Business Blogs: Trends, tips, and real-life anecdotes from industry experts.

For years, a nagging problem in my small business, Centratel, was the time and effort it took to pay the monthly bills. The process did nothing for the bottom line and each month required 10 to 14 hours of my time to process 60-80 payables to various vendors. I wrote the checks, entered the transactions [...]

It’s Sunday, September 6, and Linda and I are in Philadelphia. We stand in a pouring deluge – the brunt of tropical storm Hanna is upon us – as we wait to enter Independence Hall, located in the city’s Historic District. Drenched despite our umbrellas, 30 of us enter the annex of the building. We [...]

In several of the interviews that I’ve done, one of the frequent topics that comes up as an aside, is Money now vs. Money later. Many business owners are torn between the product or service offering money quickly and the development or infrastructure efforts that take short-term money but offer long-term reward.
This creates an immediate feeling [...]

It seems logical the manager’s total efforts should be focused on the product or service itself; that all energy be directed to the work that must be done, the customers who must be found, and the money that must be made.
And this is the problem! Focus entirely on these tasks without an overall strategy of [...]

“Why? Because I’m the mommy and I said so.”
- Anonymous mommy
Do it now and let’s get on with whatever is next!�
Point-of-sale is a phrase taken from the cash register industry. It describes action “where the purchase takes place.” Consider the latest generation of cash register which instantly updates inventory and orders new product. Before the customer [...]

You developed your business idea, closed on deals with suppliers, ordered your inventory of products, written your business plan, incorporated, and raised the money you need to get started. Now what? Every aspiring entrepreneur should put considerable thought into building a solid infrastructure and eventually constructing a team full of key players.

First, find and investigate [...]

The numbers are gloomy. Statistics show that of one hundred new business startups, eighty will be out of business within five years. Too often, the causes of these failures are recurring inefficiencies and their offspring: fire-killing and distraction. Most business owners wake up in the morning with only a vague sense of their ultimate, primary [...]

Most people have jobs, and as of this writing, there is not a general revolt against the concept. In any society, it is a revered position - one that carries a certain “it’s a good feeling to be part of the team” camaraderie. Whether a democratic or a socialistic state, it is understood that the [...]

Lots of the big boys, are big boys for a reason – they grew fast. Before there was a Starbucks on every corner, there was a McDonalds. One can argue that the former has a markedly more positive impact on property values, but both companies made the decision to go public. I’m not making a [...]

Maybe you enjoy working the long hours. Yes, staying late to work on a deadline project or to finish the twenty things on your task list probably makes you feel a bit nobler than your cubicle-mate (who jets out the door as soon as that wall clock strikes 5 p.m.). There’s a sense of pride [...]