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You are here: Home / Archives for Strategy

Good Work

February 18, 2019 by Asif Nazeer Leave a Comment


In the last few years, business leaders have turned their search for creative, innovative talent into something of an arms race. They understand the competitive advantage of being a highly rated place to work, and they are striving to show just how much they value their employees. The recreation rooms and wellness centers springing up at many companies have helped in recruiting, but they can also be seen as superficial. To attract the best and brightest people, young and old, companies must take a stand on profound questions being raised today about the value of human activity in the workplace. These questions concern not just Instagrammable workplaces and perks; they concern the context and the content of organizational activity. People want to do “good work,” in two ways: They want intrinsically rewarding experiences, and they also want to make a contribution that fits with their values.

Part of this new focus on the nature of work has to do with technology. Robots and artificial intelligence (AI) are threatening to replace some human tasks, and it isn’t yet clear what jobs will be left or how jobs will be reconfigured. But what humans will most likely focus on are the more participative, collaborative, and transparent aspects of business. As companies seek their employees’ commitment, not just their clocked-in time, people will naturally think less transactionally and more strategically about their jobs; the emphasis will be on the roles people play in how tasks get done, or the input, and the value of that work, or the output.

Typically, institutions lag behind when technological revolutions occur. It took almost a century to relieve the appalling working conditions that were initiated during the Industrial Revolution. Laws designed to regulate work in the age of AI are not yet in place. We believe companies can and should act now to find their own 21st-century definition of good work and develop strategies to deliver it, not only for the sake of employees but because it will keep them competitive (pdf).

What is good work (pdf) in today’s world? We believe it should, at the very least, involve a decent workplace context: fair pay, tolerable levels of change, autonomy and control over one’s work, and a chance for fulfillment. Employees who give customers what they want because they are inspired by their job will create a powerful feedback loop that increases business. For some, good work might include a satisfying work–life balance and opportunities to travel. Good work also encompasses the nature of the organization: Is it inclusive, diverse, and respectful? Do people’s values align with those of the organization? Do employees approve of the goals of the enterprise and see how their efforts contribute? There is typically an element of meaningful purpose: Is the organization, in the view of employees, helping to improve the world around it and make life better?

Not every company can save the world. Many areas of work, such as consumer goods and services, can present ethical challenges for people for a variety of reasons. But how employees experience their day-to-day job, in any industry, is something their bosses can and do influence.

How employees experience their day-to-day job, in any industry, is something their bosses can influence.

If you assume, as we do, that providing a good work experience is truly a significant source of competitive advantage (pdf) for business and government because it leads to better performance and better outcomes — maybe the best source of advantage in a world of complex human–machine interaction — then it is clear that most enterprises need to put considerably more effort into it.

Dissatisfied Rank and File

Large numbers of people are not satisfied with the amount they are working — they feel it’s either too little or too much — and the effect their workload has on their life. PwC’s study “Preparing for Tomorrow’s Workforce, Today” shows that two-thirds of companies are failing to make workloads manageable, and 80 percent don’t prioritize programs to help workers’ well-being or mental health, even though they realize these issues are important. The World Health Organization describes stress as the “health epidemic of the 21st century.”

Myriad factors contribute to employee dissatisfaction. The development of AI makes certain changes inevitable. When jobs are broken down into tasks and some of those tasks become automated, companies need to restructure and revalue people’s contributions. In more and more countries, a job is no longer expected to last a lifetime or lead to a livable pension. People starting employment today will likely retire much later than their parents and work on a much less secure basis, changing jobs often over their working life. Benefits packages and pay policies, however, are still mired in the old “work nine to five, retire at 65” world. The gig economy, the threat of robots, and the overload of 24/7 connectivity are all taking a toll.

Our most recent research explores the factors that can make a difference in creating good work. Our global survey of more than 1,200 business and human resources (HR) leaders in 10 industry sectors in 79 countries clearly shows just how important the human side of work is to people. Working with Lynda Gratton, professor of management practice at the London Business School, we identified 45 organizational capabilities — defined as the ability and the capacity to perform specific tasks that benefit organizations — that are important in today’s working world. We then asked survey respondents which of these capabilities were most vital for the future of their organization. The five selected most often were all related to improving the nature of work: building trust, valuing human skills, supporting mental and physical well-being, managing workloads, and having work spaces that encourage collaboration and creativity.

The survey also asked respondents if their business was taking action to develop these capabilities and others they cited as important. By analyzing these two sets of answers, we identified areas that respondents ranked as highly important for the future but in which relatively low levels of implementation had taken place. This result suggested that it’s a struggle for companies to develop capabilities that engender a good work experience. The results also identified one of the reasons: Organizations are not using technology to help them deliver better on-the-job experiences. Five of these 10 underdeveloped capabilities that put companies at risk — that is, important things that companies are not doing — involve the use of data analytics to make jobs better (see “Making ‘Good Work’ Work Better”).

Making “Good Work” Work Better
The top 10 organizational capabilities companies should be developing but aren’t.


