Business Blogs: Trends, tips, and real-life anecdotes from industry experts.

By Erin Jacobs, VerticalResponse
Customers often ask me, what are the best offers to use in email marketing programs, or any lead generation program for that matter.  The answer, of course, is dependent on a list of factors- among them: What is the nature of your business? What are you trying to achieve with your email? [...]

It’s possible if you manufacture or sell products for children under 12 years old.  The phrase “National Bankruptcy Day” was coined by toy manufacturer Rick Woldenberg, President/CEO of Learning Resources, in reference to the new CPSIA legislation that passed on October 18, 2008.  The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) is a direct response to [...]

I have found that inventing, starting a business up, and other entrepreneurially thingies follow the same emotional pattern as your first roller coaster ride.
Step 1: I’m so excited I could just pee.
This is when you size up the ride. You’re caught in the moment considering the immense possibilities of your idea. The dizzying heights and speed you’ll [...]

Hi gang,
For those of you who have entered the Home Based 100 contest right here on StartupNation, best of luck!
Mr. John Lawson,  aka ColderIce,  is burning it up right now!  He’s a big time eBay seller and a social marketing expert (he’ll Twitter you to death!)
Best of luck,  John!
Here’s his entry:
http://www.startupnation.com/homebased100/contestant/751/index.php
Â
-Kevin
http://buybackmadness.com

Have you got those calls yet? You know, the calls or the in-the-grocery-store chats from your old co-workers, or ex-bosses who are looking at their jobs and thinking maybe the security of a full-time job wasn’t such a secure thing after all?
And they heard you started your own business and are doing quite well, thank you [...]

Ever watch Airplane? Or did I just reveal my status as dinosaur. (If I didn’t, my kids will be the first to tell you how ancient I am sooner or later anyway.)
But I digress… as usual.
In the movie, when the passengers were asked to assume “crash position,” they immediately started to scream, wave their hands [...]

Hi gang,
eBay’s had a tough week.
Not that it hasn’t been a tough week in general.  Lehman’s gone.  AIG is getting bailed out (I bet that makes Lehman happy - if they would have waited 3 days, maybe they could have received part of the $600 billion the gov is forking over to save the economy).   [...]

Hi gang,
Ok, that was funny right there - I don’t care who you are!
(sorry Larry the Cable Guy)
This past week has been an unbelievable one for fans of particle physics, black holes, the big bang, quantum physics, and eBay’s Best Match system.
You may have heard a faint rumbling recently, or possibly your coffee cup disappeared.  [...]

Hi gang,
“Ohhhhhh,  the sun’s not so hot in the sky today.”
“And I can feel summertime slipping on away, yes I can.”
-September Grass,  James Taylor
Believe it or not,  the title of this post and my man James’ quote are actually related.  You see,  I hate summer.  For my business, and I suspect for many businesses,  my [...]

Hi gang,
So I’ve had a week to digest all the new changes that eBay rolled out.  Here’s my opinion of the main changes:
1.  On eliminating checks and money orders -  this will upset people, and eBay will lose a tiny fraction of buyers, but as a seller, I am happy about it.  They are a [...]