I get it, I really do. You spend 40 or more hours a week with the people you hired, so it’s understandable that you’d start to form friendships. But once you start a business, you’ve got to draw a line between being friendly with your staff and trying to be their friend. The difference between the two is where the respect you need from them lies.
When you first start a business, every day can bring something new and innovative to your business. But what if you run a more established small business? Wouldn't you benefit from some new ideas as well? Here are four ways you can bring innovation back to your brand.
Running a company — and therefore being in charge of people — is both a blessing and a curse. It’s a blessing because it’s fulfilling in so many ways. But it can be a challenge because every day, regardless of how you feel, you have people looking to you for guidance. You’ve got to be on your toes and ensure that you’re doing your best to lead by example so that your staff emulates what you do and works their hardest for your company. Here are 6 tactics I’ve found effective in my leadership strategy.
One thing that makes CorpNet.com unique is that it's run by husband/wife team, Phil and Nellie Akalp. In honor of Valentine's Day, Phil answers a few questions about working with the one he loves. What's the best thing about working with your spouse? Well…we have A LOT more to talk about at dinner and on date night. Although it’s important to separate the stressful part of our work lives from our personal lives, I find it very beneficial to our relationship to share and discuss the exciting and/or creative parts of our business…even during “personal time.” We really “connect” when we are excited about something at work. Thus it’s always a good idea to discuss a new project or idea…but we NEVER discuss accounting, taxes, or legal matters on date night.
For most small business owners, “Budget” is the first key factor in deciding whether to hire a small business lawyer. Obviously, we’d all prefer to hire the toughest law firm, equipped to handle any kind of case or transaction, staffed with a team of attorneys that will respond to our needs immediately. For most small businesses, however, we just can’t afford this “full-time legal dream-team.” So, we compromise: we hire a lawyer who is experienced in business matters, local to our business, with affordable legal rates. Hopefully, we can find a lawyer we actually like.
One small business owner’s experience about how raising prices actually INCREASED volume and lead to more loyal customers.
Starting a Business During a Recession. Many fortune 500 companies started during a recession or economic downturn.
Traditional marketing is costly. Word of mouth marketing can be very affordable through social media channels.
With "Free Stuff", there is always a catch. If you look, you can find a "great deal," but nothing is really "Free."
