STARTUP SUCCESS ARCHIVE

Is Your Mail Safe At Your Home Office?
Just because you work from a home doesn’t mean your business mail has to arrive at your doorstep. In fact a private mailbox, with either the U.S. Postal Service or a commercial mail center, could be a business benefit worth exploring.

Blogging For Business: 8 Tips
Blogs are becoming an integral part of the marketing mix for many small-business owners.

Free Biz Resources
Savvy small-business owners take all the help they can get. Whether you’re a manufacturer or a consultant, resources abound that can put information at your fingertips or help you learn new tricks of your trade.

Tax Deadline Looms. Don’t Panic.
As a startup business, this may be your first year of wrestling with business tax forms. And with April 15 fast approaching, you might be working yourself into panic mode.

Prepare For Mother Nature’s Worst
Could your small business recover from a disaster? The SBA now offers a 10-page guide that provides information you need to develop an effective plan for your small business in the event of a disaster.

Business Proposals Seal The Deal
For startup businesses courting government contracts or projects from big corporations, the business proposal serves as a bridge.

Pump Up Your Rainy Day Fund
Small-business owners never know what a new day has in store. That’s why it’s critical to have a stash of emergency cash.

Put Your Marketing Budget In Perspective
You must have some standard to measure marketing success. Any number in isolation is meaningless.

How To Choose a Business Bank
Here, we’ll take a look at the most important factors to consider when choosing your business bank.

Get Results From Your Yellow Pages Ad
With so many marketing options for reaching new customers, a small-business owner might be inclined to forget one staple that’s a superstar. It’s the perennial Yellow Pages ad.

Forecast Costs For A Solid Financial Future
When it comes to finances, many small-business owners tend to focus on the money that’s coming in, or their revenue. But it’s just as important keep a close eye on the money that’s going out – your expenses.

Lock Down Your Home Office
When you conduct business from a home office, you need to be doubly sure that you’re secure. Don’t take any chances. Lock down your home office. Try these 13 tips.

Blogging For Business
Blogging may be one of the most popular fads on the World Wide Web today. In May 2007, blog search engine Technorati was tracking more than 71 million blogs.

10 Ways to Get Customer Feedback
If you’re not asking customers questions about there shopping experience, you may be missing out on a wealth of information you can use to build and improve your small business.

Avoid Common Home Office Blunders
If you’re ready to launch your home business, there’s no need to reinvent the wheel. Here are some time-tested rules to help keep you from making the most common home-office mistakes.

Postcard Power
Right now, your potential customers are waiting to bring you into their homes and set aside valuable time to focus on what you have to say. When you use the mail to market your product or services, this is exactly what happens.

Ideas For Retail Success
Marketing is one of the first items on the to-do list for startup businesses. But it’s hard to do it right. It takes number crunching and planning and measuring.

7 Decisions For Business Success  
It seems the decisions you must make never end. But some decisions are more important than others because they weigh so heavily on your ultimate success.

Write A Business Plan Fast!
Maybe you want financing to help jump-start your business. Or maybe you want a simple roadmap you can follow that will lead your small business to success. Either way, you need a plan.

Get Your Marketing Right: 6 Ways
Marketing is one of the first items on the to-do list for startup businesses. But it’s hard to do it right. It takes number crunching and planning and measuring.

Build Your Biz At Holiday Parties
Every self-respecting small-business owner networks to the hilt given the opportunity.

Veterans Get Startup Help
If you’re a U.S. military veteran in the midst of starting your own small business, you’re not alone.

Should You Work on Retainer?
The self-employed generally are paid in direct relation to how much work – or how little work – they actually perform for clients. But creative types, consultants and other small-business service providers can enjoy a regular paycheck’s security, at a price.

Your Guide To The Home Office Deduction
Check out this guide to help you navigate the home office deduction. You could be one of the 53 percent affected!

8 Tips To Get A Great Logo
You don’t have to be a graphic designer to know what you want in a logo. And you don’t have to hand over the whole process of creating a logo to some high-priced advertising agency.

