Small Business Labs

DECEMBER 17, 2013

'Below is our 7th annual Top 10 Small Business Trends list.  2013's trend list is available here. To see earlier lists, click on the year: 2012 , 2011 , 2010 , 2009 , 2008. Our overall economic outlook for 2013 is for solid if moderate growth with U.S. GDP increasing 2.5% to 2.75%.  We expect hiring and the job market to continue to improve with unemployment falling and finishing the year in the 6.5% to 6.7% range.   Technology   1.

2014 218

2014 Forms Networking 2013 218

Eco-Office Gals

DECEMBER 10, 2013

'“Paper or plastic?”. This is a simple question, asked millions of times per day in supermarket checkout lines across the country. Not too difficult to answer for most, but a question with major consequences for the planet. America’s addiction to plastic, perhaps most notably plastic shopping bags, leads to an enormous environmental problem. For example, in New York City alone the administration pays more than $10 million per year in order to send 100,000 tons of plastic bags to out-of-sta

Clothes 212

Clothes Forms AT&T UPS 212

Practically Perfect PA

DECEMBER 6, 2013

'It is that time of year again – Christmas parties, sparkly dresses, an indescribable amount of mulled wine and a stash of minced pies to ward off unwanted hangovers. Yup you’ve guessed it – December, where the best kept secret in the office is who has whom for their secret santa. I must admit I have always encouraged secret santa when organising the office Christmas party but do end up rushing around on the day of the party trying to actually purchase something.

Purchasing 209

Purchasing Travel Stress Health 209

Eat Your Career

DECEMBER 12, 2013

'Over the past few months, I’ve talked about this concept at length in numerous webinars, speeches and presentations. Career Academy members are already familiar with this, as are those who have attended my live training programs. But this is one concept that’s so important, it deserves a blog post of its very own. When it comes to career advancement, the biggest question has to do with your value to the organization.

Purchasing 207

Purchasing Resume Administrative Professionals Negotiating 207

Speaker: Joe Sharpe and James Carlson

Payroll optimization can be one of the most time-consuming and complex factors of small business management. Yet, organizations that crack the code on streamlining employee compensation often discover innovative avenues for growth. With the right strategies in place, outsourcing and streamlining payroll processes can result in substantial time and resource savings.

Payroll

Stephanie LH Calahan

DECEMBER 9, 2013

'"It takes a lot of courage to release the familiar and seemingly secure, to embrace the new.  but there is no real security in what is no longer meaningful.  There is more security in the adventurous and exciting, for in movement there is life, and in change there is power."  ~Alan Cohen. What does it mean to release the familiar and embrace the new?

Lifestyle 176

Lifestyle Facebook Phones AT&T 176

Virtual Moxie

DECEMBER 9, 2013

'In my work with Virtual Assistants, and people who think they want to become Virtual Assistants, one kind of statement is made repeatedly. I call it the “I have to do A before I do B,” statement. You hear it all the time, in and out of the business arena: “I have to retire before I can start my jewelry business.”. “I have to lose 10lbs before I go to the beach.”.

Retirement 176

Retirement Learning UPS 176

Eco-Office Gals

DECEMBER 4, 2013

'Solar power isn’t something you think of often. Mostly, it’s something you hear about on TV and blasted all over the Internet. But, this technology has come a long way since the 1970s. Most businesses don’t think it belongs on their rooftops, but there may be applications where it’s legitimately useful. Prices Have Come Down.

Equipment 180

Equipment Expenses AT&T Forms 180

Practically Perfect PA

DECEMBER 13, 2013

'Like a lot of us these days I am glued to my iPhone and I have a lot of my life on my iPad. If I’m honest, I am really just lost without them (sometimes I am literally lost without them thanks to my dependence on Google maps to get me around!). I use my iPhone and iPad every day and I’ve found there are lots of fantastic apps that will really help assistants maximise their productivity.

Restaurants 205

Restaurants Travel Expenses Phones 205

Office Dynamics

DECEMBER 9, 2013

'Co-workers: Sometimes you love them and sometimes you hate them, but no matter what, you have to deal with them. Since you aren’t exactly in charge of hiring and firing, you better figure out a way to make the relationship work so you can do your job. When you don’t have to worry about the drama and politics of the workplace, you can focus on the task at hand.

AT&T 168

AT&T Collaborate Learning UPS 168

Eat Your Career

DECEMBER 4, 2013

'As we approach the new year, now is a perfect time for reflecting on the year that was—where you’ve been and where you want to go in the future. This is equally important for your professional life as it is for your personal life, which is why I always recommend doing an end-of-year career review. While I’ve written about this topic in the past, this year, I wanted to make the process even easier for you.

