Entrepreneur – Keep Up With The Web

5 Essential Apps for Entrepreneurs

Keep Your Business Nimble and Innovative with these Tools

More than almost anyone else, entrepreneurs have to be quick; you have to be able to seize opportunities while they last, adopt innovative practices, and stay aware of the competition in a way that long-established businesses don’t. With that in mind, your smartphone can be one of the most effective productivity tools at your disposal, keeping you connected to the needs of your business wherever you go. Here are some of the essentials.

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End of the Year Recap – a Time to Reflect

As 2011 comes to an end, I want to thank everyone who has taken the time from their busy lives to help make Keep Up With the Web a place where we can all learn from each other. I truly appreciate the conversations that we’ve had and I look forward to continuing to help each other grow our businesses, engage our readers and website visitors and reach our individual goals.

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Could Your Business Survive if Something Happened to You?

Are you a business owner or entrepreneur? Do you have a business plan? Have you documented your processes and procedures? How about backups and a disaster recovery plan? Even if you’re a one-person shop operating out of a home office, these are issues that anyone who is running a business (either brick and mortar or online) needs to address. Because, what if something did happen to you and you needed someone to step in and run your business for you?

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As a Sole Proprietor or Entrepreneur Where Do You Turn for Support?

Not too long ago, I wrote a post about low-cost resources that small business owners and entrepreneurs can access. I mentioned the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), the Small Business Development Centers (SBDC) and universities. My article started an interesting conversation in the comment section and lots of readers had their own suggestions. These are all great resources but what if you run into an issue and need help today? Do you have a built-in support system? Do you have a go-to person that you can shoot a quick email to and ask for suggestions?

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Have You Been Innovative Today?

As small business owners and entrepreneurs, it’s easy to continue on day-to-day doing what is working now. We track what we’re doing, eliminate what’s not working and follow ideas from other businesses. I personally spend a lot of time reading other blogs, following tutorials and implementing tested and proven strategies. When was the last time I was truly innovative? When did I go with my gut and implement a change to my business based on my own original thought processes and gut instinct? When did you?

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6 Reasons to NOT Build a Website

Need a blog? Need a website? Why? What are you planning to do with it? Are you selling something? Do you hope to make money through affiliate programs or Google AdSense ads? Do you have an existing business and need an online presence? Building a website should be done strategically – (unless you have time and money to “burn”). If you’re serious about your business or being an entrepreneur, you need to think and act strategically.

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Low Cost Resources Small Business Owners and Entrepreneurs Can Access

Feeling stressed out? Overwhelmed with everything you have to do? As a small business owner or entrepreneur, you may reach a point where you need help juggling all those balls. Sometimes the decision is easy – simply outsource the task to a professional. However, if you find yourself strapped for cash, an option that you may want to consider is researching to see if there are any government funded resources available to you. Here in the United States, the government has resources available to businesses including free consulting and other services to assist small businesses. (I always refer to them as my tax dollars at work.)

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Guest Post: 5 Tips for Juggling Blogging and Office Work by James Adams

The popularity of blogging is increasing every day, as more and more people realize that it has a powerful earning potential and also allows them to express themselves to a large audience. However, it can be difficult to begin a blog when you’re already balancing work, family, and other life commitments. How do you find the time to add one more activity to your list? It’s important to consider what you want to get out of blogging and how much you’re willing to put into it. Here are five tips for juggling blogging and office work. Continue reading “Guest Post: 5 Tips for Juggling Blogging and Office Work by James Adams”

Differentiate your Website From Your Competitors with Live Help

How can an entrepreneur or small business owner differentiate their product/service from everyone else’s? After you define your niche target customer and identify your marketing message, what else can you do to stand out from the thousands (maybe hundreds of thousands) of websites that are offering a similar product or service? We all know that you should offer your potential customers and clients multiple ways to contact you. You can provide a contact form, an 800# and your basic contact info for customers who want to call, email, fax or even send you snail mail.. What if you could easily offer your customers a way to chat with you online? Online-help may be the perfect customer service tool to help you keep your customers and clients on your website long enough to answer your call to action. Why not try it? It’s free (or $20 to have the software professionally installed).

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