•    In some ways, this video isn’t too far off from the truth on today’s tech start ups – obviously I am generalizing – please don’t send me a bunch of hate mail on how your start up is different.  •    Looking for a way to manage social media?  Check out the Roost.  •    Who doesn’t love a good freebie now and again (or in my case, all the time)?  And if you are going to the trouble of using a promo item for your small business, read this first for a few tips.•    This one doesn’t have a ton of great stuff in it, but I mention it based on the sheer power of all things Harry Potter.  •    If you are constantly hearing “no” as you look for a lending source for your start up, don’t overlook the credit union industry as a source.  Chad Lyons has a good piece here about CU’s as a viable source fo... [More]

•    For those of you looking for outside cash to fund a start up, here is a little Angel Investor 101•    This is pretty basic, but it’s also right on the money in terms of a guideline for putting an investor pitch together.  •    Most of the info I highlight is about growing your business, but not everybody makes it.  If you are looking at closing up shop – read this first.  I really like the point about knowing what parts of your business are profitable/unprofitable.  If you don’t know that, I think there is still time to resuscitate.  •    Corporation or LLC – this piece offers some high level advice on what to consider.  For most firms, taxes play the biggest role, so start with your accountant.  Of course, they’ll just tell you to talk to your attorney. •    Iowa stays in the top 10 of USA Today’s best states fo... [More]

•    3 easy steps to becoming a millionaire.  Not sure how “easy” they are, but yeah, these are the steps.  I don’t know if LUCK is considered a step, but having a ton of that sure helps too.•    Be sure to read the fine print as you explore crowdfunding options for your start up.•    A few nuggets on some of the most successful start ups ever.  Dare to dream kids.•    Are you suffering from PPD – Pathetic Presentation Disorder – with your PowerPoint decks?  Guy Kawasaki is the man when it comes to this stuff and offers a few tips to Lisa Nirell at Fast Company.  •    Its been 100 years since IBM opened its doors – much has changed, but the mission never has.  According to The Economist, that’s what has kept them around so long.  I guess the message here is to focus on your people and your processes as the produ... [More]

•    Tony Hsieh is an amazing entrepreneur made very famous by his work with Zappos and their corporate culture of customer service and creativity among other things.  Here is a quick Q&A about some of that.•    Are you doing your own book keeping?  Here is a little advice on booking sales.  •    Ranking last in anything is usually not so great.  For women owned businesses in Iowa, it’s something we need to work on.  American Express OPEN just finished a nice piece based on new census data related to women owned businesses and will open some eyes here in Iowa.  I get that we have a slow-paced population growth, Midwestern aversion to risk, et cetera, but other states also fit that mold and seem to be doing better (the Dakotas, Wisconsin).  •    Guy Kawasaki offers some tips on how to be likeable on line.  Most of it is the same as how to be likeable offline.... [More]

• LinkedIn seems to be the forgotten of the 3 big dogs in social media (Twitter, Facebook), but has so many tools for business owners.  Here are a few of those you might overlook.  • A few ways that entrepreneurs think differently than the rest of the world.   At least according to Ernst and Young.  Here is some more from the E&Y survey.  • Sales is what it all comes down to for most any entrepreneur.  If you suck at it, it could be a long road to hoe.  Here are a few tips for sucking less.• Most every entrepreneur realizes you need a solid CPA and attorney for your start up, but many overlook what a good banking relationship can do.  Bankers can be great rainmakers, they can keep you afloat when you get into a tight money situation, and can be a solid sounding board for your ideas.  They know the region, your competition, your customers, and can be your advocate when times get tough.  &b... [More]

The recent tornado that struck Mapleton, Iowa should serve as a somber reminder to us all the importance of business disaster planning. It was not that long ago, that Parkersburg was also hit by a tornado, causing over $6 million in damage and so much more in grief. Around that same time, the state suffered massive flooding in some of Iowa's largest metros impacting hundreds of small business owners. Even as this blog post is put up, discussions abound with our friends up north in Minnesota as they battle the Red River. Just a couple of weeks ago, we co-hosted a webinar with the Iowa Association of Business and Industry covering what things to consider in your disaster plan. If you haven't already, now is the time to start planning out how you will handle potential disasters. Here are just some of the statistics that David Fulton with FDI Consulting, Inc shared during his webinar with us last month: 655 FEMA Declared Disasters in the US this century 2000-present (58 per year a... [More]

Ever follow a new user on Twitter and seconds later see a direct message from them in your inbox? More than likely that message is an automatic reply direct message to new followers set up with a third-party application, like SocialOomph. If you don’t have an auto reply for those who follow your account- you could be missing out on a business opportunity. I know out in the blogosphere there are those who disagree with me about the wisdom of leveraging automatic direct messaging to new followers, but frankly why not? It's been said that the average person is subjected to hundreds of media messages and advertising a day anyway- do you really think your direct message is going to be the one that breaks the back of a potential client? If someone decides to follow you, they are already interested in what you have said. Why not send them a direct message, say 'thanks,' and put a reasonable plug in for your business, product, or service (see this blog post for ideas on the few... [More]

So you're thinking about starting a business, but don't quite have enough money saved up for launch? Did you know that the Iowa Foundation for Microenterprise and Community Vitality helps manage two different programs that assists Iowa entrepreneurs secure funding? Since funding concerns are such a common challenge for small business start-ups, the Iowa Foundation for Microenterprise and Community Vitality will be the focus of this blog post. Specifically, we'll cover both the Iowa Small Business Loan and IowaMicroLoan Programs. These two programs are designed for two different types of applicants. Depending upon your personal financial situation, one or the other may be a better fit. IowaMicroLoan The IowaMicroLoan was created to give Iowans who may not have a perfect credit score, still have the opportunity to secure small business funding. Since the focus is on entrepreneurs who are often overlooked by lenders due to their perceived risk, a letter stating that you have b... [More]

I'm going to start a new blog series on the many services available to small business owners here in Iowa. I won't be able to cover the thousands of programs, services, and people who all are here to help, but I hope to give you some useful starting points. Don't worry though, here at MyEntre.Net HQ, we are busy at work pulling together all of our statewide resources and should have a new searchable database for MyEntre.Net members very soon… :) Keep your eye out for MyEntre.Net Connections! To start off this series, I want to begin with the Iowa Small Business Development Center (SBDC) offices. The Iowa SBDC is a network of 15 regional offices that provide local entrepreneurs and small business owners free one-on-one technical assistance. By "technical assistance" I mean personal business consulting. All of Iowa's SBDC Directors have vast business experience and can offer you assistance in creating and implementing your business/marketing plans, determine new growth mark... [More]

So if you read through my earlier blog posts in my Google Tools series, you learned great ways to create a new email account, add website analytics, find and fix website errors, create and embed video, and monitor your brand on the internet. I've decided to add one more tool, Google Docs. Last week, I helped with a FastTrac class in Fayette, Iowa. I was there to present and lead a discussion on marketing and market research strategies. One topic that came up was how to evaluate your current customers to understand what they like about your business and to determine where you may need to improve operations. One such way to do this is through e-mail surveys. There are plenty of tools which can help you create and gather feedback via surveys for free, like SurveyMonkey, however did you know you can create your own custom survey form via Google Docs? This is a great feature that I only recently discovered, so I thought I would blog about it so that if you're not already running surv... [More]