Latest Business News

Elizabeth Echols was recently named SBA Administrator in Region.

There is breaking news for entrepreneurs – the U.S. Small Business Administration recently announced a new addition to its west coast operation.

Overseeing the SBA in California, Nevada, Arizona, Hawaii and Guam will be Elizabeth Echols, who was recently named Regional Administrator in Region IX. In making the announcement, SBA Administrator Karen G. Mills spoke of Echols’ impressive record in public service.

“Both the SBA and small businesses of the region will benefit greatly from Elizabeth?s career in public service and commitment to innovation and business development,” said Mills.

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The conviction that the ‘trade creditor’ would come to the rescue and fund businesses may no longer be the case. Trade creditors are now scrutinizing their credit applicants. While banks just make up about 20% of the short term credit for small businesses, the other suppliers make up the rest (surveyed by Credit Research Foundation, a trade group in Columbia, MD). But with banks showing more friction towards lending, small companies have their eyes fixed on private creditors for loans. They are also pressing vendors for more time to make their bill payments and also asking for loans so that they can keep afloat until they receive payments from their clients.

“Small businesses have been forced to reach out to trade creditors and begin to utilize them as bankers,” says Lyle P.

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Clate Mask is CEO of one of the Inc 500’s fastest-growing companies, Infusionsoft.com. Ask him about how to build a successful business, and he’ll say, “There are three, and only three, factors that really have an iron grip on the profits of any marketing effort. The smartest marketing minds on the planet have boiled these factors down to this simple, but incredibly powerful, formula: The Right Message… To The Right Market… At The Right Time!”

The problem is, most businesses send out a message that’s only relevant to the company owner—that is, to people who are not in the market for their product or service, at a time when they are probably not interested in buying!

We often hear people say “I meant to get around to doing some marketing, but I just didn’t have time, so we just put something out there.” Or, worse, “I got a great deal on this program but I didn’t realize 90 percent of it went to people who don’t buy what I sell.”

Many small business owners spend money on “image” advertising, with no direct response offers included at all.

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Not long ago – before the advent of e-mail and text messaging – a postal address was a necessity, just as licking stamps to stick on an outgoing letter was a symbol of literacy.

Postal Corporation of Kenya, the State-owned company that runs mail-delivery, was so much in demand that it expanded to every corner of the country.

Then came the dotcom revolution with e-mail, which made communication faster compared to postal mail for those accessible to an internet connection. Add the mobile phone and snail mail’s goose was as good as cooked.

But stung by dwindling revenues as more people turn to e-mail, texting and other forms of instant communication, PCK is fighting back.

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The introduction of the iPhone in 2007 was a revolution in mobile computing and internet connectivity. The number of apps that individuals and businesses could create for use with the iPhone also opened new windows of opportunity. Have you taken advantage of these opportunities? iPhone apps are easier to design than you think.

An iPhone app is written and designed to be used with the unique iPhone operating system, and creating iPhone apps for small business use is surprisingly uncomplicated. You don’t need to be a computer whiz or be fluent in Xcode to create a useful app. All you need is a great idea and way to bring that idea into fruition.

Come Up With A Great Idea

All iPhone apps start from a concept.

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Tags: Business, Business Services