Category Archives: Business Advice

Considering Multiple Computer Monitors

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monitors

Are you looking to increase productivity in your small business? Some entrepreneurs and professionals find it helpful to have access to multiple computer monitors. This type of setup can potentially improve collaboration, productivity and even location flexibility. But there are also some potential drawbacks, from money and space constraints to the potential for distractions. If you’re considering investing in dual monitors for your own office, here are some of the…

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SBA Forum Gives Local Businesses a Platform

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Rhett Davis

Region 6 Small Business Advocate Rhett Davis of the SBA’s Office of Advocacy host two local small business regulatory forums March 28. The forums are held in an effort to further the goals of presidential executive orders on regulatory reform. The goal of the visit is to hear directly from small business owners about federal regulations that concern them. This is an opportunity for small businesses to educate the Office of Advocacy through first-hand…

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Be Prepared with Solutions

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In each and every organization, you will find problems. Sometimes big, sometimes small. There’s no getting around it. Like everything else, how an organization responds to problems comes from the top. This a lesson I learned from my wife, but it really came from her principal. As a teacher, my wife would often find she had trouble dealing with some issue that had come up. The first time she approached…

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Motivate Employees by Example

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motivation

There are two forms of employee motivation at work. Extrinsic motivation is external: pay, bonuses, overtime, commissions, rewards and other similar recognitions for hard work and attained organizational goals. Intrinsic motivation is internal: the desire to be the best at one’s job, to achieve or fulfill a purpose, to master a skill or technique, and other similar intellectual stimulations. Most managers focus on offering the proper extrinsic motivators to their…

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Emerging Leaders Launches in South Texas

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Emerging Leaders

South Texas small businesses are now eligible for the SBA’s 2019 Emerging Leaders Initiative. The program provides “no cost” intensive entrepreneurship education as well as training to those who want to elevate their businesses to the next level. As an offering from the Lower Rio Grande Valley District Office, the course includes nearly 100 hours of classroom time. Participants also have opportunities to work with experienced coaches and mentors. Additionally, small business owners and…

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Chatbots for Customer Service:

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Chatbots are computer programs that are able to converse with people online using human-like speech. They’re common within messaging apps and live chat features to help businesses answer customer queries, increase sales and save time. And they’re getting more popular by the day. In fact, 80 percent of businesses plan on using chatbots by 2020, according to a study from Oracle. Not sure how a chatbot could benefit your organization? Here are…

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Mentoring: the Missing Link to Small Business Growth and Survival

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As a former small business owner and entrepreneur, I know first-hand the support, resources and access to networks and financing that entrepreneurs need. While there are many businesses that experience success, the fact remains that only half of all small businesses survive more than five years (source: SBA Office of Advocacy); and about 10-12 percent of all employee-based firms close each year. There is growing evidence, however, that connecting a business…

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Slippery Slope of Dishonesty

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Honesty is not quite the lonely word Billy Joel thinks it is. Managers and workers alike lament the loss of honesty in the workplace. Labor wants a leader to practice honesty and openness. Management seeks to hire honest, hard workers. Both are often disappointed to find it lacking in the other. Honesty in the workplace is critical to harmonious and productive relations, yet it is often one of the least…

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Work Visa Rules See Changes

Business Advice Events News Comments

On the same day that President Donald Trump visited the Rio Grande Valley to drum up support for a border wall, a group of business people gathered to learn about immigration issues facing workers and employers. “It’s really hard to keep up. Changes are occurring on an almost daily basis and the changes are affecting immigrants and employers,” said immigration attorney Belia A. Pena, who presented the workshop sponsored by…

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