1. Using big data and advanced analytics in workforce decision making
2. Using data to monitor the skills gap in the workforce
3. Using data analytics to eliminate bias from hiring and rewards
4. Ensuring HR professionals are trained to use analytics for workforce decision making, predicting and monitoring the skills gap, and eliminating bias from hiring and rewards (capabilities 1–3)
5. Developing policies and practices to encourage flexible working
6. Managing workloads to ensure employees don’t burn out and do take vacations
7. Using predictive analytics for all of the above
8. Developing career path models that mirror how people work today, not simply up-or-out paths
9. Creating work paths that nurture adaptability and agility by promoting rotations and skills development
10. Designing work spaces that promote well-being and accommodate a variety of working styles

It’s as if the threat of what technology can do to the workforce is scaring people from using it, even in positive ways. Risk number four in “Making ‘Good Work’ Work Better” highlights the deficit of analytical skills in HR. Organizations understand that workloads are onerous, but they are not using analytics to plan schedules, create better work environments, or prepare for job skills gaps. Career paths are unclear, but training and development are not mapped against what future jobs might look like. There are concerns that bias is limiting diversity in the working world, but companies are not using technology to help here, either.

The remaining at-risk actions on the list involve the work experience itself. Providing flexibility is not yet a reality, even though research shows (pdf) how much it is valued and also shows how much different segments of the population, including older workers and parents, would value a chance to reenter the workplace on their own terms. And although wellness is a buzzword, companies say they are slow to reimagine workplaces in ways that foster well-being.

The Human Factors

At the heart of all the coming changes in the workplace are the people who will make them happen. People’s working life is their life story: They spend more hours working than doing almost anything else. And working lives are getting longer (pdf): Those who live to 60 years of age have around 93,600 productive hours; those who live to 100 have 218,400. The businesses that succeed will be the ones that create the kinds of narratives that people buy into and then their leaders support with action. These businesses will have to be flexible and adaptable. There is no one-size-fits-all approach; the employee journeys of a 25-year-old recent college graduate, a sales assistant, and a midcareer manager are not the same.

Analyzing the gaps between what business leaders know is important and where they are actually taking action, we have identified five specific areas in which organizations can do something now to lessen the stress and anxiety their employees are experiencing. They need to tackle burnout and boost vitality, build social resilience, encourage agility and adaptability, support “intrapreneurship,” and provide autonomy. We’ll take each in turn and describe practical steps to address these issues, with examples of what some companies are already doing. Our message here is to leadership: Unless senior managers actively embrace this agenda and empower HR to take these actions (see “A Crucial Role for Human Resources”), it will not happen. And unless this agenda’s implementation is measured and linked to management rewards, employees won’t believe it really matters to their boss.

1. Tackle burnout. If people are to thrive and maintain their well-being over longer working lives, then organizations must ensure that their working practices and processes don’t wear employees out. Careers today are marathons, not sprints. But long working hours and being available 24/7 are still seen as proxies for success. Further, it could be that people enjoy their work but simply don’t know how to slow down or are not encouraged to do so. Research has found that 20 percent of employees with the highest engagement levels also report burnout. These “engaged–exhausted” employees have mixed feelings about work: They report high levels of passion and stress concurrently. Companies that don’t recognize the symptoms may lose some of their most driven and hardworking people when they burn out.

Proactively managing workloads and encouraging recovery time — even short breaks — during the day is a good start to boost vitality, but this is easier said than done. The engaged–exhausted are hard to shut down. In 2014, crowdfunding platform Kickstarter started offering unlimited vacation time, but retracted the policy the following year because people simply weren’t using it. The social media management platform Buffer took a different route in 2015: It introduced financial incentives to encourage employees to take more leave. When that didn’t work, it implemented a mandatory vacation policy in 2016. Current data estimates that 56 percent of Buffer employees will have taken 15 days of vacation (or more) by the end of 2018, up from 43 percent. It’s too early to know whether the Buffer employees who took the time off will be more productive, but research indicates that the company could expect an uptick. Rested employees perform better.

Having role models also helps. In 2015, Barclays began to offer a range of flexible initiatives to support people at various stages of their lives, such as those pursuing further studies, parenting, or caring for other family members. The possibilities for workers include working from home, changing or condensing working hours, taking career breaks, and sharing jobs. By telling the stories of people who took up these options, Barclays encouraged more than 3,000 middle and senior managers to become “dynamic worker” champions. In 2017, 57 percent of employees identified themselves as dynamic workers, and their engagement scores, as measured by Barclays, outpaced those of others, with 5 percent higher scores in what the company termed “sustainable engagement.”

People naturally function in what are known as ultradian cycles, periods of high-frequency brain activity (about 90 minutes) followed by lower-frequency brain activity (about 20 minutes). Taking a recharging break every 90 minutes is especially important for workers using computer screens, as they make the brain overly active. There is some initial research that shows that trying to push through the rest phase of the ultradian rhythm triggers the body’s fight-or-flight response. That’s bad news, because it can cause the parts of the brain that handle logic to become less active.

Technology can help here: Some apps and software programs remind and encourage people to take physical and mental breaks regularly throughout the day. PwC Netherlands has made one such tool available to its staff for years. And work spaces can also be designed to reflect the natural rhythm of collaboration. Rows of cubicles are being replaced by communal tables  and comfy corners so people can come together as a group and then break apart. Those table tennis and foosball tables, even if they’re not used regularly, at least signal that employers believe downtime is important. The key is to accommodate your employees with a working environment they want, while also recognizing that forcing spaces on people may not always work. A bad workday in an open-plan office isn’t for everyone.

