Many small business find hiring talented employees difficult. Getting the good ones to stick around might be even harder. A successful employee retention strategy is essential to not only attaining excellence, but staying there as well.However, walking the tightrope between benevolent boss and overbearing manager can be perilous, which is why experts agree the best employee retention strategies feature equal parts setting expectations and rewarding performance.Laying down the gauntlet
According
Wednesday, December 31, 2014
6 essential business decisions to make in the new year
When most people make New Year's resolutions, they're focused on bettering themselves. Even if the local gym is more crowded in January than it is in February, the new year usually makes people feel like they have a fresh start from all the troubles they faced over the past 365 days. While resolutions aren't typically applied to small business, who's to say that you can't give your company a little shot in the arm for the upcoming year?Saying that your small business
How to pick the perfect client gift
The business-client relationship is a complex one. Sometimes, the power is on the side of your small business, but the next time you might find yourself groveling for a sale. It's a fairly normal give and take in the business world, but the real potential for danger comes when you try to give your most value clients promotional giveaways as a gesture of your goodwill.SmallBizTrends.com explained that everything from the price of the gift to the sensitivities regarding religion might rub
Don't take a step backward with your social media strategy
When the private sector realized the marketing potential that social media sites like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and others hold, there was a veritable mad dash among the bix bog stores to establish their brands in this new sphere of advertising. However, the Wild West of social media marketing created just as many failures as it did successes, and even today, business large and small continue to make missteps that set them back light-years in the age of the conscientious consumer.Retail
Promote National Blood Donor Month to boost social responsibility
As a small-business owner, it's important that you not only keep an eye on your brand's financial well-being, but also its reputation in the community. Even if you sell the greatest products or services in your area, odds are that irresponsible business practices will start to alienate consumers after awhile. Modern customers, especially younger ones, expect the business they patronize to give back to the community - or at least not to harm it. Most small-business owners are hopping
Tuesday, December 30, 2014
3 ways your small business should be using hashtags
There might have been a time when small-business owners scoffed at the idea of Twitter. But with more users than ever and a significant segment of younger consumers using the service for what seems like every second of every day, ignoring Twitter any longer is sure to leave your business in the dust of your more technologically inclined competitors.But like most new advertising platforms, it's not enough to just throw resources at the problem and expect results for your small
3 ways to boost sales on New Year's Eve
New Year's Eve isn't typically thought of as a consumer-driven holiday. Unless you run a bar or restaurant, odds are that you either close up early the night of Dec. 31, or you watch revelers pass by your store without so much as a glance inside. While celebrations are an unmistakable part of New year's Eve, that doesn't mean that small-business owners need to throw in the towel and give up on what could be a very lucrative night.However, turning New Year's
3 holiday celebrations around the Myron world
The end of the year can be a stressful time for many small-business owners. Not only do you have to focus on your customers and sales during the holiday shopping rush, but you also need to make sure you have a clear picture of how your next year will play out. Amid all this, it can feel like throwing your employees a holiday party is less of a priority.But as celebrations from three international Myron offices show, you can throw a fun and festive celebration that doesn't break the
Friday, December 19, 2014
4 small business trends for 2015
As a small-business owner, you know that the success you enjoy today is the result of months or even years of preparation. Everything from business plans, budgets and item ordering needs to happen well in advance of your target date if you're really looking to move some product. if you were a little behind the eight ball in 2014, the upcoming New Year could give you and your small business a fresh start.According to a survey conducted by CAN Capital, 58 percent of small-business
Thursday, December 18, 2014
Make the most of last-minute Christmas shoppers
Small business owners know that the holiday shopping season is no time to take it easy. Not only should you process more sales and shipments than at any other point in the year, but you also need to dress up your store to make it more inviting for customers as they pass by on the street. While most businesses do well during this period, all it takes is one day of laziness to fall behind your competitors.But that anxiety is nothing compared to what it's like waking up a few days
Tuesday, December 9, 2014
Can loyalty programs help retain customers?
It's been a long, hard slog from the days of writing up a business plan to making your first sale. If your small business has made it this far, you're no slouch when it comes to attracting customers. However, getting them to come back can be a different story entirely, which is why you might want to think outside the box to turn first-time customers into repeat visitors."It's so easy for customers who are price-sensitive to slip away or go to a competitor," Chris
Monday, December 8, 2014
4 ways to make employees and customers love National Thank You Month
If you're one the millions who make New Year's resolutions, your intentions are probably to start the next 12 months on the right foot. Maybe you're going to give that diet another shot or you finally took the plunge and signed up for the dance class you've been too nervous to take. Whatever the reason, January is an important month for you as a person - but it just might be more important for your business.January is National Thank You Month, and while this may seem
Wednesday, December 3, 2014
Do you know your trade show timeline?
