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“Building Your Business Blog: an introductory guide to building your business blog and how to succeed at it.”
Talkroute Blog
Daily articles to help you start, run, and grow your business.
Get Our Latest eBook for Free!
Talkroute Blog
Daily articles to help you start, run, and grow your business.
Get Our Latest eBook for Free!
Recent Posts
Looking Ahead: Position Your Business for Growth in 2020 January 15, 2020 - 100 years ago, business in America took off in a big way. Historians now call that era "The Roaring Twenties." Today, history looks set to repeat itself with the American economy appearing stronger than it has in decades. Consequently, a… ... 
Gain Free Business Exposure by Becoming a Podcast Guest January 13, 2020 - Every small business faces the same key problem: no one knows who you are yet. The solution to that problem lies in getting exposure to prospective buyers in order to build awareness and credibility. Contrary to conventional wisdom, advertising… ... 
Why You Should Use Call Recording to Monitor Business Calls January 9, 2020 - "Your call may be recorded for quality assurance purposes." Ever heard that line from a pleasant-if-robotic voice when you were calling a company? You may ignore the message after several repetitions, but there's a very good reason that companies… ... 
Alex Rodriguez : Baseball Shortstop Turned Entrepreneur January 7, 2020 - Experience is a great teacher, but she charges a high tuition rate. Just ask Alex Rodriguez. The baseball star turned entrepreneur told his audience at the 2019 Inc. 5000 Conference & Gala in Phoenix that his 2013 suspension from the… ... 
Using CRM to Improve Customer Service for Your Business December 18, 2019 - In the modern business world, two factors drive success. One is customer service. The other is technology. Excellent customer service is paramount to growing a business of any size in any industry. According to Microsoft's research, 96% of consumers… ... 
Pay-Per-Click Advertising: Everything to Know About PPC December 16, 2019 - If you're already doing email marketing and SEO optimization, then you've nailed down two of the most fundamental internet marketing strategies every small business should know. But these two strategies alone are not enough to comprise a viable marketing initiative.… ... 
How to Solve Common Problems with Your Business Phone System December 12, 2019 - Once you get your business phone system solid and running just the way you want it to for the company, you probably aren’t going to have too much go wrong with it, but things do happen from time to… ... 
Bethenny Frankel: Skinnygirl Founder & Killer Businesswoman December 10, 2019 - Growing up as the daughter of a mother with an alcohol problem and a father who left before childhood got started sounds like the plot of a pop teen romance novel instead of background for one of the world's great… ... 
5 Ideas to Reduce Your Business’ Fulfillment & Shipping Costs December 4, 2019 - With the many factors that contribute to devising a plan for fulfillment and distribution of your product, as cheaply and efficiently as possible, this can be a real challenge for businesses. If you approach it with a keen eye… ... 
Which Social Media Platforms Are Right for Your Business? December 2, 2019 - From Twitter to TikTok, social media is dominating the online marketing domain. Actually, social media is ruling the world. An estimated 3.2 billion people, or four out of every ten on the planet, use social media, including nine out of… ... 
Richard Branson: Billionaire Entrepreneur & Visionary November 26, 2019 - In the late 1960s, the chemistry teacher at Stowe School in England noticed one of his students looking particularly engrossed in his work. Curious, since that particular student was generally disengaged in class, the teacher strode over to where the… ... 
Running Your Small Business Solo? Secure Success with These Tips November 20, 2019 - So you've launched a company of one? You can truly call yourself a freelancer, a solopreneur, or an entrepreneur. Whatever label you choose, you are now a small business owner who is running the business solo. While there's no… ... 
How Any Size Business Can Have Amazing SEO November 18, 2019 - Search Engine Optimization (SEO) increases website traffic through organic search results. A well-optimized website will show up high in the organic (non-paid) results that a search engine returns for a relevant string of keywords. Why does SEO matter? Because 89%… ... 
How to Stop Spam Calls to Your Virtual Phone Number November 14, 2019 - Spam takes all forms nowadays with the explosion of communication capability by way of email, calls, and even text messages. There’s the occasional solicitation call, and then there’s a whole other category of relentless spamming to your phone number… ... 
How Spanx CEO Sara Blakely Built a Billion Dollar Business November 12, 2019 - In 2012, Sara Blakely joined an elite club of just 2,604 people in the world. That year, Forbes crowned her the world's youngest self-made billionaire, and Sara was welcomed into the world of the Walton family, Carlos Slim, and Warren… ... 
Why Embracing Failure Can Be Good for Business November 6, 2019 - "On this wonderful day when we are gathered together to celebrate your academic success, I have decided to talk to you about the benefits of failure." That line comes from the opening of author JK Rowling's commencement speech to the… ... 
Building a Business Is a 7-10 Year Journey November 4, 2019 - “Even if your ambitions are huge, start slow, start small, build gradually, build smart.” So wrote mega-successful entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk in his book Crush It!: Why Now Is the Time to Cash In on Your Passion. The research bears out… ... 
Why No Business is Too Small for a Phone System October 31, 2019 - Is your small business just too darn small to need a professional phone system? Absolutely not! Whether you are running a one-person shop out of your home office, managing a remote team, or huddling with your staff in a small… ... 
Jack Dorsey: The Determined Mind Behind Twitter and Square October 29, 2019 - Some entrepreneurs hold great ambitions in early childhood. They're turning over sports cards on the playground or setting up a lemonade stand in front of the house. Not Jack Dorsey. As a kid, Dorsey never imagined himself as a CEO,… ... 
What to Focus On While Business is Slow October 23, 2019 - After months of frantic selling and serving, your business has slacked off. Other than take a much-needed vacation or count your hard-earned money like a demented Scrooge McDuck, what can you do to benefit your business during the slow days?… ... 
Finding Investors in the First Year Can Be a Waste of Time October 21, 2019 - So you've got a great idea to start a business? Maybe you've even written up your business plan, gotten feedback from qualified mentors, and tested your product or service in the field. You're ready to become a genuine entrepreneur. All… ... 
3 Ways to Forward Your Landline to a Cell Phone October 17, 2019 - As a business owner, you take important phone calls at the office. But you're not always in the office. You're meeting clients, attending events, and ducking out for lunch at school with the kids. So what do you do when… ... 
Susan Wojcicki: CEO of YouTube and Female Powerhouse October 15, 2019 - Silicon Valley has a problem with women. There aren't enough of them. Despite more women than ever earning college degrees and entering the workforce, just 26% of computing operations jobs in the U.S. get filled by women. In most of… ... 
19 Great Ways to Advertise Your Business with No Money October 9, 2019 - Right after starting a new small business, funds can be tight. Payroll, office space, taxes, and production can eat into capital. And that's if you're lucky enough to have a capital investment. If you are like many entrepreneurs, you're not… ... 
Why You Need to Hire Your First Employee as Soon as Possible October 7, 2019 - Hiring your first employee is a major step in your new life as a small business owner. The hire comes with all kinds of positive vibes. Having an extra pair of hands to manage the workflow can feel like a… ... 
How to Use Your Existing Phones with a Virtual Phone System October 3, 2019 - Entrepreneurs have a lot of questions on their minds, especially when starting out or scaling up. How will I make payroll? How do I advertise my business? Is my product properly positioned in the market? Even, what's the best phone… ... 
How the Co-Founders of Netflix Killed Blockbuster October 1, 2019 - The biggest fumble in the history of the media business happened in Dallas, Texas in September of 2000. Two desperate Silicon-valley entrepreneurs named Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph flew into Dallas for a meeting with John Antioco, the legendary CEO… ... 
Tips for Managing Stress and Anxiety as a Business Owner September 25, 2019 - There are many positives that come along with running your own business. You can make your own schedule. You make all the decisions about how to spend your revenue. It’s fun to hand out business cards listing you as the… ... 
You Probably Won’t Make a Profit Your First Year & That’s Ok September 23, 2019 - A first-time entrepreneur experiences plenty of exciting first-time milestones, but few match the thrill when you make your first sale. This is the moment that all of your efforts have been moving towards. You figure you’ll be in the black… ... 
Why You Shouldn’t Abandon Your Business Phone Number September 19, 2019 - As a business owner, it is vital that you are always available to your clients, but you may be risking future success if you’re relying on a land-line or traditional cell phone number. Your phone number will quickly become listed… ... 
How Daymond John Changed the Entrepreneurial Game September 17, 2019 - Some people win the game of business by sticking to the rules. Other people win by changing the game. Most entrepreneurs are game changers not rule keepers. That's why you go into business for yourself, right? You don't fit into… ... 
Useful Techniques for Defining Your Brand Identity September 12, 2019 - Ask ten small business owners to give you a good definition of brand, and you'll get 12 different answers. Branding is a slippery concept even among the best and brightest entrepreneurs. For all the chatter about the topic on business… ... 