2. Build social resilience. People may think of loneliness and its effect on their productivity as something that happens outside work, within their own personal networks, but that’s not the case. Despite this being the age of social platforms, rates of loneliness in the U.S. have doubled since the 1980s, and businesses are suffering from absenteeism due to depression. A long-running Harvard University study has found that close social relationships are more important than money in promoting happiness. It’s these close ties that protect people from life’s setbacks and help delay mental and physical decline. Social ties are better predictors of long and happy lives than are social class, IQ, or even genes. But the 24/7 work culture means that fewer people are finding friendships outside the workplace, loosening these important bonds. The number of people who report having a close confidant in their lives has been declining over the past few decades.

Organizations can help prevent this isolation by ensuring that their employees can not only disconnect from work more easily but also have the opportunity to create connections on the job. Managers play an integral part as role models by showing their commitment to avoiding excessive workloads and minimizing unpredictable hours. They can also promote more nurturing work networks. The tools they can use to help build networks are already present in common company software, such as Yammer and Slack. Of course, employees may need encouragement and a reason to use these systems. Tata Consultancy Services has developed its own social network called Knome — a slang term related to the interpretation of DNA — that connects 380,000 workers around the world in one online forum similar to Facebook, and is employed by close to 80 percent of the staff. They use it to exchange both private and work-related information, upload blog posts, and create communities with colleagues who share interests. Employees have created more than 9,500 of these online communities where they exchange ideas and collaborate.

3. Encourage adaptability and agility. In the future, when people regularly live to 100, retraining will become the norm as jobs and skills change. The traditional, just-in-case learning models companies use now will not be enough to keep up with rapid technological change. And the stages when training is needed will be different for a recent graduate, for example, than for a machine tool operator whose job is outsourced to a robot. Companies will need to plan for this type of up-skilling. In Singapore, the government is leading the way by giving grants to workers to help them retrain throughout their working lives, not simply to help them gain new skills but also to help them adjust their expectations of what a working life means.

Data analytics can help predict what skills companies will need, but getting employees to take up training will be a challenge. The Australian retail bank Westpac recently created a social learning platform called Learning Bank for its 40,000 employees that tags content to employees’ profiles; workers select what they want to learn. It’s an informal approach that empowers employees to learn what they choose, when and where they want to learn it. In 2017, Westpac added TechU to encourage people to acquire skills in future technology, according to Dave Curran, bank CIO at the time of the launch. “In my mind, nirvana is where people are self-educating to where their interest is, somewhat guided by the organization and people like me, towards where the demand will be,” he said.

Personalization of experiences helps improve adaptability. At Heineken, which employs more than 80,000 people worldwide, the company’s career track tool helps people move laterally within the organization by listing what kinds of opportunities are available that fit with their personal aspirations. Employees can choose to receive information about the experience and capabilities required for the job they want and how to prepare: In effect, it lets them tailor their development plan to the work they want to do. Fastweb, an Italian telecommunications company, recently launched a rotational development program to increase internal mobility as part of its talent attraction and retention strategy.

4. Support “intrapreneurship.” More young people today want to run their own company than ever before, and older people are also switching to entrepreneurialism. Organizations that fail to create opportunities for “intrapreneurship,” that is, encouraging employees to develop new enterprises and commercially viable ideas within the company, risk losing their own workers’ innovative ideas. The key is to create the kind of environment within a company where innovation is encouraged and people can take risks safely. These psychologically safe settings produce fewer errors in day-to-day work even as they create space for experimentation. For intrapreneurship to work in practice, people need time; creativity is often a function of the quantity of ideas produced. A 2015 study found that the first 20 ideas people generate are often significantly less original than their next 15.

There are different ways to build a supportive, intrapreneurial environment. Rite-Solutions, a software developer, created the Mutual Fun platform five years ago, which works as a virtual stock market for ideas by combining social networking and gamification strategies. An employee interacts with the market by first creating a personalized profile, which allows him or her to find others with similar interests or complementary strengths to work with on innovative projects. They can then invest their intellectual capital (in the form of virtual US$10,000) into the “idea stocks” of the colleagues they would support. A decision algorithm derives each idea’s stock values based on the activity and investments in it, while also calculating a leaderboard of players. Successful Mutual Fun initiatives lead to the formation of volunteer teams that could receive real investment.

Not all entrepreneurial ideas work out, so rewarding failures plays a role in encouraging risk taking. In 2006, Tata Group started its Innovista Awards to recognize innovation, even if the attempts failed, with the goal of fostering what it called “appropriate risk taking.” The uptake wasn’t great at first, but participation grew. In 2018, the company recognized 23 innovators. Normalizing, even celebrating failure can help individuals and organizations learn more about the products they are creating and the markets they serve.

Some organizations hold periodic hackathons in which employees present ideas and compete to tackle specific challenges aligned with the company’s broader strategy. Participants can earn prizes and recognition. Unilever has a startup hub to keep bright ideas generated by its employees in-house. It’s an insurance policy, aimed at validating intrapreneurship. Companies want to replicate the success of lightbulb moments such as 3M’s Post-it Note, but they should not forget that it took a decade for Post-its to become commercially successful. (The project failed three times before finally taking off.)

