Normally Small Businesses Lead the Economy Out of Recession

Author: Nikita Irmal

Small businesses are crucial to our economy.

Small and Medium businesses (SMBs) are an important source of job growth. Small businesses account for a large majority of jobs in start-ups, a key source of innovation and economic growth

Despite signs that the economy is bottoming, the small business community are less optimistic about their prospects. At the end of July, 56 percent said they were optimistic about the small-business economy, down from more than 70 percent who were optimistic in May and June.

In a recent survey, confidence among small business owners is falling amid concerns about the cost of government health care reform and salaries at small U.S. companies are at their lowest level since March 2006. The survey, based on payroll services data from small businesses, found salaries fell by 0.8 percent in July from June and are down more than 5 percent since the start of the year.

The average annual paycheck for US small businesses is now $29,995, compared with $32,290 a year ago. The last time salaries dipped below $30,000 was in March 2006.Those surveyed cited the cost of rising healthcare insurance costs as a major concern.

The current health care system imposes a heavy “tax” on small business and their employees. Due to high broker fees, fixed administrative costs, and adverse selection, small businesses pay up to 18 percent more per worker than large firms for the same health insurance policy. Some of these higher costs are passed on to small firm employees in the form of lower wages, and some eat into the profits of small businesses that could otherwise be used for research and development and for much-needed investments. This implicit tax disadvantages small firms in both the market for the best workers and the market for their products.Because of their higher health care costs, small businesses are far less likely to provide health insurance for their workers than larger businesses. Only 49 percent of firms with 3 to 9 workers and 78 percent of firms with 10 to 24 workers offered any type of health insurance to their employees in 2008. In contrast, 99 percent of firms with more than 200 workers offered health insurance. Consistent with this pattern, 29 percent of non-elderly adult workers at firms with fewer than 25 employees were uninsured in 2007. In that same year, just 10 percent of workers in firms with 500 or more employees were uninsured. Workers at small firms that do offer health insurance also tend to have less generous plans than workers at large firms.

The fraction of small firms offering health insurance has been declining in recent years. From 2002 to 2008, the fraction of firms with 3 to 9 employees offering health insurance to their workers declined from 58 to 49 percent.

The health care reform as envisioned by President Obama in current draft legislation would reduce the current burdens on small firms and their workers. The proposed reforms could help spur entrepreneurial activity by increasing the incentives for talented Americans to launch their own companies, and could increase the pool of workers willing to work at small firms.

About the Author:

Nikita is passionate about small business and its positive impact to the local communities and the overall economy. Feel free to visit my favorite small business networking, resources and blog sites:
http://www.smallbiztrends.com/
http://www.nikita-thesmallbusinessblog.blogspot.com/
http://www.tradeseam.com/smallbusiness/leads/small-business-leads/

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – Normally Small Businesses Lead the Economy Out of Recession

How To Recession Proof Your Small Business

Author: Nikita Irmal

Small businesses are crucial to our economy.

Small and Medium businesses (SMBs) are an important source of job growth. Small businesses account for a large majority of jobs in start-ups, a key source of innovation and economic growth.

Here are some tips on how to manag your small business in a recession—stay lean, talk to your customers, and don’t stop hiring and marketing, get listed in the small business directory so you can be found.

To keep your company lean, you should set and measure inventory targets and keep in daily or weekly communication with your sales and operations staffs. You may also want to weed out unprofitable customers (BusinessWeek.com, Oct./Nov., 2007). Every company has customers that cost more than they add to the bottom line. Identify them, evaluate how to make them profitable customers, and if that’s not possible, politely hand them to your competition.

To keep from losing business, keep in close touch with your customers. Show that you care. Understand how their business is being affected and look for ways you can help. Lasting relationships are built in hard times. And look for new market opportunities, recognizing that when the business climate changes, customer needs will change as well. That may mean new markets will open up for you.

Develop strategies to land more customers. I counsel my clients that if they want to make their companies grow they will have to steal customers from their competitors, period. The pie is shrinking. For the auto repair shops, cars are more reliable and need less frequent service. In the restaurant world there’s been overbuilding and the average number of meals eaten out has declined for the first time in a number of years. The successful small business is going to have to win a bigger share of that shrinking pie. The way to do that, particularly for small businesses, is to use effective lead generation and marketing solutions to connect with new customers, partners and suppliers and create a positive experience. Make sure you give every customer the best experience you can. That means clean restrooms, courteous staff, eye contact, handshakes. You’ve got to do this better than the other people out there. Another good option for local businesses is community involvement. Join a small business networking site or the Chamber of Commerce. Sponsor a Little League team. Let the Girl Scouts do a car wash in your parking lot. This is part of bonding with your community and becoming an established part of it.

