There have been recent increases in business and consumer confidence in many developed economies and expectations are growing that the worst of the global financial crisis and its associated recessions may be over. However, the optimism is mixed with caution. Consumers are looking for good value at a lower price and businesses are exploring ways …
Cross Promotion – A Low Cost Way to Grow Your Business
With marketing budgets under pressure, business owners and managers are looking for ways to do more with less. One of the most effective ways to find new customers with minimal expense is cross promotion. Cross promotion is simply when two or more businesses combine resources to market their products or services to each other’s customers. …
Help! I Need Help!
One of the biggest challenges faced by most businesses is sourcing help in a reliable, timely and affordable way. It’s neither practical nor desirable – and often not even possible – to employ people with the expertise in all the areas your business needs. At the same time you need to operate in a professional …
Back in the (former) USSR!
If you follow my blog, (OK, with the economic crisis some of you haven’t got all that much to do so why not follow John’s blog!) you will recall that last year as part of my sabbatical my family and I lived in Klaipeda, Lithuania while I taught at LCC International University www.lcc.lt as a visiting Professor. …
How To Turn A Possible Star Performer Into A Disgruntled Employee
There are some common mistakes that managers make which disempower team members and make them seem moody and unresponsive. It can happen with baby boomer managers and Gen Y or Gen X staff, but it’s not confined to generationally different workers by any means. Here’s how to turn a terrific team member into a frustrated …
Getting On Top Of Business Forecasting
The way to remain on top of your business in this climate is to plan, but the days of the three to five year plans are over. Instead focus on the next 18 to 24 months with lots of scenario planning and stress testing. Build scenarios Create a forecast for the next 18 months to …
Positive Medicine For Your Business
As a business entrepreneur in a downwardly spiraling economy you need to be conscious of keeping your team feeling energetic and positive about the future of the business. Positive emotions have been demonstrated conclusively to improve performance, reduce turnover, and boost profits. Share the success Holding a meeting? Start by sharing some positive client feedback, …
10 Strategies For Getting Paid On Time
If we don’t get paid, we go out of business. So with more debtors delaying payment in these tough times, taking action to collect money should be a top priority for small companies. Few small businesses can afford to turn customers away, but being timid about stretched credit terms puts your own company in danger. …
You Can Quote Me On That…
Many types of small business routinely offer customers some idea (either a quote – which is legally binding, or an estimate, which is not) of the cost for doing a job. Often customers require such an estimate for a sense of safety or to compare quotes from different businesses before they will commit to a …
Is the United States Losing its Entrepreneurial Edge?
As I have travelled the world the last year I have been struck more than once by the fact that many other countries seem to exhibit a much hungrier, edgier entrepreneurship than we now see in the United States. Maybe we have gotten complacent and comfortable with our style of entrepreneurship. It strikes me that …
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