S.O.H.O. IDEAS BLOG

Post American World

2012-02-27T11:34:00.001-08:00

As a business leader you might have wondered where business is headed seeing the problems in Europe over debt and the constant rise in economic power in India and China. A recent book helps clarify the changing business landscape called .. Post American World by Fareed Zakaria. This is not about any efforts to drive America into the ditch but more about where we fit in as the rest of the world

Happy Business Year 2012!

2012-01-06T13:50:00.000-08:00

New year and time to continue business solutions that are working for you and to explore some new ones. Social networking and business are melting together and this is good news for small business owners. Reaching a customer base that was unheard of only a few years ago is becoming a natural with social networking sites and tools. The concept of crowd funding is a new shift in how small

Rules of Business Success

2011-11-18T14:21:00.000-08:00

I would consider these success suggestions and not rules. Everyone has their idea of how of run their business. But as a review of the basics give these ideas some thought ... and thank SBE Council and Brian Tracy for these great rules for success. Find a Need and Fill It Human needs and wants are unlimited. Therefore, the opportunities for entrepreneurship and financial success are

THINK with Mind Map Software

2011-10-03T21:14:00.000-07:00

If you have a business or a job that requires critical thinking or planning or creating, you know how difficult it can be to keep all the thoughts organized and lead to something useful. There seems to be two popular mind mapping choices ... Mindomo and Mindmeister. Different interfaces so the choice for you is based on user friendliness and features. Both have free and paid for versions.

QR Code Yourself and Your Business

2011-09-25T11:57:00.000-07:00

The QR code "Quick Response Code" is a smartphone readable barcode. You can encode website addresses, product specials, VCARD info, map directions, special events, phone numbers, messages, and the list goes on and on. The use of QR codes has been used in Japan forever and now it is gaining use here in the USA. You will find these codes on magazines, newspapers, product packaging, business

America For Hire

2011-09-11T15:59:00.000-07:00

From the soup lines of the 1930's to the job lines of the 21st century, have we really learned anything about running an economy in a capitalist free democracy. Greed drives the rich to get richer and it drives the consumers to keep buying beyond their income. As long as the government can and will keep printing more money the national debt limit is really a moot issue. So we should hang up a

Transforming Events Happen

2011-08-26T09:34:00.000-07:00

There is one thing about business cycles you can count on. The day to day routine will go through periods of chaos and transforming events if the business is to grow and survive. The challenge is to manage these periods of change and not rein in the energy they can bring to your business. If your business is due for a change make it a positive one and expect the unexpected to happen.

Random Acts of Business Saavy

2011-08-21T10:24:00.000-07:00

You ever wonder why some businesses attract customer (new and old) and others don't attract enough customers to stay in business. You have heard the term "nimble" used to describe a certain business trait that comes down to nothing more than random acts of business saavy as the customer needs and interests change. This can require some risk taking and be a creative challenge at the same time.

Tax Guide for Small Business Owners

2011-08-21T10:18:00.000-07:00

Download the guide for free. Surviving sales tax compliance can be complex.

Mid-2011 Slump

2011-06-30T15:09:00.000-07:00

Is there a recovery in motion or just more delay? QE1 was the big easing effort to kick start the economy but it did nothing. QE2 a second attempt by the Feds to bring confidence into the market place and get things moving but it did nothing. There will not be a QE3 because after all the old adage is three strikes and your out. The Feds can not expect to prop up the economy with the global

Find New Employees with Social Media

2011-06-05T11:45:00.000-07:00

Finding new employees can be difficult especially without all the help of a full blown human resource department. Small business owners need to be their own head hunters and today social media is there to help. So would you or better yet are you using social media as a recruiting method for your business?

Anxious To Get Google's New Mobile Payment System? -- InformationWeek

2011-05-31T22:01:00.000-07:00

Anxious To Get Google's New Mobile Payment System? -- InformationWeek Google wants to move ever more deeper into your life. Here is a way to remove the use of credit cards so don't be surprised if you have a customer at the register with the Google app looking to pay for their purchases. Smartphones are a growing part of our lives and remember not every offered application is a smart idea. Be

Do Customers LIKE you?

