What Obstacles Hold Back Businesses from Growing as Fast as They Want?

According to a recent study from the Fox Small Business Center, Houston, Tampa-St. Petersburg, Denver, Seattle and Dallas-Fort Worth are the top five metro areas for business growth. While having a growing business in one of those areas or any other area around the world is an impressive accomplishment, that doesn’t mean growth is free of challenges. On the contrary, rapid growth can mean that a business has to tackle challenges that it never anticipated. If you read the previous sentence and thought “I wish my business had to deal with those types of challenges,” chances are it’s because your business isn’t growing as quickly as you’d like.…

Done It Wrong? Admitting is an Art!

Ability to admit that you are wrong when you actually feel you are is definitely an art and unfortunately in a lot of cases, it is one thing that seems to go overlooked. If you have stepped in as a new business leader or a new entrepreneur, then knowing how you are going to admit your mistakes is often a challenge. It also offers you a great opportunity to also learn and grow at the same time. When you know you can admit your mistakes in the right way and with the most suitable approach, you can be sure that it’s only going to make your organisation and team much stronger.…

Offbeat Enterprises Showing The World How to Expand a Business

In recent times, getting ahead in business has been a challenge for every firm from the largest multinational to the smallest hyper-local company run out of a spare room. To try and ensure they get a head start, many newcomers to the business world are trying to sell innovative and niche products and services, and it is firms like those who are among the most likely to succeed. In the Inc. 5000 list of fastest growing companies in the US, there were a number of quirky businesses which featured in the list.…

Print or Click: Which is Best for Advertising Your Business?

Any start-up business with even vague aspirations of becoming at least a fairly well-known name within its industry will face a myriad of dilemmas when it comes to publicising themselves. Should they begin in a low key way or do something flashy? Should they spend a lot or try and market their products without dipping into their bank accounts? One of the biggest decisions any company will face when it comes to advertising their product is choosing the most effective media.…

5 Tips on Being a Lean Startup Entrepreneur With Less to Spend!

The average cost of starting a new business can be just anything, depending on your requirements, plans of expansion and the kind of industry you are planning to work in. No matter if your money comes from the financing and the savings, watch out for how you ultimately spend your money as it can be extremely critical for your business. Now with this, we clearly mean that you will be required to establish boundaries and habits in order to ensure that you are spending money well and quite wisely.…

Tattooed Employees: Can Businesses Ban Them?

Back in the day, tattoos were considered to be a part of the counterculture. In fact, for decades, tattoos were associated with gangs, crime, bikers and other groups outside what was considered the norm. However, tattoos have long since gained a much wider acceptance and have been prevalent among many types of people. Also, people who have tattoos are known to work in a wide variety of industries and hold jobs at every level, including executive positions. Establishing Employment Policies Employers have been relaxing their policies with regard to tattoos.…

Benefits of ERP Solutions for Small Business Owners

Just a few years ago, small businesses were known for resisting new technologies and changes to the traditional business model. Today, small businesses are leading in innovation and embracing new technologies as quickly as they appear. One of the most popular trends among small business owners is the adoption of cloud computing technologies. Gartner predicts that cloud computing will be a $150 billion industry by the end of 2013. From large-scale data storage and order processing to ERP suites and online accounting, the selection of cloud-based services and platforms is vast.…

Small Businesses: Surviving White Collar Crimes

Small business owners are often in their position due to a great deal of hard work and dedication. Once in this position, however, there are an array of things that can bring everything tumbling down. Unfortunately, white collar crime is one of these things. These types of crimes are committed for the sole purpose of financial gain, and most definitions have this occurring in a business setting. While white collar crime may seem like something that only takes place on Wall Street, a business owner charged with one of these crimes will learn quickly that companies of any size can be affected.…

Women in Business: A Working Guide

Forbes reports that the number of women CEOs is on the rise, adding six more to the ranks of the Fortune 500 companies for a grand total of 18 in 2012. When you’re a woman fresh out of college and ready to pursue a professional career, you dream of climbing up the ladder and making your way into that coveted position. While it’s still dominated by men, more women every year are inspired by the ladies at the top spots into pursuing their business dreams.…

The Queen’s Award for Enterprise Recognises Small Businesses

Businesses from around the United Kingdom attended a prestigious event held by Her Royal Majesty the Queen on 23rd July in honour of their success in the previous years. This year’s event saw one of the most highly coveted awards granted to those businesses which started small and blossomed into hugely successful enterprises. Some of the businesses honoured at the event were so humble in their beginnings, they attribute their success to work at the kitchen table! Filling a hole Thea Green, founder of Nails Inc.,…