StartupNation Blogs

Chances are, you’ve seen a POS system in action. “POS” is an abbreviation for “point-of-sale-” the most basic POS systems calculate payment amounts and process customer payments, similar to a cash register. However, they aren’t just calculators. Most hospitality-based systems use POS systems in order to track inventory and labor costs, forecast business volumes [...]

Whether you are creating a new Web site or reviewing the one you already have, there are three key factors to keep in mind.
Are you guilty of these three Web site sins?
1. Visitors can’t get the information they need.
This is pretty obvious, but often overlooked. It can be enticing to use fancy videos, too many keywords, [...]

Do you really need a newsletter? Well, if you don’t have one, you are missing out on a cost-effective way to attract new business and provide loyal customers with valuable information.
Here’s how it works it three simple points:
1. Think about what your customers want.
How you can provide your customers with new and worthwhile information?
How can you [...]

Twitter, http://twitter.com/, is a great way to build buzz about your products and services. But if you are using it for media relations activities, here are a few tips to keep in mind:
1. Keep it professional.
Although you want to reach out to followers on a personal level, keep it professional and provide valuable information. Your followers [...]

On Tuesday, we heard from David Durick of gotoBilling, www.gotobilling.com. This business experienced a 307% volume increase during the recession so I sat down with David to get his insights for other small business owners.
Here is the rest of that interview and more of David’s tips:
What kind of marketing and publicity activities have helped GTB grow [...]

Some companies are doing well during these tough economic times. That’s why I sat down with David Durick of gotoBilling, www.gotobilling.com, to find out the secret to their success (and how marketing has played a role in their significant growth over the past year).
Here’s what David had to say…
What do you do at gotoBilling.com and [...]

The first thing that many new entrepreneurs think about when they hear “public relations” is sending out a press release. Sure, a press release can help build buzz online.
�
But if you want a feature story written about your business, it’s essential to pitch specific media members directly.
�
And with today’s economy, this can be a [...]

It’s early in the morning, and I just fielded a few calls from struggling entrepreneurs who are overwhelmed with all of the marketing and PR data out there. “Where do we start?”
There is a lot of information out there, especially on this site. And it can be difficult to figure out what activities to pursue [...]

A friend of mine is thinking of starting her own insurance business, but she can’t leave her full time job until she’s tested the waters and determines if she has what it takes or if there is enough demand for her offering. We talked about the kind of marketing practices she could dabble in that [...]

Knowing some among you are in a last-minute dash to get those taxes filed, we’ve worked out a special giveaway opportunity for 20 StartupNation users to win a free copy of TurboTax Business software, provided to us by Office Depot. 

TurboTax Business is tax preparation software that asks easy questions about your personal and small business income, finds [...]