Planning and Strategy: General

Do You Need an Executive Coach?

Where can the leader of a small business turn for objective and trustworthy counsel on matters critical to the company’s success? An executive coach might just be the answer.

Scaling the Learning Curve

It’s the rare entrepreneur who can truly claim to be a “master” of every business facet. Slow periods, whether caused by seasonal or economic conditions, can be the perfect time to improve your skills

Last-Minute, But Great, Vacation Deals

Finding the best price for a great vacation requires patience and flexibility. If you don’t plan to put a package together at least a year in advance, it’s hard to find the best deals. But, sometimes, waiting until the last minute nets you the best price on a package or even a la carte travel

When Is It Time to Upgrade Technology?

The pace of innovation, especially in computer hardware and software, can seem blistering. But do you always need the latest and greatest?

Don’t Be a Software Pirate

Simply buying a software package doesn’t give you the right to put it on every machine in your office. In fact, even though you may not have intended it, software piracy has very real consequences. Getting caught could mean fines of $150,000 or more.

The Lease You Can Do

As the economy continues to tighten, cash flow concerns mount for any business owner. If you’re thinking of sinking significant capital into any technology, communications or other office equipment, it might make sense to weigh the benefits of leasing.

Look Before You Lease

Leasing might be just the right thing to help you improve your cash flow. But making sure you’re armed with the right information before you sign on the dotted line can help you make the best deal.

New Identity Theft Red Flag Rules

Several federal regulatory agencies, including the Department of the Treasury and Federal Trade Commission, have adopted final rules requiring anyone extending credit to adopt policies aimed at fighting identity theft. Here’s what you need to know.

Putting Statistics to Work for You

While there are many fee-based companies that offer demographic and other statistical information designed to make your marketing more effective, there are several great sources that will cost you nothing

Uncle Sam Reaches Out to Small Business

The $168-billion Economic Stimulus Package for the American People Act of 2008, recently signed by President Bush, is intended to help middle-class taxpayers. But small business owners may be the big winners.

Finding the Right Attorney

In much the same way you would seek the help of a qualified tax or financial professional for your business, it helps to hook up with the right attorney from the beginning. You need someone that can give you the right guidance when it comes to legal situations.

The Government and Small Business

While we typically want less involvement in business on the part of government, Uncle Sam offers a wide range of ways to help start and grow small businesses, in particular. Here are a few of the key programs offered by the federal government.

More Intelligence on Intelligence

Sources for competitive intelligence don’t have to be expensive—they run the range between free and fairly costly. Here’s how you can build a solid group of research sources.

Good to Great: Are You a Hedgehog or a Fox?

In his book, Good to Great, author Jim Collins discusses the “Hedgehog Concept.” He says that it’s “not a goal to be the best, a strategy to be the best, an intention to be the best, a plan to be the best. It is an understanding of what you can be the best at. The distinction is absolutely critical.” In this article, Collins describes how the Hedgehog Concept works in developing a foundation for good-to-great companies.

Line Extensions: Benefits of Pushing Your Products and Services Harder

Your product or service has been doing well for the past year or two, but you’re seeing sales start to lag or a competitor has developed something a little too close to what you offer. It may be time to add a product or service line extension

It's the People

One element shared by every great business is the people. From the process of finding the right candidates to making sure they’re incentivized to stay, finding, and keeping, good people is at the core of success.

What Being Green Can Mean to Your Business

Big businesses—Continental Airlines, Hewlett Packard, Wal-Mart and others—have been making waves lately with their highly publicized “green” programs. But as far as positively impacting the environment is concerned, small businesses have a much greater opportunity to do more.

Getting to “Great”

If you’re looking for way to go from “good” to “great,” these resources can help you develop the road map for getting there.

Finding the Right Resources Online

If you’re going to make a business decision based on something you find on the web, your decisions will only be as good as the site itself. Learn how to spot online content and resources that are credible and verifiable.

Nonprofit Online Small Business Resources

Two well-known nonprofit organizations, the Edward Lowe Foundation and the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, offer excellent small-business content and resources.

New Small Business Online Resources

A brief review of recent online small-business services from well-known organizations.

Controlling the Clock: Time Management Resources

You can’t account for every second of every day, but at least you can set key priorities and finish the day feeling as though you’ve accomplished your “must haves.” Here’s a sampling of systems and resources that can help you manage and budget your time.

Top 5 Time-Management Do's and Don'ts

How many times have you sat down to review your e-mail and then looked up at the clock to see that you’d lost a valuable hour? It’s easy to say that you need to both prioritize your time and narrow your focus, but it’s no easy task.

Outsourcing Resources

Get a deeper understanding of sales outsourcing and its uses and benefits.

How to Negotiate Like a Kid

Children are the world’s best negotiators. Here’s what they know that you should.

Outsourcing Sales: Gaining More by Spending Less

Among the benefits of taking sales out-of-house is the opportunity to gain increased exposure in new markets, conserve capital, test-market new products and, of course, keep overhead down.

The Outsourcing Dilemma

Outsourcing can be effective, but it’s not for every company. Here’s a clear perspective on the pros—and cons—of outsourcing abroad.

Outsourcing Resources

Outsourcing may work for your business, but you have to do your homework. When you clearly understand the overall benefits, how you can make it work for your specific needs and what the possible downsides are, you put yourself in the best position to find the right outsourced resource.

Pre-Qualifying Vendors and Suppliers

For most small business owners, vendors and suppliers are the lifeblood of your business. Pre-qualifying suppliers helps you create lasting partnerships based on trust.

The Benefits of Sales Reps

When you need help selling and you don’t have the income for a full-time hire, a sales representative or rep firm—someone with the right contacts who earns money only if you do—may be the right answer.

What Makes a Leader?

What does it take to be a good business leader? Today’s leaders demonstrate a wide variety of specific characteristics and traits. Do you see yourself in this inventory?

Putting a CEO Peer Group to Work for You

CEO or peer advisory groups are becoming an increasingly common tool to help non-competitive small business owners voice and address their toughest challenges, while creating excellent networking opportunities.