Features
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4 Quick Tips For Improving Customer Feedback
September 29, 2011
Are you asking your customers how well they are enjoying their experience with your company? Waiting for them to post a review on Yelp, Amazon.com, eBay, Trip Advisor, etc., is like rolling the dice on your online reputation and hoping for two sixes. So, here are some ideas for creating a feedback loop so you can grab any praise, or fix any issues, before your customer gets to their web browser.
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What Small Businesses Can Learn From Cooperatives
September 28, 2011
In most ways, co-ops are like any other business—they exist to generate revenue and serve consumers. But in a few important ways, co-ops are different. Most importantly, co-ops exist entirely to benefit their member-owners. Even if your business operates under a for-profit model, it could apply a few lessons from the co-op school of thought.
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How To Hitch Your Business To A Cause
September 27, 2011
Initiatives may be called social responsibility programs or cause marketing, but the idea is the same: to do well by doing good. Helping a charity can encourage customers to purchase and to feel a greater emotional connection to your business.
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5 Tips For Becoming A Better Leader
September 26, 2011
Once their companies start to grow, many business owners suddenly realize that they’re no longer just entrepreneurs—they’re also leaders.
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5 Ways To Get More From Your Employees
September 22, 2011
We all know the drill. Get up, go to work, go home, repeat. Most of us go through those motions five days a week, every week. But time spent at work doesn't have to be just the filler between leaving home and coming home. And yet, for so many workers, it is.
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Get Ready To Hire Generation Z
September 21, 2011
Just as companies have adjusted to the demands of generation Y, a new generation is set to graduate from college: generation Z.
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Pride And Productivity: A Win Win Combination
September 20, 2011
Success in these tough economic times depends on a lot of different factors: market situations, pricing, competition, the economy, financing and much more. Two of the most important ones don’t really depend on the kind of economic times. They depend on how productive and how engaged people are, whatever the enterprise.
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Recognize And Manage The 5 Stages Of Small Business Growth
September 19, 2011
Understanding the stages of small business growth and inherent problems can help you assess where you are in the growth pattern, and help you anticipate what’s going to be required to succeed. Owners, for example, will have to spend an extraordinary amount of time during the initial start-up period, and then have to learn to begin delegating work and authority as the company grows.
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Lose Weight Fast—Your Business, That Is
September 15, 2011
Does your business need to lose weight? Mine did. In 2011, I spent far more money than what was coming in. That's okay. It's a new business. That's what's supposed to happen, right? You invest so that you can build up the business. Not always. And we must stay vigilant. We have to lose weight.
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Are Your Customers Satisfied?
September 13, 2011
When business is rolling steadily along, companies often don’t spend time to asking customers how they’re performing—if they lose one, they just find another. But in tough markets it’s more important than ever to seek customer input.
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The 10 Worst Things About Owning A Business
September 12, 2011
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The 3 Secrets To Extremely Loyal Employees
September 08, 2011
In the business world there is always a lot of talk about the importance of customer loyalty. But employee loyalty is every bit as important. Many people overlook the importance of employee, but to do so can be detrimental to your business. If you have not considered the issue before, there is no better time than now.
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Investing in Your Community Will Boost Your Sales
September 07, 2011
No business operates in a vacuum. No matter where you are based, your company is part of the local community — and it can easily be part of other communities, both online and off. It's tempting not to worry too much about the community, of course. The most important focus should be your business's success, rather than trying to integrate with your neighbors. But the two aren't mutually exclusive.
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5 Interview Questions Every Small Business Owner Should Ask
September 06, 2011
Hiring is one of the most important and critical tasks for any small business owner. After all, your business is only as good as your people. But how do you know who the good people are? And how do you determine which candidates will perform to your expectations? Anyone can put on a good show for a few hours during an interview. What you want are people who will still be good in a few months. Nothing is certain, of course, but these five questions will help you see deeper into the candidate's mind and make the decision that is best for your business.
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The Recipe For Business Success
September 02, 2011
Elizabeth Gignilliat, CEO of Parties That Cook, shares her recipe for business success.
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Be The CEO Who Listens To His People
September 01, 2011
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Balancing Personal and Professional on Facebook
August 31, 2011
By now, you probably have a Facebook account. According to some recent reports, there are nearly 750 million other people on Facebook as well. But no matter how long you’ve had an account, you may still be struggling with this question: how do I balance my personal and professional lives on my Facebook profile?
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Why You Should Stay Under The Radar
August 30, 2011
Every entrepreneur wants to see their business grow. But there is a risk. If you grow too big or too fast, the competition will catch on. By growing fast and staying under the radar, you will allow your business to strengthen.
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Cut To Grow: Simple Strategies For Building Your Business
August 29, 2011
Chris Brogan, President of Human Business Works, shares how to cut things out of your business to make it and you more productive.
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9 Things Every Entrepreneur Should Know Before Starting A Business
August 25, 2011
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3 Smart Investments For Greater Productivity
August 24, 2011
A faster computer might help you work faster, or it might help you get on Facebook faster. So if speedier laptops for everyone aren't the answer, what is?
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Recession? Sure Feels Like One
August 23, 2011
Dr. Joe explains that another recession may have already started, and the thought of that may be all that's needed to create demands for more Fed easing and more fiscal stimulus. The NASDAQ is down -18% from the start of the December 2007 recession on an inflation-adjusted basis. The commodities and consumer inflation trends may actually be slowing right now. Yet again, Dr. Joe explains some of the economic workings that are contrary to the morning news.
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Do You Think Like An Employee Or An Entrepreneur?
August 22, 2011
Whether we choose to work for a business or to start our own, our ability to identify our business mindset as well as the mindset of the organizations who pay us can lead to successful business relationships or disaster. Organizations that value entrepreneurial thinking tend to undervalue folks who think like employees. Those that value employee thinking tend to find entrepreneurial thinkers disruptive, difficult to manage and counterproductive to the organizational goals.
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The Zen Way To Build A Successful Business
August 19, 2011
Zen philosophers knew nothing about social media. But, Guy Kawasaki recently wrote about how Zen can help with Powerpoint, Facebook and Twitter. Similarly, studying the ancient wisdom of these masters can also provide a path to build a successful business. According to Zen philosophy, there are "five fingers" of success that have worked for thousands of years.
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Top 10 Attributes Of Successful Strategic Plans
August 18, 2011
For all of the attention and focus placed on strategic planning and change initiatives, it’s hard to imagine that roughly 70 percent of strategic plans fail and 73 percent of change initiatives fall short of producing any meaningful or lasting change. Troubled by these figures, we compared notes on initiatives that have succeeded and, sourcing some renowned scholars, have come up with a top 10 list of shared attributes.