Thumbtack , in partnership with the Kauffman Foundation , conducted a Small Business Friendliness Survey. Overall ranking range from 1 through 38, with 1 being the most small business friendly and 38 the least small business friendly. MORE

Market your consulting services with these five tips for blogging your way to expert status MORE

Paying for a cup of coffee on an iPad is mainstream in big cities, but the majority of small businesses — the backbone of our local economies — have not yet fully come online. Small businesses like restaurants, which have an 80% failure rate in the first five years, are some of the most challenged in curbing inefficiency and meeting the rising expectations of tech-empowered customers. MORE

Non Profit Business Software. Non profit Business Solutions Non Profit Fundraising Non Profit CRM Higher Education Software K 12 School Software Church Management Software Church Accounting Church Fundraising Software. Charity CRM System : Constituent relationship management system for nonprofits: Blackbaud offers several nonprofit CRM software solutions for small to large nonprofit organizations. MORE

Facebook marketing tips for your small business social media strategy MORE

These next weeks can make or break a business and most organizations are striving to make sure it''s the latter. With just a week until Thanksgiving, retailers are in full swing preparing for what is the busiest time of the year. MORE

Facebook’s own marketing team make running a business page and using Facebook Ads sound simple and effective. As a page admin, when you go to your business page you’ll see a series of headers across the top – and one of them reads: Insights. MORE

It’s whether you’re accomplishing your business goals. While their approach to social media has matured considerably, I still see many business leaders caught up in the numbers. Every business is dynamic. MORE

Three networking tips to grow your independent business by building and maintaining relationships with valuable business contacts MORE

Follow these three steps to keep your independent business growing MORE

Every small business, my own included, struggles with its database. "Which technology should I use for my database?" is a great second question, says my buddy Jerry Gitchel, founder of Make Technology Work, which provides technology coaching for entrepreneurs and professionals. Some of it is in MS Outlook, another part is MORE

Bad economic conditions don''t necessarily mean a death sentence for small companies. They can employ multiple strategies to keep growing MORE

Owners of small businesses can set their own hours, make their own management decisions, and take pride in the ownership of their work. These are of course unknown and highly dependent on the job and the success of the small business itself. HBR STAFF. MORE

July’s sharp decrease in the level of new business at manufacturers surpassed the previous record set in February 2012. Greece Manufacturing PMI Businesses Gasp Over Capital Controls The Financial Times reports Greek Businesses Left Gasping as Capital Controls Bite. MORE

Make sure your small business operates legally with all of the required licenses and permits MORE

Efficiently running an independent business involves significant time and effort. This infographic summarizes common tasks and solutions MORE

The post Small Business and Rotary Projects – Huge Dependencies appeared first on Martinka Consulting. Exit Strategies Increasing Value Video Podcasts MORE

Insurers know that many small businesses in the US—those with up to 30 workers—will eventually buy insurance directly online. According to estimates by The Boston Consulting Group (BCG), about 17% of premiums in the US small-business market will be digitally underwritten by 2018. MORE

Follow these four steps to take your consulting business beyond the start-up phase and to the next level MORE

For decades, the production of corn has been led by family-based businesses who operate their farms with a time-tested mix of traditional agriculture tools. It helps make their businesses more efficient and more profitable. Crowdfunding platforms and social media have changed the way many small businesses get started raising capital. It’s hard to imagine a time when it was easier for anyone to start a business. Jorg Greuel/Getty Images. MORE

Why you should consider maintaining an active blog as an independent professional MORE

Certifications can help differentiate your small business and provide access to federal contracts, specialized funding, and new networking opportunities. MORE

The NFIB Small Business Index surged 7.4 Leading the charge was “Expect Better Business Conditions,” which shot up from a net 12 percent in November to a net 50 percent last month. Small-Business Optimism Index Surges by Most Since 1980. Trump Euphoria Sets In. points to 105.8, highest reading since December 2004. Bloomberg noted U.S. Let’s start with Bloomberg comments, then dive into the report. more…). Economics MORE

