Morale

Setting Social Boundaries with Employees

How personal is too personal? Humans are social individuals and many of us enjoy interacting with other people – both on a business and personal level. We spend an average of about 40 percent of our time at work so the chances of your personal life diving into your business social life are high. But having personal conversations in a formal office environment is something you should be careful...

Employee Reimbursement 101 – Minimizing taxable expenses and staying compliant with laws and regulations.

Keeping clients happy, vendors paid, and operations running smoothly is a tall task for any business — especially smaller organizations. For convenience’s’ sake, many employers find that allowing employees to pay certain expenses from their own pockets and reimbursing them later is a virtual necessity. However, business owners should be aware that this common practice does entail a bit of responsibility.
 Broadly speaking, there are three different ways of...

Techniques for Better Productivity

For most small business owners, the old phrase “so much to do, so little time” rings frustratingly true. With a virtually endless amount of tasks to deal with, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. Of course, giving in to such feelings is oftentimes the worst thing one can do. Dwelling on feelings of discouragement or frustrating generally leads one to being even less productive, thus furthering a negative cycle. Instead,...

6 Components of Positive Company Culture

Fostering good corporate culture has clear economic benefits. For companies that achieve this goal, employees tend to be more productive, customers tend to be more loyal, and management tends to be more effective. That being said, defining great corporate culture can be rather difficult. How exactly can a business owner tell if he or she is promoting a positive culture in the workplace? John Coleman of the Harvard Science...

5 Tips to Motivate Your Employees

There are many good reasons to foster motivation among your employees. Employees who are motivated will be more productive, thus bringing you a bigger ROI on your payroll, and they also tend to offer better customer service, thus representing your company in a manner that is likely to encourage customer loyalty. Here are a few tried-and-true methods of getting your employees motivated. Encourage autonomy and engagement. Employees who are...

5 Traits All Successful Small Business Owners Have in Common

It’s not easy being a small business owner. At the end of the day, all of the weight of your business falls onto you. However, if you possess these five traits all small business owners have in common, you can handle any challenge. 1. Passion- At the heart of every successful business, there is passion. If you are not absolutely in love with what you do, you won’t be...

Signs an Employee May Be Considering Leaving the Company

Employee turnover can be a frustrating and costly problem that affects your bottom line while also harming morale among existing employees. This is why working hard to ensure employee satisfaction is so important. If you believe that an employee may be planning on leaving the company, you may be wondering what steps you could potentially take in order to keep that talent working for you. In this article, we...

The Art of Delegation

Many business owners struggle to overcome this mentality: “If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself.” Thinking this way is understandable: you built your business up from the ground, and no one knows how to do what you do quite how you do it. However, with success comes growth, and growth means that you will need more help. Here are a few tips that can...

5 Tips Every Entrepreneur Needs to Hear

Each and every successful small business tends to be successful in its own unique way. Struggling small businesses, on the other hand, are often very similar: they often fall into the same traps. If you are an entrepreneur building your small business and dreaming of the success that lies ahead, make sure you take these 5 tips into consideration. 1. Hire Slowly and Fire Quickly. This is one of...

How to Run Your Business Like a Business

A sense of relaxed informality and friendly optimism is the hallmark of many a small business. When created correctly, such an atmosphere can inspire and motivate employees be productive, loyal, and innovative. When this informality reflects a broader sense of carelessness and lack of seriousness, however, the results can be disastrous. This is why small business owners (especially up-and-coming entrepreneurs) are oftentimes cautioned to “run their business like a...