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Photograph by Rob Hann/ Gallery Stock
Your Small Business Questions, Answered
Send us your questions on challenges you face in your business. Journalist Karen E. Klein will interview experts and distill their insights into answers.
Recent
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Marketing
Chicken Diapers, Lending Drops, Battling Craigslist: May 2
A daily roundup of the most compelling stories about small business and entrepreneurship -
Marketing
Made in NYC: It's Not Just Artisanal Pickle Makers
Artisans handcrafting precious goodies get lots of attention in New York. A push to get shoppers to buy from less-heralded local manufacturers is under way -
Marketing
Twitter Wants Small Businesses to Buy DIY Ads
The site opens self-service ads to anyone in the U.S. to compete with Google and Facebook for Main Street ad budgets -
Advice
Marketing Secret: Think Form, not Just Function
Everything your company does sends a message to its customers, so it pays to invest in improving how products and services work and look -
Profiles
"We Buy Gold." How Shops Are Faring, Post-Gold Crash
Despite cratering prices and a clientele that sold while the selling was good, small businesses that deal in gold aren't going to disappear -
Marketing
It's Getting Harder to Make Money on YouTube
More than a million video makers have signed up for the site's ad revenue-sharing program, but ad rates have been falling -
Marketing
From Bloggers' Wrath to Foodies' Delight: Saffron Road
Adnan Durrani's brand aims to appeal to U.S. Muslims who seek halal food and to non-Muslim Whole Foods shoppers hungry for ethnic meals—or merely healthy food -
Profiles
Finding the World's 'Best' Social Entrepreneurs
B Lab releases its second annual list of standout businesses that balance profits with social missions -
Marketing
Online Sellers Experiment More With Brick-and-Mortar Shops
Online businesses are opening brick-and-mortar locations to build brand awareness and test new retail strategies -
Technology
How Small Businesses Use Big Data
Startups and small companies are finding ways to use voluminous data sets to gain insights into customers, employees, and products -
Marketing
How to Run an Effective Social Media Program
Which platforms work best? Manage them yourself or delegate? Spend time or money? As social media grows in influence, businesses need to answer these questions -
Marketing
Small Businesses Still Aren’t Spending on Online Ads
A new survey shows that despite big investments to tap into local advertising markets, Main Street isn't advertising much online -
Taxes
Tax Reform, Angels Slow Investments, Nasdaq's New Private Market: March 7
A daily roundup of the most compelling stories about small business and entrepreneurship -
Profiles
Beyond EBay: Coupon Clippers Grab Online Deals to Resell Overseas
A growing number of resellers in the U.S. are using online deals to buy coveted products at steep discounts, then flipping them in overseas markets -
Advice
A Branding Exercise for Your Business: Write a Book
Start with the title. If the process shows your business doesn’t stand for much, that'll help you improve your marketing
Read
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Marketing
It's Getting Harder to Make Money on YouTube
More than a million video makers have signed up for the site's ad revenue-sharing program, but ad rates have been falling -
Advice
How to Recruit the Best of the Class of 2013
Seven tips for small businesses competing with corporate recruiters for the most talented grads -
Smart Answers
What Your Company's Online Ad Dollars Will Buy
Unless they're already well-known brands, most companies should assume their digital campaigns' performance will be around half the average -
Profiles
A New Kind of Food Truck Makes Millions on Raw Meat
Bulk meat seller Zaycon Foods is cleaning up by cutting out the middleman—and learning to deal with local health departments -
Marketing
How to Run an Effective Social Media Program
Which platforms work best? Manage them yourself or delegate? Spend time or money? As social media grows in influence, businesses need to answer these questions -
Marketing
Millennials Want to Be Entrepreneurs. That Doesn't Always Mean Starting Businesses
A survey of about 3,200 freelancers finds most define entrepreneurship as a mindset -
Profiles
"We Buy Gold." How Shops Are Faring, Post-Gold Crash
Despite cratering prices and a clientele that sold while the selling was good, small businesses that deal in gold aren't going to disappear -
Advice
Integrated Marketing: If You Knew It, You'd Do It
The glut of places to advertise makes it easy to confuse customers with contradictory messages. Execute a strategy that integrates all your efforts -
Technology
How Small Businesses Use Big Data
Startups and small companies are finding ways to use voluminous data sets to gain insights into customers, employees, and products -
Advice
Great Product. Now, How to Sell It?
Getting a new product from the factory to store shelves can be a minefield for entrepreneurs -
Advice
Breaking Into the Energy Drink Business
First, determine how to raise the $100,000 you'll likely need to launch your product. Then evaluate whether to hire a consultant or go it alone -
Advice
Marketing Secret: Think Form, not Just Function
Everything your company does sends a message to its customers, so it pays to invest in improving how products and services work and look -
Profiles
When Designers Want Their Clothes 'Made in the USA'
New York startup Maker's Row is betting that fashion designers will use its directory to hire domestic manufacturers -
Advice
Corporate Social Responsibility: Distinction or Distraction?
