Archives: May 2009

You Need to Engage, Not Agree

Posted by: Rod Kurtz on May 29

Constructive conflict creates an effective environment for innovation. Leaders who make agreement or consensus more important than candid, rigorous debate cause problems for themselves and others. Results suffer. Remember that...

Avoid Rash Decisions to Weather the Down Economy

Posted by: Rod Kurtz on May 28

As we see it, most businesses make fairly good decisions, but with a bit more effort they can make even better ones. And now is the time for better decisions....

Improve Your Site's Rankings

Posted by: Rod Kurtz on May 27

With more and more Web sites going up daily, it's often hard to break through the noise on the Internet and move up the rankings. It becomes increasingly more difficult...

Make Your Web Site Pop

Posted by: Rod Kurtz on May 26

Web sites have become one of the most important aspects of a company. They do far more than just hold your place in cyberspace and tell people who you are...

How to Survive and Thrive Now

Posted by: Rod Kurtz on May 25

Many people ask me how we've managed to survive and grow in the worst recession our economy has seen in nearly a century. While I can't purport to have cracked...

How to Cope with Credit Issues

Posted by: Rod Kurtz on May 22

Savvy small business owners are finding ways to cope with credit issues and keep capital flowing. Here are some ideas: • First and foremost, don't panic. The evidence suggests that...

Five Common Overtime Myths

Posted by: Rod Kurtz on May 21

The Fair Labor Standards Act requires all nonexempt employees to be paid one and one-half times their regular pay rate for any overtime hours worked. Don't fall for these common...

Summer Help

Posted by: Rod Kurtz on May 20

Every summer, many businesses look to bolster their workforce by hiring students on summer break. However, many employers are still unaware that when it comes to youth employment, the Fair...

Dealing with Bad Check Headaches

Posted by: Rod Kurtz on May 19

If you get a bad check from a customer, here are some tips on how to collect: • Call the Customer. Call the customer and ask that he or she...

Form a Business Alliance

Posted by: Rod Kurtz on May 18

Some businesses spend a good deal of marketing dollars and energy figuring out who their customers are, what they desire, how much they are willing to spend, how satisfied they...

Avoiding Bad-Check Headaches

Posted by: Rod Kurtz on May 15

Dealing with bad checks can be a big headache for small businesses. That's why the easiest way to handle bad checks is to make sure that customers don't write them...

Avoid E-Discovery Litigation Surprises

Posted by: Rod Kurtz on May 14

E-discovery is a challenge that is faced by virtually every organization, regardless of size. In fact, almost as many small organizations were the target of a lawsuit within the last...

Redefine Your Business for Change and Growth

Posted by: Rod Kurtz on May 13

One of the obstacles to change and growth can be traced to the ways a business defines itself. To break out of outdated models that may be keeping your company...

Innovation Doesn't Have To Be "Risky Business"

Posted by: Rod Kurtz on May 12

I recently talked with a retailer who was concerned about trying to innovate during the downturn. The owner was worried about losing everything if resources were diverted from the tried...

Turn Your Business Into an Idea Factory

Posted by: Rod Kurtz on May 11

Idea management systems are not just for large corporations. Every business needs an influx of potentially useful ideas to help it stay competitive. There are many methods for collecting and...

The Case for Going "Paperless"

Posted by: Rod Kurtz on May 08

Small businesses should consider taking a "paperless" page from President Barack Obama's efforts to shift to electronic medical records. He states that a change to electronic medical records could help...

Listen to Your Customers

Posted by: Rod Kurtz on May 07

I've found that many companies have a tendency to focus so much on selling their product or service that they forget to listen to what their customers are telling them....

Know Your Market Before Developing Your Product

Posted by: Rod Kurtz on May 06

There seems to be a commonly held belief that to create a successful business one must develop a product first and then find the market. This, in my opinion, is...

Make Your Word as Good as Gold

Posted by: Rod Kurtz on May 05

It used to be that business agreements could be sealed verbally or by handshake. Today, nothing gets done without a signed contract. While a contract locks a company into a...

The Case for Continuity Management Software

Posted by: Rod Kurtz on May 04

No one can control whether or not an organization will be affected by a natural disaster, hardware failure, power outage, or other unplanned incident. But companies can prepare to respond...

Securing Government Contracts

Posted by: Rod Kurtz on May 01

One of the biggest challenges for small businesses interested in working with the government is a lack of information on how to get started! Prior to jumping into the government...