Must-Read Books for all Business Owners

Take a look at three books that should be on every business owner's desk.

Stump the Slump

Aughtmon’s e-book provides tips to surviving a slowing economy

Is your business struggling? We review How Your Business Can Survive and Prosper in a Recession, Volumes 1 and 2 by Scott Aughtmon.

Taking the Road Less Traveled

"Life is a series of problems. Do we want to moan about them or solve them?"

You Get What You Pay For

How I learned this important lesson ... the hard way.

"You don't pay the price for success; you enjoy the benefits of success." I’ll never forget first learning the all important difference between price and cost at nine years old. It impacted my life and the decisions I made for the next 30 years. You see, all I wanted for my birthday in August 1974 was a brand new red Schwinn bicycle—a “Sting-Ray.”

Internet Marketing on a Budget

Savvy business owners know that success depends on exploring the variety of marketing opportunities offered. In order to maximize promotional budgets, business owners must increasingly choose the right marketing opportunity based on their skill and knowledge level as well as their promotional budgets. While you may already be reaping the rewards of print advertising, marketing your products and services on the Web provides greater reach into your prospective audience and a more

Business Plan Checklist

Business plans are written in sections, each offering new and vital information. By following this outline, you will have a framework with all the sections you will need to complete a basic business plan.

Letter from the Editor - Winter 2007

As I look out my office window, it is obvious that there is an ongoing struggle between the big and the small.

To the south, a street stretches across the horizon with almost every big-box store imaginable lining its sidewalks. To the southeast, the headquarters of the McDonald’s Corporation rises out of the morning mist. With such a contrast between these giants and the everyday American small business, it seems that it is time for an equalizer.

Greetings of the Season

Stay Up-to-Date on What’s Happening at ABC

Man’s best friend and America’s best small business association have teamed up to present our biggest season of changes so far.

This fall, we've made the best even better. At America’s Best Companies, our primary goal is to provide a brighter future to small business owners and to keep the American Dream alive for future generations. With that in mind, we have chosen a slogan that reflects our ambitions: “The Future of Small Business.”

Learn Something New with these Fun Facts we’ve Collected

This issue, we’ve collected some of the most amusing—and often useful—business stories from around the globe. Which is which? You decide!

Entrepreneurs Find New Markets With Second Life

The rumor is that hundreds of people are making piles of money in the Internet-based world known as Second Life. Is it as easy as it sounds?

The rumor is that hundreds of people are making piles of money in the Internet-based world known as Second Life. Is it as easy as it sounds?

Your Old Backup Disks Are Obsolete

Learn how new online technology can help give you and your business peace of mind.

Learn how new online technology can help give you and your business peace of mind.

Gearing Up for Success

SME Toolkit helps small businesses grow and succeed.

IBM offers a free, easy-to-use SME Toolkit to help your small business grow and succeed.

A Virtual Back Office Can Help Your Business to Succeed

One of the most time consuming aspects of running your own small business is the day-to-day task of office management. Learn how the Internet can help turn this around.

Tips to Having Motivated Employees that Kick Butt

Maintaining employee focus is one of the keys to running a successful business, and there's no better way to get it than by making sure your employees have a little fun.

Maintaining employee focus is one of the keys to running a successful business, and there’s no better way to get it than by making sure your employees have a little fun. Studies have shown that people who have fun on the job are more creative, more productive, and get along better with co-workers. Also, a fun workplace had been found to reduce the number of sick days that workers use.

Give Your Business a Makeover

Toss out those old signs and 1970s decor. With a few simple touches, you could completely reinvent your business in 2008.

Toss out those old signs and 1970s decor. With a few simple touches, you could completely reinvent your business in 2008.

Save Your Business Money

Employing a few simple practices can often make the difference of several thousands of dollars per year. Are you spending more money than you need to?

Employing a few simple practices can often make the difference of several thousands of dollars per year. Are you spending more money than you need to?

10 Ways to Make More Money

Easy strategies for improving sales.

