Belle Oberbrunner Great Ideas for your Small Business: Organize a Company Retreat An annual or semiannual retreat is an excellent way to measure the pulse of your business and keep storm clouds from brewing. You don’t have to book a Caribbean cruise, rent a fancy hotel suite, or even get on a plane to host this event. … Read more
Great Ideas for your Small Business: Find a Mentor although finding a mentor seems like a good idea, actually making the connection can be intimidating, especially for people who are reluctant to admit they need help. But a mentor can steer you around the potholes and buoy you up when you are drowning in confusion. … Read more
Great Ideas for your Small Business: Overcome a Fear of Public Speaking many entrepreneurs have to be the company spokesperson, whether they like it or not. While public speaking can be terrifying, knowing how to make a clear, concise presentation can mean the difference between financial success and failure for many small firms. You might … Read more
Great Ideas for your Small Business: Move Your Business to an Incubator if you think incubators are just for chicks, think again. Incubators offer entrepreneurs orchestrated business support, including mentoring, financing programs, and a mix of compatible neighbors. There are about 900 business incubators in forty-eight states, according to Dinah Adkins, executive director of the … Read more
Great Ideas for your Small Business: Create an Informal Advisory Board the largest companies in the world have all sorts of advisory boards, but entrepreneurs are often reluctant to ask outsiders for help. An advisory board made up of industry leaders, deep thinkers, cutting-edge colleagues, and experts can steer you and your company through the … Read more
Great Ideas for your Small Business: Say Goodbye to Corporate Life “i suddenly realized i was taking just as big a risk staying in my corporate job as I would if I left,” said Dairl Johnson, who was at the peak of his career and managing a product line with $1.5 billion in sales at … Read more
Great Ideas for your Small Business: Tell the Truth—It’s Critical this idea may seem obvious, but telling the truth is critical to business success. Being truthful helps hone your vision for the company. While you may be tempted to hype sales figures or inflate projections to make yourself feel better, don’t. These little untruths will … Read more
Great Ideas for your Small Business: Solicit a Quick “Yes” or “No” through the years, i’ve learned that a quick and honest “no” is as important as a “yes” in many, many business situations. While we all love to sign on a new client or make a huge sale, too much time is wasted in … Read more
Great Ideas for your Small Business: Turn to Spiritual Leaders and Science for Management Advice entrepreneurs looking for a new spin on management might want to read two provocative books: Moses on Management (Pocket Books, 2000), by Los Angeles–based Rabbi David Baron, and Leader- ship by the Book (William Morrow, 1999), by Ken Blanchard. In … Read more
Great Ideas for your Small Business: Hire a Great Lawyer when you’re starting a business, it’s natural to try to save money at every turn. But it doesn’t pay to scrimp when it comes to getting solid legal advice. Most business owners’ first encounter with legal forms comes with a DBA, which means “doing business … Read more