About the Author:

I am very passionate about small business and its positive impact to local communities and the overall economy.

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – How To Recession Proof Your Small Business

5 Low Cost Tactics for Growing the Number of Shoppers Entering your Store

Author: Bob Hamilton

If you are about to start a dollar store one of the biggest challenges facing you is to continually grow sales and dollar store profits for your dollar store business. This is a never ending requirement that must be taken seriously. With all of the expenses associated with being in business continually growing, some level of increase is required just to maintain the status quo. One of the fastest and easiest ways to grow sales is by increasing the number of shoppers who enter your store every day. All other things remaining equal, an increase in traffic means an increase in sales. In this article I present 5 low-cost tactics to build traffic for your store.

#1) Advertise your business. If you are in a smaller community a small advertisement in the local newspaper will have a big impact on traffic. You don’t need to create huge full-page ads or inserts that open into multiple pages. Just create small well-designed ads highlighting something about your dollar store business. It might be items for a specific season or holiday, or even just a reminder about some of the in-demand products you routinely carry. Keep these small ads running every week. You will see a steady increase in traffic, sales and dollar store profits.

#2) Add a sign holder. When you first start a dollar store you will discover how powerful this simple idea can be in instantly generating traffic for your business. Just have a simple hand-held banner created with your store name and an arrow pointing toward your store. Have an employee stand on a busy corner and watch the traffic start flowing into your store. A word of caution; make sure you are conforming to all regulations and guidelines.

#3) Contribute to and participate in community events. Become an active part of your community. If there are local parades, participate. If there are other local celebrations or events participate or donate to the cause. These are all great times to get the name of your business in front of prospective shoppers. Many will be shocked and not even aware you were the one to start a dollar store. They will reward your efforts by visiting and making purchases. Of course that means added dollar store profits.

#4) Become a giver to become a receiver. There are many rewards associated with giving. Some are personal and some are business. Your gift can be as simple and inexpensive as providing the treats for a classroom party at the local grade school. They can be discounts provided to local teachers or churches. They can be spearheading a food drive for your community. When you start a dollar store you will discover that a reward for giving is the word of mouth advertising that results for your dollar store business.

#5) Give existing shoppers a reason to tell their friends. The very best advertising and promotion you can receive when you start a dollar store is word of mouth. When existing customers tell family and friends about your store you are receiving a testimonial to the dollar store business you have created. Make sure your store is worthy of receiving this irreplaceable advertising.

While it’s fine to bring new shoppers into your store, don’t forget it is important to create a warm, welcoming environment that makes them happy they did take the time and effort to visit. WOW them with outstanding customer service and products they never thought they’d see in a dollar store. Then watch as the sales and dollar store profits soar for your business.

To your dollar store business success!

About the Author:

Find out how you can open your own dollar store business.

Bob Hamilton is an entrepreneur, author, writer, business consultant and trainer.

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – 5 Low Cost Tactics for Growing the Number of Shoppers Entering your Store

Email Marketing Tips – How Beginners Can Get Started Off on the Right Foot!

Author: Fabian Tan

If you are a beginner in any field, then you must be well aware of the various guidelines and strategies that are a part of that particular field. The same thinking remains true for email marketing as well. The email marketing tips that we have underlined for you will help you start your email marketing campaign with a bang.

1. The Double Opt-In Technique

This is a way of enabling customers to verifying their subscription to the mailing list offered by you, not once but twice. This not only helps the potential customer to be doubly sure but also the business owner. This enables you to be sure that the person that you have sent the email list to, is actually interested in pursuing an association with you or not.

2. The Formatting

As a beginner you must understand that there are two mailing formats. This is one of the many email marketing tips that you should bear in mind. The two primary formats are HTML and plain text. The fact of the matter is that some people will peruse the content of the mail while there are others who would want to take the print out of the mail and read the hard copy. Thus, two formats also increase the readership of the mail.

3. Acquire Email Addresses

When it comes to tips for generating email sales for beginners, this is one of the important ones. You must try and collect as many targeted double opt-in email addresses as you can. You must also try and make sure that these email addresses are pertinent to your target market.

About the Author:

Fabian Tan is a well-known Internet
Marketing expert and the author of the popular 59-page Report:

“Murder Your Job: How To Build Cash Sucking Autopilot Businesses In 30
Days Or Less!”

