5 ways to strengthen the bridge between leadership and staff
Every employer, no matter its purpose, needs to establish a strong connection between leadership and staff. Any gulf between the two, even if it’s a small one, can inhibit productivity, diminish morale and make it harder to retain good employees. Here are five ways to strengthen the bridge between your organization’s leaders and the workers […]
Protect your business with a cybersecurity assessment
Years ago, it may have seemed like only government agencies with top-secret intel or wealthy international banks had to worry about hackers. Nowadays, even the smallest small business could see its reputation ruined by a data breach, while larger companies could have their sensitive data taken hostage in a ransomware attack that costs millions to […]
How Understanding the ‘Rule of 72’ Helps You Make Personal Finance Decisions
Though everybody wants their money to grow, few people understand the best way to make that happen. It’s all about where you choose to put your money and the rate of growth you’re able to achieve over a period of time. When you’re trying to figure out how compound interest works, the “rule of 72” […]
Is your business tracking website metrics?
In today’s data-driven world, business owners are constantly urged to track everything. And for good reason — having accurate, timely information displayed in an easy-to-understand format can allow you to spot trends, avoid risk and take advantage of opportunities. This includes your company’s website. Although social media drives so much of the conversation now when […]
Should You Get an IRS Identity Protection PIN?
An Identity Protection PIN (IP PIN) is a six-digit number assigned to eligible taxpayers by the IRS to help prevent the misuse of their Social Security number by ID thieves to file fraudulent federal income tax returns. The IP PIN aids IRS in verifying a taxpayer’s identity and accepting only valid returns via electronic filing […]
5 questions to ask about your marketing efforts
For many small to midsize businesses, spending money on marketing calls for a leap of faith that the benefits will outweigh the costs. Much of the planning process tends to focus on the initial expenses incurred rather than how to measure return on investment. Here are five questions to ask yourself and your leadership team […]
Compass Real Estate: A Bold Industry Leader Every Step of the Way
If you’ve never heard the name Robert Reffkin before, you’d be forgiven — but you’re almost certainly familiar with his work. Reffkin was raised the child of a single mother, herself an Israeli immigrant. It was from her that he learned the beginnings of what would eventually become his now-famous entrepreneurial spirit. At one point […]
The Art of Running a Successful Family Business: Breaking Things Down
At its core, a family business is exactly what it sounds like: a company or other enterprise owned, operated, and actively managed by at least two people from the same family. This can be a parent and their kids, two siblings, or some other configuration — it doesn’t actually matter, as the management is made […]
Oatly: A Shining Example of What an Entrepreneur Can Accomplish
According to one recent study, plant-based foods are now available in about 53% of households in the United States. Roughly 35% of Americans say that they’ve consumed some type of plant-based food in the last year, and of that number, 90% say that would happily do so in the future. All told, searches on engines like Google […]
Protect your company from cyberattacks by adopting zero trust
Some organizations struggle to prevent cyberattacks because they rely on cybersecurity tools and techniques that protect only their perimeter. Perpetrators who make it past a single line of defense (such as with a username and password) can gain unfettered access to the company’s network. They can then use ransomware to block access to data or […]
Expanding succession planning beyond ownership
Business owners are regularly urged to create and update their succession plans. And rightfully so — in the event of an ownership change, a solid succession plan can help prevent conflicts and preserve the legacy you’ve spent years or decades building. But if you want to take your succession plan to the next level, consider […]
Get serious about your strategic planning meetings
Most business owners would likely agree that strategic planning is important. Yet many companies rarely engage in active measures to gather and discuss strategy. Sometimes strategic planning is tacked on to a meeting about something else; other times it occurs only at the annual company retreat when employees may feel out of their element and […]
Prevent conflicts of interest from costing your business
Without trust between you and your employees, your business probably wouldn’t be very successful. Delegating responsibility, sharing ideas, working as a team — all require a certain level of trust. However, too much trust can lead to occupational fraud and conflicts of interest. To maintain the proper balance, establish a policy that outlines your disclosure […]
Are you liable for fraudulent credit and debit card charges?
Credit and debit card fraud was already a big problem when COVID-19 hit. Although how much payment card fraud increased in 2020 depends on the source, most experts agree that, like most types of fraud, it flourished during the pandemic. COVID-19-related prevention and treatment scams and increased online shopping likely contributed to this rise. If […]
Contemplating Refinancing Your Home Mortgage? Things You Should Consider
With home mortgage rates at historic lows, it may be appropriate for you to consider refinancing your current mortgage. However, refinancing may not always be the greatest idea, even though mortgage rates are low, and even when your friends, relatives, and coworkers are bragging about the low interest rates they got with their refinance. This is because a […]
EIDL program retooled for still-struggling small businesses
For many small businesses, the grand reopening is still on hold. The rapid spread of the Delta variant of COVID-19 has mired a variety of companies in diminished revenue and serious staffing shortages. In response, the Small Business Administration (SBA) has retooled its Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program to offer targeted relief to eligible […]
5 ways to take action on accounts receivable
No matter the size or shape of a business, one really can’t overstate the importance of sound accounts receivable policies and procedures. Without a strong and steady inflow of cash, even the most wildly successful company will likely stumble and could even collapse. If your collections aren’t as efficient as you’d like, consider these five […]
Back-Door Roth IRAs
Many individuals who are saving for retirement favor Roth IRAs over traditional IRAs because the former allows for both accumulation of account earnings and post-retirement distributions to be tax-free. In comparison, contributions to traditional IRAs may be deductible, earnings are tax-deferred, and distributions are generally taxable. Anyone who has compensation can make a contribution to […]
7 Different Types of Income Streams for Your Business
No matter what type of business you operate, you rely on having a predictable flow of income to keep your bills paid. If you only have a single source of income and it suddenly falters, you’re going to be in trouble. Having more than one income stream is an insurance policy against economic disaster. It […]
Travel – and travel scams – are back
Although COVID-19 remains a concern, many people have started traveling again — both for business and pleasure. Unfortunately, as travel demand has increased, so has travel-related fraud. For example, some fraud perpetrators posing as airline employees call would-be victims to try to elicit credit card numbers. Other scam artists send phishing emails that appear to […]
Leave tax credits are available for employees who help others get vaccinated
In News Release 2021-160, the IRS recently made an important announcement related to COVID-19 vaccinations. That is, wages paid for leave taken to accompany someone who’s getting vaccinated, or to care for someone recovering from a vaccination, may be considered: Qualified family leave wages for purposes of the qualified family leave wages tax credit, and Qualified […]
Exit Strategy: How to Create One for Your Small Business
Owning your own small business is a dream that few are fortunate enough to realize, but even those new to the joys of entrepreneurial self-determination need to spend time thinking about how you’re going to eventually leave the business. No matter how far off it may seem, the best way to ensure that your time […]
Are your company’s job descriptions pulling their weight?
At many businesses, job descriptions have it easy. They were “hired” (that is, written) many years ago. They haven’t had to change or do anything, really, besides get copied and pasted into a want ad occasionally. They’re not really good at what they do, but they’re used again and again because everyone assumes they’re just […]
Don’t assume your profitable company has strong cash flow
Most of us are taught from a young age never to assume anything. Why? Well, because when you assume, you make an … you probably know how the rest of the expression goes. A dangerous assumption that many business owners make is that, if their companies are profitable, their cash flow must also be strong. […]
