In April 2012, The Freelancer's Union launched the site "The World's Longest Invoice" website; the goal of the website was to highlight how many freelancers are unable to collect on debts owed them by deadbeat clients. In just over a week's time, the total of the invoices listed exceeded $15 million dollars.

Want to know how many times IndigoTea has been stiffed for services? None. That's right - zip, zero and nada. Would you like to know the three rules that have ensured that enviable collection rate? I'll share them here.

Whenever two or more small business owners/entrepreneurs get together, the conversation is almost always dominated by their respective businesses. Budgets, marketing, customer service, vendors - you name it, we talk about it. 

Once all that's been covered, the next thing that usually comes up in conversation is how little time we seem to have left over for our families, friends, and personal enrichment/maintenance.

One of the secrets to the growth and success of IndigoTea is referrals from our wonderful customers. I've always considered it high praise when our customers refer friends, family and business associates to us for help with their small business needs. 

Now that IndigoTea is entering it's second year as a full-time business, I've been contemplating ways to thank everyone who's been so supportive. Not everyone has the same needs to fill, and the one thing I know that everyone can use more of is something to tuck in the wallet

by Becky Vickman - Wherever you go, you cannot help but notice the social media icons everywhere you look. You see them at the end of commercials, at the checkout of stores and on almost every website. But how important is social media for small businesses? It's more important than you think.

Ironically, a smear campaign by a disgruntled competitor turned out to be the best thing to happen to my business. I'll explain how that worked out for IndigoTea, and what you can do when someone attacks your business reputation online.

Pinterest is fun; the social aspect is a key element, as Pinterest allows you to see what your friends have added, and in turn they can see your likes, "pins", and such. Why not leverage that "fun factor" with your own customers?