Getty Images

Entrepreneurs, especially in the early years of developing their businesses, worry a lot about the perceived size of their companies — and they do many things to appear bigger from day one.

Some get larger voicemail systems with lots of options to make it seem like they have tons of employees. Others mention departments and teams that don't really exist to help make sure customers view them as grander than they are. Many take larger advertising spots or trade show booths that they can't afford in hopes of impressing the competition.

But, what's so bad, I'd like to know, about being small? Given the recent economic crisis and the deep-seated resentment consumers feel towards many large corporations, I believe there is no better time to be a small business. We have the advantage of being easier to reach, customer-centric, innovation-driven, and incredibly nimble. Showing the value of our size in savvy ways can help beat big competitors with ease.

 » Read More

Source: Google

Being at the top of a Google search results page is a highly sought piece of real estate for many businesses. After all, being listed near the top of the results page on Google can be the difference between gaining new customers and losing them to another company. A recent series of changes released by Google is affecting the way the search engine giant orders their rankings and small business owners have been hit particularly hard by this update.

This most recent set of more than 50 changes, named Penguin, released April 24 changed the Google

GOOG loading...

Quote  |  Chart  |  News  |  Profile

[GOOG  Loading...      ()   ] search algorithm to target over-optimized websites that were stuffed with keywords in an attempt to improve their search rankings. The full list of changes can be found on Google's blog.

What are the penguin updates?

 » Read More

Todd Hill took a 3,000-year-old offline business and brought it into the digital age. Hill, a 25-year veteran of the pawn industry, made the leap from running a 30-store brick-and-mortar operation in Colorado and Utah to the online world in 2009 when he founded Pawngo.com, the first full-service online pawn shop in the U.S. To date, Pawngo has loaned more than $7 million dollars in 50 states.

With roots that can be traced back to ancient China, pawnbroking — often called the world's second-oldest profession — had largely been a cottage industry of neighborhood stores serving as lenders-of-last-resort until Hill leapfrogged tradition and brought the business into modern times. By going online, he also neatly sidestepped consumer resistance to the stigma of physically visiting a pawnbroker by making it possible for customers to make their transactions in private outside of potentially embarrassing public scrutiny.

 » Read More

Source: FTD Splendor

Mother’s Day is the second biggest holiday for gifts after Christmas, according to the National Retail Federation. Spending is expected to reach $18.6 billion this year. Unlike Christmas, however, most people don’t start shopping three months ahead to prepare for the day.

In fact, according to a survey by PriceGrabber, 30 percent of 4,296 online shoppers surveyed said they would purchase gifts in the week leading up to Mother's Day; another 18 percent said they would wait until the last minute. So, if you’re a merchant that sells flowers, candy, perfume, and gift certificates for manicures, expect Saturday to be busy. If you’re open on Sunday — even better!

If Mom isn’t nearby, FedEx

FDX loading...

Quote  |  Chart  |  News  |  Profile

[FDX  Loading...      ()   ] is ready to help: The overnight shipper is prepping for a busy Sunday of deliveries, it said in a statement: “FedEx team members are ready with the solutions that make it simple to meet … the looming May 11 shipping deadline for Mother’s Day delivery.”

 » Read More

Thinkstock | Getty Images

Texas continues to earn high marks for its welcoming atmosphere for businesses that call it home.

The Lone Star State had three cities — Dallas-Ft. Worth, Austin and San Antonio — rank among the top four friendliest for small businesses in a new poll by Thumbtack.com and the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation.

Overall, Texas earned an A-plus in the poll, which graded cities and states on a number of factors, including ease of starting a business, hiring costs, government regulations and training programs.

 » Read More

David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty Images

If your friends and family joke that you're addicted to Facebook, they may be right. Researchers in Norway have identified six signs that you may be addicted. They've used those signs to develop a test to help you figure out of your suffer from a social media addiction.

The test, called the Bergen Facebook Addiction Scale, is based on six basic criteria, where all items are scored on the following scale: (1) Very rarely (2) Rarely (3) Sometimes (4) Often and (5) Very often. The signs are:

• You spend a lot of time thinking about Facebook or plan use of Facebook.

• You feel an urge to use Facebook more and more.

• You use Facebook to forget about personal problems.

• You have tried to cut down on the use of Facebook without success.

• You become restless or troubled if you are prohibited from using Facebook.

• You use Facebook so much that it has had a negative impact on your job/studies.

If you are, indeed, addicted, you're not alone, the researchers say.

 » Read More

In this era of tight money, many small businesses feel that they've been hung out to dry by traditional lenders, a new survey shows. As a result, a growing number of companies are turning to alternative sources of funding, such as merchant cash advances (MCA). Though it's money that comes with a steep price, for many business owners it provides the cash infusion they need to stay in business or grow their business.

Many small businesses using merchant cash advances either didn't think they would qualify for financing from traditional lenders (42 percent) or had already been declined or withdrew their application (57 percent), according to a survey of its customers conducted by Merchant Cash and Capital (MCC), a provider of MCAs.

 » Read More

Peter Dazeley | Getty Images

Businesses trying to raise money by going public may have a tough time finding investors if a woman is at the helm, a new study shows.

Researchers at the University of Utah found that despite identical personal qualifications and firm financials, female founders and CEOs were perceived as less capable than their male counterparts. In turn, the initial public offerings for companies led by those women were considered less attractive investments.

 » Read More