Seven Business Turnaround Tips from 'Bar Rescue'

Seven Business Turnaround Tips from 'Bar Rescue': "A recent episode of the new Spike-TV series offers a road map for saving a sinking business."

How Young Entrepreneurs Can Bridge the Generation Gap

How Young Entrepreneurs Can Bridge the Generation Gap: "Three strategies for overcoming age bias when starting a business."

4 Ways to Regain Control of Your Identity in the Workplace

4 Ways to Regain Control of Your Identity in the Workplace: "There is a severe identity crisis in the workplace that is reducing productivity, minimizing trust and setting people back in their careers.  Employees are confused, stuck and anxious to be recognized during a time when most are doing more for less. They don't know how to fit in a workplace that is fueled with false promises and unexpected outcomes without preparation."

So You Want To Be An Entrepreneur? Here Are Creative Ways To Fund Your New Venture

So You Want To Be An Entrepreneur? Here Are Creative Ways To Fund Your New Venture: "According to the latest survey conducted every five years by the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2007 women owned 7.8 million businesses in the United States and accounted for 28.7 percent of all businesses nationwide."

Your New Business Plan: Indulge Your Weaknesses

Your New Business Plan: Indulge Your Weaknesses: "The principle of “focusing on your strengths” is so prevalent in management literature and coaching programs that it has become second nature to business owners."

Three Steps to Handling the Unexpected

Three Steps to Handling the Unexpected: "When my friend Sam invited his new girlfriend Robyn to join him for a sailing trip, he was relatively new to the sport. He had pretty strong skills but not a lot of experience. She had neither."

Dig Deeper To Sell More

Dig Deeper To Sell More: "How CIO Tony Young is helping his sales force to get personal."

Great Ideas: How to plan your exit

Great Ideas: How to plan your exit: "At some point, nearly all entrepreneurs are faced with a tough decision: how to sell the company to which they’ve devoted immeasurable time, money and effort. With scores of boomers approaching retirement age, it’s a question thousands of business owners will have to address."

Why we “choke” under pressure

Why we “choke” under pressure: "We’ve all heard of, or experienced ourselves, the mental or physical freeze that’s often described as “choking” under pressure. While this is frequently described as a result of anxiety or nervousness, new research points to a type of “log-jam” in the brain."

The 7 Secrets of Inspiring Leaders

The 7 Secrets of Inspiring Leaders: "Very few people look forward to going to work.  And no, providing free coffee and fruit in the company kitchen isn’t going to change their minds.  It’s a sad observation about the state of American business today.  According to a Mercer consulting survey that I quoted in an earlier column, one-third of U.S employees are so unhappy they are thinking of leaving their jobs.  Let me ask you – how is it possible that unhappy, unmotivated and disengaged employees could possibly offer exceptional customer service or develop exciting, innovative products that move your brand forward?  They can’t.  That’s why it is up to you as leader to satisfy what Emerson called a person’s “chief want:” someone who will inspire us to be what we know we can be."

How To Talk To Strangers

How To Talk To Strangers: "Show me a person who claims to love talking to complete strangers and I’ll show you a liar, a narcissist or Oprah. Maybe all three."

Rick Harrison of 'Pawn Stars' spills success secrets

Rick Harrison of 'Pawn Stars' spills success secrets: "Rick Harrison of reality show 'Pawn Stars' knows a deal and a steal when he sees one."

Is Your Organization's Leadership Internally or Externally Motivated?

Is Your Organization's Leadership Internally or Externally Motivated?: "Is your company’s leadership motivated by external deadlines – what other people request from them? Or are they motivated by their own internal deadlines – expectations and demands they place on themselves?"

Great Ideas: The 5 E’s of excellent leadership

Great Ideas: The 5 E’s of excellent leadership: "Hiring A-players is crucial if your company is to accomplish great things. But it’s not enough."

Splitsville: How To Breakup With People in Business

Splitsville: How To Breakup With People in Business: "Books, songs, and articles have been devoted to the art, science, and heartache of breaking up. Many heart breakers turn to friends and family for advice on what to say and how to say it when the loving feelings fade and it’s time to walk away."

