Get Your Invention on the Market with the Big Ideas Worldwide Invention Contest!

February 15, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Thomas Edison built the world's first large-sc...

Thomas Edison

Thomas Edison was quoted as saying that genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration. Inventors put in countless hours developing their inventions, but often the hardest work is getting the invention to market. So how can inventors and small businesses get help?

The Big Ideas Worldwide Invention Contest

During the month of February xClosure is running a national search campaign to find 5 products to market nationally. Winning the contest involves 3 steps:

  1. Fill out the application here before March 1st
  2. 10 finalists will present in person or via the web to a panel of live judges on March 21st
  3. 5 winners will be selected to have their product marketed

This is an opportunity to tap into the talent of an experienced marketing team. All product descriptions, details and files submitted are protected under a mutual NDA/non-compete/non-circumvent agreement to protect your idea and product.

So take 10 minutes to fill out the application at http://www.xclosure.com/application-page and good luck!

To Suite or Not To Suite?

February 9, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Software for SMBThere is definitely a flood options when it comes to selecting the right technology for your company.  Larger entities enjoy the big budgets, IT support, and a long history, of leaning towards a software ‘suite’ – meaning one monster technology vendor that has software with modules that will do everything a large company needs, and it will brush your teeth and shine your shoes.
A suite may include all of the following software modules and more: accounting, payroll, performance, learning management, benefits, human resource software, onboarding, applicant tracking, surveys, CRM, etc.  However, the reality for small and medium business is that they only need some of what the suite provides. The premium cost of the suite can’t be financially justified, and would be like buying a huge dump truck just to move a few boxes.  Granted, there are smaller firms that require a PeopleSoft-like system…but not many!
To avoid the dump truck, first nail down your specific needs and back that list up with detailed use cases within your firm’s current practices.  This helps you define what problem you have to solve, and answers why.  As you go through this process, you’ll likely find a few wants and nice to haves.  Definitely keep track of those, but don’t lose focus of your true needs.  Prioritize your needs, then start looking for the right vendor or vendors that can take care of you. The ERP solutions, ie ‘Suites’, will do way more than you find is needed – and you’ll deal with high prices, slow implementation, and difficult user interfaces.  If you are an SMB and go that direction….good luck!
The ‘best of breed’ model is the other option for small and medium business.  Maybe you only need payroll and some human resources software? Or maybe you only need applicant tracking and benefits? Have a leave tracking or employee data management need? Most small and medium businesses only need a few solutions….and even if all the modules are needed, there is an ever-growing number of ‘best of breed’ technology vendors that can combine to take care of you. These vendors are taking advantage of new technologies to integrate seamlessly, and create amazing user experiences that were previously unavailable.
Large ERP suites maintaining multiple modules for different business systems will never achieve the depth and quality user experience achieved by a best of breed vendor whose 100% focus is that one specific module.  You’ll find a wide range of specific vendors within each business area, and the best will be those with API’s to integrate with your other vendors.  So, determine your needs, back it up with a use case, then jump on your favorite SE to find the vendor with the magic to make your company better.

Making Money at Home

February 1, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Ways to make money at home/online

With the economy in such a downward spiral for so long many people have been looking for ways to make money from home.  Whether they want to stay with their children, avoid the cost of daycare, need a little extra money each month, or are trying to just make ANY amount of money while searching [...]

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Back Your Business with a Strong Team

January 28, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Building a Strong Team

A business is only as strong as the team behind it.  Want to boost your business? Then boost your team. Here’s how to start: First of all, it is vital for your employees to understand the purpose or mission of the company. Be sure it is clear what the big picture is and how each [...]

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Small Business and Marketing [Infographic]

January 18, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Most small business owners know that the internet is the future of their marketing efforts. That doesn’t mean that they’re all internet marketers or even marketers. Small business owners often start their business based on a particular skill, passion, or expertise that fills a need. That means that many of them are still left wondering [...]

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Small Business Goals for 2012

December 22, 2011 By Leave a Comment
2012 New Year

The New Year is always a great opportunity to set some goals — both for yourself, and for your business!  Whether you’re interested in improving your website conversion or increasing profitability, there’s something that will make a big impact for your business next year and you need to set a specific, measurable goal to improve it.  To [...]

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