Category: Small Business News
The Water’s Fine: How hiring a business broker turned a Florida couple into pool entrepreneurs
After 30 years of telecom and network systems work in corporate America, John Smee was ready for a change. He’d thought plenty of times before how nice it would be to find a little operation of his own and take over as its boss. So in late 2012 he decided to get to it. He was ready to buy a small business. Fast-forward six months, and Smee and his wife, Kathleen, had set up asRead More
Chris Myers: Small Business, Startups and the Wisdom of Crowds
My fascination with the concept of crowdsourcing started back in 2004, as it did for many who read James Surowiecki’s brilliant book “The Wisdom of Crowds.” The idea that the collective wisdom of a large group could prove superior to the expertise of individuals is powerful. It has been proven out to a great degree by experiments both large and small. However, for the longest time I wondered about the commercial aspects of collective wisdom.Read More
Medical marijuana in New York: Barriers High for Small Businesses
Medical marijuana is coming to New York state, and it could make some companies a fortune. But small business owners shouldn’t expect to make money from it. Providing New Yorkers with medical marijuana could be a profitable business for those savvy enough to get a license. Derek Peterson of Terra Tech, who ditched Morgan Stanley in 2012 to become a medical marijuana entrepreneur, says profit margins for the leafy business can be anywhere between 30%Read More
Former Small Business Entrepreneur Leah Kalanguka Poultry Farmer Crowned Miss Uganda
A former small business entrepreneur of mushroom and poultry farmer has been crowned Miss Uganda following a major rebranding of the annual beauty pageant, now designed to promote agriculture in the east African nation. Leah Kalanguka, 23, beat off 19 other finalists after a competition that saw the glamour of the catwalk ditched for an army-sponsored boot camp on a farm, where contestants had to milk cows and work with goats and sheep. “The youth willRead More
The State of Small Business and Eric Schurenberg Interview
Eric Schurenberg, President and Editor-in-Chief of Inc Magazine talks about essential leadership skills and the state of small business in America. The State of Small Biz in 2014? The Sky’s the Limit As usual, our Inc. 5000 folks are upbeat. But only, they say, if Washington cleans up its circus act. In the face of squabbling lawmakers, a government that seems to close for business every month or so, and an on-edge economy, two guysRead More
Young entrepreneur ‘gloves’ his way to $8 million mark—and beyond
Brian Lim isn’t your typical “glover.” What is “gloving,” exactly? Young Entrepreneur Lim didn’t know either, until his then girlfriend and now fiancee got him into the trend in 2010. Gloving is a form of dancing typically showcased at raves or large parties or festivals, and electronic dance music events. Dancers face off wearing gloves that have lights on the gloves’ fingertips. Lim, now 27, has the glove dance moves down, plus a multimillion-dollar business,Read More
How workplace technology can transform the small business
After eight failed startups, 27-year-old Nic Blair turned things around with two successful small businesses with using modern technology — Search Factory and Brus Media. Search Factory started out from his parents’ house, and, in just three years, the company has grown to 27 full-time staff members who operate from two offices in Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley, with an annual turnover of more than AU$2 million. Two years ago, Blair took the learnings from Search Factory andRead More
Britain’s export credit agency targets small business as banks retreat
As more British companies begin to look overseas to tap new markets, the pressure is on George Osborne, the Chancellor, who has set a target to double the value of exports to £1 trillion by 2020, to provide greater financial support to businesses selling abroad. Traditionally, British companies were able to draw upon the financial clout of the City and the nation’s banks to help underwrite overseas projects and exports with letters of credit. But sinceRead More
How To Use A Customer Database to Grow Your Business
Ramon Ray, editor of Smallbiztechnology.com recently sat down with Ashley Meyers of the Wells Fargo Business Insight series to discuss the importance of using a customer database to grow your business. During this live audio interview, Ramon discusses four ways every small business can use a customer database to grow their business, along with tips on what types of information you should be collecting and strategic ways to use that information to convert one time customersRead More
Citrix Acquires and bought E-Signature Company RightSignature
Citrix has acquired RightSignature, an e-signature company. RightSignature is an online software platform for getting digital signatures on electronic documents such as contracts. The move makes sense for Citrix, because its ShareFile application consists of cloud file sharing and document storage. RightSignature integrates with Citrix ShareFile. By adding an electronic signature capability, it means that those using file sharing and storage in the cloud can go paperless even for the types of documents that need signatures. A company statement explains:Read More