The Arizona Small Business Blog
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01-31-2012
One big trend in website design over the last 12 months has been the increased use of infographics to communicate complex ideas. What is an infographic? Unlike a boring charts or stale bar-graphs, an infographic communicates otherwise boring subjects (like auto financing) in an interesting and graphical way.
Below is a great example of a infographic. So why not consider using a well desinged and compelling infographic on your next website project.
09-15-2011
If you're a business owner like me, then you probably know how much of a pain bookkeeping can be. You have lots paper reciepts and even more in your email inbox. It can be a chore to either scan or enter them by hand into your accounting program. Now there's a solution that will make youre life much easier. Just yesterday I found a new servicec called shoeboxed.com. They give you pre-paid envelopes (simular to the ones you get from Netflix) that you shove all your reviepts into and they do all the scanning and data entry. Everything shows up in your shoeboxed.com account. It even can automatically sync up with your Quickbooks or F...
08-26-2011
This October 15th in Cave Creek, Arizona you'll be able to run with the bulls, just like they do in Spain. So is this a great idea or just crazy publicity stunt? You decide. www.runwiththebullsusa.com. I can't wait to check it out.
08-02-2011
My friend Allan Zee from Argeus Benefits Group sent me some great information on healthcare reform that I wanted to share with everyone. Here's what Allan has to say.
No matter what plan emerges from the debt talks in Washington, future Social Security benefits will be trimmed back. The following article by John Schoen at MSNBC.com explains. As Congress and the White House continue their dysfunctional dance toward financial Armageddon, the elusive, $4 trillion Grand Plan that would include Social Security and Medicare reform has fallen off the table.
But in the early stages of the budget battle, a series of proposals surfaced that provide clues to what broad re...
No matter what plan emerges from the debt talks in Washington, future Social Security benefits will be trimmed back. The following article by John Schoen at MSNBC.com explains. As Congress and the White House continue their dysfunctional dance toward financial Armageddon, the elusive, $4 trillion Grand Plan that would include Social Security and Medicare reform has fallen off the table.
But in the early stages of the budget battle, a series of proposals surfaced that provide clues to what broad re...
07-13-2011
Phoenix Design Week is Coming October 5-18, 2001
Phoenix Design Week was started in 2009 to help connect the Phoenix design community. Each year we put together a conference and a week of events and exhibitions meant to bring our community together. 20 + events this year.
http://www.phxdw.com/
Phoenix Design Week was started in 2009 to help connect the Phoenix design community. Each year we put together a conference and a week of events and exhibitions meant to bring our community together. 20 + events this year.
http://www.phxdw.com/
07-11-2011
Choosing the right name for your company or product is a very important decision. Here are a few good resources to help you pick the perfect name.
- Igor's Company naming guide
Igor International, one of the world's top naming firms, has put together an excellent guide to company naming. They generously offer it in two formats: soul crushing (122 pages) and moderately irritating (28 pages).
05-24-2011
This Friday my Micheal Regan with The AMT Group is hosting a charity BBQ to benefit the Sydney Hudson Foundation, (a non-profit that helps speical needs children). The BBQ is open to everyone, so if you're near the Scottsdale Airpark this Friday, they'd love to have you stop by.
When:
Friday, May 27th
From 11:00 - 1:30
Where:
In the Scottsale Airpark
...
When:
Friday, May 27th
From 11:00 - 1:30
Where:
In the Scottsale Airpark
...
05-05-2011
A few days ago my friend Eric Jackson at Verispect TrueVision Promotions turned me on to a cool new website. It's called Tungle and it allows your cusotmers to book appointments with you based on YOUR availability. They visit your Tungle page and see a calendar of your actually availability, then they just click a button to book an appointment. I'm still trying it out so I'll let you know how it works out.
05-02-2011
NetworkingPhoenix.com is hosting a big business networking event next Monday, May 9th at the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess Resort. I went to last years event and it was a good networking opportunity.
Networking Phoenix Mixer
Also, be sure not to miss Los Tres Amigos Mixer - With Phoenix & Scottsdale Chambers next Tuesday, May 10, 2011 from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM.
