Features
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The Link Between Thought Leadership & LinkedIn
March 19, 2014
The topic of thought leadership has been hot and heavy over the last year or two. Often discussed, speculated about and outright claimed by some, it is among the more misunderstood business concepts.
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GDEcD & UGA to Host 2014 International VIP Tour
March 18, 2014
The University of Georgia will be one of 10 stops on the annual International VIP Tour that takes place March 19-21 and showcases a region of Georgia to the Consular Corps.
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Fewer Students Plan to Become Business Owners
March 17, 2014
College students are more concerned with making money now than they were before the start of the Great Recession, research by the Cooperative Institutional Research Program (CIRP) at UCLA, reveals. Maybe that’s self-evident. But here’s a more surprising finding: The fraction of students intending to become business owners has also declined since 2007.
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Majority of Businesses in Georgia Plan on Investing in Their Business in 2014
March 14, 2014
BMO Harris Bank released a study today that found that the majority of business owners/executives in Georgia plan on investing in their business in 2014. Hiring more employees tops the list of investment plans, followed closely by upgrades and purchases of equipment.
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UGA Reports on Economic Impact of Athens Technical College
March 13, 2014
The economic impact of Athens Technical College on Northeast Georgia is in a new report from Dr. Jeffrey M. Humphreys that details his analysis of economic data from the Technical College System of Georgia for the 2012 fiscal year.
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Getting New Hires Up to Speed Takes Longer Than You Think
March 13, 2014
Do you think your small business does a great job of getting new hires off on the right foot because you provide two or three weeks of intensive training and supervision? That’s a good start, but it may not be enough to create a dedicated, loyal and engaged employee.
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Outsourced Product Development Gaining Popularity Among Small Businesses
March 12, 2014
A great product idea alone is no guarantee of success for an entrepreneur. The time taken to develop a product and take it to market within reasonable costs is a key aspect.
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10 Ways to Avoid Becoming a Sales Robot
March 11, 2014
“Hi, this is Ted and I’m from X Corporation. Do you have a few minutes?” I’m immediately up in arms. I know he wants to sell me something that I am 99% sure I do not want to buy (for the record, I’ve never made a purchase from someone cold calling me). Can you relate?
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The Power of Thinking Big, But Starting Small
March 10, 2014
How did Google manage to come out of nowhere? And how did it grow to reach$58 billion in annual revenues in 2013 — all in under two decades?
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It All Begins With Your LinkedIn Profile
March 07, 2014
LinkedIn is the best place for business professionals to post information about themselves, regardless of your discipline. As a business professional, regardless of what your function is, you need to be findable to those in your field.
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Is Your Business Asking All The Wrong Questions?
March 06, 2014
Many entrepreneurs start a business because they have an overwhelming passion around a certain interest. They want to help people accomplish a stated goal. A problem develops in growing their business because they continually ask the wrong question: “I wonder if my exciting idea can help other people?”
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Georgia Manufacturing Activity Reverses its Two-Month Decline
March 05, 2014
Georgia manufacturing activity reversed an anemic performance with a strong boost in new orders and production for February, which offset the doubledigit losses in the prior two months, according to a study released by Kennesaw State University.
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3 Steps to Setting Great Objectives in Your Business
March 04, 2014
A great shooter picks his first target, hits that target and then moves on to the next. We must do the same in our organizations. Pick the most important target, nail that target and then, and only then, move to the next. Georgia CEO Contributor Curt Fowler shares some strategic objectives for success.
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Customer Service Matters Much More Than You May Think
March 03, 2014
Customer service is a big “elephant in the room” for so many businesses out there. It’s really not easy to train yourself or your employees with the virtues required to be a well-rounded, service-minded personality – a person with all the necessary attributes to make patrons to your business happy each and every time.
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The Benefits of Giving Your Staff a Raise
February 28, 2014
Are you trying to keep your key employees happy by offering them perks like work-at-home days, cross-training and flexible hours? That’s great and I encourage you to keep offering those extras, but a new study shows that they may not be enough to retain workers.
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The Tax Price of Success
February 27, 2014
It’s commonly understood that the better you do in business, the more taxes you’ll pay. As Scottish whiskey distiller, Thomas Robert Dewar, said: “Nothing hurts more than having to pay an income tax, unless it is not having to pay an income tax.”
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Language of Leadership: Constructive Versus Destructive
February 26, 2014
While many people are given the title of leader, a lot of them don’t elicit results because they don’t communicate in a way that inspires action and results. Having studied leaders for several years there are three distinct behaviors that I see real, impactful leaders engage in.
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How the Affordable Care Act Will Reduce Small Business Employment
February 25, 2014
The Congressional Budget Office reported that the Affordable Care Act will mean that two million fewer people will be employed full-time in 2017 than would be working in the absence of the law.
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What Helped Drive Amazon’s Success From the Beginning
February 24, 2014
By now we all know how Amazon has changed the way we shop, read, and even create businesses with its Amazon Web Services arm. But in the early days of eCommerce, it was far from a sure success. As I’m in the process of writing a book on how Amazon has changed the rules of the game for customer engagement, I recently had the distinct pleasure of speaking with one of the people responsible for leading the design of Amazon’s first site.
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Be The Best “Business Of One” You Can Be
February 21, 2014
Having your own business is still one of the most dreamed about career goals most people have, but one of the hardest to sustain. The entrepreneurial mindset is characterized by initiative, adventure, risk and perseverance. Taking leadership of your company if you do own it and ownership of your career if you run it are “musts” in today’s competitive business world.
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What to Expect & Not to Expect From a Business Mentor
February 20, 2014
Businesses that receive mentoring are 20% more likely to grow than businesses that don’t, according to research from the UPS Store. Business mentors are usually more experienced business owners or industry professionals who can provide advice and guidance.
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Top 10 Interview Questions to Ask Prospective Employees
February 19, 2014
While unemployment is the lowest in 5 years, it is still challenging to find the best employees for your company. Not only do they need the skills to perform their job well, but they also have to fit within the company’s culture.
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Georgia Experiences Fourth Record Year in International Trade
February 18, 2014
Georgia experienced its fourth record year in a row for international trade, exceeding last year’s milestones in both imports and exports. The total value of goods exported from Georgia totaled $37.6 billion, the most the state has ever exported within a single year.
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SBA Nominee Talks Marketing to Banks, Businesses at Confirmation Hearing
February 14, 2014
If finally confirmed, the newly nominated chief of the U.S. Small Business Administration promised to do more to promote the agency’s services. Maria Contreras-Sweet said at her confirmation hearing before the U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship that more must be done to brand the SBA.
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The Gift of Margin - 3 Ways to Get You Some
February 13, 2014
Margin in life is truly a gift and most of us have so little these days. Margin in our calendar gives us time to listen to a friend. Margin in our finances allows us to help a friend, or help ourselves. It is also keeps us out of debt and reduces stress.