Advice

You want employees with drive and ambition but when it comes to salary negotiations, you may wish you had a few wallflowers.  We’ve all seen a lot of info out there for how to get what you are worth in the job market, but what if you are sitting on the other side of the...

You sell the product or perform the service and send a bill, and the customer pays. End of story. Not always. While most customers will pay you promptly for your work, there will always be those who are slow, or don’t pay at all. This can be more than an irritation; it can stifle your...

In today’s rapidly changing landscape of communications, it has become critical to present a story idea to the media in the most effective way. Reporting on a special event, covering a crisis or announcing a groundbreaking development may require different modes of communication depending on each scenario. While social media has dominated modern day conversation,...

I remember attending at a Chamber breakfast a few years ago where Nigel Risner, motivational speaker and author of “The Impact Code,” presented as the guest speaker. He told the room of 100 that he was going to ask something of us that might make us uncomfortable, but he promised he wouldn’t embarrass or harm...

While the least common of interview types, the group interview is a creative way to help employers quickly get through multiple candidates. When done correctly, and usually as a first-round interview, the group setting carries great advantages over scheduling individual first-round interviews with each candidate. However, this type of initial screening process is not without...

With the many changes that have occurred within the health insurance industry, individuals and business owners are questioning how their coverage and costs have changed, as well as what options they have. While many employers would like to be able to provide their staff with health benefits, it’s not always a viable option, nor is...

The nature of the term “startup” lends itself to a new beginning, a burst of acceleration. But the keys to traveling in the direction of stability can be hard to pin down. What do leaders of incubators look for to determine the likelihood of a new company’s success? The answers may surprise you. Basic metrics...

Every successful sports team has a “go-to” player; someone who can be counted on to perform and deliver whatever is needed in specific situations. As a small-business owner, you want your company to be a “go-to” resource for your customers, the place they’ll turn to whenever they need a certain product or service, regardless of...

According to Twitter’s “About” page, the social media company has 271 million monthly users, and 500 million tweets are sent per day. Facebook more than quadruples that number with 1.32 billion monthly users, and let’s not forget about the users that are on Instagram, YouTube, Vine, Tumblr and LinkedIn. Those are relevant numbers to you,...

By Kathy Richardson, APR When you see “MD” after someone’s name, you know right away that person is a doctor. When you see the letters “MBA” after a person’s name, this announces to the world that he or she holds a master’s degree in business administration. But have you seen the letters “APR” after the...