Facebook 162

Facebook Email 162

Speaker: Tim Buteyn, President of ThinkingKap Learning Solutions

Join this brand new webinar with Tim Buteyn to learn how you can master the art of remote onboarding! By the end of this session, you'll understand how to: Craft a Tailored Onboarding Checklist 📝 Develop a comprehensive, customized checklist that ensures every new hire has a smooth transition into your company, no matter where they are in the world.

Equipment

Virtual Moxie

DECEMBER 24, 2013

'A friend was recently gifted a copy of this book , and having jumped in to it with wild abandon, excitedly asked me to share some of the things on my bucket list. Unfortunately, I couldn''t; I didn''t have one. If you know anything about me by now, you know that I’m absolutely not goal-driven. So the idea of having a list of things I feel compelled or driven to do or accomplish before I die has remained foreign to me.

Goals 171

Goals Gifts AT&T UPS 171

The Small Business Blog

DECEMBER 8, 2013

'Richard Branson built his company from a small record shop into one of the biggest brands in the world, so whenever he shares some entrepreneurial tips it is well worth paying attention to him! In this short video interview from 2011 he has some personal advice for entrepreneurs, particularly in relation to their dealings with… Read the full article here: Branson’s Advice for Entrepreneurs on: THE SMALL BUSINESS BLOG.

2011 168

2011 Interviewing 168

Eco-Office Gals

DECEMBER 10, 2013

'The process of making a transaction at a retail store and receiving a thermally printed receipt is so familiar that customers may think it is the only way to get a record of their purchase of products or services. But think about what happens to most of those receipts. They get crumpled up in pockets, lost on the dresser drawer or glove compartment, or thrown out.

Credit Card 175

Credit Card Customer Service Email Environment 175

Practically Perfect PA

DECEMBER 16, 2013

'This is a guest post by Mike Martin… Some people think that fun and a sense of humor have no place at work, that work is very serious business. Our advice to them? Lighten Up. There’s a reason that Google has a giant waterslide on its main campus, and that tons of companies have ping pong tables, video games, or free popcorn to eat while watching movies on the giant screen at work.

Stress 185

Stress Health Google International 185

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Management

Stephanie LH Calahan

DECEMBER 2, 2013

'The other day I was taking a walk with Danny (my ever faithful Havanese) and I really took in the look around us.  We had an unusual cold snap a few weeks ago and all of our trees dropped their leaves at the same time.  On one hand, it made quite a mess!  On the other, we raked them all at once and have not had to rake since.  That got me thinking about entrepreneurs and letting go.  More specifically, this entrepreneur (me) and what she is letting go and encouragi

AT&T 160

AT&T UPS 160

Office Organization Success

DECEMBER 2, 2013

'Exciting news! You can now find one of my articles, “5 Reasons to Automate & Streamline Your Business” , inside the latest issue of the Business Rocks Magazine #BizRocks for #WomenInBiz. Click Here to download the FREE app from Apple iTunes today! And to celebrate, you can get a 3 MONTHS free subscription using code: 3Biz. .

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159

Virtual Moxie

DECEMBER 16, 2013

'More on weakness. I''ve already said that it''s not moxie if you spin the truth. Yet it''s not untruthful to uncover and expose the other side of a perceived weakness or flaw. It''s the classic "glass half empty or full" analogy; the glass may be half empty (truth), but it''s not a lie if you say instead, "the glass is half full," which is also the truth.

Gifts 160

Gifts 160

The Small Business Blog

DECEMBER 11, 2013

'For the majority of business owners, the way in which Google calculates their algorithm to determine where their business website shows up in searches is a mystical science akin to sorcery. There are in fact approximately 200 signals that Google takes into account. Today’s infographic is an (unofficial) compendium of 200 of the factors that… Read the full article here: Infographic: Google Ranking Factors on: THE SMALL BUSINESS BLOG.

Google 165

Google UPS 165

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Sharing your authentic self in a virtual interview can be an unwanted challenge. How do you break through the digital barrier when conducting a virtual interview and share your exceptional self? Think in unconventional ways to elevate the virtual interviewing experience.

Interviewing

Eco-Office Gals

DECEMBER 17, 2013

'Today’s environmentally-minded companies are always looking for ways to make their carbon footprint smaller. From offsetting to telecommuting, we give you several ways to make this goal a reality: Computers. Unless you really need powerful computer equipment, say if you work in video editing or game development, look at whether you can replace inefficient desktops with more eco-friendly laptops.

Carbon Footprint 160

Carbon Footprint Telecommuting Keyboards Equipment 160

Practically Perfect PA

DECEMBER 4, 2013

'Over the last few months I have been designing a lot of presentations for the company I work with but also for my own little foray into the world of public speaking. When I say a lot of presentations I mean A LOT! So I’m really pleased I stumbled across Haiku Deck back in May and have been a massive fan of it ever since! If your Executive does many public speaking events or presents to staff then I’d seriously suggest you check out Haiku Deck.

