Archives: June 2010

Get Out of the Office to Get Creative

Posted by: Today's Tip Contributor on June 30

Are you planning a vacation, weekend getaway, or staycation this summer? As you think about what you might want to do or try, consider adding a visit to a business...

Broadening the Source of Ideas for Business

Posted by: Today's Tip Contributor on June 29

One way to bring new ideas into your business—whether for new product or service development, new sales or marketing approaches, hiring practices, operational strategies, or other business activities—is to hold...

Potential Pitfalls in Partnering

Posted by: Today's Tip Contributor on June 28

In my consulting practice, I have worked with several entrepreneurs who have taken the concept of partnership too lightly—making commitments too quickly and jumping into relationships before being sure they...

The Value of Partnerships

Posted by: Today's Tip Contributor on June 25

For entrepreneurs looking to build a new business or expand an existing one, a strong partner can be key. For a company such as a consumer product business seeking to...

To Get the Most Out of Conferences, Follow Up

Posted by: Today's Tip Contributor on June 24

Perhaps you've recently attended a few conferences and now you're anxious to get back to the work that has piled up on your desk. Remember, you went to the conference...

Conference Success Requires Careful Planning

Posted by: Today's Tip Contributor on June 23

Before you decide to attend any conference or expo, think about what you expect to come back with—be it contact names, research, or partnership opportunities. Use this goal to determine...

Let the Cloud Come to You

Posted by: Today's Tip Contributor on June 22

Cloud computing—making use of excess server capacity—is often portrayed as an all or nothing gamble that involves offloading your IT resources and your own data to a third party. It's...

Strategy Means Knowing Your Bandwidth

Posted by: Today's Tip Contributor on June 21

One key element of strategy that is critical for all businesses—but particularly for smaller or early-stage companies—is the issue of choice. The choice I refer to here is deciding on...

Curing the File-Management Migraine

Posted by: Today's Tip Contributor on June 18

Thanks to ever-growing amounts of data, potentially expensive security risks, and the proliferation of new technology, moving huge, business-critical files is giving headaches to organizations of every size. Organizations need...

Don't Overlook Your Biggest Brand Advocates

Posted by: Today's Tip Contributor on June 17

Branding efforts often focus on the external audience and not on the internal audience, but it's important to remember the brand inside. Internal adoption of the brand—and the message, clarity,...

Creating a Brand Requires Discipline and Vigilance

Posted by: Today's Tip Contributor on June 16

You must "brand your brand" or someone else will. Brand equity is all about consistent delivery and correlating communication, including both verbal and visual dialogue. Inconsistency is the face of...

The Value of a Good Lawyer

Posted by: Today's Tip Contributor on June 15

There are endless jokes about lawyers, who somehow always seem to get blamed for the problems of the world. Here's one vote for the value of good attorneys and the...

Choose a Hybrid Vehicle for Your Business

Posted by: Today's Tip Contributor on June 14

In the last decade there has been a significant increase in public awareness regarding the need to conserve energy, recycle waste, and make environmentally friendly lifestyle choices. Many companies have...

Simplify PCI Compliance for Data Security

Posted by: Today's Tip Contributor on June 11

If your business accepts credit or debit payments, it's likely that you're required to comply with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard. PCI DSS was created in 2006 to...

Keep Your Data and Your Business Safe

Posted by: Today's Tip Contributor on June 10

Despite the hype around cloud computing and the promise of off-premise centralization of applications, data, and other computing resources, most small businesses continue to store a tremendous amount of information...

The Case for Keeping Your Cool

Posted by: Today's Tip Contributor on June 09

In more than 20 years working in financial services, I've seen one simple truth play out again and again: Emotions and money don't mix. Why? Because emotions often drive us...

Prevent Security Risks When Sharing Sensitive Documents

Posted by: Today's Tip Contributor on June 08

Businesses must share documents—and often, sensitive documents—to be productive and to collaborate globally. There are many circumstances in which we need to share data; we need to provide specs and...

Video: Google's SEO Loophole

Posted by: Today's Tip Contributor on June 07

As small business owners know, getting a first-page Google result is harder than ever due to the growing complexity of Google's search algorithms and the company's preference for blended search...

Tax Planning Considerations for Your Business

Posted by: Today's Tip Contributor on June 04

A common priority for business owners is attempting to reduce their tax liability during peak earning and profit-generating years. Below are a few tips that may help you minimize the...

Don't Neglect Your Personal Balance Sheet

Posted by: Today's Tip Contributor on June 03

Small business owners frequently have their entire lives—including their personal finances—wrapped up in their business. Some owners may even make the mistake of investing their full net worth in their...

Your Business Shouldn't Be Your Retirement Plan

Posted by: Today's Tip Contributor on June 02

All too often, business owners lack knowledge of the true value of their business. Moreover, many may not truly understand the cost of financial independence, or the money needed to...

Stay Afloat in a Sea of Data

Posted by: Today's Tip Contributor on June 01

Every business (and every employee, for that matter), is trying to stay afloat in a sea of information right now. Think about how many times you send an e-mail, save...