Features
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10 Ways to Use the BBB to Grow Your Business
July 14, 2014
If you own a business, you already know about the Better Business Bureau and the importance of its ratings. But that isn’t all the BBB has to offer. We discuss some of the lesser-known features of the BBB and how they might be able to boost your business growth.
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Should You Ever Make a Counter Offer to an Employee?
July 11, 2014
It’s no secret that competition for experienced employees is heating up. Despite the economy’s ups and downs, the news continues to be filled with reports that businesses seeking to hire can’t find qualified workers. So if you have qualified workers on board, how far should you go to retain them? When a key employee gets a job offer, should you consider making a counter offer?
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3 Classic Recipes in Case Your Brand Ever Gets Grilled
July 10, 2014
Yes, it’s true. The Paula Deen Network is launching in September. The celebrity cook, whose career was nearly burnt, is cooking up something new – and digital. Just in case your brand ever gets grilled, we look at three fast and easy tips inspired by the digital rebranding of Paula Deen.
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3 Ways to Keep Your Small Business Growing & Gaining Ground
July 09, 2014
As many business leaders spent the last year focused on cutting costs and staying competitive, small-business employers specifically took measures to hold fast – making careful choices about hiring, compensation and employee benefits options.
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The Top Law Firms in Athens
July 08, 2014
The Athens area has many well established and reputable law firms. In this feature, we highlight five of the most notable firms that have a focus on business law and regulations.
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Do Customers Buy Because of Your Core Values?
July 07, 2014
As we've discussed in previous posts, customers buy brands and they pay more for brands that they want to be associated with. But, it's not just your logo and advertising that creates your brand.
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UGA Launches Online Bachelor of Business Administration Program
July 02, 2014
The University of Georgia Terry College of Business has launched an Online Bachelor of Business Administration Program aimed at full-time employees, military personnel and others looking to upgrade their business skills.
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University of Georgia Foundation Board Elects New Trustees
July 01, 2014
The University of Georgia Foundation elected four new trustees and welcomed five new ex officio board members at their just concluded annual meeting on St. Simons Island. In addition, the board accorded emeritus trustee status to four outgoing members. The changes take effect on July 1st.
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St. Mary's, ARMC Commit to Explore Future Collaborations
June 30, 2014
The Boards of St. Mary’s Health Care System, Athens Regional Health System and Athens Regional Medical Center have signed a Joint Resolution to explore the potential for future collaborations to better serve patients and the community.
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Balance of Social & Economic Strengths is Key to Attracting Talent to Cities
June 27, 2014
Today's urban professionals want to live in cities with strong reputations for developing intellectual capital and innovation, as well as high marks for employment prospects and quality of life, according to a new study--Cities of Opportunity 6: We, the urban people--released today by PwC US. The study focuses on urban demographics and includes findings from a global survey of 15,000 PwC staff in 30 cities, providing an in-depth look at what matters most to working professionals in the cities where they live.
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Aflac-Backed Communicorp Gives Customers FORTUNE 500 Stability
June 26, 2014
The seeds of Communicorp, Inc. started over fifty years ago as a vehicle to provide Aflac headquarters and field force offices with business cards, letterhead, and brochures. The concept quickly grew to an internal print shop chartered in 1981 to the Georgia-based corporation it is today with locations in Columbus and Atlanta, with a presence throughout Georgia.
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St. Mary's Receives Healthgrades Patient Safety Award
June 25, 2014
St. Mary’s Health Care System announced today that it has achieved Healthgrades’ Patient Safety Excellence Award for the fourth year in a row. Healthgrades is the nation’s leading online resource for comprehensive information about physicians and hospitals.
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Georgia Ranked 10th Friendliest State for Small Businesses in Nationwide Survey
June 24, 2014
Thumbtack.com, in partnership with the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, today released new data showing that Georgia has won praise as one of the top ten states for small businesses. Jon Lieber, Chief Economist of Thumbtack.com, said “Creating a business climate that is welcoming to small, dynamic businesses is more important than ever, and Georgia's friendliness towards small business is helping to make that happen.”
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UGA-Licensed Turfgrass to Take Center Stage at World Cup 2014
June 23, 2014
When the world’s best soccer players make their way onto the world stage next week, chances are they’ll once again be playing on a University of Georgia-bred turfgrass.
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The Role of Entrepreneurship in Rising Income Inequality
June 20, 2014
Income inequality is growing in America, and it has much of the chattering class in an uproar.
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13 Best Practices for Building Solid Small Business Operations
June 19, 2014
Running and scaling a business will always be challenging. But having a solid foundation of smoothly operating practices underlying your company can make it much easier. To find out how successful entrepreneurs were building their operations, we asked 13 founders from Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) the following question: “As a business owner, what do you feel is most important when it comes to building solid small business operations?”
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5 Ways to Boost Your Retail Sales This Summer
June 18, 2014
For many retailers, summer isn’t exactly the high season. But that doesn’t mean it has to be a bust. With summer about to go into full swing, have you thought about how you’ll boost business for your retail store this season?
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Small Business Sentiment Improving But No Sign of Surge
June 17, 2014
NFIB Optimism Index rose 1.4 points in May to 96.6, the highest reading since September 2007. However, while May is the third up month in a row, the Index is still far below readings that have normally accompanied an expansion and there have been similar gains in the past that haven’t panned out in this recovery period. Five Index components improved, one was unchanged and four fell, although not by much.
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12 Tips for Training Your Summer Interns
June 16, 2014
Summer interns can be an invaluable resource for a small business. But although these bright young college kids are ready to tackle challenges, they’re likely inexperienced in the business world and won’t automatically integrate with your team. We look at how other entrepreneurs were successfully training their interns for the summer.
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4 Steps to Facing the Challenge in Strategy
June 13, 2014
Strategy is a way through a difficulty, an approach to overcoming an obstacle, a response to a challenge. If the challenge is not defined, it is difficult or impossible to overcome it.
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Blanchard Leadership Forum Brings Big Names to Georgia
June 12, 2014
The Jim Blanchard Leadership Forum consistently hosts some of the biggest names in business during this annual event on August 25th and 26th, and this year’s event lives up to its expectations. The 2014 line-up is headlined by Entrepreneur Mark Cuban and Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg.
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There are Times When Business is Personal and Not Just Business
June 11, 2014
Some people believe one needs to make decisions based upon the bottom line 100% of the time. If it benefits you, great. Otherwise, discard the idea. Emotional decisions in business benefit no one. On the other hand it is said, what you put out into the atmosphere will be received back many times over.
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Is the USDOJ Trying to Shut Down Businesses it Doesn’t Like?
June 09, 2014
What if government officials suddenly decided they didn’t like your business? Then they went to your bank and warned them you were a bad risk and that the government had its eye on you? Suppose the government brought so much pressure to bear that before long, your bank closed down your account or refused to open new ones in your name or the name of your business. Apparently, this is exactly what is happening with the U.S. Department of Justice initiative called “Operation Choke Point.”
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Are You Hiring for the Right Traits?
June 06, 2014
There’s lots of talk lately about the talent shortage – how employers, especially small ones, can’t find workers with the skills and experience they are seeking. But maybe the problem is that small business owners are putting too much emphasis on the wrong things.
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Deductions, Tax Credits, & Government Subsidies for Health Care
June 05, 2014
What does it all mean? Judging from comments on previous items, there is much confusion about this terminology and how it impacts health coverage for small business owners.