Small Business Trends Radio | Small Business Information

While a student at Princeton University, Tom had a vision. What if you took waste such as plastic soda bottles, saved them from landfills and reused them? He answered his own question when he left Princeton in 2002 to follow his dream and TerraCycle, affectionately referred to as the worm poop company, was born. Tom Szaky, Founder of TerraCycle, is our featured guest in this Episode of The Small Business Trends Radio. Tom will share some the tips and strategies he used to turn garbage into gold. Here s a sampling from the show: Upcycling programs drive the creative force behind Tom s company. Collection system chains are in place for collecting waste products such as wine bottle corks, Oreo wrappers, Capri Sun wrappers, plastic bottles and more. These items will then be reused, in their original form, and recycled into new products for distribution into the market. A small business or entrepreneur should not be intimidated by large retailers. Tom s first two orders were placed by WalMart and Home Depot. The competition to drive your prices down will only be felt if you have others with similar offerings to compete with. But if your product is truly unique, you ll stand alone. The majority of the American public shops at these large retailers and your presence there is important. Do not fear rejection because you can only gain from the experience. If you re told no, you loose nothing because you didn t have it anyway. Never fear! Bootstrapping was used to build TerraCycle. But angel investors, private wealthy men and women willing to invest funds, will give you much more freedom than other options would. Would you like to learn more about building and conducting an eco-friendly business? You can do so by listening to Tom s full interview by clicking the red and yellow player below. Brought to you by our sponsor: Infusionsoft.com

Do you have a question for our upcoming radio show guest? Cathy Siciliano, Senior Director of Marketing at Elance, is joining us on Small Business Trends Radio on Tuesday, September 2nd at 1:30PM EST to share tips on the best practices for working with an outside freelancer or consultant. From defining the project scope to finding the right person all the way to setting up the engagement and managing the work. If you have a question for Cathy, we ll try to present it to her during the live show. The deadline for your questions is Monday, September 1st at noon Eastern time. Ask away below in the comments section!

Many aspiring entrepreneurs and business owners have suffered a setback or two. And many more have made failed attempts at entrepreneurship altogether. Some go on to try again while others feel defeated. Many of you have heard that old saying, “That which does not kill you, only makes you stronger.” There s definitely some truth to that - even when it comes to business. Barry Moltz, Entrepreneur, Author and Motivational Speaker, is our featured guest in this Episode of The Small Business Trends Radio. Barry explains how to thrive through the cycle of success and failure and he ll show you how to gain the skill of true business confidence that determines which of us succeed in the long run. Here s a sampling from the show: When a failure takes place you may be temporarily paralyzed - but you have to bounce back. Taking action, moving in a different direction and making money is one way to do that. The more actions taken to get to a new place, the more success you ll have overcoming it. Allow yourself an ample amount of time to recover from the setback, then make a conscious decision to pull yourself out of it and begin to take action. Take control of your thoughts and develop skills to take charge of how you re feeling by being action oriented and using mentors and friends to lean on and encourage you. Downsize your dreams and strive for achievement by learning to focus on one task at a time. Multi-tasking doesn t grant much productivity and setting interim goals will help you achieve your grand vision faster and define the path to reach it more clearly - one step at a time. As humans, we all make mistakes and failures. Steve, our show s co-host, gave a good example of that during the show when he pointed out that even as infants, we all fail at our first footsteps before finally getting it right. So are you ready to begin to successfully overcome a failure and/or prepare yourself for the next one? You can find a review of Barry s new book Bounce here and listen to his full interview by clicking the red and yellow player below. Brought to you by our sponsor: Infusionsoft.com

Many aspiring entrepreneurs and business owners have suffered a setback or two. And many more have made failed attempts at entrepreneurship altogether. Some go on to try again while others feel defeated. Many of you have heard that old saying, “That which does not kill you, only makes you stronger.” There s definitely some truth to that - even when it comes to business. Barry Moltz, Entrepreneur, Author and Motivational Speaker, is our featured guest in this Episode of The Small Business Trends Radio. Barry explains how to thrive through the cycle of success and failure and he ll show you how to gain the skill of true business confidence that determines which of us succeed in the long run. Here s a sampling from the show: When a failure takes place you may be temporarily paralyzed - but you have to bounce back. Taking action, moving in a different direction and making money is one way to do that. The more actions taken to get to a new place, the more success you ll have overcoming it. Allow yourself an ample amount of time to recover from the setback, then make a conscious decision to pull yourself out of it and begin to take action. Take control of your thoughts and develop skills to take charge of how you re feeling by being action oriented and using mentors and friends to lean on and encourage you. Downsize your dreams and strive for achievement by learning to focus on one task at a time. Multi-tasking doesn t grant much productivity and setting interim goals will help you achieve your grand vision faster and define the path to reach it more clearly - one step at a time. As humans, we all make mistakes and failures. Steve, our show s co-host, gave a good example of that during the show when he pointed out that even as infants, we all fail at our first footsteps before finally getting it right. So are you ready to begin to successfully overcome a failure and/or prepare yourself for the next one? You can find a review of Barry s new book Bounce here and listen to his full interview by clicking the red and yellow player below. Brought to you by our sponsor: Infusionsoft.com

Do you have a question for our upcoming radio show guest? Tom Szaky, Founder of TerraCycle, is joining us on Small Business Trends Radio on Tuesday, August 26th at 1:30PM EST to discuss how he took waste such as plastic soda bottles, saved them from landfills and reused them to package his product. And what s his product you ask? It s organic fertilizer or worm poo to be exact. In addition to various other green products such as backpacks, lunch boxes and homework folders made from recycled Capri Sun pouches, organic cleaners and lawn care products. If you have a question for Tom, we ll try to present it to him during the live show. The deadline for your questions is Monday, August 25th at noon Eastern time. Ask away below in the comments section!