Head over to http://www.MurderYourJob.com
to get your FREE copy now!

Also, quickly download his FREE & quot;Explosive Traffic System” report that
shows you how to generate 10,000+ unique visitors per month at no cost! => http://www.ExplosiveTrafficSystem.com

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – Email Marketing Tips – How Beginners Can Get Started Off on the Right Foot!

The Beautiful Island of Tenerife

Author: Kim chambers

Tenerife is famous for its beautiful beaches and warm clear water. However Tenerife Holidays will provide many different experiences for visitors. Mount Teide, Tenerife’s extinct volcano, towers over the island at 12,198ft and can claim to be the highest peak in Spain. The volcano is a must visit and the surrounding area too which features outstanding scenery. Over 40% of the land in Tenerife is protected because of its amazing landscape; this number will give you an idea how special the island of Tenerife is.

The south of Tenerife attracts tourists who are after a livelier holiday with bars and nightclubs and warm and dry climate. The most popular resorts are Los Cristianos and Playa De Las Americas. Young people will enjoy the lively venues and the warm climate of Tenerife and the modern and restrained restaurants will suit those who want to enjoy the sun and a good meal.

In the North of the island you can find one of the oldest holiday resorts of the Canary Islands, called Puerto de la Cruz. The streets are filled with colourful flowers and trees making it great for a pleasant walk through the town.

For those a bit more adventurous there are plenty of water sports available from water skiing, diving and jet skiing. If you would like to have a very relaxed holiday you can simply lie back on one of the famous Tenerife beaches and enjoy the warm sun.

Some of the top destinations that are worth a visit are the Ecological Park in Los Cristianos which features huge tropical gardens and many natural attractions including exotic animals, penguins, elephants and many different birds that are all home in Tenerife.

Tenerife holidays really do offer a great experience, much more than year round sun and beautiful beaches. Tenerife will cater for many different holidaymakers tastes, its worth checking out for your next holiday. It is sure to be a holiday you will enjoy and remember for years to come. There are many holiday deals to find on the internet so it is worth searching around to ensure you get the best deals. If you can travel after the school holidays then it will be even cheaper for you.

About the Author:

Kim has 5 years experience in the travel industry. She enjoys writing articles on different holiday locations and travel tips.

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – The Beautiful Island of Tenerife

Planning For Home Based Business Success

Author: David Alich

Today’s society wants us to believe that we need to be doing something 24/7 365 or we will fail. Can you say burnout! This is probably the number 1 reason a lot of people are turning to home based businesses. Without having an online business myself, I would not be able to get my kids to their sports events on time (and they are only in 1 sport at a time), get my grass cut or anything else around the house done for that matter, workout to try to stay healthy and oh yeah…sleep! Having a full time job away from home would be impossible at this point.

Having a home based business or online business allows me to get everything done that I need to without having that “burned out” feeling. However, even working from home requires some sort of schedule. You still need to plan your day, week and even your month. Without a plan or schedule, you will be running around like a chicken without its head! There are just to many things to get done and without structure, you will fail.

My advice and the advice of many others is to plan out your day first. Set a time that you will work on your home based business and stick to that, but do not make that time more than 8 hours. If you try to work 15 hours a day you will burnout quickly and your home based business will fail. Remember, you are working from home to have more free time…not less. Also, make time for your family and for yourself. This will help you get rid of the stress that comes with starting a home based business.

Next, plan your week. Allow yourself a day or two off. Personally, I do not work much on weekends. I like to have that day away from the computer screen. I also like to work out so I set time aside to do that. Again, keeps the stress level down. You should allow 1 hour a day, 3 days a week to exercise. You will be amazed at how much better you will feel!

You can even plan farther ahead, say the month or even the year. Set your goals of what you would like to accomplish with your home based business in 3 months, 6 months and by the end of your first year. A very important point…make your goals achievable! This will help keep you motivated to succeed.

Most importantly, don’t forget to plan that vacation! We all need to get away. Taking some time off from “life” to relax and rejuvenate yourself can work wonders. Burnout is one of the top reasons people fail with anything including home based businesses. Try to do everything in moderation. If you can achieve this, you will find yourself as a wealthy person.

Successful home based businesses are just that because of planning. Someone had a goal, made a plan to get there and set a schedule to reach it without burning out. That is how you become successful with your home based business and in life!

