Small Business Moms Discuss How Running a Business Compares to Raising Children in Manta’s Mother’s Day Survey

May 7, 2013 by Heather No comments »

Thanks to Sheryl Sandberg’s “Lean In” and Marissa Mayer’s recent changes to Yahoo policies, there’s been a lot in the news about women in business – specifically, moms, and how they balance work and motherhood. As Mother’s Day approaches, Manta polled more than 1,000 female small business owners to get their perspective on topics ranging from biggest challenges to who they turn to for support.

An overwhelming number (95%) of women running small businesses polled on Manta are mothers. Surprisingly, nearly one in four working moms say running a business is more difficult than raising children – although 69 percent say both are equally challenging. The key, these moms point out, is in finding a balance.

Working moms have a lot on their plate and are craving tips for running their small business – 17 percent report their biggest challenge is they need more help on best practices for running a business.  The small business community continues to turn to resources like Manta where they can network and promote their business online and do more with less.  The challenge for these moms running a business is having to do more with less, since many don’t have the support staff to run a small business.

So, who are these women turning to? 68 percent turn to their families or significant other as their primary support. Over half (52 percent) are indifferent about Sheryl Sandberg’s stance on women in business – that women need to take responsibility for their careers.  This could stem from the fact that female small business owners don’t feel support by their female counterparts – only 4 percent say other females in business serve as their biggest supporter.

This Mother’s Day help us thank moms across the country for the inspiration that they are everyday!

SMBs Strike Gold with Hard Work: New Manta Survey Evaluates Role of Luck in Business

March 21, 2013 by Joseph No comments »

Most of us have dreamt of winning the lottery, quitting work and traveling the world. Though, surprisingly, 73 percent of small business owners say they would forgo that kind of luck to see their business succeed. Just in time for St. Patrick’s Day, we surveyed nearly 1,000 small business owners to evaluate the role of luck in their business.

The study really just validated what we already knew – small business owners don’t rely on luck for their good fortune.  In fact, while many people recognize that parts of business success are serendipitous (with Mark Zuckerberg ranked as the luckiest in business), SMBs don’t think luck has much to do with it at all. Below are a few of the highlights from our survey.

Small business owners know what really drives their business. Nearly four in 10 say luck has not played any role in their business success – and ranked it last behind hard-work, networking, good hiring decisions, timing and the economy as the factor that has had the biggest impact on their company.

When asked what time of year is “luckiest” for their business – it was evenly distributed between all four quarters during the year. SMBs are optimists, and realize that they must work hard at all times to experience success throughout the year.

What do small business owners do to improve their “luck” in business? Why, network, of course. Almost one-third of those polled say networking is the best way to improve their luck in business. Instead of a leprechaun or charm, small business owners are using social platforms to bring them luck and business, ranking Facebook and Manta highest.

 

Jay Goes To SXSW

March 7, 2013 by Heather No comments »

Hi, we’d like to introduce you to Jay Clouse. Manta has sponsored Jay, a marketing student from The Ohio State University, to attend SXSW Tech Week on the StartUp Bus. Jay is a bright student who has participated in Tech Columbus and StartUp Weekend where his team created an app called ManCard.

If you aren’t familiar with Startup Bus, it is a group that challenges students to build a business from scratch in 72hrs, on the way down from the Midwest to Austin Texas for the South by Southwest conference at which they will be judged in a competition with other StartupBus teams.

This is a really great experience for students, like Jay, to continue the brainstorming of Startup Weekend into a journey on a bus with other like-minded kids. These future hustlers who will in turn go on to build companies, believe in big ideas and serve as inspiration to those they work with and more.

Look out for an interview of Jay soon about his Startup Bus project, “Next Chaptr”, which is a crowdfunding platform for authors, in the next week or so. You can also follow Jay on his journey here @baldingboy

Longview Barber Shop Wins Thank You America Video Contest

March 4, 2013 by Heather No comments »

Manta is excited to announce Thank You America campaign Grand Prize Winner, Longview Barber Shop!

Longview Baber Shop is the longest running barbershop in the small community of Clintonville at 93 years. “I think small business is the representation of the America dream,” says Nick a barber at Longview. They have been on the same block since 1919 and really know and love their local community. Knowing their customers and having their customers know one another is what really sets them apart.

Longview Barber Shop will receive a new XPS 13 Ultrabook from Dell and will be featured as a Dell Small Business of the Week.

Check out the winning video and other submissions here: http://www.manta.com/thankyouamerica/#video

Congrats Longview Barber Shop!

The New Social Small Business: Post Once, Share Everywhere!

February 25, 2013 by Joseph No comments »

Connect your Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn profiles in just a few seconds to instantly start sharing your business news, offers and tips with your network and millions of potential customers on Manta. Just type your message, select where you want to share it and it’s done.

Efficiently managing your company’s social accounts is important for regularly connecting with your customers. With the new Manta social sharing features you no longer have to remember different passwords or navigate to different websites — use Manta to post everywhere all at once.

 

 

Try it here!

We all know it’s important to build quality relationships with your customers.  More so than ever, your customers are looking to interact with you online.  Keep the conversations going by creating an online presence that entices customers to choose your business.

If you are unsure of what to say or how to interact in the social realm, connect with other businesses on Manta who are giving great advice and providing good examples. This gives you a first-hand look at ideal ways to manage your network.  Learn tips on posting updates that control your brand’s message.  First impressions stick; learn how to make a great one!

