small business advice Archives

A North Face By Any Other Name Would Smell As Sweet….

I just came across a great blog post by a fellow attorney, J. Michael Hurst at Keating Muething & Klekamp PLLC. Apparently, 19-year old Jimmy Winkelmann created a company called The South Butt LLC, which...

byJessica Eaves Mathews

January 5, 2010

Small Business Profile: Crossing Gaps

To follow up on a previous post requesting feedback on topics and offering to highlight members of the community, I learned of a company called Crossing Gaps — they help bring creative people (writers, artists,...

byChristine Haskell

June 10, 2009

Help for Small Biz: SBA Backs Interest Free Loans to Ease Cash Crunch

As part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, the Small Business Administration (SBA) has now added a 100% interest free SBA backed loan with no fees attached. With so many businesses (big...

byHeather Schuck

May 31, 2009

Everything I Needed to Know About Business I Learned From Boxing

The love affair started about ten years ago. I was flipping through the channels on late night television and stumbled across one of Felix Trinidad’s early fights. He was an amazing athlete full of unwavering...

byHeather Schuck

May 6, 2009

How to Conquer Your Business Startup Fears with Mind Mapping

Let’s face it. The first step is always the hardest. Whether you’re trying to quit smoking, start graduate school, or learn how to play guitar. It’s that first step that leaves us feeling awkward, inadequate,...

byHeather Schuck

April 9, 2009

Just to lighten things up a bit,

Reprinted from tensionbreaker.com: How the Recession Affects Sesame Street After its expenses come under increased government oversight, the number 4 pulls its sponsorship. Cookie Monster being replaced by his cousin, Ramen Noodle Monster. Elmo's World...

byChristine Haskell

March 31, 2009

How To Always Be On “GARD” For PR Success

If you are on a bootstrap marketing budget and looking for do-it-yourself publicity, you need to be on "GARD" for media opportunities that can catapult your brand to the next level. In this video, I...

byHeather Schuck

March 31, 2009

Top 5 Reasons Why You Should Be On Twitter

Without a doubt, one of the hottest things in social media networking these days is Twitter. The social media and micro-blogging platform was listed as the fastest growing social media application by Neilson’s Media Service...

byHeather Schuck

January 28, 2009

Shhhh!! Can you keep a secret? Protecting your business with an NDA.

What is an NDA? An NDA is a Non-Disclosure Agreement, also known as a Confidentiality Agreement. It is a contract between individuals and/or companies who are considering doing business together and need to share information...

byJessica Eaves Mathews

January 21, 2009

Can Cutting Seconds Cut Costs?

As the old saying goes, "Time is Money." Big retailers such as Gap, Limited Brands, Office Depot, Toys R Us, and the Meijer grocery chain are all jumping on this bandwagon as they try to...

byHeather Schuck

November 24, 2008

When the Going Gets Tough, The Tough Get Networking

This has become my new mantra and quite honestly, I wish I would have seen the light a little earlier. However, as a small business owner swamped with trying to make sales, market the business,...

byHeather Schuck

November 17, 2008

Marketing to Moms – Key Statistics

The Marketing to Moms Coalition just released their Moms Annual Media Survey 2008. The group surveyed 1,033 Moms all with children under 18 living at home via an online questionnaire. Moms currently spend an estimated...

byHeather Schuck

October 27, 2008

Can Trendsetting = Cash in Today’s Marketplace?

Among the constant influx of bad news I came across an article from Forbes singing the praises of emerging designers. While this article talks mainly about fashion designers, I believe it can translate to other...

byHeather Schuck

October 17, 2008

Cool, No-Cost Offers for Small Business Owners

I've been receiving several exclusive offers specifically to help small business owners. And since the economy is tough right now, I thought I'd share these free offers with you, my fellow StartupNation entrepreneurs: - Got...

byMelanie Rembrandt

October 14, 2008

Economy Got You Down? 9 Things to Do NOW

With the non-stop news reports of Wallstreet's record losses, the rising unemployment rate, and the dismal forecasts for holiday spending, it's easy to become paralyzed with fear of the unknown. While there may be several...

byHeather Schuck

October 6, 2008

EDI, UPC, and SSCC –OH MY! (Working with the Big Boys, Part II)

Once you land an account with a large retailer you’ll soon be setting sail into a sea of acronyms and numbers that could make any sane person’s head spin. Fear not! Let me take you...

byHeather Schuck

September 24, 2008

Working with the Big Boys

Landing a large account can be an exhilarating experience for a young company and you can’t help but daydream about the possibility of “overnight success”. Just around the corner... redemption for all those long hours...

byHeather Schuck

September 12, 2008

Lessons Learned from the First Day of Kindergarten

Yesterday was a tough day for many Moms- myself included. The baby boy that inspired the birth of my company, Glamajama, isn't such a baby anymore. He started Kindergarten at a new school with no...

byHeather Schuck

August 26, 2008

Two Helping Hands, Helps Everyone

So I met with Elizabeth Lee of Seattle Organizing Works the other day. Her Biznik description says “I've been "the neat one" my whole life. That's a lot of experience! I spent 20 years reporting...

byChristine Haskell

July 17, 2008