The most successful business owners are always thinking ahead. If you are a new business owner, strategizing about mission statements, corporate culture and business plans are things you would be smart to address early on. More seasoned business owners can benefit from articles on everything from setting client expectations to creating a niche for your small business
Public speaking offers a number of business-related benefits. For starters, it gives you more visibility, helping you get your brand out there and in front of your target market. At the same time, it establishes you as an expert in your field, making you someone the listeners feel they can trust when it comes to your suggestions about the products and services you … [Read more...]
In the different parts of the country I have lived, the natural disaster risk has varied along with the geography. On the East Coast, where I grew up, there was the threat of hurricanes. In the Midwest, where I moved after college, tornado warnings were a frequent reality. Now, I live in the Northwest with the annual threat of wildfires. When a fire got too close for comfort … [Read more...]
Patrick Kelly, Marketing Manager at the Sheraton Athlone Hotel, created this infographic to inform small business owners of some of the best apps currently out there that can help with both internal and external business communication. The best part—all of the recommended apps are available as free downloads for both Apple and Android users! … [Read more...]
All independent professionals and small business owners reach a point at which they realize the options are grow bigger or stagnate. For some, whether it is due to budget, risk aversion, logistics or other constraints, hiring more full-time employees may not be a viable option. To prevent stagnation at this precarious phase of business development, consider the value of … [Read more...]
Under the Affordable Care Act’s Employer Shared Responsibility Provisions, employers with at least 50 full-time employees (including full-time-equivalent employees) during the preceding calendar year must offer “minimum essential coverage that is ‘affordable’ and that provides ‘minimum value’ to their full-time employees (and their dependents).” However, a number of small … [Read more...]
For many years, Heather Sandford was a vegetarian. She studied engineering at Cornell University. She performed in a punk rock band, worked in the music industry, and rode the dot-com bubble. She was a financial success in the real estate industry. Then Heather became a pig farmer. “I think life just brings you in strange directions,” says Heather, 40, who along with her … [Read more...]
It wasn’t until I started to work for myself that I realized how much negotiations are a part of the business world. Now it seems like I’m involved in some type of give and take almost every day as I work with new clients in an effort to set project prices and parameters that make it a win/win for both of us. Admittedly, this hasn’t always been a comfortable place for me to … [Read more...]
Free downloadable e-book PDFs: You’ve seen them everywhere, and you may even have one on your own business’s website. They’re designed to build interest, to go a little more in-depth into your company’s philosophy or process, and to bulk up your list of email contacts. There’s nothing inherently wrong with free downloadable e-books. They have their place in the business world, … [Read more...]
Family-owned businesses have been the backbone of the American economy since our country’s beginnings. According to the advocacy group Family Enterprise USA (FEUSA), there are roughly 5.5 million family-owned businesses in the U.S. today. These businesses contribute more than half (about 57 percent) of the U.S. gross domestic product and employ almost 63 percent of our … [Read more...]
In the world of business, we use email for many, many things. For instance, it helps us share special deals with our clients, we use it to communicate expectations with our partners and colleagues, and it even enables us to provide necessary employment-related information (like changes in policies or procedures) to our staff. However, that doesn’t always mean that we use it … [Read more...]
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