Don’t Have a Partner? You May Want to Hire a Co-Founder September 9, 2019 - Should you go solo when you launch your new business? Or do you need a co-founder to help start things? Getting a new business off the ground can challenge even the most creative minds. When your business is still embryonic,… ... 
9 Reasons Why Your Customers Want to Text You September 5, 2019 - On December 3, 1992, an engineer named Neil Papworth made telecommunications history. On that day, he sent the very first text message. It read, "Merry Christmas." Papworth typed the message on his desktop computer, and Vodafone executive Richard Jarvis received… ... 
Alli Webb: Hairstylist with Big Dreams September 3, 2019 - Building a great business often starts with a big dream, but it never ends there. Success also requires securing the right team and honing a clear vision. Many entrepreneurs who've built empires realize the value of focusing their energy on… ... 
Perception vs Reality of Entrepreneurship August 29, 2019 - The U.S. is enjoying the most robust job market the country has experienced in half a century or more. Employers are begging for workers, and opportunities to transition into new careers are growing at an unprecedented rate. In such a… ... 
Why You Shouldn’t Quit Your Job When Starting a Business August 26, 2019 - If you're like many Americans, you dream about starting a business and being your own boss. We're a nation of entrepreneurs whose legendary can-do spirit built businesses, nonprofits, schools, and houses of worship that have created jobs and services… ... 
5 Misconceptions About Phone Systems, Debunked August 22, 2019 - Business phone systems are becoming increasingly advanced and complex thanks to constantly evolving communication technology. These new systems provide excellent alternatives to the traditional phone systems that have been in place for decades. As with most new technologies, however, misconceptions,… ... 
Ryan Serhant: From Hand Model to Real Estate Tycoon August 20, 2019 - There are a lot of industries that take a lot of energy and hard work to be successful in. Entertainment, real estate, and publishing are all pretty high on that list, but today’s Storytime Tuesdays subject has been successful in… ... 
How to Prevent Feeling Overwhelmed as a Business Owner August 14, 2019 - Starting your own business is incredibly exciting. When it begins, you’re likely riding the high that comes with quitting the 9-5- grind to go your own way. You hear phrases like “freelancers are the only people who work 60… ... 
Tory Burch: The Grateful Billionaire August 6, 2019 - The Tory Burch story is an aspirational example of hard work, dedication, and gratitude paving the way to great success. By consistently applying the values she has developed throughout her life to her business decisions, Tory has managed to create… ... 
8 Basic Reasons Your Small Business Isn’t Growing July 31, 2019 - Your small business got off the ground. Congratulations! For many people, launching their own business fulfills a long-time dream. Maybe you love the product you sell, or you enjoy building a team, or you just want the freedom to… ... 
Why Your Email Open Rate is the Key Analytic July 29, 2019 - In the world of email marketing, there are many different metrics for determining a campaign's success and even more opinions on which one is the most important. So far in this series, we've talked about the often-underappreciated click-through rate… ... 
10 Reasons Your Office Phone System Should Go Virtual July 25, 2019 - 1. Trim the Fat & Lower Your Cost Have you considered switching from a traditional phone company to a virtual phone system? A virtual phone service like Talkroute is most likely going to be much less expensive than using… ... 
How Gary Vaynerchuk Created Success Out of Nothing July 23, 2019 - If you want an example of a fiercely ambitious, highly gifted entrepreneur, you can’t do much better than Gary Vaynerchuk. He’s been on the “hustle” since he was a young kid in New Jersey, and a talent for creating profitable… ... 
7 Tips for Bootstrapping Your Business Without Falling Apart July 17, 2019 - This is for all you wide-eyed, ambitious, and driven small business owners out there, who have decided to take it upon yourself to foot the bill for your business without taking an investment from anyone. You don’t want to… ... 
Long Form vs. Short Form Emails: Which Work Best? July 15, 2019 - As a small business owner, you’ve probably heard by now that email marketing is a worthwhile online marketing strategy. With conversion rates consistently above other advertising techniques, it’s often the go-to source for transforming prospects into paying customers. To… ... 
Was Your Number Port Rejected? Here are 8 Reasons Why July 11, 2019 - Transferring your business number to a new service provider shouldn't take a lot of time or trouble. Sometimes, however, number porting turns into a giant headache. When you’re transferring your number to a new provider, the last thing you… ... 
Arianna Huffington: From Entrepreneur to Influencer July 9, 2019 - If you live in America, then you’ve probably read and heard at least something about Arianna Huffington in the past couple of years, which is ironic because she is actually from Greece. Nevertheless, you could debate the reasons why… ... 
How to Learn from Your Competitors to Grow Your Business July 3, 2019 - There is an unfortunate trait that most small businesses have, and that is the mentality of being afraid of their competitors or seeing them as their enemy. It’s true that they are competing for the same customers that you… ... 
How to Understand Your Conversion Rates & Improve Them July 1, 2019 - For any small business utilizing online marketing of any kind, there aren’t too many metrics that you want to be more aware of than the CR (conversion rate). Otherwise, if you are just continually creating and publishing content without… ... 
The Early Years of Jeff Bezos: Creating an Empire June 25, 2019 - We all know Jeff Bezos as the billionaire mogul who built the company that made it possible for us to buy pretty much anything we want online and see it show up on our doorstep, post-haste. What we don’t… ... 
Does Your Click-Through Rate Really Mean Anything? June 24, 2019 - Click-through rate. It’s a sort of contentious point among content marketers, some considering it a useless metric and others believing it to be a number that can provide you with a lot of useful information to create better content.… ... 
How to Optimize Workflow for Your Projects June 19, 2019 - Being productive in your business and completing all of your tasks and projects is more than just working all the time. You could even say that optimizing workflow is actually more important than just working a ton of hours,… ... 
How Elon Musk Succeeds on 4 Hours of Sleep a Night June 18, 2019 - There’s no doubt in anyone’s mind that Elon Musk is an extremely important figure in our culture today. In truth, that goes for people around the world because the projects he is into have implications for improving industry and… ... 
How to Write Emails That Convert June 17, 2019 - In today’s highly competitive world, you have to explore every avenue that can potentially bring your small business more success, and that especially goes for the marketing strategies that you use. If email marketing is one of those avenues… ... 
How to Handle Employee Performance Reviews Productively June 12, 2019 - Performance reviews. The meetings that only the most deranged person would actually look forward to but are very necessary for employers to keep everyone on track, and for employees to learn how they can improve and advance in the… ... 
Gmail vs. Outlook vs. Rackspace: Top Email Clients for Small Business June 11, 2019 - Email is one of the most enduring forms of communication that was born out of the Internet. Strangely, it was thought by experts to be a medium that would become obsolete as we headed into the 21st century, and… ... 
Email Marketing Isn’t Dead, and Here’s Why June 10, 2019 - There are plenty of people out there who are under the assumption that email marketing doesn’t work anymore, and you may be one of them. Most people believe that email doesn’t have the potential to reach and convert a… ... 
Google Voice Alternative: Talkroute is Better for Business June 6, 2019 - Google Voice is one of those services that was created by a very large company who found and employed an elite team of very smart people, who then took a great idea built by GrandCentral, put the power and… ... 
What Keeps Your Employees Happy & High-Functioning June 5, 2019 - Keeping employees happy has to be one of the most misunderstood elements of running a business. Every business owner thinks they know how to do it, and most have a whole team of employees who wish they found themselves… ... 
Using CPAdirectory, CPA Finder, & Gusto to Find a Business Accountant June 4, 2019 - Searching for an accountant is not exactly the most fun task for anybody, but if you have a business, it’s of course essential. There are also an abundance of accountants and bookkeepers in any given area, so it helps… ... 
Treating Your Home Business Like a Real Business is Vital June 3, 2019 - When you’re running a business out of your home, just the fact that you’re working every day in that environment almost gives you the feeling that it’s not a legitimate business. Naturally, you know that it is legitimate, but the… ... 
Phone Number Porting & Call Forwarding: What’s the Difference? May 30, 2019 - Do you find yourself in a position where your calls are coming in for the business, but they’re being sent to the wrong place? What do you do in that scenario? Well, the first problem might be that people are… ... 
6 Ways to Pinch Pennies & Cut a Ton of Company Spending May 29, 2019 - Businesses have been looking for ways to cut their operating costs for as long as businesses have existed. It can be a troublesome area because business owners have to sort of use triage to figure out what gets cut… ... 
4 Online IT Training Resources for Yourself & Your Employees May 28, 2019 - If you deliberately clicked on the link for this post and are reading this now, and you’re a business owner, then you can go ahead and give yourself a pat on the back. Showing interest in this particular subject… ... 