Surviving in today''s turbulent business world is tough. According to Wells Fargo and the National Federation of Independent Business'' Education Foundation, about half of small businesses disappear within five years. In some cases, small business failures are the result of a lack of access to capital. Other contributors to small business failures include non-payment of taxes, lack of strategic planning, and a lack of management experience. MORE

Non Profit Business Software. Non profit Business Solutions Non Profit Fundraising Non Profit CRM Higher Education Software K 12 School Software Church Management Software Church Accounting Church Fundraising Software. Charity CRM System : Constituent relationship management system for nonprofits: Blackbaud offers several nonprofit CRM software solutions for small to large nonprofit organizations. MORE

Three helpful tips to reevaluate your business goals and stay on track for the future MORE

Four tips for preparing for tax season without stressing yourself out MORE

The birth of loyalty programs have given brands the ability to reward their customers for choosing to do business with that company, and in turn hope that they will keep coming back. MORE

Here is the video: And below are the slides: Creating strategy in the small business from Ed Kless. On Consulting On Organizational Development accountex entrepreneur heathrow london small business strategy MORE

And limited credit is in part caused by the difficulty of predicting which small businesses will and won’t succeed. In the past, a community bank would have a relationship with the businesses on Main Street, and when it came time for a loan, there would be a wealth of informal information to augment the loan application. Since the crisis, banks have reconsidered their overreliance on personal credit scores in small business lending. MORE

If you find yourself regularly putting in forty hours per week and still getting home with energy and inspiration to burn, it can be both lucrative and educational to redirect that force towards building your own small business – even if you have no ambitions to conquer the world on your own. And unlike most start-ups, your ‘hobby business’ really doesn’t require any financial investment to get off the ground. MORE

The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) reports Small Businesses Optimism Takes a Tumble largely due to a precipitous decline in hiring plans. Fall arrived literally this month, as small business optimism dropped from 93.9 MORE

A small number of people gained big (those with no insurance, those with preexisting conditions, and those who get free Medicaid). Here is an interesting video regarding the effects of Obamacare on all the employees at at Simonetta''s auto repair shop in Pennsylvania. MORE

Keep your small business running smoothly with these 6 tips for managing administrative work MORE

Create a business plan for your small business by following these 8 essential steps MORE

How do you find, lead and manage employees in a tiny business (two to nine people)? Businesses often fail to spend the time and money to recruit, hire and train fellow travelers, instead, hiring what they can and then being disappointed when they try to lead. MORE

Size shouldn't matter, but for small businesses, size often indicates an unavoidable disadvantage. By nature, big box stores have the ability to slash prices and advertise deals in ways that small businesses simply can't afford. MORE

Even if cryptocurrencies will not displace gold and fiat currencies, there is great potential in crypto and blockchain for business applications. So what can crypto really do for business, and for small business in particular? MORE

For the past five years, we have taught a course at Harvard Business School that prepares students to search for, purchase, and run a small business. Whatever the intentions and logic of that third group, the fact is that they very rarely begin a search in the five years after business school. First, you do learn a lot about business when you take a job after business school. But you learn about those businesses you actually work on. MORE

Do those referrals provide you with enough business? If you are like most small business owners, you need to generate new business. And they don’t get the business. People are busy and calling you to get info on your service is not going to happen. I help business owners to improve in all areas of the sales process, so they can make more money. Top Consulting Tips new business referrals sales process Sales skills Savvy Selling Now! MORE

Follow these four steps to meet your business goals as an independent professional MORE

Four offline solutions to effectively market your independent consultancy for free MORE

The Guardian claims Spanish rent changes ‘could close 20,000 small businesses’. Up to 20,000 small Spanish businesses could be forced to close when rent controls are abolished at the end of this month, according to the self-employed workers union. The Camisería Hernando has been in business since 1857 and has occupied the same shop on Madrid’s Gran Vía for 50 years but is closing after the rent shot up from €3,000 to €30,000 a month. MORE