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As life and business seem to be approaching the speed of light, the need for cheap, nimble electronic payments and personal money transferring services has only increased. But if you are relying on either your bank or a traditional payment processor to move your money, then chances are you’re swooning in fees and long waits till the money posts to your account.

 

 

But you may not have to put up with it. There are several electronic payment alternatives out there available for small business owners that can get your money to you quicker and at a fraction of the cost:

 

1. Dwolla – At Dwolla, all transactions cost a mere 25 cents, and if you are transferring less than $10 then it’s free. This goes for both P2P transactions as well as those conducted with a merchant. There are a couple of downsides, however. First, both parties involved in the transaction must have a Dwolla account. If you send money to someone who isn’t signed up, they will be asked to create an account in order to access the money. Second, the money takes a while to move through the system. In order to remedy the situation, they initiated an opt-in feature called “Instant.” that provides immediate access to the cash in your bank account. For this service you would required to pay a monthly $3 fee. If you don’t have enough cash in your bank account to make the purchase, you can have Dwolla spot you the money and then pay a $5 “late fee.”

 

2. Intuit Payment Network – Another formidable player in the money transfer game is the Intuit Payment Network (or IPN). With IPN, you can transfer money between bank accounts for a flat 50 cent fee. There are also several notable features: the money posts in 1 to 2 business days; you have the option of adding a payment button on your website; you can send payment requests to a customer’s email; and if you still want to offer payment by credit card to your customers, you can do so for a flat 3.25% fee per transaction.

 

3. Popmoney – Popmoney is a free personal payments service that works with the banking security systems already in place in many top financial institutions across the country. Popmoney allows you to transfer money electronically from your savings or checking account to anyone in the country who has a bank account and an email address or a mobile phone number. If the recipient has a bank account with any of the banks working with Popmoney, then the funds are directly deposited into the recipient’s specified bank account.

 

4. ZashPay– Like Popmoney, ZashPay is an online personal payment service that allows you to send and receive money into your bank account. If you belong to one of the over 900 banking institutions that have partnered with ZashPay, you will be able to use the service directly through your bank’s online system. Even if you do not bank at one of these institutions, you can still use the service as long as you have a checking account. It cost 75 cents to send money, but receiving funds is free.

 

5. Merchantinc– National Merchant Bankcard is marketed as a top “Paypal alternative.” If you run an online business, and you are not so fond of Paypal, then you may want to consider this merchant account service that lets you process credit card transactions. It also works with eBay. The service costs just under $8 a month, with a 1.99% + $0.25 per transaction fee.

 

6. Amazon Payments – Amazon Simple Pay can be used as a payment processing option for any of your online customers who have an Amazon Payments account. The service can be a bit pricey, however, if your sales volume is less than $1,000 per month on average. Otherwise, each transaction will cost between 1.90%- 2.50% + $0.30. You can also use your account to make personal transfers of funds between other account holders.

 

7. Square– With Square, anyone with an iPhone, iPad or Android device can accept credit card payments using the free app and free card reader. The service levies a 2.75 % fee for swiped transactions and a 3.5 percent fee and $0.15 surcharge for any transactions that are entered manually. The funds are deposited directly into your linked bank account, and you can send your customer a receipt by email or print it out if you’re using an iPad hooked to a wireless printer.

 

 

As many small business owners continue to debate whether or not to heed the clarion call for all-things-social media, the Internet landscape has only gotten more complex and confusing. As a time-strapped, cash-strapped small business owner, you may be wondering where do you even start? Try asking that question, and be prepared to get back a hundred different answers.

 

 

Now, Google wants to come to the rescue with a series of short videos and live webinars designed to make the intrepid Internet seem a bit more understandable and manageable. Some upcoming webinars include, Understanding Mobile Ads Across Marketing Objectives; Reaching your Goals with Analytics; and 3 Tips to Get More out of your Video Advertising Campaigns. There are also plenty of recorded webinars to check out.

