
<?phpxml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<rss version="2.0" 
xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/"
xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/"
xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/"
>
<channel>
<title>bizSugar / ArmadaIG / Hot Topics</title>
<link>http://www.bizsugar.com</link>
<description>bizSugar RSS feed</description>
<pubDate>Tue, 19 Aug 2008 22:52:25 -0500</pubDate>
<language>en</language>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[7 Steps to Earning Customer Trust Online]]></title>
<link>http://www.bizsugar.com/OnlineMarketing/7_Steps_to_Earning_Customer_Trust_Online/</link>
<comments>http://www.bizsugar.com/OnlineMarketing/7_Steps_to_Earning_Customer_Trust_Online/</comments>
<pubDate>Tue, 19 Aug 2008 22:52:02 -0500</pubDate>
<dc:creator>ArmadaIG</dc:creator>
<category>Online Marketing</category>
<guid>http://www.bizsugar.com/OnlineMarketing/7_Steps_to_Earning_Customer_Trust_Online/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[A recent survey found that 81% of consumers don't trust small online businesses.You cannot survive in online business if your customers do not trust you. If they don't trust you, they will never buy and you will fail. It's that simple. Unfortunately, earning customer trust online is not an easy task, especially when there are so many bigger brands out there where they can easily purchase most of the items they are looking for.<br/><br/>11 Vote(s) ]]></description>
</item>

<item>
<title><![CDATA[New Tax Break Available for Small Business]]></title>
<link>http://www.bizsugar.com/Taxes/New_Tax_Break_Available_for_Small_Business/</link>
<comments>http://www.bizsugar.com/Taxes/New_Tax_Break_Available_for_Small_Business/</comments>
<pubDate>Sun, 17 Aug 2008 21:55:13 -0500</pubDate>
<dc:creator>ArmadaIG</dc:creator>
<category>Taxes</category>
<guid>http://www.bizsugar.com/Taxes/New_Tax_Break_Available_for_Small_Business/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Small business owners with fewer than 50 employees are now eligible for a tax break if they continue to pay employees called to active duty in the U.S. military. The tax credit was included in the recently passed H.R. 6081, the Heroes Earnings Assistance and Relief Tax Act of 2008. The legislation, which was passed by the House and Senate in May and signed into law by the president in June, allows small business owners with fewer than 50 employees to claim a tax credit of 20 percent of wage differential payments as long as they continue to pay reservists some or all of their former compensation and the payments do not exceed $20,000. The credit applies to payments made after June 17, 2008, and before Jan. 1, 2010.<br/><br/>12 Vote(s) ]]></description>
</item>

<item>
<title><![CDATA[5 Ways to Increase Email Deliverability]]></title>
<link>http://www.bizsugar.com/OnlineMarketing/5_Ways_to_Increase_Email_Deliverability/</link>
<comments>http://www.bizsugar.com/OnlineMarketing/5_Ways_to_Increase_Email_Deliverability/</comments>
<pubDate>Thu, 14 Aug 2008 15:11:00 -0500</pubDate>
<dc:creator>ArmadaIG</dc:creator>
<category>Online Marketing</category>
<guid>http://www.bizsugar.com/OnlineMarketing/5_Ways_to_Increase_Email_Deliverability/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Return Path's Q2 2008 Reputation Benchmark Report (pdf) found e-mails sent from &quot;legitimate&quot; e-mail servers averaged a delivery rate of 56 percent. 20 percent were rejected; 8 percent filtered out of the inbox. The rest - 16 percent - were bounces. So nearly half of the time, e-mail marketers' messages don't get through. But there are ways to increase deliverability, insists George Bilbrey, Return Path's general manager of delivery assurance. Here are five<br/><br/>10 Vote(s) ]]></description>
</item>

<item>
<title><![CDATA[The High Cost of a a4Free Credit Reporta4]]></title>
<link>http://www.bizsugar.com/Finance/The_High_Cost_of_a_lsquoFree_Credit_Reportrsquo/</link>
<comments>http://www.bizsugar.com/Finance/The_High_Cost_of_a_lsquoFree_Credit_Reportrsquo/</comments>
<pubDate>Sat, 09 Aug 2008 10:00:11 -0500</pubDate>
<dc:creator>ArmadaIG</dc:creator>
<category>Finance</category>
<guid>http://www.bizsugar.com/Finance/The_High_Cost_of_a_lsquoFree_Credit_Reportrsquo/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Kris Steele used FreeCreditReport.com check on his credit, but a couple of months later, Mr. Steele noticed the site had been charging his credit card. While he believed he had signed up for a free report, he had actually enrolled in a credit-monitoring service that cost $14.95 a month. He says he never expected that it would cost anything. Consumer groups have long objected to sites like FreeCreditReport.com. Consumers may obtain a free credit report each year from the three major agencies, as mandated by an act that Congress passed in 2003. The only authorized site for that is AnnualCreditReport.com. The three major credit bureaus, Experian, Equifax and TransUnion, are required to offer reports through the authorized AnnualCreditReport.com, but the bureaus also make money from their own credit reports. Experian, which owns FreeCreditReport.com, increased both its site visitors and new member sign-ups by 20 percent in 2007. The company attributes those increases to its catchy ads.<br/><br/>11 Vote(s) ]]></description>
</item>

<item>
<title><![CDATA[Asking prices for small businesses on the decline]]></title>
<link>http://www.bizsugar.com/Strategy/Asking_prices_for_small_businesses_on_the_decline/</link>
<comments>http://www.bizsugar.com/Strategy/Asking_prices_for_small_businesses_on_the_decline/</comments>
<pubDate>Fri, 01 Aug 2008 14:19:15 -0500</pubDate>
<dc:creator>ArmadaIG</dc:creator>
<category>Strategy</category>
<guid>http://www.bizsugar.com/Strategy/Asking_prices_for_small_businesses_on_the_decline/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[To all the usual reasons that small businesses are put up for sale, add economic woes this year. But even as for-sale listings rise around the country, so is buyer interest. The problem for owners is that prices appear to be softening. Brokers say buyers are often retirees looking for a second act, or laid-off executives looking for a business to run. Pinpointing what is happening to sales prices nationwide is difficult because data are diffuse and unreliable. But listing sites and brokers around the country say sellers have become more flexible about price. One reason is that a crucial small business financing tool, home equity lines of credit, has been drying up as house values fall.<br/><br/>10 Vote(s) ]]></description>
</item>

