When business owners create products or services – and the marketing plans to sell them – they often base their decisions on what customers tell them. But which is more important: What customers say? Or what they actually do? more

Rob Yafee, owner of two Pawtucket restaurants, was among the first to jump onboard when Groupon, a coupon website that offers consumers a daily bevy of half-off deals at local establishments, expanded to the Providence area two years ago. more

You’ve heard this word since the first time you got angry or upset. Or maybe it’s a word in your head that beacons reality. Pent-up frustration, worry, or concern about the present or the future – or both – and nervousness about what’s about to happen in the world, at work, at home, or in your personal life. more

When Groupon first hit the scene it put the spotlight on a massive new market and inspired countless copycats. But many local businesses lost money with the Groupon deals model, which often requires losing money on the initial offer in hopes of making it up on additional sales and return visits. more

Lisa Tener, founder of the Bring Your Book to Life program, was recently honored at the American Business Awards with a gold award in the marketing-media category and a bronze award in the executive of the year-media category. Her eight-week program was designed to help writers turn their ideas into published books. Tener holds an M.S. in management, with a concentration in marketing, from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In addition to being a published author, she is a faculty member at Harvard Medical School’s continuing education program and regularly presents at the Ocean State Writer’s Conference. more

Sixteen Rhode Island companies - including VMS Alarms - and three from neighboring Bristol County, Mass., were named as some of the fastest-growing private companies in the United States on an Inc. Magazine 2012 list. more

I’ll be spending the month of August in Paris with my family. I can’t describe how wonderful it will be. My goal is to finish a book, take in the culture, enjoy my family and think. more

Fifteen Rhode Island companies and seven in neighboring Bristol County, Mass., made Inc. Magazine’s 2011 ranking of the fastest-growing private companies in America. more

As online video gets cheaper and easier to produce, and its effectiveness as a marketing method grows, more and more small businesses are jumping in. Business owners who’ve stuck largely to text-based marketing channels such as search ads, blogs and social networks are discovering that video can be a compelling addition to a marketing mix. more

In case you haven’t noticed, the book-publishing industry is about half of what it used to be. There is now a mad scramble by publishers to discover what tomorrow will look like. more