• Hooking Up
  Want to talk to a real, live human being the next time you call a company’s customer service phone number? Then go to GetHuman.com before you pick up the phone. The Web site offers a free database of telephone numbers for more than 500 consumer companies. The numbers listed in the database should connect you directly to a human.

• Tech Tools
  Small-business owners now have access to free online training in the use of technology for marketing, e-commerce and business efficiency through workshops created jointly by Verizon and SCORE “Counselors to America's Small Business.”
  
  

GET CONNECTED TIPS
Nifty ideas you can use to build a better business

• Outlast The Competition
  When one of your competitors goes out of business, don’t celebrate. Instead, get busy capturing the competitor’s customers for your own small business.

• Listen To Employees
  Small-business owners should listen to – and act on – employee suggestions. A recent survey from Opinion Research found that roughly half of companies that request employee feedback fail to use the response to enact change within the company.

GET CONNECTED TAXES
Savvy strategies to help reduce your taxes

• Tax Workshops
  The IRS offers nationwide Small Business Tax Workshops designed to help entrepreneurs understand and fulfill their federal tax responsibilities.

• Understanding Depreciation
  Computing deductions for property you use in your small business can be a challenge.

GET CONNECTED TO-DO
Trade shows, conferences, seminars and workshops to boost your business

• Personal Skills For Professional Excellence
  Managing yourself effectively and working productively with others is critical to your professional success. In this four-day course from Learning Tree International, you’ll gain a comprehensive and proven set of professional skills that help you stay focused, work effectively with colleagues, develop your networks, and build your reputation for delivering results.

• Getting the Most from Microsoft Office
  This two-day workshop from SkillPath goes beyond the basics to boost your productivity in all four of Office’s primary applications: Word, Access, PowerPoint and Excel. Learn how to use Office’s features, functions and enhancements so your small business can be more competitive.

GET CONNECTED TRAINING
Know-how you need to succeed

• Retaining Retail Employees
  In a recent CareerBuiler.com survey, nearly half of retail employers said that retaining employees is getting harder. In fact, 81 percent of survey respondents reported that they’re planning to hire new employees during 2007. Rosemary Haefner, vice president of human resources at CareerBuilder.com, offers two tips to improve recruitment efforts.

• Legal Workers
  Small employers who want to verify that new hires are eligible to work in the U.S. can turn to the online federal Employment Employment Eligibility Verification Program (EEV), also known as Basic Pilot.