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Well-designed infographics that go viral have inspired many to try to make their own. After all, the best designs make them look deceptively simple, and the availability of programs ranging in price from GIMP to Photoshop means that it seems like anyone can create them. The problem is, many people can create infographics, but few can create designs that are eye-catching, effective, and still look easy. A great design that  [ Read More ]

Two days into undertaking the P90X work out, I speedily found that there’s something that I really do appreciate concerning the procedure. Very first let me say the main reason that I am performing this exercise is because I am lazy… Or like some would say I desire to accomplish factored efficiently. With that being stated I have located that possessing to alter the DVD each time it’s time for  [ Read More ]

Boost morale and motivate employees with these tips for holiday bonuses. Holiday bonuses are a great way to reward and motivate employees, but deciding how to award the holiday bonus can leave small business owners with a lot of questions. How much should you give? Follow these tips to decide the best way to handle this yearly tradition. Reward top performers. It can be tempting to make cash bonuses equal across the board, or base them on a percentage of income. However, experts agree that performance-based bonuses are the best way to motivate employees and reward your hardest workers.“Giving everybody [...]

Never charge less than what it costs to produce goods or services. Period. And if it ever comes to that, consider whether selling those goods or services makes good sense, says Mike Gatti, senior vice president of member relations for the National Retail Federation. The trick to discounting properly is avoiding cutting into the bottom line too deeply, or too often: Do it in a way that increases overall transaction value or brings customers back for repeat visits—not in a way that encourages customers to wait for sales, or think your initial prices are not the “real” price.  “A good [...]

Cliff Ennico, Attorney, author, columnist Don’t worry, it happens to everybody. Every business will have clients that either just stop paying or slow down payments. In a recent webinar, Dealing with Deadbeats: Getting the Money You Are Owed Fast and Legally, Cliff Ennico provides tips for what to do when these situations arise. Ennico has 32 years of experience dealing with small businesses and is considered one of North America’s foremost small-business experts. Furthermore, he has authored ten books on entrepreneurship and small-business success. When a client stops paying or slows down payment, Ennico says try to stay cool and [...]

Wondering if it makes sense to hire in this economy? In Part 1, we looked at the 3 things you need to consider first. Here’s how small business owners five different industries — retail, agriculture, construction, manufacturing and professional services — made this critical decision. Hire Full-Timers Gradually ManufacturingFoster Transformer Company, Cincinnati Founded in 1937, NFIB member-company Foster Transformer has made it through several economic downturns. And one lesson that current owner Herman Harrison has learned is to make sure he doesn’t have too big a team, in case a major shift is lurking around the corner. The movement offshore of [...]

Even in this tepid recovery, at some point you’re going to have to decide when is the right time to expand your work force? And how can you know how many employees to add without handcuffing yourself to higher-than-necessary overhead? Experts say when it comes to hiring, it’s a mixture of planning, projecting and, in some cases, more of an art than a science. 1. Consider Your Capacity The first thing to consider when it comes to hiring is figuring out how much ongoing work you will have to keep a new employee busy, says Andrew J. Sherman, a partner [...]

Learn how to determine the features you need—and the price you should pay for them. Designing a basic, no-frills website can be done for the minimal cost of hosting it, but small businesses’ websites are becoming increasingly sophisticated to meet the needs of their customers. And the cost goes up once you figure in variables like the number of pages, amount of content and technical complexity. So, first figure out what you need. “What features do you wish your website to have?” asks Jodi Craft, product marketing director of Jacksonville, Fla.-based design service Web.com, which offers both design products and [...]