Trade shows are a great opportunity to expand your brand's reach and network with other professionals in your field. Exhibitor Online explained that only 28 percent of a given trade show's attendees are from within 200 miles of the event - where else can you market to such a diverse group of customers in a single location?However, you don't want to waste this chance to grow your business. Even if your chosen trade show is over a year away, you should start preparing
Tuesday, December 2, 2014
Why you need to keep your employees happy
As a small business owner, you're likely well versed in detail-oriented work. Between drafting your business plan and managing day-to-day operations, one missed decimal or incorrect date wrong can spell disaster for your company.However, such focused managers can leave their employees to fend for their own happiness at work. It's no longer enough to sign paychecks and expect your top talent to keep coming back to the office with the same passion every single day.
Why tangible products are key to marketing success
As a small business owner, marketing your brand can seem straightforward. After all, you know the community and you might even be friends with many of your customers. If it really were that easy, though, small businesses would become big ones overnight. Marketing your brand is much more complicated than it may seem, with ins and outs that you might not expect. One of the biggest obstacles to advertising your small business is simply choosing how to do it. Digital marketing has become the
Tap into young adult shoppers with smart social media marketing
As a small business owner, you might think that you have to be more conservative with your marketing budget than a larger organization would. After all, one bad investment can drag you from the black to the red, so it's important that you research how best to spend your advertising dollars for maximum results.Promotional giveaways are great for trade shows and canvassing a neighborhood or parking lot before a special sale or grand opening, but if you want to fire on all cylinders when
Monday, December 1, 2014
Improve employee retention with giveaways and connections
As a small business owner, you know how hard it is to find hard-working employees. Whether it's a combination of lack of skills or incompatible personalities that would clash with others around the office, the job search process is difficult from the business side of things. You might partner with a recruiter to find the best young talent in the area, but these services can be expensive and sometimes only leave you with a revolving door of temp workers who aren't really invested in
Celebrate the Rockefeller Center tree lighting with an in-store party
This year, the Christmas tree that stands in front of Rockefeller Center will reach almost nine stories into the air and weigh 13 tons, USA Today reported. When officials throw the switch to light the tree the night of Dec. 3, more than 45,000 LED lights and a tree-topper star made by Swarovski will snap into brilliant, shining focus.You don't have to be in Rockefeller Center to have your own Christmas kickoff party though. In fact, this is a great opportunity to draw
Celebrate the Rockefeller Center tree lighting with an in-store party
This year, the Christmas tree that stands in front of Rockefeller Center will reach almost nine stories into the air and weigh 13 tons, USA Today reported. When officials throw the switch to light the tree the night of Dec. 3, more than 45,000 LED lights and a tree-topper star made by Swarovski will snap into brilliant, shining focus.You don't have to be in Rockefeller Center to have your own Christmas kickoff party though. In fact, this is a great opportunity to draw
Get serious about National Write a Business Plan Month
Sometimes, national days can seem a bit silly. Some are normal, like Eat a Red Apple Day, but then there are outlandish ones like Name Your Car Day and Almond Buttercrunch Day. It can be enough to make you ignore all of them right off the bat, but then you'd miss the important ones, like National Write a Business Plan Month, which runs through December.Millions of Americans dream of starting their own business, and according to Small Business Trends, entrepreneurs who take the time to
5 office party fouls to avoid this holiday season
As the annual office holiday party creeps closer, business owners need to find ways to make their employees feel appreciated. Giving away personalized products and other knickknacks can be a great way to boost morale during end-of-the-year bashes, but you also have to be wary about certain party choices that could put a damper on the night's fun.If you're worried that your holiday party might be verging on the side of boring and bland, check out these five party fouls you'll want
3 tips for marketing your new business
It may have taken years, but that business plan you've had floating around in your head for a while has finally become a reality. You've ironed out all the details with distributors, you have a clear idea of how you're going to sell your products or services and you're ready to take on your first day as the head honcho at your own shop.But wait - you've missed an important step that every small business owner needs to take care. Before you even sign the lease