Recent Articles Published by Bplans
LivePlan 2022 State of Small Business Survey — Share Your Story
We’re excited to announce the LivePlan 2021 State of Small Business Survey. Add your voice to our community of entrepreneurs and help other businesses grow. Read more »
Small Business Growth Webinar Series — 6 Expert-Led Ways to Grow
Join us for six engaging conversations covering critical, often-overlooked topics that can make or break your business. Sign up today. Read more »
How to Holiday-Proof Your Company Email — Outpost Webinar
‘Tis the season for sick time and vacations, increased sales, and last-minute requests. Sign up today and learn how to get your inbox ready. Read more »
How to Tame Your Inbox and Be More Productive — Outpost Webinar
Are you and your team bogged down by email? Sign up for our latest Outpost Learning Webinar to learn how to better manage your inbox Read more »
Tips for Tracking Customer Satisfaction
Although metrics are just measurements and they can't give the specific feedback from customers, they visually help the team get a perspective on our level of success in keeping our customers happy. Read more »
How to Use Microsites to Boost Your Business
If cheap, efficient, crowd-pleasing and fun sound good to you, then you might just be the ideal candidate to create a microsite. We've assembled some tips to guide you in your quest for microsite greatness, as well as some examples of microsites out there that are killing it. Read more »
4 Companies Getting Video Right
It's one thing to discuss what the perfect video strategy entails, but another to watch companies that are getting it right. Read more »
Enter to win the LivePlan $10,000 Boost!
How would a check for $10,000 help your business? Start thinking about it, because the LivePlan $10,000 Boost is officially open for registrations! Open to U.S. residents only, the LivePlan $10,000 Boost is a business plan competition for users of LivePlan, the leading online business planning and tracking software. The best-written LivePlan business plan will... Read more »
Why should anyone follow your business on Twitter?
If you own a business, you probably have heard how you have to “do social media” if you want to get ahead. Create a Facebook page, a Twitter account and start amassing “likes” and followers and somehow the money will start rolling in. But did you ever stop and think, why? Why would somebody want... Read more »
Do you expect face time or quality time from your employees?
Is the amount of time somebody spends at the office indicative of the quality or quantity of the work they produce? Not so long ago, offices were filled with people who were putting in face time, or “working” 18 hours days because that’s what it took to get ahead. But the question is, were they... Read more »
How to Live in Two Worlds and Succeed in Both – Picky Bars Success Story
Three professional athletes. Two of them injured. The third with specific dietary needs. What happens when they combine forces to create a snack for pre-workout fueling and post-workout recovery? The answer is Picky Bars, allergy sensitive, athlete designed, and “scientifically scrumptious” snack bars. Jesse Thomas, of Springfield, Oregon, was an amateur triathlete. When he decided... Read more »
Mobile Dependence and the Business Traveler
If you travel a lot for your business, you probably rely on your mobile devices to stay connected and productive. How do you compare to the stats in the infographic below? Business Traveler’s Mobile Dependence Infographic created by PC Housing Read more »
Free Webinar: Learn to Drive More Sales
National Small Business Week kicked off yesterday with a three-day educational and networking event in Washington, D.C., recognizing the accomplishments and contributions of small businesses across the country. If you couldn’t make it to Washington this year, you can still benefit by joining marketing expert John Jantsch for a free webinar he’s offering in celebration... Read more »
What Kind of Funding is Right for Your Business?
It’s the question that everybody starting a small business asks. Do I need outside funding or can I bootstrap my business. If I do need funding, what kind do I need, and how to I get it? Most businesses are actually financed by home equity or private savings. Attracting venture capital or angel investors is... Read more »
7 Lessons From an Angel Conference
If you’ve never been to a business plan competition or angel conference, you really should try to find one to attend. They’re excellent networking events and great opportunities to see what other entrepreneurs are up to. But more importantly, they give you the rare chance to hear what potential investors like and don’t like about... Read more »
The leap from employee to entrepreneur – Small Business Spotlight
It’s never easy to leave a stable job to launch a startup. But sometimes circumstances align and a budding entrepreneur just knows that the time is right to make the leap. Sulaiman Sanni and his partner Ben Lamson were both working for Meltwater Group, a large, well known Software as a Service company, Su as... Read more »
Is a great pitch without a plan even possible?
You’ve got a great business idea, so now all you need is a great pitch, right? No need to spend time on a business plan, just put together a few slides and a five to ten minute speech and investors will be throwing money at you. Think again. A great pitch is important, everyone agrees... Read more »
It’s True – Content Is King
Content marketing is one of the big buzzwords of 2012 so far. With millions of websites vying for your customers’ attention and hundreds of emails clogging their inboxes, now more than ever you have to prove to your audience that yours is a voice worth listening to. And that’s where content comes in. As Tim... Read more »
Do you use social media to market your business?
Most experts agree that social media is an affordable, easy way to communicate with and engage your current and potential customers. But how many small business owners are really using it, and what are they getting out of their efforts? Let’s find out. Click Here for Poll Read more »
Infographic: Startup activity since The Great Recession
This infographic from the Kauffman Foundation presents an interesting look at the state of entrepreneurial activity in the United States. The good news is that more new businesses were created in 2011 than in the several years leading up to the recession that began in late 2007. The bad news is that new business activity... Read more »
