BizOp Blogs

OK–Times are a little tough for everyone. During times like this, many small business owners are faced with a dilemma. They need to make more money to remain profitable, but they can’t afford to lose business by raising their rates. What can a person do in that circumstance? Brent Bowers,... More

NicheGeek: Last summer we wrote about FreeHand Advertising and its initiative to give free, ad-supported notepaper to college students, and now ABS Notebooks is going a step further and handing out whole notebooks instead. The Shadow Notebook is a five-subject notebook that gets cobranded with participating... More

CNNMoney: Question: How do we go about getting insurance for our business? We own an office services company. – Nikki Olivarez, Waco, Texas Answer: Start by deciding what type of insurance you need for your particular business. “Some types of coverage, such as workers’ compensation... More

Sell to your customers by appealing to both their reason and their emotions. Entrepreneur.com: In today’s highly competitive markets, smart companies are focusing more and more on emotional branding to differentiate their product in the minds–and hearts–of consumers. No wonder. Today’s... More

I am constantly on the look out for resources that can help our readers in their small business ventures. With today’s challenges, a truly small business needs all the advantages it can get. I have found a priceless resource for anyone trying to make a go of it in today’s market. It is called... More

You’ve heard it! You may have even said it a few times–”If you want anything done right, you have to do it yourself.” While that philosophy may hold some truth, there is also a large dose of poison in it for small business owners. Most small business owners have arrived where... More

7thSpace Interactive: A free trial starts today to provide small and medium sized businesses with access to thousands of public sector contract opportunities. From 1 May until 31 July 2008, the http://www.supply2.gov.uk website will allow new registrants to gain free access to public sector contracts... More

Rhonda Abrams is a syndicated columnist, best-selling author, and popular public speaker. She has spent more than 15 years advising, mentoring and consulting entrepreneurs and small business owners. Her knowledge of the small business market and her passion for entrepreneurship have made her one of the... More

Standard: Entrepreneurs are described as risk takers who are ready and willing to seize opportunities. That description aptly fits Boaz Mak’ Abongo. After quitting a high profile job with a multinational company to set up a tour firm, Zytec Tours and Travel, in 2006, it didn’t take him long to spot... More

Effective and well communicated vacation policies are more important now than ever with Summer on the horizon. An AP report by Joyce Rosenberg appears in The Salt Lake Tribune which provides some very helpful hints. Here is a portion of what it says– Human resources professionals say the time between... More

BizThreads: Running a small business is not only about buying and selling products. There are various personal traits that you need to have in order to attract customers like bees to a flower. Here are some personal traits that are necessary for your small business to become that flower: Honesty: This... More

The following article appears on cnn.com. Read it carefully before deciding you can cut expenses by cutting back on the tazes you pay in your business– Actor Wesley Snipes was sentenced Thursday to three years in prison for failing to file tax returns. Despite surprising the court with a $5 million... More

Noodlenak!: Tired of the same old same old? When everybody’s in on a good thing, it’s sometimes difficult to squeeze in to find a foothold. Take home based businesses, for example. There are guides, websites dispensing tips and advice, even gurus and coaches ready to jump in to save you from making... More

Nancy Lovell is a writer and principal of Lovell-Fairchild Communications, which specializes in marketing and public relations. She is also the subject of an excellent article on All Business.com about the importance of balancing work and life. Small business owners are people too. Since they are people,... More