Do you have a question for our upcoming radio show guest? Tom Szaky, Founder of TerraCycle, is joining us on Small Business Trends Radio on Tuesday, August 26th at 1:30PM EST to discuss how he took waste such as plastic soda bottles, saved them from landfills and reused them to package his product. And what s his product you ask? It s organic fertilizer or worm poo to be exact. In addition to various other green products such as backpacks, lunch boxes and homework folders made from recycled Capri Sun pouches, organic cleaners and lawn care products. If you have a question for Tom, we ll try to present it to him during the live show. The deadline for your questions is Monday, August 25th at noon Eastern time. Ask away below in the comments section!

Holding a design contest to get your new logo created can be very different than using a conventional design firm. Some of the one on one interaction of working with an individual designer is sometimes sacrificed for the variety you receive with a design contest. George Ryan, Founder of eLogoContest, is our featured guest in this Episode of The Small Business Trends Radio. George outlines the differences between the two and explains how to run a successful design contest. Here s a sampling from the show: A logo contest has many benefits but the biggest is options. When using a design firm, you are usually limited to one or two designers providing several submissions to review. Running a logo contest yields results from over 600 worldwide designers offering a slew of different submissions. It s much nicer to receive 50 submissions vs. the handful that a design firm would submit. Affordability is another benefit. A successful contest can be run for as little as $100. For small businesses it s important to respond to every entry submitted to your contest. Encouragement for the designer s creativity and your involvement in your own contest is important to see. Benefits for the designers include the experience gained, valuable feedback and additions to their portfolio. They also have the ability to earn income without first having a large portfolio or years of experience. When chosen, the designer is then placed in direct contact with the client to offer a broader range of services to them. The length of time it takes to run a logo contest vs. a design firm depends on the client. Most are run for 10 days, however, many clients find a logo they love within the first two days, others are a bit choosier. Before starting your contest, put time into what your expectations are. What are the must haves within the logo design? What is the overall theme or message you re attempting to convey? Designers are not psychic - the more information you provide upfront for them - the happier you will be with their submitted designs. Ready for your new logo design? Learn how by listening to George s full interview by clicking the red and yellow player below. Brought to you by our sponsor: Infusionsoft.com

Holding a design contest to get your new logo created can be very different than using a conventional design firm. Some of the one on one interaction of working with an individual designer is sometimes sacrificed for the variety you receive with a design contest. George Ryan, Founder of eLlogoContest, is our featured guest in this Episode of The Small Business Trends Radio. George outlines the differences between the two and explains how to run a successful design contest. Here s a sampling from the show: A logo contest has many benefits but the biggest is options. When using a design firm, you are usually limited to one or two designers providing several submissions to review. Running a logo contest yields results from over 600 worldwide designers offering a slew of different submissions. It s much nicer to receive 50 submissions vs. the handful that a design firm would submit. Affordability is another benefit. A successful contest can be run for as little as $100. For small businesses it s important to respond to every entry submitted to your contest. Encouragement for the designer s creativity and your involvement in your own contest is important to see. Benefits for the designers include the experience gained, valuable feedback and additions to their portfolio. They also have the ability to earn income without first having a large portfolio or years of experience. When chosen, the designer is then placed in direct contact with the client to offer a broader range of services to them. The length of time it takes to run a logo contest vs. a design firm depends on the client. Most are run for 10 days, however, many clients find a logo they love within the first two days, others are a bit choosier. Before starting your contest, put time into what your expectations are. What are the must haves within the logo design? What is the overall theme or message you re attempting to convey? Designers are not psychic - the more information you provide upfront for them - the happier you will be with their submitted designs. Ready for your new logo design? Learn how by listening to George s full interview by clicking the red and yellow player below. Brought to you by our sponsor: Infusionsoft.com

Nowadays, with the Internet in place there are many entrepreneurs and “would be” entrepreneurs that have started – or want to start - their own business. But all too often, many of them fall prey to the common pitfalls and mistakes associated with a startup. John Holsen, Founder of BizSugar, is our featured guest in this Episode of The Small Business Trends Radio. John shares lessons he’s learned from over 17 years of helping small business owners and from starting his own business ventures and he identifies common mistakes that even experienced business owners make and offers tips to help put your business back on track. Here s a sampling from the show: Is your business going to meet needs or demands within the market? Before starting your business, you need to ask yourself that question - and answer it with a yes. This is the number one mistake many entrepreneurs make. Next, find a natural advantage through partnering, associations or uniqueness of your product to assist in receiving exposure or pre-existing client bases. Don t focus on marketing rules. These are simply guidelines that have been found to have more successful results but they are not written in stone and it s important to be flexible and test what works and what doesn t to develop a truly successful marketing strategy for your business. Don t spread yourself too thin. Many times, entrepreneurs end up viewing everything proposed to them as an opportunity. If you re going to say yes to each opportunity you encounter, make sure you have the support staff to assist you in your business and your entrepreneurial endeavors. It s better to choose your path and stick to it to remain focused. This may require saying no to things you view as potential opportunities if you do not have the staff in place to assist you. Want to learn how Bizsugar can assist you and your business? Listen to John s full interview by clicking the red and yellow player below. Brought to you by our sponsor: Infusionsoft.com

