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Synthetic Emeralds Grown by Richard Nacken in the Mid-1920s
The early technology for producing gem-quality synthetic emerald has long been a matter of speculation. In particular, the initial methods used for crystal growth by Interessen-Gemeinschaft Farbenindustrie Aktiengesellschaft, known as IG Farben, in Germany from 1935...
What Do Small Business Owners Need to Know About the Internet Privacy Repeal?
The House has voted to block Obama Era online privacy regulations for Internet use. The legislation has been sent to President Donald Trump for his signature. That leaves the security of small businesses’ online data in a state of limbo where sharing information and...
Billions in drug dealers’ illegal Amazon gold ‘laundered’ through Miami refinery, feds say
In a zeal to hide cocaine profits, South American traffickers have funneled billions of dollars of illegally mined Amazon gold to a Miami metals refinery in what federal authorities say amounts to a massive money-laundering scheme.
US Retailers Continue to Cite ‘Challenging’ Environment, Synthetic Melee Detected
U.S. employment figures continue to rise along with the stock market – and other economic indicators remain strong – but Signet Group’s latest lower results continue to point to a “challenging” retail environment. Signet is the largest jewelry chain in the U.S. and...
What is Return on Kindness and Why is it Important to Your Small Business?
The goal of every small businesses is to generate a return on investment (ROI). This means that if a dollar is put into the company, the owners hope to get $3 or even $100 from it.
Shipping scrap… it’s so easy
Working with your refiner has to be simple. Shipping scrap is easy, simple and it's safe. There are pawnbrokers and Jewelers that have never shipped scrap and they're weary of the process. Will it make it!? Is it insured? How do I get the label? Where do I take it?! ...
10 Hot Trends on Social Media Right Now for Main Street Store Owners
Social media offers a wealth of opportunities for main street store owners. By engaging with existing customers and reaching out to new ones, a small business can significantly enhance and promote its brand and ultimately improve its bottom line by utilizing and...
5 Tips to Choose a Customer Loyalty Program for Small Businesses
Based on the interview and other ideas, we’ve come up with five tips for what to look for when you choose a customer loyalty program. Some of the tips apply as well to choosing a gift card program. Look for these attributes when choosing a loyalty program and/or a...
PPC Pitfalls to Avoid as a Small Business Owner
Online advertising has given businesses of all sizes a chance to compete in the market. Before this tech time, only businesses with big budgets were able to advertise. Small businesses can now promote their products or services with just a small budget, and they are...
How to Deal With High Turnover at Your Store
Turnover is part of life in retailing. After all, this industry tends to attract young employees, part-time workers and others who may see retail as a stepping stone rather than a career path. Still, when turnover is higher than usual, it can leave you struggling. If...
Social Media Content Strategy: 4 Critical Questions for Small Businesses
Over the last 10 years, social networks have evolved into being a necessity for businesses. Every business you know now has Facebook and Twitter pages, and they are all creating content. In the rush to get on board, many small businesses have skipped the intent and...
The Pros and Cons of Selling on Amazon
Syama Meagher, CEO of Scaling Retail, says the brands she works with have plenty to worry about when it comes to Amazon.com. Meagher draws on her experience at Barneys, Macy's and Gucci in her current role as retail strategist, where she has taken on tasks ranging...
6 Features of Effective Loyalty Programs
Are you getting the most from your retail loyalty program? Or are you considering implementing a loyalty program and wondering if it’s worthwhile? A study by Accenture polled more than 25,000 consumers and unearthed some insights about what loyalty programs actually...
5 Important Things I Learned About Buying Rare Coins
Buying rare coins isn’t monkey business! It takes a lot of money and even more guts to lay out hundreds or even thousands of dollars on a single coin, of course, unless you’re rolling in dough and have plenty of pretty pennies to spend on buying a pretty penny....
15 Benefits of Hiring Military Veterans
It’s tough to find good help these days. According to one recent survey by Silicon Valley Bank, four out of five US businesses are planning to increase their headcount over the course of 2017 — but 90 percent of executives say they’re finding it extremely challenging...
How Even Small Businesses Can Set Goals Like Google
We often hear about Google's oddball "Moonshot" projects -- from using balloons to bring internet to isolated areas to developing self-driving cars -- but according to at least one of the company's former execs, Google's obsession with shooting for the stars actually...
Prepping for eBay Ban on Active Content
"In mid-2017 eBay will begin to turn off active content. Make sure your item looks good with active content turned off by previewing it now." You probably have seen the above message appear on your listings. Beginning in June of this year, eBay will begin suppressing...
7 Questions to Ask When Brainstorming Content Ideas for Marketing
One of the requirements for a sustainable content marketing campaign is the aptitude for generating topic ideas. It may sound easy, but at some point, you’ll realize that this can be harder than producing the content itself — whether it’s a blog post, podcast or any...