GreatFX Business Cards Small Business Buzz March 2006 Archive
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This week’s edition (#9) of the Carnival of Entrepreneurship by Nathan Moore can be found at MooreThoughts.com.
View the Carnival of Entrepreneurship 9
About the Carnival of Entrepreneurship
What is a Blog Carnival?
Next week’s Carnival of Entrepreneurship will be hosted by Denise O’Berry’s Just For Small Busiuness.
Tags: Carnival of Entrepreneurship, Blog Carnival
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By Chris Brunner Thursday, March 30th, 2006 @ 11:20 AM CDT
Blog Carnivals |
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A new and exciting development in data storage has been announced by Inphase Technologies out of Longmont, Colorado.
Inphase has demonstrated the highest data density of any commercial technology by recording 515 gigbits of data per square inch. By comparison, magnetic disks, such as those used in the hard drives, can manage a storage density of about 375 gigabits per square inch.
Holographic drives use a three-dimensional image generated by lasers to store information.
InPhase will deliver the industry’s first holographic drive and media later this year. The first generation drive has a capacity of 300 gigabytes on a single disk with a 20 megabyte per second transfer rate. The first product will be followed by a family ranging from 800Gb to 1.6 terabyte (Tb) capacity.
Quick Facts:
• 50 years lifetime compared to today’s 7 years.
• 70% more storage space.
• 90% cheaper
• Half-Terabit per-square-inch Data Density Achieved
Recommended Reading:
• Engadget.com - New Record set for Fastest Data Transmission
• BBC.co.uk - Holographic Advance Aids Storage
• Inphase Technologies
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By Chris Brunner Thursday, March 30th, 2006 @ 11:07 AM CDT
Technology |
2 Comments

This week’s edition (#129) of the Carnival of the Capitalists by Sam Decker can be found at Decker Marketing.
View the Carnival of the Capitalists 129
About the Carnival of the Capitalists
What is a Blog Carnival?
My personal favorites list from the CotC #129:
Entrepreneurship
• Avoid Being the Architect of Your Own Demise.
• 10 Ways to Delegate Without Hiring Staff
• Entrepreneurial Proverbs
• Strategic Plan for 2006: 12 Places to Say No
Marketing & Advertising
• The Wisdom of Niches: Why Experts Still Matter
• Meaningful Marketing in Business Jurassic Jargon
• How to Buy Word of Mouth
Customer Centricity
• Always Recommend the Right Products
• Rules Of Engagement: Or Are We Still Just Dating?
• Customer Service IS a Profit Center
Leadership
• The Art of Sucking Down
• Creating a Culture of Winning
Technology
• Entrepreneurs Hope Podcasting Has Potential
Economy
• Stop Buying Cheap Imported
Other
• How to Become an Early Riser - Part I
• How to Become an Early Riser - Part II
Next week’s CotC #130 will be hosted by Jotzel.com.
Tags: Carnival of the Capitalists, Blog Carnival, Hiring Staff, Entrepreneurial Proverbs, Niches, Marketing, Word of Mouth, Customer Service, Creating a Culture, Podcasting
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By Chris Brunner Monday, March 27th, 2006 @ 11:47 AM CDT
Blog Carnivals |
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This week’s edition (#7) of the Carnival of Entrepreneurship by Dane Carlson can be found at The Business Opportunities Weblog.
View the Carnival of Entrepreneurship 7
About the Carnival of Entrepreneurship
What is a Blog Carnival?
A selection of the CoE topics I found most interesting:
• Where’s the Product?
• Re-arrange Your Way to Success
• Microsoft Small Business Summit - Never Eat Alone
Also featured in the carnival was my posted reply to Bob Bly’s Anti-Business Card article - Are Business Cards Worth the Money?
Next week’s Carnival of Entrepreneurship will be hosted by Jeff Cornwall’s The Entrepreneurial Mind.
Tags: Carnival of Entrepreneurship, Blog Carnival
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By Chris Brunner Thursday, March 16th, 2006 @ 6:51 PM CDT
Blog Carnivals |
1 Comment
If you are a seasoned small business owner, you’ve probably encountered the pissed-off customer who either treatens to shut your business down, or who throws a temper tantrum until they get their way.
For new business owners or people thinking of going into business, you should be prepared to deal with this no matter how much confidence you have in your products or services.
Jason Tarasi, expert author with SmallBusinessNewz.com, has posted 5 Simple Tips For Dealing With Nasty Customers
1. Don’t take it personal.
2. Don’t overdo the “customer is always right” concept.
3. Realize it isn’t always your problem.
4. Don’t fall for fear invoking bluffs.
5. Decide whether or not a customer relationship is worth salvaging.
Following these steps will help you keep your sanity when bearish customers come calling.
Recommended Reading:
• Leadership-Tools.com - Dealing With Angry Customers
• Work911.com - The #1 Mistake Made Dealing With Angry Customers
• Gaebler.com - Customer Support: Handling Angry Customers
Tags: small business, customer relationship, Customer Support
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By Chris Brunner Wednesday, March 15th, 2006 @ 12:42 PM CDT
Customer Service |
2 Comments

