tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52960710602410708482009-10-17T13:26:33.578-04:00A blog site designed to assist students who are in collegiate level small business classes and would like to learn about starting a small business.Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03258625725375183708aevans@mc3.eduBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296071060241070848.post-27518018897076988442007-10-18T10:06:00.000-04:002007-10-19T16:09:30.616-04:002007-10-19T16:09:30.616-04:00

Developing a marketing plan for a business is much easier when you have access to quality market research data. But not all start up businesses can afford to have primary market research done specifically for them. The US Census Bureau has plenty of information available (paid for by the US taxpayers) but it can be tedious to dig through their web site and ferret out exactly what you

Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03258625725375183708aevans@mc3.edu0http://smallbizrocks.blogspot.com/2007/10/zip-code-demographics-based-on-us.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296071060241070848.post-21552049834087622482007-10-15T01:02:00.000-04:002007-10-16T01:24:18.034-04:002007-10-16T01:24:18.034-04:00

You probably have lots of potentially useful possessions cluttering up your garage, basement or attic. You know one day you'll probably get up the energy to haul all of it out to the curb to be picked up by the trash haulers. But what if you could give away some of that stuff and enable yourself to get free things that you actually need in return?Freecycle operates on the basic principle that "

Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03258625725375183708aevans@mc3.edu0http://smallbizrocks.blogspot.com/2007/10/find-equipment-for-your-home-office.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296071060241070848.post-47907491465709567222007-10-15T00:51:00.000-04:002007-10-15T01:00:57.798-04:002007-10-15T01:00:57.798-04:00

Prices can vary widely from store to store or from web site to web site. Driving around searching for the best bargains when outfitting a small business is a huge waste of time and gasoline. Fortunately, web sites such as Shopping.com and Shopzilla are set up to do comparison shopping for us.On Shopping.com, just key in the information about the product you are looking to buy (such as the

Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03258625725375183708aevans@mc3.edu0http://smallbizrocks.blogspot.com/2007/10/save-money-on-equipment-comparison-shop.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296071060241070848.post-65274863741853858512007-10-06T15:22:00.000-04:002007-10-07T16:48:17.408-04:002007-10-07T16:48:17.408-04:00

Entrepreneur magazine published a short franchising opportunity article listing the hottest trends for 2007. The top seven categories are:Senior Care Services - The aging population in the United States makes this category an obvious target for up and coming businesses.Personal Care Services - The aging baby boomers want to look young and there are numerous franchises that are ready to cater to

Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03258625725375183708aevans@mc3.edu0http://smallbizrocks.blogspot.com/2007/10/hot-franchising-opportunities-for-2007.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296071060241070848.post-39561588306217264802007-10-01T17:18:00.000-04:002007-10-02T12:29:11.971-04:002007-10-02T12:29:11.971-04:00

Market research is invaluable in starting a small business. But when you can't find published sources of the research you need, you will probably have to engage a market research firm to conduct primary research. When interviewing market research companies, it is a good idea to ask the following questions:1) Have you worked with businesses like mine before? Market research firms have many

Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03258625725375183708aevans@mc3.edu0http://smallbizrocks.blogspot.com/2007/10/reliable-market-research-ask-right.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296071060241070848.post-36617869292345412432007-10-01T11:39:00.000-04:002007-10-06T15:13:23.579-04:002007-10-06T15:13:23.579-04:00

Many small business courses require students to complete a business plan as a portion of their grade. Many students struggle with how to begin their plan and the components that it should include.You can obtain free business plan templates from bplans.com. There are hundreds of free plans for restaurants, retail stores, beauty salons and almost anything else you can dream up (even aircraft rental

Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03258625725375183708aevans@mc3.edu0http://smallbizrocks.blogspot.com/2007/10/free-business-plan-templates.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296071060241070848.post-6360054025519364412007-09-25T00:32:00.000-04:002007-10-02T12:29:38.373-04:002007-10-02T12:29:38.373-04:00

Evaluating a franchise opportunity is a tricky business. Roger C. Rule, writing for Inc. Magazine provides this list of the top ten mistakes that people make when exploring franchise offerings:1. Not reading, understanding or asking questions about the disclosure document.2. Not understanding or having an inaccurate or incomplete interpretation of the franchise agreement and other legal documents

Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03258625725375183708aevans@mc3.edu0http://smallbizrocks.blogspot.com/2007/09/top-ten-mistakes-of-prospective.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296071060241070848.post-34011829950145687382007-09-19T15:41:00.001-04:002007-10-02T12:30:05.539-04:002007-10-02T12:30:05.539-04:00

The standard templates provided on Blogger.com save a tremendous amount of time and energy and give users a fast start on a professional looking blog. But most of the standard templates on Blogger are two columns and potentially waste valuable screen real estate that could be used to offer features to your reader or display additional advertising.Editing a Blogger template merely requires that

Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03258625725375183708aevans@mc3.edu0http://smallbizrocks.blogspot.com/2007/09/pimp-your-blog-editing-blogger.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296071060241070848.post-68061523369967015252007-09-19T15:18:00.001-04:002008-03-14T12:10:07.081-04:002008-03-14T12:10:07.081-04:00