Los Tres Amigos Mixer
Networking Phoenix Mixer
Also, be sure not to miss Los Tres Amigos Mixer - With Phoenix & Scottsdale Chambers next Tuesday, May 10, 2011 from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM.
Los Tres Amigos Mixer
04-08-2011
This is a great article about creating your own custom designed page for your Facebook fan page. Click here to read.
04-05-2011
The Senate voted Tuesday to repeal a health care reform provision that requires businesses in Arizona and across the country to file a 1099 form with the Internal Revenue Service any time they spend more than $600 a year with another business.
By a 87-12 vote, the Senate passed legislation repealing the 1099 provision, which was included in health care reform as a way to help pay for that measure. Third-party reporting of income makes businesses less likely to try to hide income from the IRS, according to supporters of the provision.
Businesses already are required to file 1099s for payments of more than $600 to unincorporated service providers. The health care ...
By a 87-12 vote, the Senate passed legislation repealing the 1099 provision, which was included in health care reform as a way to help pay for that measure. Third-party reporting of income makes businesses less likely to try to hide income from the IRS, according to supporters of the provision.
Businesses already are required to file 1099s for payments of more than $600 to unincorporated service providers. The health care ...
04-05-2011
Need a list of Canadian Fastfood and Restaurants, or maybe a list of every direct mail company in the US? Then check out www.databasepool.com. This is a really interesting concept for a website. They sell lists of anything you can imagine.
03-27-2011
If you're business processes online payments or even monthly recuring payments, then you should take a look at www.BraintreePaymentSolutions.com. They are a merchant account and payment gateway in one. Their fees are much more competitive than many other payment solutions and they are very easy to work with.
03-11-2011
I'm always on the lookout for new and inovative tools to help me with my business. Today I stumbled upon really interesting website called openvbx.org
02-21-2011
This is an interesting site for Urban Ministries of Durham. It's a advocacy/fundraising awareness campaign that challenges you to make the tough decisions required when you have very little money and can barely eek by week to week. Very well done. Takes a few seconds to load...
http://playspent.org/
http://playspent.org/
01-18-2011
As I business owner I'm always on the look out for tools and tips to help me get more done in less time. Just the other day I found a great piece of software called Jing. It's a very simple program that lets you really make videos of your computer screen and share them with other people. So next time your about to write a long email explaining how to do something, why not just create a simple video. You can even record your own voice to narrate the video.
http://www.techsmith.com/jing/
http://www.techsmith.com/jing/
12-07-2010
I've been involved with the Arizona Small Business Association for the last 6 months and have found it to be very positive for my business. Next Thrusday, December 16th, the Arizona Small Business Association (asba) and the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry for a special holiday networking mixer at the Musical Instrument Museum (MIM).
When:
Thursday, December 16 from 5:00pm - 7:00pm
Where:
Musical Instrument Museum (MIM) in Scottsdale, Arizona
Cost:
ASBA and Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry = no charge
non-members = $10
Register At:...
When:
Thursday, December 16 from 5:00pm - 7:00pm
Where:
Musical Instrument Museum (MIM) in Scottsdale, Arizona
Cost:
ASBA and Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry = no charge
non-members = $10
Register At:...
10-18-2010
Adding video to your website is a fantastic way to really pump-up interest and add some stickiness to your site. But no one wants to watch a long, boring, drawn-out video. Here is is a great example of a web video done right.
http://mckinney.com/work/clients/gold-s-gym/spotter-iphone-app
http://mckinney.com/work/clients/gold-s-gym/spotter-iphone-app
10-05-2010
If you've ever had to help name a business (or just wanted to set up a brand new website), then you know how difficult it can be to find that perfect domain name. Then you'll appreiciate this great article I found on CNN.com today.
Now a day's businesses have to get far more creative in trying to find a .com domain name that fits their busienss. As Brannon Cashion says, "No one is naming a company Apple anymore. Those days are really long gone." And isn't that the truth, but with a little creativity and some old fashioned hard work, you can still find a grea...
