It may be common sense that an entrepreneur needs an accountant and/or bookkeeper on their startup development team. But another crucial team member is just as important: An attorney. In business, mistakes can be expensive and as an entrepreneur, although you’ll know many of the regulations that apply to your business, there are so many you can’t possibly remember all of them. Depending on the type of business you run,… Read more
As a business owner, you’re the architect of your business’s vision and culture. But in the hustle to develop products, chase sales, and keep the lights on, some of the foundation often gets lost in the mix. Core values—those guiding principles that shape your company’s identity—are more than just words on a wall or a statement in a handbook. These aren’t just buzzwords to sprinkle throughout your website – your… Read more
As a small business owner, it can be incredibly difficult to maintain a healthy work-life balance. The obligations and responsibilities of running your own business often take priority over any personal pursuits, no matter how important they may be for your overall well being. But, with the right strategies and mindset in place, it is possible to strike an effective balance between working hard on your business and making time… Read more
When was the last time you felt that you had a week’s worth of energy to pour into just four days of work? As COVID-19 has reshaped our work-life balance and continues to redefine what is essential in our professional world, the concept of a shorter workweek is gaining traction. With proposed legislation in various states and countries, and the ongoing conversation among professionals, it’s evident that the discussion around… Read more
Traditionally, employers have relied on giving employees raises as a way to retain their staff and reward them for being hard-working and loyal. Raises can get expensive, and there is often an upper limit for what you can offer when it comes to increasing salaries and wages. Keeping your employees happy makes business sense. You want to keep your good employees, and it costs money to find, hire and train… Read more
When you start a business, you’re typically your only employee and payroll is about as simple as it gets. But as you grow, you hopefully find yourself in the position of needing to take on more employees. Before you know it, what was once a very straightforward task becomes a giant undertaking that’s sucking up most of your time. This is when it makes sense to outsource your payroll. While… Read more
As a small business owner, you may be considering enabling a remote work environment. With the rise of technology and the pandemic shifting the way we work, managing a remote team has become a popular option for business owners looking for new and unique ways to grow their business. However, there are both benefits and drawbacks to consider before making the switch. We’ll start with the benefits. A larger talent… Read more
As a business owner, you know that the right people are crucial to your company’s success. The best employees can help you achieve your business goals, improve your productivity, and drive growth. But finding the people best suited to your team can be daunting, and sometimes it’s easy to hire someone who seems okay, rather than taking the time to find the best fit. Here are some steps you can… Read more
As a small business owner, you’re likely concerned about every penny you spend. That’s a good thing, because you need to keep track of your income and expenses. It also means, however, that you might be less likely to hire people who can help your business. People like bookkeepers, who are great investments for any small business. So what does a bookkeeper do? Bookkeepers take care of the daily financial… Read more
When it comes to hiring seasonal employees, business owners tend to fall into two groups. Some look forward to hiring temporary workers, knowing that the need for seasonal workers reflects a business season. Some feel that it’s a necessary evil to get through times where the workload is heavy and the permanent workforce is lean. Unfortunately, the attitude is that seasonal employees are temporary, and are therefore not as skilled… Read more
Your employees are the blood of your entrepreneurial or small business life. No start-up will survive without a good set of people making sure that things run perfectly. The problem for you and any other entrepreneur is making sure that the people on your team are trustworthy and reliable. Some people have a sixth sense when it comes to reading people, but if you’re not that lucky you can simply… Read more
The question of motivating employees is often on a business owner’s mind. It can be difficult to find ways to genuinely motivate employees at work, and often the old standards—performance-based bonuses, increased rewards and commissions—only work in the short-term, if they work at all. In fact, some tests have shown that the usual motivational tactics aren’t always effective. So how can you authentically motivate workers? 1. Share positive feedback Too… Read more
Change in business is almost always a good thing, but often poor management means that the workforce becomes disengaged and the change process painful. In the worst cases, this results in irreparable damage being done. It doesn’t need to be this way. Follow these nine steps and empower yourself to successfully lead your people through major organizational change. Understand the change Make sure you understand exactly what is changing and how… Read more
Managing people is one thing, but anyone with experience of managing managers will know that’s a completely different ball game. A management team that works in complete harmony is a rare and beautiful thing, but it never comes easy. In fact, it’s paradoxical to think it should ever be that a group of people with strong leadership and management skills will operate without conflict for any length of time. The… Read more
Balancing customer experience against your budget is a difficult task. You need the right amount of staff working to keep customers happy, but not so many people that workers are standing around looking for things to do. If your customers have long wait times, that’s good news for you initially—it means your business is popular. The bad news is customers won’t wait around forever for you to fix your time… Read more
Now more than ever, more companies are exploring their options when it comes to employees working remotely. There are numerous reasons for doing so: Increased worker morale More flexibility in work schedules Enhanced cost savings by not paying for office space. With all the benefits, it makes sense that employers are considering whether or not working from home can work for their team. Here are 3 steps you can take… Read more
At face value, it seems like a great idea. If you’re a small business owner with just a few employees, you probably think that hiring a payroll specialist is an expense that you can avoid. You feel that you can handle it yourself. You have the best intentions to keep your staff paid right and on time. What could go wrong, right? Well, lots actually. Below are the reasons why… Read more
It’s one thing to manage workers when they’re all in the same place at the same time. However, when you run a construction business with field workers, things can get a lot more challenging. Not only are you typically not on the same job site as them, you might also have workers scattered over a variety of sites and projects. Managing them doesn’t just mean scheduling them and making sure… Read more
While most small businesses spend a great deal of time and effort in finding the right employees, they often fail to capitalize on their newly hired talent by ceding the onboarding process to HR or neglecting their responsibility entirely. From long waits for workspace, equipment, or training to an overly negative recitation of ‘don’t do these things or you will be fired,’ employers consistently miss the opportunity to inspire new… Read more
For small businesses, working with independent contractors can be a life saver. You can hand over tasks you don’t have time for – at a fraction of the cost of an employee. Unlike staff, you won’t owe a contractor payroll taxes, unemployment insurance, health insurance, or other employee benefits. Because contractors aren’t employees, however, they do need to be managed differently. They’re accustomed to being their own bosses, for one… Read more