With smiling small business owners surrounding him, Donald Trump held a ceremony to sign one of his many Executive Orders on his tenth day in office. This Executive Order was drafted to keep one of Trump’s campaign promises of cutting regulations for small businesses. It’s a nice show, Mr. Trump. But that’s mostly what it …
Make Customers Fall In Love With Your Biz
Don’t let the heat of new attraction dim; nurture the relationship with your customers. In February, love is in the air. After all, February contains Valentine’s Day, American Heart Month, even Love Your Pet Day. But for small-business owners and entrepreneurs, I’m declaring February as Love Your Customers Month. Getting and keeping customers is like …
Should Your Students Emulate Elon Musk?
In the summer of 2016, Elon Musk, CEO of electric-car maker Tesla, unveiled his vision of the future, called “Master Plan, Part Deux.” Not content to just concentrate on building a sexy, safe, and desirous electric car, Musk already had a lot on his plate: building a massive electric battery plant in Nevada, buying the solar-panel company SolarCity and, oh …
Travel Ban Threatens Main Street Small Biz
Walk down University Avenue in Palo Alto, the “Main Street” of Silicon Valley, and you’ll easily hear seven or ten different languages spoken. Those speakers come from all over the world to launch companies, create jobs, invest in America. America has always attracted the best and the brightest, the most eager, from around the world. …
Small Business Borrowing Troubles
Having trouble getting a bank loan for your small business? So are many other small companies, especially those in economically disadvantaged areas, according to a report released Tuesday January 24. That lack of traditional bank financing has led to a proliferation of online small business lenders. But experts warn: be careful. “Overall, the total number …
4 Steps to Take to Trump-Proof Your Small Biz
On January 20, Donald J. Trump takes up residence in the White House. What does this new Administration potentially mean for small business? There’s an old saying: politicians campaign in poetry and govern in prose. Now, the last campaign didn’t offer poetry from any side, but the grand promises and slogans of a campaign now …
Survey Says! It’s a Great Time to Own a Small Business
While small business owners and entrepreneurs tend to be optimistic by nature, in 2017, encouraged by recent growth in the economy, they’re particularly upbeat. That’s according to the recent Staples National Small Business Survey, conducted in December 2016. Just some of the findings of the survey: 85 percent of small business owners feel optimistic about …
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7 Steps to Small Biz Success in 2017
It’s closing in on mid-January, and what happened to all those new year’s resolutions you set with such enthusiasm 10 days ago? Resolutions often quickly get forgotten. How can you turn your good intentions for your small business into real action? Turn those resolutions into “small business success goals” for 2017. How do goals differ …
7 New Year’s Resolutions for Entrepreneurship Educators
Here’s a prediction for 2017: Interest in entrepreneurship remains as high as ever, and students will clamor to get into entrepreneurship courses. So you’ll want to make sure you bring your “A game” to these eager future entrepreneurs. These resolutions will help you make sure you’re covering both the fundamentals of entrepreneurship and the cutting-edge …
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