10 Questions to Assess Your Motivational Skills

Motivated teams are the key to success at every startup, yet I still know entrepreneurs who gave an inspirational speech to kick off the quarter but haven’t been heard from since, or don’t realize that their actions are often more demotivating than inspirational. The result is a huge loss in productivity and morale and potentially…

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5 Simple Ways to Build a Loyal and Engaged Staff

As a business owner, you’ve probably spent a lot of time developing a set of core values for your company. You may have also developed a mission statement to direct your enterprise toward bigger and better things. But all of those efforts will fall flat if you don’t have one crucial element: a team of…

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7 Critical Keys to Small Business Employee Loyalty and Retention

There’s a great scene in “Casablanca” where Sam, the piano player, gets the opportunity to move to a rival nightclub and perform for a lot more money: Rick (Humphrey Bogart): Sam, Ferrari wants you to work for him at the Blue Parrot. Sam (Dooley Wilson): I like it fine here. Rick: He’ll double what I pay you.        Sam: Yeah,…

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10 Ways an Entrepreneur Can Build a Winning Culture

If an entrepreneur can’t build a culture of excitement and commitment at a startup, the chances of long-term success are negligible. It simply doesn’t matter how great your solution is. Every investor knows this. That’s why they insist on spending a day with your team as part of the due diligence process. A winning culture…

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How to Capitalize on Evolving Cultures in Creative Businesses

The inherent complexity that underpins today’s digital products seems to have put an end to the age of the arrogant leader with the killer instinct. In past decades, it was this person who ruled so many creative businesses. During this time, there were only a few crafts that came together to make a magazine, an ad,…

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8 Practices to Promote Urgency within Your Startup

The business world is changing ever more rapidly these days. If you see a need or a big opportunity but don’t act fast enough, the opportunity will pass or a competitor will get there before you do. Customers and opportunities don’t wait. If your startup culture doesn’t include a sense of urgency, your probabilities of…

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6 Tips to Creating a Unique Company Culture

Creating and fostering a unique bond within a group has always been a challenge, as different expectations and individuals often go head-to-head against each other and undermine precious efforts to achieve a common goal. It is even more important when this group is the team you hired to conduct a business—your business. No matter what…

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Introducing Your SEO Team to the Party

SEO (search engine optimization) is like finding, inviting and pointing users to your party. Once your guests show up, click around, and mingle, CRO (conversion rate optimization) is figuring out why they aren’t having a good time, and then fixing it. They work together and they are not mutually exclusive. It’s important to consider best…

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DIY Leadership

As the owner of a business, there are tasks that only you can accomplish. You have to consistently make sure everything is running smoothly, however there are certain ways of delegating responsibility that will set you apart as a leader. Before you write a to-do list that resembles a small book, realize there is no such…

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What is Company Culture & Why Does It Matter?

“Since 1998 the 100 Best Companies [to work for] have outperformed the S&P 500 index by a ratio of nearly 2 to 1,” according to a study in Fortune. Businesses on the “Best Companies” list earned their spot by building a strong, company culture. If you’re fresh out of college or feel stuck in your lackluster job, company culture…

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