It’s time for another edition of This Week in Small Business. In this series, I take a look at three of my favorite articles to appear on Small Business Trends in the past week.
I’m usually joined by a guest to go over these stories and this week I’m rejoined by my friend and small business ecommerce expert John “Colderice” Lawson.
This week, we started our discussion talking about independent retailers. As Rieva Lesonsky reminded us this week, July is Independent Retailers Month.
John and I spoke on the importance and value that independent retailers provide to local economies. Check out the video to see what difference just $10 spent at an independent retailer can make.
Importance of Online Sales Tax Supreme Court Ruling
We then switched focus to a subject I brought up in last week’s video, on the Supreme Court’s ruling that states can require collection of sales tax for online sales. John does not see this decision as a positive for business.
“The effect is going to be laborious for a lot of business owners,” he says.
Check out our whole discussion on the Supreme Court ruling and lasting impact it will have on businesses like yours.
Finally, we talk about the recent submission from the Young Entrepreneur Council and their picks for the top podcasts for small business owners and entrepreneurs. You’ll find out why I was happy to talk about this particular subject this week.
For the rest of the week in small business news, check out the roundup below.
Remember, you’ll get notified the moment new This Week in Small Business videos are released — every Friday afternoon — when you subscribe to the Small Business Trends YouTube channel today.
Management
6 Must-Haves to Include on Your Small Business Mid-Year Legal Checklist
Summer has officially started. This means beaches and barbecues, summer vacation for the kids, and maybe a little extra juggling for parents. It also means we’re halfway through the year, making it the perfect time to assess the legal and tax health of your business.
Interview Questions You May and May Not Ask Under New Massachusetts Pay Equity Law
On July 1, a new equal pay law will go into effect in Massachusetts — and it will impact small businesses in ways of which you may want to be aware. The Massachusetts Equal Pay Act (MEPA) is intended to ensure greater fairness and provide clarity on what constitutes unlawful wage discrimination.
Marketing
Google Ditches AdWords for Ads, Aims at Smarter, Mobile Search
Google (NASDAQ: GOOGL) is ditching AdWords and DoubleClick. Google Rebrands Ad Offerings In an attempt to simplify how you create and manage ad campaigns with Google, the search engine company is rebranding these services as Google Ads, Google Marketing Platform, and Google Ad Manager.
Introbrand Aims to Help Small Businesses Create DIY Effects for Your Online Video
Video has become the calling card of today’s digital business ecosystem. And for many small businesses, the DIY route is the way to go because of the cost. Introbrand has created a service which fills a particular niche in this segment. It allows you to make intros, outros and logo animations for your videos.
Retail Trends
Selling to Walmart Doesn’t Have to Be Hard, 3 Tips From the Retailer’s Annual Open Call Event
Over 450 small businesses met buyers head-on at Walmart’s fifth annual Open Call event recently. More than 100 entrepreneurs pitching their American-made products for sale with the retail giant were rewarded by getting to move onto the next step in the process. A few exceptional pitches landed businesses a deal on the spot.
Small Business Operations
Amazon WorkDocs Introduces Multi-User Collaboration with Benefits for Small Business Teams
Amazon Web Services (AWS) just announced a new collaborative editing feature for Amazon WorkDocs with big implications for small business teams. The new capability is made possible as a result of a partnership with Hancom, a company which provides office productivity software.
Your Employees Could Save 33 Minutes and 36 Seconds Per Week with Visual Communication
New research has revealed employees can save 33 minutes and 36 seconds over a 40 hour week by simply using visual communications.
Social Media
Facebook Tools for Video Creators Generate New Small Business Opportunities
Facebook (NASDAQ: FB) announced it is updating the tools it launched for the creator community earlier this year. They will now have new ways in which they can engage with their communities and build a business on Facebook while at the same time managing their presence. Creators and influencers have become a driving force for brands.
Technology Trends
Ricoh Rolls Out Cloud Solutions for Small Businesses
The new RICOH Cloud Workflow Solutions portfolio is going to give small businesses access to an affordable subscription service for reducing manual processes. RICOH (TYO: 7752) looks to eliminate manual steps while reducing manual data entry and managing the interoperability of different systems.
Freshworks 360 Unites Sales, Marketing and Support Channels for Small Businesses
With the launch of Freshworks 360, small businesses can now access a fully integrated cloud-based omnichannel customer engagement solution. Freshworks 360 will bring together and manage all support, sales and marketing communications across different channels on a single platform.
Shopify Ping Allows you to Manage Your Ecommerce Site from Anywhere
The launch of Shopify Ping will allow merchants on the eCommerce platform to manage their business no matter where they are. Ping is going to bring together customer conversations and marketing workflows on websites, Facebook Messenger or SMS along with an intelligent assistant called Kit on Apples’s iOS mobile platform.