Inside Small Biz - a blog for Small Business Owners

Get ready for the Recovery

kaegw — Tue, 12 May 2009 12:56:13 +0000

This just in from the Harvard Business Review’s “The Daily Stat”:

22% of executives expect their nations’ economies to be in better shape by the end of June, according to a McKinsey survey conducted during the stock markets’ mid-April rally; that’s significantly higher than in March. 35% now expect an overall economic upturn by the end of 2009; slightly more expect an upturn in demand for their companies’ products or services by then.

Stats from Marketing Charts.com

kaegw — Wed, 06 May 2009 20:59:33 +0000

Twitter, blogs, LinkedIn, Facebook – In that Order

By a wide margin, Twitter, blogs, LinkedIn and Facebook are the top four social media tools used by marketers, with Twitter in first place.

Key survey findings about specific application use:

Small-business owners are more likely to use LinkedIn than employees working for a corporation.
Men are significantly more likely to use YouTube or other video marketing than women (52.4% of all men compared with 31.7% of women).
For those just getting under way with social media marketing, LinkedIn is ranked as their number-two choice, pushing blogging down one notch.
Among those who have been using social media for a few months, Facebook is in second place. This group also has more Twitter use.
Twitter is used by 94% of marketers who have been using social media for years, followed closely by blogs. This group also endorses online video significantly moreso than the other groups.

Still looking for the BailOut

kaegw — Wed, 06 May 2009 20:56:50 +0000

Called the SBA – on hold for 4 minutes and then had to move onto another call…still looking for the BailOut money.

Getting the BailOut Money

kaegw — Tue, 05 May 2009 17:55:55 +0000

I read a report the other day about smaller communications firms being eligible for BailOut money for technology purchases. So, I decided that I would follow the government, bureaucratic bunny trail of trying to find this elusive BailOut money. I’m not looking for billions, you understand; probably not even millions, although that would be great. I just want to see if this money actually exists, i someone is going to get it and if we can get a piece of it.

It’ll be an adventure…stay tuned.

I’m going to start with the SBA’s Office of Women’s Business Ownership – they should be friendly and helpful to a female entrepreneur…don’t you think? I’ll keep you posted.

Losing Our Trust in Business

kaegw — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 21:18:00 +0000

Here’s the latest post from the Harvard Business Publishing’s Daily Stat: (subscribe by clicking here).

A recent McKinsey survey asked executives around the world whether trust in business has fallen as a result of the economic crisis. The results were unambiguous: of the 85% who said that trust in business had fallen, 56% blame financial firms’ mishandling of risk. 33% of executives said job losses also contributed to the decline in trust, 29% cited executive compensation levels, and 25% saw predatory practices as a contributing factor.

Source: Economic Conditions Snapshot, March 2009: McKinsey Global Survey Results

Teleconference – Geeks, Geezers, Googlization

kaegw — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 20:38:58 +0000

We’re looking forward to your participation in “Geeks, Geezers and Googlization” on Monday, April 20th at 11:00 a.m.

Here is the PowerPoint presentation that accompanies the teleseminar.

geeksgeezers_insidesmallbiz

In addition, our presenter, Ira Wolfe, is doing a survey and is requesting your participation:

We need your help! Won’t you take 5 minutes to complete our ‘Are you a Geek or a Geezer‘ survey?

We’re researching how each generation is using technology and social media to communicate. Results will be shared in early May in an issue of The Total View. Please forward this newsletter or the survey link to as many co-workers, colleagues, friends, and families. The more respondents the better. Thanks in advance for your help. Click here to go to the survey.

Response to Obama’s Small Business Plan

kaegw — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 16:49:54 +0000

In a recent post on the Little Chicago Review comes this response from Sen Enzi (R) after a Forum regarding Obama’s Small Business Plan.

“The only way to truly stimulate the economy is to do it from the bottom up. Small businesses are the backbone of this country, not Wall Street or banks. If we focus on the small businesses we can pull ourselves out of this economic slump,” said Enzi. “President Obama said all the right things, now we’ll see if he does the right things to help out where it counts. This forum was positive and I look forward to working in the Senate to pass reforms that protect the small businesses in this country without bailing them out.”

The White House forum was attended by Senator Enzi, legislators on the House and Senate Small Business Committees, small businessmen from around the country, community bankers, Treasury Secretary Geithner, National Economic Council Director Larry Summers and Small Business Administration-nominee Karen Gordon Mills.

President Obama released his plan to help small businesses by raising the guarantee on loans to 90 percent (up from 85 percent), lowering the Small Business Administration fees for those loans, provide tax relief and incentives, and eliminate the capital gains tax for investment in small businesses.

President Obama’s plan also calls for the Treasury to use $15 billion of previously allocated Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) funding to purchase small business loans currently held by community banks that aren’t able to sell them in a secondary market.

That is designed to free up capital for banks to administer more small business loans. The plan also requires the 11 major banks that were bailed out with taxpayer money to report the percentage of their loans to small businesses each month.

“I am encouraged that President Obama’s small business plan uses money already in the system and does not require new spending. None of this help should be a hand out, it should be an opportunity to succeed. I hope his Administration will take this same approach when they work with Congress on the Administration’s proposed budget. There are mechanisms in the President’s budget that hinder, not help, small businesses. Those mechanisms would negate the progress outlined today. As we move forward on the budget I look forward to evening out those discrepancies,” said Enzi.

Enzi noted that small business owners are taxed differently because they are required to list their business income as part of their personal income even though all most all of it goes back into the business and they don’t have access to it. Because of this tax difference many small business owners would be subject to the higher taxes proposed by the Administration for those earning more than $250,000 a year. Western Ideas

From Honest Abe

kaegw — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 19:29:47 +0000

Abe Lincoln’s wisdom still applies today:

“You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it. You cannot legislate the poor into freedom by legislating the wealthy out of freedom. What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving. The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else.

“When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half get the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that my dear friend, is about the end of any nation.”

Abraham Lincoln

New LinkedIn Service You Should Know About

kaegw — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 13:04:09 +0000

You all know that I am a big user and fan of LinkedIn and love how robust their social network has become. So, I’m delighted to tell you about a new service they’ve introduced which uses recommendations for service providers to compile lists for people looking to purchase those services. Great idea, LinkedIn! See their announcement below:

DID YOU KNOW LinkedIn can help you find the right service providers using recommendations from your trusted network?
Using LinkedIn Services, you can take the risky guesswork out of selecting service providers by reading the recommendations of credible, trustworthy members of your network.

So, click on the link and get yourself listed and start enjoying the power of LinkedIn to bring you business.

Talk to you soon, Kae

Inside Small Biz and North Star Marketing

Teleconference: “Geeks, Geezers and Googlization”

kaegw — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 21:03:00 +0000

Click here to register for our teleconference on Tuesday, March 17th, 2009 at 4:00 p.m. for “Geeks, Geezers and Googlization: How Technology has Changed the Workplace.” We are pleased to Ira Wolfe, workforce management expert, author and president and founder of Success Performance Solutions.

In this presentation you will learn the following:

Why understanding generational differences is critical for productivity and good working relationships
How to maximize each generation’s assets and neutralize their liabilities
How to identify the most common clash-points between the four generations and how to manage them
How to recruit, motivate and communicate in a multi-generational workforce

Click here to register now.