BizOp Blogs

Time saving devices are often not what they are cracked up to be. For example, someone did a study on washing laundry from 1925 (before washing machines) to 1969 (with washing machines). The result of the study was that in both cases (with and without washing machines), it took about 6 hours per week... More

Paying wages and managing the hours your employees work can be two of the most complicated tasks in your small business. There are federal and state laws which cover almost every aspect of these issues. Sometimes federal and state guide lines conflict with one another. In those cases, the employer is... More

Emotions run very high at times. When human beings interact in close quarters, it is inevitable that some will become angry while others simply get their feelings hurt. These things are no more true anywhere than in the work environment of your business. Sometimes it happens because folks are over worked... More

If you look at my desk, you will think you are looking at a disaster area. But it only appears to be chaos to the untrained eye. The truth is, I know where everything is and the worst thing any “Good Samaritan” secretary can do is to “straighten up my desk for me.” It is usually... More

When consultants work with small business owners, they usually find the same story. They may be in vastly different kinds of business, but the struggles are the same. The owners feel overwhelmed, like they are running in place and gaining very little ground in their goals. The biggest problem is “time... More

It’s far from being a done deal yet. But the senate stimulus package has even more benefits for small business owners than the House version did. Now, before you get too excited about that, you need to realize that the Senate package just cleared committee which only gives it the privilege of... More

There are numerous problems a Small Business can experience. But, sometimes it’s difficult to know if you are looking at a problem, or merely a symptom of a deeper problem. For instance, let’s take a company which has a very high turnover rate of employees and an equally high absentee rate.... More

On January 26, I posted an article entitled Debt And The Small Business Owner. In that article , I pointed out that shortage of cash flow kills a small business faster than anything else. Since loans produce debt, and debt produces monthly payments, and monthly payments require more cash flow, business... More

I will never forget that scene in Cool Hand Luke after Paul Newman was captured on a failed escape attempt. The warden stood on the porch on that unbearably hot day, and shouted so that all could hear–”What we have hear is a failure to communicate.” Those words still echo in my mind.... More

Maintaining a successful small business in today’s environment is extremely difficult. Starting one up and being successful is even more difficult. Research says most start up companies will fail within the first five years. That is depressing. But it gets worse. Scott Shane is a professor of... More

In her list of 10 Causes of Small Business Failure and How to Avoid Them Michelle Witham does an excellent job of discussing the common pitfalls for small business owners. It is interesting that out of the 10 reasons she discusses for small businesses failing, shortage of money comprises six of them.... More

In any business there is a front door and a back door. The front door represents incoming revenue and the profits it generates. The back door represents outgoing revenue which adds no value to the business. Certainly, anything that goes out this back door reduces the profitability of the business and... More

One of the pitfalls of a small business is misdefining its customer base. Some small business owners get into the rut of thinking their customers are limited to the folks who walk through their doors. Someone has said a rut is just a grave with both ends knocked out of it. That is certainly true in this... More

Recession affects everyone in our economy. Manufacturers, distributors, retailers and consumers are all negatively affected when the winds of recession begin blowing across the plains of a free market economy. But no entity on the business side of the equation is more impacted than the small business... More