Tag: Business Columnists

Keep Things Friendly, but Reach an Understanding

Dear Dave, My husband and I own a small business. We have a large account providing wholesale items to a client. Our original agreement was to work on 30-day payment periods, but he is three months behind on the bill. We live in a small town, and the businesses here stick together and help each…


How to Work From Home Without Getting Bored

By Morissa Schwartz While the ongoing health crisis normalized working from home for many positions, I have worked from home my entire professional career. I have never set foot in an office, and my two companies operate entirely remotely. After a decade of remote work as a freelancer, you would think I would be bored…


9 Tips to Get Your First Customers

By Entrepreneur en Español Getting your first client is quite a challenging task (and, truth be told, it could turn into a real headache). These are some ideas that can help you build a portfolio of clients to start your business. Hand Out Flyers It may sound archaic, but it is a very effective strategy for new businesses looking…


How to Transform Your Office Into a Collaboration Destination

By Sean McDermott  70 percent of executives plan to get employees back to their desks at least part-time by fall 2021, according to a LaSalle Network survey. In fact, JPMorgan and Goldman Sachs are already well on their way to getting their people out of homes and back into commercial office spaces. My question to these corporate…


How Real Leaders Coach Their Employees For Success

By Steve Taplin The pillar of every successful business is happy employees, and effective coaching is a crucial ingredient to satisfied employees. Effective coaching leads to improved performance, knowledge transfer, skill improvement, and employee retention. Here are some statistics on the impact of excellent coaching: 77 percent of Fortune 500 employees suggest coaching had a significant effect on performance Executive…


Quality Leadership in the ‘Great Resignation’ Era

By Steve Taplin  Known as the Great Resignation, millions of workers are leaving traditional workplaces. In a post-pandemic time where businesses navigate the new territory of remote-home offices, leadership is more crucial than ever. Knowing how to give your team proper support in a new environment will lead to higher company morale and productivity. What is…


Why Digital Transformation Isn’t One-Size-Fits-All and How to Customize It

No two companies are exactly alike. Neither are two digital transformations. Organizations will spend an estimated $2.3 trillion per year on digital transformations by the middle of the decade, but they will spend it in drastically different ways. Therefore, while it can be tempting to follow the lead of others (especially into the digital unknown), doing so can…


The Great Resignation Explained Through Data: How Businesses Can Thrive

It’s becoming increasingly well documented that knowledge workers across the country are leaving their jobs. For some, it’s a case of plain old burnout, while for others, it’s a matter of re-prioritizing. In March 2021, Microsoft’s “Work Trend Index” report found 41 percent of workers globally thought about quitting their jobs. In addition, 54 percent of the…


When Meetings Can’t Be an Email: How to Make Meetings More Impactful

It’s practically an old saw at this point: “That meeting could have been an email.” However, many meetings can’t just be an email, no matter how you may wish it were different. Certain topics and business problems simply require face-to-face conversation so decisions can be made or action plans formulated. When that’s the case, it’s…


Build up These 3 Crucial Reserves to Thrive No Matter the Circumstances

There’s one guarantee in this life—it’s full of lots of highs and lows! Sometimes, you experience phenomenal success; sometimes, you have to deal with loss and defeat. Now, it might be impossible to ever fully prepare for the unexpected curveballs that life throws at you, but it is possible to build reserves so that you’re…