The Small Business Web

For years, small businesses competing with big corporations have encountered many problems while trying to penetrate into the target market. The Small Business Web is helping small businesses better compete with Google's of the world. "The Small Business Web is a movement to bring together like-minded, customer-obsessed software companies to integrate our respective products and make life easier for small businesses. While there are many products available for small business owners on the Web, the approach we're taking is to use each others APIs to provide a high-level of integration between these applications and create a more seamless experience for our customers."

Business Week states, "The Small Business Web represents a fundamentally different way of doing business, where potential competitors open themselves to collaboration." Maybe collaboration is the key to your success!

Employee Loyalty

Business Week states "Many companies can't afford Humanix's approach of lending workers money directly, especially in a slump. Mitch Bolnick, CEO of security company BCD Low Voltage Systems in Phoenix, let several employees borrow from the company in the past for emergencies like car repairs. But with sales slow this year and his staff of 16 already taking pay cuts, Bolnick has held off on new loans. "This year we've had to explain to them what the situation is and why, and they understand," he says. Still, he says assisting employees when possible helps BCD build loyalty among workers: Two have told him they turned down higher-paying offers."

What does this mean to other small businesses? It doesn't mean you should start providing private loans or funds for your employees today, but to think about their needs outside the office also because, "a financially unstable worker can cost a business as much as $480 per month in lost productivity and absenteeism."

Online Advertising

Google is the number one search engine in the US with a market share of 65.0%. Yahoo has 19.6% and Microsoft has 8.4% of the market share. Since Yahoo and Microsoft don't have even 25% of the market share, many advertisers were not willing to work with them. The solution, Microhoo! CNN states, "This deal is really about scale," said Yahoo Chief Executive Carol Bartz on a conference call. "By combining the ... technology of both companies, we can create a real, viable alternative for advertisers."

What does this mean to small business owners? Additional medium to effectivey advertiser and reach your customers.

Partnership

Some of the biggest companies were started by partners; Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream (Ben and Jerry), Apple (Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak), and Google (Larry Page and Sergey Brin).

If you're thinking of starting a new business or already have started a small business but need that extra bit of support why not turn to someone your trust and ask them to be your partner.

USA Today states, "With a partner, you have someone to share the excitement and risks of running a company; someone to bounce ideas off of; to help shoulder the financial and work-load burden. Face it: starting and running a business can be a lot more fun when you're working with someone you like and respect. It's important to think through and formally structure your relationship."

Federal Minimum wage increases to $7.25

In 2007, before the recession started, Congress signed a legislation that increased the minimum wage to $5.85, followed by another increase in 2008 to $6.55, and now the final hike to $7.25. Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis says, "Between 3 million and 5 million people will be affected by the minimum wage rise from $6.55 per hour to $7.25 per hour"

If you are a small business owner, how does this affect you during this recession? According to "Robert Mayfield, who owns five Dairy Queen restaurants in central Texas, 'don't expect any increased spending to offset the added salary expenses.'"

To check exactly how much the minimum wage increased in your state, click here.

Press Release

One of the most important tools available to a small business is Press Release Distribution. Associated Content states 8 reasons why Press Releases are important including, Increases name recognition, Gain free visibility, and You will be viewed as an expert in your field. Websites such as freepressrelease.com, pr.com, and pitchengine.com allowing everyone to submit press releases that can be distributed for free. Not only is this cost effective, this is also one of the most effective Marketing tools!

Your share of the Stimulus Money

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act has almost $800 million to spend in various sectors including State Fiscal Stabilization, Transportation, Energy, Infrastructure, Education, Health care, Housing, and Other projects. MSNBC states, "If you have absolutely no experience selling to government at any level--federal, state or local--the likelihood that you'll land any significant money is minimal. "significant money", in government terms, this is seven figures and up. If you have no experience, can you still be involved? Possibly, but it will take time, effort, homework and persistence."

Whenever dealing with the government, there is always a significant amount of paper work and more red tape to cross than when you are dealing with the private sector. Click here to continue reading on detail steps on how you can get your share of the stimulus money and keep your small business going.