How Ecommerce Can Infinitely Scale Your Home Business May 27, 2019 - Ecommerce is far from what it was 10 or 15 years ago. When online retailers, or “dot-coms”, as they were commonly referred to back then, first began to emerge as pioneering entrepreneurs who realized that selling goods and services over… ... 
The History of 800 Numbers and Why We Want Them May 23, 2019 - Toll-free phone numbers have been around for quite a long time now, and their value to businesses remains even until today. There are a few benefits to having a toll-free number, most notably the fact that anyone can call it… ... 
How to Infuse Your Company with a Positive Attitude May 22, 2019 - You might be thinking, “I don’t really care if everybody has a positive attitude. I just want them to get their work done.” As a business owner that needs to make sure your product gets made and sold consistently… ... 
Arcserve or Carbonite: Which Cloud Backup Service Stands Out? May 21, 2019 - Unless you have a highly-experienced, well-equipped, and resourceful IT genius on staff, you’re going to need some help to secure your data for the company and make sure that you’re protected in the unfortunate event that your systems are… ... 
Grow Your Home Business by Partnering with Others May 20, 2019 - Business owners tend to be the type of person who is independent and prides him or herself on being “self-made”, which is a good thing, but when you are that type of person, it’s important to remember that you can… ... 
8 Ways to Tell If You Have a High-Quality Phone System May 16, 2019 - Every business needs some kind of phone system. Well, nearly every business needs it. There are some businesses today who actually manage customer support entirely through email and other messaging platforms, but even for those who have the ability to… ... 
Why Entrepreneurs Have to Continually Improve Themselves May 15, 2019 - There is an existential imperative of which most of us are aware, while others are not, that tends to reward us when we put in the effort to improve ourselves by forcing ourselves to grow and learn in new… ... 
SpyFu: The Greatest Competitor Research Tool Available Today May 14, 2019 - You may not be the most skilled in SEO (Search Engine Optimization), and that’s ok because many business owners are not. To become proficient at integrating SEO into your marketing strategy, it takes time to do your own research… ... 
Building a Brand for Your Home Business May 13, 2019 - You can’t go very long without hearing someone in mainstream media, on social media, or in your various adventures in Google search talking about “your brand”, alongside all kinds of opinions discussing how important it is. In the midst… ... 
5 Things You Need to Know About Your Caller ID Display Name May 9, 2019 - Your caller ID display name is something that you kind of take for granted, that your business name is just automatically, always going to show up whenever you call someone. That probably should be the case, but it’s unfortunately not… ... 
7 Ways that Owners Give Their Business a Terrible Image May 8, 2019 - When you’ve got a small business to run, there’s a lot to stay on top of, and you may not spend a whole lot of time worrying about the image that your business projects to customers. You should, though,… ... 
Basecamp vs. OneDesk: Expertly Manage & Complete Any Project May 7, 2019 - A good project manager has always been one of the most valued people to have in a company, and for good reason because it’s an extremely difficult job. Projects have so many different moving parts, including various people who… ... 
Key Areas of Your Home Business to Start Outsourcing Today May 6, 2019 - Are you killing yourself trying to get everything done for your home business, yet there are always things that seem to never be accomplished? Well, that should tell you that you’re not going to be able to get it… ... 
What to Do When Your Business Line Gets Excessive Unwanted Calls May 2, 2019 - Your first instinct when you start getting a lot of unwanted calls to your business number will be to become panicked and angry. That is natural and totally understandable, but try not to freak out because you do have some… ... 
The 7 Most Common Blunders Made by New Small Businesses May 1, 2019 - Small businesses seem to pop up like weeds these days, but that doesn’t automatically mean that all of the owners know what they’re doing. There is also a large portion of them who have zero experience with running a… ... 
Grovo & Clockspot Are the Perfect Pair for Human Resources April 30, 2019 - You need a lot of different tools to run a successful small business. Some will be more important to you than others, and some tools are essential, that you really can’t do without. For one, time tracking for employees… ... 
How to Leverage Social Media to Rapidly Grow Your Home Business April 29, 2019 - Social media. Nothing has grown in so much power and influence, or become so ubiquitous in the past decade, to the point where it is actually now an essential element for any business trying to successfully market their product.… ... 
10 Reasons Why You Probably Need a Vanity Number April 26, 2019 - No one wants to be just a number. People have been trying to come up with ways to add meanings to phone numbers and to memorize them for a really long time. To pull just one example from… ... 
12 Tips from Experts on How to Grow Your Home Business April 24, 2019 - There will likely be plenty of people telling you what they know to be the ultimate secret to grow your home business, so it can be tough to discern who you should listen to. So, instead of giving you… ... 
5 Excellent Tools for Small Business CRM April 23, 2019 - Customer relationship management has the potential to turn your small business into a powerhouse that draws in new customers with a huge lead-to-conversion rate. All you have to do is figure out exactly what your customers are looking for,… ... 
Taking Mental Health Days and How to Manage Them April 22, 2019 - There are days when your mind is so cluttered and overwhelmed that you wake up for the day’s work, and you’re not sure if you can even handle it. That is one of those times when you need to… ... 
Toll Free or Local Number: Which One Does Your Business Need? April 18, 2019 - Something as simple as a phone number isn’t often on the minds of entrepreneurs starting a business for the first time. With most business tools found in the cloud or on your computer, you probably won’t need to worry… ... 
6 Reasons to Take a Vacation from Your Business This Summer April 17, 2019 - Attention Business Owners: You have to take a vacation sometime. The unfortunate truth is that business owners work too hard, and they rarely even have the thought that they will get to take a vacation. Running a business is… ... 
Simplify & Automate All of Your Meetings with Calendly April 16, 2019 - There are all kinds of appointments and group meetings that are required when you’re running a business, all of which can be made simpler with software that helps you to set them up. Like so many tools that we’ve… ... 
Why Setting Reasonable Deadlines is Essential April 15, 2019 - You will encounter many times when you feel that you have to complete projects or tasks of any kind sooner that it seems you can capably do it, which is why it’s so necessary to put a check on… ... 
Top 10 Giveaways to Show Appreciation to Your Customers April 10, 2019 - What does it mean to take care of your customers? Just about every business on Earth claims to “take care” of their customers in some way, shape, or form; but what do they mean when they make that claim?… ... 
Can Lead411 Produce Real Sales Leads for Your Business? April 9, 2019 - No one has to tell you how valuable quality sales leads are for your business. Finding solid leads is a way of taking matters into your own hands, rather than relying solely on word-of-mouth and standard advertising channels to… ... 
How Creating To-Do Lists Will Change Your Life April 8, 2019 - To-do lists are generally underrated for a variety of reasons, and that’s why we’re giving you this article to go over some of the ways they can be useful to you as a professional, as well as a business… ... 
How You Should React to Missed or Lost Business Calls April 4, 2019 - Although you can take measures to ensure that you just about never miss a call, ever, it’s inevitable that it will happen from time to time when a caller slips through the cracks for some reason. A proper phone system… ... 
10 Signs That You’re a Smart Business Owner April 3, 2019 - There are all types of business owners, at all levels of talent and experience. You might be just breaking into small business ownership with a lot of skill and talent, but you also might be a veteran owner with decades… ... 
Need a Great Logo for Your Business? Logoworks Has It April 2, 2019 - If you’re reached the stage of your business planning when you’re creating a logo, then you’ve reached the fun part. It does take some work and special attention, though, so it helps a great deal to use a competent… ... 
Avoiding Burnout: Our Top Tips April 1, 2019 - We are taking an opportunity here to provide you with a special article for this series to offer up some tips that you can use to avoid and combat burnout as a business owner because burnout can be more… ... 
Does Your Phone System Need a Call Menu? Here’s How to Tell March 28, 2019 - As a small business, especially a new one, one of the best features you can add to your phone system is the same one that you probably don’t even consider. That’s the call menu. A call menu is simultaneously… ... 
Why You Should Pay Employees Over Minimum Wage March 27, 2019 - Minimum wage has been a touchy topic for a long time. People have to make at least some kind of a regular wage, so they have to take what they can get sometimes. Not everyone is qualified enough or… ... 
LegalZoom or Rocket Lawyer: Find the Best Counsel for Your Business March 26, 2019 - There are a ton of reasons why your business needs good representation in the way of legal counsel, and there are just as many reasons why that representation needs to be high-quality and reliable. LegalZoom and Rocket Lawyer are… ... 
Why Entrepreneurs Are More Susceptible to Burnout March 25, 2019 - Burnout affects hard-working people in all walks of life, especially today—and especially in this country. Americans, in general, work themselves too hard in the pursuit of whatever their ultimate goal is. It might be a big promotion, a raise,… ... 
