Small Business

Hans Langer, 36 at the time with two young children and just over $50,000 to his name, founded EOS, a 3D printer manufacturer. The year was 1989, and it was the dawn of the new printing technology. Although he saw the potential in the new cutting-edge technology, he knew he could lose big if things went the wrong way. It has indeed been a bumpy 30 years. But at 67 now-billionaire Langer is as enthusiastic as ever about 3D printers and their ability to significantly better today's technology and people's lives. 

Fed up with the requests he gets from social media "influencers" who want his frozen treat for nothing, a soft-serve truck owner says he now charges the would-be free loaders double. Last week he received an invitation to spend a day on the weekend supplying a 300-person party for free.

According to results of a survey of over 400 North American firms, 83 percent of small business owners ask their accountant for technical advice.

Small Business Trends contacted Andy North at AccountingWeb to learn more. North put the survey together with Zoho. And he started by talking about the kinds of technology accountants most often answer questions about. First, 62% answer questions on desktop accounting software. And 46% answer questions on software training. While 46% answer questions on support services. And 57% answer questions on data security.

National Small Business Week kicked off today, Sunday, May 5, to run though Saturday, the 11th. Sunday's events included awards to the Jody C. Raskind Lender of the Year and the Small Business Investment Company of the Year. Some of the others were the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Excellence and Innovation Award, the Veterans Business Outreach Excellence in Service Award, the Women’s Business Center of Excellence Award and the SCORE Chapter of the Year.

Many business owners find themselves in the trap of working for little or nothing, lured on perhaps by negotiators from other companies who say if they like the products or services they receive they’ll be willing to pay in the future, or that publicity for the small business will get out through their relationship.

Amazon can be and often is a good marketplace for small businesses, but there are competitors who game the system to cut the legs out from under a rival, resulting in that rival’s immediate suspension from Amazon—bringing a sudden halt to what is often substantial sales. Getting the problem fixed by dealing directly with a live human at Amazon is next to impossible to achieve, and victimized small businesses find their sales on the site, which may be the vast majority of their business, have come to a screeching halt.

The U. S. Department of Energy has earmarked up to $37 million in grants for small businesses to conduct energy-related research and development. Here's the DOE announcement:

Start-up professional-service businesses need customers fast, but at the same time have limited marketing funds. A few small business owners share what they found to be effective, yet low cost, marketing campaigns.

Marketing is a primary concern for new professional-services firms. A recent Kabbage^® survey showed more business owners wished they’d spent more money on marketing in years one through four in business than those who wished they’d spent more on payroll, rent, inventory and equipment combined.

The Small Business Administration has a guide on their website to create a plan to transfer ownership, sell, or close your business. They suggest that you get qualified advice and know what to do to tie up loose ends.