Handmade Business on the Rise, Business Failures Down

It was a week of big wins in small business. Though it wasn’t planned this way, the debut of a Small Business Trends column on handmade business this week corresponded with more news that the industry is on the rise.

And for those who worry about the overall health of small business, there are some soothing words and some original research out this week from entrepreneurial expert and columnist Scott Shane. It’s all part of the Small Business Trends News and Information Roundup below.

Google Seeks Small Business Owners as Trusted Testers

Small business owners now have an opportunity to try out Google My Business tools before they’re rolled out to the general pubic. Google My Business has announced its “trusted Partners” program as a way to test new products and features. Elisabeth Powers Google My Business community manager, posted in the Google My Business Help forums recently that the company is looking for beta testers from the business community. The new program applies not only to new products and features for Google My Business but in the Google Ads department too.

GoDaddy, Linksys Announce New Tech Offerings for Business

There’s already myriad online services available for businesses. But recently, both GoDaddy and Linksys announced new offerings that could potentially benefit small business users.

Read about these tech innovations and more in this week’s Small Business Trends news and information roundup.

Technology Trends
GoDaddy Launches Cloud-based Servers, Applications for Web Developers

GoDaddy, once known for the eccentric antics of its former CEO, Bob Parsons, racy TV commercials and cheap domains, is entering a new era of respectability, refashioning itself as a major player in the cloud computing industry.