Nowadays, with the Internet in place there are many entrepreneurs and “would be” entrepreneurs that have started – or want to start - their own business. But all too often, many of them fall prey to the common pitfalls and mistakes associated with a startup. John Holsen, Founder of BizSugar, is our featured guest in this Episode of The Small Business Trends Radio. John shares lessons he’s learned from over 17 years of helping small business owners and from starting his own business ventures and he identifies common mistakes that even experienced business owners make and offers tips to help put your business back on track. Here s a sampling from the show: Is your business going to meet needs or demands within the market? Before starting your business, you need to ask yourself that question - and answer it with a yes. This is the number one mistake many entrepreneurs make. Next, find a natural advantage through partnering, associations or uniqueness of your product to assist in receiving exposure or pre-existing client bases. Don t focus on marketing rules. These are simply guidelines that have been found to have more successful results but they are not written in stone and it s important to be flexible and test what works and what doesn t to develop a truly successful marketing strategy for your business. Don t spread yourself too thin. Many times, entrepreneurs end up viewing everything proposed to them as an opportunity. If you re going to say yes to each opportunity you encounter, make sure you have the support staff to assist you in your business and your entrepreneurial endeavors. It s better to choose your path and stick to it to remain focused. This may require saying no to things you view as potential opportunities if you do not have the staff in place to assist you. Want to learn how Bizsugar can assist you and your business? Listen to John s full interview by clicking the red and yellow player below. Brought to you by our sponsor: Infusionsoft.com

There are literally dozens of traps associated with small business owners entering into negotiations with big players. But let s face it, these days there are many small business owners and entrepreneurs being approached by large companies. So how can you know when to decline entering into negotiations? How can you defeat the common negotiating strategies used by big players to win concessions from small business owners? David Wanetick, Managing Director of IncreMental Advantage, is our featured guest in this Episode of The Small Business Trends Radio. David will share tips and tactics to defeat the strategies used by the big boys against small companies to seduce them and he will explain how to successfully enter into negotiations with them. Here s a sampling from the show: Common negotiating tactics such as good cop, bad cop, limited authority and exploding offers will be used. One representative is agreeable while another is aggressive, the representative claims to not have the authority to make final decisions or the company begins to force tight deadline decisions to be made which is a sign of a large company in need - and also in a weak position. Three reasons why entrepreneurs do not make good negotiators are 1.) they are emotionally attached to their business and easily seduced 2.) they are not available to enter into lengthy negotiations that will monopolize all of their time 3.) they have full authority and do not have the benefit of input or foresight from others. Many are also likely to entertain each and every approach by a large company while sharing confidential, valuable information which can be damaging. You must safeguard your proprietary information against competitors and big boy fishing expeditions for information. Seemingly off-hand remarks during breaks can undermine your negotiating position or nix a deal. Such as stating that you were not able to bring necessary documentation because there was a recent incident with a roof leak. Put your first offer out on the table so as to maximize getting the price you want by making the initial opening offer and using the psychological tactic of anchoring. The higher the number initially spoken, the closer to it the closing price will be. Think you re ready to run with the big dogs? Ever heard of the Pygmalion effect? You can use it. Learn how by listening to David s full interview by clicking the red and yellow player below. Brought to you by our sponsor: Infusionsoft.com

There are literally dozens of traps associated with small business owners entering into negotiations with big players. But let s face it, these days there are many small business owners and entrepreneurs being approached by large companies. So how can you know when to decline entering into negotiations? How can you defeat the common negotiating strategies used by big players to win concessions from small business owners? David Wanetick, Managing Director of IncreMental Advantage, is our featured guest in this Episode of The Small Business Trends Radio. David will share tips and tactics to defeat the strategies used by the big boys against small companies to seduce them and he will explain how to successfully enter into negotiations with them. Here s a sampling from the show: Common negotiating tactics such as good cop, bad cop, limited authority and exploding offers will be used. One representative is agreeable while another is aggressive, the representative claims to not have the authority to make final decisions or the company begins to force tight deadline decisions to be made which is a sign of a large company in need - and also in a weak position. Three reasons why entrepreneurs do not make good negotiators are 1.) they are emotionally attached to their business and easily seduced 2.) they are not available to enter into lengthy negotiations that will monopolize all of their time 3.) they have full authority and do not have the benefit of input or foresight from others. Many are also likely to entertain each and every approach by a large company while sharing confidential, valuable information which can be damaging. You must safeguard your proprietary information against competitors and big boy fishing expeditions for information. Seemingly off-hand remarks during breaks can undermine your negotiating position or nix a deal. Such as stating that you were not able to bring necessary documentation because there was a recent incident with a roof leak. Put your first offer out on the table so as to maximize getting the price you want by making the initial opening offer and using the psychological tactic of anchoring. The higher the number initially spoken, the closer to it the closing price will be. Think you re ready to run with the big dogs? Ever heard of the Pygmalion effect? You can use it. Learn how by listening to David s full interview by clicking the red and yellow player below. Brought to you by our sponsors: JumpUp.com and Infusionsoft.com

