General Business
Managing Conflict in the Workplace
Whenever you put a group of people into a work situation, there's potential for conflict. People bring to the job differing work habits, ethics, and modes of expression, and differences of opinion are bound to arise....Keep Track of Important Information with a Work Journal
It can be hard sometimes in the daily rush of completing work assignments, juggling meetings, and hitting deadlines to remember the details of interpersonal communications and the myriad facts that come your way. Taking the time to keep an ongoing log of conversations, work accomplished, and other important info can serve to ...In the Workplace, "Swim or Sink" Isn't the Best Measure of Competence
If "The Apprentice" and other work-based TV reality shows are to be believed, the most aggressive, self-confident workers are the ones most likely to succeed. That attitude accurately reflects the beliefs of many employers. Employees who can survive the "swim or sink" approach to job training are valued over employees who are more cautious ...Universal Health Insurance May Level the Playing Field for U.S. Businesses, Big and Small
With health care and health insurance costs skyrocketing, the demand that businesses provide health insurance for employees is becoming impossible for small businesses, and harder than ever for the giants. Even the major automobile manufacturers are struggling to survive, weighed down largely by generous health plans for both current employees and retired workers ...Keep Displays Simple and Dramatic to Attract Attention
If you're putting together a display for an upcoming convention or trade show, consider these three rules: keep it simple, keep it colorful, and keep it dramatic...Benevolent Marketing Strategies Provide Opportunities for Local Artists, Nonprofits
Companies ranging from multinational giants to small firms have at least one thing in common: they all want to project a positive image in their local communities. And to market their image locally, many of these companies set aside money in their budgets to donate to community causes....The Best Fringe Benefit of All
Health care insurance, vacation pay, and child care allowances are important benefits for workers; but perhaps the most important one of all is an educational allowance. Payment or reimbursement for taking work related classes can benefit not only the employee, but the company who employs him or her...Internships Can Be Valuable for Both Students and the Companies that Employ Them
Offering high school and college students internships can benefit both the students, who gain valuable work experience, and the companies or non-profits who employ them. Students get to learn what it's like to plug into a work environment, showing up to work on time, dealing with the company's structure and hierarchy...Entrepreneurship
Got a Great Business Idea? You May Have More Resources than You Think.
Starting your own business has suddenly become the hot thing; perhaps it's the relative insecurity of jobs now as opposed to a decade or two ago, or perhaps it comes from the need to supplement your regular income, or a desire to be your own boss....Services
Selecting a Pest Control Company
Garden and household pests - unwanted insects, including flies, mosquitoes, fleas, cockroaches, and moths, and intruders like mice and rats - are annoying, destructive, and potentially harmful to the health of humans and pets. But the use of chemical toxins to control these pests is a problem - who knows what some of these chemicals themselves can do to the health of our family members...Keep your Training Sessions on Track: Hire a full-service conference center
If you offer formalized training, whether for your company employees or as a paid expert whose business is professional education seminars, it's important to assure that the entire process runs smoothly throughout the course of the training. A polished presentation, clear, informative handout materials, and a variety of planned activities involving audience participation can together result in a positive experience for the training participants. The right facility can help you create this positive experience by providing the physical layout and support services you need...Small Businesses Make a Big Impression: Use a Meeting and Conference Center to Connect with Clients
You've got a great business plan, a phenomenal product or service, and the energy and drive to promote your business. There's only one problem. You're running your entire company out of a corner of your living room, or your garage; or you've rented a hole in the wall office furnished with ancient office furniture scrounged from anyplace you could find it, and you're not really comfortable inviting high power prospective clients to your location...Find the Perfect Facility for your Business Meetings and Conferences
Whether you need to hold a meeting with half a dozen business associates or a conference for over a hundred attendees, there are definite advantages to hiring a facility specializing in corporate functions...Small Annoyances Can Make a Big Impact on a Business's Bottom Line
Sales clerks who stand behind the counter gabbing to friends and ignoring the customer in front of them; product return personnel who refuse to honor their store's return policy...Mystery Shoppers Keep Customer Service Employees on Their Toes
A customer quietly walks into a shoe store, buys a pair of shoes, leaves, and then tries to return them, unused, the next day. After she leaves the shoe store she decides she needs a bite to eat, pops into a restaurant, and asks to be seated....Marketing & Advertising
Your Best Tool - Your Business Card
Instant communication? Palm Pilots, laptops, cell phones, instant messaging devices - of all the communications tools out there, the single best one is still the business card. With it, you instantly communicate your name, your business, your contact information and, with a little design capability, your personal style...Building a Business Wardrobe: Aim for Quality and Versatility
You've just gotten your business degree, and now you're looking for that new job, the one that will allow you to show your stuff...Starting a Jewelry Business? Home parties are a great way to sell your work.
Home parties have been used successfully to sell everything from cookware to naughty nighties; most of these small businesses are part of a large, organized national franchise, but the home party concept is also a perfect way for local crafters to market their wares...Small Businesses Make a Big Impression: Use a Meeting and Conference Center to Connect with Clients
You've got a great business plan, a phenomenal product or service, and the energy and drive to promote your business. There's only one problem...Participating in a Trade Show or Convention? The Right Promotional Products Can Do Double Duty.