5 Steps To Career Freedom

5 Steps To Career Freedom: "On the heels of Independence Day, I’ve been thinking of career freedom. In general, people don’t like to feel constrained -- a roomy bed, a well-fitting piece of clothing, and a clear space on your desk are all desirable for the comfort these allow. Similarly, career freedom feels expansive, comfortable, a good fit. But while it’s easy to recognize, attaining career freedom is more difficult than picking up the right pieces at Nordstrom or Target. Career freedom requires a proactive strategy, introspection, good business sense, negotiating skill, and a strong personal foundation."

5 Financial Moves to Make at Fifty

5 Financial Moves to Make at Fifty: "After reading last week’s post about turning forty, a few people asked me, “What about turning fifty?  I don’t have 20 – 25 years to plan my retirement; I have a little over 10 and I am concerned about growing my money but also am much more concerned about what"

Get A Job Using The Hidden Job Market

Get A Job Using The Hidden Job Market: "The technology executive had been out of work for more than a year, but he didn’t tell any of his friends he was unemployed. Instead, he made up a story about how he was consulting on some confidential projects, the details of which he would reveal when it was time to go public. Meantime, he applied for dozens of posted job openings he saw online, with zero success. He also spent time golfing at the country club, where his locker was next to a CEO in his field. Still, he guarded his secret carefully, staying mum with his golf buddies about his job hunt. Finally, his distraught wife set up some sessions with Donald Asher, an executive career coach and author of 11 books, including Cracking the Hidden Job Market: How to Find Opportunity in any Economy. Asher, who splits his time between San Francisco and northern Nevada, convinced his new client to open up about his job hunt, and start talking to everyone he knew about how he was on the market. Sure enough, one of his golfing friends gave him a tip that led to a job at a startup. “He never ever would have gotten that job the way he was looking for work before,” writes Asher."

Persuading Small Employers to Advance Wages

Persuading Small Employers to Advance Wages: "By granting staffers early access to a percentage of their pay, small businesses improve productivity and retention, says the founder of a new payroll-card service"

The 7 Secrets of Inspiring Leaders

The 7 Secrets of Inspiring Leaders: "Very few people look forward to going to work.  And no, providing free coffee and fruit in the company kitchen isn’t going to change their minds.  It’s a sad observation about the state of American business today.  According to a Mercer consulting survey that I quoted in an earlier column, one-third of U.S employees are so unhappy they are thinking of leaving their jobs.  Let me ask you – how is it possible that unhappy, unmotivated and disengaged employees could possibly offer exceptional customer service or develop exciting, innovative products that move your brand forward?  They can’t.  That’s why it is up to you as leader to satisfy what Emerson called a person’s “chief want:” someone who will inspire us to be what we know we can be."

How To Check Out Your Stock Broker

How To Check Out Your Stock Broker: "There is  a new reality for investors in the post financial crisis era.  "Stocks for the long run" might not always be the best option, and almost all of the experts paid to help us invest wisely failed during 2007  and 2008.  Many have chosen to go it alone, but others still find it necessary to hire a pro.  Choosing the right financial advisor is critical, and luckily it has become much easier to check on your broker."

Time for a website redesign … already?

Time for a website redesign … already?: "Business moves quickly. Your website needs to keep up."

Entrepreneurial Lessons from the Lemonade Stand

Entrepreneurial Lessons from the Lemonade Stand: "It couldn't be the 4th of July without the neighborhood lemonade stand - that all-American symbol of entrepreneurship. So many American start-up tales involve lessons learned from this childhood exercise. The one Suzie runs in this Verizon commercial offers many."

Why a Personal "Employee Brand" Will Save Your Career and Your Workplace

Why a Personal "Employee Brand" Will Save Your Career and Your Workplace: "The traditional promise of long-term corporate employment has vanished. We’re moving from a top-down, hierarchical workplace to a more transparent, flat and collaborative environment. Only those who develop strong personal employee brands will survive – and enable their organizations to survive."

4 smart ways to be a better communicator

4 smart ways to be a better communicator: "Good communication is an essential skill for business leaders. That’s because when you take on the role of CEO, you implicitly agree to be chief communicator as well, according to venture capitalist and leadership guru John Hamm."

The Hour of Power: How to Succeed with a Last-Minute Presentation

The Hour of Power: How to Succeed with a Last-Minute Presentation: "On Friday afternoons here at ProPoint, we’ve got what I call the Hour of Power. Because one hour simply isn’t big enough to contain all the excitement, it actually runs from 3-5pm. While the staff focuses on completing their deadlines so they can hit the weekend, any incoming sales call is eyed with suspicion. At that hour anything can happen. Tight turn due Sunday? No problem! Need somebody to stay late? Sure thing! It can be an uncertain time for anyone looking to make a clean getaway."

