October 2012 Features

  • Valdosta Chamber Responds to Misguided Valdosta Daily Times Article

    October 30, 2012

    A recent Valdosta Daily Times editorial criticized the Chamber of Commerce and Industrial Authority for not setting the clock back 25 years to when "manufacturing and agriculture" sustained Valdosta with "well paying, solid blue collar and middle income jobs".

  • The Myth of Customer Service

    October 29, 2012

    There’s a pervasive myth about customer service that, if you believe it, could have devastating consequences for your small business. It’s one you’ve probably heard dozens, if not hundreds, of times over the life of your business.

  • 5 Ways To Prepare For Success With Intelligent Forecasting

    October 26, 2012

    My company, Journyx, has been around for sixteen years now and during that time, we have weathered one of the biggest economic downturns in history, the emergence of the simultaneously exciting and terrifying social media sphere, and major transitions in how software is purchased and delivered. However, we were not always so hardy.

  • SGMC Enters Purchase Agreement to Acquire Berrien County Hospital

    October 25, 2012

    The Board of Trustees of the Hospital Authority of Valdosta and Lowndes County, Georgia, South Georgia Medical Center and Smith Northview Hospital, and the co-owners of Berrien County Hospital, Mr. Chuck E. Jabaley and Mr. Frederick Lester, jointly announce that the Hospital Authority is purchasing Berrien County Hospital.

  • Small Business Leaders: How Social Should You Be?

    October 24, 2012

    Social media can be an effective tool when used to help establish and promote a brand, as well as enable interactions with a company. The question that businesses must answer is: who should act as the communiqué for a company?

  • Measuring Your Company Goals

    October 22, 2012

    I’ve been making New Year’s Resolutions for my business for years. You could also call what I compile at the start of the year goals for my company. Rather than creating a stagnant business plan that I forget to update, I simply revisit what I want for my company at the fresh start of the year.

  • What Should You Do With A Dying Industry: Run or Reinvent?

    October 19, 2012

    Things change. The business owner knows that better than any one. Change can alter the impact of your company. And if it’s not the kind of change that you’re looking for, it can kill your bottom line. We change everyday. Our favorite items may not be our favorites any more. When we change our mind, we alter our spending to match our new taste. It’s the same for your clients, they can change their minds and their spending habits.

  • Pent-Up Demand Turns to Sales at Turner's Fine Furniture

    October 17, 2012

    Austin Turner, co-owner with his brother Fortson of Turner's Fine Furniture, believes "things are getting ready to turn in the housing market." Business at the furniture retailer was up in August compared to the same period in 2011.

  • Hiring Temporary Employees: Read This First

    October 15, 2012

    When your small business needs extra hands on deck during busy times, are you relying more and more on temporary employees to fill the bill? You’re not alone. NBCnews recently reported that the trend toward temporary employment is becoming a permanent feature of the U.S. economic landscape.

  • Want Great Marketing: Follow Apple’s Example

    October 12, 2012

    On August 20, 2012, Apple surpassed Microsoft to become the largest public company in history. It’s a fact that makes it easy to forget that, not that long ago, Apple didn’t even exist. What’s contributed greatly to Apple’s success is great marketing. As most people know, Steve Jobs was a big believer in great, smart, creative marketing. It’s something he believed in from the very beginning of Apple.

  • Williams Investment Company Rides I-75 to Prosperity

    October 10, 2012

    In the early 1960s, John L. Williams had the foresight to realize that the construction of Interstate 75 would change the way people traveled between the northern and southern United States. He set about building a business based in southern Georgia to take advantage of that travel.

  • Which Retirement Plan Is Right for Your Business?

    October 09, 2012

    If you own a small business, there are many retirement plan alternatives available to help you and your eligible employees with retirement planning. To make an informed decision on which plan is right for your business, we take a look and review the differences in your options.

  • How to Use Google+ Hangouts For Business

    October 08, 2012

    When Google+ launched last summer one of its most interesting features was Google+ Hangouts, especially if you were a business owner. By utilizing Google+ Hangouts SMBs could stream live broadcasts directly from their Web site, YouTube channel or Google+ profile with just a few clicks and no additional software. But now that a year has gone by, how have businesses used these Hangouts? How can we alluse them to increase engagement with our customers and to build our brands?

  • Here’s What Your Employees Want: Are You Listening?

    October 05, 2012

    When it comes to what your employees want, too many small business owners are in denial. At least, that’s the finding of a new study by MetLife, which polled small business owners and employees and found that while employee loyalty has dropped steadily since 2008, employers mistakenly believe it’s on the rise.

  • Valdosta State University Strives to be an Agent of Change

    October 03, 2012

    This story is one in a series of stories on the state of education in and around Valdosta. In this story, Dr. William McKinney, president of Valdosta State University shares his views on the future of public colleges and universities, and the initiatives under way at VSU.

  • Georgia Creates Record Jobs and Investment in 2012

    October 02, 2012

    Gov. Nathan Deal announced today that jobs and investment generated by the Global Commerce division of the Georgia Department of Economic Development jumped by almost a third during the state’s most recent fiscal year. The department reported that the 403 company expansions or locations with which it assisted created 28,776 jobs.

  • Dealing With “I Just Can’t Afford You”

    October 01, 2012

    Regardless of what you’re selling, most everyone in business has heard it: “Sorry, I just can’t afford it right now.” No one likes hearing that. In some cases it might be true. In most, however, it’s not.