As the new year dawns we inevitably find ourselves thinking backward and forward. Maybe we have had bad experiences with "new years resolutions" or at the very least have friends who have set forth with good intentions only to lose focus very early in the new year. Regardless of the jokes or bad press we hear about new years resolutions it is very healthy to take time for … [Read more...]
Sales For All Seasons
As we all rush out to do some holiday shopping and retailers put their best foot forward, as a small business owner you want to be sure that your sales don’t cripple your business. Attracting new customers is great, but what you want is repeat business and customer loyalty. Stick with these tips and build a relationship, not a sale. Listen to your customers While it is … [Read more...]
The Capable Employee
As a modern business owner, I’ve caught the fever to rely on gadgets and depend on electronic communication in lieu of actually picking up the phone; but I wonder, have I done my company a disservice? As I visit client sites and assess the challenges they face, it becomes clear that sometimes the culprit is not the employee, it’s the technology. Excessive reliance on … [Read more...]
Hey Boss, Your Policy is Stupid!
As business owners we often set policies and procedures from a reactive point of view. Something happened that brought the situation to our attention and then we put things in place to ensure they don’t happen again. But is this the best way to create policies? Can your staff weigh in on their effectiveness and when they do, do their opinions matter? If you have a sense that … [Read more...]
The Inside Scoop on Recruiting
Once you strike out on your own, your relationships with recruiters change. When you were looking for a full-time job, they represented a way to get your foot in the door at a company. As an entrepreneur, their roles shift slightly. They still help you get a foot in the door, but now they also bring the ability to provide new projects. The one thing that continually frustrates … [Read more...]
New Catalyst Study Proves Women Still Lag Behind… and Provides Some Answers
The newest report released by Catalyst, titled The Myth of the Ideal Worker: Does Doing All the Right Things Really Get Women Ahead?, has been released… and it’s disheartening. The goal of the report was to research typical myths involving women’s career development and their chances of being promoted. As a woman who generally feels empowered and that I am capable of doing … [Read more...]
Making Sure You Aren’t The Problem
This article, http://management.fortune.cnn.com/2011/09/08/make-sure-youre-not-the-problem-with-your-boss, gives everyone some questions to ask yourself when you are having problems with your boss. Most times bosses mean well, but if everyone, including the bosses, took a step back and asked a few questions of themselves a lot of office politics could likely be … [Read more...]
Can You Afford to Follow Your Career Passion?
Guest Post by Roz Kirby Walker (learn more about Roz at the end of this post). Are you working in the area of your passion? According to a survey conducted by the Gallup Organization, only 20 percent of employees who work in large organizations feel that their strengths are in play every day. If you identify with the 80 percent who feel their strengths are under-utilized in … [Read more...]
The Cost of Business
In our current situation many companies are cackling about how much money they have saving on services and are doing their fair share to keep pushing prices down. On the surface this savings looks good to many companies, but as soon as the economy turns around these services are going to go back to the increased costs they deserve and then what? Well in my years I have observed … [Read more...]
You Are What You Say You Are….
Leadership is an elusive quality and few people ever really get it, but as the figurehead of a company you are supposed to know what it means to be a leader and a motivator even if it wasn’t taught to you. In my industry I see a lot of individuals who were really good at their chosen profession and that skill got them thrust into the management arena. Leadership is an elusive … [Read more...]