This week’s edition (#127) of the Carnival of the Capitalists by Clyde Smith can be found at ProHipHop.com.
View the Carnival of the Capitalists 127
About the Carnival of the Capitalists
What is a Blog Carnival?
A selection of the CotC topics I found most interesting:
Entrepreneurship
• Zen, Motorcycle Maintenance, and Entrepreneurship
• Yes Entrepreneurship Can, and Is, Being Taught
Marketing & Advertising
• Do You Have to Drip Slime to Sell Your Services?
• Reactivating Old Subscribers in Your Email Lists
Responsibility
• The Capitalism of Conscience
• Corporate Social Responsibility
Economics
• Yield Curve Update
Technology
• Thinking Twice About Tech Transfer
Next week’s CotC #128 will be hosted by Casey Software.
Tags: Carnival of the Capitalists, Blog Carnival, Entrepreneurship, Email Lists, Capitalism, Yield Curve, Tech Transfer
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By Chris Brunner Monday, March 13th, 2006 @ 11:25 AM CDT
Blog Carnivals |
Share Your Thoughts!

This week’s edition (#6) of the Carnival of Entrepreneurship by David Daniels can be found at Global Market Development.
View the Carnival of Entrepreneurship 6
About the Carnival of Entrepreneurship
What is a Blog Carnival?
A selection of the CoE topics I found most interesting:
• Top 10 Reasons NOT to go in Business For Yourself
• Why Most Businesses Fail
• Time is Money
Next week’s CoE will be hosted by Dane Carlson at Business Opportunities Weblog.
Tags: Carnival of Entrepreneurship, Blog Carnival
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Expanding Your Business Overseas: Why and Why Not?
By Chris Brunner Thursday, March 9th, 2006 @ 9:56 AM CDT
Blog Carnivals |
Share Your Thoughts!
BusinessSeek.biz has published an article titled “Compensating for Your Entrepreneurial Style“.
The author, Glenn Beach, offers a list of important characteristics every entrepreneur must possess to succeed.
1) Ability to see the big picture and plan accordingly;
2) Self-discipline;
3) Ability to use time wisely;
4) At minimum, a moderate drive to achieve;
5) Adaptability;
6) Autonomy;
7) Decisiveness;
8) A feeling of control over your own destiny;
9) Having (energy) drive and enterprise;
10) Motivation to grow;
11) Sense of intuition;
12) Ability to spot opportunities;
13) Perseverance;
14) Problem-solving abilities;
15) Risk-tolerance;
16) Self-confidence;
17) Social skills.
Over the course of running a small business, I’ve had to use or develop nearly every one of these characteristics. Some professions require more development than others.
A website designer’s optimal characteristics for success would be (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 11, 12, 13).
On the other hand, let’s say you operate a restaurant. Your optimal characteristics for success would be (2, 3, 7, 9, 10, 13, 15, 16, 17).
What is YOUR entrepreneurial style?
Recommended Reading:
• Wikipedia.org - Entrepreneur
• Planning a Vivid Future: Brian Scudamore’s Key Move
• Is Entrepreneurship Really For You?
Tags: Entrepreneurial Style, entrepreneur, small business
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By Chris Brunner Wednesday, March 8th, 2006 @ 10:46 AM CDT
Ownership |
Share Your Thoughts!
A recent iLogos Research study revealed 94% of Fortune 500 companies now hire employees online, a stark contrast from 1998, when only 29% of them were doing the same.
