What is the cheapest method of advertising your business that you can think of? Word of mouth.

The second, however, is your website. You can purchase a domain name for less than $10 and many no-frills companies will even offer you free domain hosting. "What's your website address" is a question all business owners should be prepared to answer.

But just having a website is not enough. According to Google, there are more than 9 billion websites in their index. There are many ways you can make your website stand out among the crowd by adding images and graphics. With all the WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) editors available even the most technically challenged business owners can create simple templates and even flash.

• How to Register a Domain Name
• Macromedia Fireworks User Resources
• Top 10 Graphics Software for Windows
• How to Build a Self-Promoting Website (Video)

There's a lot of discussions posted in Entrepreneur's forums about marketing your business. It is important to remember that there are no magic formulas or "one-size-fits-all" approaches to advertising and marketing. Before you buy into a pitch from marketers in forums, blogs, and unsolicited emails remember one thing: they are using direct marketing strategies of their own to get you to hire them (or buy their marketing products).

Does direct marketing work? Well, yes, it can. But it is expensive and takes a clever marketer to make it worthwhile. Before you hire someone to develop a marketing campaign for you (and, unless you have a background in marketing you really should consider hiring a professional to help you with most types of direct marketing), be sure that you fully understand the methods, costs, pros and cons. If you are not an educated consumer you could fall prey to someone elses' marketing tactics!

Direct Marketing Your Business

• How to Design a Direct Mail Package for Response
• 10 Direct Mail Ideas to Boost Your Response
• Direct Mail Marketing vs. Internet Marketing
• How to Write Effective Direct Mail Marketing Letters

Anyone else gleefully surprised by the 150-year sentence given to Bernie Madoff? Perhaps this will send a nice, scary message to other investment boogie men lurking in the wings.

Treating your investors and shareholders with integrity is good for business. In fact, not only could it keep you out of jail but it can even decrease your marketing budget.

According to co-authors David B. Wolfe, Jagdish N. Sheth, Rejendra S. Sisodia, in "Firms of Endearment," a growing number of A-list companies including Costco, Honda, IKEA, Jet Blue, New Balance, and Trader Joe's to name a few, are spending millions of dollars less on marketing and advertising than their industry counterparts. How? They are finding tremendous success in following a simple business model that values stakeholders, employees, and customers equally. I guess this is a lesson too late for Madoff.

But for my readers, here are articles on how to manage your business, value investors, and considerations for remembering it is important to look at your business from the outside sometimes. It's not all about how you see your business, you need to factor in how clients, customers, and investors see it, too.

• The Butterfly Effect: The Importance of Treating Customers, Employees and Stakeholders Equally
• What Warren Buffet Looks for in a Company
• Why Some Social Investors Keep Their Shares of Offending Companies
• Full Contact Investing

Entrepreneur extraordinaire, Billy Mays, was found dead the morning of June 28, 2009 in his Tampa, FL home by his wife. Paramedics were unable to revive Mays, who died of unknown causes (at this time), was pronounced dead at 7:45 a.m.

The police have only preliminarily reported there is no suspicion of foul play, and his wife has stated Mr. Mays complained of not feeling well the previous evening.

Brief Biography of Billy Mays

Bill Mays was an entrepreneurial icon. Anyone who claims direct marketing is an advertising dinosaur need only look at the phenomenal success of pitchman legend Billy Mays. Born to sell, Mays began selling portable washing devices (Washmatik) on the Atlantic City, NJ boardwalk just after he graduated from high school. It was here, Mays began developing his signature pitch style.

In 1993 he was hired by Orange Glo International (OGI) to become their pitchman for for a line of cleaners: OxiClean, Orange Clean, Orange Glo, and Kaboom. He was an instant celebrity on the Home Shopping Network and helped OGI earn a spot in the top ten on Inc.'s fastest-growing, privately-held companies from 1999 to 2001.

