April is National Stress Awareness Month. Work-related stress is by far the most common and costly form of stress in the United States. Stress and its associated impact on our physical and mental health account for the majority of sick days taken each year. The cost to U.S. employers is now estimated at hundreds of millions of dollars each year. Stress and mental health are highly correlated. Helping our employees…
In my 40-plus years of work, I have had five female bosses. They were all good supervisors; two were excellent. Looking back over all of my supervisors, I think they were better overall than the male supervisors. I answered to a female on my very first major professional position. She was the mayor. I was the city administrator. She was a long-time community activist and businesswoman before she was mayor.…
The UTRGV SBDC invites high-tech, innovative companies interested in seed funds for research and development to attend a workshop March 27-28. The government’s Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer programs are the focus. The two collectively offer more than $2.6 billion in high-risk, non-dilutive capital available to innovative small companies annually. Expert speakers for the sessions include Michael Kurek from BBBetc and Bijo Mathew from the UTSA SBDC Technology…
Some elements of the new tax reform package that was signed into law late last year and took effect in 2018 are straightforward and simple to understand. Others are detailed and complex. And some areas are cloudy since the regulations haven’t been written yet. The simplest part of the package to understand is the lowering of tax rates in the seven tax brackets for individuals. “Whatever bracket you are in,…
What is the single most important attribute for good, effective leadership? That is perhaps the most dangerous question in the world for a leadership coach. Not because it is difficult, but because it is easy. Too easy, in fact. There is no wrong answer. You can choose from literally dozens of buzzwords and catch phrases and you will be guaranteed applause. But, sitting on a panel one day, I was…
It’s the three fundamental principles of business: location, location, location. The right location can make all the difference in your success. But there is more to it than just looking for a high-traffic location. First, I have to point you to this National Public Radio story that got me thinking: “Girls Auto Clinic Owner: I Couldn’t Find A Female Mechanic, So I Had To Learn.” A quick summary of the…
Success in social media may not be nearly as complicated as you think. In fact, here’s a simple formula any small business owner or entrepreneur can follow to become a social media superstar. These seven steps will get you started. Define your marketing goals Start with a plan. Define a small set of marketing goals. (But not too many!) For example, perhaps you want to: Develop better brand loyalty in…
A retired pipefitter and welder said he wanted to gather information that would “help my grandchildren get something better than I’ve got.” Others in the room were considering starting businesses such as a second-hand boutique, a construction company and an environmental consulting firm. What they all had in common was a desire to find success owning and operating their own business. About 30 people gathered in January at the Small…
It costs money to run or start a business. Funding a business is one of the first and most important financial choices most business owners make. The U.S. Small Business Administration has launched Lender Match, an online referral tool connecting small business borrowers with participating SBA lenders. Lender Match is an upgrade to Leveraging Information and Networks to Access Capital, introduced as a pilot in 2015. Lender Match brings together…
“He’s just an opportunist!” someone said after a meeting. We were discussing the aftermath in which one person seemed to get a cushy assignment while others seemed to get to carry the heavy load. The “opportunist” had quietly lobbied for the assignment before the meeting. That’s when it occurred to me that the word “opportunist” gets a bad rap. The Merriam-Webster online dictionary defines opportunity as: 1) a favorable juncture…