A key step in risk management that assesses a firm's strengths, weaknesses, market opportunities, and threats is a SWOT analysis. Although this is a relatively simple process, many problems can be anticipated and avoided by identifying them up front. A SWOT analysis is usually a key component to a small business plan. A SWOT analysis is normally represented visually in a four box grid as shown

Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03258625725375183708aevans@mc3.edu1http://smallbizrocks.blogspot.com/2007/09/performing-swot-analysis-for-small.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296071060241070848.post-35095007886203518002007-09-15T22:18:00.000-04:002007-10-02T12:30:51.543-04:002007-10-02T12:30:51.543-04:00

Most people know that a web presence will help attract customers to your business. But entrepreneurs are busy people and often short on capital, especially when the business is in start-up mode. Trying to figure out how to pay your employees next week and serve the customers in your store is going to take precedence over trying to be your own webmaster. Blogs can help in the following ways:1)

Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03258625725375183708aevans@mc3.edu0http://smallbizrocks.blogspot.com/2007/09/how-does-blog-help-small-business.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296071060241070848.post-85099316397574756362007-09-14T01:06:00.000-04:002007-10-02T12:34:51.481-04:002007-10-02T12:34:51.481-04:00

Want to start a business but you are low on cash? Entrepreur lists the top low-cost franchises for 2007. Many of these cost less than $50,000 and some are even as low as $2,000! As always, you need to do your homework which should include interviewing other owners of the same franchise to satisfy yourself that any claims and estimates the franchisor is making are reasonable. Click here for a

Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03258625725375183708aevans@mc3.edu0http://smallbizrocks.blogspot.com/2007/09/small-budget-try-these-low-cost.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296071060241070848.post-63020082370159047422007-09-12T01:09:00.000-04:002007-10-02T12:31:45.723-04:002007-10-02T12:31:45.723-04:00

Generating original, useful posts is the best way to attract readers to your blog and keep them coming back. Sure, the ocassional post that summarizes someone else's thoughts and directs your readers to their site is fine. But people expect new information (or the information they are seeking) when surfing the web so it is up to you to provide new, original posts on a regular basis.To paraphrase

Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03258625725375183708aevans@mc3.edu0http://smallbizrocks.blogspot.com/2007/09/dare-to-be-different-original-posts.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296071060241070848.post-64610223988911702422007-09-04T17:54:00.001-04:002007-10-02T12:32:46.301-04:002007-10-02T12:32:46.301-04:00

All your hard work on starting a business, business plans, marketing, etc. will be wasted effort if your hard drive crashes (breaks down). So don't forget to back up important documents (like homework and research papers) to another form of media such as CDs, DVDs, flash drives or external hard drives."My microchip ate my homework" isn't the effective excuse that "My dog ate my homework" used to

Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03258625725375183708aevans@mc3.edu0http://smallbizrocks.blogspot.com/2007/09/dont-forget-to-back-up-your-work.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296071060241070848.post-25286385306690462882007-09-04T09:53:00.000-04:002007-10-02T12:33:18.779-04:002007-10-02T12:33:18.779-04:00

Can you start a business for zero dollars? Sure you can since Al Gore invented the Internet!It is easy to set up a blog site and have it hosted for free at sites such as Blogger and Wordpress. Writing a blog only requires some creativity and sweat equity.What should your blog be about? Any topic in which you are knowledgeable that you think will be compelling enough to draw others to your site.

Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03258625725375183708aevans@mc3.edu0http://smallbizrocks.blogspot.com/2007/09/starting-business-nothing-is-cheaper.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296071060241070848.post-19004299828894659682007-09-04T01:32:00.000-04:002007-10-02T12:33:56.269-04:002007-10-02T12:33:56.269-04:00

The US government doesn't waste all of our tax dollars. In fact, the Small Business Administration web site is a great place to find every kind of information related to starting a business. So be sure to check here first and then expand your search to other resources.Related Posts:Free Business Plan Templates

Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03258625725375183708aevans@mc3.edu0http://smallbizrocks.blogspot.com/2007/09/your-tax-dollars-at-work-best-online.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296071060241070848.post-80769196479010608132007-09-04T00:28:00.000-04:002007-10-02T12:34:28.103-04:002007-10-02T12:34:28.103-04:00

Waiting until the last minute (i.e. - the first day of class) to purchase your text books is never a good idea. Planning ahead can save you money on your book. Check online sources such as Amazon.com and Half.com for deals on used books. Small Business Management: An Entrepreneurial Emphasisis less than $70 used on Amazon.com as opposed to the list price of $153!Your book store might also carry

Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03258625725375183708aevans@mc3.edu0http://smallbizrocks.blogspot.com/2007/09/saving-money-on-small-biz-text-books.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296071060241070848.post-44038540689837649722007-09-04T00:22:00.000-04:002007-09-04T00:26:45.855-04:002007-09-04T00:26:45.855-04:00

Small Biz Rocks is a resource blog to assist students taking small business classes in locating online resources and to develop blogs as a profitable small business. Please check back frequently (or subscribe to our feed) as we'll be adding information as quickly as we locate it!

Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03258625725375183708aevans@mc3.edu0http://smallbizrocks.blogspot.com/2007/09/welcome-to-small-biz-rocks.html