5. Provide autonomy. Faced with a transforming working environment, employees value choices. People regularly tell survey takers that they would give up income for greater control over how they work and for a more meaningful job. Research on powerlessness by neuroscientists shows how it can result in a lack of well-being, thwart motivation, and even damage cognition. A move toward a more autonomous and empowered work culture can help employees feel more satisfied and lead to stronger job performance and greater commitment to the organization. To paraphrase Dan Cable’s thesis in Alive at Work, employers have to proactively find ways to help people release their inner explorer.

Spotify, for example, groups its more than 2,000 employees into agile teams, called squads, that are self-organizing, cross-functional, and colocated. There is no single appointed leader of a squad. The mantra is that “alignment enables autonomy — the greater the alignment, the more autonomy you can grant.” A leader’s job is to figure out the right problem and communicate it, so squads can collaborate to find the best solution.

Gaming software company Valve, famous for its flat organizational structure in which no one has a boss, gives employees desks on wheels and encourages them to push the desks around the building to join projects that seem interesting. Valve holds them accountable for the results. Employees are given clear expectations when they join a new project team, and they must complete 360-degree evaluations when projects end to measure individual contributions. In an industry in which innovation is the lifeblood, Valve is thriving, with 360 employees and a 22-year record.

What Should Business Leaders Do?

Headlines that focus on the war for talent are elevating to the boardroom concerns that have traditionally been the domain of HR, such as skills and productivity. In PwC’s 21st CEO Survey, a 2018 look at chief executives around the world, the lack of availability of key skills was number five on the list of top threats to economic success. In 2019’s survey, it has risen to number three. HR professionals will be the guardians of good work experiences on a day-to-day basis, but it will be top leadership that must guide the overall strategy.

A high-quality workplace experience for employees is critical to developing a learning culture — and thus critical to the continuous improvement of the organization’s skills and capabilities. People don’t unleash their productivity if they’re having a bad time at work. Effective business leaders must demonstrate that they recognize the value of the people experience in their company and must work to improve it. They need to craft a narrative about what the future of work means for their organization and what actions they are taking now to deliver on that future. Leaders who understand this will have a competitive advantage. As the examples here show, some companies are already taking the initiative, rather than simply reacting.

Leaders can be the catalyst for change if they make it a priority. They can bring together communities of innovators within their enterprises; they can empower people to deliver in the ways that best suit them by making wellness and flexible working a differentiating source of energy, engagement, and loyalty. And they can find ways to help employees see into the future of their longer working lives. Data analytics are tools that can offer insight into what work will look like, not ends in themselves. They can help judge what skills people will need and determine how to develop the capabilities that sustain employability.

Good work should not be hard to find or hard to describe. To keep their workers’ attention and harness their potential, companies will have to encourage and develop the attributes and skills that make them innately human. If they fail to do that, their greatest resource, people, will simply walk away.

Author Profiles:

  • Bhushan Sethi is the joint global leader of PwC’s people and organization practice. Based in New York, he is a principal with PwC US.
  • Carol Stubbings is the joint global leader of PwC’s people and organization practice. Based in London, she is a partner with PwC UK.



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Elevate Your Digital Influence with This Upcoming Event

February 16, 2019 by Asif Nazeer Leave a Comment


Digital technology has given small businesses access to all the tools previously only reserved for large enterprises.

But having access to these tools does’t guarantee you’ll be good at marketing your business or brand. The Elevate Your Digital Influence event will teach you how to put together a PR plan and leverage your social media presence to increase your influence.

Marcelle Allen, owner  of Dreamosity and Lynette Hoy, owner of Firetalker PR will hold an all-day working event on Saturday, April 13, 2019, from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM PDT. The event will be held at the Providencia Pond Retreat in Issaquah, Washington.

They want to help small business owners leverage large media outlets and build relationships with the media by imparting their insight of more than 35 years of combined experience.

Some of the topics the workshop will cover are:

  • How to make a PR Plan
  • 10 Tips for Serving the Media
  • The Golden Rule in Radio interviewing
  • How to set up your Pressroom/Newsroom
  • 12 Tactics for elevating your influence

While digital media and PR may seem complicated, the pair say, “Our goal is for you to leave equipped and not overwhelmed. We want you to start 2019 with the most confidence you have ever had!”

 

You can register by clicking the red button.

Register Now



Featured Events, Contests and Awards

Social Media Marketing WorldSocial Media Marketing World
March 20, 2019, San Dieg, Calif.

Discover the best social media marketing techniques from the world’s top experts. Experience three phenomenal days with the best social marketers, discover the latest tactics, and master social media in 2019. Join 7,000 fellow marketers and influencers at the mega-conference designed to empower you with business-building ideas — brought to you by Social Media Examiner.


Elevate Your Digital InfluenceElevate Your Digital Influence
April 13, 2019, Issaquah, Wash.

Are you ready to grow your business? Join us and learn how to put together a PR plan and leverage what you are doing on social to grow your level of influence. Are you ready to be a leader in your marketplace? #ElevateYourDigitalInfluence


Listening to the Voice of the Customer WorkshopListening to the Voice of the Customer Workshop
April 23, 2019, Boston, Mass.

