Starting a business can consume both your time and your financial resources. Thankfully, there is a wealth of resources now readily available to small business owners for free or very little cost. The following are some favorite free tools and resources that can help your small start-up grow into a booming business. SCORE SCORE is a non-profit organization that is dedicated to assisting small business owners. Through the organization, start-ups like you can be matched to retired professionals who serve as your mentor. You are able to ask them questions and get advice about the best practices for your...

If you are a developer just about to start out your career in mobile web development, you may be faced with a dilemma: Which platform should I choose: The iPhone, Android, Windows Phone 7, or Symbian or Blackberry? Let’s face it, there are way too many platforms for mobile these days and to determine which one will win the race or which one will be the most profitable, will be difficult. Nokia remains the most purchased smart phone in the world. iPhone has millions of users and together with the iPad, it provides a stiff competition to Nokia. Windows Phone 7 has just started out and although it...

Generating search engine traffic can be challenging, especially when the web is filled with out of date data. So instead of racking your brain over engine traffic, let’s look at other ways to generate traffic to your website. Viral marketing campaigns are a good alternative because they generate a hug amount of buzz and brand awareness. Search Engine Optimization can help you generate that buzz about your brand but there is a right way and a wrong way to go about it. There is lots of bad advice out there on the web that can lead to getting your site banned; talk about being counter productive. ...

Patents are a way of acquiring exclusive rights from the government to stop others from remaking what you have invented in exchange for a public disclosure of your invention. Different countries have different sets of laws as far as patenting is concerned and what might have been patented in one country, might be infringed upon in another in case it wasn’t patented there. Without going into the details of how one can go about patenting something(You can go through the links below if you want to know the details.), there are just a couple (ok 3) of points: 1) If you wish to get a patent done, you...

Your logo doesn’t necessarily need to say what your company does. For example if you own a restaurant you don’t need to have a plate of food or if you are a dentist, a giant tooth doesn’t have to be your logo either. You don’t have to pick an item that directly relates to your business. For example the Apple logo isn’t a computer, the Motorola logo isn’t a phone, and the Ford logo isn’t a car. Not every logo needs to have a mark. Your logo could just be a professional logotype that can help classify your business. Keep in mind that the design process is a two way street. Make...