When a business is facing a crisis and has to answer to the media, there is little time to react effectively. The stress created by a crisis often limits rational thinking and can lead to costly mistakes and missteps. This is why it is essential for both large and small businesses to have a crisis management plan in place. Minimizing the damage from a crisis can prevent an unfortunate incident from blowing up into a full-scale public relations nightmare. Glenn Ebersole, Chief Executive of the Renaissance Group, is our featured guest in this Episode of The Small Business Trends Radio. Glenn will share examples of successful responses and unsuccessful responses to crisis when dealing with the media. Here s a sampling from the show: Some common public relations errors that many businesses make when faced with a crisis are 1.) to not have a crisis management plan in place 2.) to not be easily accesible 3.) to fail to provide information that s easily accesible to the media and 4.) to not maintain ongoing positive relationships with reporters, editors and target media. When developing a crisis management plan be sure to select and organize a crisis management team consisting of a spokesperson, legal counsel, someone with financial and operational background and possibly outside PR counsel that are available to respond immediately. When a crisis happens, you need to know who to contact first. What can a small business do to develop relationships with the media? For starters, you can develop a media kit including a one page description of your company and a contact listed. Connect with local reporters and read what they write, send them news and press releases, send them additional pieces of interest relating to topics they ve written about previously and attend events where your local media may be present. Following the suggestions above to develop healthy relations with the media will build credibility around you and your business and, in a sense, gives you third party endorsement. Being proactive and building a positive image with them will go a long way in the midst of a crisis for a positive public relations experience. Do you have a crisis management plan in place? You can learn more by listening to Glenn s full interview by clicking the red and yellow player below. Brought to you by our sponsor: Infusionsoft.com

When a business is facing a crisis and has to answer to the media, there is little time to react effectively. The stress created by a crisis often limits rational thinking and can lead to costly mistakes and missteps. This is why it is essential for both large and small businesses to have a crisis management plan in place. Minimizing the damage from a crisis can prevent an unfortunate incident from blowing up into a full-scale public relations nightmare. Glenn Ebersole, Chief Executive of the Renaissance Group, is our featured guest in this Episode of The Small Business Trends Radio. Glenn will share examples of successful responses and unsuccessful responses to crisis when dealing with the media. Here s a sampling from the show: Some common public relations errors that many businesses make when faced with a crisis are 1.) to not have a crisis management plan in place 2.) to not be easily accesible 3.) to fail to provide information that s easily accesible to the media and 4.) to not maintain ongoing positive relationships with reporters, editors and target media. When developing a crisis management plan be sure to select and organize a crisis management team consisting of a spokesperson, legal counsel, someone with financial and operational background and possibly outside PR counsel that are available to respond immediately. When a crisis happens, you need to know who to contact first. What can a small business do to develop relationships with the media? For starters, you can develop a media kit including a one page description of your company and a contact listed. Connect with local reporters and read what they write, send them news and press releases, send them additional pieces of interest relating to topics they ve written about previously and attend events where your local media may be present. Following the suggestions above to develop healthy relations with the media will build credibility around you and your business and, in a sense, gives you third party endorsement. Being proactive and building a positive image with them will go a long way in the midst of a crisis for a positive public relations experience. Do you have a crisis management plan in place? You can learn more by listening to Glenn s full interview by clicking the red and yellow player below. Brought to you by our sponsors: JumpUp.com and Infusionsoft.com

We REALLY wanted to bring you July 15th s show, featuring Tom Szaky, Founder of TerraCycle, but unfortunatley our broadcast network, BlogTalkRadio, was experiencing a network telephone outage. Gulp! Our guest couldn’t dial in nor could our co-host, Steve Rucinski. The show s host, Anita Campbell, stalled as long as she could but . . . some things just aren’t meant to be. We are happy to announce that we have rescheduled Tom for an appearance on Tuesday, August 26th at 1:30PM EST. So be sure to join us and tune in! Brought to you by our sponsors: JumpUp.com and Infusionsoft.com

Do you have a question for our upcoming radio show guest? When a business is facing a crisis and has to answer to the media, there is little time to react effectively. The stress created by a crisis often limits rational thinking and can lead to costly mistakes and missteps. A crisis management plan is essential to avoid a full-scale public relations nightmare. Glenn Ebersole, Chief Executive of the Renaissance Group, is joining us on Small Business Trends Radio on Tuesday, July 22nd at 1:30PM EST to share examples of successful responses and unsuccessful responses to crisis when dealing with the media. If you have a question for Glenn, we ll try to present it to him during the live show. The deadline for your questions is Monday, July 21st at noon Eastern time. Ask away below in the comments section!