Join Applied Marketing Science (AMS) for the next open-enrollment session of “Listening to the Voice of the Customer,” our acclaimed training workshop, on April 23-24, 2019 at the Sheraton Boston Hotel located in the heart of downtown Boston. Led by veteran product development and market research experts, Gerry Katz (AMS Vice Chairman), and John Burns (AMS Principal), this course will introduce Voice of the Customer market research and teach you to use it to accelerate innovation in business-to-business markets.
Discount Code
SMALLBIZ ($100 Discount)


Beachpreneurs Beach Camp 5Beachpreneurs Beach Camp 5
April 26, 2019, Daytona Beach, Fla.

For starters, we’re for Women Entrepreneurs only. During Beach Camp, you’ll have plenty of opportunity to learn, apply and mastermind with warm successful women.
You’ll also have time to sleep in and you’ll get long breaks to relax and walk the beach or go for a swim. We didn’t create a conference at the beach just to lock you away in a conference room from dawn til dusk. Beach Camp is a lifestyle focused event so you’ll be spending as much time enjoying your life as you will be focusing on your business. Join us today!


More Events

  • Lunch & Learn – Legally Protect Your Business
    February 20, 2019, Aventura, Fla.
  • Recruiting Trends and Talent Tech LIVE! 2019
    February 20, 2019, Las Vegas, Nev.
  • Doral Chamber of Commerce’s Circle of Success Strategy Meeting
    February 22, 2019, Doral, Fla.
  • Impactful Speaking Workshop
    February 25, 2019, Walnut Creek, Calif.
  • Leadership & Management Professional Series Presents: Leadership Gold
    February 26, 2019, Doral, Fla.
  • Building a Visual Workplace
    February 27, 2019, Online
  • Future Women Leaders Summit 2019
    March 06, 2019, Bengaluru, Karnataka
  • HR West Conference
    March 11, 2019, Oakland, Calif.
  • LEAP Tech Talent
    March 12, 2019, San Francisco, Calif.
  • Take a deep dive into how digital transformation will change your world forever
    March 14, 2019, Online
  • ComTech Forum on Modern Wireless Infrastructure
    March 14, 2019, Mountain View, Calif.
  • Responsible Business Summit New York 2019
    March 18, 2019, Brooklyn, N.Y.
  • Breaking Through: Taking Your Consulting Business to New Heights
    March 27, 2019, Burlingame, Calif.
  • ICAP 2019
    April 15, 2019, Frankfurt, Germany
  • Transformational CISO Assembly in Nashville – April 2019
    April 23, 2019, Nashville, Tenn.
  • Advancing Construction Analytics 2019
    April 29, 2019, Lakewood, Colo.
  • CCB TechShowcase
    May 09, 2019, Milwaukee, Wis.
  • Circular Summit 2019
    May 09, 2019, Santa Rosa, Calif.
  • DigiMarCon East 2019 – Digital Marketing Conference & Exhibition
    May 09, 2019, Online
  • Experiential Marketing Summit 2019
    May 14, 2019, Las Vegas, Nev.

More Contests

  • SEO Search Engine Optimization Live Training
    February 19, 2019, Doral, Fla.

This weekly listing of small business events, contests and awards is provided as a community service by Small Business Trends.

You can see a full list of events, contest and award listings or post your own events by visiting the Small Business Events Calendar.

Image: Shutterstock

This article, “Elevate Your Digital Influence with This Upcoming Event” was first published on Small Business Trends





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In the News: Main Street Lending Rates Tell of Unsure Economic Future

February 15, 2019 by Asif Nazeer Leave a Comment


We saw more signs this week that the economy may be slowing down a bit. And it’s getting a little tougher to keep your business going.

For instance, a new report from Lending Tree saw a reduction in the amount of borrowing among Main Street businesses.

Perhaps the recent prolonged government shutdown had some impact on that figure, but it matches with reports in previous weeks. The economy may not be going downhill but it definitely looks to be leveling.

The lack of borrowing may be an issue when employers confront the recent trend of higher wages. New data from ADP this week shows U.S. wages grew 2.8% at the end of 2018 over the previous year.  That’s likely to continue in 2019, too.

If you’re diverting funds to pay higher wages, it’s more likely you’ll need to borrow to grow your business.

So, it looks like it’s time to get strategic. Remember, successful businesses can be immune to most economic conditions. If you see this downturn happening, start planning a way to keep your business ahead.

But don’t fall in a trap of over-planning, especially in meetings. Consider this: new research from Doodle finds the average professional is wasting about 13 days a year in pointless meetings. Is this you?

Your time is money and if you’re forced into being more pennywise, you can ill afford to lose nearly three full work weeks in meetings.

Check out the rest of the week in small business headlines in our news and information roundup below:

Employment

Tight Labor Market Benefits People with Disabilities, Are You Expanding your Applicant Pool?

Disabled persons are entering the workforce as overall unemployment rates drop and companies consider an expanded pool of potential job applicants for entry-level and essential positions. Persons with disabilities have long been sidelined and unable to find employment, due in part to stigma and from an inability to perform tasks as quickly or accurately as their peers.

Interviews

Piano Rental Business Plays All the Right Notes When Marketing to Customers

How will your company become top-of-mind in 2019 and beyond? Sometimes a simple modification to a business policy can lead to that memorable, unique edge. Even if your industry is more than 300 years old. Small Business Trends chatted with Sarah Binder Mehta about hitting all the right notes in a traditional niche.

