Encourage Independent Thinking

Encouraging independent thinking among your team members will generate new ideas and give everyone a stake in your business’s success. To make it happen, you must be willing to listen and engage with everyone, taking advantage of the different experiences and perspectives of your team members.
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Document Your Philosophy

Do you know what your business stands for? Do your team members? Do your customers? A great corporate culture is an important contributor to a business’s success, and documenting your philosophy is a foundational step. Then you need to communicate it to everyone and make sure you uphold it.
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Caution in Hiring: One Bad Apple Can Spoil the Bunch

Your corporate culture is only as strong as the people you put on your team. And when you have just a few employees, each one is even more important. When it comes time to hire, make sure to look at how potential employees fit with your culture just as much as you look at skills and experience.
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Bad News Doesn’t Get Better with Age

Small business owners have to deal with reality. You cannot solve a problem by ignoring it. Bad news will not get better with age. An open culture means being open to honest feedback of any kind, whether positive or negative. Mistakes are ok, but you have to recognize them and move on.
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The Brand of You

Everyone talks about brand. But in a small business, the most important brand you can build is the brand of you. All the little details of how you run your business will communicate your brand to customers, much more than the things you say your brand is. That brand is you.
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What Does Your Business Believe In?

For your business to really succeed, it needs to be about more than just a product. You need a deeper purpose guiding your decisions. Companies that have something they really believe in have a better chance to succeed. Find the beliefs and values that make you unique, and let them guide your decisions.
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Invent Your Opportunities

You never know which opportunity will end up being the one that really turns into something big, but if you don’t ever try, then you’ll never get anywhere. You have to always be thinking, always moving, always improving. The one thing you can’t do is sit back and wait for things to happen to you.
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How Do I Innovate?

It’s easy to say that businesses need to innovate. But it’s a lot harder to actually do it! Successful innovation comes from your business’s core insights—the way you think and the way you use your resources, knowledge, and skills.
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Hiring Exceptional Employees

The right people will help your business reach new heights. But how are you supposed to find time to run your business, find customers, sell products, and hire new people at the same time? Here are 4 tips to help you make sure you’re getting the best people.
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Don’t Fall in Love with Your Ideas

Being excited about your idea is a good thing, but you need to stay objective about it. Remember that for every idea that works out and turns into a great success, there are many others that don’t. It takes a lot of strength to move on, but sometimes you have to do it.
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