http://www.examiner.com/x-1603-Detroit-Small-Business-Examiner?cid=exrss-Detroit-Small-Business-Examiner en-us Mon, 23 Nov 2009 16:29:50 -0700 Fri, 20 Nov 2009 06:25:40 -0700 BlogCFC http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss http://www.examiner.com/x-1603-Detroit-Small-Business-Examiner~y2009m11d20-Business-Santas-ARE-Politically-Correct?cid=exrss-Detroit-Small-Business-Examiner The trend in society has been to remain ‘politically correct’ and not offend anyone. We’ve seen that in so many attempts to separate church from government and schools where local communities have removed scenes of the Nativity f... Santa Claus politically correct Christmas Fri, 20 Nov 2009 06:25:40 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-1603-Detroit-Small-Business-Examiner~y2009m11d20-Business-Santas-ARE-Politically-Correct?cid=exrss-Detroit-Small-Business-Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-1603-Detroit-Small-Business-Examiner~y2009m11d16-Murder-on-the-Spamient-Express?cid=exrss-Detroit-Small-Business-Examiner When a whole list of notables were suspected of killing the cranky old Mr. Ratchett in Agatha Christie’s famous novel “Murder on the Orient Express,” famed fictional detective Hercule Poirot used his intuition, experience, and cu... spam murder Mon, 16 Nov 2009 05:37:30 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-1603-Detroit-Small-Business-Examiner~y2009m11d16-Murder-on-the-Spamient-Express?cid=exrss-Detroit-Small-Business-Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-1603-Detroit-Small-Business-Examiner~y2009m11d13-Marketing-Dissection-101?cid=exrss-Detroit-Small-Business-Examiner I’ll call it “Marketing Dissection 101.” It’s really called the "Hot Seat" and people are happy to sit in and get roasted – in a good way. That’s the philosophy behind the Glazer-Kennedy sponsored &ldq... dissection Fri, 13 Nov 2009 09:28:45 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-1603-Detroit-Small-Business-Examiner~y2009m11d13-Marketing-Dissection-101?cid=exrss-Detroit-Small-Business-Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-1603-Detroit-Small-Business-Examiner~y2009m11d11-Force-Your-Competition-To-Do-What-They-Dont-Want-To-Do?cid=exrss-Detroit-Small-Business-Examiner Most people know that the best defense is a good offense -- and not the other way around. That's especially true in business. It's called being proactive rather than reactive. If you make the first move you are forcing your opponent -- or ... euchre aggressive lead and bleed offensive Wed, 11 Nov 2009 14:26:37 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-1603-Detroit-Small-Business-Examiner~y2009m11d11-Force-Your-Competition-To-Do-What-They-Dont-Want-To-Do?cid=exrss-Detroit-Small-Business-Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-1603-Detroit-Small-Business-Examiner~y2009m11d9-Cutting-ad-budgets-There-goes-the-baby-with-the-bath-water?cid=exrss-Detroit-Small-Business-Examiner It is the nature of business owners to cut waaaay back on expenses during tough economic times. The most obvious are the highest costs, namely labor. Then others fall into line including -- unfortunately -- advertising/marketing budgets. That&... tough economy marketing Mon, 09 Nov 2009 07:18:01 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-1603-Detroit-Small-Business-Examiner~y2009m11d9-Cutting-ad-budgets-There-goes-the-baby-with-the-bath-water?cid=exrss-Detroit-Small-Business-Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-1603-Detroit-Small-Business-Examiner~y2009m11d6-An-open-letter-to-personable-website-owners?cid=exrss-Detroit-Small-Business-Examiner Hello Mr. Info! How are you? How is the family? Tell Mrs. Info hello when you see her. The same with all of the little Information kids in the family. And what about your employees? How are they? I heard Mr. Service is a little under t... non-personable Fri, 06 Nov 2009 06:11:10 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-1603-Detroit-Small-Business-Examiner~y2009m11d6-An-open-letter-to-personable-website-owners?cid=exrss-Detroit-Small-Business-Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-1603-Detroit-Small-Business-Examiner~y2009m11d2-Business-advertising-Cutesy-is-a-turnoff?cid=exrss-Detroit-Small-Business-Examiner Sometimes even the best businesses get too ‘cutesy’ with their ad campaigns. Take Geico for example. I happen to think that