Mark Pittman

What's a Wiki?

Before answering that question, let's take a look at the etymology of the word "wiki" and learn how Howard G. "Ward" Cunningham came to use the word in association with his software. Wiki is a word from the Hawaiian language which means: quick, hurry, swi... Read >

Fax Machines: Asset or Obsolete?

Although raw forms of faxing have been around since the mid-to-late 1800s, the fax machine as we know it today has existed in various configurations since the 1970s. By the mid-1980s, faxing became a very popular and economical communication tool and was ... Read >

Shipping & Handling Solutions for Small Businesses

If your company doesn’t have a shipping strategy then it doesn’t matter if you’ve cornered the market in the manufacturing of widgets and thingamajigs. Products sitting on your shipping dock or stuck in a warehouse will cost your company both time and mon... Read >

The Impact of the 40-Hour Workweek

One workweek is equal to the total amount of hours in one, seven-day calendar week an individual spends at employed (paid) occupational labor in a commercial environment. Some countries have enacted law that mandates the minimum daily rest periods and the... Read >

What Does B2B, B2C & B2G Mean?

One of the many definitions of business is “the buying and selling of commodities and services." Whether that business is conducted directly to another business, to a consumer or to the government, the basis of the transaction starts from a business. I... Read >

Pros & Cons of Print-On-Demand Publishing

The best tool for promoting your business is to author a book in your field of expertise. Hand a potential client a one-page flier or tri-fold brochure and chances are they’ll never give it another glance. Present that same potential client with a profess... Read >

Demographics: Understanding Your Target Market

Let’s say you’re a shop owner and a random customer comes into your store and purchases an item with cash and then leaves. Ask yourself these questions: Where do they live? How much do they earn annually? Can you identify their age and gender? Did t... Read >

Performing Due Diligence in Daily Life

The more formal definition of due diligence is "research and analysis of a company or organization done in preparation for a business transaction." In simpler terms, due diligence is nothing more than "doing your homework" and diligence itself means "pers... Read >

Protecting Your Online Identity

As a business owner your online reputation is extremely important to you. What current, former and potential clients and business partners are saying about you can boost sales or turn around and sink you. In the past, people would complain about a product... Read >

Branding Yourself for Business

For entrepreneurs out on their own, creating a memorable and manageable personal brand is a crucial component to the success of their business. But, many business-minded people still don't think of themselves as a brand. Instead, they think of brands as t... Read >

Making Meetings Work

Meetings are a classic case of the perfect Catch-22. If you're in a meeting: Then you're away from your desk and not getting any work done! But, if you avoid meetings: Then you don't know what work needs to get done! If it seems like you're... Read >

Gold's Role in the Monetary System of the U.S.

For most of the 19th century, the monetary system of the U.S. was based on bimetallism (gold and silver). This monetary system uses a standard economic unit of account equal to a fixed weight of gold. A full gold standard was in effect from 1900–1933, whi... Read >

Why Your Business Needs Twitter

The potential uses of Twitter as a tool for business range from gibberish to genius. And that's if you can keep your comments down to a maximum of 140 characters. Yes, the character-limit per tweet is hardly enough to rattle off an entire day's happenings... Read >

Writing an Effective Business Plan

The most important step in becoming an entrepreneur is writing a business plan. The reason behind this is all aspects of the economic viability of your business adventure will need to be evaluated. After all, the whole idea is to make money! Until you ... Read >

How to Get Sales Referrals Without Begging

It doesn't matter what product you're selling; asking for referrals can be a very difficult part of your sales routine. In fact, many sales professionals have shared that asking for referrals is something they … HATE! Why is asking an already happy custom... Read >