The demands of small business owners everywhere are being met by developers who have been busy creating software that can manage new employee recruitment online. This technology could make your life as a small business owner easier, bringing in stronger, more savvy candidates.
It’s important to do your research and find the technology that’s the best fit for your company. When shopping around for a recruitment manager program, consider the following questions:
• Cost: Is the advertised price the actual price?
• Ease of Use: Is it easy-to-use, even if I’m a computer novice?
• Setup: How long will it take to get up and running?
• Features: What’s included?
• Service: Will I get a helping hand?
Source:
• How to Hire Like the Fortune 500’s
Recommended Links:
• Google Directory - Recruitment Management
• Get More Marketing Value from Recruitment Software
• The New World of On-Demand Software
Tags: Fortune 500 companies, hire employees, employee recruitment, Recruitment Management
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By Chris Brunner Tuesday, March 7th, 2006 @ 11:37 AM CDT
Technology |
Share Your Thoughts!

This week’s edition (#126) of the Carnival of the Capitalists by ‘FMF’ can be found at Free Money Finance.
View the Carnival of the Capitalists 126
About the Carnival of the Capitalists
What is a Blog Carnival?
A selection of the CotC topics I found most interesting:
Business Advice
• How to Beat the Fear of Starting Your Own Business
• Responsiveness is Your Competitive Advantage
Personal Finance and Investing
• Debunking Dividend Myths!
• A Healthy Dose of Skepticism
• A Veteran at Bootstrapping Offers Advice
Economics
• The End of the Yield Curve Inversion
• Anti-Capitalist Language
• Improving Upon Supply and Demand
Technology
• Managing All That Business Data
Career
• What’s Your Motivation Threshold?
• Slow Leadership: Choices
Next week’s CotC will be hosted by ProHipHop.
Tags: Carnival of the Capitalists, Blog Carnival, Starting Your Own Business, Competitive Advantage, Bootstrapping, Yield Curve Inversion, Supply and Demand, Business Data, Motivation
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By Chris Brunner Monday, March 6th, 2006 @ 9:48 AM CDT
Blog Carnivals |
Share Your Thoughts!

Carnival of Entrepreneurship 5 - March 2nd, 2006
This week’s CoE comes to us from Martin Neumann of ePublishingDaily.com.
Here are a few of my favorite topics from Martin’s selections:
• Time Management
• If Customers Aren’t the Enemy, Then Who is?
• The Price of Money
View the Carnival of Entrepreneurship 5
Next week’s CoE will be hosted by David Daniels, Business & Technology Reinvention.
About the Carnival of Entrepreneurship
What is a Blog Carnival?
Tags: Carnival of Entrepreneurship, Time Management, Customers, Money, Blog Carnival
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By Chris Brunner Thursday, March 2nd, 2006 @ 9:47 AM CDT
Blog Carnivals |
Share Your Thoughts!
I’ve come across an excellent guide from on motivating employees.
This guide is packed full of fantastic ideas to get more and better quality work from your employees by doing more than just offering a raise.
Sections include:
• Corporate Culture
• Morale Boosters
• Recognition
• Non-Cash Incentives
• Motivation by Compensation
• Creating a Fun Workplace
Inc.com - Guide to Motivating Employees
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