Small Business Matters

Finding the business idea that’s right for you

This guest post is by ReeRee Rockette, who owns Rockalily Lipstick as well as a creative business group called Wonderful Women: Minding Our Own Business.

I meet many people who dream of being self-employed but just aren't sure where to start. They don't feel they have a stand-out talent or skill, and just don't know what they could become. I definitely know the feeling - I had no clue what I would be if I wasn't a teacher and when I quit, I still wasn't exactly sure!

What follows are some of the strategies I used to discover my new career:

Size doesn’t matter in the global marketplace

This post is written by Linda Kozlowski, Director of Global Marketing and Customer Experience for Alibaba.com. 

With many businesses feeling the impact of the current economic uncertainty, it’s no surprise that the outlook for 2012 is less than rosy. Without a positive change in economic conditions, many small and medium businesses, particularly those that operate with small teams and limited resources, could cease trading altogether. More than ever, reducing operating costs and driving revenues are essential to survival. It will be the savvy businesses who are willing to adapt their approach that will come out on top.  

Five practical suggestions to make social media work better for your small business

If you’re a small business that’s started dabbling in social media, you might feel that you’re posting into the void and perhaps you’re struggling to see the point of it all.Try these five practical suggestions to reinvigorate your approach and give you some focus.

7 in 10 small business owners opt for ‘work-cations’. Are you one of them?

72% of small business owners who go away on holiday are unable to leave work behind when taking time off, an online survey for Intuit, makers of QuickBooks financial management software for small businesses, has found. 

Despite being on holiday, nearly three-quarters (72%) of small business owners work when they are away, whilst one in seven (14%) indicated that they spend as much time or more time working than relaxing. 

This could be down to small businesses worrying about leaving their business behind. Over a third (35%) of small business owners worry about leaving their business behind when on holiday and 22% feel more stressed during their first day back at work than before they left for their breaks.

Intuit supports #HighStHeroes campaign

Intuit has made a donation of £10,000 to Retail Trust’s #highstheroes fundraising campaign to help small businesses and their families affected by the riots in London and other parts of the UK.

The emergency fund was set up after a request from the public to Retail Trust who wanted to help retail staff and their families whose lives are now in turmoil.  #highstheroes has attracted support from members of the public, who are donating online and by text, with many organising events, comedy nights, auctions, parties, concerts and raffles, as well as running marathons and selling t-shirts in aid of Retail Trust’s #highstheroes fund.

Anyone in the retail industry who has been affected directly or indirectly by the riots is encouraged to apply for a grant using the application form available at www.retailtrust.org.uk/helpline 

Anyone wishing to donate to the fund can donate any amount online at www.retailtrust.org.uk/donate or by texting HSTH11 £5 to 70070 now.

Find out more about our support and the #highstheroes campaign on the Retail Trust website.

 

Retailers: Are you on top of your finances?

How do you track stock, track cashflow, track customers and track suppliers? Does your current method allow you to do all four in one place? 

Other retailers find it helpful to have this consolidated information to hand on a daily basis.

Dominic Harman, owner of the wine shop Corks of Cotham, uses QuickBooks to help him run his business. He said: “You can look at peak levels and how you trade very quickly and easily.”

Check out this video of Dominic to hear the rest of his story.

Retailers, what features, tools or reports would help you relieve your accounting worries? 

Keep your business website safe from online hackers

Breaking news: Major global corporation’s website infiltrated by unknown hackers…

It seems to be an increasingly frequent headline, with Fox News and Sony being some of the most high-profile victims recently.

It’s not just the big boys that need to watch out, though - a recent US report from the Ponemon Research Institute and Juniper Networks found that 90% of the 583 companies surveyed had suffered a network security breach at the hands of hackers at least once in the past year.

All businesses should be aware of online security threats and take action to combat them.