12 Fun & Professional Business Voicemail Greetings for 2020 March 24, 2019 - The voicemail greeting is an important element of your business’ phone system because it is often the first impression of your business that customers will have. Creating a really good voicemail greeting is a unique opportunity that you can… ... 
Text Messaging & Small Business: Why Text is So Important March 21, 2019 - We live in a much different world today, and small business can be said to be at the forefront of changing times because commerce usually leads the push into the future. That’s a much larger conversation, of course, but… ... 
How to Deal with Employee Tardiness & Absences March 20, 2019 - The issue of tardiness and absenteeism is a difficult issue for both employers and employees, and it can be a sensitive one to deal with. What we hope to do here is to demystify the reasons that it happens,… ... 
Workable or LinkedIn: Where to Hire Quality Employees March 19, 2019 - It’s no longer so hard to find good help, as they say. As part of yet another powerful shift made possible by modern technology, services like Workable and LinkedIn bring all the talented people who want to work right… ... 
Recognizing the Warning Signs of Burnout March 18, 2019 - Burnout. This condition affects so many business owners that it almost goes without saying that you’ll experience it or be in danger of experiencing it when you run a business. Unfortunately, burnout is misunderstood by most people, whether you’re… ... 
How to Prepare Your Business for Tax Season March 13, 2019 - Tax season can be a stressful time for business owners.. and even more so if you don’t have any help to pull all of your information together. Probably the most important point is to take care of it as… ... 
Use Vyond to Make a Beautifully-Designed Explainer Video March 12, 2019 - If you’re not familiar with this type of video, an explainer video is one that you find on a website’s landing page, usually around a minute long or less, which explains what your brand or company is about. You’ve… ... 
Should Blog Writing Be Different from Other Forms of Writing? March 11, 2019 - In the field of blog writing for business, there are some bad habits and misconceptions when it comes to the way that you approach the actual writing style and process. Some creators are very conscious of this and write… ... 
5 Keys to Help You Find the Perfect Business Phone Number March 7, 2019 - Choosing a new phone number for your business can drive you crazy, as there are so many options and factors to consider when you want it to be just right. There are a few guidelines, however, that you can… ... 
8 Team-Building Exercises That Will Boost Morale March 6, 2019 - As a business owner, you’ve got to keep your team together, and more to the point, you’ve got to make sure that everyone on your team actually feels connected to one another. Team-building activities can benefit your business in… ... 
Manage & Automate Your Business’ Social Media with Hootsuite March 5, 2019 - Before we get started, you should know that if you don’t currently use a management service for your business’ social media outreach, you’re probably spending way too much time and energy on it. Doing it yourself without a management… ... 
Creating Responsible Content: Why Should You Care? March 4, 2019 - Responsibility in writing content is not something that many people are talking about these days, especially for content that you write for a business blog. The thing is that if you have a blog on your website where you… ... 
Why You Need More than a Cell Phone to Run Your Business February 28, 2019 - There inevitably comes a time when your business outgrows your cell phone, at which time you’re going to need some kind of a system. Running your business from a cell phone works great at first; however, when a ton… ... 
6 Ways to Show Employees that They’re Valuable February 27, 2019 - As someone running a business, making the extra effort to show your employees that they’re valuable is probably not the highest item on your list of priorities, with so many other things to worry about that are necessary to… ... 
Why We Love Moz & How It Can Help You Improve SEO February 26, 2019 - Not to put too fine a point on it, Moz is an outstanding resource for content marketers. There are a ton of sites, apps, and blogs out there who deal in SEO, as you’ve no doubt seen already, but… ... 
Why You Need to Know What Your Domain Authority Is February 25, 2019 - Domain Authority (DA) is one little number with big implications for your site. One of the most interesting things about the DA rating system is that is wasn’t created by some central governing body, and it wasn’t created by… ... 
10 Phone System Terms You Probably Misunderstood February 21, 2019 - As users of phone systems, people generally assume that they understand most things about them and what all the words mean because after all, we’ve all used phones for our whole lives. The only problem with that is, phone… ... 
Don’t Wear Too Many Hats as a Small Business Owner February 20, 2019 - The truth is that, as a small business owner, you will naturally find yourself handling all kinds of different tasks, being pulled in multiple directions at the same time. Even though that’s the case, you still shouldn’t have to… ... 
Is Squarespace the Best Website Builder for a New Business? February 19, 2019 - Website builders are one of the greatest things that has happened to small businesses in a long time. They make it extremely fast and easy to build a site for your company that looks and works beautifully, in very… ... 
Actionable Content: Why It’s the Key to Your Blog’s Success February 18, 2019 - What is actionable content? If you’ve never heard the term before, then now is the time that you acquaint yourself with it, as a content writer or marketer (as well as a business owner), because there are few things… ... 
5 Things You Shouldn’t Tell a Customer On the Phone February 14, 2019 - Phone calls with customers are peculiar situations because, first of all, they’re still a pretty essential method of serving customers, even in the age of the Internet. Also, a representative of your business needs to conduct themselves a little… ... 
6 Ways to Create Positive Word of Mouth Advertising February 13, 2019 - Even with the myriad ways to market and advertise your product today, word of mouth is still the best, most reliable way to attract new business. It’s also one of the toughest to create, which is why any business… ... 
Fundation, LendingClub, & PayPal Can Fund Your Small Business February 12, 2019 - Unless you’ve undergone some catastrophe or have awful credit, you can absolutely get funded to do business. This post explores three options for you to receive funding to move forward with your small business, but there are quite a… ... 
Basics of SEO and Finding the Best Keywords February 11, 2019 - SEO is something that most business owners think they understand but probably don’t really have a firm grasp on it. It is definitely an area of online marketing that is foundational. The of this article is to instill a… ... 
8 Personalized Notes to Give Your Customers for Valentine’s Day February 6, 2019 - It’s always good if you can find an occasion to send out a note to your customers, to show them that you haven’t forgotten about them, and that they aren’t just a number to you. Sending out a personalized… ... 
Zendesk: One of the Best Business Tools for Customer Support February 5, 2019 - After even a short time using Zendesk, you see that they put a lot of thought into making the platform as densely packed with tools for support service as it could possibly be. Zendesk doesn’t just give you a… ... 
The Secret to Writing Great Blog Headlines February 4, 2019 - It’s tough to say what is the most important element of a blog article, but your headline is certainly a top contender. You could be Ernest Hemingway, but if no one wants to click on your headline, they’re never… ... 
Why VoIP Phone Service is More Trouble than It’s Worth January 31, 2019 - There are many different types of phone service. With our technology today, you can literally have your pick of a variety of service providers that will fit your particular business the best. Given that advanced technology, however, VoIP (Voice… ... 
How to Use the Local Press to Grow Your Small Business January 30, 2019 - Since you probably put most of your marketing efforts into online media, there is an outlet you most likely haven’t paid much attention to--local mainstream media. You definitely should be paying more attention to online content marketing, but at… ... 
Mailchimp vs. Constant Contact: Email Marketing & Automation January 29, 2019 - Email marketing: One of the most surprisingly effective methods of gaining attention for your company that actually translates to new sales. Even though it was one of the first uses that people found for the Internet, email has somehow… ... 
Working from Home? Learn How to Separate Your Work & Home Life January 28, 2019 - Running a business out of your home can be a great experience and a tremendous advantage, but there are also some drawbacks and pitfalls that most entrepreneurs don’t foresee when they embark on their home business venture. Most of… ... 
7 Ways to Improve Your Phone System with Automation January 24, 2019 - Automation for phone systems was one of the most important things that was ever created for businesses. It’s honestly kind of crazy not to take advantage of automation for managing your business calls because it does nothing but add… ... 
How to Be a Better CEO January 23, 2019 - So, you’re the CEO of your own company. That’s a huge accomplishment and a fantastic position to be in, but just being in the position doesn’t mean that you’re automatically good at it. It’s easy to just sit back… ... 
Braintree: A Payments Solution You Can’t Live Without January 22, 2019 - For those who searched in Google for payments solutions for your business, then you’ve earned yourself a pat on the back because you’re on the right track if you found Braintree. Or, maybe you’re just lucky. Braintree is one… ... 
Why Mastering Online Marketing is Critical for Home Businesses January 21, 2019 - There are a few things that are essential when you run your business out of your home--a good ISP and lots of bandwidth, a dedicated phone line, a good space to work out of, and the usual office trappings.… ... 
5 Things That Upset Customers When They Call Your Business January 17, 2019 - It’s tough to know what your customers are thinking, which is basically the whole reason that marketing strategy exists, but you can be sure of a few things. People don’t like to wait, they don’t like to go through… ... 
Why Focused Company Meetings Are Not Useless January 16, 2019 - Company meetings are either time well spent to move work along and benefit everyone in attendance, or they are the absolute bane of your existence. Which of these categories your meetings fall into depends mainly on how productive they… ... 
