Your small business is booming. You need to hire help. But should your new hire be an employee or an independent contractor? Or… you’re self-employed, providing services to ride-hailing companies like Uber or Lyft. Are you an employee, covered by labor laws and your costs reimbursed—or should you be considered an independent contractor? As more …
3 Tips to Fall in Love with Your Business
It’s the middle of summer, and you’re stuck behind your small business desk—working and sweating—while your friends’ Facebook feeds are filled with pictures of them happily enjoying a drink at some beach. It’s no wonder you’ve ‘Lost that loving feeling’ for your own business. Falling out of love with your small business can happen any time, …
9 Secrets of Trade Show Success
It may be summer, but if you’re a small business owner wanting to grow your business, it’s time to start thinking about fall. When the leaves turn gold, there’s a golden opportunity to grow your business: autumn is the busiest season for industry trade shows and conferences, and those are great for finding and securing …
5 Things Entrepreneurs Do Before 9 a.m. Each Morning
Small business owners and entrepreneurs must be productive. We need to squeeze value out of every minute. For most of us, our most energetic and constructive time is first thing in the morning. Do we use those precious morning hours well? I recently asked readers of my free monthly small business tips newsletter, PlanningShop Report, …
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9 Surprises About Running A Business
You love owning your small business—being your own boss. Perhaps you’re dreaming of starting a business one day. To help you reach your goals, you read everything you can about how to run a business (including this column!). You take small business management classes. But some lessons you can’t learn until you’re actually at the …
9 Small Business Problems You Want
If you run a small business, you’ll reap many benefits. But, let’s face it, every business encounters some problems. But if you’re lucky, you’ll have good problems. What’s a “good problem?” It’s the kind showing you’re doing something right. But it still leaves you with a challenge you need to face. Still, no one ever …
You’re a Start-up, College Grad
This month, all over America, young people are slipping on ill-fitting caps and wrinkled polyester gowns, marching to Pomp and Circumstance and — finally, finally — grabbing that hard-earned college diploma. Once the hugs and tears subside, the job hunt will begin. Many will end up working for a small business; some will help launch …
Small Business Lessons from Silicon Valley
When someone says “Silicon Valley” business, you probably envision companies like Google, Facebook, Apple or startups like the one lampooned on the hit HBO TV series. But I live here in Silicon Valley, and I know there are thousands, maybe tens of thousands, of small businesses that succeed the “Silicon Valley” way. What lessons have …
Sleep, A Secret of Small Business Success
“There’s not enough hours in the day.” Virtually every small business owner and entrepreneur laments that there’s not enough time to complete everything we have to do. So, we stay up late, get up early. We try to gain extra hours by cheating our sleep. But we may be cheating ourselves and our businesses. Because, …