He was the CEO and founder of Mays Promotions, Inc. and recently starred in the reality series, "Pitchmen," pitting direct marketing skills against rival Anthony Sullivan.

His famous and enthusiastic greeting, "Hi! Billy Mays here.." announcing himself as if we all should know who he was without any further explanation, left an endearing, tangible infomercial impression in our hearts and memories.

Rest in peace Billy Mays.

June is National Entrepreneur Do-it-Yourself Marketing Month. If you are not actively marketing your business in everything you do, you are limiting your growth potential.

Many entrepreneurs think of marketing in terms that are too broad and self-limiting: direct marketing, Internet marketing, and other forms of media marketing. All these things time take and money to develop and implement. But there are many ways to market your business that are simple and inexpensive - even free.

If you have a tight marketing budget, beef up your social network. Join Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, etc. Link your social networks to your business website to build links and inbound traffic.

Articles to help you better market your business:

• Making Time For Marketing: How to Incorporate Marketing Into Time You Are Already Spending
• 10 Low-Cost Ways to Promote Your Business

If you have unique marketing questions or challenges, feel free to discuss them in Entrepreneur's forums.

Now in its 59th year, GOOD DESIGN is the oldest and the most prestigious Awards Program organized worldwide.

Good Design Awards - Format: Graphic Design

You can enter any graphic produced and/or designed from January 2007 to the present including:

Books, Magazines, Websites, Advertisements, Catalogs, Corporate Identity Programs, Annual Reports, Handbooks, Posters, Signage, Labels, Packaging, Product Communication, Typography, Atmosphere, Sales Promotion, and Digital and Media Interfaces.

All submitted graphics must have been produced by a client or scheduled for production.

Deadline: Entries must be POSTMARKED by July 1, 2009; you can also apply online.

Full Contest Details

You can also enter their Good Product Design Division.

Tell Inc.com why you are the most outstanding start-up business owner of 2009 and you could win a $50,000 business grant or other prizes in the Neutrepreneur of the Year Contest. Deadline is August 14, 2009.

• Grand Prize: A $50,000 Business Grant plus a trip prize.
• 1st Prize: A $25,000 Business Grant plus a trip prize.
• 3rd Prize: $15,000 Business Grant plus a trip prize.
• 4th Prizes (2): A $5,000 Business Grant plus a trip prize.
• Trip Prizes: Each Prize Winner will receive a trip for 2 to San Francisco, CA for the Finale Event on November 18, 2009. Trip includes airfare, hotel, ground transportation, and attendance at the Finale Event. (ARV: $3,500)

Contest Details

According to Merriam-Webster's dictionary, the definition of an entrepreneur is someone "who organizes, manages, and assumes the risks of a business or enterprise." Michael Jackson certainly personifies this definition.

The son of a steel worker, Jackson began his professional career at the age of only five years old.  During the 1980s he became a legendary icon and was crowned the "King of Pop" for his musical talent.   His album, "Thriller," is still one of the best-selling records of all time.  Although his own musical career generated great wealth he earned even more from business investments.

In 1985, Jackson purchased ATV Music Publishing and Pye Records, two Australian-owned music publishing companies for $47.5 million.  He also acquired the rights to 50% of the Beatles music catalog, angering Paul McCartney who had previously turned down an offer to purchase the catalog.

In 1995 ATV merged with Sony to become Sony/ATV, the third largest music publisher in the world, and Jackson earned an estimated $90 million in the deal.

But his financial mismanagement kept Jackson constantly struggling for cash flow.  In 2008 his estate known as the "Neverland Ranch" was sold to a wealthy real estate tycoon for $22 million just before it was to be auctioned off to pay debts.  In 2008 Jackson also successfully fought off creditors attempting to force the sale of personal items to pay off debts.

Jackson was working on a financial and music comeback when he died on June 25, 2009.  He had been scheduled to perform 50 concerts in London's O2 Arean beginning in July 2009.  Jackson would have earned $1 million dollars per nightly show.

