Franchises can be a great way to get started running your own business, without risking as much as you would with a typical small business startup.
A franchise is an agreement allowing the franchisor to market itself as a trademarked business. They pay a premium for this privilege, but in exchange they receive assistance to help [...]

The cost of hiring a permanent member of staff to deal with administrative dutiies is often far more than most small businesses can afford.
It is likely that you will almost end up paying their salary twice. Not only will you have to deal with payroll taxes, insurance and benefits but you will also for their [...]

Websites are now more popular than brochures for small businesses that want to showcase their products and services to the world.
They are an excellent tool for promotion and cost a lot less than manufacturing a glossy brochure. You can also reach a global audience, something that would have previously been unlikely or cost a lot [...]

Despite what some people might say, not every small businesses requires Accounting Software.
Because the majority of small businesses will only make a few transactions each month, they often choose to simply keep a record of them using a handwritten notebook or something similar. Although this suits them, it is far from ideal and can lead [...]

Social media is a great marketing tool, especially for small businesses on a bootstrap budget, but without a coherent plan in place then you will not gain much benefit.
Although many small businesses now have an online presence, not all of them have a presence on social media yet. But if you are aren’t [...]

It is a certainty that your small business will face problems at some stage. Planning is essential to help you overcome these problems whenever they occur.
Without a plan to give it direction, a start-up business is unlikely to survive very long. You need to be well prepared to cope with problems such as a lack [...]

Every business, regardless of its size, has a brand.
Good branding is a great way of attracting and retaining customers. Branding helps your business become well-known. A brand is a lot like a personality, you might even regard it as the personality of your business.
With this in mind, consider whether your brand is regarded as [...]

strong>Everyone loves “free” services. Especially for small businesses, the opportunity to stretch a tight budget even further by using a free piece of software is much appreciated.
But in the last few weeks a lot of people have had a wake-up call that free is not always the sensible option when it comes to business.
When the [...]