3 Practical ways to develop content your readers will actually read

3 Practical ways to develop content your readers will actually read: "The key to success with B2B newsletters is not simply to do them, it’s to do them well."

Four ways to improve SEO

Four ways to improve SEO: "Is your website Google-friendly?"

How To Start A Mentorship Relationship

How To Start A Mentorship Relationship: "In my work as a career coach, I find there are several helpful resources that very few people take advantage of. Mentorship definitely falls on this list. It’s really a shame. Having a mentor can elevate your professional capabilities exponentially.
And—added bonus—mentors are amazing people. When you take the time to develop a strong mentorship relationship, you get access to a wealth of knowledge and experience, but you also end up with a lifelong friend and potential future business partner. In short, there’s no downside.
Of course, if you aren’t familiar with the concept, you may have questions about how it all works. Well, that’s what I’m here for!! Please allow me to offer some insights."

Great Ideas: The 5 rules of effective employee feedback

Great Ideas: The 5 rules of effective employee feedback: "Providing feedback to employees is essential to improving their performance on the job. But how do you ensure that you’re delivering feedback your people will actually hear and heed?"

How to Negotiate Discounts for Paying Early

How to Negotiate Discounts for Paying Early: "Wrangling with big customers over payment terms can be difficult for a small business"

Why it pays to communicate with your employees

Why it pays to communicate with your employees: "Stephanie Vogler was nervous. It’s not that she didn’t talk to her 10 employees every day, but this time, she was doing a formal, companywide speech. “I’m terrified of speaking in public,” said Vogler, managing partner of The Cross Decor and Design, a Vancouver interior-design store."

Six Steps To Fighting Internet Rumors

Six Steps To Fighting Internet Rumors: "Last weekend, McDonald’s was the victim of an internet hoax that reverberated through social networks, especially Twitter. An old, false photo recirculated that suggested a McDonald’s corporate policy discriminatory to African-American customers. The photo spread like wildfire. People took to Twitter, outraged; “Seriously McDonalds” was a trending topic on Twitter on Sunday and into Monday, and McDonalds’ social media team was pressed into emergency service trying to put out the fire."

How to Activate Your Entrepreneurial Leadership

How to Activate Your Entrepreneurial Leadership: "I’ve often said that creating and building a business is not a one-man show, even though it usually springs from the mind and determination of one person – committees don’t start successful businesses. But taking an idea to a business success requires many people to work together effectively, and that requires entrepreneurial leadership."

Do You Want To Simplify Your Life? An Interview With Sam Davidson

Do You Want To Simplify Your Life? An Interview With Sam Davidson: "In 2004, over 50% of Americans were concerned about the amount of stress in their everyday lives."

5 Easy Ways To Fight The Urge To Splurge

5 Easy Ways To Fight The Urge To Splurge: "You've finally done it - a detailed, realistic budget. It's a crucial step toward financial freedom, and you should be proud. Nearly half of Americans don't even bother to create, let alone stick to, a budget. (From lawn care to summer fairs, expenses can skyrocket if you're not paying attention. Check out Save Money On Summer Bills.)"

The Top 6 Benefits Of Starting A Home-Based Business

The Top 6 Benefits Of Starting A Home-Based Business: " Home-based businesses are quickly becoming the fastest growing form of business start-ups. Growing your company out of your home allows for flexibility that is difficult when renting or buying office and warehouse space. Although working at home requires self-discipline, the benefits can be substantial - especially in the start-up years. (We provide six tips for creating a winning business in a losing economy. Check out Starting A Small Business In Tough Economic Times.)"

Dress for Success on Wall Street

Dress for Success on Wall Street: "Over at the Wall Street Journal's FINS career site, Julie Steinberg has written a helpful piece for the incoming first-year investment bank kids who want to dress for success."

Dad's Foolproof Car-Buying Tips (and Other Secrets of Life)

Dad's Foolproof Car-Buying Tips (and Other Secrets of Life): "Some Dads teach you how to tie your shoe, ride your bike, even how to parallel park. My Dad gave me the crash course on how to get anything I want in life, starting the day I bought my first car."

