Blog Posts by Owen Linderholm

Most people, even the most successful of business people, even successful lawyers, struggle to complete everything they have assigned for themselves to do. A recent survey by the professional networking site LinkedIn looked at how many people were able to complete things on their to do lists and from what industries. This survey noted that lawyers reported being the least able to finish all their tasks. Small business wasn’t broken out or asked as a category but we suspect that for the small business owner, the numbers are even worse.

Why is that? We researched all the best advice on getting through your list that we could find and there are some startling conclusions.

We put the wrong things on our lists.

We tend to put big projects that we haven’t thought about properly on our list. If you add  a task like ‘create presentation for national sales meeting’ to your list in the morning and expect to get it done and crossed off by the end of the day then you are setting yourself up to fail.

A recent survey by the professional networking site LinkedIn looked at how many people were able to complete things on their to do lists and from what industries. This survey noted that lawyers reported being the least able to finish all their tasks. Small business wasn’t broken out or asked as a category but we suspect that for the many-hatted, ultimately responsible-for-everything small business owner, the numbers are even worse.

So we thought we'd give you some help by rounding up the best advice on being more effective with your own personal to do list. There’s a lot here but if you only take away three points they are these:

• Keep your list possible – short, to the point, actionable.
• Make sure you do the most important thing on the list every day – just one thing.
• Cut things off the list ruthlessly.

Before we dive in: The most important thing with a to do list is to get things done. That means your list and your system have to work for you. So do not take this or any of the expert

customerdialogLast week we started this new blog series rounding up some of the best small business reading from here on Yahoo! Small Business Advisor and also elsewhere. We continue this week with some great advice and success stories.

You should also take a look around some of what Yahoo! Small Business has to offer. Besides our domain name, web hosting and ecommerce products, we also have just added an innovative marketing dashboard that you can try for free even if you don't use our other products.

We also have a tools section within Yahoo! Small Business Advisor where you can quickly and easily create a press release with a wizard, track packages, calculate loans and look up zip codes.

We had an interesting set of stories in this week at Yahoo! Small Business Advisor that included the following:

The inconvenient history of Silicon Valley. (It turns out that the entrepreneurial capital of the US was created on the back of LOTS of government support.)
Four signs you're a terrible communicator.
How

What better time than National Small Business Week to kick off a new weekly series of blog posts rounding up the best of the week that we have found both here at Yahoo! Small Business Advisor and elsewhere?

It's been a big week for small businesses and a big week for us too. We posted a series of original interviews with executives from American Express, UPS, Verizon, Constant Contact and Orange Soda about small businesses and what their challenges are and each gave some advice on how to succeed and how to work with them. Why is that important? Well, we picked those companies because they all provide important services TO small businesses in different areas - financial services, logistics (ie shipping and fulfillment), communications and marketing. Plus we learned some great facts. Did you know that about half the GDP and half the employment in the US comes from small businesses? Did you know that UPS is a classic startup by a teenager in a basement? Only in 1907, not 2007!

We also

Orange Soda is a pioneer in providing social media services to small businesses. Until recently social media tools and services were really only available to enterprises and larger businesses. Orange Soda specializes in local online marketing and helping small businesses use social and online media to reach out and market in their community.

Yahoo! Small Business Advisor caught up with Jay Bean, Chairman and CEO for Orange Soda to talk about small business today and the challenges and opportunities facing the typical small business. He spoke with us by phone for this exclusive interview.

How important do you think small businesses are to the economy?

Jay Bean: Obviously we all know that there are millions and millions of small businesses in America – probably around 23 million of them – and the vast majority of employers are small businesses. SBA statistics show that half of all employees in America are employed by small business. Half a million new small businesses start up every

UPS adds its famous vansUPS’s latest slogan is ‘We [heart] logistics.’ But in most people’s minds, the company is a lot more than a fancy catchphrase. The company is synonymous with brown vans and brown-clothed, friendly drivers who are bustling everywhere dropping off packages. For the small business, however, UPS typically means two things – shipping and service. UPS offers a range of services that scale up and down from consumer service to large enterprise services but the company has a soft spot at its heart for the small business.

Yahoo! Small Business Advisor caught up with Beth Mathews, the Director of Marketing for the small and occasional segment of UPS. She explained that the complicated title means that she is responsible for all marketing for all of UPS customers that fall into the small business category and below . In other words, small business and consumers. She spoke with us by phone for this exclusive interview.

How important do you think small businesses are to the economy?

Beth Mathews: We

By Tanya Smith

socialmediaprofileA well branded social media profile is essential for small businesses today. The profile tells people all about you and the value you offer, and it can provide those in your circle of influence a place to connect and get involved. Having a well written social media profile can certainly enhance how well you connect with potential leads, but there are a few guidelines you must follow.

The Social Media Profile Image

Your picture is very much like a personal logo. People will instantly recognize your brand when they see it. Make sure it looks natural and that it fits the perception you want to create for your target audience.

A headshot that shows part of the neck and shoulders is typically a good start. It shouldn't be too large or too small. Use the same photo consistently for all of your profiles so that your potential customer recognizes you. This increases the trust factor, because the more they see you, the more familiar your prospect is with your brand. If you have

trust

By TJ McCue

It should come as no surprise that your customers research before they buy. But many small business owners don't believe in managing their brand and reputation online. Every business, from doctors (yes, even doctors) to lawyers to retail stores is judged online.
Lisa Barone, at Small Business Trends, explains in her post: Why Online Reputation Matters to Small Business that "consumers are using social word of mouth, online reviews, and other online content to form a judgment about your company. The judgment they form is then strongly tied to whether or not they decide to purchase your product (or service)."
How do you keep up?

1. Set an email alert. This is one of the easiest ways to monitor if and when your brand name, product names, specific keywords, or your personal name are being used on Twitter, Facebook, or other review sites. Most alerts can also be sent as a text message (SMS) to your mobile phone.
2. Sign up for a reputation tracking service like the Yahoo! Marketing