This week the pumpkins came down, and the white lights went up in my Manhattan neighborhood signaling that the holidays are just around the corner. Which means that Black Friday and Cyber Monday are just a credit card swipe away.

Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and the festive spirit is brewing, especially for marketers -- hooray for Black Friday. In the spirit of blessed capitalism, here are 10 killer strategies you can implement to capitalize on this year's Black Friday.

It’s hard for small businesses to compete with the big guys. But that’s why there’s Small Business Saturday. Read recap below, or link to the full article here.

Entrepreneurs are recognized by their process and accomplishments, but rarely do they share identical traits, experiences or challenges along their journey. What defines an entrepreneur, in action, is the ability to fuse their unique X-factor with an unforeseen blank space in the marketplace. This combination, once fulfilled, so fundamentally changes the experience of people everywhere that being without it seems impossible.

Read the recap below, or link to the full blog here.

Everyone uses social media. At this point, it’s basically a must. While the vast majority of businesses have created profiles on the major social networks, few businesses really “do” social right. Project Bionic, a Seattle-based social media marketing agency, is trying to change that. Like any successful business, they got their start by recognizing a need and creating a service to meet that demand.