<item>
<title><![CDATA[When the employee says I quit.]]></title>
<link>http://www.bizsugar.com/HumanResources/When_the_employee_says_I_quit-/</link>
<comments>http://www.bizsugar.com/HumanResources/When_the_employee_says_I_quit-/</comments>
<pubDate>Thu, 31 Jul 2008 17:34:29 -0500</pubDate>
<dc:creator>ArmadaIG</dc:creator>
<category>Human Resources</category>
<guid>http://www.bizsugar.com/HumanResources/When_the_employee_says_I_quit-/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Employees don't generally quit without a great inner debate. At what point did this person begin looking to leave and what can you learn from them to benefit the rest of your staff?Here is a brief collection of resources to help you with this question:<br/><br/>10 Vote(s) ]]></description>
</item>

<item>
<title><![CDATA[Opinions Vary Over BBB Membership]]></title>
<link>http://www.bizsugar.com/Marketing/Opinions_Vary_Over_BBB_Membership/</link>
<comments>http://www.bizsugar.com/Marketing/Opinions_Vary_Over_BBB_Membership/</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 23 Jul 2008 14:43:06 -0500</pubDate>
<dc:creator>ArmadaIG</dc:creator>
<category>Marketing</category>
<guid>http://www.bizsugar.com/Marketing/Opinions_Vary_Over_BBB_Membership/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The more thorough (and/or OCD) a consumer is, the more things he or she will want to know about a company.  Prices, exchange policies, and friends' experiences may all come into play.  And so might Better Business Bureau credentials, which is why business owners should consider becoming members.<br/><br/>8 Vote(s) ]]></description>
</item>

<item>
<title><![CDATA[Small Business Funding Boost]]></title>
<link>http://www.bizsugar.com/RaisingCapital/Small_Business_Funding_Boost/</link>
<comments>http://www.bizsugar.com/RaisingCapital/Small_Business_Funding_Boost/</comments>
<pubDate>Sat, 19 Jul 2008 18:17:36 -0500</pubDate>
<dc:creator>ArmadaIG</dc:creator>
<category>Raising Capital</category>
<guid>http://www.bizsugar.com/RaisingCapital/Small_Business_Funding_Boost/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The Senate has approved an extra $107 million in funding for federal small-business programs overseen by the Small Business Administration.A bill passed late last week by the Senate Appropriations Committee boosts funding for some of the agency's core programs by as much as 50%, including more resources for women, veterans and native Americans.New funding will also be provided for a microloan program that was cut out of the agency's budget.Since 2001, the SBA's operating budget has been reduced by over 30 percent.<br/><br/>7 Vote(s) ]]></description>
</item>

<item>
<title><![CDATA[Yahoo/Google Search Deal Could Increase PPC Rates by 22%]]></title>
<link>http://www.bizsugar.com/OnlineMarketing/YahooGoogle_Search_Deal_Could_Increase_PPC_Rates_by_22/</link>
<comments>http://www.bizsugar.com/OnlineMarketing/YahooGoogle_Search_Deal_Could_Increase_PPC_Rates_by_22/</comments>
<pubDate>Sat, 19 Jul 2008 18:16:28 -0500</pubDate>
<dc:creator>ArmadaIG</dc:creator>
<category>Online Marketing</category>
<guid>http://www.bizsugar.com/OnlineMarketing/YahooGoogle_Search_Deal_Could_Increase_PPC_Rates_by_22/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[New data from SearchIgnite finds that the Google/Yahoo sponsored search deal will increase Yahoo search rates by about 22 percent.Yahoo has higher keyword ad rates than Google for certain terms, including the first three results on searches for premium terms like &quot;insurance.&quot; It also outdoes Google in the #1 result for keywords containing a brand name, with results for positions #2 and #3 roughly the same:But Google fares better for the vast majority: longtail and more specialized searches, as well as for less prized keywords.<br/><br/>10 Vote(s) ]]></description>
</item>

<item>
<title><![CDATA[How to Analyze and Improve the a4Bounce Ratea4 for Your Website]]></title>
<link>http://www.bizsugar.com/OnlineMarketing/How_to_Analyze_and_Improve_the_lsquoBounce_Ratersquo_for_Your_Website/</link>
<comments>http://www.bizsugar.com/OnlineMarketing/How_to_Analyze_and_Improve_the_lsquoBounce_Ratersquo_for_Your_Website/</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 09 Jul 2008 08:38:57 -0500</pubDate>
<dc:creator>ArmadaIG</dc:creator>
<category>Online Marketing</category>
<guid>http://www.bizsugar.com/OnlineMarketing/How_to_Analyze_and_Improve_the_lsquoBounce_Ratersquo_for_Your_Website/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Getting users engaged with your content can result with a sale, subscription, bookmark and return visit. One of best ways to increase reader engagement is to make sure that your site architecture interlinks related content and displays them in a way which encourages the user to click around. If the first article doesn't result in a subscription, the second might.A term commonly used to measure visitor engagement is the bounce rate, which is the percentage of initial visitors who leaves your site after arriving at the entry page. These are visitors who a4bounce away' after arriving without viewing other pages on your site. You can easily find your site's bounce rate by using stats tools like Google Analytics.<br/><br/>14 Vote(s) ]]></description>
</item>