Engaging a prospect to convert into a client requires you to take a deeper look at your market by understanding the motivations that drive them to convert and the doubts that hinder the conversion process. As conversion rates linger in the low single digits, a potential for greater revenue is lost everyday. Khalid Saleh, Co-Founder and President of Invesp Consulting, is our featured guest in this Episode of The Small Business Trends Radio. Khalid provides basic practices and easy tips to implement on your site s landing pages to significantly increase sales and conversions. Here s a sampling from the show: The element of trust and confidence is the number one principle to consider. Does your customer feel secure enough to purchase from you or do they want to flee the scene? By showing security insignias and value proposition, in other words, by making your customer feel secure and by telling your customers why they should value your product and service more so than your competitions (i.e. discounts, affordable shipping, live customer service, etc.), you can greatly increase your conversion rates. Images and great design really pays off. Khalid had a client that offered mobile fax services and the image on their landing page was a mountain scene, meant to depict the ability to fax from anywhere. Their conversion rate at that time was 4%. When the image was changed and depicted a man in an airport with a laptop, their conversion rate jumped to 9%. Are you ready to begin converting your visitors into customers? You can learn more by listening to Khalid s full interview by clicking the red and yellow player below. Brought to you by our sponsors: JumpUp.com and Infusionsoft.com

Do you have a question for our upcoming radio show guest? Tom Szaky, Founder of TerraCycle, is joining us on Small Business Trends Radio on Tuesday, July 15th at 1:30PM EST to discuss how he took waste such as plastic soda bottles, saved them from landfills and reused them to package his product. And what s his product you ask? It s organic fertilizer or worm poo to be exact. In addition to various other green products such as backpacks, lunch boxes and homework folders made from recycled Capri Sun pouches, organic cleaners and lawn care products. If you have a question for Tom, we ll try to present it to him during the live show. The deadline for your questions is Monday, July 14th at noon Eastern time. Ask away below in the comments section!

By now many of you have heard of Twitter and some of you are probably twittering away as we speak. But there s a newcomer to the social media scene by the name of Plurk. Plurk has been likened to Twitter but overall it s a very different social media tool. One difference, in particular, is the conversational time line format which allows you the ability to start threaded conversations - or simply jump right into an already existing one. Brian Wallace, Founder of NowSourcing, is our featured guest in this Episode of The Small Business Trends Radio. Brian is an accomplished marketer and avid blogger with a wealth of experience across an IT and marketing background. Brian explains the ins and outs, the benefits and everything you need to know to get started plurking - and get you and your brand noticed on this new microblogging sensation. Here s a sampling from the show: What is Plurk? Plurk stands for a combination of people and lurk. Plurk allows for threaded conversations that are formatted in a time line display and Plurk allows you to create cliques that act as groups to follow replies and organize private conversations. Best of all, you re not limited to a specific amount of text within a small space. Increase your marketing efforts by sharing and conversing with others because those efforts will be much more successful if you participate in conversations and network with others in addition to promoting your business and your brand. Include some videos while you re at it to make things fun and interactive because Plurk is YouTube compatible. How does karma work? The more karma you receive, the higher your tier of participation. You can earn karma by receiving replies to your threads and posting replies to other threads. But be careful, Plurk recommends 30 plurks per day and also has a mute button for those plurking a bit too much. Plurk is catching on in a big way and the site seems well scaled and stable so as to not experience downtime and crashes, which is good news for all you social butterflies out there. So are you ready to start plurking? You can learn more by listening to Brian s full interview by clicking the red and yellow player below. Brought to you by our sponsors: JumpUp.com and Infusionsoft.com

Ronald Balla, Founder of The CJB Group, is our featured guest in this Episode of The Small Business Trends Radio. Several years ago, Ron was employed by a local municipality and had a brother that was employed as a police officer. Together, they had many discussions about the events happening within his brothers line of work as a law enforcement officer. It was from these very discussions that sprung forth the inspiration for Ron s invention, The Balla Base. The Balla Base is is a safety product designed to protect law enforcers and preserve evidence which will be introduced to the market in the fall of 2008. Ron shares his personal story of invention - from idea, to prototype, to field tests, to market - and everything in between. Here s a sampling from the show: Where do you begin? The first step may be different for some, but a good starting point is to contact an established patent attorney to perform a thorough search that no prior art exists. Once that is confirmed, you are free to seek a manufacturer to create a prototype. Necessity IS the mother of invention. When consumers or industry are in need of your product, the demand can be strong. So it s important to first ask yourself, Is there a need by consumers or industry for my product? If the answer to that question is yes, your chances of success are greatly increased. Is it expensive? Cost can be a factor but being prepared helps. Working out many of the small details on your own, prior to presenting your idea to a manufacturer, can save you money. The less specifics the engineers or manufacturers have to work out, the more the cost savings to you. You, too, may have a great idea that you d like to share with the world but may not be sure about what s involved or how to go about doing so. If you d like to learn more and hear Ron s story, listen to his full interview by clicking the red and yellow player below. Brought to you by our sponsors: JumpUp.com and Infusionsoft.com

Do you have a question for our upcoming radio show guest? Brian Wallace, President and Founder of NowSourcing, is joining us on Small Business Trends Radio on Tuesday, July 1st at 1:30PM EST to discuss Plurk, a new social media site. Brian will be discussing the ins and outs, the benefits of usage and everything you need to know to start plurking away in cyberspace. Plurk is a new instant messaging system that is spread out in timeline form and allows for threaded conversations that you can jump right into. If you like Twitter, chances are that you ll like Plurk, too. If you have a question about Plurk, we ll try to present it to Brian during the live show. The deadline for your questions is Monday, June 30th at noon Eastern time. Ask away below in the comments section!

