What to include in your employee handbook
Think your business is too small for an employee handbook? Worried that your written policies will open you up to lawsuits? Whatever the excuse, the truth is an employee handbook is an essential resource in your business–as an introduction for new employees and as a reference guide for your existing staff. Scratching your head on where to start? Follow this simple checklist to create an effective employee handbook for your small business…more at By the Book – NFIB.com.
Flickr photo credit: Wan Zafran

I spoke at a local Chamber of Commerce here in the Portland area last week, giving a brief presentation on the fundamentals of SEO. Unlike a previous event I’d attended just three months ago in eastern Washington, about 75% of this audience had actually heard the term “SEO” before.
But after my brief synopsis on local search, I still received a couple of questions from the audience related to “claiming your listing” and what that was all about. It seems that even in incredibly savvy small business markets like the …

It is easy to fall into the habit of believing that everyone is a potential client. Some business owners will even say that they want to obtain ALL of the business out there … that everyone is a prospective client. This is a dangerous mindset.
Business growth isn’t about selling to everyone; it is about selling to every right one – that is, everyone who is a “qualified” prospect.
When you try to sell to everyone your efforts are too broad. You aren’t focused and you soon are faced with failures, because you are wasting time …

What do the best franchise owners know about online marketing that you need to know, too?
With the new year comes new challenges. As business owners and operators, consumers, and citizens, we know that the climate has changed radically in the last year. However, as I indicated recently in my column–there’s no need to panic. I talked then about cultivating stronger customer relationships, and provided tips on how to do so. My advice applied to anyone working to establish and build a successful entrepreneurial venture, whether it be an independent restaurant, a consulting …

A Respected Brand Can Get You Through Tough Times
When friends, coworkers and even family members find out that I went to Washington, D.C. for the Inauguration of President Barack H. Obama, they ask, What was it like? In their usually hushed voices, you hear one part awe, one part envy and two parts reverence. Even one of my husband’s friends, who mostly just nods when he sees me, asked to speak with me – during their sacred weekly call about football – when he heard that I was on …

We enlisted e-commerce experts to help a bricks-and-mortar retailer make the transition online.
Dear CNNMoney.com: I have owned and operated a retail storefront for the past three years. I recently launched an online e-commerce Web site. I have paid an SEO guy each month and have aggressively marketed the site, but I’m only getting one sale a month. I am losing faith in all of the work, time and effort that has been put in. Do you have any suggestions on how to jumpstart the e-commerce portion of my business?
- Joanne …

Consumer confidence is at an historic low and the financial news seems to get worse by the day. With a new Administration in Washington, there’s a lot of uncertainty about exactly how and when promised changes will take place.
But even if your business is struggling, you can take steps to turn it around and be poised to grow this year, says Paul Rauseo, managing director at the George S. May International, a Chicago consulting firm. Practical tips from Rauseo and other small business experts follow….more atTurning Around a Struggling Business …

When it comes to advertisements in online videos, Web surfers don’t know what to expect. Watch an episode of The Office on Hulu, and you’ll get a couple of 15-second ads from sponsors like Target. View a National Geographic Channel clip about emperor penguins on YouTube, and you might see clickable ads for an Arctic cruise company across the lower portion of the video. Other sites opt for a lowly display ad off to one side of the screen.
Whatever form they take, online video ads are confusing for consumers. Can …

I started to tear up at lunch today while talking to Lizie, a young woman who works with me. She’s from Mexico, and about a year ago she didn’t know a CPM from a CPA. But I hired her because she was bright, driven and eager to learn. She’s so driven that this past holiday season, while home in Guadalajara, she took time out of her personal schedule to visit some local advertising agencies. She came back with stories of how she’d ended up teaching an impromptu class on online …

Want to know the #1 reason your customers don’t recommend you to their friends? It isn’t because they don’t like your product, or because they don’t care or are too busy. The real reason is either because you don’t ask them to, or you don’t make it easy for them to do it. If you ask them in the right way, however, the word of mouth referrals and additional business you can get from the experience will easily be more powerful that just about any other advertising or marketing you …