<item>
<title><![CDATA[When Regulators Come Knocking, Call The SBA]]></title>
<link>http://www.bizsugar.com/LawandRegulation/When_Regulators_Come_Knocking_Call_The_SBA/</link>
<comments>http://www.bizsugar.com/LawandRegulation/When_Regulators_Come_Knocking_Call_The_SBA/</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 02 Jul 2008 23:44:40 -0500</pubDate>
<dc:creator>ArmadaIG</dc:creator>
<category>Law and Regulation</category>
<guid>http://www.bizsugar.com/LawandRegulation/When_Regulators_Come_Knocking_Call_The_SBA/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Entrepreneurs are always griping about dealing with too much government regulation. Is there any way to ease the frustration? Yes--by calling on the very government giving you headaches in the first place.Don't believe it? Back in 1996, Congress passed the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Act, which aimed to ease small businesses' regulatory burdens. The act also established the role of an ombudsman--a citizens' advocate--within the Small Business Administration (SBA).<br/><br/>7 Vote(s) ]]></description>
</item>

<item>
<title><![CDATA[Advertise To Workers At Work To Influence Purchases]]></title>
<link>http://www.bizsugar.com/ResearchandTrends/Advertise_To_Workers_At_Work_To_Influence_Purchases/</link>
<comments>http://www.bizsugar.com/ResearchandTrends/Advertise_To_Workers_At_Work_To_Influence_Purchases/</comments>
<pubDate>Fri, 27 Jun 2008 10:57:46 -0500</pubDate>
<dc:creator>ArmadaIG</dc:creator>
<category>Research and Trends</category>
<guid>http://www.bizsugar.com/ResearchandTrends/Advertise_To_Workers_At_Work_To_Influence_Purchases/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The results of a new study, conducted by consumer intelligence firm BIGresearch, into the media and shopping behavior of consumers at work, finds that Americans are spending 60% of their waking hours at work, more than ever before. Marketing chiefs are rethinking their ad budgets and advertisers are preparing to meet a new, highly coveted, yet entirely untapped demographic on their own beige-carpeted turf.<br/><br/>6 Vote(s) ]]></description>
</item>

<item>
<title><![CDATA[How a LeadGen Test Strategy Achieved an 86% Increase]]></title>
<link>http://www.bizsugar.com/OnlineMarketing/How_a_LeadGen_Test_Strategy_Achieved_an_86_Increase-1/</link>
<comments>http://www.bizsugar.com/OnlineMarketing/How_a_LeadGen_Test_Strategy_Achieved_an_86_Increase-1/</comments>
<pubDate>Tue, 24 Jun 2008 14:29:46 -0500</pubDate>
<dc:creator>ArmadaIG</dc:creator>
<category>Online Marketing</category>
<guid>http://www.bizsugar.com/OnlineMarketing/How_a_LeadGen_Test_Strategy_Achieved_an_86_Increase-1/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Whether your market is B-to-B, B-to-C, or both, testing and optimizing even a few key aspects of your landing pages can provide major gains for your lead-gen efforts. The principles of the MarketingExperiments Conversion Sequence serve as a guide to optimizing your pages and your sales or lead-gen process to improve conversion and ROI.This Brief examines three tests MarketingExperiments conducted with a research partner to demonstrate how you can use Incentives and Friction to generate more leads.<br/><br/>12 Vote(s) ]]></description>
</item>

<item>
<title><![CDATA[Where Have All the Qualified Job Candidates Gone?]]></title>
<link>http://www.bizsugar.com/HumanResources/Where_Have_All_the_Qualified_Job_Candidates_Gone/</link>
<comments>http://www.bizsugar.com/HumanResources/Where_Have_All_the_Qualified_Job_Candidates_Gone/</comments>
<pubDate>Thu, 12 Jun 2008 10:47:58 -0500</pubDate>
<dc:creator>ArmadaIG</dc:creator>
<category>Human Resources</category>
<guid>http://www.bizsugar.com/HumanResources/Where_Have_All_the_Qualified_Job_Candidates_Gone/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[In this day and age, where education means everything, I'm finding this generation is lacking in the basic skills and drive to succeed.  They're out there floating, checking things out, and when the right fit presents itself, they make their move. It's amazing to me that they operate this way - &quot;Maybe I'll try marketing.  Maybe I'll try retail.  Maybe I'll try running an office.  Maybe I'll try operations.&quot; So, how do you work around this mentality and get the best candidate without having the search be all-consuming?<br/><br/>8 Vote(s) ]]></description>
</item>

<item>
<title><![CDATA[Business-for-sale Scam Destroys Businesses]]></title>
<link>http://www.bizsugar.com/Management/Business-for-sale_Scam_Destroys_Businesses/</link>
<comments>http://www.bizsugar.com/Management/Business-for-sale_Scam_Destroys_Businesses/</comments>
<pubDate>Thu, 12 Jun 2008 10:46:59 -0500</pubDate>
<dc:creator>ArmadaIG</dc:creator>
<category>Management</category>
<guid>http://www.bizsugar.com/Management/Business-for-sale_Scam_Destroys_Businesses/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Ken Mitan is in jail. Thank goodness. He has stripped and destroyed many businesses, and likely destroyed lives in the process.   The short of it is this: Mitan approaches a company that is for sale (usually valued at a few million) with a slick story.  For a few years he used his own name, and then aliases. He would offer close to full price and not ask any tough questions.  He would want to close quickly and structure the deal as a stock sale, and on closing day would have a problem with his wire transfer, but would promise to have the money wired the next day.  A stock sale means he gets the company lock, stock and barrel, including checking accounts, receivables, etc.  Mitan then immediately proceeds to take the cash out of the business, collect AR, and sell assets that can be sold immediately.  This can take a few days so he brazenly tells the owner that things are fine.  By the time the owner realizes what is going on, Mitan runs and the company is often beyond recovery.<br/><br/>11 Vote(s) ]]></description>
</item>

<item>
<title><![CDATA[Email Analytics Reveal Sweet Spots In Subject-Line Length]]></title>
<link>http://www.bizsugar.com/DirectMarketing/Email_Analytics_Reveal_Sweet_Spots_In_Subject-Line_Length/</link>
<comments>http://www.bizsugar.com/DirectMarketing/Email_Analytics_Reveal_Sweet_Spots_In_Subject-Line_Length/</comments>
<pubDate>Tue, 03 Jun 2008 19:41:48 -0500</pubDate>
<dc:creator>ArmadaIG</dc:creator>
<category>Direct Marketing</category>
<guid>http://www.bizsugar.com/DirectMarketing/Email_Analytics_Reveal_Sweet_Spots_In_Subject-Line_Length/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Email marketing analytics have led Dela Quist, CEO of London shop Alchemy Worx, to discover a sweet spot for how long subject lines should be. He says open rates climb when the subject lines are in the 50-character range or 80-character range. But, perhaps counterintuitively, they fall in the middle when the length is 60 or 70.<br/><br/>10 Vote(s) ]]></description>
</item>