While you’re at it, you should also take a look at several other Google learning initiatives for a thorough assortment of tools, tips, and tutorials:

• Google Apps Learning Center
• Google AdWords Certification Program
• Google Analytics Education

The web is literally saturated with professional women bloggers, and plenty of these women have been recognized as some of the biggest movers and shakers in their respective industries. But more often than not, when I visit some of these “influential” blogs I get the feeling that no one’s home. Even where there are comments and signs of social sharing, the content frequently leaves much to be desired. It feels like they generated some initial buzz, and then they put their blogs on autopilot (or at least on a half-lit back burner).

 

 

The following is list of women bloggers I’ve come across over the past couple of years who defy that trend. These women pour their hearts into their blogs (on top of everything else) and it shows. Some of them you may already be familiar with, others not. But if you follow any of them, you won’t be disappointed.

 

Basic Blog Tips– Though Ileane Smith created her site as a resource to help bloggers succeed, her star really shines in social media (Be sure to check out some of her podcasts) Her posts and those of other guest posters generously offers tips on blogging, social media, podcasting, and more.

 

GrowMap– Gail Gardner specializes in social networking, e-commerce, and blogging specifically geared towards smaller companies. If you’re running a “small-fry” company and are having a hard time getting Google to notice you, then it’s even more reason to read this bog.

 

The Lip-Sticking Society– Yvonne Devita originally started this blog as a way to promote “smart marketing” among women business owners and professionals. Today, she has a whole team of professional women bloggers behind her. If you are looking for a fresh and genuine perspective on what turns women on and off in marketing, then this is the blog for you.

 

Small Biz Survival– Small Biz Survival is a repeat entry on several of my previous top small business bloggers lists. Becky McCray’s passion for her local community and her business endeavors are very clear. The posts are both informative and relevant, and the blog itself has a certain small town feel. If you are a small town small business owner, or even if you are an entrepreneur who just lives in a small town, then this blog is a must.

 

Empower Me! Blog– Adrienne Graham is all for growth and development. Not only can she help you and your business be the best they can be, but through her personal life lessons and experiences of making decisions on her terms, she exemplifies that very growth herself. In her Empower Me Blog she offers post after post packed with personal accounts and no-nonsense advise on career management, networking, entrepreneurial activities and small business management.

 

Yes and Know– If you’ve been craving to take your career or your business to the next level, yet fear and uncertainty are holding you back, then this blog may be for you. Nilofer Merchant’s articles are meant to inspire individuals and organizations to be fearless in their efforts to initiate productive growth and change. In addition to topics on entrepreneurship and the latest in marketing and tech trends, there are many posts on culture and personal development.

 

Brass Tack Thinking– In this blog by Amber Naslund you’ll get sharp perspective, analysis, and profundity on social media, marketing, and managing a business. All of this, combined with Mrs Naslund’s penchant for self-development and learning, make it must read.

 

 

 

Unless you’re one of those uber confident people who just loves to work the crowd, business networking can be one of the more daunting aspects of running a business. If you are not a natural networker, there are nevertheless several things you can do to make the process more feasible. Finding an effective combination of self-promotion and relationship building may be hard, but can come with a little practice; the same is true of putting aside any fears of rejection.

 

 

Even if the thought of networking makes your heart race, here are four easy business networking tips that anyone can do: 

1. Be yourself. The biggest, surprisingly unspoken, rule of networking is to stop trying to network in the first place. Both online and in face-to-face interactions, people will be more receptive to you if you don’t try to be something (or someone) you’re not. Be true to yourself and be genuine in your efforts to connect to others. Every person has his or her strong points and areas of expertise. Find out what they are and put those forward. 

2. Focus on building trust. These days any mention of business networking is often quickly followed by trust. For example, even though many studies point the fact that consumers spend inordinate amounts of time on social networks, such as Facebook or Twitter they aren’t exactly sitting there waiting to be sold to. In fact it’s quite the opposite- many have become jaded at best and down-right irritated at worst at the attempts various companies make to promote their products and services via social media platforms.

If you want to get in on the action, you should first to look for ways to offer assistance, solve a problem, provide other constructive input. Once your intended targets recognize the value of what you have to offer, they will be much more likely to do business with you- whether online or off.

3. Join like-minded groups of people. If you want to be successful at networking then you have to be seen. But, you should specifically seek out groups and meet-ups with people who share your passions, world views, or some other connecting factor. Why is this important? Because it gives you an “in,” some common ground upon which you can go about building future relationships.

