How to Brand Your Small Business on a Budget
Effective brand messaging is one of the surefire ways to ensure a business’ success. Every business has a general image that represents its values, expertise, and service. However, not every business has a well-developed image, complete with a voice, a memorable logo, and an overall persona. When you’re just starting out, however, it can be…
Read More5 Steps to Due Diligence on Your Potential Investors
Even though the color of their money is always green, all startup investors are not the same. Struggling entrepreneurs are often so happy to get a funding offer that they neglect the recommended reverse due diligence on the investors. Taking on equity investors to fund your company is much like getting married—it is a long-term…
Read MoreBusiness or Hobby, What is the Difference?
Maybe you cater for your friends, maybe you make jewelry, maybe you sell your artwork, maybe you have a lemonade stand—regardless of what you do, do you know how the IRS views this? Here are some tips on how to tell if your activity is a business or a hobby and the tax implications of…
Read MoreWhat’s the Most Important Part of Cash Flow? Invoice Terms
Owning your own business provides a rewarding experience. As your own boss, you can set your hours and your priorities. You are also free to pursue the work that you find rewarding and fulfilling. But no matter how much you love what you do, collecting your pay remains a necessity. After all, if you don’t…
Read More7 Simple Ways to Ensure You Get Paid on Time
It’s no secret that running a business is tough. You knew it long before you even started down this path. You’ve heard all the stats before—over 20% of all small businesses fail within the first year, and more than half don’t make it to five years—and everyone you spend any time with at all feels…
Read MoreThoughts on Agility
Agile is one of the “hot” business buzzwords these days, right along with digital, transformation, and disruptive. (You get double buzzword bingo points if you can use, “disruptive, agile, digital business transformation” in a single sentence on a PowerPoint slide.) But much of what I see under the “agile” banner is far from agile. The…
Read MoreLearn to Never Handle a Paper or Email Twice
We all do it… to our own detriment. So, let’s make a pact that we will try, if not succeed, to handle our incoming messages more efficiently. Personal time management helps immensely to make a better manager of you and me. All of us have time management tips and tricks to help us get through…
Read MoreWhy Are NEC Phone Systems the Global Leader?
Running a business in today’s highly competitive market in the greater Houston, Texas and surrounding areas requires you to stay agile while paying attention to technology developments that can help your organization run more efficiently. Many Texas organizations have found that they can improve their bottom line and get more work out of their existing…
Read MoreBe a Leader Who Makes Employees Love Their Jobs
Well, okay, you can’t really force everyone to love their job, but you can certainly create a culture and environment that nurtures and supports your employees and gives them every reason to enjoy their work. Why should you care if they’re happy? It’s simple: Happy employees are good employees. Good employees are invested in your…
Read More3 Reasons Your Small Business Might Benefit from Colocation
Today, a business is only as good as its IT infrastructure and team. Cybersecurity and data storage are huge topics of concern in today’s age, with the experts at DataGuard mentioning that “the cost as well as overall volume of data breaches has continued to increase year over year for the past decade.” That statement…
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