OVER the last 10 years big business has lost many of the advantages it once had making it increasingly easy for small businesses to compete.

Whether you're renting consistent office space or utilize the services of a virtual office, neglecting your office environment is a mistake.

Home-based businesses are quickly becoming the fastest growing form of business start-ups in America. In fact, over half of the 600,000 new businesses founded each year are grown out of someone's home office of basement.

As a small business owner, you've invested a lot into your ideas – so much so that having new employees sign non-compete agreements seems almost second nature.

No matter your opinion on them, online reviews are crucial for any business. According to surveys, 90 percent of people are influenced by positive reviews, 86 percent are influenced by negative reviews, and 79 percent of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations.

Each year, hundreds of startups fail. Although a small percentage, there are also those that make it big and become household names. A large number of startups end up somewhere in the middle. When you are looking for new investors, partners, or clients, having credibility is key. You want people to be able to trust you. Otherwise, they will not take you seriously.

For decades, the majority of startup culture seemed to focus on the activities of businesses based in Silicon Valley. From Listia to Evernote, Silicon Valley is a hotbed for some of the today's most popular tech companies.

When you cannot be around a phone 24/7, but you also don't want to miss an important call from a client, how can you find a happy medium? No customer wants to hear a machine pick up their call and ask them to leave a message.