Birmingham Small Business.com

Like many other small entrepreneurs, you may not have the budget to hire an advertising or marketing firm to promote your business. So the burden of responsibility falls strictly on your shoulders. If your marketing strategy until now has been to wing it, experts say it’s time you consider putting together a written marketing plan. It will not only help focus your marketing efforts but also allow you to set measurable goals for growing your business.

Las Cruces:

Is there a market for your product or service?
How large is the market?
What percentage of the market can you reach?
How can you reach the market?
At what price can you attract customers?
What will be the cost of attracting customers?
How long before a profit is made?

There are many ways to successfully motivate employees and all of them require managers to focus on the human beings with whom they work, and who desire to be successful themselves. Here are six important motivational elements.

Alltel Wireless, America’s largest network, recently announced that myServiceForce.com’s FieldMasterPro™ is now available for small business customers using Windows Mobile 5.0 smartphones. The FieldMasterPro application offers a complete work order […]

A new report from the Small Business Administration shows the government is falling short on its small-business contracting goals, but critics say the shortfall is even greater than reported. Small-business advocates in industry and on Capitol Hill say SBA exaggerates the proportion of contract dollars going to small firms. They also say new rules don’t go far enough in improving how SBA measures agencies’ progress in contracting with small companies.

Freep:
Don’t be afraid to fail
If the corporate world allows little room for making mistakes, the opposite is true of having your own business. Making mistakes allows for quick learning.
Brace yourself
It takes about three times as long and three times as much money to reach your business goal. Be prepared for disappointment and have patience.
Think outside […]

Tivilon, Inc., a leading provider of online marketing and web site solutions, recently announced the release of MailHarbor, a Web 2.0 email marketing solution created to enable small businesses and nonprofit organizations to send professional emails to donors, members and clients at a low cost. The company is offering a 30-day free trial of MailHarbor via its web site, http://www.mailharbor.com

Cincinnati.com:
Carla Eng has some advice for budding women entrepreneurs: Have a solid business plan, fight adversity and don’t give up. As owner and president of Abstract Displays Inc., Eng has used that strategy to help her Blue Ash-based trade-show exhibit company experience explosive growth.
The company’s revenues rose to $2.4 million last year, up from $500,000 […]