All Entries in the "ManagingSmart" Category
A Foolproof Framework for Hiring Perfect People
Here’s a motto every small business should live buy: Hasty hiring brings frequent firing. For most business owners, the hiring “process” includes posting a job opening, sorting resumes and hiring the first person who makes a god impression. But the consequences of poor choices can be severe. If you keep an unproductive person on, you’re [...]
How to Defuse Workplace Conflicts
Workplace conflicts can sap energy from any small business. Whether it involves employees, vendors or contractors, getting such issues resolved is critical to smooth sailing. Business managers overall spend an estimated 40 percent of their time dealing with conflicts both big and small. That’s just normal, since disagreements, disputes and honest differences exist everywhere. For [...]
How to Create a Winning Business Culture
When a once-growing business stumbles, the cause is sometimes an overlooked culprit: the company culture. Many good businesses with solid ideas, a great market and talented people start to lose their grip on growth after failing to win victories that seemed within grasp. Slowly, the “win or die trying” mentality gives way to deciding how [...]
5 Worst Ways Business Owners Waste Time
Most of us believe that cell phones, email and other tech devices help business productivity. But tech devices and some common business practices can actually be big time wasters. For example, are you and your employees constantly checking email or web sites? Do you have an open door policy, a schedule full of meetings, and [...]
Essential Guide to Hiring Teens for Summer Jobs
About four million teenagers will hold summer jobs in the U.S. this year. If you plan to be among the millions of small business owners who provide those jobs it’s important to know the special rules that govern teenage workers. Government statistics show that young workers suffer a disproportionate share of on-the-job injuries. According to [...]
8 Ways to Build your Baseline Business Reputation
Reputation management is one of today’s hottest small business topics. It’s the process of monitoring, managing and influencing what’s being said about your business online (especially in social media) in places like Facebook, Yelp, Twitter and blogs. But your online reputation is an extension of your reputation in the real world – what I call [...]
Rules and Benefits of Employee Credit Cards
Sooner or later, growing businesses face this decision: Should certain employees have their own company credit cards? While many biz owners are psychologically opposed to issuing plastic to employees, business credit cards can actually be big time and money savers. They greatly reduce the number of checks you have to write, provide detailed and itemized [...]
Business Owner Guide to Top Legal and Tax Trends
Starting and operating a small business is never easy, and all of the tax and rule-making authorities that get in your way don’t help. Legal and regulatory issues, trends and requirements are always changing, forcing business owners to run a new gauntlet each year. To keep you on top of things, here are 11 trends [...]
7 Leadership Lessons Every Biz Owner Should Know
Business owners are all leaders, but not all act that way. The best ones inspire peak performance, passion, engagement and enthusiasm by everyone associated with the business. For them, “lackluster” isn’t an option. Real leadership equity is earned, not bestowed, says John Hamm, a high-profile venture capitalist who’s led investments in many successful high-growth companies [...]
How to Counter the New Culture of Free
Free is a powerful force in the marketplace; especially online. A fast-growing, Internet-inflamed “Culture of Free” is leaving more and more businesses in all industries and areas reeling in profit pain. Companies large and small are seeking answers to a question that once seemed odd: What can you do when your products or services are [...]
