A local jewelry store owner and I are taking advantage of the rising tide of the eBay economy and starting an eBay consignment store, Auctions2Cash.

eBay consignment and drop-off stores are popping up everywhere, and several companies are franchising their operations. My partner and I are even talking about that possibility.

We're just getting started, but if you've got a minute, toddle on over to our online store and place a bid!

Nine year eBay veteran Sydney Johnston provides those of us contemplating starting an online business with some valuable insight in her post eBay Online Auctions or Your Own Website?

Sydney outlines three main reasons eBay auctions are much easier to do. If you don't have much experience with e-commerce, or a strong track record of online success, an eBay business would be a great way to start.

Ask Jeeves is the latest search engine to join the "local search" frenzy. They will be relying on InterActiveCorp's Citysearch for content beginning in September. About 10% of Ask's searches are for local information.

Yahoo! has finally rolled out a test version of its much-anticipated local search service. Yahoo Local offers Yellow Pages data, descriptions of businesses, addresses, maps and recommendations. The engine combines Yahoo! Yellow Pages, Yahoo! Maps and Yahoo! Search, and is an attempt to grab a slice of the $14 billion local advertising pie now being gobbled up by printed phone directories.

Of course, search engine leader Google has been been beta-testing local search for several months now.

What does this all mean for local businesses? That is the subject of another post I'm working on now.

A recent article on Clickz.com says there is a "clear preference for online marketing tools over traditional marketing methods."

According to a report by Interland.com, web sites topped the list in order of importance, followed by search engine keywords and offline community relations. Twenty-four percent of those surveyed said they utilize e-mail marketing, compared with 22 percent who rely on direct mail.

Microsoft is changing their bCentral.com business services platform to something more "centralized." They're calling it the Microsoft Small Business Center. Looks like a change for the better. In fact, that's exactly what they say. I agree with their assessment.

You remember the character Curly, played by Jack Palance, from the 1991 movie City Slickers? You recall he told Billy Crystal's character that there was "one thing" that was important in life, and that it was different for everyone. (OK, so you don't remember. Go rent the movie!)

That's pretty good advice for your online business. You need to build a reputation as being known for one thing. (One 'good' thing, that is.) Perhaps for your business that one thing is great service, unique products, outstanding guarantees, or just being a fun place to do business. Whatever it is, you need to identify it, capitalize on it, and, as Duct Tape Marketing's John Jantsch puts it, make it your "core marketing difference and core marketing message."

Face it, most of us are only going to be remembered for one thing in life. That's true even of presidents. Abraham Lincoln has gone down in history as the president who ended slavery. Ronald Reagan will forever be remembered for ending the Cold War. Clinton's legacy will be the scandal with "that woman" Monica Lewinsky.

For what one thing will people remember your business?

I couldn't pass up this post by Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks. It's good advice for any small business owner! I would recommend you bookmark his blog and, if you have an RSS reader, add his feed. Personally, I can't wait to read more of Cuban's Rules for Success!

Tonight, my wife and I watched the funeral ceremony at the Reagan Library. To say that it was awe-inspiring would be an understatement of the grandest order.

Watching the sun being gently laid to rest behind the mountains to the west, I reflected on what the presidency of Ronald Reagan meant to small business in America, how "Reaganomics" as it was called affected the small business climate in this country during the decade of the '80's.

As is my normal practice, I went to Google and googled the phrase "Reagan small business." I found this wonderful article - President Ronald Reagan: Best Friend to Small Business - that I think speaks clearly to that issue.

Click to read more ...

In the first part of this series, I discussed two key questions you need to ask yourself before taking your business online: Why and what. I also discussed the three main avenues business websites tend to take - content, commerce, and community. Once you've answered those questions and determined the focus of your website, what's next? That's the question this part will attempt to answer.

Click to read more ...

I've been researching Yahoo! Small Business and really like some of what they have to offer, particularly the Merchant Solutions package. I'd love to get feedback from anyone who's had experience with it.