Consider this handy list the beginning of a field guide of sorts. In future issues, we’ll stop and discuss each of these methods for improving your business in depth, one at a time, issue by issue. This issue, with the introduction of myABCspace, we demonstrate the benefits of having a website for your business in today’s booming Internet based world. In ten issues, if you follow our advice, you should have all the tools you need to be well on your way to being one of America’s best companies!

Choosing the Right Logo Can Give Your Business a Jumpstart

By having a professional logo, your company can make that all-important first impression.

In the business world, first impressions are important. Companies spend millions designing their showrooms to be comfortable, clean, and eye-appealing for customers. They have training and dress codes for employees to make sure customers have a good experience with the company. Even websites and advertisements are designed to make the company look good—all to make a good first impression.

The Rossi Family Shares Their Business Secrets

Dominic Rossi on surviving the influx of big box furniture companies.

After having worked behind the scenes for so long, Dominic Rossi III now runs the company’s 30,000-square-foot showroom, which occupies a dominant spot along the highway in Downers Grove, Illinois. Situated among a legion of big brand companies such as Best Buy, The Great Indoors, and Bed Bath & Beyond; the Rossi store is a powerful testament to the ability of small businesses to survive in an era of heavy corporate power.

Success Runs in the Family for these Entrepreneurs

Some members of America's Best Companies show that the most fruitful ventures seldom fall far from the family tree.

They may work together, but these entrepreneurs share more than just office space. We interview six families who work, play, and sometimes live together.

Three Little Letters That Can Protect Your Business

Climbing your way to success often isn't easy. Learn how incorporating your business can help minimize your risk.

When Cindy Edwards realized her lifelong dream of opening her own business, it didn’t take her long to decide how to organize it. After only four years as a partnership, By His Design, her Internet website design and development company in Jacksonville, North Carolina, became a limited liability corporation in 2004. In today’s business environment, it’s important to protect your personal assets by incorporating your small business.

Small Businesses Around the World

Around the country and around the globe, find out what small businesses share in common and how they differ.

What do countries as different as Yemen and Denmark have in common? Small businesses make up a large percentage of their economies and are responsible for much of their culture. Learn more about small businesses worldwide in this exclusive globe-spanning feature.

Finding Your Funding

Launching a new business usually requires borrowing the money needed for start-up costs. Here's how to find the right amount of money from the right lenders.

Launching a new business usually requires borrowing the money needed for start-up costs. Here's how to find the right amount of money from the right lenders.

Setting a Strategy

Need to write a business plan? We offer comprehensive guidelines to creating a plan that will organize your company and convince potential lenders.

Need to write a business plan? We offer comprehensive guidelines to creating a plan that will organize your company and convince potential lenders.

365 Ways to Improve 2009

The end of the year is a time of rejuvenation and a time to make small adjustments to improve both your business and personal life. Here are 365 ideas to set you in the right direction to make 2009 the best year ever!

Small business owners are always looking for ways to stand out from the competition. We came up with 365 ways to improve your business in 2009.

Learn the Ins and Outs of Workplace Dress Codes

Today's dress codes range from Gucci to garters. Are there any limits?

If you order a Buckin’ Bronco Macchiato at Cowgirls Espresso in Tukwila, Washington, you’ll be greeted by a waitress in a short, sheer baby-doll negligee and coordinated panties. While a provocative dress code might fly at his trendy business in the Northwest, it would never work for a successful law firm; a business needs to gauge what attire will be right for the audience and the circumstance.

These Entrepreneurs Stretch the New Horizons

A little flexibility goes a long way.

Three entrepreneurs who have stretched their businesses to new horizons. We introduce you to: Dana Santi of Pilates Core, Craig Newmark of Craigslist, and Sara Blakely of Spanx.

Part of Their Nature

These small business owners prove that it's easy being green—and profitable, too.

These small business owners prove that it's easy being green—and profitable, too.

Growing Like Green Bamboo

Lucy Pan, a Chinese immigrant and owner of the Aodake restaurants in the Chicago suburbs, shares how customer service led to success.