An employee retention disaster at a local coffee bar reminded me of how critical resolving staff issues is to the life of a business. It all started (publicly) when regular customers found that Gorilla Coffee on 5th Ave. in Park Slope was closed because all ten of their employees quit, enmasse. Instead of being able… Continue reading Employee Retention: Why Resolving Staff Issues Is So Important
Category: Business
Small Business And Health Care Reform – Questions?
The small business community is abuzz with questions, concerns and mis-information about health insurance reform. In the small business “Agenda” blog, part of the “You’re the boss” blog section of the NY Times, Robb Mandelbaum has done a nice job of covering the health insurance reform issue from the small business perspective. To combat all… Continue reading Small Business And Health Care Reform – Questions?
Health-care Reform and Small Business Greed
The fight for health-care reform has been going on for sometime now. The critical vote takes place over this weekend, and this is my last minute appeal to the small business owners of this country to think with your minds and your hearts, rather than worry about your pocketbooks. I know that this bill isn’t… Continue reading Health-care Reform and Small Business Greed
Attract Clients With Perceived Value Pricing
The other day I blogged about increasing fees through perceived value pricing. Today I want to take this strategy one step further, by showing you how it can be used to attract clients as well. Let me introduce you to Dennis: Dennis is an attorney in private practice. For the first 7 years he billed… Continue reading Attract Clients With Perceived Value Pricing
Compelling Case Study Brings Business Benefits to Life
There’s no doubt about it, a well written case study can bring the benefits of a service, product or idea to life. As a huge believer in the case study as a marketing strategy, I’m always on the lookout for a great case study, and I found one this morning in today’s NY Times that… Continue reading Compelling Case Study Brings Business Benefits to Life
Destroying Trust | USDA Introduces New Threat To Organic Food Chain
I’ve written a lot about the importance of building trust when marketing your business. Today I want to talk about a branch of our government that’s destroying trust that the public has in organic foods. Close to 20 years ago my husband and I decided to “go organic” because we felt that we didn’t want… Continue reading Destroying Trust | USDA Introduces New Threat To Organic Food Chain
Small Business Loans; Are Community Banks Better?
The A.R.C. program’s small business stabilization program that is administered by the S.B.A. has been criticized by many due to a slim profit margin for the banks, and the large amount of effort required on the part of the banks and the borrowers; so many larger banks have completely shied away from the program. According… Continue reading Small Business Loans; Are Community Banks Better?
Is Cash Flow Tighter Now For Small Businesses?
Came across an article by Scott Shane this morning on Small Business Trends that cites a survey conducted by Discover Small Business Services which concluded that temporary cash flow is still declining for small businesses. But I wonder, is this fact or just a perception? Scott writes: “…The figure plots the percentage of respondents to… Continue reading Is Cash Flow Tighter Now For Small Businesses?
Want Business Success? Please Step Out Of (Your own) Way
Randy is a one man show. He started his architectural practice about 2 years ago after being laid off when his former employer went under. He’s managed to stay quite busy with a few clients that followed him, but never took the time to develop a real plan of what he wanted his business to… Continue reading Want Business Success? Please Step Out Of (Your own) Way
Small Business Lending Crunch | Credit At Any Cost?
There’s been a lot of talk about how hard it is for small businesses to get credit these days, and for sure there has been a decrease in the amount and size of loans that are available, driving some companies to borrow money at loan shark rates. A recent article in the NY Times entitled… Continue reading Small Business Lending Crunch | Credit At Any Cost?