WordPress is a free publishing platform that makes it possible for you to write and publish material online. People are using WordPress to blog about all sorts of topics – to share their thoughts, express their views and opinions to the world, to perform product reviews, and more.

Once a website has been set up, it is very easy to add content and update the content on your own, almost as easily as writing a document in Microsoft Word.

Cal Evans is our featured guest in this Episode of The Small Business Trends Radio. Cal is a PHP programmer, blogger and host of The Sixty Second Tech podcast. Cal is no stranger to WordPress and in this episode he discusses all things WordPress and answers many questions you may have.

Here’s a sampling of topics from the show:

• Plugins — are small pieces of code to incorporate specific functions into your blog. Most plugins are relatively simple and easy to use. Some popular plugins are Akismet (spam blocker), Feedburner (RSS feed), Google Sitemaps (sitemap of blog), WP-DB-Backup (data backup), Simple Tags (tagging) and All In One SEO (search engine optimization). This post is incorporating a plugin by the name of Podpress (enables the audio reel underneath this post).

• Just about any web service — has the ability to interact with WordPress and many plugins are available. Flicker, YouTube, Twitter, Del.icio.us and many other services can be easily incorporated right into your blog.

• WordPress can build a site — not just a blog. WordPress then acts as a content management system (CMS) that lets you easily update your website.

• WordPress MU — is the multi-user platform used to setup and run a network of blogs. Use it if you are setting up a lot of blogs. Multiple domains can be controlled using WordPress MU, however, it may be a bit advanced for beginner bloggers.

• WordPress.com or WordPress.org? — The basic difference is hosting. Using WordPress.com the hosting is automatic and you can get it up and running easily and use plugins, themes, etc. When using WordPress.org, you download the WordPress code base itself and from there you can manipulate it to your liking, however, you will need to find your own hosting arrangements.

One of the things that makes WordPress so popular is the open source element and the community of developers that contribute to WordPress on a regular basis by building plugins. themes, etc. WordPress makes websites that are easy to update and which empower their owners.

WordPress is so versatile, that some small business owners use it to create full-blown websites, publish online magazines, and more. You can learn more about WordPress by clicking the red and yellow player below and listening to Cal’s full interview.

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 WordPress 101: Using Plugins and Themes [29:53m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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Positioning yourself as the expert in your field can eliminate competition and reap endless rewards. But the task of actually becoming recognized as an expert can be somewhat daunting. Knowing what steps to take and where to focus your efforts doesn’t come easily.

Bob Sommers, host of The Recognized Expert Marketing Show, is our featured guest in this Episode of The Small Business Trends Radio. Before moving his family to Hawaii, Bob owned and operated the largest customer service training company in the country.

By positioning his company as the premier customer service training provider, he was able to generate more money in a day, than he earned in an entire year as a full time engineer.

Here’s a sampling of topics from the show:

• Do one thing only — and do it very well. Target your market down to a very small niche, become the expert at it and eliminate competition by doing so. It’s better to be a big fish in a small pond than it is to be a big fish in an endless ocean. For example, if your field is gardening, narrow it down and become the expert on azaleas.

• Take action steps — to position yourself as an expert by writing a book or creating an ebook; publishing useful articles online that contain tips and advice for readers; speaking publicly; making television and radio appearances and blogging. Writing a blog can increase your status as an expert in your field if you provide useful information, tips and actionable advice for readers. They will begin to view you as a “go to” source of information.

• If you are the expert — you will not have to say it because people will be saying it for you.

Bob has much more advice to offer from his personal experiences and explains why it is so important to choose a niche within your field to become seen as an expert. You can learn more by clicking the red and yellow player below and listening to Bob’s full interview.

Listen Now:

 How To Become A Recognized Expert [30:11m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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Intuition is a primal gut instinct, built in for survival. When your pet senses danger – it retreats and follows its gut instinct. Humans are the only living creatures that ignore those primal gut instincts. We are the only living creatures that sense danger - yet continue to move toward it.

Lynn Robinson, Author of “Trust Your Gut: How The Power of Intuition Can Grow Your Business” and Founder of LynnRobinson.com, is our featured guest in this Episode of The Small Business Trends Radio. Lynn teaches us how to recognize when intuition is attempting to communicate with us - and to learn to listen to it.

Here’s a sampling of topics from the show:

• Logic and facts — are left brain qualities and intuition is a right brain quality. Your logic speaks in one voice and your intuition speaks in another - BOTH are giving you valuable information.

• Increase your intuition by — asking yourself an open ended question and then wait for information to arrive. Practice this by writing down your question on a piece of paper and placing it in your pocket. You will find that throughout your day, images may flood your mind, hunches may reveal themselves and flashes of insight will arrive. Remember, intuition contains a “fleeting” quality - do not dismiss fleeting thoughts.

• “Freeze framing” — is a valuable tool to increase intuition. When you are feeling overwhelmed or anxious and are unable to make a decision, shift your focus from your emotions and focus on your “heart” and your breathing. This will slow down your racing mind and assist your in filtering out the information you are to receive.

German-born American physicist, Albert Einstein, once said, “The only real valuable thing is intuition.” He believed in it - and he relied on it. As does entrepreneur and co-founder of Microsoft, Bill Gates, who was quoted as saying, “Often you have to rely on intuition.”

Intuition is a valuable tool that each of us carries. If you learn to listen to it and use it to your benefit, especially when it comes to important decisions, you can begin to become more confident in yourself, reduce self-doubt and become empowered by it.

Lynn offers additional techniques to increase your intuition and begin to tap into your “inner consultant” to make wise decisions. If you’d like to learn more about the power of intuition or learn techniques to increase it, you can do so by clicking the red and yellow player below and listening to Lynn’s full interview.