About the Author:

I am a successful home based business owner helping others get started and become successful with their home business. Please visit Biz Ideas For Home to get all your ideas and opportunities to start a home based business

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – Planning For Home Based Business Success

Creating A Successful Home Based Business

Author: Devon Brown

One factor to consider when striving for home business success is that it requires long hours initially and burn out can play a large factor in the success, or demise of your home based business. Even if you’re doing something you love and have great passion for burnout can still play a factor. It is important to choose a business that you do love however, because although burn out is a factor, it is likely considerably slowed if you’re business is one that you’re passionate about. The most important thing to remember is to work in moderation. Even if you have loads of energy and are very passionate about your business choice, moderation is the key to achieving ultimate and lasting success. If you work day and night initially to get your business off the ground, you will likely get tiered of working on your business and then face angry customers or altogether give up.

The wonderful thing about doing something you love is that chances are, you have ready-made connections with friends, family and peers. This simple thing can be a huge advantage when starting up your home based business!

Since it takes time as well as experience to develop skills and knowledge about a specific product service, you would be well ahead of the curve if you already have business contacts.

Lastly, if you truly have a passion for what you’re doing for a living you’ll be able to put the kind of passion into your business which will in turn, make it not only successful but something you can be proud of. If you have outstanding products, terrific customer service and the desire to continue putting work into the business, you will eventually have a trusted business that will have a reputation for excellence and is well known for going above and beyond what any competitor may offer. Having a successful home based business IS possible. And choosing something you love is the first step!

About the Author:

Devon Brown (a.k.a “The Success Renegade”) is one of the most talented young speakers and success coaches in the mlm & home business arena. His powerful information is helping home business entrepreneurs finally achieve the success they deserve and desire. Learn more about Devon and take advantage his FREE Home Business Success Tips by visiting: http://RenegadeSuccess.com

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – Creating A Successful Home Based Business

How To Use Twitter – Tweet When You’re Asleep!

Author: Devon Brown

You can set up Auto-DM (Direct Message) through Tweetlater.com to send DMs to those people who begin to follow you. You could thank people for following you, ask them a question (i.e. “What are you looking for in your business?”), or you could provide them a useful link to your website. You can set auto-DM to everyone, but I highly suggest you do not auto-follow everyone. This can send a red flag to Twitter. Twitter is constantly changing their formulas due to the sheer volume of traffic on there and the high rate of spam. Your purpose should not be to spam, but to make connections. These just open a small window for you.

You could also use TweetLater to set up keyword alerts. Use any keywords pertaining to you or your business and have auto replies sent out to the person that uses that particular keyword when they tweet. You set up the replies beforehand, and TweetLater will tweet those out for you when the time is appropriate! This is a powerful way to find other like-minded people to form relationships with. Keep messages to either a question or quick link. Due to the cap Twitter has put on for the number of tweets per day, keep your keywords to a minimum and to a specified target.

Since you’re only allowed to do 50 tweets per day, you should set a limit on the number of auto-tweets you do. Example: If you know that you currently do about 20 manual tweets per day, then limit your auto-tweets to about 30. If you send too many auto-tweets this could send a red flag to Twitter, and get you “Twitter slapped”. You can do about 1 every 2-3 hours. You can send affiliate links, additional blog posts, or interesting articles you came across during the day. Your main goal is to get your tweets out there all the time because different people login and logoff.

Please take notice. Some people do not like auto-replies and may unfollow you. Don’t take this personally. Keep up your momentum and never forget to tweet yourself. They’re following you because you have something to offer them, so don’t set your Twitter account on auto-pilot 24/7. Contribute and make connections!

About the Author:

Devon Brown (a.k.a “The Success Renegade”) is one of the most talented young speakers and success coaches in the mlm & home business arena. His powerful information is helping home business entrepreneurs finally achieve the success they deserve and desire. Learn more about Devon and take advantage his FREE Tips How To Use Twitter Tips

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – How To Use Twitter – Tweet When You’re Asleep!

Twitter Marketing Secrets

Author: Tom Smart

Ok so you must have at least heard of twitter by now and I am also going to assume you have a twitter account already setup.

So how to start using #Twitter for marketing.

At first glance you would think that the market here on twitter is confined to media fiends ,early technology adopters,socila media practioners and those interested in future communications.This is certainly true but not comprehensive so how do you work out if twitter is where your customers hang out. Here is the best way of doing that.

1: Use Twitter For real time market research

Go to tweetlater.com and create an account.

There you can create a tracker for keywords about your business, these can be emailed to you there is also an rss feed you can plug into google reader.You will be amazed at what comes back.

