The 10 Most Popular Business Articles of 2006
About Small Business Canada’s Most-Read Business Articles
Small Business: Canada Ads The most popular business articles of the last year cover the gamut, from business plan outlines and best business opportunities through secrets of customer service and selling on eBay. Learn something new or revisit a favourite business article with this top 10 list.
1. The Business Plan Outline
This business plan outline lists the sections of the business plan in the order in which they will appear in your completed business plan with a brief explanation of each section. Better yet, there’s a link to an article that provides details for researching and writing each section of the plan to guide you through the writing a business plan process.
More: The Quick-Start Business Plan
2. Top Digital Voice Recorders
I suspect this business article is so popular because ideas tend to pop into your head at the most inconvenient times – especially good ideas. With a digital voice recorder, you have a much better chance of capturing the thought. This piece presents my picks for the best digital voice recorders that have the ability to transfer voice files to your computer.
More: Top Digital Recorder Transcribers
3. Best Business Opportunities 2006
Like all of my Best Business Opportunities articles, this one focuses on small businesses that I feel have big potential – the potential for sustained profitability. If you’re interested in starting or investing in a small business, you’ll want to have a look as all of the opportunities I present in this business article are still great choices.
More: Best Business Opportunities 2007
4. 8 Rules for Good Customer Service
Ask any customer what good customer service is and they’ll tell you they know it when they see it. It’s easy to recognize because it is a truly simple thing. If you apply the eight simple rules presented in this article consistently, your business will become known for its good customer service – and draw new customers as well as increase your repeat business.
More: 4 Ways to Provide Customer Service That Outshines Your Competitors
5. 7 Tips for Selling on eBay
eBay has become such a phenomenon that instead of asking who’s selling on eBay you have to ask, who’s not? It’s no surprise then, that eBay is such a popular business model. But whether you’re selling a few items to test a product’s sale potential or thinking of using eBay as a full scale eBusiness, these tips will show you how to sell on eBay successfully.
More: Selling on eBay Case Study
6. How to Invoice
When I first started my business, I thought I knew how to do this. But then I discovered that there are certain things that have to be on an invoice and I was missing some of them! Besides laying out exactly what your invoices have to have, this business article includes a sample invoice that you can use.
More: Using Invoices That Encourage Action
7. Top 10 Home Business Opportunities
Want to start a home-based business but don’t know what you might do and wondering what sorts of home businesses might have the best chance of success? Then this is the article for you. Like my other best business opportunity pieces, I’ve chosen these business ideas because of their potential right now and because there's going to be an even greater demand for these products and or services over the next few years.
More: How to Start a Home-Based Business That Will Succeed
8. Steps to Starting a Business
This is the start up guide on the site; if you’re starting a business in Canada, this one business article will lead you through the process step-by-step – and links to many other articles with more detailed information if you want it.
More: How to Create a Winning Business Name
9. 5 Secrets of Good Customer Service
Albert E. Schindler rarely advertises, yet he enjoys about 80 percent of his town’s sign and display business – because, he says, of good customer service. Here he shares the customer service secrets that have made his own business such a success, secrets that any small business can apply.
More: Customer Service Lessons From Two Top Retailers
10. Starting a Business Quiz
Many people dream of starting a business - but are hesitant to start a business of their own because they don't know if they're the right sort of person or are worried that they'll start a business and fail. By taking this quiz and learning more about what it takes to become a successful entrepreneur, you’ll find out whether the time is right for you to
start your own business.
This is a list featuring top 3 articles of each section on our site. We are very pleased to see that articles dedicated to Internet Marketing, Website Usability, Software Business and Affiliate Marketing have grown substantially during the past year, proportionally with your interest for this field.