4. Be educated about those around you. One of the fundamental truths to being successful in any relationship is that you need to be aware of the other person. What does this person like and dislike? What makes this person happy, sad? Before going into any situation where you expect to network, make it a point to do a little research on the people or organizations you want reach out to or at least express an openness to want to learn about them. Being too self-centered will likely not get you so far in your networking efforts. 

In short, if you want to be a successful business networker then be yourself, be helpful, and be open to appreciating what others have to offer.

Earlier this week, I saw an interesting post by Scott Shane over at SmallBizTrends.com in which he highlights a trend that so far seems to have avoided media scrutiny: an apparent entrepreneurial exodus has been going on over the past five years. Though the number of people taking the entrepreneurial plunge seems to have increased in recent years, so has the number of people leaving entrepreneurial rat race.

 

 

After reading the post, it got me thinking. There are plenty of bloggers out there who have laid out what they feel will lead to entrepreneurial success. There are even tests that people can take that can measure their potential to run their own business. But the truth is that each and every year brings with it its own set of challenges and opportunities that can significantly influence one’s ability to successfully start and run a business.

 

That said, here are a few additional factors that will help new entrepreneurs succeed specifically in 2012:

 

• Access to capital. Though interest rates remain at all time lows, and several leading economic indicators suggest that the U.S. economy is making some kind of a recovery (albeit a slow one), a recessionary shadow (or maybe cloud is more appropriate) lurks yet around. The housing market, after all is still a mess, unemployment remains painfully high, the government is in many ways dysfunctional and opaque, and our global economic partners don’t seem to be doing any better. That said, fiscal responsibility and caution still rule the day, even on a personal level. Many new entrepreneurs these days have taken to bootstrapping their businesses rather than relying on outside money. There has also been a surge in demand for microloans and more alternative forms of financing ranging from business cash advances to crowdfunding.

 

• A very well-defined niche. One of the fallouts of the Internet boom has been an increase in competition and “noise.” With low barriers to entry, many have jumped into the pool making it hard for some smaller businesses and solorpreneurs to tread water, let alone get to a profitable place. The result: if you want to avoid sinking online then you need to find a very specific micro-niche.

 

• Social media fluency. Though social media has been making small business headlines for a few years now, it has become all the more vital in 2012. While conducting an effective social media strategy takes some know-how and an investment of both time and money, it is an area that new entrepreneurs and small business owners cannot afford to ignore- especially with the emergence of Google+ an all-encompassing, user-friendly social media platform.

 

• Patience and perseverance. Though being a successful entrepreneur often comes with a healthy dose of patience and perseverance, in 2012 those qualities will be even more important- especially in light of the above trends. It often takes time to get together the capital needed to start a business while not exposing yourself to unreasonable financial risk, and it takes time to develop your niche and brand, and then to go about building communities and followers around them.

 

The bottom line is that while the new year may promise opportunity for many small business owners, there are at the same time some very unique challenges to making a business work. It’s a brave new world and success will be determined by how well you understand and adapt to that which makes it new.

 

 

One of the biggest trends making waves in the coming year is the increase in the number of people who will use their smartphones, tablet computers, and other mobile devices to access the Internet. According to a recent study by the Pew Research Center, 35% of American adults own a smartphone and 44% of them use their phones to access the Internet. One recent study reported that half of local searches are conducted via smartphones. Tablet computers and ereaders are also seeing a spike in sales.

 

 

 

It is thus essential these days to make sure that your business’ website can be comfortably viewed and navigated in a mobile environment. If you have yet to make the jump, here are ten tools that can help you get there:

1. MobiReady– Enter your website’s url and get a report on how your page will come up on a mobile phone including a bunch of tips on how to fix any problems. 

2. Google GoMo– Google recently started an initiative to make websites mobile friendly. Its GoMo site lets you test the functionality of your website on a mobile device. The GoMoMeter, as it is called, will show you a preview of how your site will look when accessed by a mobile device.

3. Gomez Cross-Device Performance Test– Register yourself and submit the url of the site you would like to test, and you will receive an email of the results of the test which reveal how your website is rendered across multiple mobile platforms.

