Entrepreneurs who are just getting their businesses going are often faced with a dilemma: On the one hand, they have too many things to do – many of which are outside of their personal skill sets. On the other hand, they cannot afford to hire full-time (or even part-time) employees to wear specific, specialized hats. If you are faced with this concern, what you may need to do is rely on freelancers to carry out specific skilled tasks. Such tasks may include Web design, programming, product design, advertising management, translation, social networking, or content writing, to name a few. To [...]

If you own a small business and are considering whether or not to accept credit cards, you may be unsure of what to do. Some believe that the fees and other hassles of doing so aren’t worthwhile while others want to cash in on this potentially lucrative form of payment acceptance. What is best for your business?
Below are some of the pros and cons of accepting credit card payments for your small business.
Pros
Access to More Customers
Seventy eight percent of Americans own at least 1 credit card. As most of these individuals likely prefer to use credit cards for at least [...]

Small business owners and operators take note: if your business could profit from a new phone system, you may be able to win new technology for your enterprise at no cost, but you’ll need to act quick. The Phone-a-saurus video contest from Toshiba ends in about a week.

 
What is the Phone-a-saurus Contest?
The Toshiba Phone-a-saurus contest is a competition sponsored by laptop and electronics maker Toshiba that’s advertised on the company’s Facebook page and other areas of the Web. The tech company is offering businesses with outdated telecom systems a chance to upgrade for free, asking competitors to send in a [...]

Small business owners looking toward the future are increasingly concerned about cutting their costs to ensure the survival of their business. In New York, thousands of small businesses have partnered with local energy providers to cut costs and save energy. This incentive provides eligible small business owners with free energy assessments and incentives of up to 70 per cent of the energy upgrade costs.
With governments and residents alike concerned for the environment, this program provides a major incentive to become more energy efficient. In the last 18 months, the program has saved 89.5 million kilowatt-hours of electricity in New York. [...]

Every conscientious person knows there are ecological benefits to owning an alternative fuel vehicle. Petroleum fuels create carbon monoxide, nitrous oxides, and particulate matter. Each of these has a harmful effect upon the environment. Alternative fuels are cleaner-burning and renewable. Over time, they have less of a negative impact upon the fragile ecosystem.
For consumers, switching to alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs) is logical. When they can afford it, they step up to a better vehicle. It gives them a well running car, and it saves them gas money. The bigger question is can small businesses profit from switching to alternative fuel [...]

 
If you don’t understand FarmVille, Foursquare and other media that relies on badges, ranking and other prizes, you’re not alone. Many companies don’t engage in social media and gamification, because they don’t see the benefits. But gamification, which means increasing customer loyalty and sales by creating a game or loyalty program around your product, is incredibly popular and effective. No wonder events like Vator Spark are teaching businesses how to get started with gamification!
Foursquare and other businesses use gamification, because it works. By tapping into people who like to be rewarded, ranked or recognized for their buying habits, these companies [...]

Smart entrepreneurs ensure they acquire business insurance, certain protection in the event customers or partners take legal action against their companies. Insurance brokers and some savvy financial advisors can counsel entrepreneurs on how much insurance they should take out on their companies. However, even the brightest insurance brokers and financial advisors cannot predict the future, knowing when business interruptions, lawsuits and accidents will occur.
Common Types of Business Insurance to Cover Financial Losses
Insurance brokers and financial advisors also don’t know how much damage companies will incur during accidents, lawsuits and business interruptions like fires, floods and tornadoes. For example, a small [...]

Card readers for mobile phones are a modern convenience many small businesses have heard about but maybe haven’t considered as a serious option due to cost constraints. Many companies offering these readers require a small business owner to sign a contract, purchase the reader and pay monthly fees and usage rates. On top of this, the phone must be a smart phone with internet capabilities. The cost and commitment to this technology might be dauting, but don’t be discouraged. Plan ahead to prepare for these costs and your business can have versatile payment options.
The Phone & Monthly Plan
Smart phones can [...]

It is clear when doing taxes and other business documents on your computer, technology is not safe and everyone is worried about it. Technology has replaced pen and pencil. Cell phones and soon sunglasses will access the internet. More and more hackers will attempt to steal information. Being a small business owner, you don`t want all your hard work going to waste. Ensure the safety of your information from Hackers.
Anti-hacking Programs
Many programs are available in stores to protect your technology and information from hackers. McAfee, Norton and others have a variety of programs designed to protect your information. Investing in [...]

During the startup phase for any business, entrepreneurs are often trying to pull off miracles with limited cash resources. In such situations, the large sums of money required for business software and software-based subscriptions can stand as a significant barrier to growth. However, most companies cannot simply do without their software. To make the most of their situations, business owners can sometimes cut their expenses by taking advantage of free software and service solutions.
Linux
Small startups often save money by setting their employees up with used or refurbished computers. This can make sense especially when employees only need them for simple [...]