Watching the Tour de France this summer, I found myself yearning for the single-minded focus of having one thing to do and doing it really well.

In the ad business, as with many others, we are always learning about new businesses and industries and deciding which of the many constantly evolving media and technology tools are the best fit for each client’s challenges. That diversity is what draws many of us to the business, but it’s also a challenge. It’s like studying for an exam and never knowing when you’ve studied enough. All you know is that tomorrow the cycle will start over again.

My day usually begins with digital triage. Before I get out of bed, I reach for my iPhone and check e-mail, news feeds and social media sites. We subscribe to dozens of e-mail bulletins, must-reads about branding, media, social media, search-engine optimization, search-engine marketing, e-mail marketing and new-business acquisition. And the

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“When you’re the business owner, there’s no one behind you. You’re the back-stop.” (Warren Brown, Washington, D.C. Small Business Person of the Year 2006).

How many days and nights has this reality kept you on your toes? From making sure your business stays on track to cheerleading your employees, day-to-day business ownership is about what you make it.

But what happens when you need help? Back-stop or not, you can’t go it alone forever. Help is at hand, if you know where to find it.

The government, in particular, offers a great deal of resources that support small business owners, both online and locally. Take a look at this Small Business Assistance and Training guide on Business.gov and you’ll find a variety of options – local SBA offices, Small Business Development Centers, SCORE, and more.

But just what does each of these provide? And where

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I have observed several parallels between running a business and running for fitness. When I run in the morning, I enjoy seeing different types of people at the track. Obviously experienced runners breeze around, passing me two and three times before they’re done. Other runners (especially newer ones like me) are slower and more measured in their stride. I also see people walking quite slowly, as if they are recovering from injury or surgery. My inclination when I first arrive is to see if I can run like the experienced runners. I think, “Maybe today will be the day …”

As I complete my pre-run stretch, I see them breeze by me. Then, I re-think my options. I can’t run with the experienced runners (yet), but the runners that are slightly faster than me are a different story. When I start out behind them, and maintain a pace slightly behind them throughout my run, I challenge myself, stretch my limits a bit and slowly increase my endurance. It’s the

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We’ve all heard about the benefits of social media marketing as a tool for engaging with customers, building your brand, and increasing your business reach.  But just how is it done?

So many brands (big and small alike) make the mistake of using social media tools such as Twitter and Facebook for simply pushing messages out but not listening to or joining in the conversations that are going on. In other words, they ignore the fundamental point of social media – being SOCIAL!

But just how do you get social? Saying you’re on Twitter or Facebook is not enough, because while it’s free and easy to build a social media presence, when it comes to growing it and seeing ROI – social media marketing is easier said than done.

Which is why SBA and Google partnered earlier this year to create a series of video “shorts” that educate local businesses about how to succeed online. Entitl

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Senate Clears Way for $30 Billion Small Business Fund

Posted by: John Tozzi on July 23, 2010

Washington is poised to launch its most direct attempt to revive small business lending since the financial crisis with a plan to invest up to $30 billion of federal money in small banks and give them incentives to re-lend that money to Main Street companies.

The Small Business Lending Fund, outlined by President Obama in his State of the Union speech six months ago, cleared a key Senate vote to end debate July 22 as two Republicans broke with their caucus to support the measure.

The full bill, which includes business tax breaks and enhancements to Small Business Administration loan programs, could come to a vote as soon as July 27, according to Richard Carbo, spokesman for the Senate Committee on Small Business. The House passed a version June 18.

The fund would invest in small banks—those with less than $10 billion in assets—by purchasing preferred stock, which would pay the government a dividend of 5 percent. The

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The top 5 tips weekly post is always full of hints and tips for small, home & micro business owners.

1. Pick one idea for an article and stick to it.  Don’t meander onto other topics, save that content for additional articles.

2. Simplify as much as possible.  Try to boil down content into its most simple form.

3. Avoid using jargon or theoretical terms.  Remember that if people are bored then they will stop reading.

4. Provide ways for the reader to interact, either by replying directly or contributing to a public discussion.

5. Set a timetable for providing content and stick to it.  Visitors to your website will then know what to expect from you.

If you have additional tips, please share them in the comments section.

Courtesy of Mary Landrieu Mary Landrieu, the Small Business Committee chairwoman.

It appeared dead on Wednesday, but it came back to life on Thursday: A fund to encourage small banks to make loans to small businesses, pulled from the Senate’s small-business jobs bill for lack of Republican support, has found its way back into the bill after all. Late Thursday evening, the Senate voted, 60 to 37, to end debate on an amendment that would restore the lending fund to the jobs bill. Two Republicans joined 58 members of the Democratic caucus to overcome a Republican-threatened filibuster. Our colleague David Herszenhorn has the details at The Caucus.

With the lending fund, first proposed by the Obama administration, the Treasury Department would provide up to $30 billion to banks with less than $10 billion in assets at interest rates meant to encourage small-business loans — banks that make more loans would pay a lower interest rate. The

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This year’s Entrepreneur of the Year awards program includes two new categories, in addition to the Entrepreneur of the Year title, two new prizes are up for grabs:

• The Innovator of the Year (someone who uses innovative practices – like Twitter – to engage and attract customers).
• The Family-Run Business of the Year.

Entries are accepted until August 15th at www.ebay.ca/entrepreneurs. Feel

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