If you’re ready for a midcareer makeover, you can get new clothes and a new haircut. But even more important, you must make yourself what I call “Google-able.” That means you need to create a smart social media footprint. By day I work as a small-business coach, and I keep coming across amazing professionals with […]
Cash Vs. Accrual Accounting
Three Reasons Small Businesses Need to Know Both While it makes sense for most small business owners to avoid the day-to-day details of accounting, there are two concepts about the structure of their accounting records that every business owner should understand. In fact, you may have already heard the terms cash-basis and accrual-basis from your […]
The Minority Entrepreneur Accelerator Program Could Be Your Answer
Comcast Interactive Capital, the venture capital affiliate of Comcast Corporation, one of the world’s leading media, entertainment and communications companies, today announced that is has partnered with DreamIt Ventures (“DreamIt”), the leading technology accelerator for entrepreneurs, to provide seed funding, training, mentoring and other benefits to five minority-led startups through DreamIt’s accelerator program. The partnership […]
How to Make the Most of Social Media Marketing
Leveraging the power of social media to market your brand in the Web 2.0 world is imperative to remaining viable as a business owner. Having social media profiles on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn aren’t enough to take advantage of the marketing opportunities that new media environment has created. You need to adopt a comprehensive strategy […]
Ask @SmallBizLady: How do I follow-up after a business conference?
Every Friday, I answer your small business questions in a video blog segment called Ask Small Biz Lady. This week, I took a question live from the New York Times Small Business Summit. Here’s the question: How do I make a plan to follow-up after a business conference? Here’s the answer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3rKLFEkF_I Immediately reach out […]
10 Things to Grow Your Business This Summer
Summer is here! Now that the kids are out of school, you might be thinking about how to reduce your work schedule, but that’s the worst thing you could do. It’s time to turn up the heat in your business. Third and fourth quarters are critical times in business. You may have customers who are […]
6 Business Lessons for Under 30 Entrepreneurs
I recently had the opportunity to do a live Q & A call with a group called Under30CEO.com. They were a terrific bunch of young people many of whom were still college students. I wanted to share with all of you the advice I shared with them, because I think it could be useful for […]
Do you have a Bank or a Banking Relationship?
Many business owners have a bank, but what you need is banking relationship. Entrepreneurs with a bank just make deposits and withdrawals. Business owners with a banking relationship know the branch manager, the business banker and the head teller at the bank they use. The business banker has seen your business plan and is aware […]
How to Simplify Your Life in 2012- Q/A with Allyson Lewis
Every week as SmallBizLady, I conduct interviews with experts on my Twitter talk show #SmallBizChat. The show takes place every Wednesday on Twitter from 8-9pm ET. This is excerpted from my recent interview with Allyson Lewis @Allyson7Minutes Allyson has spent the last 29 years developing and teaching concrete, actionable business ideas all over the country. As a […]
Why Are So Many Women Business Owners Broke?
More than 10 million women own businesses in the U.S. today. In fact, the ratio of women to men starting small businesses is 2-to-1. According to the Center for Women’s Business Research, the fastest-growing segment of women business owners is baby-boomer women 50 and older. Yet too many women business owners are broke. And it’s […]