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Major corporations remain prominent in our popular imagination. But think of our local landscapes. Because 99% of companies in the US fit the description of small businesses. Typically you can define small businesses as employing fewer than 500 people. In other words, small businesses make up the heart of our economy. And yet they don’t…

More than 647,000 restaurants currently operate in the U.S. But the number of independent restaurants actually fell in recent years. Many factors can lead to restaurant failure. But overall, proper planning helps you avoid many of them. A formal restaurant business plan identifies potential challenges and opportunities so you can keep your restaurant afloat for…

Sponsored Post Small business owners tend to operate with fairly slim margins. Especially when you’re just starting out, you probably don’t have a lot to work with when it comes to time, money or other resources. That means you need to make the most of the tools you do have access to and use them…

New York is set to ban single use plastic bags in March of 2020. It’s a big move designed to cut down on waste. But there’s another way to do your part. A new trend has retail stores charging for single use plastic bags. Small Business Trends contacted some experts to find the pros and…

Accepting online payments and multiple forms of payment is the norm for most small businesses today. The few business that don’t accept multiple forms of payment are no doubt missing out on additional sales and revenue. We already know that people want to pay for goods and services that offer convenience and value, but it’s also convenient…

The news of the Capital One data breach comes just as Equifax paid a $700 million fine for its 2017 incident. And this undoubtedly will have consumers and businesses more on edge about the security of their financial data. Capital One Data Breach Even though the perpetrator of this crime was arrested, it wasn’t due…

In the past, a small business owner might not consider using a Non-Disclosure Agreement (also called a confidentiality agreement or an NDA). But times have changed, and today having an NDA in your toolbox is a must. With freelancers now regularly taking part in projects with small businesses, you have to use an NDA. And…

Sponsored Post Although my desk at the Salesforce Tower might seem far removed from the kitchen table where I worked as an entrepreneur, small businesses continue to be the heart and soul of everything I do. Prior to working at Salesforce, I co-founded a small children’s lunchbox company with my wife — and we were…

The pet industry is surging. But there are still some markets where it’s hard to find quality dog walking, pet sitting and grooming services. The founders of Woofie’s experienced that gap in the marketplace with their own pets. So they decided to do something about it. Read all about their story in this week’s Small…

Good online reputation is a critical success factor for your business because your online reputation influences your customers’ minds. A whopping 90% of online shoppers have chosen not to buy from a company because of its bad reputation, according to research conducted by Trustpilot. Small business owners often struggle to build a large customer base…

Looking for the perfect marketing proposal for your marketing agency? Maybe you’re starting a chatbot agency or offering Messenger chatbots as part of your shiny new services to clients. And you need a marketing proposal template. Sorry, we don’t have it. Because here’s the thing. The only perfect marketing proposal is the one that works for your specific agency in your…

When you run a business, your risk exposure increases. If you are self-employed, the outcome of these risks can have serious repercussions. Insurance for Self-Employed Folks A survey from Qdos reveals more than half or 53% of those who are self-employed don’t think they need insurance. Even though there is a difference between thinking you…

A new report from Reflective reveals unfair performance reviews is prompting 85% of employees to consider quitting. This is because the way we now work is completely different from the time performance reviews were created. As Liz Ryan, a Fortune 500 HR SVP, writes on Forbes, “Performance reviews are artifacts left over from the Industrial…

There is a perception gap about how vulnerable small businesses are when it comes cyberattacks. The cybersecurity statistics from the 2019 SMB Cyberthreat Study from Keeper Security leaves no doubt of this fact. In the report, 66% of decision-makers say they are not very or at all likely to experience a cyberattack. That is good…

Your business’s logo is perhaps the most important element of your company’s branding. Ideally, your logo should represent what your company stands for and help customers easily recall your business. How to Create a Logo for Your Business So what makes a good logo? There are several important design elements and considerations to make before…

Looking for a reason to build a WordPress Ecommerce site for your small business? How about the fact it runs 34% of the Internet? Or that it powers almost 15% of the top 100 websites worldwide? Small Business Trends talked with William Patton, Theme Review Team lead for wordpress.org – WordPress Developer and some other…

Motivation is essential for running a successful business. Lots of entrepreneurs start out with grand ideas and plenty of fire to work tirelessly toward their goals. But maintaining that motivation is often a different story. How to Stay Motivated If you want your business to last and be sustainable over time, you need to find…

The name that you choose for your business can make a major impact on your brand image. Selecting the perfect name sometimes requires finding a balance between the practical and creative elements. Then once you have the perfect name in mind, you need to make it official and protect your brand. How to Create a…

In his book “Outliers”, Malcolm Gladwell recites the “10,000-Hour Rule” as a requirement for success. He claims the key to achieving world-class expertise in any skill, is a matter of practicing the correct way. And that you need a total of around 10,000 hours. But what if this was not true? And what does that…

How often do you use a messaging app? And which do you rely on most? Like most people, you’re probably familiar with Facebook’s Messenger. This app totaled more than 126 million users in 2018. That’s in the United States alone. But Messenger (and other apps like WhatsApp, Instagram and more) aren’t just used for personal…

UPS (NYSE: UPS) is promising to amp up the control SMBs have over both inbound and outbound deliveries with two-hour estimates. The new UPS My Choice for business service is designed specifically for small businesses. Small Business Trends got in touch with Melanie Alavi, director of Customer Technology Marketing at UPS, to learn more. “UPS…

Listening to what your customers say has always been important, but with today’s technology, it is a must. Because your customers can get in touch with your business on multiple channels at all hours of the day, it is essential to keep track of the conversation and respond accordingly. “Listening to the Voice of the…