From Small Business Beginnings to Big Brand Success
When you think about multi-million dollar companies like Dell, Apple and Google, you probably don’t also consider the commonalities they have to your small business—a business you grew and nurtured from your basement until it could sustain an office space and additional employees. However, these giants didn’t slide down a bean stalk and arrive as…
Read MoreWhy Your Employees Hate Your Open Office Layout, Part II
Last week we looked at some of the problems open office environments pose to productivity. Here are more thoughts on open offices and what you can do in your business. Other Problems with Open Offices Health Research demonstrates that open offices contribute to stress. Although studies are limited on overall employee health and well-being, early…
Read MorePlaying the Domain Name Game
Believe it or not, first impressions matter. Today, most consumers rely on mobile devices to research a business and, before they even view the homepage, they see the web address. The domain name is often considered a company’s trademark and is a means of recognition and branding for the business. The selection process should be…
Read MoreContrarian Advice on Investment Pitch from a Pitch Veteran
“We coach entrepreneurs ‘think big.’ ‘Think change the world.’ That doesn’t mean use adjectives that are not credible. Everybody’s revolutionary and everybody’s disruptive now.” That’s Bill Reichert, managing director Garage Technology Ventures, veteran investor, a board member on multiple startups, and someone who has heard and reacted to hundreds of investment pitches. In this talk…
Read MoreDispelling Data Center Security Myths
Bigfoot. The Loch Ness Monster. Aliens living in Roswell, New Mexico. It’s easy to get sucked into myths like these. If you hear them often enough, you stop questioning whether they make sense. It’s almost as if your critical thinking skills become immunized against them. While they might not be as exciting as Bigfoot and…
Read More10 Signs You Should Own a Business or Franchise
Being your own boss takes a special kind of person. We asked several industry professionals what they thought were must-have traits to successfully own a business opportunity or franchise and here’s what they came up with: Need for Speed. Business owners have a driving passion to do or make something. They could eat, sleep and…
Read More6 Simple Ways to Keep Morale Up in the Workplace
According to the American Psychological Association (APA), happy employees are more likely to have better health, relationships and even money management skills. Keeping morale up in the workplace is essential to keeping employees happy and engaged at work. Here are six proven ways to keep your employees’ morale up. Individual Attention Morale building can be…
Read More15 Web Tools to Help Small Business eCommerce
As the number of people using the internet grows steadily, as cell phones and tablets become more affordable, eCommerce has definitely become the norm. With 91% of adults in America owning mobile phones, physical stores are no longer needed as we can buy anything online with our mobile devices. Websites, once a novelty of the…
Read MoreOvercome Your Personal Worry Movie
I’ve always found that one of the easiest pieces of advice to give someone is, “don’t worry.” I’ve also always found that one of the most difficult things for me to do is…not worry. Sort of like surgery: it might be “minor surgery” but only when it’s someone else’s. It’s never minor when being done on us…
Read MoreCash Flow: The Pulse of Your Business
Cash flow is the lifeblood of any small business. Some business experts even say that a healthy cash flow is more important than your business’s ability to deliver its goods and services! While that might seem counterintuitive, consider this: if you fail to satisfy a customer and lose that customer’s business, you can always work…
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