Be tenacious, be resourceful, and make it through to the other side. Here’s my small business survival guide for keeping going through the hard times.

It’s not unusual for business giants to flock to a particular location in a country or city. This could depend on factors such as business-tax rates, financial programs that might be on offer there, or the cost of living and how this compares to the national average. While places such as Silicon Valley may be well-known destinations for businesses, there are many more affordable and feasible locations in the United States for companies to set up shop.

With the holiday season upon us, it’s important to have a clear plan of how you’re going to market to your customers (existing and prospective!) during this period. I recently wrote about how to create a holiday marketing plan, but what about some low cost practical marketing ideas to go with that? That’s what I’m going to look at here.

Every year the holiday season creeps up on me. The leaves begin to fall and the temperature starts to drop and before I know it there are holiday ads on the TV and stores are stocked floor to ceiling with decorations, stocking fillers and gift wrap.

As Thanksgiving approaches, it reminds me to be thankful - thankful for my business, thankful for my customers and, above all, thankful for my employees (without whom I wouldn’t have either).

Whether you’re starting a new initiative or taking advantage of a growth opportunity, you’ll probably find yourself needing a little extra capital at some point. But with access to capital still a challenge for many business owners, what can you do to try to maximize your chances of successfully applying for more funding?

Cutting costs is second nature to most small business owners. After all any unnecessary expenses eat right into your profits. I like to think I’ve become pretty good at cost cutting over the years, so here’s a few of my top money-saving hacks. Hope they help.

It’s a sad truth that in today’s world everyone wants something for nothing. Consumers are becoming increasingly bargain-hungry shoppers – fueled by the rise of comparison websites, online auctions and discount sites. What’s worse is that more information, products and services can now be found online completely free of charge. And while consumers are lapping it up (and rightly so) I’ve found myself on more than one occasion with my head in my hands wondering how my little business and I will ever be able to compete.

If your business is anything like mine it probably started off in your spare room or at the kitchen table. It's free of charge, the commute takes no time at all and you can work in your PJs if you want - what's not to like? But as you (hopefully) expand and grow, the chances are you'll need to branch out into an office, especially as you start to employ people and arrange meetings with clients.