Showcasing the ways your company helps society is good marketing if they are aligned with your mission—and potentially damaging if they’re not -
Advice
When Should Domain Names Match Company Names?
For businesses selling to other businesses, it doesn't much matter. Even most ventures targeting consumers shouldn't sweat it in their early days
Shared
-
Advice
How to Recruit the Best of the Class of 2013
Seven tips for small businesses competing with corporate recruiters for the most talented grads -
Marketing
Millennials Want to Be Entrepreneurs. That Doesn't Always Mean Starting Businesses
A survey of about 3,200 freelancers finds most define entrepreneurship as a mindset -
Profiles
A New Kind of Food Truck Makes Millions on Raw Meat
Bulk meat seller Zaycon Foods is cleaning up by cutting out the middleman—and learning to deal with local health departments -
Smart Answers
What Your Company's Online Ad Dollars Will Buy
Unless they're already well-known brands, most companies should assume their digital campaigns' performance will be around half the average -
Marketing
How to Run an Effective Social Media Program
Which platforms work best? Manage them yourself or delegate? Spend time or money? As social media grows in influence, businesses need to answer these questions -
Marketing
It's Getting Harder to Make Money on YouTube
More than a million video makers have signed up for the site's ad revenue-sharing program, but ad rates have been falling -
Advice
Marketing Secret: Think Form, not Just Function
Everything your company does sends a message to its customers, so it pays to invest in improving how products and services work and look -
Advice
Integrated Marketing: If You Knew It, You'd Do It
The glut of places to advertise makes it easy to confuse customers with contradictory messages. Execute a strategy that integrates all your efforts -
Advice
Corporate Social Responsibility: Distinction or Distraction?
Showcasing the ways your company helps society is good marketing if they are aligned with your mission—and potentially damaging if they’re not -
Marketing
Twitter Wants Small Businesses to Buy DIY Ads
The site opens self-service ads to anyone in the U.S. to compete with Google and Facebook for Main Street ad budgets -
Profiles
Can a Margarita in a Pouch Weather Bud's Margarita in a Can?
The New Orleans maker of Cordina Mar-GO-rita enjoyed a startup fairy tale. Then Anheuser-Busch launched Bud Light Lime Lime-A-Rita -
Technology
How Small Businesses Use Big Data
Startups and small companies are finding ways to use voluminous data sets to gain insights into customers, employees, and products -
Marketing
Online Sellers Experiment More With Brick-and-Mortar Shops
Online businesses are opening brick-and-mortar locations to build brand awareness and test new retail strategies -
Marketing
Made in NYC: It's Not Just Artisanal Pickle Makers
Artisans handcrafting precious goodies get lots of attention in New York. A push to get shoppers to buy from less-heralded local manufacturers is under way -
Advice
Breaking Into the Energy Drink Business
First, determine how to raise the $100,000 you'll likely need to launch your product. Then evaluate whether to hire a consultant or go it alone
Discussed
-
Marketing
It's Getting Harder to Make Money on YouTube
More than a million video makers have signed up for the site's ad revenue-sharing program, but ad rates have been falling -
Profiles
A New Kind of Food Truck Makes Millions on Raw Meat
Bulk meat seller Zaycon Foods is cleaning up by cutting out the middleman—and learning to deal with local health departments -
Marketing
Millennials Want to Be Entrepreneurs. That Doesn't Always Mean Starting Businesses
A survey of about 3,200 freelancers finds most define entrepreneurship as a mindset -
Advice
How to Recruit the Best of the Class of 2013
Seven tips for small businesses competing with corporate recruiters for the most talented grads -
Advice
Sell More Online This Holiday Season
Experts are pushing small retailers to ready their websites now to capture more online sales during the holidays -
Advice
Small Business and Daily Deals: The Affair Is Over
A majority of small merchants are disenchanted with the online coupons -
Advice
Integrated Marketing: If You Knew It, You'd Do It
The glut of places to advertise makes it easy to confuse customers with contradictory messages. Execute a strategy that integrates all your efforts -
Advice
Great Product. Now, How to Sell It?
Getting a new product from the factory to store shelves can be a minefield for entrepreneurs -
Advice
Breaking Into the Energy Drink Business
First, determine how to raise the $100,000 you'll likely need to launch your product. Then evaluate whether to hire a consultant or go it alone -
Smart Answers
What Your Company's Online Ad Dollars Will Buy
Unless they're already well-known brands, most companies should assume their digital campaigns' performance will be around half the average -
Marketing
Small Businesses Still Aren’t Spending on Online Ads
A new survey shows that despite big investments to tap into local advertising markets, Main Street isn't advertising much online
Feed
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The agency isn’t well-known for making home loans but is likely to lend tens of millions to help the people of Moore, Okla., rebuild residences
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