Selling to Small Businesses

The ADP Small Business Report shows that the job losses among small businesses were steep during December 2008.  Small businesses lost 281.000 jobs during December.  Note that small businesses have not lost as many jobs as larger companies. As the above chart shows, in December some 693,000 jobs were lost at all company sizes.  Roughly 60% of the [...]

You have to watch this video to get an idea of the gulf in attitudes between American and European entrepreneurs.  The world may be flattening, but not everyone in Silicon Valley has heard the news. It’s a panel discussion that took place at a Paris Web conference called LeWeb.  As a panel discussion it’s a complete train wreck — [...]

Do you know the four information preferences of B2B decision-makers? If you don’t, you should.  Bryan Eisenberg writes in an article at ClickZ that business decision-makers fall into one of four preference categories: methodical, spontaneous, humanistic or competitive.  Most people favor one of these decision-making styles.  Depending on the style of decision maker you are trying to reach, [...]

What do startups and young small businesses want from their banks and credit unions?  It’s not just friendly service (although that helps a lot!). Today’s startups and early-stage small businesses want a helping hand to make banking as inexpensive and as easy as possible in the early years.  The early years are when they can least [...]

Ah, that annual dilemma: how much do you tip all the service providers that serve you throughout the year?  Many of those service providers are self-employed small business people. CNNMoney has the answers, in a comprehensive article, The ultimate holiday tipping guide. Over at Business Know How, they’ve compiled a Holiday Tipping Guide for Small Business Owners — focusing [...]

There’s a good book out called Fool’s Gold that gives a snapshot of the typical angel investor. The book also describes the kinds of businesses that angels invest in (along with characteristics and demographics of the entrepreneurs / business owners that run them). The book, by Professor Scott Shane, debunks a lot of myths about [...]