Should I Have an App for My Business?
In this age of handheld interaction with smartphones and tablets, businesses need to engage their customer base as much as possible. What better way than with a mobile app? But before launching into the new world of app development, business owners should answer three major questions. What do you want the app to do? […]
Finding the Right Ingredients
Chef Doug Turbush has garnered more than 15 years of experience and rave reviews in the restaurant industry. But the kitchen wasn’t his end goal when he began earning a degree in hotel management. “I’d been working in restaurants since I was 15, and there was no order or discipline. It was complete chaos,” he […]
Know Your Numbers
I recently met with a client in the specialty food business. The company, in short time, gained product placement throughout the southeast in one of the largest grocers in the United States. However, her company is operating at a loss, and to make matters worse, her cash balance is dropping faster than her operating losses. […]
Organization and Structure: Aids to Productivity for Small Business Owners
A small business owner recently complained about long hours and a hectic work schedule. “Nothing gets done without a decision from me,” he said in a manner that clearly indicated his frustration. The situation was, indeed, unmanageable. In a very brief time, the threat of loss of control emerged as numerous facets of operations awaited […]
Utilize CustomerFocused Job Descriptions
Customer satisfaction was recently named as a top priority for 200 companies surveyed by Insight Express. As a small business owner, have you ever considered using your employee job descriptions as a way to maximize customer service and enhance your company’s goals? What’s in a Name? There’s an old story about a South Georgia farmer […]
Leadership That Drags at the Top: Five Steps to Prevention for CEOs and Owners
In The Future of Management, Gary Hamel writes about the challenge of preventing top management’s out-ofdate beliefs from impeding strategic renewal and how to minimize the drag of old mental models. The issue is, understandably, one usually more obvious to middle managers than to top management. As small businesses grow, a common practice is to […]