<item>
<title><![CDATA[SBA's 'Cookie Jar Capitalism' Still Flourishes in Wake of Scandal]]></title>
<link>http://www.bizsugar.com/NewsandPolitics/SBAs_Cookie_Jar_Capitalism_Still_Flourishes_in_Wake_of_Scandal/</link>
<comments>http://www.bizsugar.com/NewsandPolitics/SBAs_Cookie_Jar_Capitalism_Still_Flourishes_in_Wake_of_Scandal/</comments>
<pubDate>Tue, 03 Jun 2008 10:45:22 -0500</pubDate>
<dc:creator>ArmadaIG</dc:creator>
<category>News and Politics</category>
<guid>http://www.bizsugar.com/NewsandPolitics/SBAs_Cookie_Jar_Capitalism_Still_Flourishes_in_Wake_of_Scandal/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Loan fraud has been a long-standing, widespread problem within the Small Business Administration and has cost taxpayers literally hundreds of millions of dollars. But when a senior executive of Business Loan Express engineered a particularly brazen $76 million loan scam early last year, it was widely thought the SBA had finally learned its lesson. The caper was dubbed &quot;Cookie Jar Capitalism,&quot; but two years later it appears the cookie jar is still wide open and unguarded. Indeed, the agency has done little if anything to protect taxpayers from losses on bad loans, according to a new report by the SBA's Office of Inspector General. In more than 60 OIG reports over the past five years, the SBA has been hammered about poor lender oversight and the potential for loan fraud. But in an outcome that's all too familiar, the agency has failed repeatedly to follow up on OIG recommendations. To the contrary, in the face of withering Bush administration budget cuts (reducing SBA staff by 25%), the agency has delegated almost all oversight to the major lenders themselves, or to third parties, and dragged its feet on reforms. When problem loans did surface, OIG investigators found that preferred lenders such as BLX received favorable treatment.<br/><br/>8 Vote(s) ]]></description>
</item>

<item>
<title><![CDATA[Profiting from Your Past Mistakes (In Life, Business, and Investing)]]></title>
<link>http://www.bizsugar.com/Self-Development/Profiting_from_Your_Past_Mistakes_In_Life_Business_and_Investing-1/</link>
<comments>http://www.bizsugar.com/Self-Development/Profiting_from_Your_Past_Mistakes_In_Life_Business_and_Investing-1/</comments>
<pubDate>Tue, 03 Jun 2008 10:44:54 -0500</pubDate>
<dc:creator>ArmadaIG</dc:creator>
<category>Self-Development</category>
<guid>http://www.bizsugar.com/Self-Development/Profiting_from_Your_Past_Mistakes_In_Life_Business_and_Investing-1/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Where did you learn your real life, business, and investing lessons? If you're anything like me then they probably came out of the mistakes you've made. Sure, the times you got everything right taught you something, but our successes also tempt us into static patterns or rigid solutions. Rarely do they lead to the truly profound insights. The more profound lessons tend to come from the occasions when we don't get it right. So let's take a little time together to reflect on these lessons and to profit from them.<br/><br/>9 Vote(s) ]]></description>
</item>

<item>
<title><![CDATA[Why deep links are as important as links to your home page]]></title>
<link>http://www.bizsugar.com/OnlineMarketing/Why_deep_links_are_as_important_as_links_to_your_home_page/</link>
<comments>http://www.bizsugar.com/OnlineMarketing/Why_deep_links_are_as_important_as_links_to_your_home_page/</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 02 Jun 2008 21:02:00 -0500</pubDate>
<dc:creator>ArmadaIG</dc:creator>
<category>Online Marketing</category>
<guid>http://www.bizsugar.com/OnlineMarketing/Why_deep_links_are_as_important_as_links_to_your_home_page/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[One of the most common mistakes I see being made by folks who are new to search engine optimization is a lack of focus on attracting deep links. These people will work hard to gain new links to their sites by submitting to directories, joining organizations and filling out profiles on social networks, but they often fail to focus on getting good quality links to the inner pages of their web sites. But new data released by Jacob Nielsen shows just how important those deep links are.<br/><br/>11 Vote(s) ]]></description>
</item>

<item>
<title><![CDATA[NearbyNow, The Find partner for inventory search]]></title>
<link>http://www.bizsugar.com/ProductsandServices/NearbyNow_The_Find_partner_for_inventory_search/</link>
<comments>http://www.bizsugar.com/ProductsandServices/NearbyNow_The_Find_partner_for_inventory_search/</comments>
<pubDate>Fri, 30 May 2008 07:53:51 -0500</pubDate>
<dc:creator>ArmadaIG</dc:creator>
<category>Products and Services</category>
<guid>http://www.bizsugar.com/ProductsandServices/NearbyNow_The_Find_partner_for_inventory_search/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Online shoppers may have a new way of finding out which etailers have the items they most want to buy. And etailers should take note. By allowing users to learn if an item is available in real-time, etailers have a better chance of creating a loyal buyer.<br/><br/>12 Vote(s) ]]></description>
</item>

<item>
<title><![CDATA[5 common mistakes that can sabotage your business--and how to avoid them.]]></title>
<link>http://www.bizsugar.com/Finance/5_common_mistakes_that_can_sabotage_your_business-and_how_to_avoid_them-/</link>
<comments>http://www.bizsugar.com/Finance/5_common_mistakes_that_can_sabotage_your_business-and_how_to_avoid_them-/</comments>
<pubDate>Thu, 29 May 2008 09:19:40 -0500</pubDate>
<dc:creator>ArmadaIG</dc:creator>
<category>Finance</category>
<guid>http://www.bizsugar.com/Finance/5_common_mistakes_that_can_sabotage_your_business-and_how_to_avoid_them-/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[No matter how passionately you believe in your business, you've got to make the numbers work before you can turn your dream into the reality of a large and profitable company. While nobody has a crystal ball that can predict the future, a good financial model will help you understand the key elements that make your business tick and help you avoid the kinds of problems that can doom your business before it even starts.Here are five common business mistakes that a good financial model can catch--and five things you must do to ensure they don't stall your growth.<br/><br/>14 Vote(s) ]]></description>
</item>

