Everybody who has ever attempted anything has failed at least a couple of times before they actually succeeded. In the words of author, inventor, and consultant Dr. Edward de Bono, “It is better to have enough ideas for some of them to be wrong, than to be always right by having no ideas at all.” [...]

Everybody has had that moment of pause when contacted by a potential new client. There’s something about this person that doesn’t seem quite right, something just a little off, and you can’t help but feel that they might not be best for your company. However, times are tough, new clients are scarce, and it’s usually [...]

Part four in my multi-part series on employee relations.

When it comes to running a company or even managing one, it’s easy to see yourself as the head of a complicated body of workers, all of whom look to you for guidance because clearly you’re the only one who has the vision for how to make [...]

Another part in my multi-part series on employee relations.

One of the toughest things that a manager has to do is motivate his or her employees. It’s difficult, especially in lean economic times, to encourage employees to work their hardest when there is very little that you have to inspire them with. The traditional concept of [...]

And now for part two in our ongoing series on employment and employee relations:

Running a company in the United States means that there are a lot of bureaucratic hoops to jump through. Most of them involve filing paperwork, sending information into the government, and allowing people to keep track of your records so that everybody [...]

I’m beginning a multi-part series on employees and how to handle them today. Hopefully my readers will find these articles interesting and helpful in dealing with your own employees.

When you’re working for somebody else, the hiring process seems very simple. Turn in an application, go for an interview, fill out some tax forms, and you’re [...]

Far too often, I’ve been seeing a disturbing trend of the idea of greed being confused with success. Business owners should be allowed to make money and when they work hard, they should be rewarded for that hard work. It’s a basic imperative to want to do better for oneself, and the accepted method for [...]

So, you’ve worked hard for several years now. You’ve built up your business from nothing, creating a company that rests firmly on the standards of low cost, quality…whatever. You saw an opportunity and you took advantage of it, and now you’ve got a great business at your command that’s…starting to lose revenue. What happened?

So often [...]

I often focus my blog entries on American business topics. This is easy to do for several reasons, the first being that I am American and live in America where the majority of information I get deals directly with United States companies. My experience has also been primarily in dealing with American companies. However, it’s [...]

I recently read a blog post written by Chris MacDonald at The Business Ethics Blog. I don’t always agree with everything Mr. MacDonald says, and this is no exception, but I feel that his arguments are based on a primarily false assumption in his post Exploitation at the Top that the executives that are being [...]

There’s an old belief that the safest investment in the world is and always will be land. Everybody needs land for one thing or another, be it to build new homes, commerce centers, or to grow food. However, I think that too many people forget that in tough economic times, human necessities remain. Which is [...]

Recently KPMG LLP, a tax, audit, and advisory firm did a survey of executives in a series of different industries. It’s fascinating to read some of the results as they seem to have a general upward trend. Now, I know there is still a pervading feeling of dread in regards to the economy, but there [...]

Benny,

Since I just saw this, I thought I’d suggest you take a look at our sister site, http://www.bcondemand.com . It’s a site designed to put together business needs with business resources and you’re more likely to find somebody there.

Good luck and I hope to see your sign up with BC!

One of the major problems that has suddenly come to the attention of the general public is that of valuation. I’m not saying that valuation is a bad thing in any respect, but rather that the values of properties and business have been thrust into the public spotlight and now more people are having to [...]

It disturbs me on a fundamental level that the concept of the press release has really died. There used to be a time that a well written PR could make it in papers around the country, informing the public about your product or service, letting them know the salient points, invigorating interest, and generally announcing [...]

In what seems to be a continuing series on how to innovate from within your company, I’d like to talk a little bit about what you can do with the things you’ve found. Sure, that unmarketable gizmo looks a little different now than it did when you originally put it on a shelf, but you [...]

Companies should always be looking for new ways to innovate. New products, new ideas, new concepts and approaches mean that business moves forward and the market benefits from increased cash flow and better service. It’s an elegant system that rests solely on a company’s willingness to continue to try new things. What’s interesting, however, is [...]

Major economic recession has become a part of our lives. It’s been building for years now (or descending, as the case may be) and the October crisis has made it very clear that for the time being things will be tight. However, that won’t always be the case, and it’s time for companies to realize [...]

I’m a progressive by nature. I like to see things move forward, technology advance, people adopt new ideas that can be used to benefit all people. Which is why I’m completely astounded and flabbergasted every time I see people trying to take a new technology and cram it, wholesale, into an old business model.

Now, I [...]

They’ve been around for several years. Back in 2004 there was a minor craze for ebooks, before that in 2001, and even as far back as 1996 the concept has been floated as a new and exciting enterprise for the digital age. Each time the hype died back down shortly after as obstacles like an [...]

Anyone who reads this blog knows that I respect the advance of technology in business. I respect efficiency and I respect cleverness. However, I value responsibility above all of these, and I feel that business has been moving further and further from that.

The newest perpetrator in irresponsible behavior is the New York Stock Exchange and [...]

The objective of any business is to make a profit while providing a needed service or product in the most efficient way possible. Many businesses have failed due to a lack of that last, key component: efficiency. Henry Ford realized the advantages of an efficient operation when he developed the assembly line. Companies spend millions [...]

