Let’s face it; the look of our work force has changed. We are now more likely to have a 23 year old staffer working right next to a staffer with 20 years of experience. This kind of age spectrum creates a unique management situation. Our manager’s usually are thinking, ‘how do I manage this time bomb’? If you are dealing with a multi-generational workforce, here are some … [Read more...]
Business Pitches Unravelled
With high unemployment rates and economic insecurity reaching more than 1 in 5 Americans, many people are turning their sights to self-employment and small businesses. When starting a small business you need to convince investors that funding you is the start of a beneficial relationship. The following will help you with getting past your nerves and some guidelines for making … [Read more...]
Approaching To-Do Lists
Do you ever look at your computer and see post it notes over every surface, notebook pages filled with unintelligible thoughts and tasks you don’t even know how to start? A lot of people have this problem and it makes our jobs and personal lives more difficult than it has to be and can lead to procrastination. Being organized and productive is an essential part of business, so … [Read more...]
Sales For All Seasons
As we all rush out to do some holiday shopping and retailers put their best foot forward, as a small business owner you want to be sure that your sales don’t cripple your business. Attracting new customers is great, but what you want is repeat business and customer loyalty. Stick with these tips and build a relationship, not a sale. Listen to your customers While it is … [Read more...]
The Capable Employee
As a modern business owner, I’ve caught the fever to rely on gadgets and depend on electronic communication in lieu of actually picking up the phone; but I wonder, have I done my company a disservice? As I visit client sites and assess the challenges they face, it becomes clear that sometimes the culprit is not the employee, it’s the technology. Excessive reliance on … [Read more...]
Hey Boss, Your Policy is Stupid!
As business owners we often set policies and procedures from a reactive point of view. Something happened that brought the situation to our attention and then we put things in place to ensure they don’t happen again. But is this the best way to create policies? Can your staff weigh in on their effectiveness and when they do, do their opinions matter? If you have a sense that … [Read more...]
The Inside Scoop on Recruiting
Once you strike out on your own, your relationships with recruiters change. When you were looking for a full-time job, they represented a way to get your foot in the door at a company. As an entrepreneur, their roles shift slightly. They still help you get a foot in the door, but now they also bring the ability to provide new projects. The one thing that continually frustrates … [Read more...]
Grab the Money!
It’s no secret that you need capital to operate and grow, but then comes the question how do you get it? For some of the lucky ones they have the personal cash to use or they are able to tap well heeled friends and family for the money. For the unlucky ones, you need money to operate and grow, but where do you get it? Tap your community bank. An often overlooked … [Read more...]
Survive and Thrive
One thing women are good at dealing with is change, especially women business owners and entrepreneurs. We adapt, change and morph with the times. It's how women and women-owned businesses still thrive. A Citibank survey shows that women still have hope that their own personal financial situation will change for the better, despite what is going on with most of the economic … [Read more...]
Are They Contractors or Staff?
One of the more complicated tasks for a business owner is being able to correctly classify the people working for you. As a one man shop it it’s fairly easy, when you pull someone in it is a temporary arrangement. As a larger operation, it gets a bit tougher. The Department of Labor and the IRS have just made this issue more complicated. The Department of Labor and the IRS … [Read more...]