| Business news you can use from your Better Business Bureau® |  |
| Trends & Trust |  |  |
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- How companies can earn their customers' trust
Trust is a valuable asset, but it can also be extremely fragile, writes Nick Cowling, general manager of Citizen Optimum. Companies can foster trust by fulfilling their commitments, acting with integrity and building relationships with their customers. "If you can provide a human connection with a positive experience, it will provide your audience with a reason to trust you," he writes. HuffingtonPost.ca (Canada)/The Blog
(2/25)     
- How to prepare your small business for success
You will be better able to deal with challenges your company faces if you have an understanding of basic accounting, writes Steve Greenbaum, CEO and founder of PostNet. "A lot of small businesses fail because of mismanagement and undercapitalization," he notes. You should also act strategically to find new customers and develop a consistent brand for your business, he writes. Fox Business Small Business Center
(2/22)
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- Getting started on Twitter: Tips for small-business owners
After choosing a Twitter handle and filling out your bio, you can begin to build your presence on the social network by tweeting content that your followers will care about, writes Álvaro J. Soltero. "[T]he most important resource you can use to build a Twitter community is your knowledge of your target market and how to reach them," he writes. You can gauge your success by tracking the number of clicks your content gets and monitoring the use of your hashtags. Social Media Today/Leaf's SMB Blog
(2/24)
- What you should know about SEO
You must create high-quality content to get your website noticed, and that may mean doing more than just starting a blog, writes Chris Warden, CEO of Spread Effect. "Content is writing. Content is also video, podcasting, design (infographics, presentations, etc.), and social media posting," he writes. Duct Tape Marketing
(2/21)
- Welcome to management -- here's how to get started
Newly appointed leaders can feel like they've been thrown out of an airplane without a parachute, writes Roberta Matuson. To avoid hitting the ground, you'll need to learn quickly to master office politics, handle workers respectfully and effectively, and hire superb people. "You will shine the most when those around you are beaming," Matuson writes. Fast Company online
(2/22)
- How to be a horrible boss
The worst bosses share a few highly undesirable traits, ClickFuel CEO Steve Pogorzelski says. They are risk-averse, punish people who show initiative, reward sycophants and tend to make big decisions based on anecdotes, rather than hard data. "Incompetent managers prefer to rely on anecdotes because they can always find someone to tell them what they want to hear, rather than what the facts are," Pogorzelski says. CNNMoney/Fortune
(2/21)
 | Most small business owners know the importance of managing credit effectively and that a "one size fits all" model won't work. Use Managing Credit - Made Simpler to find the right credit management model for your business and to help identify strategies to ensure you are on top of your business's financial condition. |
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- Some business advocates support minimum-wage hike
Some business groups oppose President Barack Obama's proposal to raise the federal minimum wage, but others are supportive of the idea. "If the customer base is undermined because wages are so low, they feel it directly," said Holly Sklar, founder of Business for a Fair Minimum Wage. Many small businesses already pay their employees more than the federal minimum wage to make jobs more appealing to qualified workers, experts say. Bloomberg Businessweek
(2/21)
- Keep your receipts to defend your tax deductions
As a small-business owner, you should hang on to your receipts so you can prove that the deductions you claim on your tax return are legitimate, certified public accountant Mark J. Kohler writes. He recommends making electronic copies of your receipts and avoiding making purchases with cash, which can be hard to track. Entrepreneur online
(2/22)
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