Who can you trust?

If you’re like me, you receive a boat load of unsolicited emails everyday. As we try to combat this problem, we face a myriad of other challenges. For example, your spam filter somehow always grabs your biggest client’s email and you never see it. Yet those promises of male enhancement never seem to have any problem getting through. The new wave of spam doesn’t even include removal options, or if they do it raises concerns that the removal tool is just collecting new info to further elicit more email.

In 2004, we learned about the insidious tactic known as phishing. Phishing is the attempt to steal personal information via fraudulent e-mail. Last year incidents of phishing rose 20 to 30 percent each month, according the Anti-Phishing Working Group. Gartner analyst Avivah Litan released a survey showing that perhaps 2 million people had given away personal information to a phisher during one 12-month stretch. During the same time period, there were about $1.2 billion in unauthorized banking transfers, suggesting phishing was having a major impact.

Most consumers report they can no longer reliably tell the difference between real e-mail and scam e-mail. So, what does this mean to small business marketing? As with anything it is a blessing and a curse. Our customers will look to us to protect them.

We can and should protect their emails and be selective about their use.

· Offer opt-in and opt-out options in any campaign you send.
· Don’t post emails on the web as bots scour the web looking for email sources. Elect a forwarding option instead.
· Look for alternative avenues to communicate online. Blogs and RSS feeds allow the user to elect to receive the information.

You will gain tremendous credibility with your potential and current client base, if you simply respect their privacy. I believe it will be one of the key differentiators in what makes a successful marketing campaign in 2005.

If you can't beat it - Google it . . .

Several years ago, I received some very sage advice from my boss at the time, “Never bet against Microsoft.” This was at a time when Microsoft was facing anti-trust litigation. Needless to say, that proved to be very sound advice.

I’d like offer similar sounding advice to you my dear reader – “Don’t bet against Google.” They said the IPO wouldn’t happen, it did. They said the market wouldn’t bear its share price, it has and continues to at more than double the initial offering price of $85. It has taken over the adword market, it is cataloging the world’s best libraries, and that’s just the tip of the proverbial iceberg.

So my advice to you is to make Google your friend. It can be one of your most powerful tools as you conduct market research.

Want to know who your competitors are? Type in your webpage to Google’s similar search feature - Similar Pages - you’ll be surprised who comes up.

Want to Global? Google has a language translation feature - Web Page Translation

Want to search the deep web? Consider searching by file types - File Types

These is but a small smattering of tools offered by Google. Why not take a ride along with one of 2004’s most successful IPO’s ?

Ethics in Business - Right vs. Right?

As a budding entrepreneur, you will be faced with many tough choices. Often, we find ourselves deciding between right versus really right.

In his book, "How Good People Make Tough Choices," Rushworth Kidder defines ethics as "right versus right." To achieve high ethical standards, one must first understand the bases of ethics and then practice them. For example, it is "right" to tell the truth, but it is also "right" to be loyal to principles that treasure human dignity.

Take the following "truth versus loyalty" ethics test. You are a law-abiding citizen, and Harriet Tubman comes to your door and asks if she and her obvious runaway slaves can rest for the night. You are aware that the local sheriff has issued a warrant for her arrest. Your dilemma: Do you obey the law or succumb to your loyalty to the principles of human dignity and allow the slaves to sleep in your residence?

No one said it would be easy, will you make the right choice?

You gotta believe . . .

The true test of an entrepreneur is her ability to believe. Every rags to riches story of a successful venture has phrases like “against all odds,” “when others had failed,” etc. Every thing out there is telling us the deck is stacked against us. 8 out 10 companies don’t see their 5th year anniversary. And yet, every year millions of people start businesses . . .

And to make matters worse, we are wet behind the ears. Most entrepreneurs aren't veterans in their own fields. A recent survey of Inc. 500 companies revealed that 40 percent of their founders had no experience in their particular industry before starting their business, with 33 percent of the founders unemployed at the time they launched their venture.

So, the big secret is you have to believe. You have to believe you have something of value to offer your clients. You have to believe it will work. You have to believe it is worth the struggles and sacrifices. When you stop believing, you are done.

I used to have a business partner who would go into a client meeting and promise the moon. I would bite my tongue and stare at him in disbelief. Afterwards, I would argue, “We can’t do that.” “Why not?” was always his reply. Why not indeed? We always managed to somehow deliver whatever he promised, and he always believed. He believed we could do it, and somehow we did.

