Networking is one of the most important tools in a small business owner’s arsenal. By connecting with fellow business owners, entrepreneurs are given the chance to learn new things about running a business that they might have never heard before. It also offers the chance to pick up a few new contacts along the way.
Over at Today’s Mompreneur we share our own piece of networking advice: create mom-friendly networking parties. Not only will this offer entrepreneurial moms a chance to get out and meet new people but …

Lets face it, many inventors just starting out have to bootstrap to get their product to the market. Before you can go all of the way, you’ll want to test your product on the people you are hoping will buy it!
My latest article for the American Chronicle covers the topic of choosing a product test group and some ideas to help you get started.
So, you have created a new product and have a limited number of samples to work with. You feel it is innovative and there is no …

By "us" I mean all of the entrepreneurs and small business owners of the world.
Did you know that the first Labor Day was on September 5th in 1882 in New York City? It was in 1884 that President Grover Cleveland turned it into an official holiday.
Now that covers all of the employees in the US and Canada, what about us? I think it is about time we create a holiday for those of us that work hard at creating our own businesses!
Of course Jim Blasingame has his own theory, …

I’ve seen both sides of the spectrum and neither is pretty.
On one hand you have the entrepreneur who wants to do it all.  They run one kind of business, handle a business of a different type on the side, all the while they are also standing on a giant rubber ball trying to balance multiple items at once.  Or was that the Cat in the Hat?  It’s hard to tell the difference between those do it all entrepreneurs and that silly Dr. Seuss character.  It might be the fear of …

According to the coupons I have for our local county fair, the time has come for me to wish I could go for yet another year.  This is fair time, where people from all over will attend their own local county or state fairs.  The same rides, I really like that pirate ship, the same barns filled with people showing or selling stuff, and the perfect opportunity for a little cheap promotion.
Cheap promotion? What the heck am I talking about, right?
I know what I am saying, because it …

What was originally thought of as a mom and pop business with an employee or two is being redefined as the recession rages on.  That same business might simply be mom or pop now.  Also known as the single employee small business, it leaves you — the owner — as that employee.
According to news-press.com, business owners are piling on new titles.  They’re accountants, receptionists, marketing specialists, custodians, and at times they’re the only investor.
Contrary to this news the freelance industry proves otherwise.  As businesses try to save money where they …

Besides the obvious message, there is an added message that many people don’t think about.  Your signature.  The email signature is an important tool for entrepreneurs.  That signature will remind the person you are emailing about your business, how to find you, and alternative ways to contact you.  Even if you only recruit one new customer, you have done yourself a service by simply making sure every person you contact has the information they need to learn more about you and your business.
Email signatures do much more than just generate …

When I feel uninspired to write, I usually draw from personal experience.  Then I ask myself, “What about that ___insert experience___ could be turned into something business-like and informative.”  As girlie it might sound, my shopping experience yesterday fully inspired today’s post.
I’m cheap.  I don’t enjoy paying too much for something and I am not adverse to buying used for, well, most things.  When most people would look down their nose at buying a locked file cabinet at a used store, I bought it (for $.99, as a matter …

While I was working on an article for the American Chronicle (not yet published) that talks about creating a business out of a hobby I came up with an interesting byproduct: potential hobby-to-business ideas.  Since I can’t use them in the article I decided to share them here.  Starting with…
Drawing/Art
The ability to draw is a talent.  Not everyone is that gifted.  Combine that with some pre-made blank note cards or postcards and you have a potential business!
Sewing
The ability to sew some cloth together and make something is a very …

When I know I need to write something but I am not sure what I should write about, I whip out my idea book.  It is simply a notebook filled with random ideas I have jotted down over a period of time.  Some are good ideas, some are not so great.  Every so often an idea sparks renewed interest and I suddenly have a whole article or blog post ready to be transferred from my mind to my computer.  Like now.
Muses are a little weird.  She might hit you …