BizOp Blogs

PC World: After just over a year as a coveted, invitation-only beta, Google has officially launched Google Voice as a free service for all. Google Voice adds another component to the suite of tools available from Google providing small and medium businesses with cost-effective tools enabling them to... More

FastUpFront: 1. The number of small businesses is expected to grow. With the unemployment rate climbing and job security being challenged across the board, many will try their luck with small and personal businesses. A large percentage of this population will consist of Gen Y and Babyboomers. 2. Flexibility... More

Small Business Labs: 1. The Recession Drives Small Business Innovation: With the economy mired in a deep recession, small businesses will focus on cash flow, cost containment, customer retention and survival. But economic stress will also lead to a wave of small business innovation. Driven by the need... More

Canadian Entrepreneur: * Critical thinking: Learn to question everything, to look for alternative solutions. Find the weaknesses in other people’s ideas and plans. Learn to articulate what is wrong with them and why things should be different. * Understand strategy: Strategy is a consistent process... More

Small Business Labs: 1. Technology is reducing production costs in a number of industries, allowing part-time and hobby businesses to compete in industries that used to be limited to bigger companies. Digital photography, for example, has substantially cut the costs of taking, developing and editing... More

Marketing Web: A special edition of Trendwatching.com‘s Trend Briefing lists 41 new business ideas, aimed to stimulate the imagination of entrepreneurial types. We’ve picked some of those that caught our eye, and could be popular in South Africa. Crowd Clout One trend that Trendwatching.com... More

CNNMoney.com: It was too weird to be true. In late 2006, a series of videos appeared on YouTube about a Willow Springs, Ill., resident named Kyle Bone who’d created a successful product called “the anti-shirt” – a shirt that exposed the area of one’s torso that a normal... More

East Valley Tribune: “Going Green” is a hot topic and one of the most popular places in town to talk about how to do it is Green Drinks. Green Drinks is a social gathering for “people interested in the planet,” according to event organizers at a.k.a. Green, a building and resource... More

Search Engine Land: According to comScore, U.S. Internet users watched 11.5 billion online videos in March, 2008. The average viewer watched nearly three hours of video online. These statistics make video an attractive means for advertisers to reach their audience, and in turn, a potential windfall... More

Work.com: Investing green with a piece of your retirement, business assets, or general investment portfolio not only sends an important message, but has a long term ability to profit as the world goes greener. Hardcore DIYers may want to take more risk by investing in individual stocks, but I would... More

5 tax-specific benefits that make the 401(k) a smart choice for any small business. Forbes.com: 1. Tax credits make it easy to get started: Businesses with fewer than 100 employees, but at least one besides the owner, qualify for a $500 tax credit to offset the administrative costs of the plan for each... More

New Business Hunter: Every four years, the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) polls small business owners to detect general problems and priorities. A quick review of the trends revealed in the 2008 survey, especially by industry, can lead an agency to new opportunities. Here are a few... More

BusinessWeek: Bill Goldsmith has always been a maverick. As a radio disc jockey and program director in the 1970s and ’80s, he loved creating his own mixes of modern rock and introducing listeners to cutting-edge musicians. But in the ’90s, as large corporations bought up the stations he... More

Entrepreneur Daily: If you’re mechanically and environmentally inclined, a $10 million prize could soon be yours. The X Prize Foundation is offering $10 million for a super-efficient car. The competition is open to established automakers and unknown engineers, and it’s meant to result in... More