There’s a theory that Perceived Success Breeds Success. That theory starts at home. Obviously, there are many other aspects that go into creating a successful business, but you gotta believe. . . .

and it's free . . .

Ever complain about paying taxes? What does the government do for you? Well, one thing it does for small business is provide almost unlimted data and information. Oh, you'll work for it, but you'll find some amazing statistics about demographis, markets, consumer trends, etc.

http://www.gpoaccess.gov/index.html - The U.S. Government Printing Office disseminates official information from all three branches of the Federal Government.

http://www.sec.gov/index.htm - Webpage for the Securites & Exchange Commision. Home of EDGAR.

http://www.census.gov/ - The folks who collect all the data.

The Business Of Blogging . . .

BusinessWeek Online
The Business Of Blogging
Monday December 6, 8:08 am ET
By Lauren Gard in New York

http://biz.yahoo.com/bizwk/041206/b3912115mz016_1.html

An interesting article highlighting the growing phenomenon of blogging. A year ago, only the most internet savvy user knew of this online journal. Now, thanks to the 2004 election, most of us are not only familiar with it, but either have our own or subscribe to a few favorites. The writer discusses the world of blogging and it’s potential impact on business.

You're not alone . . .

Well, actually you are . . . but you're not!

A new Census Bureau report found that more than 17.6 million Americans work for - and by - themselves. The number of small firms without employees jumped 3.9 percent in 2002.

According to the report, California led the nation with about 2.52 million non-employee businesses. Had the Bay Area alone ranked as a state, it would have come in 12th nationwide.

Some attribute this to a rise in the entrepreneurial spirit, while others cite a tight job market.

Census figures show that the nation's 17.6 million non-employee businesses generated gross receipts of $770 billion in 2002.

So my fellow entrepreneurs take heart, you are in good company. In previous posts, I have talked about overcoming the loneliness of self employment.

Join your local chamber, network at industry events, partner with complementary professionals . . . What ever you do - get out there!

When we work in large corporate environments, we tend to be more social (which is in our nature) – the water cooler, lunch mates, even meetings. Don’t sacrifice this basic need, for it will harm your business. In socializing, we meet our customers, we meet our competitors, we learn about industry trends – we enhance our businesses. So the next time you think you can’t afford the time away, the real question should be can you afford to miss the opportunity?

Word of the year: Blog continued

Why are blogs so popular? Because every resource is limited. Time and money tend to be our most precious commodities. We never seem to have enough of each. Blogging becomes the answer.

Blogs are the new “sound bites.” Readers want information in a concise form – their time is valuable. A quick blog blurb tells them whether to invest more time in the matter. If they like what they see, they will then elect to read more by visiting your website or in engaging you directly.

Small and new businesses have limited marketing budgets and advertising is expensive. Blogging is free (for now). It is a great tool to help stretch a over taxed marketing budget.

So keep your postings relevant, and consider a self-imposed word count (yes, we know you are profound , but remember readers are limited in the time they can spend reading articles).

Word of the year: Blog

According to Merriam-Webster, the most searched word on its Web sites in 2004 was "blog." The dictionary publisher defines the word as, "a Web site that contains an online personal journal with reflections, comments, and often hyperlinks provided by the writer."
The tiny online journal tool burst on to the scene during the 2004 election. Every would be writer with an opinion began a blog espousing their particular view of the world. As with any form of technology, improvements came in the form of RSS feeds and readers. No longer did I have to remember to visit Aunt Bea’s blog to get the latest apple pie recipe. As she updated her blog, the feed was sent to my reader, and I was notified of the latest and greatest from her kitchen.

This has the amazing potential of keeping you in touch with your audience, whether it be customers, colleagues or the world at large. You don’t have to hope they remember to visit your website. “Hello? Remember me? I am that website you loved two weeks ago?”

I would gather we are at the proverbial tipping point. Most early adaptors are aware of blogs, they’ve loaded them into their readers and moved on. Do they actually read them, well maybe? This wonderful tool hasn’t eliminated the need for stimulating content. My guess is that as more and more folks get comfortable with the concept, they will subscribe to their favorites. As with anything new and shiny, the will be a plethora to choose from. Make sure your content is relevant to your reader.

So should you as a small business blog? Of course! Will it bring you untold millions? Well, no not likely. But, you will have another vehicle to promote your business and you will be in touch with the latest trends on the Internet. And if you’re really smart, sign on to your competitor’s blog, and you’ll receive instant updates anytime they promote something new.