Biz Penguin - Small Business Ideas, Tips and Tools

Curiosity Didn’t Kill The Cat: How Negativity Can Improve Your Brand

No matter how hard you try to create a great company with great products and services, there is going to be that one person that doesn’t like what you have to offer, and they’ll turn to their friends, family, and Internet strangers and let them know how much they didn’t like their experience with your company.

When businesses receive negative feedback or know there’s someone out there talking bad about them, they tend to panic. After all, doesn’t negative information about your business mean it’s going to fail?…

3 Ways to Protect Your Small Business

Owning your own business: It’s part of the American dream, but it can quickly turn into a nightmare with lawsuits, theft or other issues that can cause major financial devastation. Inventory shrinkage is a major issue for small businesses, with Tyco’s security survey revealing that the retail industry was hit with $35.28 billion in theft in 2011. You might not want to think about the many disasters that could befall your business, but one way to keep your business going strong is to look at all of the ways you can protect it.…

Young Entrepreneurs Shine at This Year’s Prince’s Trust Awards

If there’s one thing that the Prince’s Trusts proves, it’s that you’re never too young to be a business owner. Helping disadvantaged young people across the UK, the Prince’s Trust can give youngster between the ages of 18 and 30 the chance to turn their lives around and set up their own shop – online or otherwise.

As always, this year saw another group of talented young individuals rewarded for their determination – from beauty bars to art groups, the Prince’s Trust has seen the birth of a wealth of innovative young businesses; all set up by people who didn’t have such a good start in life.…

Change is Good: The Headache-Free Way to Move Your Office

There are many reasons why a business needs to move premises from ending a lease to finding smarter or bigger premises. Whatever the reason for needing to move office it can quickly turn into a large headache if you do not prepare and plan well in advance of the moving day.

Planning your move
The one thing that most of us have when having to move office is a bit of time before the date for shipping out arrives.
This means that we the opportunity to put a plan of action into effect and allows you the chance to create a timeline for the individual stages of your move.…

10 Ways to Improve Your Restaurant Sales Before This Year Ends

As we are approaching the year’s end, businesses scramble to offer the best for customers; this also holds true for restaurants. However, it’s often challenging to increase sales.

But fear not! In this article, you will get 10 ideas on how to improve your restaurant sales before we enter 2014. Here they are:
1. Happy Hour rocks!
Similar to retail stores, restaurants could use a boost during off-peak hours. Typically offered in the late afternoon, Happy Hour can be a great way to introduce new items in your menu, as well as a way to keep your restaurant busy; empty restaurants are turn-offs, in my opinion.…

Tablet Application to Keep You and Your Employees Organized

Modern technology has grown in leaps and bounds. No matter where you look or where you turn, you will no doubt see a tablet or a state of the art laptop being used for everything. From every day enjoyment to catching up on the latest in news and weather to utilizing for business organization, one can find a tablet just about anywhere. If you and your employees are not using them yet, tablets are an excellent way to stay ahead of the technological curve, while utilizing the latest in management technology for your business.…

Designing a Successful IT Team

The IT team is a company’s strong line of defense. It protects a good portion of the company’s assets in terms of information and data, and ensures that all pertinent information that the company keeps is secure from prying eyes and sticky fingers. Aside from protecting the business environment from predatory practices, the IT team also helps ensure the integrity and relevance of current hardware and related services.

Learn how to build the perfect IT team for your business and know which qualifications and characteristics to look for in each member.…

Hire an Intern to Boost Your Small Business

In today’s competitive business environment, often it can be difficult for small businesses to get started. More often than not, they will need to hit the ground running to catch up with local competitors, and make a name for themselves in a very fast-paced market. Every little bit can help you get an edge on the competition, and one of the most valuable things that you can do is hire interns to boost your small business’ productivity.

Interns let you focus on running your business
One of the biggest ways in which interns can help better your business is by handling the minor tasks that would have otherwise required your attention and additional micromanagement.…

New Tools for Small Business Information Security

While the widespread use of the internet has inspired us to meet new people and share different types of information and ideas, it has also broadened criminal elements that can threaten your well being, as well as the security of your company and its finances. Small businesses in particular are targeted by these criminals because they usually do not have the expertise or the resources to protect themselves from these very real threats. Fortunately, there are ways that these cyber threats can be combated, each of which can be easily integrated into your regular business routine.…

Know When to Expand Your Small Business

Growing a small company today is not hard because the economy has improved significantly since the housing crisis. According to the US Commerce Department, the American economy grew by 2.8% in the third quarter of 2013 spurred by businesses restocking shelves as well as increased demand for new homes. For small business owners, this is a great time to expand to new markets. Here are some great tips that you can use to achieve this goal:

Employ The Right Staff
Expanding your company to a new location means that you require new employees.…