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Two of the dominant trends of the Internet over the past decade, social media and e-commerce, have overlapped very little and without much success. Retailers have tried to cultivate communities of shoppers with similar interests on their sites, without much uptake. Plenty of brands set up Twitter and Facebook pages, only to find that marketing to c Read More

This great post by Seth Godin on marketing may seem like it's against marketing but it's really not. In fact, it's kind of a return to a long held theory of Seth's that ultimately you should market people what they really want not what you need to sell. Now, the question becomes how in the world can you figure that out and this Seth doesn't e Read More

One of the delights for many who dine at Chinese restaurants is the fortune contained inside the little cookie desert. Finding little hidden gems inside a surprise package takes us back to the fun we had at birthday parties and opening presents during a holiday. I think businesses can tap the fortune cookie tactic in their own little way to Read More

Managing stress in the workplace successfully needn't involve powerful medications. Managing stress requires taking an active role and to take responsibility for your own thoughts, feelings and behaviors. We cannot escape every deadline or every assurance, so, rather than trying to eliminate stress entirely, we need to attempt to manage stress as Read More

You have all probably met or even been a flirt at some time in your life.It can be no big deal if this happens in your social life, but in business it can waste a lot your time and money.What does a customer flirt typically do? Well, here are are a few examples: Read More

Funding small business with credit cards can be a very bad idea. You probably didn't need this piece in the Los Angeles Times business section to tell you that, right? But credit crunch aside, a study finds the amount of unpaid credit card debt can be a pretty reliable indicator of whether or not your small business will survive. Again, use commo Read More

Government grants for small business are often talked about as an option when launching your new venture, but how realistic an option is this when starting out? Well, in the United States any government grants to help small business will likely come from the states and this list of links from About.com should help you get an idea what's out there Read More

Shopping for payroll, like anything else, requires a little research. Before you commit to a payroll provider, consider these five questions. Read More

Have you ever posted tweets and wondered why they were not retweeted? Well, wonder no more now that you are here. Get your tweets noticed by knowing how to draw retweets (RTs). Read More

Hiring the right people — perhaps the holy grail of leadership skills — is a never-ending challenge and a constant learning experience. To offer insight on “getting the right people on the bus,” we pulled five of the most incisive statements we've come across in our talks with entrepreneurs and small business owners. Read More