Another National Small Business Week comes to a close but not without another mention of it here in our weekly small business news roundup.
In case you missed it, National Small Business Week started as it has since the 1960s, with a Presidential Proclamation. And this year was no different as President Donald Trump spirited in another year of this annual event.
National Small Business Week this year comes at a time of relative economic success for the country. And small businesses across the U.S. seem to be relishing in the good times. Though, it’s never easy.
But at least for a week, we can sit back (slightly) and take time to appreciate the efforts small businesses like yours contribute to the growing economy.
For the rest of the week in small business headlines, check out our weekly roundup:
Employment
Small Businesses Add 77,000 More Jobs in April
The GDP for the first quarter of 2019 was impressive, delivering an annualized rate growth of 3.2%. To go along with that great number, in April the U.S. economy added 275,000 jobs. This has driven the unemployment rate down to 3.6%, the lowest in 50 years (December, 1969). For its part, the small business segment added 77,000 jobs this month.
What Can the New McDonald’s Campaign to Hire Older Workers Teach Your Small Business?
McDonald’s entered a partnership Wednesday with the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) to fill its need for morning workers and expand diversity. The fast-food chain aims to attract older Americans who can fill employment gaps at the company.
Marketing Tips
For Small Businesses, Personal And Business Brand Is One In The Same
Personal Brand vs Corporate Brand — this is the ONE question I’m asked the most in my travels around the United States (and the world!). Almost every event I speak at people ask me this question. Here’s the deal. We know that larger businesses have corporate brands. Coca-Cola, Starbucks, Microsoft! For the most part when we see their logos we instantly know what it means.
Product Lists
Finding the Most Profitable Online Niches Doesn’t Have to be Hard, See Our List of the Top 20
The internet provides almost endless ways to start businesses of all shapes and sizes and make money. Most Profitable Niches Start using the World Wide Web for financial gain. And take a look at the following 20 most profitable online niche markets. They’ll help you determine which online sector would be best for you.
Retail Trends
Walmart Bows to Growing Pressures on Tobacco Product Sales, Will Your Business Follow Suit?
Walmart will no longer sell fruit-flavored cigarettes and will only sell tobacco products to customers aged 21 and over. Why Walmart Is Raising the Minimum Age for Tobacco Products Walmart made the move after receiving a letter from the U.S.
Small Business Operations
Amazon Identifies States with the Fastest Growing Small Businesses Selling on Its Platform
Small businesses in rural areas sometimes struggle with sales in a way their urban competitors do not. But these businesses possess a secret weapon called online selling. And this weapon enables them to make sales not only across the country but around the world. Amazon provides one of the best websites small businesses can use for online selling.
Only 49% of Small Businesses Have a Growth Plan
The small business community feels their local and U.S. economy are strong. This according to the annual Small Business Pulse Survey from SunTrust. But only 49% of the respondents in the survey said they have a clearly stated plan for business growth. Considering the strong economic sentiment small businesses expressed, not having a growth plan is somewhat counterintuitive.
Social Media
Facebook Launches New Small Business Marketing Tools
Facebook (NASDAQ: FB) launched a new small business product bundle this week. It’s designed to help the 90 million small businesses using it. The new products integrate on both Facebook and Instagram. New Facebook Small Business Marketing Tools Small Business Trends spoke with Nikila Srinivasan, Director of Product Management at Facebook.
Startup
Nimble Announces Evolution of CRM for Office 365
The CRM company Nimble has announced a better way for business departments to stay in sync. What’s interesting is it works with popular systems like Office 365 and Dynamics 365. That way, everyone gets the same information across departments. Small Business Trends asked Jon Ferrara, Nimble CEO, to explain.
New Research: Trends Every Growing Small Business Needs to Know
Great news for any small business looking to get ahead: Salesforce Research has just released the Third Edition Small & Medium Business Trends Report, sharing data and observations from more than 2,000 small and medium business (SMB) owners and leaders from around the world.
The Hidden Mystery Behind Why 36% of Small Businesses STILL Don’t Have a Website
According to the SBA, of the 30 million businesses in the U.S., only 64% of small businesses have a website. This should not be a shocking statistic since there are so many owners that don’t know where to start and for many, it’s still is too hard or too expensive for them.
Taxes
Cracking the Code on Tax Breaks for Businesses with Small Payrolls
Some federal tax breaks depend on being small. Small, in this case, means the number of employees you have. If your business grows, you may think about adding employees. But consider the impact this will have on your access to certain small business tax breaks.
Image: U.S. Small Business Administration