Archive for September, 2007
Can a Human Resources Consultant Increase Productivity?
Monday, September 17th, 2007One of the questions that has been popping up lately has to do with the Human Resources function and its role in the small business. Just as there is a common misunderstanding among the various accounting roles in business, there is a similar misunderstanding regarding HR. Business owners are hiring Human Resources Consultants in droves, […]
Credit Card Debt, Employee Taxes, and Employees vs. Contractors
Saturday, September 15th, 2007I recently read an article published on CNBC.com that stated that “Small business is having a love affair with credit cards…” which could not be further from the truth.
How to Deal with the Troublemaker in Your Shop
Thursday, September 13th, 2007I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been hired to fire the troublemaker… and how few times I actually end up firing someone, because
Estimate Cost Savings to Sell Others on the Value of Operational Improvements
Tuesday, September 11th, 2007I often find myself in a public setting in the company of an unfamiliar business owner. Whenever I get these opportunities I ask them what is the one business question they struggle with the most?
Use ‘Flooring’ and ‘Third-Party Financing’ to Improve Your Revenue and Cash Flow
Sunday, September 9th, 2007Many of the clients that I have seen in the last few years have used one or the other of two strategies that work to improve their cash flow and their revenues, either third-party financing or flooring, but rarely have I seen both used in the same small business. And many owners don’t even know […]
Office Politics - Avoid the ‘Slam Dunk’, Protect Your Supervisor, Manager, or Owner
Friday, September 7th, 2007In management, the slam dunk is a maneuver that will result in a power play whenever there is a conflict between two people, two departments, or two companies.
If you know anything about basketball, you’ve probably heard of the ’slam dunk’. Put simply, the slam dunk is usually delivered by a tall player who gets above […]
The Right Person For the Job I, Finding Your Perfect Assistant or Partner
Wednesday, September 5th, 2007Your company is growing. You have entirely too much work, and you need someone to take the excess workload. Now, if you could only find someone exactly like yourself to fill the position, then everything would be ducky… or not…?
Leverage
Monday, September 3rd, 2007There’s been a lot of talk lately about leverage. Most business owners think of leverage as borrowed money. But
Verbal Communication - Speaking So Someone Will Listen
Sunday, September 2nd, 2007More important than written communication is verbal communication. Speaking in such a way that another understands what we mean, and understanding what is meant when someone speaks to us, are two elements crucial to the effective performance of our work each day.
Buying a Business Part II - Is There Enough Cash Flow to Make the Payments AND Run the Business?
Saturday, September 1st, 2007Many businesses are offered for sale by the owner as ‘so-much down and so-much a month for so-long’. One of the biggest failure mechanisms for small business is buying into a business that is