Mother’s Day is coming up again very quickly – in 8 days, in fact. I won’t ask if you are prepared. The more important question is: Are your prospective customers? As a mother of two small children, I would take a completely clean house over flowers any day (after all, who is going
In the marketing world advertising gurus like to throw around big words like “branding” and “positioning”. Are those only for the big corporations like Starbucks or GM? Nope. Everyone can have a brand and — as a small company – yours may even be more important tha
We all assume that recent technology is going to make us more productive, right? Not necessarily. A recent study conducted by a UK research firm found that the influx of information, including cell phones, email and instant messaging can actually reduce workers IQ more than smoking marijuana. Often
I love Steven Covey’s book “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People”. It really identifies techniques that accomplished people have in common. One of my favorites is “Habit #7 – Taking the time to sharpen the saw”. And, basically it is the concept that if you are a woodsman chopping wood all d
You Are Not Making the Big $$ Money That You Should – “A high percentage of businesses fail”, is what we have all heard. Some even say as high as 90%. However, I couldn’t find any statistics to actually back that up. What I did find was a study done by NFIB that says that over the lifetime of a busi
You’re in a pickle. You’ve got new contracts ready to go, but it’s been weeks since you received any qualified applicants from your help wanted ads. What’s going on? You wonder, “is it me” or “do I need to offer more money”? If finding good employees feels like pulling teeth these days, you’re not a
“How can we compete with the cash-under-the-table cleaners?” is a question that I hear at least once a week. And, my short answer is “don’t” compete with them because they are not your competition. Let me tell you my experience with this. For a while I was in that same
While it might seem innocent to tell your office assistant that you are out sick with feminine cramps or gastrointestinal issues, would you feel comfortable broadcasting that to everyone in the office, or even to your clients? Are people leaving your conversations feeling like you’ve told them “TMI”
This system uses lots of paper, but it also keeps a printed copy of all of your records in one handy place. If you need easy records for tax preparation, to apply for a loan, review for profitability, check on a previous year, find out why there is a record missing from QuickBooks, or be very organi
Business is booming and its time to hire a manager. Good for you! Here’s a question that I hear frequently on this topic. “I need to hire an office manager. I have an employee that’s been with me for 5 years that I am thinking about promoting. Is that a good idea?” My answer… “maybe”. It depen
