5 Ways to Plan Ahead for Success
I know it can be really hard for business owners to plan for something happening six months from now. Making that sale today, the customer who is in your store right now, making payroll on Friday – these are always more urgent. But, really successful business owners keep an eye out farther than that. Get […]
Aim to Please
Have you ever seen the bathroom sign that says, “We aim to please. You aim too, please”? Over the 4th of July of weekend, while traveling with the family, I had a customer service experience worth sharing. It all began, as so many road trips do, with a pre-departure oil change and tire rotation. Trying […]
The Case for Strategic Planning
I love the saying “failing to plan is planning to fail.” I think most would agree that it is true but as a small business owner, do you actually have a plan? Many of you started with a business plan to explain the viability and need for your business and to possibly secure funding. That […]
How to Establish Credibility as a New Business
You’ve started a new business and want to launch it to the world but haven’t yet landed your first client. The first step to winning over that first customer is to establish that you are an expert in your field. Here are four things you can start doing today to increase your credibility: Online Image | […]
Pearce: Importance of Marketing Data
I recently read an article in The Wall Street Journal about declining attendance at major college football games by college students. It was in the July 17, 2015 edition of the paper and was titled “Just What Do Millennial Fans Want?” It could just as easily have been titled “The Importance of Marketing Data When […]
Employee or Independent Contractor?
I recently provided five of my top HR tips to a local magazine. My No. 4 tip was “Don’t misclassify employees as independent contractors to avoid payroll taxes or worker’s compensation insurance. Violations of wage and labor laws can result in costly fines and penalties.” We work with small businesses every day, and the independent […]
Market and Banking Advice Aid Dairy Expansion into Agri-Tourism Destination
It is rare to see a young family in Georgia make a business out of a small dairy farm. The around-the-clock work and competition from big corporate dairies has stopped many who desire such a lifestyle dead in their tracks. Not so for fourth-generation dairy farmer Scott Glover and his wife, Jennifer, who have built […]
Sales for New Product Bloom with the SBDC’s Advice
Scot LaVelle owns a successful Dalton floor covering company, Niche Custom Flooring. Through the years, he has relied on experts at the University of Georgia Small Business Development Center to advise him on ways to shore up his finances, maximize his operations and stay profitable, even during the Great Recession. “We get so immersed in […]