Listen Now:

 If Your Intuition Is Talking, Listen! [29:20m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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Many famous entrepreneurs and business leaders have failed before hitting it big. One example is Henry J. Heinz, who went bankrupt at the age of 31, but his company went on to become a household name and still is more than a century later. We remember successes — and forget failures. And in business, one of the biggest ways to fail is to ignore your customers and your markets.

Gary G. Schoeniger, Founder and CEO, The Entrepreneurial Learning Initiative, is our featured guest in this Episode of The Small Business Trends Radio. Gary talks about how NOT to fail – by listening closely to your customers.

Here’s a sampling of topics from the show:

• Find a problem or a need — that many people have (what the market is demanding), discover a solution for it and offer it to them.

• Listen to the market — and try to find evidence to poke holes in your idea and offer it to others to critique. This may go against the grain of rational thinking, however, you will find that the idea that makes it through unscathed - is the best choice for a marketable product or service. Criticism can assist you in making beneficial changes - and you will ultimately deliver exactly what the market demanded.

• Be prepared for change — because it is essential to growth. Remaining curious, adventurous and welcoming change as a challenge ensures that you and your business remain “ahead of the curve.”

Gary, himself, is an example of success through meeting market demands. His first business was a gutter cleaning and painting business. An idea that sounds simple enough, however, by responding to basic market needs he eventually built the business into a multi-state, multimillion dollar construction management firm.

It is important to remember that people will always pay for a solution. Ignore your market, ignore the demand - and you’re sure to see failure.

If you’d like to learn more about Gary’s insights into the perils of ignoring market demands, you can do so by clicking the red and yellow player below and listening to his full interview.

Listen Now:

 The #1 Way to Fail in Business: Ignore Your Market [28:04m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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The Law of Attraction states that what you think about most, you ultimately attract. It’s possible to entice customers to come to YOU, but positive thinking is only part of the process. Attraction comes from one thing - and that’s action. Trouble is, most sales professionals, business owners and entrepreneurs don’t know what actions to take.

Jimmy Vee & Travis Miller, of Gravitational Marketing, are our featured guests in this Episode of The Small Business Trends Radio. Jimmy and Travis discuss the power of action and give you a 5 step plan to start attracting customers NOW.

Here are the first 3 tips from the show:

• Differentiate yourself — from the rest. Think in terms of sensational. This creates an intense interest and curiosity. And remember, “Same is lame!” The definition of lame is: A pathetic lack of force or effectiveness. If you are the same as everyone around you then you lack force and effectiveness.

• Carve out a tiny niche — and become an expert on it to rise to the top. For instance, instead of being an expert on dogs, be an expert on a specific breed. Better yet, be an expert on a specific breeds grooming needs and you’ll find that you have less competition which makes becoming an expert even easier.

• Add a bit of entertainment — to your marketing and you’ll capture attention. People love being entertained and tend to make buying decisions emotionally first, and logically second. Tap into that emotion because once people start enjoying themselves they become less defensive, more receptive - and more likely to buy.

Jimmy & Travis provide the remaining two tips along with five marketing myths assumed to be true and some tips on how to discover your “uniqueness” and make it work for you.

It’s true. The Law of Attraction can work for you. If you’d like to hear all of the insightful tips that Jimmy & Travis provide to begin attracting customers now, you can do so by clicking the red and yellow player below and listening to their full interview.

UPDATE 4/30/08: We are proud to announce that this episode, featuring Jimmy & Travis, was voted as one of the Top 50 on the Law of Attraction. You can see the entire list by clicking on the Top 50 icon. Congratulations Jimmy & Travis - Way to go!

Listen Now:

 Attract More Sales Using The Law Of Attraction [38:43m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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We’d like to give a big thank you to Raven Blair Davis, the host of Women Power Talk Radio, for inviting Anita Cambell, the host of our show here at Small Business Trends Radio, to speak with her about trends you can’t afford to ignore. Anita and Raven discussed financing, partnering, employee trends and some labor-saving technology.

Raven’s show was listed on our 100 Small Business Podcasts list and Women Power Talk Radio has an archive full of unstoppable Diva’s and their inspirational advice for today’s entrepreneurial business women. It’s definitely worth checking out.

Posted by Staci Wood | Comments (6) | Permalink

If it is taking too long for customers to pay your invoices, a factoring firm can get you paid faster. Factors will purchase your receivables and advance you a large portion of the money right away so you don’t have a cash flow pinch. Factors also help you streamline your receivables collections process.

Our featured guest in this Episode of The Small Business Trends Radio is Tom Nort, CEO of Facteon, an Atlanta based factor. Tom explains how you can get paid sooner by cashing in your receivables to get funds for business expansion.

Topics include:

• Factoring can help small business — by providing funds up front for open receivables. You get the money now, and the factor waits for the check. This can be helpful for small and new businesses with limited opearting funds available.

• Speed is the number one advantage — and factoring firms can help small businesses grow. Many times, they can’t get ahead of the game but accelerated cash flow speeds business growth.

• Invoices are assets — that you can leverage and use. The work you have done has value and you can get liquidity out of it now. Your credit does not come into play and money received is not considered a loan.

Many small or home based business owners are so busy running their businesses that they do not have the infrastructure or resources to handle their receivables - an extremely important part of your business. A factoring firm can act like a receivables department for your small business. And when money flows - business grows.

So, can factoring help your small business grow? You can learn more and answer that question by clicking the red and yellow player below and listening to Tom’s full interview.

Listen Now:

 Get Paid Sooner By Cashing In Your Receivables [24:01m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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