It’s hard for any customer to forget a really good or really bad customer experience. For instance, how can you forget that hotel manager who went above and beyond the call of duty to accommodate your last-minute travel plan changes? Or, on the other hand, who can shake off the memory (despite wanting to) of that brooding server at an expensive restaurant who clearly didn’t…

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People often interchangeably use the terms Content Strategy and Content Marketing. Some people even merge the two together and call it content marketing strategy.  So what’s the difference and why does it matter? Simply put, content strategy (the WHAT) should always define the goals and the content marketing tactics (the HOW) are used to achieve those goals. Depending on the size and structure of a…

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When your business grows quickly, things don’t “naturally fall into place” like you might hope or think.  Many businesses actually go out of business as a result of growing too fast and not having the infrastructure to support it.  The way to avoid some (and I do mean some) of the surprises that go along with business growth is to have modeling and a process…

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Sitting is the new smoking when it comes to health problems. There are shout-outs everywhere about technology taking a toll on our health and lifestyle, citing common effects like sleeplessness, weight gain, mental stress, etc. But there are two sides to every coin. While there is no denying the negative impacts of technology, as with many things in life, moderation is key. Karen Reed explains…

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In the last two articles, ‘Importance of Thought Leadership for Corporate Growth’ and ‘Your Company’s Thought Leadership Has Eluded Business Development Success’, we focused on thought leadership. We talked about the importance of thought leadership for corporate growth, while also looking into factors in which a company might miss out on the benefits of thought leadership. In this article, we’ll discuss the connection between thought…

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When you started your company so many years ago, it probably seemed like it was going to be awesome. You see the “enviable” lives of entrepreneurs who build and sell multi-million dollar or even billion-dollar companies, repeatedly. They take vacations whenever they want to, have staff to do everything and “do what they love so they will never have to work a day in their…

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If you had to individually rate the performance of your staff on the following 1 – 5 scale, where would they fall? 1 = Extremely Poor Performance – Termination Probable 2 = Minimum Performance – Executes the basics of what’s required and nothing more 3 = Satisfactory Performance – Fulfills job requirements with a decent attitude 4 = Great Performance – Shows Initiative and helps…

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You are a business owner – an entrepreneur. Your company has been around for a number of years, has had decent, steady clients and the Company seems to be growing at a predictable rate. Nice position – but what is next. You are working around the clock to meet customer or client expectations along with running the business.

In the previous article, we talked about thought leadership and its importance for corporate growth. In this piece we’ll delve a little deeper, and examine the reasons why your company’s thought leadership may have eluded business development success.

There are numerous ways to enable business growth. Still, most companies focus solely on conventional ways such as sales, new markets, mergers & acquisitions etc. Few (and very successful) companies seem to value the power of knowledge sharing. Business leaders are constantly challenged by change management. Since no one has answers to all of the numerous questions created by the 21st century’s global market, we…

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Continuous innovation and staying fresh in approach to work is a great way of thinking…sounds like an entrepreneur. Someone who has grown their business and is on the verge of getting bored with it? Have ideas, but are stuck with the daily grind?  Or maybe, you are a solopreneur who recognizes that they have to remain unique in the marketplace and continue to provide fresh ideas to…

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Can a local, homegrown startup take on the international powerhouse? Could small-town warriors compete with multinational corporations?

As a business owner, how many times during the day do you simply want your staff to “get it done?” Do you find yourself getting frustrated, sitting down (or getting up) and doing the task yourself? What kinds of feelings does this incompetence engender in your line of thinking? Where does it go?

According to Talech’s Retail Technology Report, 87 percent of consumers said they enjoy participating in customer loyalty programs, but only 11 percent of current non-participating retailers actually plan to adopt one. Maybe your business has adopted a rewards program designed to keep current customers happy, while enticing new ones to walk through your doors. But are you offering rewards your customers actually want? Today, it’s…

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So…we all know of that guy or that woman who is really good at what he does, who is IMPOSSIBLE to work with. He or she seems to be everything to the Company, whether it is bringing in more business, getting more sales, managing operations or HR or some other function; whenever you see these difficult people coming, your first instinct is to run away….

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Where do you see your company in the next ten years? At the same place? Larger? Perhaps in more markets? If you are like most business owners, you have some vision for where you would like to take your company. The thing is: growth doesn’t happen by accident, and staying in business doesn’t happen by staying the same. Whatever your vision, you will need to…

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