Clover vs. Square: Top POS Systems Face Off January 15, 2019 - When you’re running a small business, there are precious few moments when you get to have some honest-to-god fun, and fortunately, this will hopefully qualify as one of those times for you. Yes, it’s true that purchasing a new… ... Recent Posts
Looking Ahead: Position Your Business for Growth in 2020 January 15, 2020 - 100 years ago, business in America took off in a big way. Historians now call that era "The Roaring Twenties." Today, history looks set to repeat itself with the American economy appearing stronger than it has in decades. Consequently, a… ...
Gain Free Business Exposure by Becoming a Podcast Guest January 13, 2020 - Every small business faces the same key problem: no one knows who you are yet. The solution to that problem lies in getting exposure to prospective buyers in order to build awareness and credibility. Contrary to conventional wisdom, advertising… ...
Why You Should Use Call Recording to Monitor Business Calls January 9, 2020 - "Your call may be recorded for quality assurance purposes." Ever heard that line from a pleasant-if-robotic voice when you were calling a company? You may ignore the message after several repetitions, but there's a very good reason that companies… ...
Alex Rodriguez : Baseball Shortstop Turned Entrepreneur January 7, 2020 - Experience is a great teacher, but she charges a high tuition rate. Just ask Alex Rodriguez. The baseball star turned entrepreneur told his audience at the 2019 Inc. 5000 Conference & Gala in Phoenix that his 2013 suspension from the… ...
Using CRM to Improve Customer Service for Your Business December 18, 2019 - In the modern business world, two factors drive success. One is customer service. The other is technology. Excellent customer service is paramount to growing a business of any size in any industry. According to Microsoft's research, 96% of consumers… ...
Pay-Per-Click Advertising: Everything to Know About PPC December 16, 2019 - If you're already doing email marketing and SEO optimization, then you've nailed down two of the most fundamental internet marketing strategies every small business should know. But these two strategies alone are not enough to comprise a viable marketing initiative.… ...
How to Solve Common Problems with Your Business Phone System December 12, 2019 - Once you get your business phone system solid and running just the way you want it to for the company, you probably aren’t going to have too much go wrong with it, but things do happen from time to… ...
Bethenny Frankel: Skinnygirl Founder & Killer Businesswoman December 10, 2019 - Growing up as the daughter of a mother with an alcohol problem and a father who left before childhood got started sounds like the plot of a pop teen romance novel instead of background for one of the world's great… ...
5 Ideas to Reduce Your Business’ Fulfillment & Shipping Costs December 4, 2019 - With the many factors that contribute to devising a plan for fulfillment and distribution of your product, as cheaply and efficiently as possible, this can be a real challenge for businesses. If you approach it with a keen eye… ...
Which Social Media Platforms Are Right for Your Business? December 2, 2019 - From Twitter to TikTok, social media is dominating the online marketing domain. Actually, social media is ruling the world. An estimated 3.2 billion people, or four out of every ten on the planet, use social media, including nine out of… ...
Richard Branson: Billionaire Entrepreneur & Visionary November 26, 2019 - In the late 1960s, the chemistry teacher at Stowe School in England noticed one of his students looking particularly engrossed in his work. Curious, since that particular student was generally disengaged in class, the teacher strode over to where the… ...
Running Your Small Business Solo? Secure Success with These Tips November 20, 2019 - So you've launched a company of one? You can truly call yourself a freelancer, a solopreneur, or an entrepreneur. Whatever label you choose, you are now a small business owner who is running the business solo. While there's no… ...
How Any Size Business Can Have Amazing SEO November 18, 2019 - Search Engine Optimization (SEO) increases website traffic through organic search results. A well-optimized website will show up high in the organic (non-paid) results that a search engine returns for a relevant string of keywords. Why does SEO matter? Because 89%… ...
How to Stop Spam Calls to Your Virtual Phone Number November 14, 2019 - Spam takes all forms nowadays with the explosion of communication capability by way of email, calls, and even text messages. There’s the occasional solicitation call, and then there’s a whole other category of relentless spamming to your phone number… ...
How Spanx CEO Sara Blakely Built a Billion Dollar Business November 12, 2019 - In 2012, Sara Blakely joined an elite club of just 2,604 people in the world. That year, Forbes crowned her the world's youngest self-made billionaire, and Sara was welcomed into the world of the Walton family, Carlos Slim, and Warren… ...
Why Embracing Failure Can Be Good for Business November 6, 2019 - "On this wonderful day when we are gathered together to celebrate your academic success, I have decided to talk to you about the benefits of failure." That line comes from the opening of author JK Rowling's commencement speech to the… ...
Building a Business Is a 7-10 Year Journey November 4, 2019 - “Even if your ambitions are huge, start slow, start small, build gradually, build smart.” So wrote mega-successful entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk in his book Crush It!: Why Now Is the Time to Cash In on Your Passion. The research bears out… ...
Why No Business is Too Small for a Phone System October 31, 2019 - Is your small business just too darn small to need a professional phone system? Absolutely not! Whether you are running a one-person shop out of your home office, managing a remote team, or huddling with your staff in a small… ...
Jack Dorsey: The Determined Mind Behind Twitter and Square October 29, 2019 - Some entrepreneurs hold great ambitions in early childhood. They're turning over sports cards on the playground or setting up a lemonade stand in front of the house. Not Jack Dorsey. As a kid, Dorsey never imagined himself as a CEO,… ...
What to Focus On While Business is Slow October 23, 2019 - After months of frantic selling and serving, your business has slacked off. Other than take a much-needed vacation or count your hard-earned money like a demented Scrooge McDuck, what can you do to benefit your business during the slow days?… ...
Finding Investors in the First Year Can Be a Waste of Time October 21, 2019 - So you've got a great idea to start a business? Maybe you've even written up your business plan, gotten feedback from qualified mentors, and tested your product or service in the field. You're ready to become a genuine entrepreneur. All… ...
3 Ways to Forward Your Landline to a Cell Phone October 17, 2019 - As a business owner, you take important phone calls at the office. But you're not always in the office. You're meeting clients, attending events, and ducking out for lunch at school with the kids. So what do you do when… ...
Susan Wojcicki: CEO of YouTube and Female Powerhouse October 15, 2019 - Silicon Valley has a problem with women. There aren't enough of them. Despite more women than ever earning college degrees and entering the workforce, just 26% of computing operations jobs in the U.S. get filled by women. In most of… ...
19 Great Ways to Advertise Your Business with No Money October 9, 2019 - Right after starting a new small business, funds can be tight. Payroll, office space, taxes, and production can eat into capital. And that's if you're lucky enough to have a capital investment. If you are like many entrepreneurs, you're not… ...
Why You Need to Hire Your First Employee as Soon as Possible October 7, 2019 - Hiring your first employee is a major step in your new life as a small business owner. The hire comes with all kinds of positive vibes. Having an extra pair of hands to manage the workflow can feel like a… ...
How to Use Your Existing Phones with a Virtual Phone System October 3, 2019 - Entrepreneurs have a lot of questions on their minds, especially when starting out or scaling up. How will I make payroll? How do I advertise my business? Is my product properly positioned in the market? Even, what's the best phone… ...
How the Co-Founders of Netflix Killed Blockbuster October 1, 2019 - The biggest fumble in the history of the media business happened in Dallas, Texas in September of 2000. Two desperate Silicon-valley entrepreneurs named Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph flew into Dallas for a meeting with John Antioco, the legendary CEO… ...
Tips for Managing Stress and Anxiety as a Business Owner September 25, 2019 - There are many positives that come along with running your own business. You can make your own schedule. You make all the decisions about how to spend your revenue. It’s fun to hand out business cards listing you as the… ...
You Probably Won’t Make a Profit Your First Year & That’s Ok September 23, 2019 - A first-time entrepreneur experiences plenty of exciting first-time milestones, but few match the thrill when you make your first sale. This is the moment that all of your efforts have been moving towards. You figure you’ll be in the black… ...
Why You Shouldn’t Abandon Your Business Phone Number September 19, 2019 - As a business owner, it is vital that you are always available to your clients, but you may be risking future success if you’re relying on a land-line or traditional cell phone number. Your phone number will quickly become listed… ...
How Daymond John Changed the Entrepreneurial Game September 17, 2019 - Some people win the game of business by sticking to the rules. Other people win by changing the game. Most entrepreneurs are game changers not rule keepers. That's why you go into business for yourself, right? You don't fit into… ...
Useful Techniques for Defining Your Brand Identity September 12, 2019 - Ask ten small business owners to give you a good definition of brand, and you'll get 12 different answers. Branding is a slippery concept even among the best and brightest entrepreneurs. For all the chatter about the topic on business… ...