the “so easy a caveman can do it’ was a great theme and always gave me a chuckle. I remembered Geic... cutesy Mon, 02 Nov 2009 07:08:49 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-1603-Detroit-Small-Business-Examiner~y2009m11d2-Business-advertising-Cutesy-is-a-turnoff?cid=exrss-Detroit-Small-Business-Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-1603-Detroit-Small-Business-Examiner~y2009m10d30-Business-blogging-Be-VERY-careful?cid=exrss-Detroit-Small-Business-Examiner You’ve heard the old saying, “Opinions are like arseholes. Everyone has one and they usually stink.” The same can be said about blogging. Talk about a concept that is way past its prime. Blogging has become a career for some... WWW bad writing blogging harmful Fri, 30 Oct 2009 05:02:56 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-1603-Detroit-Small-Business-Examiner~y2009m10d30-Business-blogging-Be-VERY-careful?cid=exrss-Detroit-Small-Business-Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-1603-Detroit-Small-Business-Examiner~y2009m10d22-Credit-Unions-loaning-money-for-retraining?cid=exrss-Detroit-Small-Business-Examiner The Michigan Credit Union League is doing something real special these days -- helping people to retrain for new careers. They are doing it through the Career Transition Program (CTP). The CTP was developed by the Michigan Credit Union League,... WWW retraining careers credit union loans Thu, 22 Oct 2009 12:03:42 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-1603-Detroit-Small-Business-Examiner~y2009m10d22-Credit-Unions-loaning-money-for-retraining?cid=exrss-Detroit-Small-Business-Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-1603-Detroit-Small-Business-Examiner~y2009m10d15-The-true-nonbillable-hours?cid=exrss-Detroit-Small-Business-Examiner Don't bother punching the clock.One thing that drives business owners and manager crazy is non-productive and non-billable time. This time is often unavoidable (travel) but usually wasted (surfing the ‘Net). So, in an effort to better understan... non-billable unproductive non-productive wasted Thu, 15 Oct 2009 11:58:17 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-1603-Detroit-Small-Business-Examiner~y2009m10d15-The-true-nonbillable-hours?cid=exrss-Detroit-Small-Business-Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-1603-Detroit-Small-Business-Examiner~y2009m10d13-When-the-business-BOOM-returns-will-you-be-ready?cid=exrss-Detroit-Small-Business-Examiner Shout it out! Businesses need workers!Okay, so it may not be a boom, but it will be a lot louder than it is right now. I’m talking about the return of your customers – not a stampede – but a slow, steady trot back into your business... Business BOOM workforce middle-skills Tue, 13 Oct 2009 06:33:28 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-1603-Detroit-Small-Business-Examiner~y2009m10d13-When-the-business-BOOM-returns-will-you-be-ready?cid=exrss-Detroit-Small-Business-Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-1603-Detroit-Small-Business-Examiner~y2009m10d9-Shame-on-these-businesspeople?cid=exrss-Detroit-Small-Business-Examiner Businesses wthout websites are as outdated as this type of advertisement.Okay, so Big Rapids, Michigan and the surrounding communities are small and predominantly rural. That's no excuse for running a business without a website.But that's what i... websites rural sad Fri, 09 Oct 2009 16:11:49 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-1603-Detroit-Small-Business-Examiner~y2009m10d9-Shame-on-these-businesspeople?cid=exrss-Detroit-Small-Business-Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-1603-Detroit-Small-Business-Examiner~y2009m10d4-Your-best-investment-is-your-KIDS?cid=exrss-Detroit-Small-Business-Examiner Parents invested in these great Lutheran kids.Best business investment? Your KIDS Do you wonder why the world has gone to hell in a hand basket? Do you wonder why the business climate is so shaky and that money woes drive a wedge between people?... investment kids church Sun, 04 Oct 2009 11:13:33 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-1603-Detroit-Small-Business-Examiner~y2009m10d4-Your-best-investment-is-your-KIDS?cid=exrss-Detroit-Small-Business-Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-1603-Detroit-Small-Business-Examiner~y2009m9d28-The-Webs-got-nuthin-on-Margaret?cid=exrss-Detroit-Small-Business-Examiner