It seems as if a new social media site pops up as often as a new celebrity you’ve never heard of or a weed in your yard that you swore you just pulled up. So which ones have staying power and which ones are right for your particular type of business? We think all three below have potential to boost company awareness if handled correctly.
If social media sites were part of a mafia, Facebook is the Godfather. It was first and it makes the rules. There are more than a million small to mid sized businesses using this medium for advertising. Large companies are estimated to spend up to a hundred million annually advertising through Facebook.
Continuing with the mafia analogy, Twitter is the clever one with a slight attention deficit disorder. One minute something is trending and the next it disappears in the oblivion when something shinier pops up. It’s a tricky deal but if you know how to play the game, it can pay off in big ways.
LinkedIn is the charmer. It’s the site you never would’ve expected to be part of the mafia because it’s so sweet. It introduces you to friends of friends of friends and connects you to people in a professional web networking setting.
Making sure that your business is adequately listed online is one of the most important things you can do after getting up and running. If any of you are like me, the first thing I like to do before visiting a new restaurant or business is to check out their website, just to see the menu or check out a little bit about what services and/or products they offer. If the business isn’t at least listed on common sites such as Yelp, Urbanspoon, YP.com, Google, Bing, Yahoo, etc. it may make customers skeptical of whether or not the business is still in operation. Getting listed may sound like a daunting task, but there are resources out there to help small businesses with their online listings. 
According to Guy Kawasaki, author of “The Art of the Start,” you don’t have a business model if you can’t describe it in ten words or fewer. What’s his point? Investors want to know how your business will make money. I’m sure you already know that in order for your business to survive it needs to bring in enough revenue to cover expenses and to cover overhead costs. The good news is that someone else has already figured out business models that work! So, you don’t have to try to reinvent the wheel with this one, and Guy doesn’t recommend it. Mr. Kawasaki says that the smart approach is to relate to a successful and already understood business model. How do you define your business model? Guy recommends starting with two questions: “Who has your money in their pockets?” and “How are you going to get it into your pocket?” Not sure where to find already accepted business models? Below we’ve listed a few commonly used business models: 
So you’ve done it, you’ve reached that goal that every entrepreneur chases when dreaming up their own big business idea. You have created, opened, and run a successful business. What now? Do you keep it? Maybe if you truly enjoy the work. What if you’re looking for a new challenge or have another idea you think would make a great business? If your business is successful enough, you may want to look into selling it. Selling a business can be technically and emotionally complicated. Since each business is different, it’s likely that different resources will be involved in the sale depending on the industry, size, etc. In an 
Big data is a term that describes the huge amounts of data that are being created every day from people all over the world using technology. According to IBM, 2.5 quintillion bytes of data are generated daily and 90 percent of the total data in existence was created within the last two years. Using data to improve business processes is nothing new. However, using big data is a whole new ball game. In an 
Small businesses owners entering the growth stage are often challenged to develop effective strategies to motivate and encourage innovation among employees. Creating a work environment that allows employees not only to fulfill their required duties, but also to develop strategies that can help a business grow faster through outside-the-box thinking is key to success. How can you develop a culture and atmosphere that encourages and motivates employees? 
The internet is constantly changing the way we do things, everything from communicating with friends to shopping for groceries. Of course, we all know how much the internet is changing the way people do business. While the internet can make doing business easier, there are security issues that small business owners and entrepreneurs should be aware of when operating online. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce released the 
When Jeff Jucha, the self-taught founder, owner and coach of