<item>
<title><![CDATA[You are Your Own Best Advisor]]></title>
<link>http://www.bizsugar.com/Marketing/You_are_Your_Own_Best_Advisor/</link>
<comments>http://www.bizsugar.com/Marketing/You_are_Your_Own_Best_Advisor/</comments>
<pubDate>Thu, 22 May 2008 15:53:52 -0500</pubDate>
<dc:creator>ArmadaIG</dc:creator>
<category>Marketing</category>
<guid>http://www.bizsugar.com/Marketing/You_are_Your_Own_Best_Advisor/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Everybody is a customer. That includes you. No matter how much or how little shopping you do, you must be doing some, and giving somebody your business. Try this: Every time you deal with a business, whether it be doing some grocery shopping at the Super Wal-Mart, ordering a necklace online, or simply depositing some money into your checking account, evaluate your experience as the customer. While you're there and as you leave, think about how this business has conducted itself. This will keep ideas flowing in your mind that can help you improve your own business. This is true for both positive and negative experiences, and I'm not even talking about only customer service.Try to take in their whole operation (as much of it as you can see anyway).<br/><br/>9 Vote(s) ]]></description>
</item>

<item>
<title><![CDATA[Shoppers Primed for New Kinds of Shopping Experience]]></title>
<link>http://www.bizsugar.com/ResearchandTrends/Shoppers_Primed_for_New_Kinds_of_Shopping_Experience/</link>
<comments>http://www.bizsugar.com/ResearchandTrends/Shoppers_Primed_for_New_Kinds_of_Shopping_Experience/</comments>
<pubDate>Thu, 22 May 2008 11:30:55 -0500</pubDate>
<dc:creator>ArmadaIG</dc:creator>
<category>Research and Trends</category>
<guid>http://www.bizsugar.com/ResearchandTrends/Shoppers_Primed_for_New_Kinds_of_Shopping_Experience/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Biometric fingerprint payments, intelligent shopping carts, holographic sales assistance, and interactive dressing rooms are among the top shopping-experience innovations foreseen by shoppers, finds a TNS Retail Forward study.<br/><br/>7 Vote(s) ]]></description>
</item>

<item>
<title><![CDATA[Why you should avoid "merchant cash advances"]]></title>
<link>http://www.bizsugar.com/RaisingCapital/Why_you_should_avoid_merchant_cash_advances-1/</link>
<comments>http://www.bizsugar.com/RaisingCapital/Why_you_should_avoid_merchant_cash_advances-1/</comments>
<pubDate>Tue, 20 May 2008 14:49:21 -0500</pubDate>
<dc:creator>ArmadaIG</dc:creator>
<category>Raising Capital</category>
<guid>http://www.bizsugar.com/RaisingCapital/Why_you_should_avoid_merchant_cash_advances-1/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[While most financial-services firms are floundering, those that specialize in so-called merchant cash advances are thriving. That's a mixed blessing for small business owners who increasingly are turning to these sources for quick cash: Their money can come with a high price tag. Like regular lenders, merchant cash firms dole out a lump sum. But rather than requiring that borrowers make a fixed payment at a specific interest rate, these companies collect a piece of a merchant's total credit-card sales each month-via the credit-card processing service-until they recoup the total amount plus a premium. Merchant cash advances have been around for roughly a decade. But with big banks in full retreat from lending, more entrepreneurs are seeking help from the likes of AdvanceMe, AmeriMerchant, and hundreds of other companies and independent contractors that offer such advances. This type of financing, though, is controversial. Traditional lenders follow state guidelines, known as usury laws, that limit the interest rates they can charge borrowers. Merchant cash advances are defined as the &quot;purchase and sale of future credit-card receivables&quot; rather than an actual loan. That exempts the advances from the usury laws. For example, a merchant cash advance where the firm charges fees of 33% of the principal during a 7-month repayment period is akin to taking out a loan at an annualized interest rate of more than 50%.<br/><br/>9 Vote(s) ]]></description>
</item>

<item>
<title><![CDATA[Let's Talk about Cash Flow]]></title>
<link>http://www.bizsugar.com/Finance/Lets_Talk_about_Cash_Flow/</link>
<comments>http://www.bizsugar.com/Finance/Lets_Talk_about_Cash_Flow/</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 12 May 2008 15:48:58 -0500</pubDate>
<dc:creator>ArmadaIG</dc:creator>
<category>Finance</category>
<guid>http://www.bizsugar.com/Finance/Lets_Talk_about_Cash_Flow/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Every small business owner should understand the inter-relationship between revenues, assets, and cash flow. The saying, &quot;cash is king&quot; means everything to a successful business owner and can often make the difference between a business thriving or dying.<br/><br/>10 Vote(s) ]]></description>
</item>

<item>
<title><![CDATA[Do-It-Yourself Display Ads]]></title>
<link>http://www.bizsugar.com/OnlineMarketing/Do-It-Yourself_Display_Ads/</link>
<comments>http://www.bizsugar.com/OnlineMarketing/Do-It-Yourself_Display_Ads/</comments>
<pubDate>Sat, 10 May 2008 17:58:53 -0500</pubDate>
<dc:creator>ArmadaIG</dc:creator>
<category>Online Marketing</category>
<guid>http://www.bizsugar.com/OnlineMarketing/Do-It-Yourself_Display_Ads/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Much of the valuable online-ad real estate is sold the old-fashioned way: through a salesperson.But now start-ups and major Internet players such as Facebook Inc. are giving advertisers the option of planning, buying and tracking online-ad campaigns all on their own. Just as the ability to buy plane tickets online steered business away from travel agents, the self-service options promise to shake up the $20 billion online-advertising market.Google Inc. built a $185 billion company largely thanks to its self-service model for buying the online text ads that show up in Web searches. The next front in do-it-yourself is the display-ad market. Display ads are expected to be 40% of the online-ad market in coming years. Until recently, such ads were too expensive to buy and too difficult to create for many companies.<br/><br/>15 Vote(s) ]]></description>
</item>