8 Careers Built On Relationships

8 Careers Built On Relationships: "If you've got outstanding relationship-building skills, or if you've mastered the art of networking, there are some careers that you might be particularly suited to. Careers that are built upon relationships require that employees are able to build and maintain a client base. Being personable, able to remember the fine details, and having the confidence to market yourself are all important aspects of these careers. If you're considering a career move that makes use of your keen interpersonal skills, be sure to consider the following jobs. (To help you with networking, read 4 Career Networking Tips That Work.)"

12 Ways To Beat Gas Prices Without Changing Your Car

12 Ways To Beat Gas Prices Without Changing Your Car: "With fuel costs soaring, try these tips to ease pain at the pump."

How To Make People Choose Right Over Wrong

How To Make People Choose Right Over Wrong: "It turns out it isn't very hard at all."

Cubicle Etiquette: Sights, Sounds and Smells

Cubicle Etiquette: Sights, Sounds and Smells: "What is covered in fabric, measures 6 feet by 6 feet, and allows complete access to sights, sounds, and smells of your co-workers?"

Successful Investing: Five Pearls of Wisdom

Successful Investing: Five Pearls of Wisdom: "Anyone that invests wants to do so successfully. Many books have been written on the subject. The newsstands are filled with magazines with hot tips on how to get rich. But the process of successful investing really isn’t that hard if you keep in mind five simple concepts."

Make Better Connections in Less Time

Make Better Connections in Less Time: "You know the classic business mantra: Networking is the key to your personal and professional success."

Five 'Thinking Traps' Entrepreneurs Should Avoid

Five 'Thinking Traps' Entrepreneurs Should Avoid: "The brains behind Idealab say logical inconsistencies such as "recency bias" can cloud the judgment of startup founders"

16 Things I Wish I Knew About Money When I Graduated College

16 Things I Wish I Knew About Money When I Graduated College: "If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them.
- Henry David Thoreau"

How to Build Awareness of Your Online Service

How to Build Awareness of Your Online Service: "To attract users to a new social network, prepare to show them why it beats the competition. Then determine where your consumers hang out online and reach out to them there"

Enchant and Engage More Customers With Social Media

Enchant and Engage More Customers With Social Media: "Marketing strategist Guy Kawasaki offers social media tips for small-business owners."

Five Rules for Bootstrapping Success

Five Rules for Bootstrapping Success: "Follow these tips to get your dream business off the ground without seeking outside investors."

From Paycheck to Pay Dirt: Blazing Your Own Trail As a Business Owner

From Paycheck to Pay Dirt: Blazing Your Own Trail As a Business Owner: "First-time business owners starting a venture in unfamiliar waters face a special set of challenges. Here are three who tackled them with success."

Fix a Strained Business Partnership Now

Fix a Strained Business Partnership Now: "First, understand the legal and tax implications of teaming up. Then discuss problems and goals and get an attorney to help put a partnership agreement in writing, experts say"

The $32,000 Startup

The $32,000 Startup: "In an age of outsourcing, starting an online business or improving an existing one means founders don't need technical skills or outside funding"

Five Critical Questions Your Business Plan Should Answer

Five Critical Questions Your Business Plan Should Answer: "Answering these questions periodically can help keep long-term goals in mind while you adjust your immediate steps and actions."

Why Traditional Employment Is Better Than Entrepreneurship

Why Traditional Employment Is Better Than Entrepreneurship: "I left a corporate job to launch my own business so you might believe that I’m a fierce advocate of entrepreneurship over traditional employment. Obviously I thought it was the right choice for me. However, I don’t think it’s the right choice for everyone. Yes, running your own business might lead to more money, more flexibility, and a chance to fulfill a passion. But an office environment offers camaraderie and resources that shouldn’t be overlooked. So it’s not a given that a business is “better” than a traditional job or that a business rather than a job is a better choice for you. So before you quit your job at Macy’s, Pfizer, or wherever you are, here are 5 reasons having a job trumps running a business:"

Diversity Management Is the Key to Growth: Make It Authentic

Diversity Management Is the Key to Growth: Make It Authentic: "Diversity management is the key to growth in today’s fiercely competitive global marketplace. No longer can America’s corporations hide behind their lack of cultural intelligence. Organizations that seek global market relevancy must embrace diversity – in how they think, act and innovate. Diversity can no longer just be about making the numbers, but rather how an organization treats its people authentically down to the roots of its business model. In today’s new workplace, diversity management is a time-sensitive business imperative."

