Tag: Small Business

Trading Faces: Building and caring for your online reputation

April 1, 2009

You’ve spent years building your professional reputation and protecting your organization’s good name, but in today’s interconnected, information-rich world it’s easier than ever for the actions of others to damage the goodwill you’ve established. Networking is a basic responsibility of business owners and organizations serving them. We network to keep abreast of best practices, to … More Trading Faces: Building and caring for your online reputation

Keep your books in order

March 12, 2009

Want to be sure your small business never becomes a big business? A surefire method to ensure a lack of success is to have shoddy accounting practices.  Knowing where your money is, how much of it there is, and when you can expect more are key to proper business planning.  Without a plan, your endeavor is … More Keep your books in order

Focus and attitude

February 27, 2009

When times are tough, even the most successful retail business can have some trouble.  Making the right business decisions is paramount when the margin for error is slim. “Fear can be a motivator, but it can also lead you into bad decisions, particularly in times like these,” says Norm Brodsky, small business writer for Inc. … More Focus and attitude

Home grown business

February 25, 2009

Think the talk of “green jobs” is malarkey?  This article on RichmondBizSense.com provides an example of how targeted incentives help promote growth in designated industries, such as home solar power, especially in the early stages of an industry’s growth when the economies of scale have not yet kicked in. Another article from The News Leader reviews the growth of the … More Home grown business

Economic gardening: part II

February 23, 2009

Last week we discussed the first step of “Economic Gardening,” preparing your community for entrepreneurial success. Now lets focus on the next steps: planting the seeds and nurturing the sprouts. One of the primary ways that a community can foster home-grown businesses is to offer a business incubator. Business incubators take many forms, the most … More Economic gardening: part II

23 ideas for tough times

February 4, 2009

Helping the downtown merchants is one of the most important functions of a Main Street organization.  At the recent Virginia Main Street (VMS) Designated Community Managers’ Retreat, several VMS communities reported that their retailers had a successful 2008 holiday season with increases in sales over 2007.  While much of the increase was because the downtown merchants … More 23 ideas for tough times