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Rounding Up The Year-End Roundups

Posted by Gayle Kesten Tuesday, Dec 23, 2008, 01:54 PM ET

Santa's not the only one who's making a list. The Web is overflowing with lists of best-ofs. I continue to be mindful of the ones I present here on Small Biz Resource -- my radar always on the lookout for quality over quantity.

Preamble aside, here are a half-dozen compilations that get my SBR stamp of approval:

  • Must-Have Tech Tools For 2009: This valuable list, from Small Business Trends editor in chief Anita Campbell, covers low-cost software, hardware and services that will help you run your small business better. Her selection includes a trio of Twitter tools, Amazon Web Services for inexpensive data backup, and a clever doohickey that'll protect handhelds from their butter-finger owners.

    Stamp of Approval Pictures, Images and Photos

  • 12 Innovative Products For Your Business: I'd be remiss not to point you to another dozen offerings, one for each month of the year, courtesy of SBR sister site bMighty.com. Presented in slideshow format, you may find yourself braving last-minute-shopper crowds to pick up a Bluetooth headset or a copy of Guy Kawasaki's Reality Check.

  • Top 10 Small Business Search Engine Optimization Tips: A small-business owner's work is never done, but should you find yourself with a few minutes to spare, America's Best Companies offers two hands-full of easy tips to optimize your Web site to reach your local market. Granted, the list is from August, but, as the article points out, it's never too late to outrank your competitors.

  • Top-Ten Marketing & Sales Strategies for a Slow Economy: Along those lines, Business Know-How's pointers can help you "focus, improve, and possibly even change what you do to attain, retain and maintain customers." Whether it can recession-proof your business is another story, but tips about auditing your time and taking advantage of trends. (The one cited in this article involves an entrepreneur who printed Osama Bin Laden's face on "a special brand of toilet paper." The message along with it makes the article worth your click.)

  • 10 Innovative Growing Businesses: If that doesn't inspire you on some level -- heck, did you at least laugh? -- then the companies on another list from bMighty will. The businesses include two featured here in past months on SBR: Ready Seafood/Catch A Piece Of Maine, co-owned by a pair of 20-something brothers, and Chilly Jilly, whose president, Jill Boehler found herself embarking on a second career in her early 50s.

  • Top 10 Ways to Lock Down Your Data: Switching gears, aside from your employees the most valuable business asset you have is your data. Are you doing enough to keep it safe? Doing so doesn't have to involve certification-level training either. LifeHacker's include getting smarter about your security questions and using virtual credit cards for iffy online buys.

    Which end-of-the-year roundups have you found insightful? Share them here with the rest of us.

    Economy | Hardware | Marketing | Productivity | SmallBizResource | Software




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