Many small business owners are guilty of micromanaging. It’s no secret that delegating tasks is often very hard for small business owners to do. After all, how many of you started your business thinking, “I can do it better than my boss can!” or something similar?
When you’re the best at something, it’s tough to let anyone else take the reins. But micromanaging can hurt you, your employees, and your business.
Many small businesses constantly chase great online reviews. Because they have become a critical part of the prospect’s decision-making process. But what are the mistakes that they should avoid in the process? And are fake reviews going to dismantle the entire system?
The Impact of Online Reviews on Businesses
On the Small Business Radio Show this week we speak to Jeremy Lessaris. Lessaris founded irevu, an online reputation management company. He discusses how reviews can make or break your company. He says that “a one star drop at a plastic surgery office can cost the company millions of dollars.” They are having even more of an impact because Jeremy adds that Google is now frequently listing reviews in some cases before organic search results.
One of the more memorable parts of the consulting recruiting process was witnessing people attempting to network with consulting firms. What stood out was that people didn’t seem to have a commonsense understanding of networking best practices. Consequently, I witnessed some networking maneuvers that were simply bad form. I thought I had buried those amusing memories in my past, but this summer students have been seeking to network with me, and so now I’m experiencing some of these less than optimal networking tactics from the other side. Hence, I thought it would be helpful to highlight 6 pieces of tactical guidance for networking with consulting firms.
You can have a revolutionary business idea, but that doesn’t mean you’re cut out to be an entrepreneur.
To no one’s surprise, starting a business can be tricky. A person can have an amazingly revolutionary, insightful business idea, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that person is cut out to be an entrepreneur. After starting three businesses, and reflecting on my personal and professional journey, I’ve come to realize that while no two business owners’ paths are identical, there are some universal experiences that can help to shed some light on the entrepreneurial adventure. Here’s some of what I’ve learned along the way regarding my expectations vs. reality.
In the past few years, employee retention has become an increasingly prevalent issue for companies, with several studies pointing to the different reasons your employees may be leaving.
Just last year alone, the Work Institute’s 2019 Retention Report found that 41.4 million U.S. workers left their jobs in search of better opportunities, equating to a 27 percent voluntary turnover rate.
By 2023, this number is estimated to increase to 35 percent. The Work Institute conservatively estimated that the cost to lose a U.S. worker is $15,000.
The current job market tilts heavily in the job seeker’s favor, with a historically low unemployment rate, more open jobs than professionals to fill them, and more people quitting their jobs than any time in the last 17 years.
However, most of the good news for job seekers is in urban and suburban areas. Rural employment has unfortunately failed to recover as quickly or as well as urban employment since the recession.
There’s definitely no shortage of social media video content on any of today’s top social networks. On Facebook alone, users watch 100 million hours of video content each day. Around 400 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute.
With so many videos being uploaded and watched on an hourly basis, it can be hard to ensure your business’ content gets the visibility it deserves. It’s worth noting that social media users don’t often seek out videos. Instead, they typically find a video to watch when scrolling through their feed or by looking at a video shared by a follower.
In order to boost your engagement rates, you not only need to understand how users find videos on social media, but also the types of videos that are most suitable.
If you are rudely torn from your slumber each morning by a hangry meow, or you’re worried about your faithful canine’s rumbling belly when you have to work overtime, you may appreciate the benefits of an automatic pet feeder. Petsafe’s second-generation Smart Feed Automatic Dog and Cat Feeder costs nearly $200, but it’s packed with features, including smartphone connectivity, and it offers a fairly versatile set of scheduling options. I tested it out for a week with my cat, Bodhi, to see how well it works.
It’s a toss-up which is more nerve wracking: a first date or a first visit to a new therapist. Dates require small talk. But with a therapist, there can be pressure to really bare your soul.
A growing Bay Area company called Two Chairs wants to take the stress out of finding and paying for therapy. Unlike other mental health start-ups, it doesn’t skim the earnings of therapists, or sacrifice in-person appointments for video or text chats.
Instead, it runs brick-and-mortar clinics and directly employs therapists. It uses a human being (along with an algorithm) to match you with the right therapist. And then it handles the insurance paperwork so you can get a reimbursement check.
Wearable technology has made big strides in recent years, from fitness trackers and smartwatches to shoes that vibrate to give you directions, tops that soak up air pollution, and a jacket that doubles as a solar-powered phone charger. Levi’s and Tommy Hilfiger are among the brands getting in on the act.
Now Greek startup Tribe Wearables wants to use high-tech clothing to make your workouts more effective.
The company is developing gym shorts that sense your every move, tell you how to improve your workouts and help prevent injuries.
Dispatches From The Front 