Don’t Have a Partner? You May Want to Hire a Co-Founder September 9, 2019 - Should you go solo when you launch your new business? Or do you need a co-founder to help start things? Getting a new business off the ground can challenge even the most creative minds. When your business is still embryonic,… ...
9 Reasons Why Your Customers Want to Text You September 5, 2019 - On December 3, 1992, an engineer named Neil Papworth made telecommunications history. On that day, he sent the very first text message. It read, "Merry Christmas." Papworth typed the message on his desktop computer, and Vodafone executive Richard Jarvis received… ...
Alli Webb: Hairstylist with Big Dreams September 3, 2019 - Building a great business often starts with a big dream, but it never ends there. Success also requires securing the right team and honing a clear vision. Many entrepreneurs who've built empires realize the value of focusing their energy on… ...
Perception vs Reality of Entrepreneurship August 29, 2019 - The U.S. is enjoying the most robust job market the country has experienced in half a century or more. Employers are begging for workers, and opportunities to transition into new careers are growing at an unprecedented rate. In such a… ...
Why You Shouldn’t Quit Your Job When Starting a Business August 26, 2019 - If you're like many Americans, you dream about starting a business and being your own boss. We're a nation of entrepreneurs whose legendary can-do spirit built businesses, nonprofits, schools, and houses of worship that have created jobs and services… ...
5 Misconceptions About Phone Systems, Debunked August 22, 2019 - Business phone systems are becoming increasingly advanced and complex thanks to constantly evolving communication technology. These new systems provide excellent alternatives to the traditional phone systems that have been in place for decades. As with most new technologies, however, misconceptions,… ...
Ryan Serhant: From Hand Model to Real Estate Tycoon August 20, 2019 - There are a lot of industries that take a lot of energy and hard work to be successful in. Entertainment, real estate, and publishing are all pretty high on that list, but today’s Storytime Tuesdays subject has been successful in… ...
How to Prevent Feeling Overwhelmed as a Business Owner August 14, 2019 - Starting your own business is incredibly exciting. When it begins, you’re likely riding the high that comes with quitting the 9-5- grind to go your own way. You hear phrases like “freelancers are the only people who work 60… ...
Tory Burch: The Grateful Billionaire August 6, 2019 - The Tory Burch story is an aspirational example of hard work, dedication, and gratitude paving the way to great success. By consistently applying the values she has developed throughout her life to her business decisions, Tory has managed to create… ...
8 Basic Reasons Your Small Business Isn’t Growing July 31, 2019 - Your small business got off the ground. Congratulations! For many people, launching their own business fulfills a long-time dream. Maybe you love the product you sell, or you enjoy building a team, or you just want the freedom to… ...
Why Your Email Open Rate is the Key Analytic July 29, 2019 - In the world of email marketing, there are many different metrics for determining a campaign's success and even more opinions on which one is the most important. So far in this series, we've talked about the often-underappreciated click-through rate… ...
10 Reasons Your Office Phone System Should Go Virtual July 25, 2019 - 1. Trim the Fat & Lower Your Cost Have you considered switching from a traditional phone company to a virtual phone system? A virtual phone service like Talkroute is most likely going to be much less expensive than using… ...
How Gary Vaynerchuk Created Success Out of Nothing July 23, 2019 - If you want an example of a fiercely ambitious, highly gifted entrepreneur, you can’t do much better than Gary Vaynerchuk. He’s been on the “hustle” since he was a young kid in New Jersey, and a talent for creating profitable… ...
7 Tips for Bootstrapping Your Business Without Falling Apart July 17, 2019 - This is for all you wide-eyed, ambitious, and driven small business owners out there, who have decided to take it upon yourself to foot the bill for your business without taking an investment from anyone. You don’t want to… ...
Long Form vs. Short Form Emails: Which Work Best? July 15, 2019 - As a small business owner, you’ve probably heard by now that email marketing is a worthwhile online marketing strategy. With conversion rates consistently above other advertising techniques, it’s often the go-to source for transforming prospects into paying customers. To… ...
Was Your Number Port Rejected? Here are 8 Reasons Why July 11, 2019 - Transferring your business number to a new service provider shouldn't take a lot of time or trouble. Sometimes, however, number porting turns into a giant headache. When you’re transferring your number to a new provider, the last thing you… ...
Arianna Huffington: From Entrepreneur to Influencer July 9, 2019 - If you live in America, then you’ve probably read and heard at least something about Arianna Huffington in the past couple of years, which is ironic because she is actually from Greece. Nevertheless, you could debate the reasons why… ...
How to Learn from Your Competitors to Grow Your Business July 3, 2019 - There is an unfortunate trait that most small businesses have, and that is the mentality of being afraid of their competitors or seeing them as their enemy. It’s true that they are competing for the same customers that you… ...
How to Understand Your Conversion Rates & Improve Them July 1, 2019 - For any small business utilizing online marketing of any kind, there aren’t too many metrics that you want to be more aware of than the CR (conversion rate). Otherwise, if you are just continually creating and publishing content without… ...
The Early Years of Jeff Bezos: Creating an Empire June 25, 2019 - We all know Jeff Bezos as the billionaire mogul who built the company that made it possible for us to buy pretty much anything we want online and see it show up on our doorstep, post-haste. What we don’t… ...
Does Your Click-Through Rate Really Mean Anything? June 24, 2019 - Click-through rate. It’s a sort of contentious point among content marketers, some considering it a useless metric and others believing it to be a number that can provide you with a lot of useful information to create better content.… ...
How to Optimize Workflow for Your Projects June 19, 2019 - Being productive in your business and completing all of your tasks and projects is more than just working all the time. You could even say that optimizing workflow is actually more important than just working a ton of hours,… ...
How Elon Musk Succeeds on 4 Hours of Sleep a Night June 18, 2019 - There’s no doubt in anyone’s mind that Elon Musk is an extremely important figure in our culture today. In truth, that goes for people around the world because the projects he is into have implications for improving industry and… ...
How to Write Emails That Convert June 17, 2019 - In today’s highly competitive world, you have to explore every avenue that can potentially bring your small business more success, and that especially goes for the marketing strategies that you use. If email marketing is one of those avenues… ...
How to Handle Employee Performance Reviews Productively June 12, 2019 - Performance reviews. The meetings that only the most deranged person would actually look forward to but are very necessary for employers to keep everyone on track, and for employees to learn how they can improve and advance in the… ...
Gmail vs. Outlook vs. Rackspace: Top Email Clients for Small Business June 11, 2019 - Email is one of the most enduring forms of communication that was born out of the Internet. Strangely, it was thought by experts to be a medium that would become obsolete as we headed into the 21st century, and… ...
Email Marketing Isn’t Dead, and Here’s Why June 10, 2019 - There are plenty of people out there who are under the assumption that email marketing doesn’t work anymore, and you may be one of them. Most people believe that email doesn’t have the potential to reach and convert a… ...
Google Voice Alternative: Talkroute is Better for Business June 6, 2019 - Google Voice is one of those services that was created by a very large company who found and employed an elite team of very smart people, who then took a great idea built by GrandCentral, put the power and… ...
What Keeps Your Employees Happy & High-Functioning June 5, 2019 - Keeping employees happy has to be one of the most misunderstood elements of running a business. Every business owner thinks they know how to do it, and most have a whole team of employees who wish they found themselves… ...
Using CPAdirectory, CPA Finder, & Gusto to Find a Business Accountant June 4, 2019 - Searching for an accountant is not exactly the most fun task for anybody, but if you have a business, it’s of course essential. There are also an abundance of accountants and bookkeepers in any given area, so it helps… ...
Treating Your Home Business Like a Real Business is Vital June 3, 2019 - When you’re running a business out of your home, just the fact that you’re working every day in that environment almost gives you the feeling that it’s not a legitimate business. Naturally, you know that it is legitimate, but the… ...
Phone Number Porting & Call Forwarding: What’s the Difference? May 30, 2019 - Do you find yourself in a position where your calls are coming in for the business, but they’re being sent to the wrong place? What do you do in that scenario? Well, the first problem might be that people are… ...
6 Ways to Pinch Pennies & Cut a Ton of Company Spending May 29, 2019 - Businesses have been looking for ways to cut their operating costs for as long as businesses have existed. It can be a troublesome area because business owners have to sort of use triage to figure out what gets cut… ...
4 Online IT Training Resources for Yourself & Your Employees May 28, 2019 - If you deliberately clicked on the link for this post and are reading this now, and you’re a business owner, then you can go ahead and give yourself a pat on the back. Showing interest in this particular subject… ...
How Ecommerce Can Infinitely Scale Your Home Business May 27, 2019 - Ecommerce is far from what it was 10 or 15 years ago. When online retailers, or “dot-coms”, as they were commonly referred to back then, first began to emerge as pioneering entrepreneurs who realized that selling goods and services over… ...
