May 19, 2013 12:59 AM • Log InREGISTER

How To

Getting Started: Turning Your Blog into a Business

How one enterprising woman went from blogger to entrepreneur

Hays tells how she went from blogger to businesswoman
From entertainment to politics to fashion, fascinating…

By Arlice Nichole

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power-lunch

Managing Food Allergies at Work

Tips for eating and staying safe when food isn't always your friend

In the work world, social connections are often made over lunch or dinner. Food plays…

By Sheiresa Ngo

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11. Create a 2011 file. Start now in organizing for 2011. Make files to plan new projects, organize tax documents that will be needed to file for taxes next year, and other folders (whether digital or physical) that can already be ready for filling with important items. For more on small business success in the new year: 6 New Year Resolutions for New Entrepreneurs 9 Tips to Keep Black Salons in Business

Small Business Checklist: 11 Ways to Get Your House in Order for 2011

Get prepped now to bring in a successful new year

Start the new year off right by being prepared and armed for success.

By Janell Hazelwood

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In 1994 Curtiss Pope's first job was as a grocery store clerk. Only 15, he couldn’t understand why there wasn’t a document to show customers which aisle had the bread and which aisle had the dairy. “I had to be well versed in the store layout,” remembers Pope. Fast-forward to 2008; Pope, now a software engineer, was on a grocery run with his wife when he got a spark of inspiration. He wanted to create a mobile app to help customers navigate their stores. That's exactly what he did. The app, AisleFinder, helps shoppers find their grocery items based on their shopping list. It also provides users with coupons and collects information about shoppers’ habits. Pope’s wife, along with several of his friends and family, thought it was a great idea and gave him moral support; along with $22,000. Unfortunately, the national grocery store chains didn’t feel the same way. It took a year and a half before Pope, and his four-person staff, were able to get a pilot deal with national grocery retailer, Safeway Inc. After a lot of coaxing the store agreed that starting this January they would endorse his app in 40 of their stores across California. Although AisleFinder still has a long way to go, Pope says that the deal with Safeway is already opening doors to other retailers. Here are his 10 tips for closing a deal with a national brand.

How to Get a Deal with National Retailers

10 tips on pitching your idea to the big guys from someone who did it

Curtiss Pope created a mobile app to help shoppers locate their items in grocery stores.…

By Marcia Wade Talbert

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Offer rental space to barbers and braiders. Making room for stylists with multiple talents will bring in a new and diverse clientele.  Now would be a great time to learn to braid well, or brush-up on the services that barbers usually perform.

9 Tips to Keep Black Salons in Business

Expert advice on how to weather the haircare industry storm

Here are 9 tips to keep black salons marketable and in business.

By Arlice Nichole

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For more holiday tips, read: Holiday Bonuses: A Thing of the Past or on the Comeback? Holiday Entertaining on a Budget  Holiday Gift-Giving Made Easy

‘Tis the Season to ‘Buy Black’

The Anderson family shares tips on how to check "shop at Black-owned businesses"

Blackenterprise.com spoke with the Andersons, founders of EE, about the importance of supporting black-owned businesses,…

By Janel Martinez

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Go the non-profit route with  ModestNeeds.com  Founded in 2002 by Dr. Keith P. Taylor, Modest Needs offers three types of grants: back-to-work grants, independent living grants and self-sufficiency grants. The site offers  'flouting maximum grants' of up to $1000 or 7.5% of your documented, annual household income per family unit. “They provide bridge grants, basically to kind of get you through times like these,” says Kenneth L. Johnson, president of East Coast Executives (ECE). For more on unemployment benefits, read: Time’s Up: Extended Unemployment Benefits Expire So You’ve Been Fired…Now What

5 Ways To Maintain After Losing Unemployment Benefits

Here�s what you can do to stay afloat post-long-term unemployment benefits

Here are five ways to deal with the ending of extended unemployment benefits.

By Janel Martinez

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8 Ways to Protect Your Smartphone from Viruses

Take precaution because mobile malware is on the rise

Your smartphone is just as vulnerable to virus attacks as your computer. Follow these eight…

By Marcia Wade Talbert

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SEO For Jobseekers: How to Search-Optimize Your Resume

Experts weigh in on ways to get your resume to the top of a search engine scan

Blackenterprise.com spoke with Kenneth L. Johnson, president of East Coast Executives (ECE), Vice President of…

By Janel Martinez

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5 Tips for Selling Anything to Anybody

Author gives advice on the best ways to close the deal and sell your product

Buying and selling has been the cornerstone of business since the earliest civilizations. Virtually every…

By Alan Hughes

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