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- Panel of small-business owners says Obama won debate No. 2
Both President Barack Obama and challenger Mitt Romney reached out to small-business owners during the most recent debate. A panel of small-business owners assembled by The Washington Post scored the debate as a narrow victory for Obama. "Obama is back in the game, and we witnessed a true debate -- not on all of the topics, but on many of them," said Jessica Hadler Baines, president of American Business Group in Orlando, Fla. However, some gave the edge to Romney. "Romney won the topics on the economy, and that is what is going to decide things in the end," said Christopher Hytry Derrington, CEO of Hyder Industries. The Washington Post
(10/17)      
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- 5 steps to getting started with measuring your social media efforts
You can improve your social media marketing efforts by understanding which metrics are truly important and using tools such as Google Analytics and Facebook Insights to track them, Rusty Frioux writes. "With a little work, you can visualize how your blog posts and Tweets affect your Facebook fan base, and most importantly, how all of it affects your real world sales," Frioux explains. RepCapitalMedia.com
(10/17)
- Top customer service means never having to say you're sorry
While it's true that companies can set themselves apart from the competition by going out of their way to resolve problems, truly great customer service means not having those problems in the first place, writes Rieva Lesonsky, president and founder of GrowBiz Media. Even "in today's customer-centric culture, service with a smile doesn't matter unless you’ve got the goods to back it up," she writes. Small Business Trends
(10/17)
- Don't lead like a dictator
You're in charge of your business, but that doesn't mean you have to act like a dictator who lords over every aspect of your company, Michael Hess of Skooba Design writes. Assuming you have a strong team of employees, your activities as the leader should be limited. You should focus on tasks such as setting the overall course for the business and managing the company's finances, he writes. CBS MoneyWatch
(10/17)
- What business owners need to know about federal employment laws
It's important to be aware of federal employment laws that might apply to your business, Ann Bowden-Hollis writes. There are laws that prohibit discrimination based on age, sex or disabilities for companies that have a certain number of people on the payroll, she notes. "In this instance, ignorance is not bliss; an employer's lack of awareness of being subject to a federal employment law is not a defense to a violation of that law," she warns. The Sun Herald (Biloxi-Gulfport, Miss.)
(10/12)
- Paying for college: Advice for entrepreneur parents
Paying for college can be hard for a small-business owner, but your children might qualify for financial aid. The amount you can get depends on your financial assets and income, and there are legal ways to lower these values. You should consider buying life insurance and paying into a retirement plan, according to Tim Higgins, author of "Pay for College Without Sacrificing Your Retirement." You should also avoid overvaluing your business. OPEN Forum blogs
(10/15)
- Boost your business's online security
You can improve online security at your business by using strong passwords, encrypting sensitive information and keeping your software updated, according to a survey. It's also important to help employees learn about online security. ZDNet
(10/17)
- Pay-per-click campaigns become more complex, costly
Small businesses have had to adapt as the cost of pay-per-click advertising has surged in recent years, leading some to scale back on their use of the strategy. "The only way for smaller advertisers to get an edge is to spend a lot of time improving the quality and relevance of their ads," said Richard Stokes, the founder of AdGooroo. "The problem is that everyone else is doing that as well." The New York Times (tiered subscription model)
(10/17)
- Is the election sapping business owners of their optimism?
Both presidential candidates have said their opponents' policies would hurt small businesses, and small-business owners might be internalizing that negativity. "All they're hearing is how one side is going to screw it up and how the other side is going to screw it up," said Garrett Sutton, author of "Run Your Own Corporation." Optimism among small-business owners has declined sharply in recent months, according to a study by The Hartford. USA TODAY
(10/18)
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Recent SmartBrief on Main Street Issues:
- Wednesday, October 17, 2012
- Tuesday, October 16, 2012
- Monday, October 15, 2012
- Friday, October 12, 2012
- Thursday, October 11, 2012
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