Author Archives: Gary Barzel

It seems that Google is extending its well-known crusade against spam to its popular email platform, Gmail. It all started a little under a year ago with Google’s introduction of the tabbed inbox. One of the most notable (and controversial) aspects of the new setup is that it automatically decides what your most important email […]

Conducting effective market research has always been an essential part of business start-up, development, and growth, but these days it’s even more so. It’s hard to deny that the pace of business has been turned up several notches. There is this unspoken rush to get from concept to market in lightning speed (i.e. before anyone […]

Just because the bank thinks you are too risky to be provided with a checking account doesn’t mean you’re not good enough for them to take money from do business with you. The prepaid debit card industry has been growing rapidly over the past few years, and several big banks and even credit card companies […]

It’s getting harder to ignore the rising popularity and ubiquity of Bitcoin, the most widely recognized open source, peer-to-peer payment system and digital currency in the world. As the digital “cryptocurrency” continues to generate serious attention, a lot of major companies and organizations have been taking notice. Currently, there are thousands of businesses- online and off– around the world […]

As the web continues to evolve and expand, it’s hard to ignore that users are getting pretty used to the idea that their web experience should be tailored to their unique tastes, interests, and even the devices that they are using. After all, ads and search results are based on search history, responsive website designs […]

These days, if you are doing any kind of business online (whether you are processing sales or are just doing some marketing and outreach), chances are you will be involved in some form of content marketing. For many businesses, this means maintaining a business blog. But, having to constantly create content may be a challenge, […]

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) recently reported that the U.S. labor force has dropped by six million people since the Great Recession, and there has been little sign in recent years of this changing even as the economy has improved. According to the BLS, those considered to have dropped out of the workforce are […]

If you have been paying any attention to the clash of the social media titans, you’ve probably heard about the explosive growth Google’s newish social network, Google+, has been enjoying- especially over the past year or so. While many in cyberspace have been quick to criticize for Google for practically force feeding G+ to the […]

In the midst of all the excitement and effort surrounding the start of a new business is one of the most essential building blocks: startup financing. Yet, many aspiring entrepreneurs get this part wrong and in doing so, they cause significant damage to the business and even to their personal assets and credit. Below are […]

Now that the holidays have come and gone, it’s time to get back to work and start focusing on the new year’s challenges and opportunities. One such challenge (and opportunity) that you may be facing as a small business owner is how you will keep your employees motivated and putting in an above average performance […]