Strategy, Analysis & Business Development

Referral Madness

August 14, 2008 | Small and midsize businesses can gain referrals by marketing their business to customers every step of the way. Here are the seven steps you need customers to take toward making referrals and the tools you should use to get them going.
By John Jantsch

Yelp Controversy Exposes Dark Side of Web 2.0

August 14, 2008 | Web 2.0 and user-generated content are great news for growing companies, offering them the ability to harness the wisdom of crowds and stand out even without the benefit of huge marketing budgets. But what happens when the social networks turn mean or try to take advantage of their power?
By Fredric Paul

The Smaller Business' Edge: Treating IT Right

August 12, 2008 | Newly minted IT grads are looking at higher than ever salaries from big business. Smaller businesses can't compete on the paycheck, but they can attract IT talent if they make their place of work a place employees want to remain.
By Naomi Grossman

Mind Your Blogging Manners

August 7, 2008 | Bloggers can provide your smaller business with lots of great, free buzz. But if you want to take advantage of no-cost publicity, make sure to follow the bloggers' code of conduct.
By Guy Kawasaki

Brocade's Foundry Acquisition Shakes Up Storage and Networking Markets

August 5, 2008 | "What's next?" That's the question to ask about the combination storage supplier Brocade and established network equipment vendor Foundry Networks. And what does it mean for growing businesses?
By Paul Korzeniowski

Q&A With Emerson's Jack Pouchet: A No-Brainer Approach to Conserving Power, Cutting Costs

August 4, 2008 | Every piece of equipment in your business presents an opportunity to save power and cut costs. Emerson's Jack Pouchet explains how a few simple ideas and policies can lower your electricity bills -- and help the environment.
By Naomi Grossman

Filtering the Hype on New Web Tools

August 1, 2008 | It pays for small and midsize businesses to employ best practices -- and keep customers in mind -- before implementing the latest Web technologies.
By Peter Alexander, Courtesy of Cisco

Q&A With Gene Marks: Collaboration Tools Boost the Bottom Line

July 28, 2008 | Small business consulting expert Gene Marks spoke to bMighty about the myriad of collaboration tools that have helped small and midsize businesses cut costs and improve efficiencies -- including his own, which now has 10 employees and no office space.
By Naomi Grossman

Jump In: Big Opportunities in Online Video

July 24, 2008 | Online video is what businesses want -- and will soon need -- which means big opportunities for startups. But the time to get in is now, before the market leaders emerge.
By Amanda Kooser

Mid-Market Heroes: TodaysMama's Rachael Herrscher Proves Women Can Have it All

July 23, 2008 | Rachael Herrscher is seeking work/life balance not just for herself but for the 30 employees of TodaysMama, the business she co-founded four years ago. She found what she was looking for with the help of tech tools, from smartphones to IM to collaboration. Now, TodaysMama is no longer just a business; it has become a community.
By Naomi Grossman

Strategy Matters: 6 Ways to Strategize Like Enterprises

July 15, 2008 | Effectively implementing and executing business strategy can be the difference between success and failure. By strategizing like enterprises, smaller businesses can meet their objectives and level the playing field.
By Nilofer Merchant, CEO of Rubicon Consulting

Q&A With Plaxo's John McCrea: The Business Value of Social Networking

July 14, 2008 | As social networks become ubiquitous, small and midsize businesses need to understand how they can exploit them to create business value. bMighty spoke with Plaxo's John McCrea to learn why smaller businesses need to get into social media now, how to do it, and what's about to change.
By Naomi Grossman

Q&A With Hank Marquis: Defining IT Services to Ensure Business Success

July 7, 2008 | Business success is no longer just about what tech tools you have; now success is all about how your business uses those tech tools -- and a business' IT department holds that key. Enterprise Management Associates' Hank Marquis explains to bMighty how a smaller business can unlock the potential buried within IT by learning how to work effectively with the IT department.
By Naomi Grossman

Closing the Gap with Larger Competitors

July 3, 2008 | A converged network allows small and midsize businesses to regain their edge over their larger competitors and once again get closer to their customers
By Doug Dennerline, Courtesy of Cisco

Strategy Matters: 5 Reasons Why Strategy Fails

July 2, 2008 | Following best practices can help drive a successful business strategy, but understanding what the "worst" practices are is just as important. Here are five reasons strategy fails in small businesses, in midsize businesses, and in large enterprises
By Nilofer Merchant, CEO of Rubicon Consulting

Web 2.0 Tactics for Business Success

June 27, 2008  | If small and midsize businesses knew how to harness the incredible power of Web 2.0, they could truly level the playing field. TechWeb's Jennifer Pahlka explains how smaller businesses can get started with Web 2.0 and which tools will help them succeed
Courtesy of Cisco Systems

Web site Design That Works: Helping the Designer Help You

June 27, 2008 | The perfect Web site designer might not be in the perfect location, but these tips will help you span the distance between you and the designer to produce a Web site that works for your smaller business
By Amanda Kooser

Web 2.0 Tactics for Business Success

June 27, 2008 | If small and midsize businesses knew how to harness the incredible power of Web 2.0, they could truly level the playing field. TechWeb's Jennifer Pahlka explains how smaller businesses can get started with Web 2.0 and which tools will help them succeed
By Naomi Grossman, Courtesy of Cisco

Strategy Matters: 9 Ways to Develop Team Motivation

June 19, 2008 | When the ancient Greeks invaded, they burned their ships so there was no choice but to move forward. By "burning the boat" on your next initiative, you can motivate your employees to contribute to the objective and help your business succeed.
By Nilofer Merchant, CEO of Rubicon Consulting

Time Management: 5 Rules for Managing the Monkeys on Your Back

June 17, 2008 | Leaders and managers in smaller businesses struggle to make do with scarce resources. It's a condition of being smaller, but the one resource that smaller businesses have in exactly the same amount as large enterprises is time. Having the same quantity doesn't make it any easier to manage.
By Mike Bohlmann

CEO Cheat Sheet: The Benefits of Collaboration Tools

June 6, 2008 | Smaller businesses can simplify processes and enhance relationships using collaboration tools. MIT Professor Erik Brynjolfsson explains how and looks at the technologies improving these tools
By Naomi Grossman, Courtesy of Cisco

Strategy Matters: Smaller Businesses Move Quickly to Strategic Alignment

June 5, 2008 | Even seasoned business leaders struggle to put strategy into action, focusing on the "what" at the expense of the "how." Because smaller businesses have more visibility into the interdependencies, conflicts, resources, and deliverables that often hobble larger organizations, they can move more nimbly to put strategy into action.
By Nilofer Merchant, CEO of Rubicon Consulting

Smaller Businesses Get Sold on eBay

June 5, 2008 | eBay is one of the few ways that anyone can launch a smaller business in minutes. With hundreds of resources at your fingertips, starting a business on eBay can be fast, easy, and nearly investment free. Here are nine steps to get you started
By Marcia Layton Turner

Emergency Preparedness for Smaller Businesses: How Good is Your Plan?

May 29, 2008 | With tornadoes tearing across America's Midwest, the deadly Myanmar cyclone, and China still reeling from the recent earthquake and continuing aftershocks, now is a time to consider emergency preparedness. And though most companies have formal, written emergency plans, few know for sure those plans will work when disaster strikes
By Paul Korzeniowski

Midmarket Heroes: A Rocker Girl's Journey to Tech CEO

May 27, 2008 | Cyndee Sugra took a chance developing technology that no one else wanted. That leap of faith paved the way for her evolution from indie rock musician to CEO of a tech development and design firm. Now she's singing all the way to the bank
By Naomi Grossman