Small Business Labs

JULY 2, 2012

The chart below shows the stunning growth in the number of Google hits for the search term "food trucks" over the last 4 years.       I even had to cheat a bit on the chart to get the 83,000 hits in 2008-2009 to show up.   The rise of food trucks is being driven by a variety of trends, many of which we're seeing across the small business space.  These include:  - New Localism , which the trend Americans relearning the value of community and reestab

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Social Media Restaurants 2008 2009 177

Job Advice Blog

JULY 5, 2012

Loads of people network during their job search, but very few are effective at such networking. Certainly, some are better at it than others, but in general, the majority of people not only dislike networking but also are simply not good at it. Based on a survey they conducted, Ivan R. Misner, Ph.D., and Don [.].

Networking 177

Networking Interviewing Skills 177

Eat Your Career

JULY 3, 2012

This is one thing I hear a lot about in my free coaching calls : The dreaded condescending superior. It seems this particular conflict runs rampant in the business world and today, I’m going to provide a few simple strategies for dealing with the boss who always thinks he (or she) knows better. First off, it’s important to recognize that “condescension” is usually a tone of voice more than anything.

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The Small Business Blog

JULY 2, 2012

Many of you will know that the founder of this blog Stefan Töpfer, founded and is steadily building, Winweb, a cloud computing firm. I have known Stefan for a while now after I interviewed him for a book, Rare Business (you can buy a copy here) that I wrote in 2010.

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2010 Interviewing 166

Speaker: Tim Buteyn, President of ThinkingKap Learning Solutions

💢 Do you find yourself stuck in never-ending review cycles? Are you wondering if your Subject Matter Expert actually got that last review request? Are you having trouble trying to decipher impractical or conflicting feedback? 💢 If any of these scenarios sounds familiar, you may benefit from a crash course on managing SME relationships!

Collaborate

Stephanie LH Calahan

JULY 4, 2012

This week, in the US, we are celebrating our nation's Independence Day.  Whether you live in the states or not, this is a great time for all of us to celebrate our many, many freedoms. What does freedom mean to you? If you are like most business owners, you created your business because you wanted to live on your own terms and you know that you have something amazing to offer.

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2009 Calendars Twitter Facebook 158

Job Advice Blog

JULY 4, 2012

Loads of people network during their job search, but very few are effective at such networking. Certainly, some are better at it than others, but in general, the majority of people not only dislike networking but also are simply not good at it. Based on a survey they conducted, Ivan R. Misner, Ph.D., and Don [.].

Networking 155

Networking Interviewing Skills 155

The Small Business Blog

JULY 3, 2012

No Major Tom Just call me ‘Ms Responsible’. I can officially kill the rumours that I’m booked onto Branson’s Galactic space tourist flight. I admit that I will miss being with my peers, such as, Angelina Jolie, Paris Hilton and, the smoking, Brad Pitt.

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Eco-Office Gals

JULY 3, 2012

Going green benefits businesses in many ways, from decreasing overhead expenses to increasing clientele. Becoming a green business also improves your reputation in the community and online. A few key ways that going green will overall improve your business include: Better Indoor Air Quality . Using green products while remodeling or refitting your business improves the indoor air quality in your building.

Expenses 154

Expenses Purchasing Promotion Management 154

Virtual Moxie

JULY 3, 2012

When thinking about potential clients, remember this: yours is not to convince. It’s never to convince. Yours is to simply feel great, love your life, follow that energy, notice the good people when they show up, connect, share what you do, and see what happens. This is the whole of it.

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UPS 149

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Sharing your authentic self in a virtual interview can be an unwanted challenge. How do you break through the digital barrier when conducting a virtual interview and share your exceptional self? Think in unconventional ways to elevate the virtual interviewing experience.

