RECENT ARTICLES
Coworking Spaces: 5 Things You Should Know if You Want to Join One in 2017
Are you considering renting a desk in any coworking spaces? Or perhaps a spot at a shared table? If you’re getting sick of competing for that one seat near the electrical outlet at your local Starbucks, then there are some things you should know before you join any coworking community. Not only are there...
Protect Your Business
In the past six months, two businesses in my neighborhood have gone out of business due to major fires. The woodworking shop’s fire was so intense that it warped the I-beams, and the deli’s fire closed both the business and damaged the housing on the second floor. Fires, theft, power outages, computer viruses, and...
Video: How To Organize Your Business Processes. Discussion with Erin Mathie
Having an organized home is tough. But keeping an organized business might be even tougher. In this discussion with Erin Mathie, organizational expert, Ramon helps you understand how to improve your business processes and ensure smoother growth. Produced in partnership with Insightly. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lf3jm9Z2m7A&t=918s
Airbnb and Business Travel – 5 Tips To Doing It Right
Recent data shows that more and more travelers who work for small and medium sized businesses (SMBs) are finding a place to stay on business trips at Airbnb. Here’s what’s happening, why it works, and some tips to make the most out of your stay during business travel. Still strong growth While growth in demand is...
Book Review: Dad Taught Me These 7 Lessons of Entrepreneurship
I learned my first business lesson very early as a young boy, watching the owner of a corner grocery store – my dad – cry when he didn’t have a deli item for one of his customers. He rode his bicycle across town in blistering heat to buy the specialty meat, went to the...
3 Ways to Manage Inventory During the Holidays
The period between right before Halloween until right after New Year's Eve is the peak selling season for many retailers and some B2B businesses. Consumers buy gifts, throw parties, decorate their homes, and make travel plans. That's the time when almost everybody in the company works hard at some aspect of the sales process; it's also the...
7 Free Government Resources to Help Small Business Owners
Today’s small business owners are lucky to have a myriad of resources available to help them start, run, and grow their business, including government programs and agencies that provide free assistance in the way of education, information, advice, funding, and more. Take your business to the next level with this list of top government...
Build a Smarter More Efficient Business by Letting Your Apps Work Together
There are thousands of powerful apps available to help today’s small businesses. Whether you are managing your finances, digital marketing, contacts or sales, there are specific apps to help you control each. However, each area of your business should not be running independently; they need to run together. Sales needs to talk to Marketing....
How a Michigan Company is Using Insightly CRM to Increase Communications and Sales
This article is published in partnership with Insightly, providing CRM and project management solutions for small business owners. Customer Relationship Management, or CRM, is an integral part of any small business looking to optimize their ability to manage prospects or leads through a sales funnel to becoming a customer. A strong well-managed CRM then allows...
5 Essential Skills for Providing Great Customer Service
Have you ever experienced truly exemplary customer service? I bet you’ve never forgotten it if you have. But of all the hundreds of customer service transactions you experience every year, have you ever considered why a particular instance should be quite so distinctive? Chances are, it’s because the customer service representative you were dealing with...
3 Key Steps to Protecting Your Business When You’ve Received a Cease and Desist Letter
Getting blindsided by a cease and desist letter chalk full of technical legal jargon is an extremely intimidating experience for small business owners. Oftentimes, a C&D letter involves a claim that your business has infringed on the sender’s trademark or copyright. For most business owners, being threatened to halt a business action or face...
Using Outsourcing to Scale Your Small Businesses Fast and Smart
To remain viable in today’s competitive business market, leaders are always working towards growth. When growth becomes a reality, the need to scale up resources to support those efforts often must be done quickly. Outsourcing is a way for companies to increase efficiency and decrease costs by transferring portions of work to outside suppliers, rather than...