Features
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Employees to Employers: Mind Your Own Business
March 24, 2014
How much can employers inquire about employees or have a say in their actions on and off the job? The staff of a small business can easily grow into a family of sorts, but this doesn’t give the employer the right to act as the patriarch. The trend, as evidenced by laws, court decisions and administrative rulings, seems to be toward less involvement of employers in the lives of their workers.
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15 Things That Could Cause Small Business Failure
March 21, 2014
It’s sad. 8 out of 10 businesses fail. And many of the causes can be prevented. This list can help you put together a plan to make sure your business is around next year. If you are guilty of any of these, make the necessary changes to get your small business going in the right direction.
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Turner Center for the Arts to Focus on the Art of Business
March 20, 2014
Cheryl Oliver, executive director of the Annette Howell Turner Center for the Arts is working with the local Chamber of Commerce in development of an "Art of Business" event, which just received approval from the center's board of directors.
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The Link Between Thought Leadership & LinkedIn
March 19, 2014
The topic of thought leadership has been hot and heavy over the last year or two. Often discussed, speculated about and outright claimed by some, it is among the more misunderstood business concepts.
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Fewer Students Plan to Become Business Owners
March 17, 2014
College students are more concerned with making money now than they were before the start of the Great Recession, research by the Cooperative Institutional Research Program (CIRP) at UCLA, reveals. Maybe that’s self-evident. But here’s a more surprising finding: The fraction of students intending to become business owners has also declined since 2007.
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Valdosta Top Ten Supplier Location in the Southern Aerospace Corridor
March 14, 2014
Southern Business & Development Magazine’s 12th Annual Top Ten 10s Edition named Valdosta, Georgia as a Top Ten Supplier Location in the Southern Aerospace Corridor that can serve both Airbus and Boeing.
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Chancy Drugs Promotes Patient Adherence
March 12, 2014
According to a recent article in Forbes magazine, the next killer app in reducing health care costs is getting patients to take their meds. The article cites evidence that getting patients to take their meds as prescribed can lower health care spending and improve patient outcomes.
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10 Ways to Avoid Becoming a Sales Robot
March 11, 2014
“Hi, this is Ted and I’m from X Corporation. Do you have a few minutes?” I’m immediately up in arms. I know he wants to sell me something that I am 99% sure I do not want to buy (for the record, I’ve never made a purchase from someone cold calling me). Can you relate?
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Spending Associated with Wiregrass Georgia Tech has Huge Impact on Region
March 10, 2014
How much does the area served by Wiregrass Georgia Technical College benefit economically from spending that is either directly or indirectly related to the college? According to Dr. Jeffrey M. Humphreys, it adds up to $55,199,383.
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It All Begins With Your LinkedIn Profile
March 07, 2014
LinkedIn is the best place for business professionals to post information about themselves, regardless of your discipline. As a business professional, regardless of what your function is, you need to be findable to those in your field.
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Guardian Bank Puts Strategic Back in Marketing
March 06, 2014
Over a three-month period about five years ago, Guardian Bank recorded everything that it and other banks were saying to customers. They clipped print ads, printed online ads, took photos of billboards and posted everything on the wall of a conference room. The bottom line?
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Georgia Manufacturing Activity Reverses its Two-Month Decline
March 05, 2014
Georgia manufacturing activity reversed an anemic performance with a strong boost in new orders and production for February, which offset the doubledigit losses in the prior two months, according to a study released by Kennesaw State University.
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3 Steps to Setting Great Objectives in Your Business
March 04, 2014
A great shooter picks his first target, hits that target and then moves on to the next. We must do the same in our organizations. Pick the most important target, nail that target and then, and only then, move to the next. Georgia CEO Contributor Curt Fowler shares some strategic objectives for success.
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U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson Visits Chamber
March 03, 2014
U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson met with business leaders and members of the South Georgia Military Affairs Council on Friday afternoon at the Chamber to discuss the U.S. Department of Defense’s recently proposed budget and the situation its implementation would create for Moody AFB’s A-10 mission.
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The Benefits of Giving Your Staff a Raise
February 28, 2014
Are you trying to keep your key employees happy by offering them perks like work-at-home days, cross-training and flexible hours? That’s great and I encourage you to keep offering those extras, but a new study shows that they may not be enough to retain workers.
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The Tax Price of Success
February 27, 2014
It’s commonly understood that the better you do in business, the more taxes you’ll pay. As Scottish whiskey distiller, Thomas Robert Dewar, said: “Nothing hurts more than having to pay an income tax, unless it is not having to pay an income tax.”
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Language of Leadership: Constructive Versus Destructive
February 26, 2014
While many people are given the title of leader, a lot of them don’t elicit results because they don’t communicate in a way that inspires action and results. Having studied leaders for several years there are three distinct behaviors that I see real, impactful leaders engage in.
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Home Instead Senior Care of Valdosta Wins Award from Bulldog 100
February 25, 2014
Home Instead Senior Care, based in Valdosta, GA, was recognized as the No.87th fastest growing business owned or operated by a University of Georgia graduate during the 2014 Bulldog 100 Celebration on January 25th at the Marriott Marquis in downtown Atlanta.
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Governor Scott Announces Azalea Health Expands to Gainesville
February 24, 2014
Friday, Governor Rick Scott announced that Azalea Health has selected Gainesville for a corporate expansion, creating 10 new jobs over the next year with a capital investment of $30,000.
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Stacy Bush on the Recent Love of the Market
February 21, 2014
With the enthusiasm of new love, American stock markets pushed higher during Valentine's week. Were investors enamored of the Federal Reserve's new Chairwoman, Janet Yellen, who spoke on behalf of the Fed for the first time last week?
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Gathering of Eagles Symposium at Georgia Wiregrass Technical College Today
February 20, 2014
Today at the Valdosta Campus of Wiregrass, the annual Gathering of Eagles Business and Leadership Symposium will celebrate its 8th year of networking and world-class speakers.
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Steel Magnolias Defies the Odds
February 19, 2014
The restaurant business isn’t for the meek, with some studies showing failure rates as high as 60-80% for new restaurants. Yet, for the prepared and persistent—like Steel Magnolias owner Keira Moritz—the doors can remain open.
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Georgia Experiences Fourth Record Year in International Trade
February 18, 2014
Georgia experienced its fourth record year in a row for international trade, exceeding last year’s milestones in both imports and exports. The total value of goods exported from Georgia totaled $37.6 billion, the most the state has ever exported within a single year.
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SBA Nominee Talks Marketing to Banks, Businesses at Confirmation Hearing
February 14, 2014
If finally confirmed, the newly nominated chief of the U.S. Small Business Administration promised to do more to promote the agency’s services. Maria Contreras-Sweet said at her confirmation hearing before the U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship that more must be done to brand the SBA.
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The Gift of Margin - 3 Ways to Get You Some
February 13, 2014
Margin in life is truly a gift and most of us have so little these days. Margin in our calendar gives us time to listen to a friend. Margin in our finances allows us to help a friend, or help ourselves. It is also keeps us out of debt and reduces stress.