I’ve had a wonderful morning although the two teenagers are home studying for their exams this week so I’ve had to share the computer today (my laptop died about a month ago and my second computer is now dead.. time for a new one). Anyhow, I just wanted to share these awesome free business resources with you. 🙂 East Tech, this software is normally $49 but is free until Jan 31st, 2010 – it Securely and permanently erases unwanted data. http://tinyurl.com/yzy5ajb Quick Books Simple Start: http://tinyurl.com/4junwp Photoshop Alternative (free download): http://www.gimp.org/downloads Data Recovery if your Computer Crashes (like mine did…

There’s not a whole lot of point speaking to people who don’t want to speak to you. If you are involved in advertising in daily newspapers, general interest publications, direct mail to diverse mailing lists or even billboards, you are probably wasting a good percentage of your advertising dollar. Unless you’re overall goal is awareness, then this is a luxury best avoided. A better more lucrative approach would be to begin building niche lists. Niches are finely tuned special interest groups of like minded people. Examples of niches would be Harley owners, runners, trekkies, knitters and new moms to mention…

Very few people understand the tremendous value in their list. Very few people get that. They think they do, but they really don’t. They see it primarily as a list of “potential customers”. Your list is so much more than that. It’s an entity of its own. It’s a machine that just needs you to treat it appropriately and set it into motion. There are many, many ways to make money from a list without sacrificing your integrity or the well-being of your subscribers. Every Subscriber Counts You’ve heard the term that the money is in the list. However, many…

The first month of our Small Spark Contest will focus on your ezine (newsletter) for your subscribers and your customers. Due to some recent events happening right now in the industry I need to add this information along with what I already have planned. The Small Spark Contest will begin February 1st, 2010. But since we’re getting ready to talk about email marketing for the first topic of the contest I wanted to give you some ideas on how to come up with good topics for your ezine. Ezines are a great way to keep in contact with your opt-in…

Before we get into our very first Small Spark Challenge I’d like to talk to you about procrastination. Plain and simple, it sucks. One of the biggest challenges to being self-employed and owning your own business is getting over time management procrastination. It’s just so easy when you’re the boss to let things slide until it’s an emergency and you must absolutely get the task done. Here are a few tips to get out of this habit and start being productive today, not tomorrow. Challenge yourself to something achievable but challenging. Sometimes we procrastinate because the task seems too large…

Do You Have Just ONE Small Spark? I’m inspired! Are you? Getting the word out about your business doesn’t have to be a big huge task… all you need is ONE spark to get it going and before you know it, it’s grown into something massive. I’m inspired this year to not only share some easy stuff you can do to get the word out about your business but I’m making it into a FAB contest! I’ve named it the SBB Small Spark Contest 2010. Not only will you be able to develop your business online easily but you’ll be…

I’ve written a lot about branding small to medium size enterprises over the last several years. I’m sure that many of my readers here at Small Business Branding and my branding blog (Brand Corral) wrestle daily with what to do to strengthen their brands. Most SME’s have very little resources to spend on brand issues. Unlike large firms who have the funds to hire teams of consultants to walk them through sophisticated strategies, SME’s are essentially a do-it-yourself demographic. I scratch out my living by selling a few hours consultation to small businesses to get them moving in the right…

This year I know is going to be a GREAT year! I absolutely love reading certain blogs and the New Year’s messages that they bring.  I’d like to share with you a few posts that I’ve been enjoying myself over the last couple of days… Yaro Starak – Did You Focus on What You Really Wanted? Lynette Chandler – Best Tech Investments of 2009 Melissa Ingold – Marketing Plan for 2010 Darren Rowse – How to Make $30,000.00 a year blogging Lynn Terry’s – Year end Note (hey she was frustrated this year too!) Alice Seba’s (Contentrix) – Five 2010…

Entrepreneurial Success = Commitment & Discipline Do you ever wonder what separates highly successful entrepreneurs from the average person?  There are a few key ingredients that are essential to attain the kind of success you’re striving for. Now you’re probably thinking this is another article about passion. It’s not. Passion is good; however, it isn’t enough. Passion has to lead to something more. Passion has to lead to action and in order to have the wherewithal to take action you need to have these two key traits: Commitment & Discipline Let’s take a look at them individually. Commitment Commitment is…

I must tell you that this post is extremely transparent into who I am, my beliefs and what the year 2009 has looked like for me and my family. This post is just as much for myself as it is for you.  This year has been a VERY challenging year for me but I know who I am and how to get through it, I just need to do what I know works and move forward. Here We Go… Personally: You know when you go through tough situations, stress does crazy…