Category Archives: Business Advice

Building Leadership Skills in Your Community 

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More than likely, you have several shelves full of books about leadership and management. Maybe you’ve attended a four-hour seminar on some aspect of leadership. You’ve listened to motivational speakers. If that has worked for you, great. If not, consider going in a new direction with a community leadership program. I believe that leadership happens in the doing, not the reading. I compare it to riding a bike or sex. You can read all the books you want…

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Corporate Social Responsibility

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What Your Small Business Needs to Know Ever wish your small business could do more for the community? Maybe you volunteer as a group or have a favorite cause, but you want to take that work a step further. A corporate social responsibility (CSR) program could be what your company needs to work toward a community mission alongside your business mission. These programs are increasingly becoming a staple of business transparency efforts; many…

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Don’t Think You Earn Too Much For A Roth IRA 

When Roth IRAs were created in 1997, they were an exciting new idea. They provided a way to make after-tax contributions that could, under certain conditions, grow entirely free of federal income taxes. Prior to that, traditional IRAs worked basically the other way around — you could make deductible contributions, but distributions would be fully taxable. The law also allowed taxpayers to “convert” traditional IRAs to Roth IRAs by paying…

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Disaster Assistance … The SBA You Never Knew

What used to be a family home is now splintered debris after being beat by strong winds. An office building or retail store that serves as a source of sales and income for several workers is now unusable and unprofitable in the blink of an eye. Who do you call? Helping communities recover and rebuild after hurricanes, floods, tornadoes and other disasters is a side of the U.S. Small Business…

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The Dark Side of Transformational Leadership

What influence does an inspirational speech about company mission and vision from a CEO have on the ethical behavior of employees? According to the research, a great deal. Transformational leadership, the practice of influencing the behavior of others to implement monumental change and new direction using a synergistic style of engagement and team building, is highly touted for its positive results. Mention just a few role models of transformational leadership…

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Hocus Pocus! It’s Time to Focus

“Hocus Pocus! It’s time to focus.” I stole that line from an online forum, but I can’t track down the name of the woman who wrote it. For her, it is a quick mantra to get her moving when she starts to become complacent, feels a goal is overwhelming or starts feeling worn out. It is a mental kick in the pants to get her moving. There are times everyone…

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Being Good May Be Bad For You And Your Team 

It’s something I’ve thought was true, and now there’s proof: Being good at your job is not always good for you. According to research from the Duke University Fuqua School of Business and published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, very good employees get punished with more work and with higher expectations than other workers while getting paid the same. My wife used to tell me the same…

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Writing YOUR Success Story

Once upon a time … It’s the classic opening to our favorite fairy tales. As children we dream of magic potions and knights in shining armor that will provide our happily ever after. How were we to know that our own hard work, skill and determination could be far more effective? Once upon a time, my husband and I started our business sharing a desk. As he developed our product…

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Five things to do if you retire in 2017 

Plan to make retirement a reality There is little doubt that 2017 will hold surprises. We have a new president. How will the markets respond? How will health care policies change? What will happen with the current tax code? Considering everything that is up in the air, it is more important than ever to partner with a financial professional who can help make your retirement dreams a reality. Here are five…

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