4. iPad Peek– As the name implies, with this service you can type in your website url and the simulator shows the test result in a life size iPad.

5. MobilePress– With this free plugin for WordPress, your blog will be automatically condensed into a mobile version.

6. Zinadoo– This mobile website development tool offers a professional editor interface including widgets such as guestbooks, email, click to call, RSS feeds, and feedback forms.

7. mobiSiteGalore– This mobile website builder offers ready-made template designs, an easy-to-use graphical interface and optional widgets.

8. Wirenode– This site offers a WYSIWYG mobile site editor with multiple customizable templates and several ready-made widgets. Users also have access to website statistics.

9. WP Touch– Turn your WordPress blog into an iPhone application-style theme.

10. WP Mobile Detector– This WordPress plugin detects if a visitor is using a standard mobile phone or a smart phone and loads a compatible WordPress mobile theme for each.

Now that 2011 has passed (and what a wild and crazy year it was!) and 2012 is well under way, it’s time to look at some trends that will shape the upcoming year for small business owners. Taken as a whole, in 2012 you can expect to see a lot of maturing and fine tuning of some repeatedly trending topics, such as Internet marketing, the use of social media in business, and the proliferation and usage of mobile technology. The result: small businesses now have a more defined path to success both online and off.

 

 

Here is a rundown of some top small business trends:

 

1. Daily deals to build loyalty. Daily deals sites, such as Groupon and Living Social may have garnered a lot of attention last year, but not all of that talk time was so positive. The Internet is flooded with the stories of small businesses that ran a groupon or daily promotion with very little to show for it at the end of the day. The new year will certainly not see the demise of these sites, but rather their evolution. Look for daily deals sites to become more sophisticated, targeted, and local. Simultaneously, small business owners will seek to increase their follow-up efforts so that their daily offers and promotions will lead to more loyal customers.

 

2. Local search drives local business. In the new year, the importance of maintaining a local search presence will only increase, with local online directories, business pages, and review sites, such as Yelp! dominating the screen. Aside from helping Internet users access information on a local business, peer reviews and referrals will be big factors driving traffic and sales.

 

3. Personalized, real-time response. These days “service with a smile” is no longer enough when it comes to customer service- at least not when it’s online or over the phone. Consumers are looking for an instant, helpful, and personalized experience. This may take the form of a live web chat session with a customer service representative or a prompt response to an emailed inquiry or tweeted comment. Expect the continued usage and development of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) solutions and other customer service platforms, such as ZenDesk among small businesses.

 

4. Bringing in the right traffic. Gone are the days where the goal is to bring as many people to your site as possible, such as with a viral video , article or social media event- especially if these activities are not directly related to your business. In the new year, businesses will be focused on bring in targeted traffic and then guiding their visitors along a carefully conceived sales funnel.

 

5. Mobile web. In November of last year, Nielsen reported, reported that almost half of American cell phone users (a full 44 percent) now have smartphones, and among those aged 25-34, that percentage jumps to 62 percent. Tablet computers and ereaders are also seeing a spike in sales and ubiquity. That said, this is another trends that small business owners cannot afford to ignore. At least, small business owners should make sure that their websites are mobile device ready. At most, some companies may stand to benefit from mobile-based marketing strategies, such as QR Codes and other forms of mobile advertising.

 

6. Mobile payments. The use and prevalence of mobile devices is not exclusive to consumers, many small businesses owners have been using smartphones and tablets in particular for businesses transactions and communication. Expect that number to increase in the new year along with an increase in mobile payments setups, such as the inexpensive Square or Intuit’s GoPayment

 

7. Email is still hanging in there. Far from being an outdated dinosaur when it comes to customer service and other forms of business communications, email is still where it’s at. Spamming people’s in-boxes, however, is not. The most successful use of email is in building long-term relationships through the delivery of quality content. With that relationship in place, email is a direct marketing conduit. Some email marketing tools popular among smaller businesses include: Vertical Response, Constant Contact and Mail Chimp.

 

8. Pain killers. The best selling point for 2012 is being able to convey how your product or service will solve problems, make life easier, and reduce one’s level of pain and discomfort.