Copyright 184

Copyright Skills Email 184

Office Dynamics

DECEMBER 18, 2013

'Gone are the vibrant leaves of fall and the anticipation of cool breezes. As the wind turns bitter cold and the shortened days keep closing in, the winter blues come calling too. The routine remains the same but changes in the season mean arriving to and leaving work in the dark, thus missing out on sunlight, outdoor enjoyment and the optimism of summer.

UPS 157

UPS AT&T 157

Small Business Labs

DECEMBER 10, 2013

'A powerful trend that gets little coverage is the growth of small manufacturing. As we pointed out in our 2012 article The Rise of Small and Micro Manufacturing , of the 330,000 U.S. manufacturing firms 80% have fewer than 50 employees and about 36% have 4 or fewer employees. And these numbers understate the number of small U.S. firms that make things.

2012 155

2012 Interviewing 155

Advertiser: Aggregage

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Policies

Clutter Coach

DECEMBER 1, 2013

'Originally posted 2009-01-06 18:56:59. Republished by Blog Post Promoter. This adorable wall socket cover provides a spot to park your phone while it's charging. The antlers are rubber, so they'll grip the phone, plus there's more antler space for draping the cord. And they come in three deer varieties!!! There's another model to cover a light switch.

Phones 152

Phones 2009 Promotion 152

The Small Business Blog

DECEMBER 14, 2013

'The festive period is a fun and often busy time for people and businesses. But it is also a time in which it is very easy to let your guard down and fall for scams that normally you would not think twice about, especially when you are online. The BBC has helpfully published a guide… Read the full article here: Christmas Scams on: THE SMALL BUSINESS BLOG.

162

162

Eco-Office Gals

DECEMBER 4, 2013

'Environmental performance; energy efficiency; eco-friendly; green- these are real buzz words and phrases within the business world at present. Not so long ago you would rarely have associated any of these phrases to a business, however they have now become a priority as the emphasis is placed on protecting the environment for generations to come and also cutting the cost of energy as prices to continue to rise.

Equipment 160

Equipment Suppliers Environment UPS 160

Practically Perfect PA

DECEMBER 19, 2013

'I’ve been working really lllllooooonnnnggggg hours recently and I can definitely say it has taken it’s toll! I can not wait to have a break over Christmas and New Year. I bet most of you feel the same! For me I know I can work pretty much flat out for about three months but then I need to have a holiday otherwise I can get run down and just a bit grumpy.

Phones 180

Phones Assertiveness AT&T Holidays 180

Speaker: Tim Buteyn, President of ThinkingKap Learning Solutions

💢 Do you find yourself stuck in never-ending review cycles? Are you wondering if your Subject Matter Expert actually got that last review request? Are you having trouble trying to decipher impractical or conflicting feedback? 💢 If any of these scenarios sounds familiar, you may benefit from a crash course on managing SME relationships!

Collaborate

Office Dynamics

DECEMBER 4, 2013

'Prioritizing your work efficiently is one of the best ways to succeed as an administrative professional. Good work-management skills make it possible to manage multiple projects without missing deadlines or submitting subpar work. Use these tips to make work management easier no matter how many projects you are working on at one time. Administrative assistants and secretaries face more disruptions than many other office professionals because they often have to greet guests and answer the teleph

Administrative Professionals 151

Administrative Professionals Skills Filing AT&T 151

Small Business Labs

DECEMBER 19, 2013

'I have to say when I first heard about this product I thought it might be a joke. But Fisher Price really is selling what they clumsily call the "Newborn-to Toddler-Appivity Seat for iPad Device" The picture below is from their website. The release of this product is getting quite a bit of media coverage, and almost all is negative: Time calls the seat a " kind of a harebrained idea" and points out the American Association of Pediatrics is against any electronic media expo

151

151

Office Organization Success

DECEMBER 4, 2013

'I’m hosting a free training next week. It’s called: Create Your 2014 Strategic Business Plan. Click here to join me. I’m going to be sharing with you my proprietary business plan model; one that I’ve developed, tweaked, and fine-tuned during my 12 years in business. Once you understand how all the different systems fit together, creating a plan for your business becomes so much simpler.

2014 149

2014 Training 149

The Small Business Blog

DECEMBER 10, 2013

'Some things in business can only be learned through experience, or by reading about someone else’s experience. Many people say that there are unwritten rules that govern your business, but often these “unwritten rules” are not written down for a reason – because they are wrong! Today’s infographic is based on an article by CEO… Read the full article here: Infographic: Unwritten Rules on: THE SMALL BUSINESS BLOG.

Learning 159

Learning 159

Speaker: Tim Buteyn

Let's set the scene: you’ve identified a critical performance gap in your organization and need to close that gap. A colleague suggests training, but you suspect there’s something going on that training can’t address. How can you determine if training is the right solution before you commit your budget and resources to a new training program? In this webinar, you will learn how to determine if training is the right solution using the Behavior Engineering Model.

Training