Do you have a question for our upcoming radio show guest? Ronald Balla, Founder of The CJB Group is joining us on Small Business Trends Radio on Tuesday, June 24th at 1:30PM EST. Ron has invented a very interesting product. He will share his insights and lessons about inventing his product and bringing it to market from idea, to prototype, to field tests, to market and everything in between. His invention is The Balla Base, a safety product designed to protect law enforcers and preserve evidence, which will be introduced to the market in the fall of 2008. Basically, the Balla Base is mounted on the trunk of a police cruiser and provides a place to preserve evidence and other features. If you have a question about the Balla Base or about inventions in general, such as how to get a prototype developed or how to get your invention into the market, please leave a question below. We ll try to present your questions of Ron. The deadline for your questions is Monday, June 23 at noon Eastern time. Ask away below in the comments section!

Each day, many of us are in the trenches busily creating, innovating, and marketing our entrepreneurial ideas. There s so much to do and so much to focus on. As a result, things tend to slip through the cracks and where most companies and owners drop the ball is pricing. Lack of focus results in “quick fix” prices created by marking up costs, matching competitors, and following the that’s the way we always do it frame of logic. Rafi Mohammed Ph.D., Founder of Pricing For Profit and author of The Art of Pricing, is our featured guest in this Episode of The Small Business Trends Radio. Rafi shows you how to create and implement the right pricing strategies for your products and services. Here s a sampling from the show: Pricing is the way that you re compensated for the work and the value that you create for your customers and a purchase is the customers way of saying, We ve looked everywhere and the best value came from you. It s all about options let customers self-select which pricing option is best for them and they will always say yes by allowing them to choose. It s a simple pricing strategy that can add a lot of money to your bottom line. Capture the value of your product or service and always remember that different customers have different ideas of value. Set a value based price by capturing premiums from those willing to pay a bit more. Offer them additional benefits for their money and offer those only willing to pay less a price reduction. That way, those willing to pay more get a bit more for their money and those who may not have purchased otherwise, are enticed to do so. This is an example of different value pricing for the same type of product or service. With Rafi’s pricing for profit and growth insights, you’ll be ready to start uncovering your hidden profits immediately after the show. To do so, click the red and yellow player below and listen to his full interview. Brought to you by our sponsors: JumpUp.com and Infusionsoft.com

I once read a story about a gentleman whose business was hit by a recession. His contracts dried up and he began using credit cards to keep his business afloat. Ultimately, he racked up some $85,000 in debt. But then he made a gutsy move for a company in financial distress and hired an employee which freed him up to pursue more contracts. He now has 4 additional employees and has satisfied the debt accrued during that time. His recession strategy was a risk, but it was one that paid off. David Rudofsky, Founder of Rudofsky Associates is our featured guest in this Episode of The Small Business Trends Radio. David is in his fifth year advising small businesses on financial strategy and he shares his insights on the best strategies to survive during a U.S. recession. Here s a sampling of topics discussed: If consumers are leery to spend it s a good indicator of a U.S. recession. Because here in the United States, it s the consumers that drive 70% of the economy. A much different figure than in other countries. Internet sales are likely to see a significant increase due to rising fuel costs and a desire by consumers to consolidate excess travel spending. If you want your small business to survive, an Internet presence is a must in times like these. Grow your business through acquisition because savvy business owners realize that a recession is a good time to acquire property and assets at very reasonable prices. Your investment is likely to increase and your business can benefit from the growth and expansion. Hear all of David s insights and strategies to survive a recession by clicking the red and yellow player below and listening to his full interview. Brought to you by our sponsors: JumpUp.com and Infusionsoft.com

In a court deposition, J.P. Morgan said, Millionaires don’t have astrologers, billionaires do. And Donald Reagan, former U.S. Secretary of Treasury, was quoted saying, It s common knowledge that a large percentage of Wall Street brokers use astrology. Those familiar with astrology realize that it s the study of cycles - and business follows cycles. Increasing numbers of businessmen and women all over the world rely on understanding planetary cycles to better understand the rhythms of business. Renowned astrologer, Rick Levine, Founder of StarIQ and astrologer for Tarot.com, is our featured guest in this Episode of The Small Business Trends Radio. Rick is the co-author of Barnes and Noble s yearly “Your Astrology Guides” and his Tarot.com daily horoscope column is delivered to millions of readers on AOL, Google, MySpace and Netscape to name a few. Rick discusses the many uses of astrology in business. Here s a sampling of topics discussed: Astrology has made quite an impact on Wall Street. Today, there are many Wall Street traders using astrological software to study the cycles here on earth in relation to known planetary cycles within the heavens - and with amazing correlations. Astrology has a severe public relations problem and many of us don t realize that we ALL use astrology in one form or another. For instance, when using a calendar. There are seven days of the week, each named for one of the planets - Sun day, Moon day, Saturn day - derived from Latin names. Months is derived from moonths, the cycle of the moon revolving around the earth. Seasons are based on the mercury cycle as this planet travels around the sun 4 times a year, thus the 4 seasons. The economy follows a 20 year cycle - ten of expansion and ten of contraction. Most investors know these cycles, but many people don t realize that these are known planetary cycles - very regular rhythms. Jupiter (growth and expansion - optimism) and Saturn (restriction - pessimism) align every 20 years from earth s point of view. Investors who recognize this cycle time their investments more specifically through the assistance of astrology. Ocean tides are an example of planetary energy effects here on earth and were once considered magic. But science soon discovered the correlation between the moons cycle and the effects here on earth. It was then that early sailors were able to accurately predict the tides for safer travel. A wise sailor wouldn t paddle out to sea during incoming tides and gained the knowledge of the correct time to easily do so through the use of astrology. Astrology is less about making predictions about specific events than it is about giving you a lay of the land - proper timing. By following the cycles of business, astrology can work for us in similar ways by being used as a tool to help you to work with the tides, instead of against them. You can learn more about the use of astrology in business by clicking the red and yellow player below and listening to Rick s full interview. Brought to you by our sponsors: JumpUp.com and Infusionsoft.com

