Category Archives: Business Advice

RGV Celebrates Veterans Small Business Week

Business Advice e-Brief Features Events News Comments

This week is the U.S. Small Business Administration’s National Veterans Small Business Week, highlighting the different facets of the veteran business community. Locally, the Lower Rio Grande Valley office of SBA is in the middle of the celebration, offering events, many of which take place in the next days. This year’s theme, “Our #VetBiz Community,” showcases the various facets of the veteran business community, ranging from the prospective or existing veteran…

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Study the Best; Become Better

Business Advice Comments

Dr. Amanda Trosten-Bloom is a principal with the Corporation for Positive Change, a consulting agency specializing in organizational change and transformative leadership. She shares the story of a mid-sized American automotive repair company that sought to improve customer satisfaction, and the lessons it learned about the power of an appreciative inquiry. The story begins simply enough. Company managers examined data on customer satisfaction and agreed that customer satisfaction could be…

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Websites Still Critical Tools

Business Advice Events Technology Comments
Websites_Haight: Spectrum digital expert Ben Haight delivered a presentation on best practices for business websites at a seminar hosted by the McAllen Chamber of Commerce. (VBR)

Small business owners who think a good social media presence is all they need to promote their enterprises in the digital world are most likely mistaken. Digital marketing started with websites and they remain a critical component of branding a business. “A website is your digital storefront and it’s what sets you apart from similar businesses,” said Ben Haight, senior digital sales manager for Spectrum in Texas, during a seminar…

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Will This Be On the Test?

Business Advice News Comments

More than likely, you or one of your classmates asked this question in just about every class you took from middle school to high school to college to graduate school and beyond. You might have even asked the question during your company’s training sessions. I’ve used the question in many other situations. It is a great clarifying question. It is a way to get to what is essential in any…

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Free Financial Workshops Grow Small Businesses

Business Advice e-Brief Features Events News Comments

Free financial education, which includes both small business and personal finance, starts Oct. 19 in Edinburg with PeopleFund’s “Financial Education Friday.” The series of free classes take also takes place Oct. 26 and Nov. 16. Held under BBVA Compass Center’s Pilot Program, the series is held at PeopleFund offices in Edinburg, Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth and Houston. The Edinburg office is located at 300 S. Closner Blvd. Ste. 1. Session topics and…

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Culture Reflects Leadership

Business Advice e-Brief Features Featured News Comments

There is a saying in counseling circles that goes like this: Every happy family is happy in the same ways; every dysfunctional family is dysfunctional in its own unique way. While this is vast generalization, it is something that can be applied to organizations as well. When you look at successful organizations, there are some things these organizations do well: Clear vision and mission; strong, effective communications throughout the organization;…

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Succession: Key to Success

Business Advice News Comments

Historians consider Marcus Aurelius Antoninus “the last of the great emperors of Rome.” I’m not a historian by any stretch of the imagination, so I can’t claim to have the credentials to refute the claim, but I have often questioned this designation of admiration. I credit Marcus Aurelius for many admirable and distinguishable qualities. His self-discipline, adherence to principle, and the wise and fair rule of all Rome during his…

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Look in the Mirror to Succeed

Business Advice Events News Comments
Bridgett Krause, founder and CEO of the Dream Big Facility, gestures during a presentation at the McAllen Business Expo. (VBR)

Bridgett Krause believes in the “law of the mirror” as a strategy for personal and professional success. “You must see value in yourself to move forward to achieve personal growth and leadership,” she said during a recent seminar at the McAllen Business Expo. The annual expo was sponsored by the McAllen Chamber of Commerce. Krause and her husband Ryan are international trainers and executive coaches with the John Maxwell Team.…

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Knowledge Gained at Business to Botana Expo

Business Advice Events Featured News Comments
Business to Botana Expo 2018

From the moment people walked into the Brownsville Event Center for the Business to Botana Expo on Sept. 19, they were surrounded by the sights and smells this event was showcasing. There was no shortage of food booths with everything ranging from Taco Palenque to Bara Exotic Food to Vita Zumo. Free to the public, this popular event drew crowds of all ages. Babies in strollers ate pieces of fruit…

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The Basics of 8(a) Government Contracting

Business Advice Events Featured Government News Comments
SBA Business Opportunity Specialist Gilbert Soliz Jr. explains both the ins and outs of the 8(a) Business Development Program on Sept. 6 at the Brownsville Chamber of Commerce.

The U.S. Small Business Administration is an invaluable resource for any new entrepreneur. The 8(a) Business Development Program began as a public law and was named after Section 8(a) of the Small Business Act of 1953 (Section 204 of Public Law 100-656). The program’s incorporation took place in 1984 in Part 19, Small Business Program of Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR). Specifically, the program is a creation for businesses to work…

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