Interviewing

Small Business Labs

JULY 6, 2012

One of the most perplexing aspects of the current recovery is our high unemployment and under employment rates are coupled with a constant stream of complaints by companies that they can't find qualified job candidates. The most recent example is the New York Times article A Sea of Job Seekers, but Some Companies Aren't Getting Any Bites.   Key quote: “Companies all over are having a difficult time recruiting the kind of people they’re looking for." Wharton professor Peter Cape

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AT&T Training Skills UPS 148

The Small Business Blog

JULY 6, 2012

Last Sunday I spoke at the Independent Retailer Month UK Launch Conference in Solihull. As I took to the stage, I noticed a man hovering by the door and encouraged him to take a seat or risk missing what promised to be the best speech of the conference.

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Stephanie LH Calahan

JULY 2, 2012

" Everyone has a 'risk muscle.' You keep it in shape by trying new things. If you don't, it atrophies. Make a point of using it at least once a day." ~ Roger Von Oech. Late last week, we had the opportunity to purchase fresh-picked blueberries.  My son LOVES blueberries, so we bought 10 pounds.  That night, he asked me if I could make blueberry muffins.  I'd never made them before, but I was up for the challenge.

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Purchasing AT&T UPS 147

Virtual Moxie

JULY 5, 2012

The best of the best is when you know where you stand as sure as you know the nose on your face, and are still open—realizing that being open doesn’t in fact, put you in any jeopardy at all, and can, in fact, lead to some amazingness that you might not have had access to, otherwise, like meeting new people who can become referral resources to you, having new experiences that can open your eyes so that they can see the world you live and work in very differently, having conversations you may neve

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Advertiser: Aggregage

New vaccine mandates and testing policies will affect employers with more than 100 workers. Get Paycor’s free, customizable vaccination policy template to communicate critical details and new requirements to your employees. Get Paycor’s Template today!

Policies

Job Advice Blog

JULY 2, 2012

No employer is seeking to hire Mr. Average. All employers seek the exceptional and the very best. But how do you convince them that you are the ideal candidate? And how do you beat your competition for this one job? Most candidates approach the interview similar to a test. For many, this is the logical [.].

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Interviewing Skills 135

The Small Business Blog

JULY 2, 2012

Top 5 Tips posts from the SME Blog are always full of hints and tips for small, home & micro business owners. 1. Nowadays a small business has more access to helpful data than they ever had before. Use Google Analytics and Facebook Insights to work out what is and isn’t working for your business.

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Google Facebook 156

Ian's Messy Desk

JULY 3, 2012

There is something about e-mail that fosters poor communication habits. Users see it as a form of instant communication and therefore, doesn’t require the same care and attention that a letter might. For many organizations, e-mail has become the preferred means of communication, both formal and informal. Here are some tips to make your e-mail as effective and efficient as possible: Use short paragraphs.

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Email Forms Management 133

Virtual Moxie

JULY 2, 2012

Tomorrow is Independence Day here in the US—a big deal celebratory day designed to help us remember how wonderful independence actually is. Last year, I shared this post, and mentioned choice. Late last week, a reader asked if this year, I'd say more about the connection between choice and freedom. So this is for all of you.and especially for R. ?.

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Health UPS 146

Speaker: Tim Buteyn

Let's set the scene: you’ve identified a critical performance gap in your organization and need to close that gap. A colleague suggests training, but you suspect there’s something going on that training can’t address. How can you determine if training is the right solution before you commit your budget and resources to a new training program? In this webinar, you will learn how to determine if training is the right solution using the Behavior Engineering Model.

Training

Small Business Labs

JULY 5, 2012

Regular readers know one of our favorite trends is pet humanization.  This is the trend towards pet owners seeing their pets as full fledged family members - and themselves as "pet parents."   One big issue for pet parents is dining out with their dogs.  Those pesky health code rules make it hard to bring pets into restaurants.   So it comes as no surprise that food trucks are starting to serve dog food.

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Restaurants Promotion Health AT&T 129

The Small Business Blog

JULY 4, 2012

During the economic downturn many SMEs will be feeling the pinch, however many forget that small changes around the workplace along with educating staff can drastically cut fuel costs. With potential to significantly cut fuel costs any investment will pay for itself in the long-term.