During economic crises, it’s tempting to grasp at any line one is thrown. This is especially true of business owners and prospective business owners who might not find banks and traditional finance options very tractable in regards to their specific business. Please see my blog entry on banks, Big Banks Ignore Bailout Promises for more [...]

LLCs (Limited Liability Companies) are a relatively new form of business structure created by state statutes, but one that is gaining quick popularity. There are a lot of real advantages to registering your business as an LLC, mostly evident in flexibility. There are drawbacks, too, but for many eligible companies, this is a sound way [...]

That’s right Tom. One of the things that’s never mentioned is all the FREE BRANDING benefits that are realized from all the ads that are put up, all the FREE PR from posting, etc.

Affiliate programs greatly benefit the company running the program and most affiliates make little to no money.

The major flaw is the inability [...]

Affiliate programs are not a new idea. They’ve gained a form of rebirth lately due to the ease with which the internet lends itself to their use, but in the end the idea of rewarding somebody for bringing business to you is as old as business itself. I can easily imagine merchants in ancient Egypt [...]

Unlike other men of my ilk, businessmen from an earlier time, I’m not usually afraid of regulation. The issue, I suppose, is that I’ve worked with businessmen before, and am fully aware of the tricks, loopholes, and workarounds that people who have been entrenched in the corporate world for long enough will employ to raise [...]

One thing that old timers like me have to realize is that old timers like me are not the future of business. We’d like to pretend that we are, that our ideas will remain fresh forever, that we can continue to think ahead of the curve, but the truth is that our minds get slow, [...]

Unsurprisingly, many of the big banks that accepted bailout money are still refusing to actually lend it to small businesses. Maybe this makes me sound like a pessimist, but I never really expected that when the last administration passed this legislation that companies that have shown themselves to be greedy, ineffective, and unconcerned with the [...]

Small business owners have a lot to worry about these days. With all of the brouhaha over health care reform in the United States, it’s easy to believe that any plan will somehow negatively impact business, costing more money to employers by requiring them to provide health care at a certain level to their employees. [...]

I’ve often heard small business owners wonder how to cut their capital output. All businesses have a finite amount of money to work with, so smart practices that help them spend less of it are always in demand. That’s why programs like service exchanges are such a good idea.

For those who haven’t heard of it [...]

A quick internet search about “business tips” or “marketing strategies” is almost assured of bringing up the phrase “network marketing.” Some people will wonder what it is, click on the link, and begin immediately to get sucked into an old idea that has been given a new name by enhanced technology.

What is now being called [...]

I’ve noticed a disturbing trend in the corporate world of late. As companies grow larger, become multinational conglomerations, push out local businesses, and generally change from a collection of businessmen and women into an entity, they’ve found new, more elaborate ways to divorce themselves from their customers.

I’m sure they all have reasons for this. Some [...]

So often do we, as responsible adults, make the mistake of bouncing a check or paying a bill with funds that, through no fault of our own, simply aren’t there. Perhaps a recurring payment slipped our minds, or maybe that dinner and a movie was more expensive than we thought. Sometimes we even like to [...]

So later today I’m off to see a new client who is interested in having my business handle the marketing for his business. He’s certainly not a Fortune 500 company … he probably wouldn’t even be a Fortune 5000 company if there was such a list … but the work that he wants us to [...]

When you’re starting out in business … or even after you’ve been in business for a while … you’re so focused on what you’re doing that you may miss one very important point that will have a major impact on your business.

The point that you’re probably missing is something your potential customers will see right [...]

There was a time when the reputation of your business was made or destroyed right there in the town where you lived and worked. The townspeople and you’re customers knew you better than some of your relatives did.

Their kids went to school with your kids, you belonged to the same clubs as they did, they [...]

Getting money … slogging through the venture capital minefield … can be long, time consuming and very wearing on everyone in the business. Even the guy who cleans the toilets can feel the stress that filters down through a business that’s been chasing the dream of obtaining venture capital.

So once you’ve got the money what [...]

There are many people out there who seem to think that advertising online is somehow different to advertising in what they would call the ‘real’ world. However, the longer I spend in the world of online marketing the more I see a host of similarities with marketing in the real world.

Of course, there are differences [...]

How to sell the higher priced service and why it’s not really the higher price.

Bargain hunters … I’m not sure whether we should love them or loathe them but if you’re in business you’re certainly going to have to deal with them. They’re out there in just about every vertical and these days there seems [...]

So you’ve decided to have a website built for your well-known business. You want it to look smart, trendy and you want it to reflect the image that your business has already established over the last fifty years. Your business is already widely known for the wonderful products that it produces and the outstanding customer [...]

When you start a business the last thing most small business people want to get involved in is the technical side of running the business. They would much rather be involved in doing what they like doing best: baking bread and pies if they’re a baker; fixing electrical problems if they’re an electrician; repairing cars [...]

These days business is harder than ever. With the worst global economy in history, there is less room for mistakes. There are also more people out of jobs and starting their own businesses. There are myriad pitfalls that can quickly sink a new business.

Hiring a Business Consultant can help you avoid costly mistakes and help [...]