<item>
<title><![CDATA[Seven Myths That Screw Up Sales]]></title>
<link>http://www.bizsugar.com/Sales/Seven_Myths_That_Screw_Up_Sales/</link>
<comments>http://www.bizsugar.com/Sales/Seven_Myths_That_Screw_Up_Sales/</comments>
<pubDate>Sat, 10 May 2008 07:57:44 -0500</pubDate>
<dc:creator>ArmadaIG</dc:creator>
<category>Sales</category>
<guid>http://www.bizsugar.com/Sales/Seven_Myths_That_Screw_Up_Sales/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[If your sales success isn't where it ought to be, you may be operating under the weight of one or more persistent (and pernicious) myths about selling. Here they are:<br/><br/>13 Vote(s) ]]></description>
</item>

<item>
<title><![CDATA[Small-business owners find funding in nooks, crannies]]></title>
<link>http://www.bizsugar.com/RaisingCapital/Small-business_owners_find_funding_in_nooks_crannies/</link>
<comments>http://www.bizsugar.com/RaisingCapital/Small-business_owners_find_funding_in_nooks_crannies/</comments>
<pubDate>Thu, 08 May 2008 17:17:36 -0500</pubDate>
<dc:creator>ArmadaIG</dc:creator>
<category>Raising Capital</category>
<guid>http://www.bizsugar.com/RaisingCapital/Small-business_owners_find_funding_in_nooks_crannies/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[These days, small-business owners like Metzger have to be creative about getting the money to start and expand their companies. Many are turning to nontraditional sources, such as credit unions. Increasing numbers are going to online lending sites that cut out the traditional bank middleman and to factoring companies, which buy companies' future revenue.Factoring is enjoying a cyclical upturn that it often sees during economic downturns, while credit unions and online social lenders hope the uptick in their small-business lending volume survives even after banks' lending returns to normal.But some of these alternative financers are more expensive than a traditional bank loan, or brand-new and largely untested.<br/><br/>6 Vote(s) ]]></description>
</item>

<item>
<title><![CDATA[a4Abundantly Affluenta4 Fastest-Growing Segment of Population]]></title>
<link>http://www.bizsugar.com/ResearchandTrends/lsquoAbundantly_Affluentrsquo_Fastest-Growing_Segment_of_Population-1/</link>
<comments>http://www.bizsugar.com/ResearchandTrends/lsquoAbundantly_Affluentrsquo_Fastest-Growing_Segment_of_Population-1/</comments>
<pubDate>Sat, 03 May 2008 13:15:09 -0500</pubDate>
<dc:creator>ArmadaIG</dc:creator>
<category>Research and Trends</category>
<guid>http://www.bizsugar.com/ResearchandTrends/lsquoAbundantly_Affluentrsquo_Fastest-Growing_Segment_of_Population-1/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[US households with $100,000+ in income are the fastest-growing segment of the population according to US Census Bureau data, up from 19.7 million in 2005 to 22.2 million in 2006, an increase of nearly 13%, said Unity Marketing. Between 2005 and 2006a4Affluent households with incomes from $150,000 to $249,999 grew the fastest. The number of &quot;abundantly affluent&quot; households, those with incomes between $150,000 and $199,999, grew 17.9%. The &quot;super-affluent&quot; group (incomes between $200,000 and $249,999) grew 16.2%. The &quot;ultra-affluent&quot; (incomes $250,000 and above) rose 10.7%. The number of &quot;comfortable affluent&quot; households ($100,000-$149,999) grew 10.3%. Meanwhile, the number of households with incomes of less than $25,000 decreased 5.1%.<br/><br/>7 Vote(s) ]]></description>
</item>

<item>
<title><![CDATA[Emphasize value when consumer spending is down]]></title>
<link>http://www.bizsugar.com/Marketing/Emphasize_value_when_consumer_spending_is_down/</link>
<comments>http://www.bizsugar.com/Marketing/Emphasize_value_when_consumer_spending_is_down/</comments>
<pubDate>Sat, 03 May 2008 10:58:18 -0500</pubDate>
<dc:creator>ArmadaIG</dc:creator>
<category>Marketing</category>
<guid>http://www.bizsugar.com/Marketing/Emphasize_value_when_consumer_spending_is_down/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[In this economy, retailers must concentrate on increasing value in purchasing and on communicating value in marketing. Identify your products with the best margins and sell those aggressively, said Sam Herskowitz, president of franchise retailer Sterling Optical. &quot;Don't cut back on advertising, but promote service and value. People are afraid to buy and so they don't shop. But you still need to get them into your store or onto your website,&quot; Herskowitz said. If your marketing budget is down, explore opportunities to advertise cooperatively with other local retailers or through your industry association.If you don't already use promotions, coupons and sales, start now. Add free shipping and service or warranty offers as well. &quot;When people are watching every penny, they want excellent customer service,&quot; Herskowitz said. Think of the economic slowdown as an opportunity: When people are on tight budgets, they may look for bargains in places they don't usually shop. If you're there for them, you can pick up new customers who become loyal to you in the long run.<br/><br/>8 Vote(s) ]]></description>
</item>

