Do you want to know why some companies are more innovative, more profitable, command greater loyalty from customers and employees alike? It’s because they start by asking “why,” according to Simon Sinek, an ethnographer, author of Start With Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action and speaker (his TED speech is among my favorites).

Click Here – Or Maybe Not

by Guest Blogger on May 14, 2013 - 12:20am

Marketing Small Business

by Mardy Sitzer

Oh how I hate to see ‘click here’ it is so unimaginative, screams potential scam or worse – malware. So why oh why are marketers still relying on ‘click here’ as a call to action?

Immigrant Finds US Land of Opportunity for Business

by Guest Blogger on May 9, 2013 - 12:20am

economic independence entrepreneurship Profile: Company Small Business Women Entrepreneurship

by Karin Kamp

Nada Kiblawi was born in a refugee camp, lived through regional wars and finally found safe haven and economic independence as an entrepreneur in the U.S.

As a child born and raised in a Palestinian refugee camp, she suffered from low self-esteem, despite feeling love and affection from her parents.

Nada’s family fled to Lebanon during the 1948 Arab-Israel war, losing all of their possessions and the land they owned in the process. They ended up north of Beirut, in a United Nations refugee camp, which was meant to be a stopgap solution to their crisis.

Nada, her six siblings and her parents were allocated two rooms in the camp in what she describes as “miserable” conditions.

“There was no running water in the houses. There were common toilets in another building that were shared by all the refugees. People would wash and bathe in small containers and then take the water out and throw it in the common sanitary,” Nada told The Story Exchange.

How to Network to Grow Your Business

by Geri Stengel on May 2, 2013 - 12:20am

Commentary / Opinion How To networking Small Business women entrepreneurs Women Entrepreneurship

If women entrepreneurs want to grow their businesses, they need to network. That means stop behaving like shy little girls: Put yourself out there, especially when the economy is slow.

Why Women Entrepreneurs Aren’t Getting Loans and What They Can Do About It

by Geri Stengel on Apr 25, 2013 - 12:20am

alternative financing Analysis How To loans Small Business women business owners women entrepreneur Women Entrepreneurship women-owned businesses

There’s no doubt about it: women business owners face greater funding challenges than men. A lesser-known fact is that those challenges may be linked to the industries that female business owners are choosing, according to new findings by Biz2Credit, an online credit marketplace.

6 Tips for Raising Venture Capital Fast

by Geri Stengel on Apr 18, 2013 - 12:20am

How To Small Business Stanford’s Clayman Institute for Gender Research venture capital women entrepreneurs Women Entrepreneurship

When it comes to raising money from venture capitalists, the gender of an entrepreneur matters, According to new research from Stanford’s Clayman Institute for Gender Research, VCs have confidence in a man with a business background leading a tech company, but not in a woman with a comparable profile.

New Research Report Reveals Corporate Social Responsibility Trends

by Guest Blogger on Apr 16, 2013 - 12:20am

Business corporate social responsibility Small Business Social Responsibility

by Business4Better (B4B)

The non-commercial community partnership movement produced by UBM plc, released a research report on Tuesday that defines major trends in the way mid-sized companies approach corporate social responsibility (CSR), including plans for community engagement, employee volunteerism and metrics of success. It explores both challenges and opportunities that mid-sized companies regularly face in implementing their CSR programs.

How to Build a $10 Million Business, from Women Who Did It

by Geri Stengel on Apr 11, 2013 - 12:20am

Commentary / Opinion How To Small Business small business growth women entrepreneurs Women Entrepreneurship

Elite women-owned business -- those earning $10 million in revenue annually -- are growing in numbers almost 50% faster than $10 million business in general and nearly 100% faster than all women-owned businesses, according to Growing Under the Radar: An Exploration of the achievement of Million-Dollar women-Owned Firms, research commissioned by American Express OPEN.

Can Changing How, Where and When We Work Create More Women Leaders

by Geri Stengel on Apr 4, 2013 - 12:20am

Analysis Commentary / Opinion Leadership Small Business telecommuting women entrepreneurs Women Entrepreneurship work flex workplace policies

Recently, Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer stirred controversy by ditching the company’s telecommuting policy and requiring employees to report to the office. While many have criticized her decision because it disproportionately affects working mothers, others believe it may save the struggling tech company from obsolescence. To them, Mayer’s decision is justified if it will help Yahoo’s bottom line.

Women Entrepreneur Faciliatates Peace Here and in the Middle East

by Guest Blogger on Apr 2, 2013 - 12:20am

Commentary / Opinion conflict resolution Lessons Learned management Motivated by Purpose Small Business Women Entrepreneurship

by Karin Kamp

In 2012 when insurgents were unleashing a string of attacks across Iraq, who would have dared take on the task of bringing warring religious factions together in face-to-face talks?