Manta has millions of people to promote your business to.  As we develop new features, you can be the first to take advantage of enhanced promotional opportunities.  Start by getting your business connected now!

 

Mixing Business with Pleasure: Small Business Owners Have a Lower Divorce Rate

February 14, 2013 by Joseph No comments »

Love is in the air for small business owners, one in four of whom works with a significant other. While some may think this wouldn’t be great for a relationship, a majority of business owners would recommend it. “Not many people have the opportunity to work with their significant other.  Because I devote so much time to my business, I feel lucky that I’m able to do it with the person I love and trust the most,” said Tony Lavoie of SAMEDAY CRITICAL, a company that provides medical courier and delivery services based in Dublin, Ohio.

Working with your significant other may help your personal relationships thrive. Sixty percent of the small business owners polled by Manta are married – nearly 10 percent higher than the national average. Moreover, SMBs keep their relationships high on their list of priorities – 87 percent value their personal relationships as much or more than their business and an overwhelming majority (80 percent) rank friends and family as the most important part of their life (above their business).

However, other aspects of their relationships are suffering. SMBs rank their sex life last in the areas of their life that have gotten better with business, saying their business and personal relationships are of higher importance.  An upside is that sixty percent of the small business owners polled are married – nearly 10 percent higher than the national average.

Disagreements within married small business owners’ relationships seem to be centered mostly around a good work life balance, which is surprising considering most couples are assumed to argue most over finances.

This Valentine’s Day think of those small business owners when you buy a gift for your sweetie and ask if the their spouse is working there too!

 

Manta CEO Pam Springer wins 2012 Tech Columbus Innovation Award

February 13, 2013 by Joseph No comments »

We are thrilled to announce Manta CEO Pam Springer has won the 2012 Tech Columbus Innovation Award for Outstanding Woman in Technology! The award was given to a woman who best demonstrates a commitment and dedication to technology.

Pam Springer has more than 20 years of experience building and growing technology-based companies. As CEO of Manta, she has transformed it into the largest and fastest-growing online community serving the small business community through a keen focus on connecting business owners with customers, prospects and partners. Under her leadership, the Manta community has grown exponentially and now draws more than 30 million unique visitors per month and over 6,000 new members every day. Because of this remarkable growth, Manta has been named in the Top 100 Most Valuable Private Internet Companies by Business Insider for the past three years. Springer was also recently listed as one of the top 13 most powerful women running today’s largest startups by Henry Blodget’s Silicon Alley Insider and is a board member for JobsOhio, an initiative by Gov. John Kasich to pursue job creation and capital investment opportunities for Ohio.

Pam accepted this award Thursday February 2nd at the Innovation Awards Beyond Convention downtown Columbus Ohio.

Check out the Innovation Award winners here: http://www.techcolumbusinnovationawards.com/

 

 

Posting to Your Social Networks Now Easier Than Ever With Manta

January 30, 2013 by Joseph No comments »

Efficiently managing your company’s social accounts is important for regularly connecting with your customers. With the new Manta social sharing features you no longer have to remember different passwords or navigate to different websites — use Manta to post everywhere all at once.  Connect your Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn profiles in just a few seconds and instantly start sharing your business news, offers and tips with your network and millions of potential customers on Manta. Just type your message, select where you want to share it and it’s done.

So make things easy on yourself. Use Manta to start reaching more customers more frequently.

Try it here!

The NEW Visibility Update email – Why the changes?

January 9, 2013 by Joseph No comments »

Your Weekly Visibility Update email – Why the changes?

Each week we send you an email with insights into the number of potential customers visiting your Manta company page.  Now, we’re proud to offer you even more. More data on the people looking to connect with your business AND more ways to make those meaningful connections!

Here’s what’s new:

Status Updates:
Extend your reach and expand your audience by broadcasting your message to Manta’s millions of visitors with status updates. Posting fresh, relevant status updates will put you in front of new potential customers searching for relevant products and services.


Plus, your all new weekly Visibility Update email will track your success by showing you additional views your status updates have created, and the number of shares or comments received. Want more views to your company page?  Start posting status updates to stay relevant and top of mind with potential customers.

Number of Followers:
Growing your following is a great way to develop more business and connect with existing customers.  Each week we’ll tell you the total number of followers your business has on Manta, and how many new followers were added that week.

Your Network Activity:
This section provides recent activity from those that you’ve connected with through the Manta network.  You can follow other businesses and connect with business contacts to build your network.
 
Do things look a little sparse right now?   As you use Manta’s new features to build a business network, your Visibility Update will become more interesting.  We’ll soon be giving you even more ways to quickly build your network, because business is social.

 

 

Share your Thank You America Message

November 21, 2012 by Joseph No comments »

How would you like to say Thank You to America for shopping local? Manta is hosting a video campaign to show America how vital small business is to local markets. From small towns to the biggest metropolises around the nation, we’re encouraging you to share your message of gratitude to those who have supported your business all year long.

 

Check out Manta’s videos along with other small business’ videos to get an idea of how you want to craft yours. Once your video is complete, upload it to YouTube and share it with all your friends, family and customers. The video that receives the most views by December 31 will win: A Dell UltraBook laptop, a custom video for your business produced by a professional, a free Premium Business Listing for one year and your business will be featured as the Small Business of the Week on Manta.com.

 

This holiday season say Thank You to America by sharing your video messages to help support small businesses everywhere.

 

Share your videos and ours to show your small business love!

 

To learn more visit Thank You America on Manta