The holidays are a stressful time for everyone, but as an entrepreneur and small business owner, you're uniquely positioned to alleviate some of that stress in the workplace. Taking such actions not only benefits your employees, it helps your business by mitigating the negative effects...
The holiday season is well underway, but there are still plenty of opportunities to boost your retail and online sales. It's also a great time of year to reinvigorate your relationships with current customers and forge connections with new customers, based on their positive holiday experience...
The best employees for your business probably don't fit into any single age demographic. So it only makes good business sense to take advantage of older workers' experience, varied skill sets and seasoned attitudes. Being able to motivate Baby Boomer employees can boost productivity and...
Too many entrepreneurs and small business owners discover that the creative impulse that launched—or advanced—their careers gets lost in the shuffle once they get busy running the business. But creativity represents a significant competitive edge, regardless of your venture or the size of your company....
Admit it. The reason you’ve put off hiring someone to fill that open executive-level position in your company is because you believe there’s an ideal candidate out there just waiting to apply. All it takes is patience, and you’ll eventually find the one individual who comes...
Everyone understands the potential value of a networking event, be it a trade show, industry conference, informal “meet-and-greet,” etc. Nevertheless, busy entrepreneurs often think they have better things to do and that walking away from such an event without making solid contacts is a serious...
When was the last time you and your team came up with a really great idea? For most entrepreneurs, fresh ideas are the lifeblood of their small business. But human beings can all too easily get stuck in thought patterns that fail to generate a...
Do you have a great idea for a start-up or new venture? Much of its potential for success—finding investors, securing funds for research and development, etc.—depends on creation of a compelling and comprehensive business plan. Without such a plan, there’s no way to set a...
These days, it’s all about differentiation. In a world where virtually every product or service has become commoditized, how can a small business manage to stand out from the crowd? There’s competing on price, of course, but, as many entrepreneurs learn the hard way, this is...
Are your employees engaged in their work and consistently productive? If so, they're in the happy minority of U.S. workers. A recent study by the Dale Carnegie Institute revealed that, of the 1500 employees surveyed, only 29% claim to be "actively engaged," while 26% are "actively disengaged," and 45% are...