• Small Business Trends Book Review: 'Escape from Cubicle Nation'

    Anita Campbell of Small Business Trends has a book tip for budding entrepreneurs who need a kick out the door cubicle. Pamela Slim 's Escape from Cubicle Nation is based on Slim's experience as a corporate trainer, and gives workers the tools for making the leap and starting their own business. Campbell says it provides the "mental and emotional fortitude and clarity needed to make the jump to entrepreneurship." One of the wonderful things about this book is its target market: it is crystal clear. It’s for those who have spent their careers in the employ of some other business, but who have secretly harbored a wish to go out on their own. If you are currently employed in a corporation somewhere, silently wishing as you sat in endless meetings that you could be your own boss but are not sure how or where to get started, then get this book. You will devour every page of it — and come back begging for more. I would even go so far as to say that if you’ve recently left the corporate world to start a business (say within the last couple of years) this book will be helpful because it will reinforce your commitment and re-energize you. It may also prove a valuable teaching aid, in that it hits key steps in potential entrepreneurs' decisions to start their own businesses. Read the full review here .

  • Local Search Guide for Small Business

    Lisa Barone of Small Business Trends strongl y recommends that business owners David Mihm 's Local Search Ranking Factors --just updated this week for 2009. Mihm's report is a comprehensive guide to all things search, built on a new study of Google Maps , interviews with the heads of Google Maps and Yahoo Local , and surveys of top "bloggers and practitioners." From Barone's testimonial: One of the most interesting things I got from David’s guide was the growing importance of getting local citations for your Web site. Citations are mentions of your business name and address on other Web pages. That means in order to rank well in local search you should be reaching out to the many local organizations around you and letting them know your business exists. Get a mention from your Chamber of Commerce, from local blogs, local directories and resource sites, your school board association and anywhere else local business information is found. These citations are relatively easy to get (small businesses owners love helping one another out) and they’re very powerful to the local search algorithms. Read Barone's full post here .