Get Out Of A Slump
Were you one of the fortunate few whose new small business burst out of the startup blocks with a flurry of success and a flood of sales?

The Art Of Managing Cash & Profits
You don’t have to be in business very long to learn the truism that, “Cash is king.”

Turn Off Your Cell Phone
Don’t let technology outpace your etiquette, to say nothing of your common sense, when it comes to using your cell phone.

How To Choose A Tax Pro
Smart small-business owners don’t hesitate for a moment to call on an expert when the computer crashes.

Power Up Your Home Office
What would happen if electrical power suddenly died for your home office?

Location, Location, Location
When you’re deciding where to set up your small business, it’s all a matter of real estate. And everyone knows real estate boils down to three fundamentals: location, location, location.

Set Goals Now For 2006
How’s your small business doing? If that question stumps you, it’s time to slow down and take account.

Why You Need A Business Plan
A business plan will not put your business on autopilot or guarantee profitability. But it beats starting from scratch every morning.

Is Your Business Storm-Proof?
The devastation of Hurricane Katrina was a stark reminder of our vulnerability.

Should You Be Bonded?
Every small business needs to be insured. Some small businesses can benefit from being bonded, as well. Generally, it depends on what your clients require and whether you perform contract work.

How To Choose A Web Site Host
Ready to launch a Web site? You need a host.

Is Your Home Business Legit?
Before you start peddling widgets from your living room, make sure your home business is legit.

4 Mistakes Every Startup Should Avoid
As a new business owner, you can make an infinite number of mistakes. No one has ever started a business perfectly.

Preparing For Startup? Plan For Expenses
Starting your own business comes with excitement and maybe a few nerves. It also comes with a long list of expenses.

4 Accounting Rules For Startups
Handling accounting chores may not be at the top of your startup to-do list. But it better not be at the bottom of your list either.

4 Mistakes Every Startup Should Avoid
As a new business owner, you can make an infinite number of mistakes. No one has ever started a business perfectly. So expect to make mistakes and, if you’re smart, to learn from them.

Secure Your Home Office Technology: 7 Tips
You may feel safe and secure at your home office. But, the technology you use could make your confidential business information vulnerable to hackers, thieves, viruses and worms.

Turn Your Passion Into A Business
For entrepreneurs, the Great American Dream often means turning a hobby or a passion into a thriving business.

Sole Proprietor Guide To Self-Employment Taxes
Most small businesses start out as sole proprietorships – single owners of a company with no employees. They know that they’re required to pay federal income taxes on their profits.

5 Things You Need To Know About Hiring An Attorney
As a startup business owner, you’ll be able to handle many chores yourself. You can easily master accounting processes, billing, marketing and sales with a just little training.

5 Home Office Myths
If you’re about to open your own home office, welcome to the crowd. The Office of Advocacy of the U.S. Small Business Administration reported this year that home-based businesses account for 53 percent of all small businesses.

7 Rules for Biz Shopping Online
Launching a new company requires stuff – office supplies, filing cabinets, computer software. And there are online merchants just itching to sell you their wares.

Scam Alerts!
Small-business startups have plenty to worry about – getting leads, finding customers, making sales. Now there’s an addition to the list: Watch out for scams.

Startup Help From the SBA
The SBA is big brother at his best. The government agency is a business mentor, trainer, coach and advisor all rolled into one. SBA resources are available to you online and offline, plus many of the resources are free.

Let Customers Pay With Plastic
One simple decision can help your startup business leap to life: Deciding to accept customers’ credit and debit cards for payment.

3 Savvy Strategies To Find Your First Business Space
Leasing a space for your business is one of the most important decisions you’ll make for your startup enterprise. To safely navigate finding the perfect location for your startup, follow these three strategies.

Smart Ways to Finance Your Startup
Don’t make the local bank your first stop when looking for startup capital. Instead, look at alternative sources of cash. They could provide the money you need to launch your entrepreneurial business.

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