Have you ever considered whether your own biases and how you view other people’s biases may stunt your small business growth? “When you’re only focused on the product and not on the culture and not on your community, that’s when you can have a problem.” Those are the words of Marc Benioff, CEO of the … Continue reading "How Biases Stunt Small Business Growth"

Sexual harassment wasn’t much of an issue until 1986 when the Supreme Court declared it to be a form of discrimination under Title 7 of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. But there has been a parade of prominent men in entertainment, sports, and politics who have lost their jobs, businesses, and reputation recently. Small … Continue reading "7 Things to Know About Sexual Harassment"

Benjamin Franklin is considered the father of volunteerism. He recruited volunteers to sweep the streets of Philadelphia, man a fire department, and a militia. Today it’s clear that community service is good for business. People of all ages value those companies who are good corporate citizens, large or small. Employees appreciate working for employers with … Continue reading "How Volunteers and Business Go Together"

During this year’s Super Bowl several commercials aired with messages focused on community, equality, equal opportunity and how business products serve the common good. These for-profit companies – Toyota, Verizon, Fiat-Chrysler for RAM Trucks, and Coke like saw value in taking a non-profit approach to connecting with consumers. What can a for-profit learn from non-profit … Continue reading "Lessons For-Profits Can Learn From Non-Profit Businesses"

After looking at a myriad of predictions and trends for 2018 from followers, prognosticators, and marketers, I’ve identified five small business marketing tactics worth attention. Some are easier to endorse and implement than others. Each requires a choice. You need to answer these questions. Would your business benefit from deploying one or more of these … Continue reading "Small Business Marketing Tactics You Want To Ignore"

If you actively use social media for B2B lead generation, to find a job, or advance your career, think about how to improve your LinkedIn visibility. This professional network recently changed its algorithm, so status updates may not achieve the same volume of views it used to get. In this podcast Crystal Thies, the LinkedIn … Continue reading "How to Improve Your LinkedIn Visibility"

I’ve received some great insights and ideas on best business practices for small business in 2017. Tap into excerpts from several successful business owners and entrepreneurs here on strategy, business culture, managing employees, marketing, social media, maximizing sales, and building business value. These men and women reflect the optimism of small business today as we … Continue reading "Best Business Practices for Small Business"

Business owners often have an inflated view of their enterprise when it comes to answering the question, is my business worth buying now or sometime in the future? Truforte Business Group, a Florida business broker and consultant, says there are 8 drivers of business value. My conversation with Gary Gardner of Truforte highlights the importance … Continue reading "Is Your Business Worth Buying?"

If you’re searching for business growth, you might run through a checklist of growth starters that lit the flame of growth for Everything But the House, an online estate sale auction marketplace. At one time, this was a quiet local business in Cincinnati. Now it’s in 22 U.S. markets with buyers for the items they … Continue reading "How to Create a Business Growth Bonfire"

There really isn’t much difference between what business owners and employees want to get out of work. Fundamentally they both want what they earn to help them provide for themselves and their families. So why shouldn’t owners or business leaders treat employees more like owners? Jeff Rowe, President and CEO of Q Laboratories believes that … Continue reading "Why Treat Employees Like Owners?"