Despite making some very sound business investment decisions, Jackson was better known for his eccentric behavior and spend-thrift ways.  Perhaps the entrepreneurial lesson to be learned here is not about risk-taking when it comes to investments; it is about holding onto your wealth by not taking so many personal risks.

Making Your Own Entrepreneurial Dreams Come True

Professional Management vs. Entrepreneurial Management: You have worked hard to build your own dream company.  Should you continue with entrepreneurial management or is it time to engage professional managers so you can devote more time to the company's core idea?

Risk, Reward, and Entrepreneurship: Are you a Hank Aaron or a Ty Cobb? A Barry Bonds or a Hugh Duffy? Do you consistently get on base or do you swing for the fences? The answer will tell you a lot about whether entrepreneurship is right for you, and if so, what style will best suit you. Understanding your attitude towards risk and reward is essential for a happy life as an entrepreneur.

Articles About Michael Jackson

• Michael Jackson Profile - The Making of a Pop King
• Michael Jackson Dies at Age 50
• Discuss In Entrepreneurs Forum:  Michael Jackson - Entrepreneur By Nature or Luck?

According to Merriam-Webster's dictionary, the definition of an entrepreneur is someone "who organizes, manages, and assumes the risks of a business or enterprise." Michael Jackson certainly personifies this definition. The son of a steel worker, Jackson began his professional career at the age of only five.  During the 1980s he became a legendary icon and was crowned the "King of Pop" for his musical talent.   His album, "Thriller," is still one of the best-selling records of all time.  Although his own musical career generated great wealth he earned even more from business investments. In 1985, Jackon purchased ATV Music Publishing and Pye Records, two Australian-owned music publishing companies for $47.5 million.  He also acquired the rights to 50% of the Beatles music catalog, angering Paul McCartney who had previously turned down an offer to purchase the catalog. In 1995 ATV merged with Sony to become Sony/ATV, the third largest music publisher in the world, and Jackson earned an estimated $90 million in the deal. But his financial mismanagement kept Jackson constantly struggling for cash flow.  In 2008 his estate known as the "Neverland Ranch" was sold to a wealthy real estate tycoon for $22 million just before it was to be auctioned off to pay debts.  In 2008 Jackson also successfully fought off creditors attempting to force the sale of personal items to pay off debts. Jackson was working on a financial and music comeback when he died on June 25, 2009.  He had been scheduled to perform 50 concerts in London's O2 Arean beginning in July 2009.  Jackson would have earned $1 million dollars per nightly show. Despite making some very sound business investment decisions, Jackson was better known for his eccentric behavior and spend-thrift ways.  Perhaps the entreprenurial lesson to be learned here is not about risk-taking when it comes to investments; it is about holding onto your wealth by not taking so many personal risks. Making Your Own Entrepreneurial Dreams Come True Professional Management vs. Entrepreneurial Management: You have worked hard to build your own dream company.  Should you continue with entrepreneurial management or is it time to engage professional managers so you can devote more time to the company's core idea? Risk, Reward, and Entrepreneurship: Are you a Hank Aaron or a Ty Cobb? A Barry Bonds or a Hugh Duffy? Do you consistently get on base or do you swing for the fences? The answer will tell you a lot about whether entrepreneurship is right for you, and if so, what style will best suit you. Understanding your attitude towards risk and reward is essential for a happy life as an entrepreneur. Articles About Michael Jackson

• Michael Jackson Profile - The Making of a Pop King
• Michael Jackons Dies at Age 50

Now that tax season's over and the anxiety has past, maybe it's time to re-think your relationship with the Internal Revenue Service. Many of us think of the IRS as the people who come after you if you don't pay your taxes, but it also offers a variety of services to business taxpayers.

Our Business Law / Taxes Guide, Jean Murray has compiled a great resource list:

10 Ways the IRS Can Help Your Business

You might also want to check out the IRS's Small Business and Self-Employed Tax Center.