 

9. The importance of trust. Consumers are looking for authenticity and honesty from the businesses they frequent, and they are getting adept at “smelling a rat.” Relationships and suggestions from within their social circles are also influencing their purchase decisions, sentiment, and ultimately, their ability to trust the quality and value of a company’s products or services.

 

10. Small businesses crunch big numbers. The new year will also see an increasing number of small business relying on robust, low-cost cloud-based data and analytical tools. These online tools allow small businesses to organize, mine and analyze vast arrays of data from market research, their website, customer behavior, marketing campaigns, and social media activity.

Just when you thought it was hard enough to remain creditworthy as a small business owner or solopreneur, a new report published at American Banker highlights a potential banking trend that could change the way credit is built and maintained. According to the report that discusses nine trends affecting risk software in the banking industry, some banks have begun to consider additional data when determining a person’s creditworthiness.

 

 

So what exactly is this “additional data”? From the report:

One idea banks are toying with is that of incorporating social media data into assessments of credit risk, for instance, by considering the credit scores of a person’s friends in addition to that person’s own score. However, information posted on social media is not always 100% accurate. Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, banks have to be able to verify customer data. “If I went on LinkedIn and said I have a PhD in astrophysics, which is not true, a number of people might comment on that, but the bank would still need to check that,” Jennings points out.

Though the use of social media to assess credit risk is still just in the realm of theory for banks, some small financial institutions, such as online microlender Lenddo, have already begun to experiment with the data.

While visions of social credit snobbery immediately fill my mind: “Friends with you?! Sorry, buddy, you’re credit’s too low!” It does raise an interesting question of how our social circles can relate to our ability to maintain good credit, and it may make you think a bit before accepting that new friend request.

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If your to-do list is fast becoming unsustainable, you do not have to wait till you are literally drowning in tasks you do not have the time, skills, nor expertise to accomplish. You could hire a virtual assistant (VA) to help you. As small business profit margins stay slim and trim while sales continue to languish, bringing a VA on board is not just in vogue, it’s a strategic, cost-saving move.

 

 

 

But, in order to capitalize on the arrangement, you need to start the process on the right foot. The following are five things you should do before you even start searching for virtual staff:

 

1. Be very clear about what you are looking for. When it comes to working with a virtual assistant, you don’t want to be spending too much time and money making decisions based on trial and error. To get things moving in the right direction, make sure you can adequately answer the following questions:

-Which tasks will your virtual assistant be responsible for?

-What kinds of skills, experience, and personality should this person have?

-What are the software and hardware requirements for the job?

-How many hours a week do you anticipate having your virtual staff work, and how much do you expect this person or team to accomplish in that time?

 

2. Determine how much you can afford to pay. Creating a budget for your virtual staff is a must because it will help you to focus your priorities. It will also give you an idea as to which sites and services you should use to recruit your virtual staff. Keep in mind, though, that with VA’s in particular, cheaper does not always mean better.

 

3. Create a job description. Once you have an answer for the questions mentioned above, your next step is to get it all written down in a clear job description. Just keep in mind that the more thought you put into the job description the more it will help to keep both you and your VA on the same page in terms of the job’s requirements, the expected level of performance, and the compensation being offered. You will also save yourself some time by attracting appropriate candidates for the position.

 

4. Decide how you will go about screening applicants. The amount of effort you put into screening applicants will largely depend on what your VA will be doing for you or your business. Where your VA will be handling sensitive information or will be directly communicating with either customers, business partners, or other established contacts, then investing some time and thought into the vetting out process is a must. Make sure that you or your chosen virtual staffing firm are conduct a background checks and verifying the applicant’s stated experience and skills. Also, make are to get a list of at least three references and make it a point to get in touch with them.

 

5. Create a system for evaluation. This is a step that many small business owners and entrepreneurs seem to overlook, yet it is an essential part of the whole process. If your motivation for hiring a VA is to save time and money, then make sure you don’t waste away that savings trying to force a VA relationship that just isn’t working out. Moreover, by knowing what to look for in your current virtual staff, you can make smarter hiring decisions in the future. Hiring, communication, and management “mistakes” then become valuable lessons learned that can be later applied to increase productivity and efficiency.

 

In short, with a little forethought and effort, you can help to ensure that your virtual staff will bring you and your business a very real savings.