side effect of Obamacare unanticipated by some. But if your team is mainly healthier and younger employees, experts say you will feel it. That’s because insurers are spreading the costs around to more groups. Learn more about healthcare exchanges. Michael W. Zuna, Executive Vice President of Aflac U.S. shared his expertise to explain the finer points of healthcare exchanges including SHOP exchanges. What will the new healthcare system mean to you? StartupsOuya angers Kickstarter backers. Fans happily funded the revolutionary gaming console with the idea they’d get theirs first. But some backers complain they’ve now been left behind. The business of raising awareness. It was once the role of nonprofits only. But CrowdCases shows how raising awareness can be a business model too, for one startup. The Tie Society and the future of the subscription model. They’ve become the “Netflix of Ties.” Brent Leary interviews Co-founder and CEO Zac Gittins and CMO Jake Kuczeruk to learn more about how they did it. Franchising job growth measured. Franchises created 19,160 jobs in May. Joel Libava reviews the inaugural ADP National Franchise Report and what it tells us, and not. TechWhatsApp gives texting, social alternatives. This app from two former Yahoo engineers is growing in popularity. It also offers a future for business communications free of paid texting and social media ads. Users complain about MacBook Air. When’s the last time you heard an Apple customer complain? It’s happening now! Business owners considering new laptops for themselves and their teams should take heed. Bizible replaces AdWords widget on Salesforce. Pratik Dholakiya, Co-Founder and VP of Marketing for E2M Solutions and OnlyDesign, introduces new options for tracking your AdWords campaigns. Coming soon: A smartphone with zoom attached. Your smartphone camera might work fine. But if you’ve ever wanted to improve the photos you produce, this product announcement may be for you. Ativ Q switches between Windows 8 and Android 4.2. We talk a lot about hybrid mobile devices these days, as the line blur between tablets and laptops, and mobile phones and cameras, and well … whatever. Here’s one hybrid that changes from one operating system to another. How MOZ tools shed light on SEO. Online marketing involves more than just ranking well with search engines. SEOmoz has made changes in its optimization tools that take this into consideration. TJ McCue, Product Review Editor of Small Business Trends, has a review of Moz. Social MediaPaula Deen controversy hits social media. Social media is used by many entrepreneurs and small businesses to build a brand. It can tear one down as well, as Paula Deen’s family-owned business has learned. Fans and detractors square off. Foursquare lets you check in friends to build engagement. Now your customers can check in their friends. Observers believe it will attract more customers and create better social engagement. A guide to Google Plus for business. Google Plus has become an important business tool. To get started, be sure you have built a Google Plus page for your brand. Get more details in our step-by-step. What Facebook has learned about you. Everyone knows Facebook collects data on its users. The question now is how much information and with whom it is shared. eCommerceMicrosoft pulls plug on eCommerce effort. It was code named “Project Brazil.” We may never know what shape Microsoft’s vision of eCommerce might have taken. Everyone it seems, including Amazon, is suddenly into 3D printers. People are talking about these trendy devices and how they could change manufacturing, especially for small-scale manufacturers such as crafters. Want your own? Even Amazon has gotten into the game, with a 3D Printer “store.” MarketingGrumpy Cat gets movie deal. The viral sensation could become a box office draw. What can the adventures of a sad looking online kitty teach us about marketing? Brand rivalries become marketing trend. Amie Marse, founder of content generation firm Content Equals Money, tells us about this latest confrontational style. Customer ServiceWhy consumers hate checkout. Consumers love shopping at your business. But they don’t like checking out, reports Rieva Lesonsky. Here’s how to improve the situation. FinancingThe Great Recession has changed small business credit. Some of the lending requirements are easing. But everything about small business credit has changed since the recession. Professor Scott Shane has more. Book ReviewsGet a “Crowdsourced Performance Review.” Some say the standard performance review used to evaluate employees is outdated. Pierre DeBois reviews Eric Mosely’s book on 360 reviews and how we might replace it. How to “Be the Red Jacket.” Sales is an important part of business, of course. Pierre DeBois reviews Leanne Hoagland-Smith’s book about how sales really gets done. Shutterstock: Reading news The post Small Business News You Might Have Missed The Week of June 26 appeared first on Small Business Trends. |
| 21 Intriguing Business Designs On Dribbble Posted: 29 Jun 2013 09:00 AM PDT Dribble is a site that its founders call “show and tell” for graphic designers. Designers have to be invited to become members by other designers. This keeps the quality of designers high. Members then can share small screenshots of projects they are working on. The site uses basketball terminology because one of the co-founders, Rich Thornett, once wanted to become a professional basketball player. Ah ha! Now you understand the name of the site, Dribbble — as in dribble a basketball. Dan Cederholm is the other co-founder. Dribbble.com started as a side project but is now a “tiny, bootstrapped and profitable company,” according to the website. It is based in Salem, Massachusetts. In keeping with the basketball theme, here are some other points to know. If you are a designer but not yet drafted as a player, you can sign up for the prospect list. But if you are already a player / member, then you can add a link to your website with your portfolio. There’s a Pro level account that gives added features to show off your work, and enable others to hire you. And what about people like me, who are not designers but might be looking to hire designers? We can use the site to “scout” new talent. And that’s exactly what I did. I spent about an hour on Dribble looking for interesting business-related designs, and came up with the following 21 examples of business graphics to share with you. Each caught my eye for a different reason. Some make you smile (3. Social Fish), some have an artistic take on the familiar (4. Facebook Concept), have witty subject matter (13. Instagram Kitty), and some are simply beautiful (21. Dribbble Invite). Enjoy! 1. Blue Twitter Bird on Vacation, Designer: Chandra W, QiunArt
