Archive for the 'Guest Posts' Category
Lice Removal is an Untapped Niche!
I love lice removal stories. A reader sent in this guest post about her her lice removal business. This is a huge untapped niche! I’m always amazed at how easy it was to turn something disgusting and shameful into something that is totally normal and profitable. When Carrie Madej decided to start her new business, [...]
The Accidental Business Consultant, or Not
The following is a guest post by Karl Walinskas. Question: What is the quickest growing industry in the United States today? Answer: Private Consulting Not only are there more small businesses than at any time in American history developing, but an ever increasing number of those companies are that of private consultants. Why is this? [...]
3 Great Business Ideas for College Students
The following is a guest post by Jemima Lopez. If you’re in college, chances are you’re broke. Poverty is something of a rite of passage that goes along with pursuing secondary education — at the same time, just because you’re trying to get another degree doesn’t mean you have to be penniless. But, unless you [...]
Why Working Anywhere from Anywhere is a Myth
There’s a fashionable mantra being preached by ecommerce gurus that one can live and operate an online store from anywhere and that the online store can operate in any country, especially if you employ the drop ship model. This is a falsehood that needs to be challenged, at least according to Robert Mangan, who owns [...]
4 Simple Ways To Protect The Reputation Of Your Small Business Online
If you are trying to run a small business, there is no way to avoid the Internet. No matter what kind of business you operate, you will need to have an online presence. Having an online presence does not include just having a website and posting your most recent innovations to Twitter and Facebook. Consumers [...]
Five Profitable Businesses You’ve Never Thought Of
The following is a guest post from Vit. How are you going about making money? What if you could make money with some of your craziest ideas? Here are five of my favorite off-the-wall businesses: Game Truck – In 2006, Scott Novis, fed up with the experience had at his son’s 4th birthday party in [...]
5 Things Every Small Biz Owner Should Know About Online Marketing
The following is a guest post by Kari DePhillips. Believe it or not, there’s no secret to online marketing. At least, not any more than there’s a “secret” to algebra. Once the fundamentals are learned, the rest is a total cakewalk…only more fun and profitable. The trick is getting started, which can be intimidating if [...]
What is it About Yogurt and Cupcakes?
The following is a guest post from the Blog Content Guild. If you live in the U.S., you’ve probably noticed that cupcake shops and frozen yogurt shops have been doing increasingly well in the past few years. Both types of shops have been popping up all over the country, and they always seem to be [...]
Small Business in Tough Economic Times
The following is a guest post from Kelly Austin. It is possible to own and operate a profitable small business during the recession. Starting a small business does not mean you have to do the business indefinitely and running a small business can be temporary to help provide some income to help pay for bills [...]
Why You Should Start a Dog Walking Business
The following is a guest post by Jim Masterson, author of How to Start a Dog Walking Business: Dog Walking Jobs For Fun and Profit. Have you ever considered starting your very own dog walking business? If so, you’re not alone, and the timing couldn’t be better for you. That’s because a dog walking business [...]
Assessing Feedback on Startup Ideas: Avoiding Dangerous but Common Pitfalls
The following is a guest post by Dr. Mark Simon, Ph.D. So, let’s say that you have an idea for a new business that you think is a “real winner!” You personally believe that the product or service behind your startup idea will be desired by enough consumers to earn a consistent profit, and you’re [...]
Exit Strategy: How to Maximize Value When it’s Time to Sell Your Company
The following is a guest post by Stephen D. Hassett. You’ve spent years building your business and for whatever reason you are ready sell it. How do you maximize value? Unfortunately, you may be too late. The value creation process needed to start years ago and short-term fixes may actually make things worse. In order [...]
Tips for Techies: How to be Self-Employed
With a down economy and a job market that is becoming increasingly specialized, more and more people are striking out and going into business for themselves. However, the transition from working at a traditional job to working on your own can be a difficult one. While there is a great deal that’s appealing about working [...]
5 Traits of Successful Entrepreneurs
The following is a guest post by Carol Montrose. Don’t you wish that you could bottle that seemingly magical element that turns other entrepreneurs into effective business leaders, so that you could realize the same successes? Well, it turns out there’s no magic formula used to create the Donald Trumps, Mark Zuckerbergs, and Richard Bransons [...]
How to Start a Tutorial Website
Looking to start a website, but constantly putting it off due to the fact that you have no clue where to start or what niche you would even want to get into? This is the case for a lot of different online business entrepreneurs out there, especially if you are in the service providing industry [...]
Get Protected: Insurance Types for Small Business Owners
All too often entrepreneurs and small business owners are so caught up with developing a brand, recruiting employees and creating a solid marketing plan that they forget to purchase one of the most important things that can protect them from the “risks” typically associated with start-ups—small business insurance. While getting insured may be the last [...]
The following is a guest post by Cristian Dorobantescu of the Small Business Entrepreneur Blog from Romania. Every couple of weeks I see lists of “entrepreneurship myths” – it seems like it’s a never ending story – some are fueling them and the others are debunking them. There is one myth in particular that really [...]
