Four Strategies to Empower your Retail Associates
Michael Koploy – So far this month, Best Buy has been in the headlines for all the wrong reasons. A disappointing Q4, a CEO resignation and an internal probe on his inappropriate employee relations. I’m personally not all that surprised. Best Buy’s prices are too high, their stores difficult to navigate. Most frustrating, however, have [...]
ISBDC / April 24, 2012
Who’s On First? How Do I Get To Second? Do You Have A Good Business Support Team?
Heather Penney – One of the most important keys to a successful business and also to the business owner is having a business management team. Now you may be asking yourself, “Who should be on my team?” A business management team is composed of the following individuals: An attorney, a CPA, a banker, an insurance agent, [...]
ISBDC / March 5, 2012
Living The Coffee Shop Dream
Tom Steiner – Do what you love and the money will follow. Nope, not really, don’t count on it, better think twice about that. For many, the romance of owning a business is what motivates their thoughts of being an entrepreneur. Like love is blind, the thought of owning a business and doing what you [...]
East Central ISBDC / October 11, 2011
From “Bossypants” to Fearless – Micromanage No More
Peggy Cenova – I recently read Bossypants by Tina Fey– where her book humorously states “you’re no one until someone calls you bossy”. We all know a “Bossypants” and they are no one’s favorites. With a bit of self reflection however, you might find that as you have become a leader and a business owner [...]
East Central ISBDC / September 20, 2011
Hospitality: Achieving a Competitive Advantage Through Customer Service
Kelly Will – Every entrepreneur aspires “to provide the best customer service”. I’ve seen it… It’s in nearly every business plan and typically addressed in the mission statement. So why does it not always work out that way? No one ever said it was easy to compete on service, however, the expectations of service are [...]
Southeast ISBDC / July 27, 2011
Common Legal Mistakes Made by Small Business Owners
Heather Clark Reynolds - As a former practicing attorney and current business advisor, it amazes me how often I see the same legal snafu’s business owners find themselves in time and time again. That being said, here are the top five (in no particular order) of pitfalls to avoid. 1. Using pre-printed forms/documents found on the [...]
Hoosier Heartland ISBDC / June 27, 2011
With a Little Help, Disciplining Employees Can Be Easier Than You Think!
Jan Fye – Over the many years I have worked with managers, I find one of the challenges they fear most is disciplining employees. Tasks need to get done and there are times that things just don’t work the way they should…and we have to step in. With a little bit of planning up front, you may [...]
North Central ISBDC / May 26, 2011
Can Your Business Run Without You?
By Nicole Bickett, VisionBridge If you own your own business, you may have gotten started because you wanted flexibility and control over your time. Yet as many entrepreneurs and business owners know, once you run a business you often work more than you ever have before! Why is this? Typically when a business owner starts [...]
ISBDC / May 2, 2011