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Managing March Madness in the Office
2008-03-19 04:41:00
How often have you taken place in the typical pool for the NCAA basketball bracket? Better yet how often have you thrown a few bucks toward the NCAA pool? Mostly likely you have taken place in this activity or it has affected you in the workplace. As a small business owner what can you do? Try going with the flow and creating a March Madness Friendly zone.Over $1.7 billion is expected to be lost in the workplace because of March Madness, but what have companies done to incorporate this seasonal event? There is only one industry that capitalizes on it and that is the entertainment industry. Why can’t you capitalize on this industry?As a small business why not host a pool where your employees can be apart of a inner office pool setup by you. Offer an incentive to the employee that works the hardest to pick their team they expect to win before the tournament begins. . For instance the best sales person always gets the first pick of teams and the next best gets their choice teams. You...
More About: Office , The Office

Money Talk Monday’s Week 4
2008-03-17 18:38:00
Is it ironic that the biggest casualty of this bear market is Bear Sterns? Stocks are tanking still, and it’s time to open our pocketbooks. The government is pushing for Americans to optimize individual savings accounts because they continue to spend the excess Social Security money on…”international interests.” The most popular governmental incentive in place is the Individual Retirement Account (IRA) and is a terrific way to plan for your retirement. If you start saving early enough, you may one day be able to afford that bungalow in the democratic Baghdad resort we’ve worked so hard to make.But what exactly is an IRA? Basically, it’s a program set up by the government that is trying to encourage citizens to take responsibility for their own future by investing in stocks, bonds, etc at tax advantageous rates. Contributions towards an IRA ($5,000 limit in 2008) will result in a dollar for dollar deduction on your income tax return. It sounds great, but you have t...
More About: Money , Talk , Week

Associate Words With Your New Contacts
2008-03-17 01:40:00
Many people wonder how some of the best “net workers” are able to remember valuable pieces of information about potential clients and connections. Most people constantly have trouble remembering anything special about a great contact or what they can write in a nice email to make the email more personal. The answer is word association. Word association is the act of remembering another persons name by associating there name to an object they like or tying it to associate the name with a celebrity that looks similar. An example of this is Adam likes apples. So, from now on when I see this person I remember he likes apples and his name is Adam.Why is this important to you while your networking? How many times have you had a hard time writing a personal email or called this contact and couldn’t figure out what to talk about to build a relationship? Apparently, after attending a book club I attended many people have this problem. Here is a quick tip in the world today that every p...
More About: Words , Contacts , Associate

Customer Service - Its not just the people any more…
2008-03-15 14:29:00
In my early days as a loss prevention consultant, (before magically transforming to an art gallery owner) my boss at that time had shared a tidbit designed to contribute to my education as a novice field consultant. Little did I know that it would be a model transferrable to nearly every address of a system in business, or that my use of it would extend longer than the job itself.   On a diagram that looked like a crude game of 4 – square he drew two P’s and two E’s. “The problem that everyone sees for an undesirable outcome is ‘people’” he said pointing to the first P, and added: “but people are only ¼ off this equation.”  “the remaining ¾’s are  Process, Equipment, and Environment.”Fast forward 10 years and I find myself an entrepreneur: new to retail, new to payroll, new to so many aspects of being a business  owner – and yet I could find  there was a sort of strange comfort  in reliance on this simple formula.  It worked especially in creating...
More About: People , Customer Service , Service , Customer , The People

Art of The Matter Pitches their Business (Listen to the Show)
2008-03-15 01:28:00
In case some of you that didn’t notice we did not have a live show this Thursday due to spring break. However, the show must go on. This past Thursday I had a chance to interview a lovely lady, Mrs. Nancy Herold.Nancy is the proud owner of Art of the Matter , which is on IL Route 159 in Glen Carbon, IL. She has owned the business for three years and has experienced numerous ups and downs while owning this delightful business. Her store not only offers framing services, but spotlights talented artist in the area as well as handcrafted glassware. This little store has an atmosphere that can only be explained as a true delight. Nancy hit on very crucial points about defining your niche and how marketing can make a big difference in your sales. Competing with the big box stores has been a challenge, but creating customer loyalty has helped Art of the Matter push ahead of the competition in the area. Another speed bump in her business has come from the rising cost of fuel making it hard...
More About: Business , Show , Listen

A Logo is Your Business’s ‘Suit’
2008-03-14 01:28:00
McDonald’s, Starbucks, Coca Cola, and Apple all have one major asset in common, their logo. Every corner you turn the “Golden Arches” appear and every time someone make a coffee run they think of Starbucks. In a simple sense these companies have ingrained there business into your mind. They have created an image that sits on the pedestal, while everyone chases after them. Have you though about creating a awe inspiring logo for your business? If not then there are some things that may need to be adjusted to make a logo that better fits your image. Remember people judge on first impression and if your logo looks tacky then your company looks tacky. In the world today marketing is getting more competitive and if your not good at it then it is worth it for you to hire someone to do it for you. You are not doing your business any justice if your logo isn’t of high quality. Think of children looking at cereal boxes, they only pick the most colorful box with the best cartoon charac...
More About: Logo

Add a Little Pizzaz To Your Site
2008-03-13 03:45:00
Everyday the largest websites and businesses make sure to update their content whether it be through a blog, forum, articles, tips, etc. Adding a little today will have compounding effects for your site in the future. The question that you need to be asking is what are you doing on a daily basis to add a little pizzaz to your site? Daily web-masters peer at their statistics to see how many hits they receive and they pay even more attention to the unique hits coming to the site. However, many small business owners that happen to be web-masters overlook ways to retain the recurring visitors. Why is this overlooked when realistically at a brick and mortar business you strongly rely on recurring customers? Most of the time recurring customers come back because they like the product or you have a sale that catches their attention. So, if you do this for your storefront why not catch a little more attention over the web? Many people think publishing a website is more than enough. I am her...
More About: Site

Why Are You Doing Business?
2008-03-12 03:05:00
As business owner you may at times ask yourself what am I doing? If you are asking this then there are chances you maybe getting bored with your current business. This is not unordinary, especially if your a serial entrepreneur. Many times the reason why you would resort to this is that there is no longer a challenge for you in this business.First, go back to your business plan and review the mission statement. Sometimes a refreshment session with your business plan may re-inspire another idea or get motivated about the business again. If this doesn’t work take a few days off and step back. Don’t be afraid to give yourself a vacation as a small business owner. Vacations are necessary in order to avoid the burnout. When I mean burnout I don’t just mean you being burned out, but take a look at your family and give them a break to spend more time with you. Your family is there to support you yes, but be sure to take some time to give a little something back to them.Next, if the f...
More About: Business , Doing business