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Office Organization Success

JULY 6, 2012

This week I was really pumped when a Google Alert flagged up that one of my articles had been mentioned online; not just at any website, but The New York Times no less! If you haven’t got your Google Alerts set up, you should do it right now! It’s a great way to keep track of where your marketing is leading you.

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Google AT&T UPS 126

Virtual Moxie

JULY 1, 2012

You, me, governments, even God simply cannot bring those who aren’t ready to something they aren’t ready for. It’s just impossible—not to mention frustrating. It’s most definitely an example of paddling a boat upstream, with no good outcome. As my friend Wayne always says, “Never try to teach a pig to sing. It’s a waste of your time, and it tends to annoy the pig.”.

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Speaker: Tim Buteyn, President of ThinkingKap Learning Solutions

We’ve all been there. You’ve been given a pile of dry content and asked to create a compelling eLearning course. You’re determined to create something more engaging than the same old course that learners quickly click through, but how do you take this “boring” content and create something relevant and engaging? Many instructional designers will say, “Boring in means boring out.

Policies

Step It Up VA Coaching

JULY 5, 2012

by Donna Toothaker. “What is the best way to get more clients in my Virtual Assisting business?” It’s a question I get asked a lot, especially since most of us are constantly growing our businesses. Do you need to develop a new marketing campaign? What about answering RFPs? Is joining a professional organization the answer? It seems like everyone is looking for that magic formula that will draw a network of clients.

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Networking Purchasing Email Management 118

The Small Business Blog

JUNE 30, 2012

Trust in banks is somewhat fickle, especially if every month brings a new revelation on how banks have been ripping their customers off. Can we trust politicians to sort this out? Do they have the will or the intellectual capacity to finally put an end to this greedy behavior.

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Office Dynamics

JULY 1, 2012

I have been working on a new book for women that will be released early this fall. It’s a book of courage, inspiration, risk, hope and overcoming obstacles. I am immersed in the proofing of the book right now and was recently reminded of that dreadful day we all remember – September 11. That was a horrific day for all Americans. It was also a day that because of the events, my business was drastically affected.

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Gifts 100

Virtual Moxie

JULY 4, 2012

For life to be truly fruitful and moxie-filled, it has to start inside you. If it doesn’t, there’s only so much that can be accomplished. Conversely, begun inside (or brought inside along the way and then having that inform what happens outside), anything is possible. A-N-Y-T-H-I-N-G.

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Speaker: Chester Santos – Author, International Keynote Speaker, Executive Coach, Corporate Trainer, Memory Expert, U.S. Memory Champion

In October, scientists discovered that 75% of patients who experienced brain fog had a lower quality of life at work than those who did not. At best, brain fog makes you slower and less efficient. At worst, your performance and cognitive functions are impaired, resulting in memory, management, and task completion problems. In this entertaining and interactive presentation, Chester Santos, "The International Man of Memory," will assist you in developing life-changing skills that will greatly enha

Networking

Service Untitled

JULY 3, 2012

Wachovia turned into Wells Fargo in March 2011. The conversion had been going on since 2008, and Wells Fargo promised to become more environmentally friendly and use less paper and forms. They also promised to have more in-house personnel to assist customers and to become more efficient. There’s no denying that the Wells Fargo branch I use in Jupiter, Fla. has had the best and brightest customer assistance I have ever had the pleasure to meet in a long line of mediocre banking institutions

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The Small Business Blog

JULY 5, 2012

We all have them, don’t we? In business mine are the people of passion and principle who never let their morals, core aims and beliefs, be sacrificed by an easier, compromised route to growth, and they refuse to be bullied. You don’t have to change the world, you don’t have to grow.

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Brilliantly Better

JULY 5, 2012

As I already wrote in my previous post, July seems to be a very good month for freebies and promotions. First of all, thanks to all of you who bought WPSumo, iAdd, or whatever you felt compelled to, from the list in my previous post. Appreciated. But, as a very popular Facebook viral photo says, [.].

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Facebook Promotion 61