Leadership: More On Saying No While Still Inspiring People

Leadership: More On Saying No While Still Inspiring People: "Saying “no” is one of the most important parts of any leader’s job. My recent article, “How to say no while also inspiring people”, suggested that there were only three right answers, none of which was using the word “no”."

Five Keys To Landing A Strategy Superstar

Five Keys To Landing A Strategy Superstar: "If you're a corporate leader eager to hire young, talented strategy analysts from the world's top strategy consulting firms, I have some bad news for you. Luring them will be harder now than it has been in at least a decade. Supply and demand are seriously misaligned, and, as with so many other things, the recession is to blame."

You Took A Risk And Failed. How To Bounce Back

You Took A Risk And Failed. How To Bounce Back: "Is there a risk that you’ve been talking yourself out of? That’s a question I often ask in my leadership workshops and one that creates quite a buzz in the room."

The Best Way To Innovation? - An Important Lesson from India

The Best Way To Innovation? - An Important Lesson from India: "VideoInnovation seems to be a prime directive at almost any firm I run into, regardless of industry.  How do you get more of it?  In these tough times the answer is no longer to throw money at it.  What we increasingly need is frugal innovation, what the Indians call Jugaad. It [...]"

Building a Business vs. Making a Living

Building a Business vs. Making a Living: "You need to comprehend financial basics to make your venture more than just a revenue stream, says Bill Hettinger. Learn how to read cash-flow statements and gauge your competitive position"

5 Ways to Make Your Time More Valuable

5 Ways to Make Your Time More Valuable: "It's obvious that different stretches of our time can be more or less valuable to us. For example, an hour in which our mind is sparkling and sharp, and coming up with brilliant ideas and insights, is usually more valuable to us than an hour in which we feel lethargic, dull-minded, or barely moping through life."

Organize and Streamline Your Home-Based Business

Organize and Streamline Your Home-Based Business: "To make self-employment work, experts suggest designating a workspace at home, sticking to a daily schedule, and using a time-management system"

Lean LaunchPad: A Crash Course in Startup Success

Lean LaunchPad: A Crash Course in Startup Success: "A new class created by serial entrepreneur Steve Blank puts a focus on testing ideas before jumping in."

Your Secret Public Speaking Weapon - Involving Your Audience

Your Secret Public Speaking Weapon - Involving Your Audience: "Every communication, and so every presentation, ultimately has to be 2-way to have integrity and to feel authentic. That means that you should involve your audiences in your presentations -- and not just at the end in Q and A. That's so 20th century! In this podcast, based on my book Give Your Speech, Change the World, I talk about 4 ways to involve your audience with real client examples for each. It lasts about 8 minutes. Enjoy!"

How to Get a Raise

How to Get a Raise: "One of my contracts is up, and I want a raise, but I feel like I'm not a good negotiator. Regardless, the contract is up, and it's now or never. I've read numerous articles detailing how women don't ask for raises, and I don't want to be one of those women. TIP #1: [...]"

10 Questions To See If You Need To Make A Career Move

10 Questions To See If You Need To Make A Career Move: "In a previous column, I wrote about how you can manage your career in just 5 minutes a day. Here are some questions that can be added to your 5-minute daily career habit. Take one question a day and reflect on your answer for no more than a few minutes. You might need to do some longer research based on the initial result you get. But hopefully, most of the time, your gut reaction to these questions will reaffirm that you are exactly where you need to be."

3 Words to Small Business Success: Easy, Fun and Popular

3 Words to Small Business Success: Easy, Fun and Popular: "What’s the attitude you show up to in your business each day?"

How To Say No At Work

How To Say No At Work: "When Beth Cronin started out as an associate at the law firm Trenam Kemker, she never once told a partner that she was too busy to do a project. Instead, she learned the right way to say no. "First, I developed a reputation as being earnest and hardworking," says Cronin. "Then I made sure to understand what the project entailed, when my manager needed it and whether I could realistically deliver high-quality work in the allotted amount of time. The way to handle a request is never just to say 'I'm too busy.'" Today she's co-chair of the litigation practice group at the firm, which has offices in St. Petersburg and Tampa, Fla."

