Recommended Reading: To Love Amazon, or Not to Love Amazon
What have you been reading this week to keep you informed, inspired, and entertained in your business? Let us know in the comments below!
Amazon: Good or Bad? On the one hand, Amazon clearly is a tough competitor for brick and mortar retailers, who see fewer people coming in and more shopping online. But it also provides a platform for small businesses to offer products to customers around the world. So it’s complicated.
Best City for Small Business: According to a study by Biz2Credit, it’s New York City, largely thanks to a booming real estate market that is providing opportunities for construction firms and contractors of all sorts. Other top-ranking cities include San Jose, Miami, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.
What Would You Pay for Facebook? As Facebook has been in the crosshairs for the past couple months, people are wondering if they will ever begin charging users for access to the site. Could Facebook be making its first moves in that direction?
Protect Yourself from Cyberthreats: US Senators recently sent a letter to the Small Business Administration, urging the agency to take more active steps to encourage small business owners to protect themselves from cyberthreats.
So You’re Not Getting HQ2: While more than 200 cities have been rejected from Amazon’s HQ2 headquarters search, the company is calling representatives of those cities to give them the specific reasons the cities didn’t make the cut, giving them a chance to take steps to improve down the road.
Same Prices, More Profits: Experts say the best way to improve profit margins without losing customers to higher prices is to identify the core functions of your product or service, excel in the small number of things that provide the most value, and find more efficient ways to deliver the other functions.
Do the Hustle: Looking for a side hustle you can start with your family to make a few extra bucks? Consider these family-friendly gigs, including lawn care, pet sitting, and catering.