Sunday funny papers were a real treat for many in their childhood who would read them religiously, enjoying the humor as well as the artwork. To this day, there is still something quite endearing about them and many find themselves drawn to them - whether it’s online or in print. It’s amazing how something visual combined with something written can have such a powerful effect. Cartoon work can have the same powerful effect and be used for a variety of reasons – one of which is business. Cartoons can add an element of humor to your business brochures and flyers, your website or blog, your newsletters - the possibilities are endless. And if you are a cartoonist or artistic individual, you can turn your creative hobby into a successful business. Mark Anderson, Founder of Andertoons, is our featured guest in this Episode of The Small Business Trends Radio. Mark is a professional cartoonist and his work has appeared in publications such as Reader’s Digest, The Wall Street Journal, Good Housekeeping, Forbes, Harvard Business Review and the Saturday Evening Post – just to name a few. Mark shares his personal story of how he took his love of drawing cartoons and turned it into a successful business. Here s a sampling from the show: Social media sites can really benefit individuals that are in the process of growing a business or marketing an existing one. Small Business Trends originally learned of Andertoons and made contact with Mark via Twitter and made this episode possible. Creativity and online technology has endless possibilities and can lead you anywhere your heart desires. Mark s creativity doesn t end with cartooning and eventually led him to create a Facebook application after joining and using the site. Mark has made some mistakes along the way as each of us does. His advice is to focus on what your good at and don t try to be a jack-of-all-trades. Focus on your talents and build upon them. And the most important thing a creative individual can do - is to get your creations online. Mark shares his personal story, some mistakes he s made along the way, when and how his love of cartooning began and he talks about harnessing his creativity and growing a successful online business doing something he loves - and doing it all while being a work at home dad. You can learn more about Mark and Andertoons by clicking the red and yellow player below and listening to his full interview. Brought to you by our sponsors: JumpUp.com and Infusionsoft.com

By now many of you have heard the term mompreneur which applies to the large number of entrepreneurial women who are working from home running successful businesses while raising their families. This combo of the entrepreneurial spirit combined with being a busy mom working from home has sprung the new term “mompreneur” into existence. Lisa Druxman, Founder of Stroller Strides, is one such mompreneur and is our featured guest in this Episode of The Small Business Trends Radio. Lisa started her business out of her home and, at one time, had 8 employees coming in, each with their own keys and their children in tow – until she eventually franchised the business. Lisa shares her personal story of how she created her franchise and how to find a little bit of peace - in the wonderful chaos of a busy mompreneur. Here s a sampling of topics from the show: Make sure you do something you love. Because on the days that are tough (and there will be days that are tough), loving what you do will pull you through them. Three tools for mompreneurs that Lisa recommends are 1.) a blackberry; 2.) a web based business center service such as Earnware and 3.) hire a nanny/housekeeper. Because ladies, it doesn t matter who makes the bed or does the dishes - this will make you a much happier mom and a better businesswoman. Franchise startup costs can run anywhere from $60k to $200k. The cost depends on how many states your business is in and the attorney fees involved for filing accordingly. Franchising laws are changing all the time so make sure that you retain an attorney that specializes in franchising. This was a mistake that cost Lisa dearly with The Federal Trade Commission and took some real hard work to rectify. The International Franchise Association (IFA) can assist you in franchising your business. However, a thick skin is required for a business at this level and being a franchiser is no small task. It requires money and time - which may not be fitting for a mom whose main goal was to spend time with family. But it CAN be done and Lisa is fortunate enough to still be working from home. Lisa s story is inspiring and amazing, considering her young age, and she s helping moms everywhere stay in shape through Stroller Strides, a specialty mom fitness program that incorporates your children - and their strollers - into a series of exercise routines. You can hear Lisa s story and learn more about Stroller Strides by clicking the red and yellow player below and listening to her full interview. Brought to you by our sponsors: JumpUp.com and Infusionsoft.com

