Archive for August, 2008

Thursday, August 28th, 2008

Senate Bill to Simplify Home-Office Deductions

Currently, many small businesses are unable to take full advantage of the home-office tax deduction because of its complexity. Surprise, surprise! Figuring that stuff out is near impossible for the 53 percent of American small business owners with home-based businesses. Even Albert Einstein was baffled by the tax code; it’s a complete joke.
Luckily Sen. Olympia […]

No Comments » - Posted in Business and Politics by Megan Dorn

Wednesday, August 27th, 2008

U.S. May Become Leader in Mobile Web Usage

New data released yesterday from analytics and billing firm Bango suggests that the United States may soon pass the United Kingdom as the top user of the mobile Web. According to a VentureBeat post, the United States holds nearly 19 percent of the world total, while the United Kingdom holds about 19.4 percent. In terms […]

No Comments » - Posted in Technology, Small Business by Megan Dorn

Tuesday, August 26th, 2008

Differentiation Makes All the Difference

Having a point of differentiation that matters to a particular market is a critical marketing strategy. That’s why it’s essential to actively find and aggressively communicate to consumers what it is that makes you different
I read a great post by John Jantsch on Duct Tape Marketing blog the other day about the importance of establishing […]

No Comments » - Posted in Small Business, Tips for Startups by Megan Dorn

Monday, August 25th, 2008

The Cost of Your Startup

How much is it going to cost? That’s what most entrepreneurs want to know about the businesses they’re starting, but estimating the total cost is tough. Not only are there a ton of details that you’ll fail to figure in, but the aspects that you do figure in are likely to change. Coming up with […]

No Comments » - Posted in Financing, Tips for Startups by Megan Dorn

Friday, August 22nd, 2008

College for Entrepreneurs: Necessary or Not?

Who says you have to go to college to be an entrepreneur? No one is going to look at your resume and tell you that you’re not eligible to start your own business if you don’t. So is college really necessary? Matthew Bandyk, who writes the U.S. News and World Report entrepreneurship blog Risky Business, […]

No Comments » - Posted in Entrepreneurship by Megan Dorn

Thursday, August 21st, 2008

Smart Social Media

I read a great post this morning on the Wall Street Journal’s small business blog Independent Street about social media. Basically it talks about the ways that some businesses are messing up their social marketing efforts. Though some small businesses are familiar with the Web 2.0 world, many still don’t fully grasp the concept and […]

No Comments » - Posted in Technology, Small Business by Megan Dorn

Wednesday, August 20th, 2008

Mandatory Paid Sick Leave Could Prove Detrimental

Ohio voters will decide whether or not to approve the Healthy Families Act on their ballots come November. The act, which will guarantee most full-time employees seven paid sick days a year, could cause Ohio to lose 75,000 jobs over the next five years, according to a recent study by the National Federation of Independent […]

1 Comment » - Posted in Business and Politics, Small Business by Megan Dorn

Tuesday, August 19th, 2008

Employee Wellness Programs Reduce Health Care Costs

The top concern of small business owners according to a survey conducted every four years by the National Federation of Independent Business is the high cost of health insurance. In fact, it’s been their top concern for the past five surveys, according to Paul B. Brown’s Small Business Tool Kit column in the New York […]

1 Comment » - Posted in Small Business by Megan Dorn