Tribute to Steve Jobs
Last Wednesday, one of history’s most legendary and iconic businessmen and visionaries died, leaving behind a world rocked by his sudden, palpable absence and stung by his loss. Of course, we are talking about the late Steve Jobs, co-founder and former CEO of Apple Computer Co., under whose leadership and imaginative vision Apple was born, and revived again from the brink of mediocrity when the company summoned him back after a time he spent starting his own company, Next, in the mid 1980s. He’d been fired by Apple’s then CEO, who’d been appointed by the board to...
Read MoreLock Down Your Business Gmail
A lot of businesses, universities, and governmental agencies have switched their email to Google’s Gmail service, along with many other services from Google all lumped together under the title of Google Apps for Business. Included along with Gmail are Docs, Sites, and shared online Calendars. This has been a growing trend for the past three years, but in recent weeks there has been much discussion on the Web about Gmail security. Google takes security very seriously, and alerts users to any suspicious activity. When attempts to contact users via the specified way prove...
Read MoreLeveraging Social Media
Business owners all over the world have a vested interest in figuring out how to map the fertile landscape of social media to further their marketing interests. Social networking is good for business. It can be helpful not only for spreading the word about great products and services, but also for increasing brand awareness and building a more loyal customer base. The trick is in finding out how to use it efficiently and to make the most of the social networks you have in place before you start creating them from scratch. The big players in social networking, Twitter and Facebook, are...
Read MoreWhy Should They “Like” Your Business?
Social media sites, such as Facebook, are an excellent opportunity to get your name out to millions of people on a daily basis for very little expense. This is especially true for small businesses that are now able to compete with the big names online. The internet has leveled the playing field to the point where someone running a business at home has the same opportunities as the company that is spending thousands on their web presence, and in some cases, the advantage goes to the small company. A page online that shows you are a real person, someone they can relate to, will go further than...
Read MoreBusiness plans
I’ve never had a business plan. But some stuff I’ve been reading lately has made me think I need one. According to the Small Business Administration (SBA), more than half of new small businesses fail within the first five years; that’s a lot! The SBA says a small business can fail for a lot of reasons. A retail store owner can lose touch with what his customers want. Or he may be in a bad location, or have the wrong merchandise for the customers in his area. A lack of financing may be another problem. I’ve also learned that fewer than half of new businesses that are looking for...
Read MoreBusiness Thoughts
