Category: business

Most business owners would probably agree that, in today’s world, data rules. But finding, organizing and deriving meaning from the terabytes upon terabytes of information out there isn’t easy. How can your company harness the power of data without throwing dollars into the technological void? By investing in a formal initiative to incorporate data analytics into…

Many small businesses start out as “lean enterprises,” with costs kept to a minimum to lower risks and maximize cash flow. But there comes a point in the evolution of many companies — particularly in a tight job market — when investing money in employee benefits becomes advisable, if not downright mandatory. Is now the…

Family-owned businesses face distinctive challenges when it comes to succession planning. For example, it’s important to address the distinction between ownership succession and management succession. When a nonfamily business is sold to a third party, ownership and management succession typically happen simultaneously. However, in the context of a family business, there may be reasons to…

When the pandemic hit about two and a half years ago, thousands of employees suddenly found themselves working from home. In many cases, this meant turning to personal devices to access their work email, handle documents and perform other tasks. Even before COVID, more and more businesses were allowing employees to use their own phones,…

Family-owned businesses face distinctive challenges when it comes to succession planning. For example, it’s important to address the distinction between ownership succession and management succession. When a nonfamily business is sold to a third party, ownership and management succession typically happen simultaneously. However, in the context of a family business, there may be reasons to…

Most growing small businesses reach a point where the owner looks around at the leadership team and says, “It’s time. We need to offer employees a retirement plan.” Often, this happens when the company is financially stable enough to administer a retirement plan and make substantive contributions. Other times it occurs when the business grows weary…

If you’ve been in business for any amount of time, you probably don’t need anyone to tell you about the importance of cybersecurity. However, unlike the lock to a physical door, which generally lasts a good long time, measures you take to protect your company from hackers and malware need to be updated and reinforced…

The current calendar year is winding down and a fresh 12 months lies ahead. That makes now a good time to think about how you should present yourself to customers and prospects next year. The U.S. economy has undergone notable change in 2022. Namely, rising inflation and persistent supply chain challenges have forced companies to really contemplate…

An impressive 432,834 new business applications for tax identification numbers were submitted during October 2022, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Indeed, despite the relatively higher costs of doing business these days, plenty of start-ups are still launching. One thing that every new company needs, along with a business plan, is a sensible budget. And that…

When it comes to sales, most businesses labor under two major mandates: 1) Keep selling to existing customers, and 2) Find new ones. To accomplish the former, your sales staff probably gets some help from the marketing and customer service departments. Succeeding at the latter may be more difficult. Yet perhaps the most discernible way a sales…