Internet News and Trends for Small and Mid-size Business Owners.
If you run your small business / home business from your home, should you tell clients you work from home?
It depends. However, depending on the industry you're in, it's becoming more acceptable to tell your clients that you work from home--even conduct client meetings / sessions at your home.
Perceptions indeed are changing when it comes to running your business from your home.
All things being equal, who would get your business: a local, national brand name chain or a locally owned, small business owner?
According to a recent survey (Most Shoppers Think Local) 93% of us prefer the local small business owner.
So, small business owners take heart! People prefer dealing with you--especially if you can offer friendly and knowledgeable customer service.
People really do like supporting the home team!
A snippet of Walter William's speech at Hilsdale College on entrepreneurship caught my eye and reminded me of the value entrepreneurs have in our society.
Capitalism is a worthy cause. There is no dichotomy between serving people and gaining a profit from doing so. In fact, you can often serve people better when charge the people you are serving. The alternative--in the real world--for providing a service that no one is asking for is a going-out-of-business sale.
When will American citizens demand better service from their public institutions?! Wait a second...isn't our government the nation's biggest employer? (Yep) Nevermind.
Tip of the hat to The Entrepreneurial Mind (Dr. Jeffrey R. Cornwall)
Intimidated by large online retailers? Think your online retail business is getting creamed by the giant online retailers? Not so fast! If you have a professional looking web site, cater to a niche market, and deliver personalized service, you can win customers and thwart the "big boys."
Ever consider starting a small business? You're not alone. A recent survey indicates that many of us do consider seriously starting up our own small business in the next 5-years. In addition, many of us indicate that the Internet would play a vital role in launching a small business.
Current small business owners realize the importance of the Internet to their business. Existing entrepreneurs embrace the Net for E-commerce. In fact, the number of small businesses using E-commerce on the Internet tripled between 2003 and 2004.
So, when you're ready to launch your small business, make sure you have an affordable website solution to establish your business presence online.
If you run a small business and need to brush up on small business terms, head on over to the Dictionary of Small Business. To date they have over 2,500 entries that assist you in reviewing common definations such as Net Worth as well as uncommon definitions like Time-Price Differential.
Guess who bought the most online in 2004? Hint: It wasn't men. It was women.
Assuming you do business on the Internet, here's a list of what women want online.
Read it, ponder it, implement it!