Top Ten Home Business Ideas for 2011
The following is a guest post by Scott Lindsay. Everyone dreams of working from home but it is hard to find a job that would allow you to work from home and make enough money to support you and your family. However, if you look hard enough you can find a number of work from [...]
Hit Up Credit Unions for Low Interest Rates
With the words “double dip recession” on everyone’s lips, it’s no wonder that lenders are becoming even more parsimonious with small business loans. Small business loan approval rates by large, national banks fell from 9.4% in May to 8.9% in June, and industry analysts predict that lending will only tighten. Though large banks shy away [...]
Planning For Retirement As An Entrepreneur
The following is a guest post by James Wilson. You throw open your wallet all the time as a small business owner. The printer is out of paper – out comes the wallet. You’re a little short on payroll – out comes the wallet. It’s time to retire – out comes the… whoops. It’s easy [...]
How to Use the Web to Tap Into International Markets
The following is a guest post by Christian Arno. Running a small business is tough. For some, the thought of selling abroad is even more daunting, but the truth is you could be missing out on a valuable market. As technology has improved, so too has the number of internet users, particularly those who have [...]
The Value of Social Media to Entrepreneurs
The following is a guest post by Matt Polsky. Last year, Ford revealed their 2011 Explorer exclusively on Facebook and experienced monumental success. Not only did the company’s Facebook release have an unheard of return on investment, but it also showed a large-scale change in the way companies market themselves and their new products. Now [...]
The 8 Biggest Mistakes I’ve Made
The following is a guest post by Brian Hamilton, CEO of Sageworks, Inc. Running a business should earn you an honorary graduate or even doctoral degree given all you will learn. For those just starting out, here are the CliffNotes, the mistakes you should hear now and avoid. Hiring in advance of revenue. There is [...]
Monetizing Your Platform Strategically – Go Beyond the Book
The following is a guest post by Peter Winick. Everybody is doing it. With easy-to-use, off-the-shelf publishing software, even producing a good looking book isn’t that difficult. Books are being written and published at the highest rate in history. It’s selling books that is the problem. Many authors write a book and simply expect the [...]
Social Media: Building Businesses and Relationships
The following is a guest post by Kristen Bradley. We’ve all been pitched the social media hype about how setting up a business profile will miraculously make our businesses more popular or successful. The unavoidable media frenzy proclaims, “Your business needs to be on Facebook and Twitter NOW!” Although sale conversions on social media sites [...]
Business Plan: The One Page Pitch
The following is a guest post by Tim Eyre. 5 Elements of an Effective Business Plan That Will Leave Them Begging for More At one time standard protocol called for a lengthy, very detailed business plan that would permit the reader, be it an investor or potential client, to get a complete understanding of a [...]
3 Businesses That Thrive When Gas Prices Go Up
The following is a guest post by Anthony Benedict. Thinking of starting a business, or evaluating a job offer? When determining if a business can survive in today’s world, gas prices are a huge factor. Depending on the business, gas prices can affect the cost of goods that a company buys, the shipping costs incurred [...]
New Tech You’ll Spy in Emerging Small Businesses
The following is a guest post from Stephen Cline. Small businesses often adopt the newest technological advances before large corporations. That’s because small businesses can adapt to changes more quickly and they have the ability to take risks that corporations usually avoid. When paying attention to the new tech used by emerging small companies, experts [...]
10 Effortless Ways to Get More Small Biz Press
The following is a guest post from Nate Gilmore of Shipwire. Tell Your Story Don’t hide how you created your product, where the idea came from or your trials and tribulations during the creation process. This is the process that interests the press and bloggers. Put this up on your blog once you’ve figured out [...]
Can You Build Equity In A Business Without Any Money? Maybe…
The following is a guest post from Chuck Huckaby of our Work at Home blog. I am fascinated by the cooperative movement. I would love to see work at home businesses emerge which could form larger cooperatives and enable people to have the benefits of working at home without being “on their own”. Sometimes cooperatives [...]
When Is the Right Time to Teach Kids Financial Skills?
The following is a guest post by Rudy DeFelice. As a father of three and founder of Kidworth, Rudy DeFelice is familiar with the issue of when parents should start addressing kids’ financial literacy. The answer may surprise some. Here’s a hint: most parents don’t start early enough. Given uncertain economic conditions, the rising cost [...]
What Rocket Science Can Teach Us About Finding Business Opportunities
The following is a guest post by Storagepipe. “Did you know that disco record sales were up 400% for the year ending 1976? If these trends continue… AAY!” – Disco Stu Now that most companies rely on Internet marketing as the primary means of getting clients, there seems to be an increasing emphasis on the [...]
4 Businesses to Start in a Down Economy
The following guest post is by Michael Herder. When the economy is down, times are difficult for all of us. History has shown that it is often the small businesses that end up bringing the economy back up to speed, but starting a business can prove to be difficult. What type of business should you [...]
Innovative Entrepreneurs Inside the Box
The following is a guest post by Art Gould. There is nothing more powerful than what you get when you mix a little creativity together with a healthy dose of entrepreneurial spirit. The results can be truly mind- boggling! I am constantly reminded of this whenever I look around and see how people are sometimes [...]
