As a small business owner, one of the things you have to do is make sure that your employees are properly trained to perform the essential functions of the jobs that you hire them to perform. That means that part of your job involves employee training. While you might send your employees out to take [...]

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How does your company’s communication style stack up when it comes to customer service communication? Chances are that you and your employees think you provide great customer service. The real test of effective customer service, however, lies not with what you and your team members think. It’s what your customers think that tells the tale [...]

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Are you thinking about hiring an assistant? Whether you’re planning to hire a virtual assistant (VA) or you’re looking for someone to work directly with you in your office, it’s important that you hire the right person. Before you start recruiting applicants, it’s important to spend some time thinking about what qualities you need to [...]

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You’ve heard all the hype about pay per click advertising, and you’re wondering if this type of online marketing is really all it’s cracked up to be. As a small business owner, if you are partially or fully depending on increased website traffic to grow your business, you owe it to yourself to investigate whether [...]

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Are you starting to wonder if it’s time to step up to a more current version of software, or to a newer operating system? This is a decision that many small business owners face on an ongoing basis. If you’re trying to decide whether or not an upgrade is right for you, it’s important for [...]

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One of the things that every small business owner has to do is develop the ability to recognize his or her limitations. When you’re running a small business, particularly if you’re accustomed to working alone or with your business partner(s), it’s sometimes hard to recognize when it’s time to get someone to help with the [...]

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If you write a lot of letters, do a lot of mailing for your business, or have ever had a wedding, you know sending out mail can be quite expensive over time. It might not seem like a lot for someone who just pays their bills each month and doesn’t do much after that, but [...]

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Do you do a good job of staying in touch with your existing customers? Many small business owners are so focused on attracting new customers and managing day to day business operations that they forget the importance of maintaining top of mind awareness among their current and past customer base. If you don’t pay attention [...]

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Brett Wilder, Certified Financial Planner™ and author of The Quiet Millionaire shares his expertise with American Small Business News readers who are thinking about using the funds in their retirement savings accounts to start or purchase a business.
 
If you’re thinking about tapping into the hard earned funds in your 401(k) or other retirement account, [...]

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Too often, entrepreneurs aren’t convinced that business insurance is a justified expense in the early days of operating a business. There’s some types of insurance that we can probably go without unless it’s provided by an employer, like vision insurance or dental insurance, but there are some types of insurance that are critical. Unfortunately, many small [...]

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