If there was an event that promised you that you would: come together, get inspired, and be remarkable, wouldn’t you want to go? I sure would! And that’s exactly what Inbound 2014, a marketing conference put on by HubSpot in Boston, promises to do. But alas, I will have to settle on living vicariously through my bosses who are representing Half a Bubble Out. Instead, we’re here at The Bubble bringing you the latest tweets, Facebook posts, and blogs about what Mr. & Mrs. Redman are learning about at Inbound.

When you get a lead that comes to your website what do you do to nurture that relationship? Do you send them emails? Do you call them? Does your sales person keep track of their activity? If you’re not doing at least one of these things you’re missing out on potential leads and valuable customers to help you have a successful small business.

There are days when the tasks and to-dos of the day fade away and the important things come into focus. Today is one of those days for Americans. Whatever your age, job, religion, or hometown, we are all stopping to remember today. We are remembering 9-11 and the 2,977 who lost their lives that day, 13 years ago.

You never know when you’re going to get the chance to answer a question about internet marketing. The other day I was picking up a prescription at my local pharmacy. Living where I do, it’s no surprise that I knew the pharmacist from a few different circles I’m in, so naturally we had a short catch-up conversation. You know, “how old is your son now? How’s the family?" Yada. Yada. As she was ringing me up she asked, “So are you still working? What is it again that you do?” I told her yes I am, and I read, write, and edit a lot of content, mainly blogs. Her next question was: “Why blog? What’s the point of blogs anyway? I mean I read them, but otherwise, who cares?”

Running a successful small business seems like an anomaly these days. It is hard to run a company that you love when your basic needs aren’t being met. We know you want to have a company that is full of provision so that there is revenue, and is profitable enough to meet yours and your employees financial needsl. But why would you want a business that is full of provision?

Do you want your small business to be successful? Do you want to be the best in your industry and be a place where people want to work? Do you want to be “that” business that everyone is talking about, choosing to work with and sets the standards for all other businesses?

Thinking about creating a blog, more specifically a quality blog? Are you trying to figure out what needs to go into one? Or are you just looking to make sure yours is top notch enough to earn you visitors? When it comes to creating a truly successful blog, there are some internet marketing best practices that you should definitely be doing.

When you are evaluating your business, do you see that there are major flaws that seem to be out of your control? You might see little change in production, lack of creativity or motivation, financial doom glooming over your shoulders and an environment that is stressful and unhealthy. What do you do?

We don’t get to say we don’t want to work. We all need a job. We all need a salary. You probably started your business for the same reason many do – to make a living doing something you’re good at; to provide for yourself and your family. But you can do better. You can have a more profitable company without adding stress and worry. You need systems that work well and generate the provision you need.