We all know that summer can bring an abundance of things - fun, great weather, bad weather (hurricanes), family functions, and vacation. However, for business owners, summer can mean scheduling woes, pushed deadlines and/or projects, and juggling family and focus. After working as an entrepreneur over the past several years, these are tips I use to get my business and myself … [Read more...]
Sometimes You Just Have to Write that Check!
I am all for saving on costs – particularly during the heady days during the business start-up phase. In fact to be fair, this phase often drags on a bit depending on the scalability of your business. I’m really talking about smaller indigenous businesses here, such as retail businesses---maybe you’re opening a café or a hair salon, or maybe you’re offering a service such as … [Read more...]
How to Avoid Fire-Fighting All The Time in Your Business
One of the reasons you went into business was to create a lifestyle you enjoy while doing what you love, right? However, your business has grown some and it may feel a little like you cannot stop putting out one fire or the other. Or maybe you have team members who seem unable to do anything without your direct supervision… which means your day is a mass of interruptions … [Read more...]
Oh My! At Look at Mayer’s Leadership
No one said Marissa Mayer’s journey into Yahoo would be easy, but there have been some controversial moves made by tech maven. A lot of articles are taking shots at Mayer left and right, but I believe that there’s a method to the madness. She is going for long-term survival. Here’s what small business can glean from this year of leadership challenges. Who you fire … [Read more...]
How Leadership Misses the Mark
Today I had an occasion to really explore something about myself that I already knew. I knew it, but I didn’t know what to do about it. You see I am nothing if not up front about what I like and don’t like, but I often skip conversations that are not productive. The end result is that the irritation builds and then you have a blow up. I learned that this is really passive … [Read more...]
Ch..Ch..Changes
I know that I’ve spoken of this before and I hate that I am writing about it again, but if I just had this situation chances are that many of my readers are struggling with something similar as well. I have a colleague that I worked with and the relationship crashed and burned. To me it was a part of business, while we did not work well together I didn’t see it as anything … [Read more...]
Business Advice for Dummies
As a business owner particularly when you are starting out, ‘constructive criticism’ is something that you get in spades. Some of the criticism is great, it tells you things about yourself and your company that you didn’t know. Other times it can feel like a direct attack, so how do you know the difference and how do you find the silver lining? Consider the source Sometimes … [Read more...]
The Best Ways to Stay Engaged With Your Team
Guest Post By Deborah Sweeney, CEO of MyCorporation.com (learn more about Deborah at the end of this post) It has long been said that it takes a village to raise a child and likewise in the working world, it takes a team to run a business. Each individual team member makes a contribution that highlights their expertise in the field and works together as a group to … [Read more...]
Back to Basics
As small business owners we routinely perform tasks that larger companies would associate with assistants and receptionists. I answer phones, research client questions as well as conduct meetings and business development. As the economy continues to stall I have found myself performing tasks that even I have had to sit back and wonder if I should be doing them. What I have … [Read more...]
The Fiscal Cliff and Your Business
The crux of the situation as many business owners know is consumer spending. As we plan and strategize growth, many of us wonder if our businesses will be around this time next year. Even firms such as my own that concentrate on business services are feeling the crunch that has become the personality trait of this economic climate. If there is a strain on the middle class, many … [Read more...]