Off the Ground Blog
Small Business Marketing Outlook for 2011 Is Looking Up
Check out the results of the Small Business Marketing Practices Survey to learn more. Small businesses are feeling optimistic about the economy— so much so that they’re increasing their 2011 marketing budgets. That’s the result of a new survey company, GrowBiz Media, conducted with the help of Zoomerang, a leading provider of online survey and polling tools.
SEO: Search Engine Optimization for SME
Google much? For many customers, the first stop when looking for retail business, restaurants, professional services or for nearly anything - is a search engine. The second stop? One of the top listed webpages that came back as a result of their search.
3rd & Vine or Megatropolis mall? The question of business location
Finding the ideal location for your new business can make the difference between a successful start-up with strong traffic, or an agonizing first year of hunting for customers. No - there is no secret to finding the right location to open up shop (though GIS-based location scientists might disagree), but there are a few important questions to consider before making that decision.
Copyright, trademark or patent?
Most people, if asked to explain the difference between copyright, trademarks and patents, would have a hard time coming up with a clear answer.As a business owner, however, the importance of these three areas of intellectual property makes it well worth understanding the differences between these three terms, and how each can potentially apply to your business operations.
The making of a 'Green Business'
More and more people are taking strides to reduce their ‘carbon footprint’ by switching to cleaner energy sources, recycling, lowering CO2 emissions and by reducing personal energy usage. How then, can your business go green?
Beyond 'just an idea' - what stops Canadians?
An interesting article came out a few days ago, taking a look at the main reasons why many Canadians who might have a great idea for starting their own business, may never take it to the next level by transforming that idea into a business of their own. The reasons are, in short: money, numbers and confidence.
Social Media for Small Business (Part 3 of 3): The Visuals
Looking for alternatives to expensive print and television advertising? In this third and final posting on the use of social media for small business, Youtube, Flickr and a few other media sharing websites will be covered. Before getting started, here are a few essentials you'll be needing:
Social Media for Small Business (Part 2 of 3): Networking Sites
There are numerous potentially alluring social media tools for the small business owner to try out, in hopes of marketing a new business to their community. Next up, in this three part discussion, we’ll take a look at how Facebook, Twitter and a few other networking sites can be incorporated into your business communication strategy.
Social Media for Small Business (Part 1 of 3): You Are What You Blog
There are numerous potentially alluring social media tools for the small business owner to try out, in hopes of reaching out to and connecting with a community. First up in this three part discussion, we’ll take a look at how Blogs can be incorporated into your business communication strategy. What is a blog?
Changes to EI for Self-Employed in 2010/2011
Love the idea of being your own boss, but concerned about losing your regular employment benefits? While some benefits might be lost in the transition to self-employment, thanks to changes made as part of the new 'Fairness for the Self-Employed Act', certain EI benefits previously unavailable to the self-employed will now be made available.