It has taken me 15 years, an MBA, starting my own firm, acquiring and firing partners and staff to understand one infinite business fact. Your gut is always right, no matter what situation no matter who the players. That knot in your stomach that tells you something isn’t right, never lies. So as I come out of a difficult situation I find that I am not doing something that I … [Read more...]
Business Advice for Dummies
As a business owner particularly when you are starting out, ‘constructive criticism’ is something that you get in spades. Some of the criticism is great, it tells you things about yourself and your company that you didn’t know. Other times it can feel like a direct attack, so how do you know the difference and how do you find the silver lining? Consider the source Sometimes … [Read more...]
For Love of the Game
This morning I had the privilege of attending an Executive Breakfast that focused on employee engagement and what that actually means. It was a timely discussion because I hear the phrase employee engagement in just about every explanation of what’s wrong with an organization. But what is it really? What does employee engagement mean and why is it important to your business? … [Read more...]
The Fine Line of Work-Life Balance [Infographic]
For most small business owners, there is no such thing as work-life balance. Did you know that 44% of small business owners believe that the stress of running their businesses has damaged their health? Did you know that one out of two small business owners only take major holidays off, and two out of three work more than 40 hours per week with one in 10 working more than 70 … [Read more...]
The Business of Deceit
We all know that a sweet lie feels better than a hard truth, but in business it’s supposed to be all about the facts. In a world where perception can be skewed as quickly as a tweet is posted, how can you make sure that your business is telling you the hard truth all of the time? The truth is that you can’t. You can’t make sure that everything that reaches your eyes is beyond … [Read more...]
Statistics Mislead, but Your Paycheck Doesn’t Lie: End Gender Pay Gap by Starting Your Own Business
Guest post by David Anderson (learn more about the author at the end of the article): March was Women's History Month, a 31-day celebration of the strides females have made in the workplace. But as April settles in and tax time forces Americans to review their income, women may not feel much like cheering. Because they'll discover that, on average, a man makes more after … [Read more...]
Small Businesses – The Most Tried and Failed [Infographic]
Which small businesses are the most tried? Which are the most failed? An infographic from Top Business Degrees that I stumbled on thanks to David Wallace of Small Business Trends provides all of the stats for you to review. As you read through the infographic, you might feel discouraged when you see stats like 95% of small businesses fail within the first five years and only … [Read more...]
Women-Owned Businesses Out-Perform National Average
Guest post by Elaine Love, owner of Results For Life LLC (learn more about the author at the end of the article) Women-owned businesses are among the leaders in job creation and revenue growth. Make no mistake, we’re not talking about fluffy industries; we’re talking about construction, transportation, accommodation and food, and wholesale. There are three repeated focus … [Read more...]
Small Business – Big Savings [Infographic]
Did you know that one in five dollars that your business earns goes towards paying your employees? Obviously, this is an expense you can’t avoid, but what are the other ways your business can save cash and grow? Making every penny count is the key to success for most businesses, and it's also one of the biggest challenges, especially for smaller companies where it could mean … [Read more...]
Measuring How Happy Small Business Owners Really Are [Infographic]
Did you know that 70% of small business owners describe themselves as “happy” and 97% feel a sense of “pride and accomplishment"? On the flip side – 88% of small business owners say they never fully stop thinking about their business and 39% work more than 60 hours per week. Those statistics come from a new infographic from Bolt Insurance which examines how happy small … [Read more...]