Now a day's businesses have to get far more creative in trying to find a .com domain name that fits their busienss. As Brannon Cashion says, "No one is naming a company Apple anymore. Those days are really long gone." And isn't that the truth, but with a little creativity and some old fashioned hard work, you can still find a grea...
09-14-2010
Here is a great article I found at WebDesignledger.com. It's about simple ways you can add value for your customers so that you can earn more money. It's well worth reading.
3 Simple Ways to Get Paid More by Clients
As freelancers, we all want to make more money. But freelancing doesn’t scale, so there’s always a ceiling. There’s a limit as to how many clients you can take on, right? So how do you make more money, if you can’t or don’t want to take on more clients? Well, if you’re better than average in what you do and can put in...09-14-2010
This one is for everyone in the local web and graphic design community. Phoenix Design Week 2010 is comming September 29th – October 3rd. Could be a great opportunity to network with others in the industry. Hope to see you there. http://www.phxdw.com/
08-24-2010
Take a look at this fantastic artlice I found by David at onelifenofear.com. It's a great discussoin of the benefits and reasons for us entrepreneurs to volunteer some of our time to worthy causes. It's so easy to get wrapped up in running and growing our business that we can often over look the importance of helping those less fortunate. Take a look and let me know what you think.
http://onelifenofear.com/2010/07/10-reason-entrepreneurs-should-give-their-time-to-charity/
http://onelifenofear.com/2010/07/10-reason-entrepreneurs-should-give-their-time-to-charity/
08-13-2010
Check out this great video I found on Bob Parsons' blog. It's about how to effectivelly sell online. It's packed full of great tips and advice. I've met a lot of busines and website owners over the years who think that just having a website will automatically translate into sales. But the truth is thay you need a strategy to succeed.
08-04-2010
Every business person knows that having enough start up capital can make the difference between success and failure. But for new start up businesses finding investors or funding for an unproven business can be difficult. But there is a new website that may be able to help. It's called www.kickstarter.com and it's based on a sort of ebay style system. Basically, you post your business idea online and state what your funding goals are. For example. Lets say you want to start an organic bakery. You might say that you want to raise $10,000 in the next 60 days and set donation increments of say $25, $50, $100. Then people who think you have a good idea can choose to donate/invest some money. Bu...
07-19-2010
Unless you've been living in a cave for the last few years, you've probably hear that social media sites like facebook, twitter, youtube and others are a great way to drive traffic to you website. But how do you know what your return on investmetn is for all the time, money and effort you put into your social media? Just like with any good advertising campaing, you need a way to measure and track results.
At Scottsdale Website Desgin, we love to keep up on the latest trends to help our clients, and that why I was really excited to discover a great new tool that actually measures the value of your FaceBook page. It's called the Vitrue Social Page Evaluator, and it ...
At Scottsdale Website Desgin, we love to keep up on the latest trends to help our clients, and that why I was really excited to discover a great new tool that actually measures the value of your FaceBook page. It's called the Vitrue Social Page Evaluator, and it ...
07-16-2010
Anyone who's ever tried to start a business knows that one of the biggest obstacles funding - AKA green-backs, dinero money. In fact, under capitalization (the lack of money) can be one of the biggest factors in success or failure. But an inovate new website calle KickStarter.com is here to help. This website is designed to help artists, musicians, designers and entrepreneurs get seed money to get their ideas off the ground. It could be anything from starting an organic bakery to getting money for a musican to record their next album. And it's a great deal for the investors as well as the entrepreneurs. Typically instead o...
06-29-2010
Ever wonder what makes you prefer one business over another when they seem more or less equal? Maybe one has a nicer looking store, friendlier staff or better service. Now a days your customers will often visit your website first before deciding if they'll ever take the next step to speak with you, purchase your products or visit your store (if you even have one). This is where having a strong online brand will make the difference between attracting a new customer or having them just click away.
While I could write all day about the differnt aspects of branding, on this post I want to talk about one very important aspect of branding, choosing a good website URL, (AKA. www.You...
While I could write all day about the differnt aspects of branding, on this post I want to talk about one very important aspect of branding, choosing a good website URL, (AKA. www.You...
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