The Thriving Small Business

tips for small business

8 Components Of An Effective Internship Program

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If your organization does not have an internship program, you might be missing out on some great talent for a low cost.

It is estimated that 20-25% of newly hired employees come from internship programs.

Organizations use internship programs as part of a recruitment strategy that is aimed at achieving business objectives. Read the Full Article →

10 Tips For Soliciting Customer Feedback

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Customer satisfaction is paramount to the success of any business.

For this success, a business must understand who its customers are, what they want, and have systems and processes in place to, not only meet, but exceed their expectations. 

This simple, yet difficult objective is what sets the successful businesses apart from the rest. Read the Full Article →

How Well Does Your Organization Evaluate Its Training?

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For those of us who have been around for more than a minute, understand how technology has infiltrated the work environment.

Gone are the days of filling out a (manual) timecard, typing a memo or filling out a paper expense report. Technologies are used for all of these tasks that once required a pen, paper, and typewriter. Read the Full Article →

7 Advantages of Hiring Freelancers

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The unemployment rate is at historic lows which is great news for the economy – but not such great news for small business owners who need help.

Low unemployment creates hiring challenges for all organizations, but particularly for small businesses. 

Lots of small businesses (mine included) now use temporary employees to help bridge the gap. Read the Full Article →

6 Ways to Boost Morale at Work

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Businesses can’t run effectively if their employees aren’t motivated to work.

Employees who are unhappy and have low morale have decreased job performance and satisfaction, which can negatively affect your company.

Conversely, employees who are enthusiastic and excited to show up to work every day can greatly impact how your company performs, in a positive way. Read the Full Article →

11 Tips For Successful Change Initiatives

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Why is change so hard? Particularly if we know that most of the time a significant change improves things. Right?

Well, not always, but if done the right way, change can bring about significant improvements!

Organizations reorganize internal structures and processes for a few reasons.

A change might be: to better align the organization with changing conditions, new business demands, or perhaps because of a crisis that impacts the organization. Read the Full Article →

Vendor Selection Criteria – 8 Things to Consider

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Successful organizations understand the importance of investing in the business. However, taking that step to spend money isn’t always an easy decision.

As a result, you have held off on making that vital business investment long enough. It’s now time to upgrade your phone system, redesign your website, or replace the carpet in your office. Read the Full Article →

7 Steps to Writing a Vision, Mission and Values Statement

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I was recently asked why a business needs a mission, vision, and values statement.

My response was that a vision, mission, and values statement is a tool to help an organization accomplish what it has set out to do and helps provide a framework for strategy, focus and decision making.

A Vision statement describes the ideal future state of the organization. Read the Full Article →

Loyalty Programs – How to Win Customers and Keep Them for Life

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Coupons, loyalty programs, and customer incentives seem to be in most establishments these days.

I have to admit I love coupons but I also love reward programs that can utilize my phone number to track visits and rewards.

We used to purchase the Entertainment Book for my kids every year and sneak one in for myself. Read the Full Article →

5 Advantages of Professional Networking

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A simple life reality is that people need people. We need our family, we need our friends, and we need others in our industry. Which makes professional networking so important.

Professionals use networking as a means to form relationships with others, in like or related fields, that help to expand ones’ effectiveness in an organization or industry. Read the Full Article →

6 Employee Benefit Trends – Is Your Organization Competetive?

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The unemployment rate in the US remains at historically low levels. This tight labor market has organizations interested in the latest employee benefit trends.

A decade ago, employers were reducing benefits just to survive the great recession of 2008. Cutting budgets was commonplace in an attempt to limit employee layoffs of the time. Read the Full Article →

What are the Seven Parts of a Business Letter?

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Writing a professional business letter is a vital part of business communication.

Written communication to customers, vendors or other businesses is a developed skill that requires practice.

Understanding the proper business letter format, the parts of a business letter and practicing writing is key to effective business correspondence.

The business letter is a little more formal than other written business communications such as email, memos or text messages. Read the Full Article →