Free Online Business Courses for Entrepreneurs
The following is a guest post by Brian Jenkins. A business education doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg. You can actually learn about the various aspects of operating a business for free on the Web. The Internet provides entrepreneurs with numerous free opportunities to enhance their business skills. Several colleges offer their [...]
5 Ways to Save Big on Your Overhead Business Expenses
The following is a guest post by Adam Gottlieb. As we march full steam into the new year, maintaining adequate cash flow continues to be one of biggest concerns (read: headache) for small and home-based business owners. For this reason, a focus on cost-cutting and bootstrapping, once the domain of frugal-minded small business owners and [...]
Shark Tank Season 2 Casting Call
The following is by Brenden Sherratt of In The Shark Tank. Shark Tank has begun casting for its second season. If you have a business, which needs funding by the sharks, please e-mail SharkTankCasting@yahoo.com. You’ll need to include your name, address, contact information, a recent photo, and a brief non-confidential description of your business. There [...]
How to Make a True Profit on eBay
The following is a guest post from Corry Cummings. Selling products on eBay has become a very popular way for millions of people to make extra money. Some people only sell a few items to make a little extra cash while other people make a career of selling products on eBay. There are many different [...]
Where to Market Your Invention Online
The following is a guest post by Deb Maubach of Homeschool-Entrepreneur.com. I recently read on Momma’s Choice about a family-owned website that consists exclusively of useful items invented by parents. If you have an invention that you have developed, then you will want to contact Inventive Parent.com and see if they will offer your product [...]
3 Ways to Make the Most of Business Opportunities
I’ve heard people complaining (or bragging) that they would achieve success easily if only they were provided with the right opportunities. The trouble with opportunities is that they don’t come knocking when you expect them to; rather, you have to be on the lookout for them at each and every point of your life. The [...]
Are You Afraid of Social Media?
The following is a guest post from author and marketing specialist Michael Carney. Social Media is the hottest topic in marketing circles right now and many businesses are feeling pressured to get involved with social outlets such as Facebook, MySpace or Twitter. Small wonder — eMarketer is reporting that social media has reached the tipping [...]
What You Can Learn from Small Businesses Success Stories
There is not bulletproof recipe to launching a successful business. Luck, flair, persistence and drive are some of the many factors that will make – or break a start-up. But while there is no blueprint on entrepreneurship, history has taught us that you cannot make it without the 6 factors listed below These rules are [...]
Five Lessons Every Small Business Can Learn from the Karate Kid
The following is a guest post from Company.com. If you’re getting your butt kicked, talk to an expert. Sometimes experts don’t look like we expect them to look. Whether it’s the handyman who’s a martial arts expert or the tech support guy who speaks three languages, we can be surprised by what people know. One [...]
Eight Tips to Help You Be Your Own Boss
The following is an excerpt from Your Million Dollar Dream: Regain Control and Be Your Own Boss. Create a Winning Business Plan. Turn Your Passion into Profit by Tamara Monosoff. 1. Take a stand for yourself. If you are dissatisfied with your current circumstances no one will fix them — except for you. It doesn’t [...]
Clear The Disorder and Make Your Home Business A Financial Success
The following is a guest post by Lloyd Burrell. It can be very difficult to keep a home business running in tip top shape especially when the room in which it is ran becomes unorganized and extremely cluttered. However, if you’ve ever dreamed of having an office where everything is within an arm’s length, then [...]
Is My Business Idea A Good One?
The following is a guest post from John Crickett. Firstly let’s clarify what a good business idea is. To me a good business idea is one that is both profitable and sustainable. By profitable, I mean that you sell your product for more than it costs you to deliver it and after deducting a contribution [...]
Don’t Get Pushed Into a Corner of Your Home Office
The following is a guest post by Lloyd Burrell. Have you been downsized? Are you working at home to save money, or because you have to? Working as a freelancer can be both exhilarating (when the money comes in) or stressful (when you have a 300 page project to complete and your nose is all [...]
WebSafety: Keeping Kids Safe Online
The following is a guest post by Gail Wallin. WebSafety launched in 2009 after several years of product development. Developed by a group of concerned parents, law enforcement officials and today’s top software engineers, the result is a company with advanced technology that empowers parents to protect their children in the cyber and cellular worlds. [...]
The Rise of Saturday Landlords
The following is a guest post by Brian Davis. Anyone who’s tried to sell a piece of real estate in the last three years has likely had a lengthy, dispiriting selling process, filled with compromises and sacrifices. Prices dropped, mortgage lenders tightened up, would-be buyers lost their jobs, others postponed buying to shore up their [...]
Seven Tips for Those Considering a Consulting Franchise
photo credit: lirneasia The following is a guest post by Miles Lee. As more and more corporate executives lose their jobs or go into early retirement, business-to-business consulting franchises are becoming more and more popular. All it takes is a search for business coaching, cost containment, factoring, internet services, financial services, to name a few, [...]
