The bMighty Blog -- Strategy/Analysis/Biz Dev

The "Consumerization" Of Business Intelligence

Posted by Fredric Paul 06:06 PM ET | Jul 24, 2008

You might think that business intelligence is the last software category to be affected by the trend toward consumer technology eclipsing its business equivalents. But according to the CEO of BI vendor QlikTech, it's already happening.

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Finance/Accounting | Hardware & Software | IT | Management | Strategy/Analysis/Biz Dev

Web Site Optimization That Costs Nothing -- But Time

Posted by Naomi Grossman 11:04 AM ET | Jul 23, 2008

Good, free advice is rare. Good free advice that only confirms what you've been saying all along is even rarer but yesterday both happened to me and it concerns something all smaller businesses should be doing: Web site optimization.

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Internet/Web | Strategy/Analysis/Biz Dev

Boston-Area Startups, Get Your 15 Minutes

Posted by Naomi Grossman 09:50 AM ET | Jul 16, 2008

For smaller businesses, it's all about getting noticed. Well, if you're a Boston-area tech startup, here's your chance to get your 15 minutes in the spotlight. InformationWeek's Startup City TV crew is coming to the Bay State and they've got more spots to fill.

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Company Size: 1-49 | Internet/Web | Sales/Marketing | Strategy/Analysis/Biz Dev

Natural Search vs. Paid Search: SEO Wins

Posted by Naomi Grossman 11:50 AM ET | Jul 3, 2008

Most smaller businesses know by now that search engine optimization is an effective way to get their sites noticed by the almighty search engines. But a recent survey indicates that SEO is the best way to generate online leads. Is your site optimized for search?

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Business & E-Business | Internet/Web | Strategy/Analysis/Biz Dev

Lessons Learned From Bill Gates

Posted by Naomi Grossman 12:55 PM ET | Jun 27, 2008

Today is Bill Gates' last day as a full time employee of Microsoft, the company he built into a software giant. It's hard to even imagine that Microsoft was ever a small business but it had the same humble beginnings as nearly all companies. It also had an extraordinary leader in Gates and it is there that smaller businesses could learn a lot.

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Hardware & Software | Strategy/Analysis/Biz Dev

A Good Wiki is Hard to Find -- But Worth it

Posted by Naomi Grossman 10:14 AM ET | Jun 12, 2008

The business value of wikis are becoming more and more obvious: They foster collaboration, encourage creativity, and they are relatively easy and inexpensive to create. But if you want widespread adoption of your company's wiki there are a few simple tips you should consider.

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Internet/Web | Networking & Communications | Strategy/Analysis/Biz Dev

Web 2.0 To Force Changes In Web Metrics

Posted by Fredric Paul 02:30 PM ET | Apr 11, 2008

Is your company's Web site doing its job? Are you sure? What with the rise of Rich Internet Applications, AJAX, and other Web 2.0 technologies, how can you tell?

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Business & E-Business | IT | Internet/Web | Internet/Web | Strategy/Analysis/Biz Dev

Terror Threats From Second Life? Uh, No. Business Value? Uh, No

Posted by Naomi Grossman 10:56 AM ET | Apr 9, 2008

A hearing was held in Congress (!) about the possibility of terrorists using virtual worlds for nefarious means. Second Life founder Philip Rosedale and other virtual reality experts were even called to testify. The verdict? Nothing real about a virtual world ý neither for terrorists nor for business.

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Business & E-Business | Internet/Web | Strategy/Analysis/Biz Dev

Blogging Doesn't Kill. But Running a Smaller Business Might

Posted by Naomi Grossman 10:30 AM ET | Apr 7, 2008

Sadly, two high profile tech bloggers died recently and another one suffered a heart attack. The blogosphere was rife with the notion that the stressful lives these men lead -- thanks to their jobs -- contributed to their tragedies. But their workdays don't sound much different than that of anyone running a smaller business.

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Business & E-Business | IT | Strategy/Analysis/Biz Dev

Show Your Employees More Than the Money

Posted by Naomi Grossman 10:55 AM ET | Apr 3, 2008

For the smaller business, holding on to good employees is crucial to its success. What smaller business can afford the costs of employee turnover? From recruitment to training, it gets very costly, not to mention disruptive. But if a smaller business takes care of its employees, their employees will almost certainly take care of them.

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HR | IT | Strategy/Analysis/Biz Dev

Let the People Telecommute (Just Make Sure They Know About the Security Policies)

Posted by Naomi Grossman 12:09 PM ET | Apr 2, 2008

There are lots and lots of reasons why telecommuting is good for a smaller business. There are space and cost savings, flexible schedules, and happier employees. But along with a telecommuting policy, should be a security policy that is not only developed but also publicized. A recent study on telecommuting indicates that that is not always the case.

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IT | Security | Strategy/Analysis/Biz Dev

Manage Your Risk Before It Mangles Your Business

Posted by Keith Ferrell 12:58 PM ET | Mar 31, 2008

Informationweek has a good long piece on risk management that will more than repay your attention -- if only in calling your attention to the rapidly evolving nature of risk management -- and the risks we all need, or at least seek, to manage.

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Business & E-Business | IT | Management | Security | Strategy/Analysis/Biz Dev | bMighty

So, Lady, You Want to Grow Your Smaller Business? Here's Some Advice

Posted by Naomi Grossman 12:18 PM ET | Mar 31, 2008

Apparently, women are starting businesses at twice the rate of men. That statistic has caught the eye of none other than Microsoft which is teaming up with a bunch of small business experts in a series of conferences kicking off this week in five cities across the country just for women to network and learn. Men, go watch some basketball.

