Kicking off the new year the right way, U.S. small businesses added 20,000 new jobs in January, equating to a 0.11 percent increase from December, according to Intuit’s Small Business Employment and Revenue Indexes. Construction, a strong indicator of the health of U.S. small businesses, was the…
Whether you handle sales yourself or have a sales team in place, prospects will only buy your product if they trust you. As Allan Himmelstein, president of Sales Coach AZ, notes: “I think most sales are lost because the rapport and trust were not well-established, not because of price or other excuses…
A small-business credit card can be a valuable tool, but it can also be a source of financial pain (or even ruin) if used irresponsibly. Rosemarie Clancy is editor-in-chief of Credit-Land.com, a website that specializes in helping people find the best credit cards for their specific needs. The Intuit…
Research shows that giving back to your community is good for business. Some 85 percent of U.S. consumers have a more positive image of a company when they know it contributes to a cause that they, too, care about. In a recent post, we looked at how entrepreneurs can be more charitable. Here are five…
The federal government recently revised its rules for doing business with independent contractors, making it easier for small companies to compete with corporate giants and win bids. While it still isn’t a walk in the park to nab one of these contracts, it should now be a little easier. According…
Price matching at retail isn’t what it used to be. Gone are the days when consumers scoured newspaper ads for the latest deals. Today, shoppers are comparing prices on their smartphones while browsing stores — and may even bring their devices directly to the customer-service desk to negotiate a…
Is It Actually Important to Have a Business Plan? (via Intuit Small Business Blog)
Everyone’s heard the story of the overnight success, a business that made it without so much as a second thought, much less a business plan. Those extreame rarities aside, taking the time to actually plan your new business in advance can provide a range of significant advantages. Here are the key…
