Articles on Entrepreneurship

5 Steps to Lower Small-Package Shipping Costs

Decoding and minimizing the cost structure of shipping is a challenge for many ecommerce companies and any business that sends more than a handful of packages every year. Each d

Take the Long View When Negotiating with Your Vendors

For many businesses, the prices your vendors ask can make or break you. And even if price is no object, your vendors' abilities to deliver products or services on time, while av

How Employee Benefits Provide Better ROI Than Cash

A dollar on a paycheck is worth a dollar to the employee. And it costs you a dollar. But benefits aren't like that. Sometimes, your employee will value the benefit much more tha

80 Small Business Twitterers You Should Be Following

Twitter is one of the best places to network and discover new business insights. We've compiled a list of some of the best and brightest minds in the small business Twitterspher

75 Top Twitter Tips from Today’s Small Business Moms

Twitter is one of the most cost-effective ways for you to market yourself and your business. We asked 75 of the most Twitter-savvy entrepreneurs for their best Twitter marketing se

11 Sources of Free or Low-Cost Training

If your company doesn’t have a large budget for professional development, or if you want to explore less expensive options, here are some free or low-cost sources of training.

6 Common Money Mistakes Small Business Owners Make

Avoid these common pitfalls, and you'll increase your likelihood of running a successful — and lasting — business.

How Taking a Sabbatical Can Help Your Business

It seems counter-intuitive for us to take (what some may see as) excessive time off from our businesses in order to prosper and grow. But it works.

4 Reasons to Cut Hours, Not Wages

In the midst of the economic downturn earlier this year, I spoke with an operations manager who had received a mandate from his boss to trim payroll costs. He considered reducin

Gift-Giving Ideas That Can Change Lives

Giving a gift that doesn't suck is not easy. Instead of focusing on the same old gift ideas, how about trying something that has the potential to change the person's life? It can b

Okay, I’m Plugged In: But What If I Don’t Want to Be?

Social media has become a viable means for marketing businesses and making connections with customers. But what if you don’t want to be plugged in all the time? What if you just

Forget the Phonebook: 3 Local Marketing Initiatives With Higher ROIs

Even though few people use the phonebook to find local business these days, in an ironic twist, advertising in the phonebook has become more expensive. Small business can boost

Cardmember Profile: Alyssa Dver, Chief Executive of Mint Green Marketing

Recognized by BusinessWeek as one of 2007’s eight female entrepreneurs to watch, Alyssa Dver is the Chief Executive of Mint Green Marketing and the author of "No Time Marketing.

How to Generate Product Sales Without Inventory

Having the right inventory at the right time in the right place at the right price is the mantra of large-scale retailers with deep pockets for forecasting systems, planning ana

5 Ways to Stay Profitable in Changing Times

A few weeks ago, after enduring a major rainstorm during a cycling training event, I accepted a ride back to my starting point at a local bicycle shop. The shuttle driver happen

3 Technologies That Help Stay-At-Home Moms Build an Online Business

It takes a certain amount of perseverance and creativity to mesh your personal and professional life. While Moms have moved beyond the days of working in their pajamas and scheduli

How to Preserve Critical Vendor Relationships

Monitoring cash balances is essential and withholding payments until the last moment may be necessary, but be careful: being slow to pay  may alienate you from vendors.

Book Review: Becoming a Category of One Second Edition by Joe Calloway

In Becoming a Category of One, business consultant Joe Calloway writes about how companies can successfully beat their competition by creating their own category of business and be

10 Ways to Make Money for the MySpace Generation

I can recall thinking that the internet was all fun to play with, but I didn’t see the big picture of how it would so drastically change the world that we live in. Luckily, all the

17 Resources to Improve Your Small Business

Improving your business is critical to staying afloat and growing. Here are some resources out there that will sharpen your skills, improve your offerings and allow you to grow you