Small Business Operations

Most Expensive Office Space in the World for Growing Small Businesses

How much office space do you need for your business and what will it cost you? For small business owners, this is a recurring problem as the company grows, more staff is hired, and leases run out.

Social Media

Small Businesses Take Center Stage at Facebook Summit

Facebook has introduced a new way for Pages to connect with Instagram and another to widen or create new small business communities. The announcements came at a Facebook Communities Summit that took place on February 7 at the company’s Menlo Park HQ that hosted 400+ community and small business leaders.

Technology Trends

70% of Your Customers Say Page Load Speed Impacts Buying Decisions

Did you know a staggering 70% of consumers admit that the speed pages load on a website affects their buying decisions? Page Load Speed Impacts Buying Decisions This was the finding of Unbounce’s 2019 Page Speed Report, which surveyed 750 consumers and 395 marketers.

Image: DepositPhotos.com

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You Can Thank Us Later – 8 Small Business Tax Deductions You MUST Consider

February 15, 2019 by Asif Nazeer Leave a Comment


8 Tax Deductions for Your Small Business

The best way to ensure that you don’t get a bigger bill than necessary come income tax time is to double check you are getting every deduction possible. There are multiple small business tax deductions available to sole-proprietorships and other small business organizations, such as LLCs.

Different Tax Deductions You Can Apply to Your Business

Keep in mind that while the list below contains some common deductions that may apply to your business, there may be some on this list that don’t work for your specific circumstances. Always check with your accountant before claiming a deduction on your taxes.

1. Home Office

This is one of the most common deductions that small business owners are able to use. In order for you to qualify for the home office deduction, your space needs to pass the needed requirements. You must use the area exclusively for your business. Working from your bed won’t get you the deduction. You should also regularly conduct most of your business from this location.

Beginning in 2013, the IRS introduced a simplified option for you to claim your home office deduction. This allows for you to claim up to 300 square feet at a rate of $5 per square foot. This didn’t change who can claim the deduction. But, it just made it easier to claim the deductions. You are also able to claim your deduction using the standard method. However, this does have a few differences:

  • It allows you to claim a percentage of the home used instead of using a 300-square foot cap.
  • Depreciation deduction for a portion of the home used is allowed as well as recapture of depreciation upon the sale of the home.
  • Actual expenses are used to determine deduction instead of the standard $5/square foot.

Which option you choose when claiming will depend upon your entire tax situation as a whole. Spend some time going over your tax situation in its entirety to figure out what exactly will work better for you.

2. Car Business Use

Just like your home office, using your car for business purposes may allow for you to get a nice deduction on your taxes. This deduction is a bit harder to keep track of if you use your vehicle for both personal and business use.

If you are purchasing a vehicle that will be used at least 50% of the time for business during the year, you are able to deduct this from your taxes. SUVs can yield a deduction of up to $25,000. Smaller passenger vehicles can get you a deduction of up to $11,060.

If you plan on deducting your business mileage, keep in mind that you need to have proper and thorough documentation of exactly how your mileage relates to your business. You also need to keep this documentation on hand for up to seven years after you take the deduction. You are able to deduct either the actual cost of the mileage or take the standard deduction.

Legally, you are able to take the standard deduction even if the actual cost of your mileage is less. However, if you do take the standard deduction, you will not be able to deduct the operating costs of the vehicle. These costs include gasoline, maintenance, or insurance.

3. Advertising and Promotional Materials

Advertising can be one of the biggest, but also the most necessary, expense a small business owner can incur. All of your advertising and promotional materials can be deducted at 100%. Therefore, this expense can also quickly become your biggest deduction as well.

These deductions include not only your paid online and offline advertising, such as billboards or Google ads. It also includes business cards and pamphlets you hand out at networking events. If you paid for SEO services or pay a monthly fee for email marketing software, you are able to deduct those expenses as well.

One advertising expense that is a bit tricky to deduct is vehicle advertising. It’s very common for local small business owners to have their vehicle decorated with their company name, logo, and contact information. The actual cost of adding the promotional materials to your vehicle is deductible. However, the cost of driving around so people can see your vehicle is not deductible.

There are also advertising versus selling costs that need to be kept in mind. If the sole purpose of your business website is advertising, then the monthly maintenance costs and fees are deductible. However, if you also take payments on your website and sell your products there, this is considered a selling fee and no longer deductible under advertising purposes. This also applies to signage. If you post a temporary sign to get attention for your business, you can deduct it. Permanent signs, such as those lasting a year or more, are not deductible.

4. Child and Dependent Care

If you have anyone who is dependent upon you for care, such as your children or a spouse/family member incapable of self-care, you can deduct the expenses you incur while paying for care for them during your working hours.

If you own your business and have employees, offering to pay for your employees’ childcare expenses can also provide you with a fairly lucrative deduction on your taxes. This can add up to $150,000 a year by claiming 10-25% of this expense.

5. Education

It’s always a good idea to further your knowledge and skills in your chosen area of expertise. By attending workshops, taking classes, and purchasing books that are directly tied to furthering the skills you need to properly run your business, you can accrue quite a deduction.

