Archive for category small business
BusinessWeek: Five Reasons to Take Your Business on the Road
Posted by admin in cost-cutting, mobile professionals, small business on January 21st, 2010
BusinessWeek: Five Reasons to Take Your Business on the Road
Years ago, road warriors referred only to a small subset of employees whose job required them to work from outside the office. Today companies and their employees are often spread across multiple locations and time zones. Smart phones and laptops combined with cloud-based applications and services, such as an on-demand file server, can provide the mobile worker with all the benefits of a traditional office.
Cincinnati Enquirer: Ad agencies forced to shed jobs
Posted by admin in cost-cutting, employees, small business on December 30th, 2009
Greater Cincinnati’s advertising sector, counted on to be an engine of job growth in coming years, suffered a setback in 2009 as the recession led to declines in ad spending and the downsizing of ad staffs. Individually, the region’s relatively small, usually independent agencies don’t account for an overwhelming number of jobs. But collectively, they make up the kind of industry that economic development officials love – one that’s full of young, creative talent with the potential for high growth.
The Exceptional Workplace: H1N1: Are Your HR Policies Prepared?
Posted by admin in HR, small business on October 14th, 2009
The Exceptional Workplace: H1N1: Are Your HR Policies Prepared?
Just when we were hoping that the worst was behind us, there’s concern about the possibility of a stronger strain of H1N1 and a harsher flu season. Now, as the government is urging us to take precautions to prevent and prepare for this possibility, business owners and executives must also make preparations for a potential pandemic in the workplace. The impact of pandemic will hit small businesses the hardest, since we have the smallest bandwidth when it comes to staffing and resources. That’s why it’s even more important for small businesses to be prepared.
NYT: Keeping Morale Up When the Economy’s Down
Posted by admin in employees, small business on October 7th, 2009
NYT: Keeping Morale Up When the Economy’s Down
To Improve employee performance, revise your pay structure. Every small business should implement some form of pay-for-performance plan for all of its employees, whether it entails giving a financial reward to the office manager for finding ways to cut down on administrative costs, or penalizing the head of sales for losing clients or failing to follow through on new business. A guaranteed salary guarantees mediocre performance and ensures your office building will be deserted when the clock strikes 5:00, regardless of project deadlines.
Business Week: How Cloud Computing Can Help Small Businesses
Posted by admin in cloud computing, small business on September 2nd, 2009
Business Week: How Cloud Computing Can Help Small Businesses
“We couldn’t afford to spend more money every month to support this,” said Det Ansinn, owner of BrickSimple a developer of mobile phone applications. In April the company decided to host Xbox Live Friends on Google’s App Engine, largely solving its capacity problems. BrickSimple pays just $15 a day, on average, to use App Engine. The App Engine is just one of a recent explosion of services using an outsourcing model called cloud computing.
The Wall Street Journal: Starting on a Shoestring
Posted by admin in small business, tips on July 15th, 2009
“The Wall Street Journal: Starting on a Shoestring”
“Rethink the traditional office. Avoid getting saddled with more space than you need.”
Business Week: Why Less Is More for Startups
Posted by admin in small business on June 30th, 2009
Business Week: Why Less Is More for Startups
” A founder turns every person in the company into a salesperson—and that’s the best model for a scrappy startup. In the end, creating a culture that emphasizes long-term profitability over rapid growth is critical for success.”
New York Times: A Business Forced to Shrink May be Stonger
Posted by admin in reduce, small business on June 17th, 2009
New York Times: A Business Forced to Shrink May be Stonger
What does small mean? “Small means that you will outsource the boring, low-impact stuff like manufacturing and shipping and billing and packing to others, while you keep the power because you invent the remarkable and tell stories to people who want to hear them.”
All Business, a D&B Company: Methods for saving your small business money during the recession
Posted by admin in small business, tips on June 10th, 2009
All Business, a D&B Company: Methods for saving your small business money during the recession
In these times, businesses need to consider ways in which we can cut costs but still remain afloat, so that as the tides turn and the economy moves upward again we are able to grow with it.
Inc. Magazine: 7 Smart Ways to Trim Your Company’s Budget
Posted by admin in small business, tips on June 10th, 2009
Inc. Magazine: 7 Smart Ways to Trim Your Company’s Budget
“Take an honest look at what revenue is likely to do over the next year. Then, reduce it by 10 percent and adjust your business plan to that revenue number,” says Keith McFarland, founder of McFarland Strategy Partners, and the author of The Breakthrough Company (Crown). “Don’t take the coward’s way out by making across-the-board cuts. Figure out where your core leverage points are in your business model and make sure these are adequately funded. Cut anything that is not in the 20 percent of the activities that generate 80 percent of the results.”