This alone should give you some valuable insight to what people think about your business or product.

Twitter proves itself to be an invalubale realtime market research tool for any business.

2: Use twitter to promote your brand.

Now having done some research you can jump in and start interacting with your potential customers but wait there are seriuos pitfalls to overcome.

You have to have a strategy you have to decided what persona you are gong to portray online and this is where companies most often loose the plot.

You have to remember to succeed at social networking you have to be “Social and Network”

So don’t just plug your company, if your product or service solves a problem tweet about that first.

Run competitions offer advice and expert opinion in your field build trust first then sell.

Once you have them you will be amazed at what loyalty you can create online

SO jump in feet first but be savvy.

To save severe embarrassment online and possibly thousands of pounds in unforeseen damage to your company reputation see our other posts!About the Author:

Tom Smart Twitter marketing

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – Twitter marketing Secrets

Smart Women “Live into and Find the Flow”

Author: Joy Chudacoff

A few days ago, I was sitting with my good friend and Smart Woman, Suzanne, in her backyard and I was complementing her on how well the yard was laid out from the play area, pool area, and lounge area. Everything flows so well in accessing the home and the backyard. Suzanne shared with me that the backyard was not designed this way when they first moved into the home. When they bought the house initially, the backyard looked a lot different. She shared that after they had lived in the house for awhile and found their flow as a family, she and her husband created a vision on how the backyard might better serve their needs. This got me thinking about how Smart Women need to “live into their Big ideas, dreams and goals finding their flow along the way”.

In my Women’s Success Circles, I sometimes find that women can get “stuck” and are afraid to take action on their ideas and dreams because they don’t have a full or complete vision on how it will all come together.

We can become fearful or resistant when we don’t have a clear plan. Although I encourage women to have a well thought out plan, sometimes just taking that initial step forward is what you need to make it happen. I had a mentor once who used to say, “Mindset first; details later.”

When I first gave birth to my business, Smart Women Smart Solutions, I had developed a model to help women in transition. It was a program that supported women who were ready to make a change in their life–both personally and professionally. I hosted Women’s Success Circles here locally around Los Angeles. That was my initial vision. As my business began to grow and ripple out into the world, it morphed and changed into something quite different. Offering my process to help women make positive change in their lives is still a “core” part of my business today. However, I now offer a host of services from public speaking to teleseminars that are steeped in the “core” of supporting women as they move their lives to the next level of success.

I started with a core vision and “lived into my work with women”. I found my flow, my rhythm.

How about you? Are you waiting for the “perfect time” to realize your Big ideas, dreams and goals? I’ve got a secret for you: There is never a perfect time for anything in life: getting married, having children, or realizing a dream that you have.

Here are a few tips for you to think about as you begin to take the steps to “live into your dreams and find your flow”.

1. Just Do It – It’s an old cliché and has been used many times, however it is quite effective if you have a Big idea or dream that is screaming to make its way into the world through you. Find a coach or other “thinking partner” and take some steps to open the door to make it happen.

2. Find Your Rhythm – When Phil Jackson, coach of the LA Lakers was asked what made the Lakers perform so well on the court, his answer was, “they have found their rhythm as a team and as individual players.” I would have never found the “rhythm” of my business if I had not put myself out there and made it happen. I had to ‘live into” the process. Those of you who have been with me over the last few years have seen the process and how my business model has changed and grown to better serve women.

3. Course-Correct – Movement always wins over meditation in business. In most situations, you can “course-correct” and change direction. The only way to get clear and focused on what your vision or your dream will ultimately be is to take those first steps to make it happen. Even if you can’t see the end, just take the action steps and it will unfold as you go along.

I firmly believe in taking action. The women I work with begin with a plan knowing that over time they will need to make changes and course-correct.

That afternoon, I was once again reminded that we all need to “live into and find the flow” in our lives and in our businesses. Take that first step: Decide what part of your Big ideas or dreams that you want to take action on and “live into it” today. Find the “flow.”

Anything is possible. Everything is waiting for you.

*****

About the Author:

© 2009 Joy Chudacoff

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Joy Chudacoff, ICF, PCC, is the founder of Smart Women Smart Solutions(tm), a Professional Certified Coach to 1000’s of women, Motivational Speaker, and Entrepreneur. She publishes a weekly buzz generating ezine, Reflections On Life and Business for Women Entrepreneurs. If you’re ready take your life and your business to the next level, get your FREE Tips, FREE Report and FREE MP3 now at Profits With Passion .

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – Smart Women “Live into and Find the Flow”