Image by Michael Giuffrida about Finance

Should I ask my family to make an investment in my business?

Financing a small business can be very difficult and very stressful.  When you have a great idea and want to get started, you need to determine how much startup capital you will need, and you will likely need more than you anticipate.  It you have family members with financial means, it can be tempting to Read more about Should I ask my family to make an investment in my business?[…]

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What should I do about telephones for my business?

There are lots of options for implementing a telecom strategy for your business with today’s technology.  There was a time when picking your phone number and deciding your initial telecom strategy was daunting because if you every moved your office to another town or went from one system to another all of the history with Read more about What should I do about telephones for my business?[…]

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How can I empower my employees to make decisions that will be in alignment with my thinking?

When you are operating a small business you can not be everywhere at the same time. Because of this, if you want to grow and scale your business you will quickly need to figure out how to empower your employees to make decisions so you are not a bottleneck to your own growth.  While this Read more about How can I empower my employees to make decisions that will be in alignment with my thinking?[…]

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Unlimited vacation time? Really???

There is a trend in small businesses to offer employees unlimited vacation time.  The reality is that for many small businesses, they would essentially do this for their good employees anyway.  While there is usually a policy that indicates how many days or weeks an employee would get, if you have employees who are going Read more about Unlimited vacation time? Really???[…]

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Can I use robotic process automation (RPA) in my small business?

The concept of automation is not new. Neither is the idea of using “robots” to do things that humans were previously required to do.  However, the idea of being able to afford any of this in a small business has been far out of reach as automation was widely considered an “enterprise” concept.  Good news Read more about Can I use robotic process automation (RPA) in my small business?[…]

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Why does it feel like it takes so long to gain momentum in my new business?

Do you remember the old UPS commercial about the company that launched their new website and suddenly they had too many orders to handle?  Unfortunately, with most things in business, you do not gain momentum at that pace.  In all reality, in the beginning it can feel like any change in a business is moving Read more about Why does it feel like it takes so long to gain momentum in my new business?[…]

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How long does it take to build a new website?

Having been in the website business for years, it was always amusing to me when a prospect for a new website would delay their decision to go forward with our web proposal, but then would hound us about how quickly it needed to be up and running as soon as they signed.  While this may Read more about How long does it take to build a new website?[…]

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What should I expect from my website?

While it may seem obvious to people in business today that they need a website, many don’t understand exactly why or what they should expect from their site.  As is true with most business tools the answer to this question depends upon your business and your target audience but here are some goals you should Read more about What should I expect from my website?[…]

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Do I need a written information security policy for my business?

A written information security policy (WISP) is a document that a business can use to inform employees about ways to protect the information in their business.  It covers topics such as how complex passwords must be, how often they should change and how to store them.  It should also define the different types of information Read more about Do I need a written information security policy for my business?[…]

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What things should I consider for my new office space?

For today’s employees, an office space is more than simply a place to show up for 8 hours per day to do a job and then go home.  People have learned that for a place that you spend such a large portion of your waking hours, you need to want to go there, enjoy being Read more about What things should I consider for my new office space?[…]