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15 Things All Business Owners Should Do
There’s no shortage of advice, counseling and recommendations for small business owners. It’s everywhere—and much of it is worth paying attention to. Small business owners say they become sponge-like,...
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Business Lessons Learned From Grilled Cheese
When April hits, you may be thinking of crocus and daffodils, Easter bunnies and warm weather. But when we think of April, we think grilled cheese. Yes! April was National Grilled Cheese Month. And...
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Small business prescriptions for going from ‘good to great’
Going “from good to great” is more than a rah-rah catchphrase. It can be a way of separating exceptional performance from that which is just acceptable. The most meaningful “good to great” descriptions...
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Look beneath the stats: Why do some small businesses fail?
Politician Rand Paul isn’t the first to make claims about small businesses, positively or negatively. Earlier this year in a speech criticizing the current administration’s job creation efforts, Paul...
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Moving it forward: Scaling business to profitability
Let’s say your business is going great. You’re keeping up more or less, filling orders and nearly always paying your monthly expenses. Even so, you have this nagging feeling that you’re not really...
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Should you franchise? Be a franchisee? Do your homework!
Not every business will—or should—be franchised. But if replicating your business is part of the vision you imagine in your future, franchising is one of the fastest ways to grow. It’s never too early...
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3 Commandments of Business Capital
The entire business financing/lending industry has changed over the past four or five years. As “traditional lenders” (banks) have reduced lending to small businesses and all but the most...
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Things every business owner should know
As any business owner will tell you, every business has its unique attributes and challenges and bears the stamp of its owner. But are there universal truths, some solid fundamental insights that every...
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Setting achievable business goals requires thought and insight
If you’re a small business owner, you’re most likely good at setting goals. After all, that’s probably how you conceived your business and got it up and running, right? Well, maybe, maybe not. There...
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Positive or negative, cash flow has major impact on businesses
If there’s one thing owners agree on, it’s this: Small businesses live and die by cash flow. Cash flow can help lift a business to new heights or keep it idling in neutral. That’s why business owners...
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Fool-proof best practices to get your emails opened and read
Despite the emergence of countless social channels, email continues to be the go-to direct marketing tactic for small businesses. For both businesses and consumers, email is a central communications...
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How do you get good feedback from your employees?
If you’re not getting feedback from your employees on a regular basis, it’s safe to say you’re missing a lot. Being the boss, you’re naturally isolated from much of the day-to-day action. But as the...
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Small businesses have natural marketing advantages
Especially after a bad week or month or while trying to solve an intractable problem, small business owners can start feeling that every obstacle is insurmountable. You may even find yourself...
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Whatever happened to daily deals? Deals stay; ‘bye’ to daily
Daily deals like Groupon and Living Social have been on the scene for a few years now. For a while, they were the hottest thing going. “Deals” flooded everyone’s inboxes and consumers rushed to open...
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Basic HR principles raise employee satisfaction and performance
So you never wanted to be an HR professional or thought you had the right skills to be one. But as a business owner, you find yourself dealing with all kinds of HR issues—everything from hiring and...
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Here’s your chance: Learn from common business owner mistakes
Owning a business, owners agree, is full of highs and lows, rewards and challenges. You get smarter as you go, with much of what you do every day clearly falling into the OJT category: on-the-job...
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Growth will change your small business, so plan ahead
Business owners dream of growth—more sales, more revenue, more profit! Although usually positive, growth can actually wreak havoc on your business (and you!) if you don’t anticipate and prepare for it....
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Overseas commerce can be fast track to small business growth
Doing business internationally used to be out of reach for many small businesses. But in our interconnected world, expanding overseas can be one of the fastest ways for small businesses to grow. As...
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Pinterest fast becoming a must-do for small businesses
Remember when you first heard of Pinterest? If you were like many, even social media experts, maybe you saw it as a pastime for teenage girls and housewives who craft. But there’s been a complete 180...
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Listening, engaging and responding: Social media’s the key
One of the challenges businesses face currently is that their customer base is fragmented in terms of how they consume information and interact with you. Once upon a time, consumers could be divided...
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