<item>
<title><![CDATA[California's anti-spam law may make things difficult for email marketers]]></title>
<link>http://www.bizsugar.com/OnlineMarketing/Californias_anti-spam_law_may_make_things_difficult_for_email_marketers/</link>
<comments>http://www.bizsugar.com/OnlineMarketing/Californias_anti-spam_law_may_make_things_difficult_for_email_marketers/</comments>
<pubDate>Sat, 03 May 2008 10:57:56 -0500</pubDate>
<dc:creator>ArmadaIG</dc:creator>
<category>Online Marketing</category>
<guid>http://www.bizsugar.com/OnlineMarketing/Californias_anti-spam_law_may_make_things_difficult_for_email_marketers/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Legitimate email marketers could be impacted by a new bill before the California State Legislature aimed at hampering the efforts of spammers. The proposed bill could make things more difficult for illegitimate marketers, especially in the short term, but long term impact could harm legitimate marketers as well.AB 2950, co-sponsored by Assembly Member Jared Huffman and Dan Balsam, would allow consumers to sue spammers and email advertisers for up to $1 million if false or deceptive subject lines are used in messages and if misleading advertising copy is included in the body of an email. For legitimate marketers, this is an indicator that the body copy and subject lines of all marketing messages need to be watched closely.The subject lines of messages should honestly reflect the content included and the advertising message included in the body should be honest as well. While most legitimate marketers are very careful about what information is included in a message, being vigilant is more important than ever.<br/><br/>9 Vote(s) ]]></description>
</item>

<item>
<title><![CDATA[Small businesses should plan now for summer]]></title>
<link>http://www.bizsugar.com/Management/Small_businesses_should_plan_now_for_summer/</link>
<comments>http://www.bizsugar.com/Management/Small_businesses_should_plan_now_for_summer/</comments>
<pubDate>Thu, 01 May 2008 17:04:48 -0500</pubDate>
<dc:creator>ArmadaIG</dc:creator>
<category>Management</category>
<guid>http://www.bizsugar.com/Management/Small_businesses_should_plan_now_for_summer/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[With Memorial Day just weeks away, many people are thinking about taking time off during the summer. Small business owners need to be doing some planning too, to be sure employee vacations don't cause strife in the workplace or a drop-off in productivity. Human resources professionals say the time between now and late May is when small companies should be doing their vacation planning, and, if they expect to need temporary help, beginning the recruiting process. Owners should also be considering their vacation policies - creating a written document if they don't already have one, or making any necessary changes to an existing one.<br/><br/>6 Vote(s) ]]></description>
</item>

<item>
<title><![CDATA[Digg to BizSugar for Online Business Networkers]]></title>
<link>http://www.bizsugar.com/Resources/Digg_to_BizSugar_for_Online_Business_Networkers/</link>
<comments>http://www.bizsugar.com/Resources/Digg_to_BizSugar_for_Online_Business_Networkers/</comments>
<pubDate>Tue, 29 Apr 2008 09:39:04 -0500</pubDate>
<dc:creator>ArmadaIG</dc:creator>
<category>Resources</category>
<guid>http://www.bizsugar.com/Resources/Digg_to_BizSugar_for_Online_Business_Networkers/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[We all know about Digg and the benefits of using this service! The social network area is becoming a huge hit and Digg is a big time player.But what if I told you there was a site &quot;just for&quot; small to medium size business owners that functioned just like Digg does? Would you go take a look?Instead of people sorting through (unrelated) category after category to find your stuff, you can have your content submitted to a site that is dedicated just for the small/medium size businesses and even home based business owners to the entrepreneurs.<br/><br/>11 Vote(s) ]]></description>
</item>

<item>
<title><![CDATA[Retail vs. Online Sales: Which Area Needs More Attention?]]></title>
<link>http://www.bizsugar.com/Strategy/Retail_vs-_Online_Sales_Which_Area_Needs_More_Attention/</link>
<comments>http://www.bizsugar.com/Strategy/Retail_vs-_Online_Sales_Which_Area_Needs_More_Attention/</comments>
<pubDate>Sun, 27 Apr 2008 21:07:37 -0500</pubDate>
<dc:creator>ArmadaIG</dc:creator>
<category>Strategy</category>
<guid>http://www.bizsugar.com/Strategy/Retail_vs-_Online_Sales_Which_Area_Needs_More_Attention/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Like many of today's entrepreneurs, you may be trying to divide your attention between a physical storefront and an online presence. As you only have so many hours in a day, you may feel torn as to where to spend the bulk of your energies. There is no universal answer to this question. How best to divide your time simply depends on the setup of your business. Ask yourself the following questions to figure out if your retail or online business needs more attention.<br/><br/>9 Vote(s) ]]></description>
</item>

<item>
<title><![CDATA[Sales Stuck? Try Sticking to a Script]]></title>
<link>http://www.bizsugar.com/Sales/Sales_Stuck_Try_Sticking_to_a_Script/</link>
<comments>http://www.bizsugar.com/Sales/Sales_Stuck_Try_Sticking_to_a_Script/</comments>
<pubDate>Fri, 25 Apr 2008 15:44:40 -0500</pubDate>
<dc:creator>ArmadaIG</dc:creator>
<category>Sales</category>
<guid>http://www.bizsugar.com/Sales/Sales_Stuck_Try_Sticking_to_a_Script/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[We've all wasted time trying to make someone into a prospect -- someone who has no hope of ever being one. And often we make this mistake because we aren't disqualifying -- instead, we're doing all we can to qualify. This is an inefficient approach. Learn how to disqualify -- it'll save time, boost sales, and ultimately help bring in new business.     When setting out to sell, we all know how important targeting clients, building lists, and perfecting scripts are. Here are three rules to keep in mind to make the most of your efforts, and a sample script you can borrow.<br/><br/>10 Vote(s) ]]></description>
</item>

<item>
<title><![CDATA[Stop consulting for free]]></title>
<link>http://www.bizsugar.com/Sales/Stop_consulting_for_free/</link>
<comments>http://www.bizsugar.com/Sales/Stop_consulting_for_free/</comments>
<pubDate>Thu, 24 Apr 2008 21:25:36 -0500</pubDate>
<dc:creator>ArmadaIG</dc:creator>
<category>Sales</category>
<guid>http://www.bizsugar.com/Sales/Stop_consulting_for_free/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Selling B2B is &quot;consultative,&quot; but there's a point where you need to turn the meter on.The concept of &quot;consultative&quot; selling is that the sales professional should be adding value from the very start of the customer relationship. However, if that concept is taken too literally, you can end up providing free services to a prospect that never intends to buy.This is particularly true when small companies are selling to large companies. People inside large companies often have only the vaguest notion of how businesses work. They think that budget dollars fall magically down the management chain and that everybody gets paid, whether work gets done or not.When sales professionals from small companies sell to such behemoths, they're often asked to spend an enormous amount of time and effort to develop the customer relationship. In the worst cases, they're asked to provide entirely free services, even when the behemoth has no real intention of buying.In fact, cynical corporate bureaucrats actually consider free labor from hopeful sales professionals as a viable cost-savings measure.<br/><br/>14 Vote(s) ]]></description>
</item>

