Be Happy: Be Your Own Boss

At last, the secret to happiness has been discovered: be a small business owner. A survey conducted by TD Bank reveals that 69 percent of American small business owners polled said they would describe themselves as, “very happy.” In addition, 61 percent said they think they are happier than their peers. Moreover, the stress of running a business during the worst economy since the Great Depression has not turned these happy entrepreneurs off to the advantages of capitalism, since 87 percent say in the next five years, they are just as... 

Building Employee Satisfaction

As the economy improves, increasing employee satisfaction is becoming more important, according to a recent research report released by MetLife. The report, “Building A Better Benefits Program Without Breaking The Budget,” identified five steps employers should consider in order to build competitive benefits programs and help improve workplace satisfaction. According to MetLife VP, Scott Beck, “As the U.S. economy emerges from recession, there are big expectations for small businesses to provide the engine that will drive the... 

Working Well With Others

Retail managers now have two compelling reasons to encourage employees to be polite in the workplace; polite to each other, that is. Sure, retailers know that rudeness to a customer means lost goodwill and lost sales, but new research reveals that rudeness shown by one employee towards another one is damaging too. Moreover, a different study shows that rudeness can interfere with efficient cognition. A University of Southern California team, led by professor Deborah MacInnis and assistant professor Christine Porath, found that customers who witness... 

New Law Provides Help for Massachusetts Retailers

A new law was signed today in Massachusetts that offers relief to independent retailers looking for meaningful health care cost-cutting. Thanks to the new law, Massachusetts small businesses and their employees will now have the ability to take part in cooperative small business health insurance purchasing. The outcome is partly the result of the hard work of the Retailers Association of Massachusetts, which joined forces with 46 chambers of commerce and not-for-profit organizations, for the express purpose of getting small businesses and consumers... 

In Mixed Retail Forecast, Look for Cost-Cutting, New Products Through 2012

Faced with “increasingly demanding customers,” consumer goods and retail companies are responding with a slew of new products — 60 percent of companies surveyed in a recent report say that they are rolling out new products or variations on old ones. That’s according to a June 2010 research paper by management consulting company PRTM, who surveyed 350 companies to discern current and future trends in supply chain management. One positive finding: business is up. “Survey respondents, on average, expect annual revenue growth of 8.3 percent... 

10 Startup Tips

Here are 10 tips that the editors of Cover have gathered at recent business meetings for starting a new business: Outline your company’s mission statement, goals and define your corporate culture. Outline your business plan. It is critical to have a detailed business plan for the first 60 days, the first six months and the first 12 months. Create a three year budget, because your potential equity investors and debt lenders will demand it. Find an accountant geared to small business to help you select the best business structure for your... 

Luring Customers Back in the Wake of the Recession

IndependentRetailer.com recently had the opportunity to interview John Rudberg, National Sales Director for Diamond Storage Concept, a leader in the garage storage category most known for its HyLoft line of products. Rudberg believes that we’re starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel; that the economy will continue to improve and retail spending is on the rise again, something independent retailers have long been waiting for. Here’s what he had to say: IR.com: What would you say was the effect of the recession on independent... 

Proper Management Leads to Employee Loyalty

An American Management Association study has demonstrated that employees will feel better about their jobs, and even better in their personal lives, when their own values are in line with those of their company. The bottom line, from a management perspective, is that a common vision shared by employees will affect the way people interact with one another. This is especially true of independent businesses, including independent retailers. “An organization that can create an energized, higher-calling environment will have higher retention and... 

Keeping Customer Information Safe

Identity theft can be a very serious problem–both for customers themselves, as well as for businesses whose reputations are at stake. Having customers’ financial information put under risk is a blow from which it is very had for an independent retailer to recover, from a public relations standpoint. So naturally, the smartest thing to do is to take steps to make sure it simply doesn’t occur in the first place. Business.gov, the official business link to the U.S. government, recently outlined some important ground rules for keeping... 

The Importance of Coaching Employees

Coaching employees is a key element of management, and can help you develop a better relationship with your workers, thus resulting in higher productivity and greater morale. Beyond simply managing, coaching your employees can help them better fulfill their potential, develop their skills, and better utilize the ones they have. The managerial skill of coaching involves helping employees overcome limitations. It means focusing not on the specific tasks, but rather on the actual person. There are several recommended components to doing this properly: Provide... 

Next Page »