Running a business in a smaller city may mean you have a more limited talent pool to draw employees from, but it doesn’t mean you won’t have access to top notch workers. You may need to alter your recruiting strategy to show those skilled employees why they should consider working for your smaller business instead of going to a large corporation in a big city. Here are some ways you… Read more
Email marketing is one of the best ways to develop a relationship with your customers. It’s also a proven way to increase sales with subscribers who are interested, qualified buyers. The key to maintaining high open rates with your email campaigns is to craft catchy subject lines for every email you send out to your customers. These ten proven tips will show you how to quickly grab attention with compelling… Read more
Even the best entrepreneurs make mistakes. In fact most would advocate that you need to make a few mistakes to learn and grow. So it’s important not to let those missteps stop you from following your dream of running your own business. There are some common mistakes business owners make in running their company. Don’t feel bad if you fall into these traps—almost every small business owner does. Here are… Read more
Most business owners appreciate that online marketing is increasingly important for sales and growth, but drafting effective web copy can be an intimidating prospect. The good news is you don’t need a background in marketing to master the basics of effective web writing. You just need to know a few guidelines that can make your copy more engaging to an online audience. Here’s how. 1.Think like your customer Knowing your… Read more
For small businesses, nothing reduces credibility faster than careless typos and sloppy spelling. The trouble is, business owners are often so busy they neglect to notice the errors that can creep into their work, in spite of the latest word processing spelling and grammar tools. Taking the time to carefully edit your newsletters, reports, emails, blog posts and marketing collateral – following these simple tips – will make all the… Read more
The key performance indicators (KPIs) for one company will invariably be different from the KPIs of another firm. What both hypothetical companies share however, is the challenge of selecting which KPIs are best suited for measuring the goals and progress of their particular business model. Indeed, entrepreneurs have a vast array of reports and data sets from which to choose and select from, but that data needs to target those… Read more
By now many people have heard about standing desks and maybe even read reports on their potential to change lives. Many articles focus on the negatives of sitting: sitting at a desk is as bad as smoking, people who sit at their desks have shorter life spans, or sitting all day promotes terrible posture. The solution? Standing desks. Desks that allow workers to stand so they can improve their health,… Read more
Online marketing tools make it inexpensive and easy to promote your events online. If you want to expand your business and offer webinars or offline events, these eight tools will create online buzz about your event to a worldwide audience. When interacting with people on the Internet, remember to always act in a polite and courteous manner. Don’t spam invitations or promotions about your event 24, 7. Use common sense… Read more
Okay, there probably aren’t a lot of people who need to be convinced that a shorter workweek is a great idea. Small business owners, however, might be on the list of people who need a little encouraging. After all, every day they take off could mean a longer day to make up for the missed hours. There are some very real benefits to working a shorter week and those benefits… Read more
Most investors would love to be the next Warren Buffet, arguably the most successful investor ever, and yet many investors ignore his investment methods. Instead, they follow simple tricks and use simple definitions that miss undervalued stocks primed for growth. Successful investors such as Buffet take a broader view of investing and consider many commonplace investment ideas nonsensical, including the idea that and risk and volatility are one and the same.… Read more
Many remarkable entrepreneurs, including Warren Buffet, Sheryl Sandberg, and Richard Branson, have credited their success, in part, to the advice of their mentors. An advisory board is an informal group of mentors whose collective business expertise—and objectivity—can help you make better, more informed decisions, thereby accelerating growth. Unlike business consultants (whose fees may well exceed your budget), advisory board members may agree to provide advice pro bono, for a small… Read more
If you’re like most freelancers, knowing how to price your services can be a real struggle. Charging an hourly rate can feel less scary than asking for a higher priced fixed rate package because you know you’ll be compensated for every hour you spend on a project. But there are drawbacks to trading time for money – not the least of which is that it limits your earning potential. Read… Read more
Most people are familiar with the employment interview: a nervous candidate meets with a supervisor, answers a series of questions about their experience, strengths, weaknesses and education, and sometimes takes an aptitude test. Employers have used employment interviews to choose between potential candidates since before the development of human resources departments. There is only so much you can learn about a person in an interview, though, and hiring the wrong… Read more
Looking into affordable video chat and voice calling options for your small business? These four popular, user-friendly alternatives to Skype will help you connect seamlessly with staff, colleagues, and customers. Read on for a breakdown of each app’s features to decide on the best fit for you. WhatsApp With more than 1 billion users worldwide, WhatsApp is currently the most popular multi-media messaging app for mobile in existence – and… Read more
The recent statistics on employee theft is shocking. According to one US source, 75% of employees admit to having stolen at least once from their employer—and employee theft costs a company on average 7% of their annual revenues each year. As a business owner you may not be aware of the many ways employees can steal from you. Some common methods include: redirecting company checks to personal accounts and altering… Read more
As any accountant will advise, it’s important for business owners to keep their personal and business banking separate. Separating your business expenses will make your annual tax preparation much easier, and ensure you claim all your deductions. But it’s also important to protect your personal assets should your business find itself in financial trouble. Another excellent reason to have a business bank account comes down to professionalism. As a small… Read more
The loss of a job is one of the most devastating things a person can go through. The results of a job loss can be long lasting and the implications go far beyond the financial. While losing your job will most likely put your financial life at risk, the emotional consequences can be just as damaging. When you consider that most of us spend more time at our jobs than… Read more
Hiring an accountant is widely considered best practice for small business owners. But delegating financial analysis and reporting doesn’t mean completely checking out of the process each month or quarter. On the contrary, it’s recommended that business owners work closely with their accountants throughout the year to better understand their financial position, and make smart plans for future growth. Want to increase your accounting knowledge so you can have more… Read more
What do Warren Buffet, Bill Gates, Mark Cuban, and Arianna Huffington have in common? All of these smart, savvy, successful business leaders share a passion for self-improvement through reading. If you want to improve your skills as a business owner, why not spend a bit of time each day reading books that guide you to greater success? This reading list of 4 inspiring business books will help you get started:… Read more
Small business owners already have a difficult and time-consuming job running their business. If their business is open five days a week, they usually need the weekend to catch up on paperwork, pay bills and manage any tasks they didn’t get to during the week. For those with a seven-day-a-week business, there’s even less time off. They often feel the need to be onsite any time the business is open,… Read more