2. Technology Shaping the Future, Designer: Tiago Almeida, Lisbon
3. Social Fish, Designer: Meghan Robichaud, Vancouver
4. Facebook Concept, Designer: Alexandr Nohrin, Moldova
5. Tweed Patchwork Twitter Concept, Designer: Alberto Mzz, Milan, Italy
6. How Your Cellphone is Made, Designer: Jing Zhang, London, United Kingdom
7. Social Media Community Concept, Designer: Somewan, Singapore
8. Twitter Blue Bird Concept, Designer: JYA, Pakistan
9. Twitter Social Life Concept, Designer: Cody Keisler, Aiken, SC
10. Google Maps Concept, Designer: Piotr Kwiatkowski, Manchester, UK
11. Tweeting on an iPad, Designer: Maria Simavilla, Salamanca, Spain
12. Education Concept, Designer: Matte Black Studios, Chicago
13. Instagram Kitty, Designer: Steve Bridger, Gloucester
14. Startup Coffee, Designer: Rubens Cantuni, Genoa, Italy
15. Business and Leisure Travel, Designer: Teodora, Wales, UK
16. Vine Concept, Designer: Dan Ogren, Austin, TX
17. Entrepreneur Freedom, Designer: This Paper Ship, Saxapahaw, North Carolina
18. Boredom at a Business Conference, Designer: Csaba Khilenberg, Budapest, Hungary
19. Business Filing Systems, Designer: Michael Anderson, Edmond, Ok, USA
20. Enterprise Concept, Designer: Ugur Akdemir, Istanbul
21. Dribble Invite, Designer: Giulio Magnifico, Udine, Italy
The post 21 Intriguing Business Designs On Dribbble appeared first on Small Business Trends. |
| Even If All You Have Is a Shoestring, You Can Start a Business Posted: 29 Jun 2013 06:00 AM PDT
At some point or other, just about every business owner faces a difficult time with a limited budget. You know the feeling: another month goes by, but the bills seem to come in faster than the sales. If you’ve ever felt that way, give The Pocket Small Business Owners Guide to Starting on a Shoestring by Carol Tice (@TiceWrites) a try. It is terrific guide for budding business owners. Tice has built a strong online reputation advising hundred of writers at her award-winning site Making A Living Writing as well as at The Freelance Writers Den. I read an advance review copy of this book sent to the Small Business Trends team. The book will be available in July 2013 and I was really impressed with its potential to save small business owners headaches and costs. In The End We're All FreelancersOne of the reasons Tice succeeds with this guide is because of her experience as a freelancer and dealing with freelancers. Be it a writer or a coder, freelancers have the most disciplined mindset, crucial for survival. With her experience, Tice has written a basic, yet innovative, primer on small business tactics that need to be organized. Tice is right in sharing stories of businesses that "overspent and ran out of money." Every business owner who succeeds understands that cash is king. But Tice, through her experience with writers, shows how to set the crown. Freelancers are exposed to cash ebb and flow. So the most battle-hardened freelancer will have the best hacks to get started. Thus Tice excels in workable suggestions that can be implemented easily while leaving room for the small business owner to modify to their needs. The chapter on a business plan is a fine example. The chapter focuses on plan highlights. Although some business plans require extensive details, Tice suggests a way to network while learning from a viable business plan example:
Note the efficiency this suggestion creates – building an effective network while asking for what you need. Furthermore, the guide structures proper methods to networking – a topic raised in the book No You Can't Pick My Brain, It Costs Too Much. A chapter on training suggests great ways to build skills, while another covers the nature of partnerships. The Right Controls for An Efficient BusinessThe way that Tice examines details is an inspiration for doing things right. Doing things right may sound like faint praise for the book – of course you read a book like this to start a business the right way. But don't mistake my words for a lack of enthusiasm and respect. Tice nails the right tactics that lead to genuine progress in managing costs, an outcome often touted by other "experts" but usually delivered as weak short cuts. Thus Tice's suggestions break past the steps that incrementally eats up a planned budget. Tice rightfully notes how digital methods like SEO and social media are part of a marketing plan. She suggests how to garner input while ditching costly focus groups. She tackles brick-and-mortar business needs as well. Check out her facility suggestion for restaurant owners:
Another thought reminder questions shipping costs:
Some segments of this book will have to be weighed against the small business being planned. Some industries demand a more detailed business plan than what is explained, for example. Others will be perfectly suited with a simple plan. I heartily recommend The Pocket Small Business Owners Guide to Starting on a Shoestring to figure out how to time expenses in a business. Tice delivers a serviceable guide that can take potential business owners from non-revenue to meaningful operations, all with a minimal investment and without the get-rich-quick tactics from illogical talking heads. When any business owner makes an assessment of the first year, he or she will see this book for what it is – a great gift for anyone looking for success with a shoestring business. The post Even If All You Have Is a Shoestring, You Can Start a Business appeared first on Small Business Trends. |
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