Lose the Schmooze: Seven Ways to Make Networking Genuine

Lose the Schmooze: Seven Ways to Make Networking Genuine: "Every evening before bed, you glance at your iPhone’s calendar to see what tomorrow brings. Hoping for a calm, relaxing evening watching your favorite reality shows and sipping wine on the couch, you’re dismayed when you see in bright red text: “Networking Mixer, 7:30.” With a groan, you wonder what could’ve possibly possessed you to be so ambitious. You begin frantically running through excuses in your mind because, at the moment, nothing sounds more unappealing than to spend your limited free time having superficial conversations with total strangers and noshing on mediocre hors d’oeuvres."

How to Not Waste Your Life: Summary of The Startup Lessons Learned Conference

How to Not Waste Your Life: Summary of The Startup Lessons Learned Conference: "Stop wasting time. Every year hundreds of thousands of managers, entrepreneurs, engineers, and students waste countless hours and resources dreaming up big ideas about how to change the world. Big ideas are wonderful but then they waste oceans of energy building solutions and products no one wants. Yesterday morning, at the Startup Lessons Learned Conference in San Francisco, Eric Ries and a host of presenters talked about one approach to avoid all this waste: the Lean Startup."

How to Build Awareness of Your Online Service

How to Build Awareness of Your Online Service: "To attract users to a new social network, prepare to show them why it beats the competition. Then determine where your consumers hang out online and reach out to them there"

From Inspiration to Incorporated: Writing a Business Plan

From Inspiration to Incorporated: Writing a Business Plan: "When Sarah Prevette founded Upinion, her first start-up company, she admits that she “got caught up” in what she thought was an amazing idea:  a pop culture opinion-sharing website for teens.  “I thought it was going to be the next big thing,” she says.  “I thought people would just flock to it, and that certainly wasn’t the case.”"

Building the Team You Need to Drive Change

Building the Team You Need to Drive Change: "Major organizational change is not something that can be driven from the top down by the CEO alone. It requires a team of people powerful and accountable enough to give credibility to the fact that the change is essential. This team, which we call a guiding coalition, must have the right composition, level of trust, and a shared objective. The guiding coalition is different in every organization, but in the video below I explain what you should consider when building your own, and what kinds of people to look for to make it as powerful as possible.  "

Three Ways to Prepare for a Business Launch

Three Ways to Prepare for a Business Launch: "From showcasing expertise to soliciting feedback and offering free samples, consider these tested strategies for startup success."

5 Ways to Disaster Proof Your Finances

5 Ways to Disaster Proof Your Finances: "I’ve never experienced a tornado but I have experienced the earth shake violently under me during an earthquake in California and I felt, in an eerie way, like I was surfing on land.  Watching the news reports of the devastation of the tornadoes in the Midwest this past week made me appreciate the tremendous uncontrollable force of nature.  The devastation in Missouri was so sudden and overwhelming, it almost seems like it was pointless to prepare.  The emergency flashlight and the gallons of water stored in the basement just seem so minor in the wake of this disaster and it didn’t help the people whose homes were destroyed in an instant.  What we won’t see on the news are the people of the town quietly rebuilding their lives.  Those who have prepared financially will have a much easier time."

7 Ways To Save Time With Google

7 Ways To Save Time With Google: "Google made its name as a search engine. Then, with the advent of Gmail and Gchat, it made a huge splash in the email world with its popular, sleek interface."

Apple & The Halo Effect: Eight Valuable Team Practices

Apple & The Halo Effect: Eight Valuable Team Practices: "The Halo Effect is pervasive in business writing: a firm makes a lot of money in the marketplace and then writers rush to endow the firm with every kind of virtue and competence. The firm can do no wrong, until its profits falter and suddenly the same writers can see no virtue or competence in the very same firm. Cisco might be seen as an example of the phenomenon, and Google may be heading down this path. Phil Rosenzweig’s interesting book, The Halo Effect gives many examples.
Apple isn't perfect
As I have been commending Apple in these pages, am I succumbing to the Halo Effect?"

Five Leadership Lessons With A Gutsy Twist

Five Leadership Lessons With A Gutsy Twist: "By Sylvia Lafair"

Five Steps for Finding an Ideal Mentor

Five Steps for Finding an Ideal Mentor: "Here's how to nab the right mentor and get the most out of the relationship. Plus, five resources to help you start your search."

The First 3 Stages of Starting a Business

The First 3 Stages of Starting a Business: "Starting a business is a big deal—a big, exciting deal that comes with an endless to-do list and a steep learning curve. And as a new entrepreneur, it’s easy to get caught up in the process, overwhelmed by the details, and lose focus of the big picture. You can make a whole business out of setting up your business, but too much detailed planning can seriously get in the way of really getting started!"