The IRS will definitely take a look at these expenses and determine if they qualify for the deduction. Yet, every single education-related expense that you incur while furthering your education will be deducted at 100%. Any education-related expenses not directly related to your business or that will not help with a new career will not qualify.

6. Retirement Contributions

While you may love what you do, eventually, you will want to retire. Contributing to your retirement fund will give you a great nest egg for the future. It will also give you a great deduction on your income now. You will need to work closely with your tax advisor or accountant to make sure that you set up a qualified plan. Only certain plans qualify, and each plan qualifies only up to a certain amount.

7. Travel

Much like your vehicle expenses, traveling for the sole purpose of work is also deductible. If you are going to be away from your home for longer than one business day, you are able to deduct all expenses accrued during that time as long as you thoroughly document who you are meeting, the purpose of travel, and days of return/departure. Some of the included deductible expenses are:

  • Travel expenses, such as plane or train tickets
  • Meals, including any tips for service
  • Lodging
  • Shipping of any baggage and materials necessary for the business trip

Like vehicle expenses, keep very detailed records of your business travel to submit with your taxes. Hold on to those records for a few years after.

8. Legal and Professional Fees

Deductions also include paying for any sort of professional to work with you. These professionals include accountants, business specialists, and attorneys.

Every business owner needs to pay an attorney even if it is just to help get all of their business paperwork in order or draw up partnership papers. These business-related fees deductible. You can also deduct fees for legal matters like creating your will as long as you only deduct the portion that relates to your business inside of the will.

An accountant or another tax professional is crucial to any small business owner. Doing your taxes incorrectly can not only cost you some hard-earned deductions now, but it can also cost you thousands in audit expenses later by not filing everything properly.

Keep in mind that if you pay any of these professionals more than $600 during the year for their fees, you may need to file a 1099-MISC. This will definitely be something you need to consult a professional because it can be very complicated determining who needs to file the 1099-MISC and for what expenses.

Don’t Pay More Than You Need To

While owning your business can be one of the most rewarding experiences you can have, it can also be quite costly, especially when it comes to income tax time. Knowing what you can — and can’t — deduct from your taxes ensures you don’t pay more than you absolutely need.

Republished by permission. Original here

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This article, “You Can Thank Us Later – 8 Small Business Tax Deductions You MUST Consider” was first published on Small Business Trends





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3 Rules to Help Your Retail Business Provide the New Products Customers Demand

February 14, 2019 by Asif Nazeer Leave a Comment


Offering New Products is One Key to Retail Success

Blame it on Amazon, on the constant stream of social media feeds, or on sheer boredom, but shoppers today increasingly crave new merchandise from retailers. According to Shopper-First Retailing, a new study from Publicis.Sapient and Salesforce based on data from half a billion shoppers worldwide, 69% of shoppers expect to see new products every time they enter a store .

Here’s what the study uncovered and how your retail store or ecommerce website can keep up with shoppers’ insatiable thirst for the new.

Offering New Products is One Key to Retail Success

“Make it fresh” is the new mandate from shoppers, according to the study, which lays out three key rules to follow for success.

Rule 1: Constantly Renew

Shoppers reward freshness with their wallets: Among the top 5% of products that the retailers surveyed sold each month, 59% are new. Keeping your product mix fresh is essential to generating customer loyalty and keeping shoppers coming back for more. Retailers that fail to accomplish these goals will continue losing ground to marketplaces like Amazon, the study contends.

To keep a steady stream of new merchandise in your store or on your website, here are some ideas:

  • Visit trade shows to seek out new products to add to your offerings.
  • Look for startup manufacturers or distributors who may be interested in selling to you.
  • Ask your customers which products or brands they’d like to see you carry.

Of course, you don’t have to turn over all your inventory every week to give shoppers a sense of the new. Providing a new feeling, look or experience every time shoppers visit can help create that renewal they seek. For example:

  • Rotate displays to bring different merchandise to the front of your store or the home page of your website each week.
  • Spotlight a particular brand or type of product each week.
  • Change out your window displays and your store home page each week.
  • Invite a brand you sell to do a pop-up shop in your store (check out these 25 examples of eye-popping pop-up shops for ideas).

Rule 2: Act with Urgency

Customers who have purchased from you recently are most likely to buy from you again. According to the study, half of repeat buyers make a second purchase within 16 days of their first purchase.

But while 50% of shoppers make their first purchase of a product through a retailer, 47% go to marketplaces like Amazon when they want to buy it again. If you want to avoid losing customers to competitors, you’ve got to act quickly to re-engage the first-time buyer.

This can include:

  • Loyalty offers
  • Upselling (try sending an email suggesting a related product)
  • Retargeted ads

Personalization can also help get first-time shoppers back. An e-commerce site can provide personalized “you might also like” recommendations; a store salesperson can review studying a shopper’s past purchases before suggesting new items to try on in the store.

Rule 3: Create Unique Products

No small retailer can hope to compete with Amazon’s vast catalog of products. But small retailers can compete when it comes to offering unique products that no one else has. Consider these survey findings:

  • 59% of customers are more likely to buy from a retailer that offers customization
  • 49% are more likely to buy from a retailer that offers limited editions
  • 36% are more likely to buy from a retailer that offers collaborations

Thirty-one out of 70 retailers that were “mystery shopped” in the study offered customized products or product collaborations, and four out of five top-performing stores offered some type of customization.

