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Five Tips to Becoming a Do-It-Yourself Expert
We all wish we could hire the infamous movie character, Jerry Maguire, of “Show Me the Money!” fame to handle our PR. However, in these difficult economic times, when many small businesses…
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Overlooked Risks to Business Owners
Disclaimer: I’m a big hockey fan. I played in college and now I coach my kids in the sport. And maybe it’s just me, but I find a lot of similarities between…
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Why is it Important to go With a Wealth Advisor
Many aspects of your life have to be considered when making short- and long-term financial decisions. Wealth advisors take the time to understand your unique life goals and challenges and help you…
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Navigating Facebook – Etiquette at Work
Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Tumblr, Pinterest— social media has clearly revolutionized the way we communicate. We can reconnect with high school friends, send 140-character messages to celebrities and rally hundreds of people…
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An Industry Long Overdue For A Change
The origins of modern banking can be traced to early Renaissance Italy, and the architecture of older bank branches still reflects that neoclassical idealism. We still romanticize banks today. As a society,…
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Government Grants: Fact vs Fiction
The small business bank loan pipeline abruptly shut down during the 2008 global financial meltdown. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), small business lending peaked at $659 billion in 2008.…
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Ways to Make Printing Easier and More Effective
According to the Gartner Group, businesses spend between one and three percent of total annual revenues generating printed materials. Yet, as social media and digital advertising continue to increase in popularity, many…
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Five Dysfunctions Around the Principle of Authority
When there’s dysfunction in the authority structure of an organization, its growth is limited and possibly even totally prevented. Here are the top five dysfunctions around the principal of authority in corporate…
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Leveraging Data to Improve the Customer Experience
Though I still like to shop in person for certain things like golf clubs, Amazon is one of the places I enjoy online shopping. Why? I know I’m guaranteed a great customer…
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America is on the Upswing
As we enter the fourth month of 2013, we’ve already seen many changes in what we believed to be true late in 2012. Europe has fallen deeper into recession, as they’ve experienced…
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Understanding the Impact of Credit Card Processing and Swipe Fees on Your Bottom Line
Most businesses, no matter the size, simply cannot operate in today’s increasingly cashless society without accepting credit and debit cards. However, as card processing fees are usually among the three highest expenses…
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Why Outsourcing Payroll Makes Sense For Your Small Business
In today’s tough economic climate, more people are deciding to pursue their dreams by starting their own businesses. This entrepreneurial dream comes with promises of freedom and fulfillment, but as many people…
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Five Things I Wish Prospective Clients Knew
It seems more difficult than ever to have a conversation with a prospect these days—especially in professional services, like public relations and marketing. It’s as if there’s a special blacklisted hole for…
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Leading Growth Through Franchising
As a business owner, you’re constantly evaluating growth strategies. In strong economic times, you may feel more confident in relying on organic growth—that is, through normal channels such as word-of-mouth, repeat customers…
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Putting a Peer Advisory Group to Work for You
Times have never been more uncertain than they are now—especially in terms of the breadth and speed of technological advances, continued global economic fragility, and the ongoing lack of clarity about government…
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Mitigating Top Customer Concerns Following a Data Breach
Data presents several positive benefits for customers and businesses—enabling great insights for companies to better serve their customers. However, as the amount of data grows daily, several businesses are now acknowledging that…
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Purifying Your Polluted Personal Brand
Your personal brand More and more people and companies are using the Internet to make decisions on everything from hiring employees to researching products and services before they buy. A recent survey…
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Should I Switch My Business to a C Corporation?
For the first time in a decade, the top tax rates for individuals and corporations are not equal. At the beginning of this year, the top individual tax rate returned to 39.6%,…
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Swimming with the Sharks
Dave Alwan’s grandfather opened a grocery store in Peoria, IL in 1947. Like so many families who own a small business, Dave grew up in the family business. As a teen-ager Dave…
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Photo Safari Hawaii
Creating a Business Niche in Maui Many of the oceanfront hotel properties on the Hawaiian island of Maui are so beautiful that guests rarely leave their cozy confines. Maui-based photographer Brian Ross…
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Happy Bosses + Happy Employees = More Profits
Trying to make your business more profitable? Well, then you’ve probably tried to make your business more efficient or invent a new product. However, studies have shown that a much better way…
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Real Or Fake: Can Online Reviews Be Trusted?
Everyone knows you can’t always trust what you read. Never has that been truer than when it comes to social media. According to a study conducted by Gartner Research, by 2014, between…
