While a certain regulations may be created to protect people, it can create other potential problems for those who aren't aware of all the details. A recent change could have that exact effect, and investors need to be cautious. Les Szarka, founder, co-owner and CEO of Szarka Financial, talks with Tim Muma about the ins and outs of the new rule. Though it certainly is a benefit to investors and their best interests, Les exp...

When we think of brands, we tend to picture the big ones. We forget that a powerful brand can be important to every company and especially small businesses that hang their hats on customer loyalty.According to a recent survey by Rosetta Consulting, engaged customers (those who are strongly attached to a brand) buy 90 percent more frequently, spend 60 percent more per transaction and are five times more likely to indicate it...

The higher up you go in your organization, the more you need to make other people winners and not make your job about winning yourself. This is a hard concept for people who like to win to grasp. The more successful you become, the more helping others win is how you win! This is the secret to winning big.For those in leadership positions, this means closely monitoring how you hand out encouragement and how you “help” others...

Companies that are in a financial bind or aggressively determined to steamroller over their competition can view cutting corners as a viable option. By that, I mean that they take actions such as using inferior materials for their products or providing misleading information to convince potential customers to use their services rather than a competitors’.Why should you care? I can think of at least two reasons:1.Your employ...

By 2020, customer experience will overtake price and product as the key brand differentiator, according to a recent Customers 2020 Report. Increasingly, customers of small businesses may be expecting owners to know their individual needs in detail and go out of their way to personalize offerings and the shopping experience. When this is done properly, repeat business can be the result.But what happens when you please the cu...

Every once in a while, we come across someone – either in the media, on TV or YouTube, or right next door – who captivates our attention because of their passion and love for what they’re doing. They radiate excitement about the possibilities, enthusiasm for life and what they’re focused on and learning, and a deep commitment to helping others create more success (and fulfillment) doing work they love. Mike Rowe is one o...

A recent study, The Principal Financial Well-Being Index, found that business owners generally have positive vibes about where they stand financially. Almost half are optimistic about the 2016 economy—and with good reason. Sixty-four percent feel their financials have improved significantly or somewhat from last year, and 74 percent have built a surplus of cash.I asked three small-business owners—Sarah Jacoby, owner of danc...

Not everyone has a perfect professional past. Even executives have glitches in their career at some point in their lives.Do you have gaps between jobs or have you ever been fired? Do you know how to put yourself in a positive light to potential employers despite negative issues from the past?The key is to avoid dwelling on unfavorable subjects or at least minimize the problem areas. A few tips:1.Exude a positive attitude. T...

As most of you know, I don’t work in IT – I just write about it. I do try to look out for trends, so when I kept seeing this word, Hadoop, popping into my Google Alerts, I thought I’d better pay attention.According to a recent survey from TDWI, overall Hadoop adoption by enterprises is on the rise, with 60 percent of respondents planning on having Hadoop clusters in production by the first quarter of 2016. But what exactly...

If you answered, “Not well” to this question, you’re probably in good company. It often seems that employers either don’t “get” how valuable clear communication with employees can be to overall employee satisfaction and company well-being or they have an agenda that precludes giving consideration to issues not clearly profit-oriented.Why Some Companies Don’t Communicate Well with EmployeesActually, I suppose there could be...