By now, the predictions for 2010 have faded into the background and, for many, so have those business and personal New Years resolutions and top 10 lists. So now that February is upon us and new products and technologies are on the horizon, here is a brief synopsis of things to do and avoid that [...]

One of the biggest challenges facing small business owners is “How do I distinguish myself from my competitors?” The answer is simple, and so, there is no shortage of people toiling to make it complicated. To stand out, dedicate yourself to your customers. Care more about helping them than you do about making money. The [...]

So you benchmark your company against others in your industry. Maybe you look at maximizing revenue per full-time employee, increasing first call resolution in your contact center or IT expense as a percent of revenue. How do you compare to your competitors? Is that the right comparison? Your customers, whether they are consumers or businesses, [...]

Verizon and Cisco have teamed up to bring business owners The Better Way Challenge.  Each month until May 31st, 15 lucky people will be chosen to win a free Flip MinoHD when they sign up for a free 30 day trial of Verizon’s Collaboration Center. Verizon Collaboration Center is a better way for businesses to [...]

Valentine’s Day is rapidly approaching, and whether you personally view it as the most romantic day of the year, filled with love and hope, or an annual ordeal splashed with tacky red and pink décor, there’s no question it can have a positive effect on many small businesses. One of the best ways to take [...]

Maybe you’re working the tradeshow at the industry’s big annual convention for the next four days. Perhaps it’s a long-planned romantic vacation to an exotic resort in the Caribbean. Or maybe you’re just calling it a night and are heading home for the evening. No matter what your situation, there’s likely to be a time [...]

A week ago, at this time, CES was just getting into the full swing of things.  Anita Campbell of Small Business Trends attended and spoke at the event.  During the event, Anita listened to Guy Kawasaki’s presentation on the subject of Twitter. After Guy’s speech, Anita came away with 10 great nuggets of Twitter wisdom.  [...]

A client recently asked me to help her analyze the overall state of her company. Her decision to conduct this productivity audit was prompted by an unexpected personal opportunity that would take her out of the country for the better part of a year. For continuity and efficiency reasons, and to make sure her managers [...]

Yesterday was National Clean Up Your Desk Day and in support, Office Depot has announced their Take Back Your Desk Pledge campaign.  Office Depot conducted a recent survey of 1,023 polled consumers who currently work in an office environment and have a desk or workspace of their own. While 82% of workers feel that a keen focus [...]

Happy New Year!  Wouldn’t it be great if this year you could buy extra hours on Ebay or Overstock.com?  It would also be great to win the lottery but that’s not going to happen (at least not today).  While I can’t give you more hours in the day, I can give you some tips for [...]