Whether your business aims to sell make-up door-to-door or operate a commercial cleaning franchise, you must do market research (you sole-proprietors thought you could get out of this, didn’t you?). This is where you will learn about your market, potential customers and competitive environment. Doing so will give you a 360 degree view of the lay of the land, help you map out the best possible market approach, and assist you in writing your impending business plan.

Read the whole story at The Balance

While President Trump delivered remarks to a crowd in Ohio on Monday afternoon, the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped more than 1500 points in a financial market freefall. The numbers have recovered slightly as of this writing, but on the heels of dropping below 25,000 for the first time since early January last week, the markets aren’t expected to make a full recovery from Monday’s losses. According to CNN, “volatility emerged last week as investors grew more worried about turmoil in the bond market caused by inflation concerns.” Judging by Monday’s staggering drop, it seems said volatility is here to stay.

Read the whole story at Uproxx

U.S. stocks plunged for a second straight session, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropping more than 1,400 points and the S&P 500 Index enduring its steepest single-day decline since August 2015, erasing its gains for the year.

Treasuries and gold rallied as the equity markets deflated. Yields on core government bonds in Europe also fell. The pound slumped, and the euro declined. The dollar stabilized.

Read the whole story at Money 

The price of bitcoin, the largest digital currency by market capitalization, dipped below $7,000 for the first time since November 15.

The cryptocurrency is down nearly 64% since hitting an all-time high above $19,000 in December.

Read the whole story at Markets Insider

I consider bitcoin and other digital currencies to be highly speculative investments, and people shouldn't buy them with any money they can't afford to lose. Stocks of companies that could profit by the surge in digital currencies can be a smart idea, but there are two categories of these "bitcoin stocks" that you need to be aware of.

Read the whole story at USA Today

Seeking Alpha

Warren Buffett has famously said that most people ought to invest in indexes. That implies it's the best way to invest. But common sense and the results of great investors says that isn't true.

 

Indexing is the best way to invest for below average investors. The problem is that investors aren't on a bell curve. Most investors are below average. That is why the small percentage of good investors do so well, they are taking money from a big group of bad investors.

Read the whole story at Seeking Alpha

Smallbiztechnology.com

Are you struggling with the same issue?

 

Have you been itching to streamline your small business’ operations yet you don’t have the money to acquire the right tools?

 

If you answered with a “yes,” then allow me to share with you three affordable powerful tools that you can use to optimize the way your small business runs.

Read the whole story at Smallbiztechnology.com

Small Business Trends

“A CRM system is an important tool for building customer loyalty and encouraging retention. It will also keep your business competitive, but one common trap that can be fallen into by organizations is to see it as a standalone tactic, rather than developing it as a strategic function. . .” – Andrew Brittain, Founder and Managing Director of Advantec.

Read the whole story at Small Business Trends

Global Biz Circle

One of the benefits of owning an e-commerce business is that, at the beginning, you don’t need to hire anyone—it’s easy to operate all by yourself. You can start your business out of your home, manage sourcing and ordering from your computer, maintain your website and receive orders online, and even handle packing and shipping yourself . . . or can you?

 

As your e-commerce business grows, you’ll reach a point where you can’t do everything yourself anymore. Does that mean you need to hire an employee? Becoming a boss brings with it new challenges, not to mention expenses and legal requirements, so this isn’t a step to be taken lightly. Before you place a want ad, ask yourself the following questions. The answers will help you determine if it’s time to hire an employee.

Read the whole story at Global Biz Circle

Hubspot

Owning or working for a small business can be extremely rewarding.

 

You have a good view of the business operations, your work is visible, and you have an opportunity to make a big impact during the company's critical growth years.

 

But then there are the less glamorous aspects -- from tight budgets and limited resources to lack of direction and leadership -- that can really start to weigh on you.

 

It would be nice if someone would throw you a bone every now and then, right?

 

That's why we took some time to round up 10 completely free templates that you can lean on to streamline your workflow, save time, and get more done.

Read the whole story at Hubspot