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Business & E-Business | Strategy/Analysis/Biz Dev | Women in Business

Even the Government is Getting Into Social Networking

Posted by Naomi Grossman 11:51 AM ET | Mar 26, 2008

A social networking site has been launched that is targeting the tech employees of the federal government to help them communicate on how they can use technology to improve their agencies. Did you hear that? The government -- not known for its nimbleness or flexibility -- is jumping on the Web 2.0 bandwagon. Smaller businesses, it's time.

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IT | Internet/Web | Networking & Communications | Strategy/Analysis/Biz Dev

IT Skills Shortage? Keep the Ones You Got Trained

Posted by Naomi Grossman 12:10 PM ET | Mar 25, 2008

There are fewer computer science graduates than there used to be and, because they cannot afford high turnover rates or IT guys who aren't that into their jobs, smaller businesses need to get the best of that shrinking lot and they need to keep them there. One way to do that is, surprisingly, employee training.

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HR | IT | Strategy/Analysis/Biz Dev

The Secret of Business Success: Great Employees (Duh!)

Posted by Naomi Grossman 12:58 PM ET | Mar 10, 2008

Of course a great idea, a solid business plan, and careful spending are important ingredients in a successful company. But as an incendiary blog posting (unwittingly) revealed -- and what all smaller businesses need to always remember -- is that great employees are what make it all work. Make sure they want to stick around.

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Business & E-Business | HR | IT | Strategy/Analysis/Biz Dev

Nothing To Fear But Fear Itself

Posted by Fredric Paul 07:52 PM ET | Mar 5, 2008

Frost & Sullivan calls recession talk a "self-fulfilling prophecy" but CDW IT Monitor says small businesses expect to cut spending even more than do their larger competitors. So, what's really happening out there?

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Company Size: 1-49 | Company Size: 50-249 | IT | Strategy/Analysis/Biz Dev

Hey Smaller Businesses, Why Not Try Some Free Love?

Posted by Naomi Grossman 03:06 PM ET | Feb 27, 2008

Everyone, it seems, is getting into the "free" act. Apparently, it's a real trend -- and not just among the big guys. Smaller businesses can get a piece of the "free" action, too.

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Internet/Web | Sales/Marketing | Strategy/Analysis/Biz Dev

The New Economy of Free (What It Will Cost You)

Posted by Naomi Grossman 12:56 PM ET | Feb 26, 2008

We all know -- or had at least one grandparent tell us -- you don't get something for nothing. But technological advances and new distribution models mean that you can get some stuff for not that much. Oh, and you might want to think about how you can apply that concept to generating revenue for your smaller business.

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Business & E-Business | Hardware & Software | IT | Sales/Marketing | Strategy/Analysis/Biz Dev

Dismal Prospects for Tech? Blame the Pols

Posted by Naomi Grossman 12:24 PM ET | Feb 25, 2008

As the field of presidential candidate gets smaller and smaller, the question among tech voters is who is their candidate. The answer, it seems is none of them.

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Business & E-Business | Strategy/Analysis/Biz Dev | Technology/Telecom

The Smaller Business' Guide to Getting Ready for the Recession

Posted by Naomi Grossman 11:44 AM ET | Feb 21, 2008

We are living in uncertain economic times. Smaller businesses are breathlessly waiting for the recession that has seemed to be lurking just out of sight for a while now to finally make its appearance. It's time to get ready for our unwelcome but inevitable visitor.

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Business & E-Business | Hardware & Software | IT | Strategy/Analysis/Biz Dev

Beware Smaller Businesses: Do Not Anger the Google Gods

Posted by Naomi Grossman 01:01 PM ET | Feb 15, 2008

Getting 'blacklisted' by Google is as scary a prospect as it sounds. Recently, a blogger for HitWise, an online marketing company, demonstrated what happened to a company that got 'blacklisted' from Google. The results are as bad as you would think.

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Internet/Web | Sales/Marketing | Strategy/Analysis/Biz Dev

The Smaller Business' Tightrope Walk: The Bottom Line and Employees

Posted by Naomi Grossman 12:56 PM ET | Feb 8, 2008

Many smaller businesses celebrate their non-corporate culture in which employees are treated like family, turnover is low, and everybody is vested in making the company a success. But sometimes, the very familial nature of a smaller business can cause management to lose sight of the bottom line, with devastating consequences.

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Business & E-Business | HR | Strategy/Analysis/Biz Dev

Super Bowl Lesson for Smaller Businesses: Marketing on the Internet Works

Posted by Naomi Grossman 12:37 PM ET | Feb 6, 2008

The Super Bowl is long over -- although for those of us in New England, the heartache lingers -- but the staying power of many of its commercials on the Internet should be a powerful message for smaller businesses.

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Internet/Web | Sales/Marketing | Strategy/Analysis/Biz Dev

The Recession is Coming! Quick, Start Hiring

Posted by Naomi Grossman 11:40 AM ET | Jan 31, 2008

Anyone who follows news on the economy knows the picture isn't great: a volatile stock market, a mortgage crisis, a credit crunch. If we were living in Paul Revere's day, we'd probably eventually see a man on a horse racing through our towns and cities shouting, "A recession is coming! A recession is coming!" Still, we get it. So, how should smaller businesses get ready for the inevitable?

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HR | IT | Strategy/Analysis/Biz Dev