Startup BizCast #83 - Tax Time in the U.S. (Ryan Thompson)

icon for podpress  Startup BizCast #83 [10:30m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

It’s no April Fools … tax day in the U.S. is rapidly approaching.  That means you’d better be getting to work on your tax returns.  If you’re not, you may need to think about filing for an extension.  Our guest on this episode of Startup BizCast is Ryan Thompson from FileLater, an online service set up to help you file that extension.

Links mentioned in this week’s episode:
FileLater (www.filelater.com)

Also — don’t forget to join the Startup BizCast Group on Facebook!

Startup BizCast’s theme music is “Entranced” by Blake Emrys. The full version of the song, along with other music by the same artist, can be downloaded at Podsafe Music Network.

Startup BizCast is produced by BizPodz, the corporate podcast production service from EndGame Public Relations, LLC. For more information on how your business can take advantage of the social media revolution, please visit www.endgamepr.com/podcasts.

Tags: , ,

, ,

[Post to Twitter] 

Startup BizCast #79 - Twitter for Small Business Owners (Dave Saunders)

icon for podpress  Startup BizCast Episode 79 [10:20m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

After missing a week of the show … I’m back!  This week we have our promised episode on how small business owners can use Twitter.  I’m a member of the micro-blogging site and use it quite a bit, but I decided to bring in a guest who is even more immersed in the Twitterverse.  Dave Saunders from Madison & Main Advertising and New Media will give us some tips on getting started with Twitter!

Links mentioned on this week’s episode:
Steve Mullen’s Twitter Page (http://twitter.com/stevemullen)
Dave Saunders’ Twitter Page (http://twitter.com/madmain)

Also — don’t forget to join the Startup BizCast Group on Facebook!

Startup BizCast’s theme music is “Entranced” by Blake Emrys. The full version of the song, along with other music by the same artist, can be downloaded at Podsafe Music Network.

Startup BizCast is produced by BizPodz, the corporate podcast production service from EndGame Public Relations, LLC. For more information on how your business can take advantage of the social media revolution, please visit www.endgamepr.com/podcasts.


Get each episode as it’s published: RSS - iTunes - Blubrry - Podcast Alley

Tags: , , , ,

, , , ,

[Post to Twitter] 

Startup BizCast #78 - Small Biz Tech from CES 2009 (Ken Colburn)

icon for podpress  Startup BizCast Episode 78 [11:00m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

This week we welcome back one of our favorite guests.  Ken Colburn from Data Doctors joins us to talk about this year’s Consumer Electronics Show.  Ken was at the show in Las Vegas, covering it not only for his own newsletter but also for CNN!  He gives us the rundown on a couple of the hottest products from the big trade show - the new Palm Pre and the variety of netbooks that are hitting the market.

Links mentioned during this episode:
Data Doctors (www.datadoctors.com)
Data Doctors Free Weekly Newsletter (www.datadoctors.com/help/quikreg.cfm)
Ken Colburn at CES with CNN (www.cnn.com/video/#/video/tech/2009/01/10/data.doctor.lapin.ces.cnn)
Palm Pre (www.palm.com/us/products/phones/pre/index.html)

Also — don’t forget to join the Startup BizCast Group on Facebook!

Startup BizCast’s theme music is “Entranced” by Blake Emrys. The full version of the song, along with other music by the same artist, can be downloaded at Podsafe Music Network.

Startup BizCast is produced by BizPodz, the corporate podcast production service from EndGame Public Relations, LLC. For more information on how your business can take advantage of the social media revolution, please visit www.endgamepr.com/podcasts.


Get each episode as it’s published: RSS - iTunes - Blubrry - Podcast Alley

Tags: , ,

, ,

[Post to Twitter] 

Startup BizCast #76 - Small Business Public Speaking (Rich Hopkins)

icon for podpress  Startup BizCast Episode 76 [15:00m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

There’s a large portion of the population that would probably rather take a bath in a tub full of those newly-discovered cyanide spitting pink millipedes than speak in front of a room full of people.  Public speaking is one of the top fears out there, but when you’re asked to talk about yourself and your business in front of potential customers, you simply should not turn it down.  This week’s guest is public speaker, author, and public speaking coach Rich Hopkins.  He has some great advice on how to nail that speaking opportunity.

Here’s a piece of bonus advice that Rich says he forgot to mention during the interview:
“Remember that the audience doesn’t know what you are going to say. Don’t get caught up in being ‘perfect’ - its the easiest way to throw yourself off track, and lose credibility as a speaker. Speak about what you know, and you will be able to go from Point A to Point B, without the audience knowing you skipped to Point C in between! ”

Also in this week’s episode, listener-submitted advice from Frances Jones of Cole Media Management on how to record your voice mail greeting properly!

