America's Best Companies Small Business Blog - Small Business Articles, Tips and Information

Small Business Blog

Charles M Cooper

The Secret to Success in Business and in Everything Else

What does it mean to be a success? If you actually can define it, how do you reach success? Is there a formula you can use or is there something else that can put you on the right path to your dreams?

Tags: success, setting goals, risks

Read Full Story »

Posted: 5/2/2008 | Comments (0)

Charles M Cooper

Embrace Customer Satisfaction

How can a small retailer maintain a thriving customer base even with higher prices and a narrower selection? By making sure the customer experience is the best they can offer. Here is a great way to figure out if you are on the right track to doing just that.

Tags: customer satisfaction, ccsr

Read Full Story »

Posted: 5/1/2008 | Comments (0)

Charles M Cooper

Nigeria or Bust Part III: Fend off the Scam and Track down the Scammer

In Part III of the Nigerian Scam series, read the latest correspondence and learn not only how to spot the threat but also how you can protect yourself.

Tags: email, scam, 419, nigerian

Read Full Story »

Posted: 5/1/2008 | Comments (6)

Charles M Cooper

Writing a Convincing Request for Proposal II: The Cover Letter

Once you have your Request for Proposal (RFP) in good shape, you need to add a good cover letter. This serves to create a connection between you with your potential vendor and it also “sells” the idea that doing business with you is a good idea by generating some excitement about what you do and by showing that you are professional and someone worth doing business with. Learn how to write a great one here.

Tags: rfp, request for proposal, writing

Read Full Story »

Posted: 4/30/2008 | Comments (3)

Charles M Cooper

Writing a Convincing Request for Proposal

The business game isn't all about sales, there is another side to it: supplies. From raw materials to sales inventory to office supplies, you are constantly trying to get the best cost for things in order to be able to offer your customers the best price you can. One of the ways to do this is with a great Request for Proposal. Learn what goes into one here.

Tags: rfp, request for proposal, writing

Read Full Story »

Posted: 4/29/2008 | Comments (1)

Lisa Doyle

ABC Fox Trot Recap

The results are in—ABC’s sponsorship of the Batavia Mothers’ Club Foundation Fox Trot 5K Run/Walk was a success!

Tags: fox trot

Read Full Story »

Posted: 4/28/2008 | Comments (2)

Charles M Cooper

Nigeria or Bust: Update Number One

Talk about fast! My new friend Abbey, the banker in South Africa with the plot to make me fabulously well-to-do with the multimillion dollar account of a dead man has written back to me with a load of questions to put his mind to rest that he's not going to get cheated. Check out this next level in the scam process and learn a little about protecting yourself on the Internet.

Tags: email, scam, 419, nigerian

Read Full Story »

Posted: 4/25/2008 | Comments (2)

Charles M Cooper

Nigeria or Bust: No Such Thing as a Free Lunch

The widespread use of e-mail has made online scams easier and easier to perpetrate. Your spam filters will catch a lot of these but sometimes one of them gets through, like this morning. Come with me on a journey into one such scam, learn how you can avoid being a victim and join me in having a little fun with this online predator.

Tags: email, scam, nigerian, 419

Read Full Story »

Posted: 4/25/2008 | Comments (16)

Lisa Doyle

ABC Sponsoring Local 5K Run

For the second year in a row, America's Best Companies will be a Platinum Sponsor of this year's Fox Trot 5K Run/Walk in Batavia, Illinois. Join us on April 27 and cheer on the runners as they earn donations for the Batavia Mothers' Club Foundation.

Tags: fox trot

Read Full Story »

Posted: 4/24/2008 | Comments (1)

Charles M Cooper

The Power of Your Brand: A Public Relations Morality Tale

It is nothing new to say that you need to protect the image of your brand, but 23 years ago that lesson was driven home with uncommon power—and violence—by the debacle that was New Coke.

Tags: image, brand, pepsi, coke

Read Full Story »

Posted: 4/24/2008 | Comments (3)

Charles M Cooper

Earth Day 2008

Happy Earth Day! Take a look at how it started and what you can do to celebrate.

Tags: earth day, history, how to, environment

Read Full Story »

Posted: 4/22/2008 | Comments (1)

Charles M Cooper

Everything Old is New Again: The Buy Local Movement

The “Buy American” movement seems to have some new life. The fervor for all things local, ranging from farm stand goods to civic involvement, seems to be everywhere today and for small businesses across the country, that is great news!

Tags: buy american, history, walmart, local

Read Full Story »

Posted: 4/21/2008 | Comments (1)

Charles M Cooper

Newsletter Usability: Making Your Reader Experience Even Better

It has long been known that an e-newsletter is a useful addition to your marketing and public relations efforts. They are, after all, a warm, powerful communication medium that encourages a strong, lasting relationship between you and your readers. There is some new clarity in the world of online newsletters thanks to research coming from the Nielsen Norman Group in their latest report on Email Newsletter Usability. Check out what they had to say and how your own e-newsletter can benefit.

Tags: marketing, newsletter, spam

Read Full Story »

Posted: 4/18/2008 | Comments (3)

Charles M Cooper

Energy Issues: Now What?

Oil and gas prices reach records highs--again--and aside from the folks getting rich from speculating on the market, people are hurting because of it. The question is this: What are you prepared to do about it? We want to know how you and your small business are coping, how do you keep going strong? Who knows? Your response may draw you into the pages of America's Best magazine!

Tags: oil, energy, economy

Read Full Story »

Posted: 4/16/2008 | Comments (1)

Charles M Cooper

The Battle for XP

If you had a product that worked well, did nearly everything you asked of it and offered greater satisfaction than you had from previous versions; how would you like to be told that you would have to switch to an obviously inferior product because the maker would no longer supply or support the thing that works so well for you? That is the situation that XP users are in as Microsoft begins to drive its customers to Vista, whether they like it or not.

Tags: microsoft, xp, vista, linux

Read Full Story »

Posted: 4/15/2008 | Comments (7)