<item>
<title><![CDATA[Should You Pay Your Student Intern?]]></title>
<link>http://www.bizsugar.com/HumanResources/Should_You_Pay_Your_Student_Intern/</link>
<comments>http://www.bizsugar.com/HumanResources/Should_You_Pay_Your_Student_Intern/</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 23 Apr 2008 16:36:29 -0500</pubDate>
<dc:creator>ArmadaIG</dc:creator>
<category>Human Resources</category>
<guid>http://www.bizsugar.com/HumanResources/Should_You_Pay_Your_Student_Intern/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Nickerson PME is one of a growing number of small business owners who feel comfortable offering students an internship experience without financial compensation. It's a model that is becoming increasingly controversial within the higher education community, where career-services professionals say students should be paid at least minimum wage. Complicating matters, some employers ask that the student receive college credit for their work in order to avoid having to pay them, a demand that puts students from low- or middle-income backgrounds at a disadvantage. It means students have to pay their college for that course credit, a cost that can add up to several thousand dollars. &quot;Increasingly, there are concerns from not just an ethical standpoint, but also potentially a legal standpoint [since] these people are doing work for you and not being compensated for that work,&quot; said Manny Contomanolis, director of the career-services office at Rochester Institute of Technology and president-elect of the board of the National Association of Colleges &amp; Employers (NACE). &quot;What are the implications of that, and what kind of message does it send to your own employees and community?&quot;<br/><br/>9 Vote(s) ]]></description>
</item>

<item>
<title><![CDATA[The great inflation cover-up]]></title>
<link>http://www.bizsugar.com/Finance/The_great_inflation_cover-up/</link>
<comments>http://www.bizsugar.com/Finance/The_great_inflation_cover-up/</comments>
<pubDate>Tue, 22 Apr 2008 09:53:49 -0500</pubDate>
<dc:creator>ArmadaIG</dc:creator>
<category>Finance</category>
<guid>http://www.bizsugar.com/Finance/The_great_inflation_cover-up/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Why is 91% of the population worried about inflation while the fed assures us that everything is under control? There are several possibilities: The first is that we're all paranoid. We simply need reassurance from the authorities: Inflation rates are fine, nothing to see here, move along quietly. The second is that the Fed's insistence on focusing on &quot;core&quot; inflation - a measure that strips energy and food from the consumer price index (CPI) because they're theoretically subject to short-term volatility - makes inflation seem smaller than it is, or than we feel it to be when our gallon of milk that was 12% cheaper last year gets swiped across the grocery store scanner, beeping ominously like a tiny alarm bell. (While core inflation was just 2.3% in February, the CPI was 4%.) The third and most disconcerting possibility is that the CPI systemically understates inflation, in which case we're paying for it taxwise, and the government is underpaying Social Security recipients. In the words of many a UFO spotter, it isn't paranoia if they're really out to get you.<br/><br/>7 Vote(s) ]]></description>
</item>

<item>
<title><![CDATA[Eight sales strategies for startups]]></title>
<link>http://www.bizsugar.com/Sales/Eight_sales_strategies_for_startups/</link>
<comments>http://www.bizsugar.com/Sales/Eight_sales_strategies_for_startups/</comments>
<pubDate>Sat, 19 Apr 2008 23:10:45 -0500</pubDate>
<dc:creator>ArmadaIG</dc:creator>
<category>Sales</category>
<guid>http://www.bizsugar.com/Sales/Eight_sales_strategies_for_startups/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Walk into any McDonald's, order a Quarter Pounder, and the clerk will invariably ask, &quot;Do you want fries with that?&quot; Each affirmative answer adds $1 or more to that particular sale. If just a fraction of McDonald's' 54 million daily customers say yes to that question, that's millions of extra dollars in the burger biggie's pocket.The same strategy is important for start-ups. You haven't yet built a large customer base, so you need to coax as much money as possible from each person who does show up. It's the old story: A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.The issue at this stage isn't market share but wallet share. Boost the dollar value of your average sale, and you boost your cash flow and bottom line. Here's how you can bring in more of those sales.<br/><br/>14 Vote(s) ]]></description>
</item>

<item>
<title><![CDATA[Bundle Your Insurance for Greater Savings]]></title>
<link>http://www.bizsugar.com/EmployeeBenefits/Bundle_Your_Insurance_for_Greater_Savings/</link>
<comments>http://www.bizsugar.com/EmployeeBenefits/Bundle_Your_Insurance_for_Greater_Savings/</comments>
<pubDate>Sat, 19 Apr 2008 00:08:02 -0500</pubDate>
<dc:creator>ArmadaIG</dc:creator>
<category>Employee Benefits</category>
<guid>http://www.bizsugar.com/EmployeeBenefits/Bundle_Your_Insurance_for_Greater_Savings/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Ya got me on this one - who knew I could bundle my worker's comp with my medical benefits and potentially save on both?In one company I'm working with, we just changed insurance providers for our group health benefits as our old provider wanted to increase premiums 20%.Once that was done, our new broker made us aware that Blue Cross could offer us worker's comp insurance in addition to our group health benefits. And if we took advantage of the offer, we'd save 5% off our medical benefits.We went down the road of getting a quote for the workers comp and much to my surprise, it came in considerably lower than our current provider. And we even reshopped our policy through our existing broker.So we moved the workers comp over to our group health insurance broker and all told, we saved nearly $5,000 with our new worker's comp and medical insurance premiums.<br/><br/>7 Vote(s) ]]></description>
</item>

</channel>
</rss>
