Business, finances, forex

Branding may be the key component in small business. How you grow and leverage your business has everything to do with how you present it to the world. In small business, this branding is also personal since the entrepreneur is often intimately linked to the business. In our roundup for Small Business Trends for April 30, 2010, we look at how branding works and share some other key resources for running and taking your business to the next level. Enjoy.

New and improved with more lying? How bad habits and performance can brand your business and your work as easily as good ones. Personal Branding Blog

Branding your small business like the big boys. Sure, we all know small businesses can be better than big ones (more agile, creative, responsive) but professionalism is one place you still may want to look big time. Small Business Branding

Why great branding sometimes requires breaking the rules. By definition, doing the same thing everyone else does the same way they do it is no way to stand out, either for your business or yourself. Copyblogger

Branding and selling your Website. Have you ever thought of your Website as more than just a marketing tool? Watch the interview with Yaro Starak for a whole new way to look at your Web presence. Entrepreneurs-Journey

Policy

It’s not all bad news…exactly. Are you eligible for the new health-reform tax credit? Unfortunately, there are PLENTY of hurtles to jump first. WSJ

We could have told you that. According to a survey, 66 percent of Americans say cutting taxes would create more jobs than increasing government spending. Rasmussen Report

No more choice. Whether covering your employees or yourself as a sole proprietor, the new health-reform rules mean the decision for the kind and quality of care is no longer in your hands. National Review Online

Franchises

Short on money to start or expand your franchise? While help is available beyond traditional lending, the terms may be strict. WSJ

Why doesn’t franchise consultant Joel Libava own a franchise himself? And how do you decide whether franchising is right for you? Watch Joel’s video and have a look at his online resources to make up your mind. The Franchise King

Operations

Are you too nice a boss? One of the hardest things small business owners may need to learn is how to address serious problems early. WSJ

What’s the key to success in small business? Is it financial backing, lots of past business experience, a great idea? Jack has one word for you: perseverance. Small Biz Stories

Marketing

Google small business listing returns. The search engine giant revamps a listing feature which now gives small business a chance for “more attention” online. Bloomberg BusinessWeek

E-mail tip for marketing month. With May dubbed “Marketing Month” by one major online retailer, here’s a tip for improving your mobile marketing efforts to improve online sales. The Lunch Pail

The honeymoon is over. One of the chief proponents of social media marketing says it’s time to fall out of love with Facebook/Twitter/etc. Here’s what he wants you to do instead. Shane Gibson

Networking

Why do we join business groups? Business owner Jay Goltz writes about his failed attempts at finding what he was looking for when joining a variety of groups. What would your expectations be? You’re The Boss

From Small Business Trends

Small Business News: Brand You

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A jury in Tennessee has convicted a former student of hacking the e-mail account of US politician Sarah Palin, Associated Press news agency reports.

David Kernell, 22, was found guilty of obstructing justice and unauthorised access to a computer.

He faces up to 20 years in prison for the first charge and one year for the charge of hacking.

He broke into Ms Palin’s e-mail account during her 2008 Republican campaign for the vice-presidency of the US.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

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The US Geological Survey has withdrawn a report saying that a magnitude 5.0 earthquake has hit northern California.

It said the report was issued because scientists had not reviewed an automated alert, a geophysicist was quoted as saying by Reuters agency.

Paul Caruso told the agency that the tremor had not happened.

The USGS had earlier reported on its website that a magnitude 5.0 earthquake struck north-east of Napa at a depth of 3.1 miles (5km).

The report was withdrawn from the website soon after publication.

The USGS later said a computer at its Berkeley station mistakenly concluded that northern California had been hit by the quake, the Associated Press reported.

It quoted Richard Buckmaster, a geophysicist at the USGS’s National Earthquake Reporting Center, as saying officials were trying to establish why the computer generated the "dubious and erroneous" alert.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

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Shares in High Street banking giant Barclays fall 6% despite a big rise in pre-tax profits for the first three months of the year.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

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HOUSTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Coast Guard said Friday it was responding to another oil drilling rig accident near Morgan City, Louisiana.

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BP promised to meet all ‘legitimate’ claims for damages arising from its oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, which it is feared could devastate fishing and tourism industries, and wildlife habitats along the Louisiana coast.

India’s Essar Energy has raised ?1.2bn in London’s largest stock market flotation since the onset of financial crisis shuttered the market for new listings.

Where an oil spill happens matters more than how big it is

MORE than a week after an explosion on the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico, 11 of the rig’s workers are still unaccounted for. The US Coast Guard reckons that 5,000 barrels of oil are leaking out every day, though this is really an informed guess. The great depth of the leaks from the rig makes staunching them a huge technical challenge. Despite the development of some fancy new techniques to deal with oil spills there is a sense of inevitability about the oil’s arrival on shore.

The spill is embarrassing for those Republicans who have campaigned for more off-shore drilling. It is embarrassing too for Barack Obama, who accepted more drilling off the coast to ease the passage of legislation on climate change. On April 30th the White House announced that new off-shore drilling would be suspended until the cause of the accident could be verified. …

After tumultuous debates, the National Council of the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) has decided to convene an emergency party congress in the fall of 2010.

According to political commentators, the party leader Sergey Stanishev, who is facing increasing internal opposition, has managed to keep the situation under control by getting an approval for his idea to hold a party congress in the fall instead of in the summer of 2010, as was demanded by his intra-party opponents.

“If someone has enough confidence in themselves, let them run for the position of Chair of the BSP, let them state it clearly, there is enough time,” Stanishev declared during Friday’s meeting of the National Council of the Socialist Party.

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Bulgaria and Macedonia have to focus on intensifying exchange of expertise and information with respect to finances and economic growth measures, Finance Minister Djankov said in Ohrid.

“We can guarantee the sustainable economic development of the Balkans only with joint efforts,” said Simeon Djankov after meeting his Macedonian counterpart Zoran Stavreski.

Djankov was a special guest Friday of the 11th annual conference of the Macedonian stock exchange in the town of Ohrid.

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