Although many of you are fantastic managers of your employees and operations, the issue of good time management is almost always a part of every discussion I have with business owners. Good time management requires a focus on what’s most important to you and your...

There’s nothing more exciting than breaking free of cubicle life and starting your own business. Finally, you can be your own boss and make your own rules. You get to decide how your time is spent, who you partner with and how you go about doing business. To be sure,...

The Alternative Board (TAB), the world's largest franchise provider of peer advisory boards and business coaching services, released the results of its quarterly, third-party Small Business Pulse Survey today - and the results are surprising. Although 76% of...

According to The Alternative Board’s recent business pulse survey on time management, 85% of business owners are working 40+ hours per week, but only 70% want to be. In fact, the average business owner is working 7.7 hours a week more than they’d like. Even though...

Virtually everyone owns a smartphone, which we use for an ever-growing array of tasks and entertainment. But smartphones are also extremely useful in the business realm. CEOs and business owners are discovering just how useful, when they download apps that...

In order to grow your business, you may have been told to work on your business and not in your business. While this is true and something, I encourage my clients to do, it’s important to remember that you still need an accurate picture of what’s going on to ensure...

As an entrepreneur, you handle an onslaught of tasks day in and day out. You are often juggling a multitude of jobs. Competing priorities make being organised and focused on the end goal even more crucial. The good news is that there are several useful business apps...

Email marketing may seem like a dying communication channel, but it’s importance to your integrated marketing campaigns are still undeniable. Using current tools and techniques, your email marketing campaigns will become more relevant than ever. This installment of...

Evolving Online As in so many areas of our lives, recruiting employees has largely gone digital. Although finding the perfect fit is key to your company’s success, the recruiting process can be expensive, time consuming and—let’s face it—downright frustrating! That is...

We asked TAB members and business coaches to submit business tips for using tools and techniques to interview and qualify employee candidates in this edition of business tips from the top. Interviewing Today’s high-tech, global society has made digital communications...

The business landscape has undergone seismic changes since the beginning of the pandemic. Workplace environments are being re-evaluated, with potentially huge implications around the corner. Another area of re-evaluation is the inherent value and logistical challenges...

For years now, large-scale businesses have been employing Artificial Intelligence (AI) to help drive productivity and high performance. This same technological advantage is available to small businesses, as well, and those who do not leverage this advantage stand to...

It may be hard to predict what will happen in business in 2020, but betting that technology will continue to advance and influence the marketplace seems like a sure thing. Technological innovations may not be an area in which CEOs and business owners excel, but...

How Social Media Adds to Your Customer Service Today's fun fact: it happens to be the 40th anniversary of the first mobile phone conversation. Forty years later, the age of the mobile phone is here... and there... and everywhere. People travel with smartphones with...

To be successful, you need to have a positive mindset. But how do you keep your spirits up when you are a whole year into a pandemic? COVID-19 has dramatically changed the way we live and work. Every aspect of our lives has been affected by the virus. We have made...

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic struck in 2020, a leading trend among businesses was employing remote workers in a wide range of job responsibilities. The trend has, by now, attained something of a permanent status, as many companies anticipate continuing the...

Let's call the project scenario we'll use throughout this series "Project Tweet". Our company is Hummingbird Deliveries. Hummingbird is a local package delivery service, located in Manhattan. The company is run by McKenzie Rogers. Ms. Rodgers employees 9 couriers, a...

The Innovator's Dilemma is an Opportunity for The Little Guy Steve Jobs popularised The Innovator's Dilemma by Clayton Christensen in his biography. As far as business books go, it's a demanding read. It explains how the most successful businesses in an industry are...

The effective onboarding of new employees is clearly a benefit to businesses, but some companies persist in “winging it” whenever a new hire joins the team. As we have noted before, businesses that lack a proper onboarding system in place “fail to understand the link...

Knowing Your Audience(s) on Social Media Imagine me clapping my palms together and rubbing them together gleefully, and you'll get a strong idea of my vehemence with regards to the audience in social media. News Flash: You are going to screw up on social media. With...

Protecting Your Ideas May Be Easier Today The decision of whether or not a small business owner should attempt to patent their invention or intellectual property is a difficult one. The pros include limiting the competition and potentially opening additional income...

It would be nice to think that every applicant to a job opening at your business is always telling the truth in their resumes, during their interviews, and throughout the hiring process. Unfortunately, while the vast majority of job-seekers are sincere and forthright...

One of the important lessons the COVID-19 pandemic has taught many business owners is that business agility is a key component to running a successful business. Business owners are challenged more now than ever to consider the obvious and not-so-obvious factors that...

Remote work is the new normal. In fact, remote work was gaining ground even before the pandemic hit, and with the start of 2021, many IT companies have permanently taken this route. However, there are many managers and business owners who are still skeptical. It is...

Small businesses are increasingly aware that cybercrime can strike any enterprise, not just Fortune 500 companies. This realisation comes not a moment too soon since various studies estimate that nearly 50% of cyber-attacks specifically target small businesses to...

If enhancing communications with your employees is on your list of resolutions, utilising digital technology can help you achieve this goal. Businesses that still rely on a “suggestion box” in the break room or some similarly out-of-date mechanism should consider...

CEOs and business owners must possess a wide range of talents to lead their organisations. Being able to communicate clearly and across a spectrum of audiences might be one of the most important to cultivate. Unfortunately, in the hectic rush of daily operations and...