Archives: September 2008

Securing Venture Capital Funding

Posted by: Rod Kurtz on September 30

If you want to obtain venture capital, spend the time to understand the following criteria, plan, then work hard to present your investment opportunity in the best possible light. Keep...

Using Loyalty Programs to Compete with Big Business

Posted by: Rod Kurtz on September 29

With the softening economy driving budget cuts across the board, many small businesses are left wondering how they can compete with the deep pockets of large chains. Consumers are watching...

The Eight Golden Rules of Font Licensing

Posted by: Rod Kurtz on September 26

With the constant deadline pressure of running a small business, it is all too easy to accumulate an abundance of fonts and to lose track of where they came from....

Take the Time to Evaluate Yourself and Your Employees

Posted by: Rod Kurtz on September 25

A leader's job is usually to guide others toward a vision of a greater tomorrow. Yet when things are going poorly in the here and now, a good leader moves...

Give Advice That Fits

Posted by: Rod Kurtz on September 24

Small business owners often take advice from well-informed, experienced people. After all, they can be quite compelling, as they seem to know better or to know more. When following such...

Try a Human Approach

Posted by: Rod Kurtz on September 23

Businesses of all sizes are faced with fierce marketplace pressures. Leaders try to get their people to do more, while available resources are scaled back in the name of productivity...

Define Your Core Purpose

Posted by: Rod Kurtz on September 22

As an entrepreneur, you are at your best when you are in sync with your "core purpose." Depending on your beliefs, this could be what you are best or most...

Fostering Autonomy

Posted by: Rod Kurtz on September 19

Small business owners who treat their employees as independent thinkers, regardless of level or role, are well-rewarded for their efforts. Many confuse leading with the more authoritarian aspects of parenting—they...

New Possibilities During Tough Times

Posted by: Rod Kurtz on September 18

During challenging times, it's particularly tough to imagine new possibilities and creative solutions. In fact, stressful conditions, economic issues, conflict, and uncertainty tend to make many people hunker and bunker....

Steps to a Successful Product Launch

Posted by: Rod Kurtz on September 17

For most successful entrepreneurs, the idea is the easy part of starting their businesses. The challenge is getting the idea-turned-tangible-product to market. While tenacity, patience, and consistency are main ingredients...

How To Select Accounting Software For Your Small Business

Posted by: Rod Kurtz on September 16

Here's a step-by-step approach to help you decide which program can best serve your business accounting needs: 1. Determine and create a list of the specific types of accounting functions...

Tax-Free Medical Expenses for Business Owners

Posted by: Rod Kurtz on September 15

If you are a regular C corporation, owners can benefit from receiving tax-free medical expenses paid through the company. However, if you're a sole proprietor, partnership, or an S corporation,...

Building A Good Web Page

Posted by: Rod Kurtz on September 12

If you want to give your Web site a quick marketing check-up, follow these tips: • Give your visitors reasons to return. Update your site often by offering new products...

Tune In to Your Online Video Opportunity

Posted by: Rod Kurtz on September 11

There's a lot of buzz these days around small businesses using online video for promotion. There appears to be some justification for all the hype. If you haven't jumped into...

To Innovate, Learn from Nature

Posted by: Rod Kurtz on September 10

Nature has had more than 3.8 billion years to perfect its survival strategy. Today, innovators and engineers are applying biomimicry practices to design products and solve engineering problems. For example,...

Make Your Work Environment Innovation-Friendly

Posted by: Rod Kurtz on September 09

What message does your work environment send to employees and customers about your philosophy and approach to innovation and change? Do you want clients to view your business as being...

How to Identify New Business Opportunities

Posted by: Rod Kurtz on September 08

To more effectively identify new business opportunities, you have to dig deep and ask lots of questions. Take a step back, and use these questions as a guide to help...

Analyzing Your Company's Strengths and Weaknesses

Posted by: Rod Kurtz on September 05

Comparing internal strengths and weaknesses and external opportunities and threats are invaluable, yet often overlooked steps in a CEO's decision-making process. • Strengths. Examine your company's strengths by looking at...

Negotiation Ideas Worth Remembering

Posted by: Rod Kurtz on September 04

What you give and what you take from a negotiation is proportional to the magnitude of the agreement you're working on. So while forgoing minute details in small deals may...

The Benefits of a Customer Survey

Posted by: Rod Kurtz on September 03

If you've never systematically surveyed customers' views on your organization, you probably don't know what they are. We all need customer feedback to assess the performance of our salespeople, the...

Creating a Culture of Innovation Within Your Team

Posted by: Rod Kurtz on September 02

What does innovation mean in your team? For teams involved in research and development or quality improvement, the answer may be obvious. But it isn't obvious for teams that do...

What Makes a Top Executive Different?

Posted by: Rod Kurtz on September 01

What will it take to make it to the top of your company? A McGraw-Hill survey of some 4,000 managers, including CEOs, asked them to rank the attributes they considered...