| The Deadly Sins Of Online Marketing Posted: 29 May 2012 04:30 AM PDT 
How you market your business will determine just how many customers you can potentially pull in. Business Insider has a list of 7 deadly marketing sins you do not want to commit: 1.) Not Tracking Your Online Advertising 2.) Not Locally Targeting Your Online Marketing 3.) Not Claiming Your Google Place Page 4.) Failing to Optimize Your Landing Page for Conversions 5.) Not Training Staff on Lead Handling 6.) Poor Customer Service 7.) Letting Your Online Reputation Go Unchecked
Photo by Rex Dingler 
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| The Company That Can’t Find Employees Posted: 29 May 2012 04:00 AM PDT 
We often hear about good people unable to find work. What about the companies who are hiring but cannot find good employees? The Washington Post shares one of those stories. We've been in business for 25 years. Our customers range from the Fortune Global 500 to small business — and business is good. That's why we decided to add one or two additional staff. Who knew it would be this hard? We've tried everything: ads online, LinkedIn, Facebook, professional organizations, college placement offices. Here's an interesting fact. Within a 70 mile radius of our office there are more than 20 colleges and universities with communications programs. However, we've had very few inquiries about openings. So where have all the graduates gone? I am not sure. One recent graduate looked promising so we hired him. After 60 days, he sauntered into my office and announced he was moving back home. The job was just too hard. That's why they call it work. This experience cost us dearly. We wasted time interviewing him. We wasted money moving him. We wasted effort on training. The cost of hiring the wrong person is significant. So it's important to get it right for both the employer and the potential employee. There is no doubt that the job market is challenging but job seekers need to take initiative and market their talents and skills.
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| Kisstixx Wins SBA Small Biz Week Contest Posted: 29 May 2012 03:30 AM PDT 
Utah Pulse: Utah Valley University business student entrepreneurs Dallas Robinson and Mike Buonomo, who started their growing lip-balm company Kisstixx with a small business loan, shared their story in a video for the National Small Business Week Video Contest and were one of the four winners selected by the U.S. Small Business Administration. As featured in their contest video, it all started with a $50,000 small business loan and support from the University, including mentoring from Woodbury School of Business faculty, the Entrepreneurship Institute, the Small Business Development Center and fellow UVU students, who helped create Kisstixx's logo, packaging and initial website. After securing a $200,000 investment from media mogul and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban on the popular TV show "Shark Tank" in March, the company has been concentrating on developing international markets for its innovative lip balm, which includes two sticks of complementary flavors that mix and react when two people kiss.
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| SBA Seeking Older Entrepreneurs Posted: 28 May 2012 10:30 PM PDT 
Orlando Sentinel: The U.S. Small Business Administration and AARP are reaching out to a new group of potential business owners that they call “encore entrepreneurs” — those who are older than 50 and want to start or expand a small business. The federal agency and the age-50-plus organization have formed an alliance to provide counseling and training for older entrepreneurs, with plans to develop a customized online course, a self assessment and a webinar series. “No matter what your age, if you have an idea or a business that’s ready to move to the next level, the SBA wants to make sure you have access to the tools you need to start and grow,” SBA Administrator Karen Mills said in a prepared statement. “We know that working side-by-side with AARP, we will be able to reach baby boomers and Americans over the age of 50 who have years of professional experience working for others and are ideally positioned to step out and become their own boss.”
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