Sometimes change is like a large ship turning in the night, slowly moving toward a new direction seemingly inches at a time while the passengers on board don’t even feel the motion and the ripples in the water are slight. But come morning, the ship is facing in a new direction and moving forward at...
Technically we aren’t still in a recession, but it sure feels like one. Small business owners in today’s tough economic climate have their work cut out for them. While deeply involved in the day-to-day aspects of running their business, they rarely have time to focus on new ways to grow revenues.
Suppose you want your employees to speak only English at work? You want employees to cover tattoos on necks? Or you want to ban the wearing of hats? Can you do these things without being charged as acting discriminatory? It depends.
How could it be that there are available insurance policies that a broker doesn’t always sell you, but you actually need? Amazing, but true. I have reviewed hundreds of businesses over my tenure as an advisor. Here are a few types of insurance that are extremely useful, and often missing. ...
A few years ago, we were asked to bid on a PR campaign for a new hospitality group. We were very excited about this organization because they, at the time, had the potential to become game changers, firing up an industry and changing the way business is done.
I’m working with an entrepreneur who has developed software that helps enterprise-level companies save time and money. She believes that she has the best product on the market and based on the feedback I have heard from others, I don’t doubt her. For about the past year, I have tried to get...
By almost all accounts, the start of the holiday shopping season was strong for retailers, who reported a seven percent increase in sales over Black Friday 2010. Encouraged by a vigorous campaign supported by American Express and unseasonably warm weather in the Northeast, shoppers made the rounds...
Bewilderment, frustration, fear, and a general sense of being overwhelmed is common to those attempting to understand and utilize social media. The assumption is made that because I do this for a living, I have the time to understand social media. Nothing could be further from the truth....
As a business owner you get pulled in many directions and you have to be selective of how and where you spend your time. Time is money, and as we all know, it is a finite commodity.
We are in a remarkable period of transition. More businesses will be changing hands in the next decade than has occurred in quite some time, but the business owner will not get full value for their business, or perhaps even get it sold, unless they heed these five areas before they attempt to sell...
More than ten years ago I took part in an Outward Bound trip, white water rafting in Colorado and Utah. For a city-bred non-swimmer, this was a big adventure. I participated at the suggestion of a friend who was on the New York board; Outward Bound ran modified trips for those who might be...
When is big small? Big banks are shrinking in the small business lending space, while regional and local banks and non-bank lenders continue to approve a much higher percentage of loan requests.
Small Business Saturday takes place during Thanksgiving weekend between Black Friday and Cyber Monday. American Express launched the program in 2010 to support local businesses, which create jobs, boost the economy, and preserve neighborhoods in New York and around the U.S.
To be seen, heard, and grow your reach, your social media marketing strategy should include how to get on lists. You ask—what lists? Twitter and Facebook have lists that you control. Google+ came out with circles. No matter what they are called or who came out with it first, you...
Small Business Saturday 2011 is just around the corner. On Saturday, November 26th, small businesses across the country will open their doors to consumers in the hopes that they’ll choose to shop local for their holiday gifts – and everything else – this year.
One of my consulting clients is a large professional service firm who are trying to differentiate themselves from all the other firms competing with the exact same services offered. There are the typical challenges when helping an organization transform into what we like to call a customer service...
We are business owners, independent souls that thrive on taking charge and doing it our way. Often this is for good reasons: We see an efficiency to capitalize on.We have an innovation to spread to others.We have a skill set others want. And sometimes it is because we do not...
Event marketing, at its core, is about revealing the existence of an event to appropriate audiences and delivering a valued guest list to the client. Before Your Event
Recently I had dinner with some friends and we got onto the topic of reinventing oneself. I found myself encouraging them to start using social media. As the conversation took a course of reflection on the past, naturally it evolved into the realities we face today.
These days your mobile phone or tablet can be used as a mini-computer when you’re away from the office, allowing you to manage your business from almost any location. Whether you're using an iPhone, BlackBerry, or Android phone (or an iPad, Galaxy Tab, or Xoom), these three things are imperative...
Follow NY Report