The History of 800 Numbers and Why We Want Them May 23, 2019 - Toll-free phone numbers have been around for quite a long time now, and their value to businesses remains even until today. There are a few benefits to having a toll-free number, most notably the fact that anyone can call it… ...
How to Infuse Your Company with a Positive Attitude May 22, 2019 - You might be thinking, “I don’t really care if everybody has a positive attitude. I just want them to get their work done.” As a business owner that needs to make sure your product gets made and sold consistently… ...
Arcserve or Carbonite: Which Cloud Backup Service Stands Out? May 21, 2019 - Unless you have a highly-experienced, well-equipped, and resourceful IT genius on staff, you’re going to need some help to secure your data for the company and make sure that you’re protected in the unfortunate event that your systems are… ...
Grow Your Home Business by Partnering with Others May 20, 2019 - Business owners tend to be the type of person who is independent and prides him or herself on being “self-made”, which is a good thing, but when you are that type of person, it’s important to remember that you can… ...
8 Ways to Tell If You Have a High-Quality Phone System May 16, 2019 - Every business needs some kind of phone system. Well, nearly every business needs it. There are some businesses today who actually manage customer support entirely through email and other messaging platforms, but even for those who have the ability to… ...
Why Entrepreneurs Have to Continually Improve Themselves May 15, 2019 - There is an existential imperative of which most of us are aware, while others are not, that tends to reward us when we put in the effort to improve ourselves by forcing ourselves to grow and learn in new… ...
SpyFu: The Greatest Competitor Research Tool Available Today May 14, 2019 - You may not be the most skilled in SEO (Search Engine Optimization), and that’s ok because many business owners are not. To become proficient at integrating SEO into your marketing strategy, it takes time to do your own research… ...
Building a Brand for Your Home Business May 13, 2019 - You can’t go very long without hearing someone in mainstream media, on social media, or in your various adventures in Google search talking about “your brand”, alongside all kinds of opinions discussing how important it is. In the midst… ...
5 Things You Need to Know About Your Caller ID Display Name May 9, 2019 - Your caller ID display name is something that you kind of take for granted, that your business name is just automatically, always going to show up whenever you call someone. That probably should be the case, but it’s unfortunately not… ...
7 Ways that Owners Give Their Business a Terrible Image May 8, 2019 - When you’ve got a small business to run, there’s a lot to stay on top of, and you may not spend a whole lot of time worrying about the image that your business projects to customers. You should, though,… ...
Basecamp vs. OneDesk: Expertly Manage & Complete Any Project May 7, 2019 - A good project manager has always been one of the most valued people to have in a company, and for good reason because it’s an extremely difficult job. Projects have so many different moving parts, including various people who… ...
Key Areas of Your Home Business to Start Outsourcing Today May 6, 2019 - Are you killing yourself trying to get everything done for your home business, yet there are always things that seem to never be accomplished? Well, that should tell you that you’re not going to be able to get it… ...
What to Do When Your Business Line Gets Excessive Unwanted Calls May 2, 2019 - Your first instinct when you start getting a lot of unwanted calls to your business number will be to become panicked and angry. That is natural and totally understandable, but try not to freak out because you do have some… ...
The 7 Most Common Blunders Made by New Small Businesses May 1, 2019 - Small businesses seem to pop up like weeds these days, but that doesn’t automatically mean that all of the owners know what they’re doing. There is also a large portion of them who have zero experience with running a… ...
Grovo & Clockspot Are the Perfect Pair for Human Resources April 30, 2019 - You need a lot of different tools to run a successful small business. Some will be more important to you than others, and some tools are essential, that you really can’t do without. For one, time tracking for employees… ...
How to Leverage Social Media to Rapidly Grow Your Home Business April 29, 2019 - Social media. Nothing has grown in so much power and influence, or become so ubiquitous in the past decade, to the point where it is actually now an essential element for any business trying to successfully market their product.… ...
10 Reasons Why You Probably Need a Vanity Number April 26, 2019 - No one wants to be just a number. People have been trying to come up with ways to add meanings to phone numbers and to memorize them for a really long time. To pull just one example from… ...
12 Tips from Experts on How to Grow Your Home Business April 24, 2019 - There will likely be plenty of people telling you what they know to be the ultimate secret to grow your home business, so it can be tough to discern who you should listen to. So, instead of giving you… ...
5 Excellent Tools for Small Business CRM April 23, 2019 - Customer relationship management has the potential to turn your small business into a powerhouse that draws in new customers with a huge lead-to-conversion rate. All you have to do is figure out exactly what your customers are looking for,… ...
Taking Mental Health Days and How to Manage Them April 22, 2019 - There are days when your mind is so cluttered and overwhelmed that you wake up for the day’s work, and you’re not sure if you can even handle it. That is one of those times when you need to… ...
Toll Free or Local Number: Which One Does Your Business Need? April 18, 2019 - Something as simple as a phone number isn’t often on the minds of entrepreneurs starting a business for the first time. With most business tools found in the cloud or on your computer, you probably won’t need to worry… ...
6 Reasons to Take a Vacation from Your Business This Summer April 17, 2019 - Attention Business Owners: You have to take a vacation sometime. The unfortunate truth is that business owners work too hard, and they rarely even have the thought that they will get to take a vacation. Running a business is… ...
Simplify & Automate All of Your Meetings with Calendly April 16, 2019 - There are all kinds of appointments and group meetings that are required when you’re running a business, all of which can be made simpler with software that helps you to set them up. Like so many tools that we’ve… ...
Why Setting Reasonable Deadlines is Essential April 15, 2019 - You will encounter many times when you feel that you have to complete projects or tasks of any kind sooner that it seems you can capably do it, which is why it’s so necessary to put a check on… ...
Top 10 Giveaways to Show Appreciation to Your Customers April 10, 2019 - What does it mean to take care of your customers? Just about every business on Earth claims to “take care” of their customers in some way, shape, or form; but what do they mean when they make that claim?… ...
Can Lead411 Produce Real Sales Leads for Your Business? April 9, 2019 - No one has to tell you how valuable quality sales leads are for your business. Finding solid leads is a way of taking matters into your own hands, rather than relying solely on word-of-mouth and standard advertising channels to… ...
How Creating To-Do Lists Will Change Your Life April 8, 2019 - To-do lists are generally underrated for a variety of reasons, and that’s why we’re giving you this article to go over some of the ways they can be useful to you as a professional, as well as a business… ...
How You Should React to Missed or Lost Business Calls April 4, 2019 - Although you can take measures to ensure that you just about never miss a call, ever, it’s inevitable that it will happen from time to time when a caller slips through the cracks for some reason. A proper phone system… ...
10 Signs That You’re a Smart Business Owner April 3, 2019 - There are all types of business owners, at all levels of talent and experience. You might be just breaking into small business ownership with a lot of skill and talent, but you also might be a veteran owner with decades… ...
Need a Great Logo for Your Business? Logoworks Has It April 2, 2019 - If you’re reached the stage of your business planning when you’re creating a logo, then you’ve reached the fun part. It does take some work and special attention, though, so it helps a great deal to use a competent… ...
Avoiding Burnout: Our Top Tips April 1, 2019 - We are taking an opportunity here to provide you with a special article for this series to offer up some tips that you can use to avoid and combat burnout as a business owner because burnout can be more… ...
Does Your Phone System Need a Call Menu? Here’s How to Tell March 28, 2019 - As a small business, especially a new one, one of the best features you can add to your phone system is the same one that you probably don’t even consider. That’s the call menu. A call menu is simultaneously… ...
Why You Should Pay Employees Over Minimum Wage March 27, 2019 - Minimum wage has been a touchy topic for a long time. People have to make at least some kind of a regular wage, so they have to take what they can get sometimes. Not everyone is qualified enough or… ...
LegalZoom or Rocket Lawyer: Find the Best Counsel for Your Business March 26, 2019 - There are a ton of reasons why your business needs good representation in the way of legal counsel, and there are just as many reasons why that representation needs to be high-quality and reliable. LegalZoom and Rocket Lawyer are… ...
Why Entrepreneurs Are More Susceptible to Burnout March 25, 2019 - Burnout affects hard-working people in all walks of life, especially today—and especially in this country. Americans, in general, work themselves too hard in the pursuit of whatever their ultimate goal is. It might be a big promotion, a raise,… ...
12 Fun & Professional Business Voicemail Greetings for 2020 March 24, 2019 - The voicemail greeting is an important element of your business’ phone system because it is often the first impression of your business that customers will have. Creating a really good voicemail greeting is a unique opportunity that you can… ...
