Building a business is filled with long days and sometimes even longer nights.  Nights filled with fear of: not making payroll, not being able to close the next deal, not being able to see my kids’ school activities because I’ll be busy, not bringing home enough money, [...]

    We’ve been conducting surveys – consistently – for a little over a year and a half. We’ve gleaned a lot of information about our users. The practice has reminded me that there are a few fundamental principles you need to follow to build your business.   Here are the 6 steps we’ve used [...]

Did you know that Marriott started out in 1927 as a root beer stand? Since then, the company has reinvented itself time and again. In 1983, it introduced the Courtyard by Marriott brand, then added Residence Inn and Fairfield Inn in 1987. In 1995, Marriott acquired a 49 percent interest in Ritz-Carlton. Today, Marriott is [...]

  ExactTarget, an Indianapolis-based interactive marketing services provider, has released “The Social Break-up,” a report exploring why consumers terminate their relationship with businesses and brands through these three major social media channels: Facebook, Twitter and email marketing. Much like a romantic relationship, social network bonding begins with an initial attraction, whereby the consumer becomes a [...]

It’s been the biggest problem of the recession — small business owners aren’t doing much hiring. That started to turn around last year, but a new Wells Fargo/Gallup Small Business Index poll shows there is now big pent-up demand for workers. In the study, more than half of entrepreneurs said they hired new workers last year. [...]