A word from our sponsor:
Try GotoMeeting free for 30 days! For this special offer, visit www.gotomypc.com/techpodcasts!

Links mentioned during this week’s episode:
Rich Hopkins (www.richhopkinsspeaks.com/coaching.htm)

Also — don’t forget to join the Startup BizCast Group on Facebook!

Startup BizCast’s theme music is “Entranced” by Blake Emrys. The full version of the song, along with other music by the same artist, can be downloaded at Podsafe Music Network.

Startup BizCast is produced by BizPodz, the corporate podcast production service from EndGame Public Relations, LLC. For more information on how your business can take advantage of the social media revolution, please visit www.endgamepr.com/podcasts.


Get each episode as it’s published: RSS - iTunes - Blubrry - Podcast Alley

Tags: , ,

, ,

[Post to Twitter] 

Startup BizCast #75 - Internet Freebies for your Small Business (Ken Colburn)

icon for podpress  Startup BizCast Episode 75 [14:20m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Free is good … free is great!  With times as rough as they are for small businesses, we need to save money wherever and whenever possible.  This week on Startup BizCast Ken Colburn from Data Doctors and I run down some of the best FREE resources on the `net for your small business!

Also, in BizCast Brief, the top five and bottom five small business-friendly states in the U.S.

A word from our sponsor:
Try GotoMeeting free for 30 days! For this special offer, visit www.gotomypc.com/techpodcasts!

Here’s the list of links mentioned in this week’s episode, along with a great tip from Data Doctors that will speed up your Firefox browser.  I tried it and it works great!

Google Alerts:
http://www.google.com/alerts

Google Docs:
http://docs.google.com

Google’s Gmail:
http://www.gmail.com

Google’s Translate:
http://translate.google.com/

Business Advice:
http://www.allbusiness.com/
http://www.askjim.biz

Search Engine Education
http://searchenginewatch.com/

Free Anti-Virus / Anti-Spyware:
http://free.avg.com/

Free Alternative to Microsoft Office:
http://www.openoffice.org/

Data Doctors Free Weekly Newsletter:
http://www.datadoctors.com/help/quikreg.cfm

Data Doctors Weekly CNN.com video advice:
http://search.cnn.com/search?type=video&sortBy=date&intl=false&query=colburn&x=0&y=0

Firefox web browser:
http://www.mozilla.com

Small Business Advice Podcast
http://www.startupbizcast.com
:)

The Data Doctors Tip for making Firefox even faster (for high-speed Internet users):

1. Type “about:config” into the address bar and hit return. Scroll down and look for the following entries:

network.http.pipelining
network.http.proxy.pipelining
network.http.pipelining.maxrequests

Normally the browser will make one request to a web page at a time. When you enable pipelining it will make several at once, which really speeds up page loading.

2. Alter the entries as follows:

Set “network.http.pipelining” to “true”

Set “network.http.proxy.pipelining” to “true”

Set “network.http.pipelining.maxrequests” to some number like 30. This means it will make 30 requests at once.

3. Lastly right-click anywhere and select New-> Integer. Name it “nglayout.initialpaint.delay” and set its value to “0″. This value is the amount of time the browser waits before it acts on information it receives.

If you’re using a broadband connection you’ll load pages MUCH faster now!”

Startup BizCast’s theme music is “Entranced” by Blake Emrys. The full version of the song, along with other music by the same artist, can be downloaded at Podsafe Music Network.

Startup BizCast is produced by BizPodz, the corporate podcast production service from EndGame Public Relations, LLC. For more information on how your business can take advantage of the social media revolution, please visit www.endgamepr.com/podcasts.


Get each episode as it’s published: RSS - iTunes - Blubrry - Podcast Alley

Tags: ,

,

[Post to Twitter] 

Small Business Recommended Reading (12-10-08)

Here’s this week’s recommended reading from Startup BizCast!

Survey: Small business anxiety on the rise
Bizjournals

Hawaii ranks low on ’small business survival index’
Bizjournals

What Small Business Can Expect From Obama
Business Week

Tags:

[Post to Twitter] 

Startup BizCast #74 - Your Small Business Website (Steve Mullen)

icon for podpress  Standard Podcast [9:10m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

This week we tackle small business websites, and what they need.  I go solo to discuss three different types of small biz sites, and the integral parts of each.  Included are the online business card, the online store, and the social media hub.  This is a shorter episode, as I’m slammed trying to catch up after the Thanksgiving holiday in the U.S.  This is generally going to be a tough month for me, as I’m potentially starting several new projects.  I’m going to do my best to keep the show coming out on a regular basis!