Promotional advertising -- in person.People are in love with online shopping. Heck, I like it, too. (Love is something I save for the family.)The reasons are simple: No pressure selling; time to browse; competitive pricing; factory-to-door shipping, ... promotional products imprinted ad specialties Mon, 28 Sep 2009 19:30:29 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-1603-Detroit-Small-Business-Examiner~y2009m9d28-The-Webs-got-nuthin-on-Margaret?cid=exrss-Detroit-Small-Business-Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-1603-Detroit-Small-Business-Examiner~y2009m9d28-Everybody-needs-a-Tim?cid=exrss-Detroit-Small-Business-Examiner Looks like gumbo soup to me.My daughter fried her laptop. No, it wasn't a jolt of electricity -- it was a jolt of video/music/photo downloads. The combination of all three plus miles of cookies and spyware made her hard drive a bowl of gumbo sou... computer repair Tim Mon, 28 Sep 2009 12:47:21 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-1603-Detroit-Small-Business-Examiner~y2009m9d28-Everybody-needs-a-Tim?cid=exrss-Detroit-Small-Business-Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-1603-Detroit-Small-Business-Examiner~y2009m9d25-Why-businesses-need-a-LOUSY-writer?cid=exrss-Detroit-Small-Business-Examiner I can be as bad as you want.You heard me right. There are a lot of good writers out there who are miracle workers with words – such as myself – but nowadays the Internet has turned the traditional “rules of writing” upside dow... bad writing Jon & Kate Madonna sex Kanye West Fri, 25 Sep 2009 14:44:57 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-1603-Detroit-Small-Business-Examiner~y2009m9d25-Why-businesses-need-a-LOUSY-writer?cid=exrss-Detroit-Small-Business-Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-1603-Detroit-Small-Business-Examiner~y2009m9d21-Theres-a-MILLION-jobs-out-there?cid=exrss-Detroit-Small-Business-Examiner Great news if it is true.I’m a Detroiter and I know what it means to suffer. No, I’m not talking about the Detroit Lions. I’m talking about job loss, home devaluation, loss of income, etc. I have experienced them all in the last few... Time magazine million jobs unemployed retrain Mon, 21 Sep 2009 06:19:33 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-1603-Detroit-Small-Business-Examiner~y2009m9d21-Theres-a-MILLION-jobs-out-there?cid=exrss-Detroit-Small-Business-Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-1603-Detroit-Small-Business-Examiner~y2009m9d17-The-1-idea-investment-Businesspeople-take-note?cid=exrss-Detroit-Small-Business-Examiner The $1 Idea InvestmentWould you 'take a gamble' and invest one dollar on an unknown idea? I'm counitng on it. And maybe business owners should consider what investors could do for their own businesses.Here's the scoop:I have set up a special pag... $1 investment PayPal Thu, 17 Sep 2009 13:21:22 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-1603-Detroit-Small-Business-Examiner~y2009m9d17-The-1-idea-investment-Businesspeople-take-note?cid=exrss-Detroit-Small-Business-Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-1603-Detroit-Small-Business-Examiner~y2009m9d15-My-short-career-as-a-selfstorage-auctionee?cid=exrss-Detroit-Small-Business-Examiner I'm just out of the picture -- not bidding.It sounded pretty interesting. My mind harkened back to the days I watched "Let's Make a Deal" and waited for Door #1 to open. I got that same feeling in person during my recent short career a... storage unit auctions hidden treasure Tue, 15 Sep 2009 09:32:48 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-1603-Detroit-Small-Business-Examiner~y2009m9d15-My-short-career-as-a-selfstorage-auctionee?cid=exrss-Detroit-Small-Business-Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-1603-Detroit-Small-Business-Examiner~y2009m9d12-When-the-reporter-calls-PICK-UP-THE-PHONE?cid=exrss-Detroit-Small-Business-Examiner Answer the phone -- it's a reporter!Yeah, I'm not a big fan of using ALL CAPS as I did in my headline. But I feel like shouting about this topic.I've been a reporter for many years, most recently doing freelance work for some local newspapers. I have... LOSER reporter Sat, 12 Sep 2009 06:26:48 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-1603-Detroit-Small-Business-Examiner~y2009m9d12-When-the-reporter-calls-PICK-UP-THE-PHONE?cid=exrss-Detroit-Small-Business-Examiner