Ron Conway's Data On What Makes Successful Entrepreneurs

Ron Conway's Data On What Makes Successful Entrepreneurs: "Ron Conway and David Lee of seed investing firm SV Angel have surveyed about 300 of their current and past portfolio companies and show some interesting data."

Ten Learning Steps from Entrepreneur to Manager

Ten Learning Steps from Entrepreneur to Manager: "Entrepreneurs often have formidable technical expertise, key to developing a new product or service, but a great naïveté in management skills. They run into difficulty when their business reaches the $1-2 million annual sales range, or their employee count exceeds 5-10. It’s here that entrepreneurs must shift their thinking from tactical and operational, to strategic and managerial."

Employee ownership: Smarter ways to share

Employee ownership: Smarter ways to share: "Employee ownership can deliver great returns — or be more trouble than it’s worth."

How to make Twitter work better for your business

How to make Twitter work better for your business: "Seven deadly tweeting sins you're probably committing."

Surveys: Tips for success

Surveys: Tips for success: "Badly executed surveys will give you reams of useless data. Follow these tips for a successful poll."

The 5 winning strategies of high-growth companies

The 5 winning strategies of high-growth companies: "Get bigger, faster by taking the same simple approaches that deliver superior returns for the PROFIT 200."

The new way to lead

The new way to lead: "In the past 20 years, nothing has changed as much in business as effective leadership. Do you exhibit its seven key traits?"

Great Ideas: 5 keys to better work/life balance

Great Ideas: 5 keys to better work/life balance: "Balancing your work and personal lives can seem like a goal that is highly appealing yet impossible to achieve. And perhaps perfect balance is, in fact, unattainable."

The right behaviours to help execute your strategy

The right behaviours to help execute your strategy: "Seven ways to sustain momentum and support the execution of your strategy."

Great Ideas: Top 3 ways to thrill your customers

Great Ideas: Top 3 ways to thrill your customers: "In today’s competitive business landscape, you’re bound to mediocrity if your customers merely like you."

Build successes by encouraging failures

Build successes by encouraging failures: "Don't view failure as an end. Instead, consider it one of the means to success."

Don't Overlook Customer Service Basics

Don't Overlook Customer Service Basics: "To compete with Web retailers, Micah Solomon recommends that small storefronts focus on first impressions, prepare scripts, and fulfill orders quickly"

How Pricing Can Power a Turnaround

How Pricing Can Power a Turnaround: "A small business overhauls its fee model to woo customers and make a comeback."

Three Metrics to Measure Sales and Marketing Alignment

Three Metrics to Measure Sales and Marketing Alignment: "Getting Sales and marketing to effectively team is the lament of just about every CEO. Achieving alignment goes beyond just getting these two groups to get along; growth depends on them working productively together. If sales and marketing are at odds it impacts the whole business, most notably revenue, customer satisfaction and company productivity. Add to that the reality that discord between these two groups damages the company's culture, it's easy to see why alignment is on the top of every CEO's agenda."

Seven Ways to Make Your Customers Love You

Seven Ways to Make Your Customers Love You: "With so much emphasis placed on finding customers today, business owners often lose sight of keeping the ones they have. Here are a few surefire ways to stem those losses."

Great Ideas: 3 keys to avoiding procrastination

Great Ideas: 3 keys to avoiding procrastination: "You’re not alone if you tend to procrastinate. In fact, 95% of us do, according to Piers Steel, a professor at the Haskayne School of Business in Calgary who specializes in motivation and procrastination."

Questions to Riddle Before You Start a Business

Questions to Riddle Before You Start a Business: "Determine how long you can survive with little income. Then set a time frame for turning your idea into a product or service people will pay for"

How To Go Global With Your Small Business

How To Go Global With Your Small Business: "The phrase “going global” is being tossed around almost as much as Charlie Sheen used to tweet #winning, but despite how pervasive the phrase has become, there are few small business owners who really understand what it actually takes."

5 Salary Negotiation Tips that Work!

5 Salary Negotiation Tips that Work!: "Once you’ve proven yourself well qualified for a job during the interview process, you have to start asking yourself the tough questions. Do you have a strong desire to work for this company? What if they don’t offer quite as much money as you’d like? Is there a way to ask for a higher salary without alienating the employer?"