A word from our sponsor:
Try GotoMeeting free for 30 days! For this special offer, visit www.gotomypc.com/techpodcasts!

Links mentioned in this week’s episode:
15 Key Elements All Top Web Sites Should Have (http://freelancefolder.com/15-top-site-elements/)

Also — don’t forget to join the Startup BizCast Group on Facebook!

Startup BizCast’s theme music is “Entranced” by Blake Emrys. The full version of the song, along with other music by the same artist, can be downloaded at Podsafe Music Network.

Startup BizCast is produced by BizPodz, the corporate podcast production service from EndGame Public Relations, LLC. For more information on how your business can take advantage of the social media revolution, please visit www.endgamepr.com/podcasts.


Get each episode as it’s published: RSS - iTunes - Blubrry - Podcast Alley

Tags: , ,

, ,

[Post to Twitter] 

Startup BizCast #73 - Five Tips from ABC (Jim Tracy)

icon for podpress  Startup BizCast Episode 73 [18:30m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Note: I’m publishing a day earlier than usual this week, partly because there was no episode last week and partly because of the Thanksgiving holiday in the U.S.

This week we have not one piece of advice … but five!  The guest for Startup BizCast’s small business advice segment is Jim Tracy, founder and president of America’s Best Companies.  ABC is a small business organization with a great website and print magazine chocked with wonderful information.  Jim joins us to talk about five tips to help any entrepreneur.

Also this week … I address a listener question on building a community on your website.

A word from our sponsor:
Try GotoMeeting free for 30 days! For this special offer, visit www.gotomypc.com/techpodcasts!

Links mentioned in this week’s episode:
America’s Best Companies (www.americasbestcompanies.com)
Snow and Trail (www.snowandtrail.com)

Also — don’t forget to join the Startup BizCast Group on Facebook!

Startup BizCast’s theme music is “Entranced” by Blake Emrys. The full version of the song, along with other music by the same artist, can be downloaded at Podsafe Music Network.

Startup BizCast is produced by BizPodz, the corporate podcast production service from EndGame Public Relations, LLC. For more information on how your business can take advantage of the social media revolution, please visit www.endgamepr.com/podcasts.


Get each episode as it’s published: RSS - iTunes - Blubrry - Podcast Alley

Tags: , ,

, ,

[Post to Twitter] 

Small Business Recommended Reading (11/25/08)

Here’s this week’s recommended reading from Startup BizCast!

Small Business Economic Confidence Continues to Fall
MarketWatch (press release)

Employers cut back on holiday gifts
Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Twitter for Business: 10 Things to Consider Before You Get Started
Search Engine Guide

Year-End Tech & Tax Tips for Smart Small Businesses
MarketWatch (press release)

Tags:

[Post to Twitter] 

Startup BizCast #71 - Small Business Government Contracts (Gloria Berthold Larkin)

icon for podpress  Startup BizCast Episode 71 [16:05m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Local, state, and federal U.S. government contracts are NOT easy to get.  However, they tend to bring in good money, particularly for small business owners who aren’t used to multi-thousand or million dollar deals.  And, it’s unlikely our government is going to go out of business any time soon — a major consideration in this economy!  This week’s guest on Startup BizCast is Gloria Berthold Larkin, president of TargetGov, a business that helps entrepreneurs through the government contract maze.

Also this week — an announcement about a brand new podcast series from BizPodz Productions!

A word from our sponsor:
Try GotoMeeting free for 30 days! For this special offer, visit www.gotomypc.com/techpodcasts!

Links mentioned in this week’s episode:
TargetGov (www.targetgov.com)
Central Contractor Registration (www.ccr.gov)
Federal Business Opportunities (www.fedbizopps.gov)
Women Impacting Public Policy (www.wipp.org)
Also — don’t forget to join the Startup BizCast Group on Facebook!

Startup BizCast’s theme music is “Entranced” by Blake Emrys. The full version of the song, along with other music by the same artist, can be downloaded at Podsafe Music Network.

Startup BizCast is produced by BizPodz, the corporate podcast production service from EndGame Public Relations, LLC. For more information on how your business can take advantage of the social media revolution, please visit www.endgamepr.com/podcasts.


Get each episode as it’s published: RSS - iTunes - Blubrry - Podcast Alley

Tags: ,

,

[Post to Twitter]