Coming This Year
Published by McGraw-Hill and written by Robert Bacal & Nancy Moore

Welcome To The Free Small Business Resource Center

Those wanting to start a small business, or succeed with an existing small business are faced with a wide array of challenges, not the least of which is learning and continuing to learn how to make the enterprise a success in changing conditions. Make no mistake about it. Running a business challenges a person to learn continuously, expand one's horizon and find new resources and ideas.

The mission of the Free Small Business Center is to find the best articles, guides, resources, advice, and so on available on the Internet (or in the physical world) and related to builiding and succeeding at the small business game.

We've been there. We've successfully run a small business for fifteen years. We can recognize good advice from bad, and we'll also provide you with your own insights in our small business blog (where you can also interact).

For additional details about the features of this site, check out the site features box.

Below are the newest small business resources you can access from this site:

• Workplace Conflict Resolution A Practical Guide

  By Liz Bywater - The next time you’re engaged in a quarrel or dispute, try the following two-step approach: ^new (Added: 1-Apr-2008 Hits: 14)

• WorkLife Balance Tips for Staying Focused and Productive

  By Liz Bywater - Here's some advice for small business owners that may help prevent small business owner burn-out. The advice is good and can be easily be put into action. ^new (Added: 1-Apr-2008 Hits: 15)

• Ten Common Conflict Resolution Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

  By Liz Bywater - As the employer and the owner of your small business you have seen how quickly differences of opinions can escalate into conflict. Here's how NOT to react so that the conflict can be resolved quickly and effectively. ^new (Added: 1-Apr-2008 Hits: 13)

• Calculated Costs of Just One Customer Complaint

  By Patricia Weber - One complaining customer is your opportunity to improve. You can rescue the potential, immense loss when you improve on what that one customer complains about. Provide a solution that they agree is more than satisfactory. Statistics show that 7 out of 10 customers will do business with an organization again if a complaint is resolved in their favor relatively quickly. ^new (Added: 1-Apr-2008 Hits: 11)

• Top 10 Ways to Keep Your Customers

  By Kate Schultz - This ten item list is essential reading for all small business owners. As well as using it as a checklist for day-to-day customer interactions, it can be used as a high-level training plan when training your employees in customer service. ^new (Added: 1-Apr-2008 Hits: 12)

• Resolving Conflicts with Clients

  By Ginger Derrickson - A personal account of one small business owners' dilemma with regards to resolving a customer complaint. This article is thought-provoking and can help you decide your actions when next faced with an unreasonably dissatisfied customer. ^new (Added: 1-Apr-2008 Hits: 9)

• Engage in Conflict Now

  By IIlene Wasserman - This article proposes that you look for conflict within your small business in order to establish guidelines for resolution of future conflicts where the stakes may be higher. ^new (Added: 1-Apr-2008 Hits: 11)

• Small Business Conflict Strategies via LA Ink!

  By n a - Using a reality show to demonstrate how not to deal with conflict, this article gives some useful conflict management tips and advice. ^new (Added: 1-Apr-2008 Hits: 12)

• How Do I Manage Workplace Conflict?

  By Phil Lye - Read about the common causes of workplace conflict to gain insight for resolving the conflict. Also provided are some tips for becoming proactive and managing the conflicts within your small business. ^new (Added: 1-Apr-2008 Hits: 11)

• Conflict Resolution

  By n a - There are three main areas where conflicts occur in business. Find out what they are. Also, find out how you can disagree diplomatically when you are managing conflict. ^new (Added: 1-Apr-2008 Hits: 11)

• Steps To Stepping Up

  By Paul Walsh - Whether you’re adding your second store or your 50th, these steps will help smooth the path to expansion. ^new (Added: 27-Mar-2008 Hits: 10)

• The Power of Inventive Thinking

  By Paul Walsh - If you believe that the small business owners who are inventive and innovative are the winners in business, here are some tips and some examples of companies that have tapped into the potential of inventive thinking. ^new (Added: 27-Mar-2008 Hits: 11)

• Up Selling Your Customers

  By Mike Kirkwood - Although this article was orginally published in 2003, the upselling techniques described are still appropriate. If your small business is a small shop, you can put these suggestions to immediate use. ^new (Added: 27-Mar-2008 Hits: 11)