2011-05-12T11:55:00.000-07:00

Not until FaceBook offered visitors the ability to vote whether they LIKE a posting or business ad did the issue of whether customers like you or not probably never entered your thinking. Customer satisfaction surveys have been around for many years and it was satisfaction that mattered. But LIKE sounds more social based and it is. The world of attracting customers now includes online shopping

Still Using Security Tokens? No Need Anymore!

2011-04-15T15:17:00.000-07:00

If you and your employees are issued security tokens to login to your company network from outside the company, you know the process can be a drill. You have to carry the token when you travel and of course there is a cost if you lose it. But something you always carry with you is your cell phone and that is where Phone Factor comes in. Phone Factor is a security solution that uses a phone

Running your business without employees?

2011-03-30T09:19:00.000-07:00

The title of this post is not intended to be funny. Many businesses in the past few years have either laid off employees or stopped hiring or both. The recent employment numbers are showing that businesses are hiring again although cautiously. It makes me wonder if business owners realized they can not run or grow a business without employees. If a business needs 10 people to run all its

Business Slow or On the GO!?

2011-03-10T17:44:00.000-08:00

So the national business recovery is underway and the question is do you see it in your business. Is business still slow or are sales picking up? Usually this time of year has an uptick due to tax refunds, but these are not normal times. Depending on your business products or service customers might love it or leave it. If business is too darn slow you need to speed things up. Employees

MARCH in like a lion or a lamb for your business?

2011-03-01T20:46:00.000-08:00

March is here and so nears the end of the first quarter of 2011. This is a telltale month for how well your business is doing so far given the major holidays are over and the economy is undecided with so much turmoil in the world affairs. World governments are changing and our own government is running on empty. Business based on customers driving to your locations could see some decline if

Right People for the Right Job

2011-02-14T14:25:00.000-08:00

Here is a excerpt of an article about being a small business owner and making tough people choices. Thanks to SBE Council and nytimes.com for this great piece on The Art of Running a Business. How many times have you heard the head of a company say it’s successful because of its great people? You hear it in speeches and you read it in interviews, books, and other company propaganda. And it

Dot Com becomes 25 Years Old

2011-02-02T14:32:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Register.Com for the following article. And Happy Birthday to the Dot Com Internet. Happy Birthday .Com – 25 Years Old! Summary: .com, the most popular internet domain, is 25 years old. Symbolics.com was the first .com registered on March 15, 1985 for the “world wide web.” Today there are over 80 million .Com websites and the domain is a prominent feature of the internet.

State of Union and Each of Us

2011-01-26T11:28:00.000-08:00

After the 2011 State of Union address you have to ask yourself, "can America win the future?". The amount of work and change needed in this country to make America the best place to do business seems daunting when you consider the global marketplace is changing daily. The State of Union address sounded all pro-business but lacking the details on how to get there. The President seems to act

Call for Your Business Essentials in 2011

2011-01-19T13:56:00.000-08:00

We are doing a open request for your input on the topic of Business Essentials in 2011. What do you see as the essentials for running your business this year should include a few basics like ... type of business - product sales, food service, telephone support, etc. business location - online, on the street, or both number of employees Add your input as comments to this post and watch it grow.

Is Happiness a Warm Gun?

2011-01-11T15:35:00.000-08:00

A strange topic for this business blog but the recent shooting in Arizona has rattled anyone that thinks they are safe on the streets of America today. Every night the local and national news becomes a police blotter on acts of violence. If you are running a small business with customer traffic you might want to consider installing video surveillance cameras to let would be criminals know

The Santa Business

2010-12-21T13:30:00.000-08:00

thanks to SBE Council for this article. SANTA NEEDS CERTAINTY TOO! The North Pole -- In the latest video co-sponsored by Public Notice and Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council (SBE Council), Santa turns the tables and makes his own wish list...for Washington. "We make very, very good toys...we're the best. And it's because we know our customers extremely well," says Santa. Of course,

Technology Gone Bad in 2010

2010-12-03T09:36:00.000-08:00

eWeek has provided a top 10 worst technologies for 2010 to show you that even the big guys can get it wrong when it comes to attracting the customers. Competition is the turbo fuel for growing any business and the stakes are high when it comes to keeping the doors open. Hope your business is surviving and will be thriving during the holiday buying spree!

The Story of Business

2010-12-01T11:53:00.000-08:00

Here is a four-part video series designed to highlight the uncertainty that Washington continues to fuel for small business owners and entrepreneurs.