small business Tag

5 Fabulous Resources to Tackle Small-Business Questions

It doesn’t matter if it’s been two weeks or several years since your entrepreneurial intuition led you to create an online enterprise; the fact remains that no matter how far your e-commerce skills take you, no small-business owner is prepared to handle the many unfamiliar hurdles that are certain to arise.

However, don’t become overwhelmed by moments of uncertainty and sink-or-swim scenarios that can generate an endless stream of questions in your mind. It’s important to know you’re not alone. And as you dive deeper into your brand development and marketing strategies you’ll find that these puzzlements will cause you to rethink the ways you once searched for answers and information.

Some of the best advice around comes directly from someone who has already overcome the same obstacle. Therefore, you’ll want to visit online resources – there are many – designed to service small-business owners with helpful tools such as Q&A forums and the ability to connect with other entrepreneurs in your industry.

Below you’ll find five valuable sources, thanks to Mashable.com, to get you started.

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Business Doubles Profit With FourSquare

AJ Bombers, is a popular burger place in Milwaukee owned by Joe Sorge.  On Sunday, Sorge’s sales were up 110% thanks to the new social media  application FourSquare.  161 FourSquare users checked into the restaurant at the same time, that’s between 25-35% of Milwakkee’s FourSquare user population.

So what brought 161 FourSquare users to this already popular burger joint?  Sorge decided to promote the restaurant with the idea that customers could unlock a Swarm badge, which is awarded to those who check in at a location with at least 50 other users at the same time.  (more…)

A New Way To Explore With Google

Right now, I’m in the midst of my Christmas shopping, while getting adjusted to living in a new city.  I’m trying to learn the in’s and out’s along with trying to find the little hidden secrets of Seattle.  Personally, I’m an explorer, so whether I’m in the mountains of Peru, on the streets of Paris, or walking down Main Street USA, one of my life goals is to experience and see as much as possible.  I love doing everything from the touristy things, to randomly picking a street to walk down, not knowing what lies ahead.  (more…)

PayPal X Makes Online Shopping More Convenient

PayPal announced Wednesday at the PayPal X Innovate 2009 conference in San Francisco, that the company has developed a new global payment platform being dubbed PayPal X.  The new software will provide new APIs, a new developer portal, and some introductory services pricing, designed to help web-developers take advantage of PayPal X to build small businesses by integrating PayPal easily into third-party applications.

Currently, consumers who use PayPal are directed off the current site or application they are on and transferred to PayPal’s actual site.  But the developers want to engage customers directly within third-party applications so users won’t be transferred to PayPal’s site.  Consumers who do not have a PayPal will be able to sign up for PayPal within the third-party application and begin making PayPal payments immediately from the third-party application. (more…)

Small Business: 6 Online Myths Revealed

The e-commerce industry is filled with different ideas on what’s the best approach for a small business owner. Having spoken with many small business owners, I know there’s some common myths that seem to resonate with website owners more than others. No matter who, where, or how far along in the process they are, an industry like this can spread some serious rumors and propagate some strange ideas. SmallBusinessNewz has been profiling some of these most common myths in two-part video series based on findings from Homestead.com’s CEO & Founder Justin Kitch. The second part in the series, featured below, covers common myths on marketing strategy that really speaks volumes. From my experience, these are definitely some popular misconceptions when it comes to running an online business.
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