Text Messaging & Small Business: Why Text is So Important March 21, 2019 - We live in a much different world today, and small business can be said to be at the forefront of changing times because commerce usually leads the push into the future. That’s a much larger conversation, of course, but… ...
How to Deal with Employee Tardiness & Absences March 20, 2019 - The issue of tardiness and absenteeism is a difficult issue for both employers and employees, and it can be a sensitive one to deal with. What we hope to do here is to demystify the reasons that it happens,… ...
Workable or LinkedIn: Where to Hire Quality Employees March 19, 2019 - It’s no longer so hard to find good help, as they say. As part of yet another powerful shift made possible by modern technology, services like Workable and LinkedIn bring all the talented people who want to work right… ...
Recognizing the Warning Signs of Burnout March 18, 2019 - Burnout. This condition affects so many business owners that it almost goes without saying that you’ll experience it or be in danger of experiencing it when you run a business. Unfortunately, burnout is misunderstood by most people, whether you’re… ...
How to Prepare Your Business for Tax Season March 13, 2019 - Tax season can be a stressful time for business owners.. and even more so if you don’t have any help to pull all of your information together. Probably the most important point is to take care of it as… ...
Use Vyond to Make a Beautifully-Designed Explainer Video March 12, 2019 - If you’re not familiar with this type of video, an explainer video is one that you find on a website’s landing page, usually around a minute long or less, which explains what your brand or company is about. You’ve… ...
Should Blog Writing Be Different from Other Forms of Writing? March 11, 2019 - In the field of blog writing for business, there are some bad habits and misconceptions when it comes to the way that you approach the actual writing style and process. Some creators are very conscious of this and write… ...
5 Keys to Help You Find the Perfect Business Phone Number March 7, 2019 - Choosing a new phone number for your business can drive you crazy, as there are so many options and factors to consider when you want it to be just right. There are a few guidelines, however, that you can… ...
8 Team-Building Exercises That Will Boost Morale March 6, 2019 - As a business owner, you’ve got to keep your team together, and more to the point, you’ve got to make sure that everyone on your team actually feels connected to one another. Team-building activities can benefit your business in… ...
Manage & Automate Your Business’ Social Media with Hootsuite March 5, 2019 - Before we get started, you should know that if you don’t currently use a management service for your business’ social media outreach, you’re probably spending way too much time and energy on it. Doing it yourself without a management… ...
Creating Responsible Content: Why Should You Care? March 4, 2019 - Responsibility in writing content is not something that many people are talking about these days, especially for content that you write for a business blog. The thing is that if you have a blog on your website where you… ...
Why You Need More than a Cell Phone to Run Your Business February 28, 2019 - There inevitably comes a time when your business outgrows your cell phone, at which time you’re going to need some kind of a system. Running your business from a cell phone works great at first; however, when a ton… ...
6 Ways to Show Employees that They’re Valuable February 27, 2019 - As someone running a business, making the extra effort to show your employees that they’re valuable is probably not the highest item on your list of priorities, with so many other things to worry about that are necessary to… ...
Why We Love Moz & How It Can Help You Improve SEO February 26, 2019 - Not to put too fine a point on it, Moz is an outstanding resource for content marketers. There are a ton of sites, apps, and blogs out there who deal in SEO, as you’ve no doubt seen already, but… ...
Why You Need to Know What Your Domain Authority Is February 25, 2019 - Domain Authority (DA) is one little number with big implications for your site. One of the most interesting things about the DA rating system is that is wasn’t created by some central governing body, and it wasn’t created by… ...
10 Phone System Terms You Probably Misunderstood February 21, 2019 - As users of phone systems, people generally assume that they understand most things about them and what all the words mean because after all, we’ve all used phones for our whole lives. The only problem with that is, phone… ...
Don’t Wear Too Many Hats as a Small Business Owner February 20, 2019 - The truth is that, as a small business owner, you will naturally find yourself handling all kinds of different tasks, being pulled in multiple directions at the same time. Even though that’s the case, you still shouldn’t have to… ...
Is Squarespace the Best Website Builder for a New Business? February 19, 2019 - Website builders are one of the greatest things that has happened to small businesses in a long time. They make it extremely fast and easy to build a site for your company that looks and works beautifully, in very… ...
Actionable Content: Why It’s the Key to Your Blog’s Success February 18, 2019 - What is actionable content? If you’ve never heard the term before, then now is the time that you acquaint yourself with it, as a content writer or marketer (as well as a business owner), because there are few things… ...
5 Things You Shouldn’t Tell a Customer On the Phone February 14, 2019 - Phone calls with customers are peculiar situations because, first of all, they’re still a pretty essential method of serving customers, even in the age of the Internet. Also, a representative of your business needs to conduct themselves a little… ...
6 Ways to Create Positive Word of Mouth Advertising February 13, 2019 - Even with the myriad ways to market and advertise your product today, word of mouth is still the best, most reliable way to attract new business. It’s also one of the toughest to create, which is why any business… ...
Fundation, LendingClub, & PayPal Can Fund Your Small Business February 12, 2019 - Unless you’ve undergone some catastrophe or have awful credit, you can absolutely get funded to do business. This post explores three options for you to receive funding to move forward with your small business, but there are quite a… ...
Basics of SEO and Finding the Best Keywords February 11, 2019 - SEO is something that most business owners think they understand but probably don’t really have a firm grasp on it. It is definitely an area of online marketing that is foundational. The of this article is to instill a… ...
8 Personalized Notes to Give Your Customers for Valentine’s Day February 6, 2019 - It’s always good if you can find an occasion to send out a note to your customers, to show them that you haven’t forgotten about them, and that they aren’t just a number to you. Sending out a personalized… ...
Zendesk: One of the Best Business Tools for Customer Support February 5, 2019 - After even a short time using Zendesk, you see that they put a lot of thought into making the platform as densely packed with tools for support service as it could possibly be. Zendesk doesn’t just give you a… ...
The Secret to Writing Great Blog Headlines February 4, 2019 - It’s tough to say what is the most important element of a blog article, but your headline is certainly a top contender. You could be Ernest Hemingway, but if no one wants to click on your headline, they’re never… ...
Why VoIP Phone Service is More Trouble than It’s Worth January 31, 2019 - There are many different types of phone service. With our technology today, you can literally have your pick of a variety of service providers that will fit your particular business the best. Given that advanced technology, however, VoIP (Voice… ...
How to Use the Local Press to Grow Your Small Business January 30, 2019 - Since you probably put most of your marketing efforts into online media, there is an outlet you most likely haven’t paid much attention to--local mainstream media. You definitely should be paying more attention to online content marketing, but at… ...
Mailchimp vs. Constant Contact: Email Marketing & Automation January 29, 2019 - Email marketing: One of the most surprisingly effective methods of gaining attention for your company that actually translates to new sales. Even though it was one of the first uses that people found for the Internet, email has somehow… ...
Working from Home? Learn How to Separate Your Work & Home Life January 28, 2019 - Running a business out of your home can be a great experience and a tremendous advantage, but there are also some drawbacks and pitfalls that most entrepreneurs don’t foresee when they embark on their home business venture. Most of… ...
7 Ways to Improve Your Phone System with Automation January 24, 2019 - Automation for phone systems was one of the most important things that was ever created for businesses. It’s honestly kind of crazy not to take advantage of automation for managing your business calls because it does nothing but add… ...
How to Be a Better CEO January 23, 2019 - So, you’re the CEO of your own company. That’s a huge accomplishment and a fantastic position to be in, but just being in the position doesn’t mean that you’re automatically good at it. It’s easy to just sit back… ...
Braintree: A Payments Solution You Can’t Live Without January 22, 2019 - For those who searched in Google for payments solutions for your business, then you’ve earned yourself a pat on the back because you’re on the right track if you found Braintree. Or, maybe you’re just lucky. Braintree is one… ...
Why Mastering Online Marketing is Critical for Home Businesses January 21, 2019 - There are a few things that are essential when you run your business out of your home--a good ISP and lots of bandwidth, a dedicated phone line, a good space to work out of, and the usual office trappings.… ...
5 Things That Upset Customers When They Call Your Business January 17, 2019 - It’s tough to know what your customers are thinking, which is basically the whole reason that marketing strategy exists, but you can be sure of a few things. People don’t like to wait, they don’t like to go through… ...
Why Focused Company Meetings Are Not Useless January 16, 2019 - Company meetings are either time well spent to move work along and benefit everyone in attendance, or they are the absolute bane of your existence. Which of these categories your meetings fall into depends mainly on how productive they… ...
Clover vs. Square: Top POS Systems Face Off January 15, 2019 - When you’re running a small business, there are precious few moments when you get to have some honest-to-god fun, and fortunately, this will hopefully qualify as one of those times for you. Yes, it’s true that purchasing a new… ...