As important as feedback is, we get and give too little of it – and often too late. Whether you’re the leader or not, you need to keep feedback as a ready tool for yourself and your team. For most organizations, feedback is given once a year during the annual performance review. It’s generally not a pleasant experience because most managers don’t know how to do it well, and most…
If you are starting a small business, there is no shortage of advice on the steps you should take: registering your business name, getting a Tax ID, deciding on a business structure and applying for the needed permits and licenses. While these are all very important steps to take, a business plan will be central to how you start, grow and develop your business. Here are five reasons why you…
The Small Business Administration estimates about 627,000 new businesses open every year. It might be a hobby to earn extra income, or a long-standing idea you finally want to act on. Whatever the motivation, there are resources available for people who want to launch a business in 2019. One of the organizations aspiring business owners can turn to is the Small Business Development Center housed at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. Center…
Since 2015, the McAllen Chamber of Commerce’s TechPlace has been providing a place where tech-minded entrepreneurs can connect and work. The 2,500-square-foot area on the third floor of the McAllen Creative Incubator offers memberships for the collaborative space to app and software developers, tech startups, programmers, coders and college students. TechPlace offers its members 24/7 access to collaboration space, lounges and meeting rooms. The facility also offers high-speed WiFi as well as…
No matter how good the idea or how big the dream, passion and detailed planning are critical components of starting a new business. That was the message from Michael Wilson, who recently presented one in a series of Small Business Administration workshops dedicated to guiding aspiring entrepreneurs through a process of turning an idea into a viable enterprise. Wilson is chief operating officer of CM Institute of Leadership, a company…
I write articles on leadership and management with one goal: to help others become more mindful and caring leaders. Science and clinical study support this modern idea of leadership. Volumes of research are published in academic journals each month, showcasing the positive outcomes of these new forms of practice. What were once fringe ideas offered by singular gurus of their day – servant leadership, emotional intelligence, mindful leadership – now…
You already know that you can build a business selling collectibles on eBay or ebooks on Amazon, but those are just a couple of the options out there for selling products and services online. From virtual services to physical products that use your own unique designs, check out these suggestions for things to sell online that you may not have considered before. Website Domain When you purchase the domain for…
Everyone and every organization needs a dose of creativity. We can’t survive without it. We face new challenges every day, and we have to find new ways to respond to them. Unfortunately, we don’t often look for truly creative ways to address these new challenges, but prisoners do. Prisoners spend quite a bit of time coming up with creative ways to get by, whether it’s how to smuggle in, hide…
A limited amount of spots are open for the upcoming Kauffman FastTrac starting in January in South Padre Island. The NewVenture program provides tools to both develop business concepts and successfully launch a business. To be held at the Port Isabel Events and Cultural Center as well as the South Padre Island Birding and Nature Center, the seven sessions encompass facilitated instruction. Students in the program identify market needs, understand business…
The Texas Workforce Commission recently launched “Jobs Y’all: Your Career. Your Story.” The statewide career exploration campaign and website is made to inspire young Texans to discover and explore the state’s in-demand industries. At the same time, they will also learn about essential skills to enter the workforce. The Jobs Y’all campaign originated as a need to create greater awareness of the link between jobs and education. “We listened to employers who…