If your company participates in trade shows or conventions, its ultimate goal is to generate business. The right promotional products can be a big help in doing just that...A Basic Work Wardrobe for the Busy Man
Creating a basic, functional work wardrobe is not complicated, but it takes a bit of planning. Depending on the job you do and the environment of your workplace, you need to make some very specific choices about your clothes...Selling your Sales Staff on Benefits versus Features
In order to skillfully sell your product line, whether it's digital cameras or houses, your staff needs to know the products' features, inside and out. They need to know how a camera operates, what special features it has, the number of pixels; real estate agents need to know the square footage of the house, the school district it's in, the amount of land involved, and so on...Make a Personal Connection with Prospective Customers
Whether you sell real estate, cars, or computer software, in order to be really successful in sales on a long-term basis, you need to be able to connect with prospective customers on a personal level. While maintaining a professional attitude is essential, revealing a little of your personal interests really help to establish the kind of rapport which results in a productive business relationship...Avoid Workplace Conflict by Developing a Thoughtful Family-friendly Policy
Juggling the demands of work and family has been an issue in the workplace for many years, and more and more companies, increasingly sensitive to this, are allowing workers to take time off to attend important functions like school meetings as well as more casual events like kids' softball games and recitals. Most companies are becoming more understanding when a parent needs to leave to attend to the needs of a sick child; additionally, unpaid family leave has become more common, and indeed many workers are protected by the federal Family Leave Act. Flexible work schedules have allowed working parents to better meet the demands of family life while continuing to deal with the responsibilities of work...Does Your Company Use Cottage Labor? You May Be Breaking the Law.
If your company relies on at-home workers to perform some of your company's job responsibilities, you may be doing two things: You may be categorizing the cottage labor as independent contractors, and you may be paying them for "piece work," and not paying them for overtime or benefits, no matter how many hours they work...Add Value to your Conferences with Publications and Instructional Videos
If you find yourself participating often in industry conferences, either as an instructor or a vendor, you may be able to develop an additional income stream by publishing your own books or producing DVDs or CDs to supplement the information you provide...A Good Business Environment Attracts Residents to New Hampshire
People have for decades made jokes about New Hampshire's state motto, "Live Free or Die", making the connection between the saying and New Hampshire residents' famous - or infamous - resistance to broad-based taxes like income and sales taxes. New Hampshire has also been skewered about its reliance on so-called "sin taxes", including room and meals taxes and levies on booze and cigarettes. The state has notoriously kept cigarette and liquor prices lower than its neighboring states, resulting in a brisk business in these products along the borders of Vermont, Massachusetts, and Maine...Attending a Conference or Seminar? Be Prepared.
Going to a day-long seminar or even a week-long conference? You need to be prepared to be away from your home base over a period of time, function appropriately within the conference environment, and stay healthy, well-fed, and alert throughout your experience. You also have to make sure you have the tools you need to access the instruction or information you will receive...Your Personal Calling Card: An Elegant Way to Keep in Touch
GBusinesspeople routinely hand out business cards to prospective customers, colleagues, and social acquaintances, both as a marketing technique and for an easy way to keep in touch...Giving Your Employees Time to Sharpen the Saw
In "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People," managerial guru Steven Covey reminded his readers of how important it was to stop and sharpen the saw. The gist of the rule is that if you haven't maintained your tools (or procedures, or organizational practices), your work becomes increasingly inefficient...Herding Cats: Managing Creative Types in a Corporate Environment
The conventional image of a corporate employee is highly structured, organized, logical, and left-brained. So what do you do as a manager when your most creative people are right-brained, messy, disorganized, and intuitive...Wholesale Distributors Finding a New Retail Market on the Internet
Companies that traditionally wholesale their goods to commercial markets are finding a niche in retail sales, selling their wares to individuals over the Internet. Sales of goods ranging from designer jewelry to gourmet coffees are perfect for the Internet...Volunteer at Your Local Public Access TV Station to Promote Your Nonprofit Organization
If you have a favorite charity or nonprofit organization that promotes a cause dear to your heart, you might want to consider getting involved as a volunteer producer for your local public access TV station...Branding Counts, Both for Profit-Making Corporations and Non-Profits
While for-profit corporations and non-profit charities have their obvious differences, they have at least two things in common: They need to take in money in order to survive, and they need to connect with the individuals or organizations that need their products or services...High Tech Tools Are Making Sales Easier-and Harder
The sales profession has changed immeasurably in the past twenty years, technology giving sales representatives an amazing variety of high-tech tools to make their jobs easier. ...Even High-Tech Advertising Needs a Soft Touch
The old adage is, "Sell the sizzle, not the steak." Another view is that, whether you're advertising bed linens, gas grills, or professional level digital video cameras, whether you're advertising in print or TV media, on the Internet, or at trade shows, you win consumers by showing what impact your product will have on the quality of their lives...Expecting Your Staff to Multitask? It's Not Necessarily a Good Idea.
Multitasking became a popular corporate buzzword in the mid-nineties, and now job ads routinely include the phrase "ability to multitask." For both support staff and management, juggling multiple responsibilities...Industry
Heating & Cooling
Alternatives to Heating Your Home with Oil or Natural Gas
The recent spikes in oil and natural gas prices have put the topic of alternative fuels for home heating at the forefront of discussions around the country. Alternative fuels that in the past were seen as marginal, odd, or strictly for rural use are getting a second look...