Do This Now for 2018 Team-Building Success
I have a two-part assignment for you: Decide how many special, engagement-boosting activities you would like to organize in 2018, and Put them on the calendar…in “ink.” By “special, engagement-boosting activities” I’m talking about the events you treat your team to that are fun or encourage either professional or personal growth. These are the things…
Read MoreCan Business Failure Damage Your Personal Finances?
This is a question often asked by entrepreneurs, and the short answer is maybe. The longer answer is that it depends on your circumstances and the type of finance you take out. If you’re a sole trader or member of a non-limited liability partnership, of course, then it’s an unequivocal yes—you are personally responsible for…
Read MoreIf You Own a Small Business, Don’t Miss These 5 Key Tax Tips
Tax season is drawing near, which means headaches and stress for small business owners looking to save every penny they can. Combine the normal stress with new headaches surrounding the tax bill recently passed by Congress, and small business owners, especially new ones, can easily find themselves unprepared. Fortunately, there are plenty of ways for…
Read MoreCan Your Lawyer Destroy a Good Business Deal?
Over the years in business and as a member of over forty boards, I have received good advice from corporate attorneys and on occasion bad advice as well. There is a line that should be drawn in a relationship between corporate attorney and CEO or board. Attorneys are paid to protect the corporation, not to…
Read MoreSmall Business Tips: How to Expand Your Business
Congratulations on successfully starting your business! If you’re ready to take the next step, but don’t know exactly how to go about that, here are some ideas for thinking about growing your business. Turn your business into a franchise – If your business model is easily replicated, and you want to see your business grow…
Read More4 Small Expenses That Remove Stress and Help Your Business Grow
One of my biggest challenges when opening my business was deciding how and when to spend money. At first, we tried to go for the home run. A $5,000 radio ad buy? Yeah, we did that. We sold practically nothing. A $2,500 contract with a no-name marketing company? Yup, tried that too. These days? I do a lot more myself…
Read MoreLooking to Start an Online Business with Selling Potential?
Many people dream of staying at home and building a business empire using only their kitchen table and a laptop. But with the number of online businesses going through the roof, it can be extremely hard — and daunting — to figure out how to make this work. For the past nine years, I’ve helped over 600 entrepreneurs sell…
Read MoreMarketing Dilemma: Is Expressing Your Politics Risky?
Mixing marketing and politics used to be taboo for most businesses and nonprofit organizations, unless their missions were political in nature. In today’s divisive political climate, several enterprise businesses have strategically incorporated their political beliefs in their advertising campaigns and social media channels. Of course, corporations have the money to back any political risks they take,…
Read More7 Groups of Difficult Customers Test Every Business
Have you ever noticed that some of your business owner friends get all the bad customers, and yours all seem fairly reasonable? Or is it the other way around? I’m always amazed that, in my role as a business advisor, bad customers somehow seem to gang up on certain businesses. I long ago learned that…
Read MoreShould I Hire an SEO Company?
As a Sr. Team Lead, the clients I worked with already went through a process and determined that SEO was a good fit for their business. In my new business development role, the question “Should I hire an SEO company?” comes up more frequently than I expected. And the answer isn’t always yes. Not every…
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