WordPress is a free publishing platform that makes it possible for you to write and publish material online. People are using WordPress to blog about all sorts of topics – to share their thoughts, express their views and opinions to the world, to perform product reviews, and more. Once a website has been set up, it is very easy to add content and update the content on your own, almost as easily as writing a document in Microsoft Word. Cal Evans is our featured guest in this Episode of The Small Business Trends Radio. Cal is a PHP programmer, blogger and host of The Sixty Second Tech podcast. Cal is no stranger to WordPress and in this episode he discusses all things WordPress and answers many questions you may have. Here s a sampling of topics from the show: Plugins are small pieces of code to incorporate specific functions into your blog. Most plugins are relatively simple and easy to use. Some popular plugins are Akismet (spam blocker), Feedburner (RSS feed), Google Sitemaps (sitemap of blog), WP-DB-Backup (data backup), Simple Tags (tagging) and All In One SEO (search engine optimization). This post is incorporating a plugin by the name of Podpress (enables the audio reel underneath this post). Just about any web service has the ability to interact with WordPress and many plugins are available. Flicker, YouTube, Twitter, Del.icio.us and many other services can be easily incorporated right into your blog. WordPress can build a site not just a blog. WordPress then acts as a content management system (CMS) that lets you easily update your website. WordPress MU is the multi-user platform used to setup and run a network of blogs. Use it if you are setting up a lot of blogs. Multiple domains can be controlled using WordPress MU, however, it may be a bit advanced for beginner bloggers. WordPress.com or WordPress.org? The basic difference is hosting. Using WordPress.com the hosting is automatic and you can get it up and running easily and use plugins, themes, etc. When using WordPress.org, you download the WordPress code base itself and from there you can manipulate it to your liking, however, you will need to find your own hosting arrangements. One of the things that makes WordPress so popular is the open source element and the community of developers that contribute to WordPress on a regular basis by building plugins. themes, etc. WordPress makes websites that are easy to update and which empower their owners. WordPress is so versatile, that some small business owners use it to create full-blown websites, publish online magazines, and more. You can learn more about WordPress by clicking the red and yellow player below and listening to Cal s full interview. Brought to you by our sponsors

Positioning yourself as the expert in your field can eliminate competition and reap endless rewards. But the task of actually becoming recognized as an expert can be somewhat daunting. Knowing what steps to take and where to focus your efforts doesn t come easily. Bob Sommers, host of The Recognized Expert Marketing Show, is our featured guest in this Episode of The Small Business Trends Radio. Before moving his family to Hawaii, Bob owned and operated the largest customer service training company in the country. By positioning his company as the premier customer service training provider, he was able to generate more money in a day, than he earned in an entire year as a full time engineer. Here s a sampling of topics from the show: Do one thing only and do it very well. Target your market down to a very small niche, become the expert at it and eliminate competition by doing so. It s better to be a big fish in a small pond than it is to be a big fish in an endless ocean. For example, if your field is gardening, narrow it down and become the expert on azaleas. Take action steps to position yourself as an expert by writing a book or creating an ebook; publishing useful articles online that contain tips and advice for readers; speaking publicly; making television and radio appearances and blogging. Writing a blog can increase your status as an expert in your field if you provide useful information, tips and actionable advice for readers. They will begin to view you as a go to source of information. If you are the expert you will not have to say it because people will be saying it for you. Bob has much more advice to offer from his personal experiences and explains why it is so important to choose a niche within your field to become seen as an expert. You can learn more by clicking the red and yellow player below and listening to Bob s full interview.

Intuition is a primal gut instinct, built in for survival. When your pet senses danger – it retreats and follows its gut instinct. Humans are the only living creatures that ignore those primal gut instincts. We are the only living creatures that sense danger - yet continue to move toward it. Lynn Robinson, Author of Trust Your Gut: How The Power of Intuition Can Grow Your Business and Founder of LynnRobinson.com, is our featured guest in this Episode of The Small Business Trends Radio. Lynn teaches us how to recognize when intuition is attempting to communicate with us - and to learn to listen to it. Here s a sampling of topics from the show: Logic and facts are left brain qualities and intuition is a right brain quality. Your logic speaks in one voice and your intuition speaks in another - BOTH are giving you valuable information. Increase your intuition by asking yourself an open ended question and then wait for information to arrive. Practice this by writing down your question on a piece of paper and placing it in your pocket. You will find that throughout your day, images may flood your mind, hunches may reveal themselves and flashes of insight will arrive. Remember, intuition contains a fleeting quality - do not dismiss fleeting thoughts. Freeze framing is a valuable tool to increase intuition. When you are feeling overwhelmed or anxious and are unable to make a decision, shift your focus from your emotions and focus on your heart and your breathing. This will slow down your racing mind and assist your in filtering out the information you are to receive. German-born American physicist, Albert Einstein, once said, The only real valuable thing is intuition. He believed in it - and he relied on it. As does entrepreneur and co-founder of Microsoft, Bill Gates, who was quoted as saying, Often you have to rely on intuition. Intuition is a valuable tool that each of us carries. If you learn to listen to it and use it to your benefit, especially when it comes to important decisions, you can begin to become more confident in yourself, reduce self-doubt and become empowered by it. Lynn offers additional techniques to increase your intuition and begin to tap into your inner consultant to make wise decisions. If you d like to learn more about the power of intuition or learn techniques to increase it, you can do so by clicking the red and yellow player below and listening to Lynn s full interview.