Customization can range from the minimal (monogramming or engraving a product) to the maximal (creating a product from scratch to the customer’s specifications). American Girl and Build-a-Bear are prime examples of customization, but this is also within reach for small retailers. For example, one store in the study offered made-from-scratch jewelry handcrafted in the store. Retailers that enable shoppers to truly create products from scratch stand to benefit greatly.

Follow these rules, and it’s not so hard to provide shoppers with the constant new products they crave.

Image: Depositphotos.com

This article, “3 Rules to Help Your Retail Business Provide the New Products Customers Demand” was first published on Small Business Trends





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House Small Business Committee Outlines Goals for 2019

February 13, 2019 by Asif Nazeer Leave a Comment


2019 House Small Business Committee Goals

The House Small Business Committee recently announced five Committee Democratic Members who will serve as Subcommittee Chairs for the 116th Congress. With the Democrats in charge of the House now, Small Business Trends got in touch with House Small Business Committee Chairwoman Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY) to get an idea of the committee’s goals for 2019.

2019 House Small Business Committee Goals

Issues

Velázquez stressed a hands-on approach to tackling the issues small businesses face.
“I am looking to hold a wide range of hearings that will probe the diverse challenges facing America’s entrepreneurs. I am proud that we have an exciting group of new Members who will be serving as Subcommittee Chairs for the 116th Congress,” she wrote in an email.

Top Priorities

“Through hearings at both the full and subcommittee levels, we will dive into the most pressing issues facing small firms such as access to capital, workforce development, exporting abroad, and expanding access to the federal procurement marketplace.”

The National Small Business Association recently placed the trained worker’s skills gap as the third priority issue for the 116th Congress. The association bookmarked several of the other points the committee flagged.

Velázquez also pointed to a focus on rural areas. She underlined a few of the digital issues facing small business there and acknowledged the impact of international trade disputes.

SBA Programs

“As a Committee, we will look at how we can expand investments in SBA programs for rural areas, as well as address the most pressing issues facing rural entrepreneurs such as a lack of broadband, the opioid crisis, and the impact of tariffs on our small agricultural and manufacturing firms.”

Small Business Concerns

There were other long standing small business concerns like lack of access to traditional capital for loans that Velázquez said would be another one of the committee’s focuses. She said that when it comes to start-ups particularly, there were several other sources of funding like the SBA’s Small Business Investment Company (SBIC) program.

“The program was created as a source of financing to fill the gap between bank loans and more traditional equity capital. On the Committee, we constantly hear from entrepreneurs who need more flexible forms of capital investment, such as the SBIC program. The Committee will conduct work in this area to ensure that the SBA’s capital offerings keep pace with the needs of entrepreneurs.”

Flexibility

She pledged the Committee will work to make sure that any capital offerings from the SBA will be geared towards the flexible forms of capital investment start-ups need. There was at least one area where the incoming Chairwoman felt there was a special need for a bipartisan push from both sides of the aisle — infrastructure.

Infrastructure

She noted how deteriorating infrastructure has a negative effect on the nation’s economy because transportation delays up expenses for small businesses. She also mentioned how any needed reform would benefit three small business sectors specifically.

“For small firms operating in sectors such as construction, manufacturing, and agriculture, a robust infrastructure package has the potential to fuel new jobs and innovation,” she wrote.

Expanding small business access to the federal procurement marketplace was another touchpoint. While Velázquez pointed to the ongoing work that’s been done in the area, she acknowledged much more needs to be accomplished.

Disparities

“Despite recent advancements, disparities remain for small contractors and especially for traditionally underserved entrepreneurs when it comes to accessing the $500 billion a-year federal marketplace,” she writes. “Ensuring that small contractors are paid in a timely manner, expanding mentorship resources to underserved entrepreneurs, and ensuring proper oversight of existing initiatives are all steps the Committee must take towards leveling the playing field for small contractors and subcontractors.”

Velázquez offered a perspective on the Republican tax law that was at least partially geared toward small businesses.

“The Republican tax law is projected to add nearly two trillion dollars to our deficit and as we have heard on the Committee, provides little relief to small businesses. At the end of the day, we ought to be focused on tax reform that will increase compliance assistance for small firms and update the tax code to meet the needs of a 21st century workforce.”

The Small Business Committee’s Subcommittee Chairs for the 116th Congress are: Rep. Abby Finkenauer (D-IA) will Chair the Subcommittee on Rural Development, Agriculture, Trade, and Entrepreneurship. Rep. Andy Kim (D-NJ) will Chair the Subcommittee on Economic Growth, Tax, and Capital Access. Rep. Jared Golden (D-ME) will Chair the Subcommittee on Contracting and Infrastructure. Rep. Jason Crow (D-CO) will Chair the Subcommittee on Innovation and Workforce Development. Rep. Judy Chu (D-CA) will Chair the Subcommittee on Investigations, Oversight and Regulations.

Image: smallbusiness.house.gov

This article, “House Small Business Committee Outlines Goals for 2019” was first published on Small Business Trends





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12 Most Unusual Offers Made to Recruit a New Employee

February 12, 2019 by Asif Nazeer Leave a Comment


12 Unusual Things In Offer Letters Employers Have Included
The hiring process can be long, tedious and repetitive — yet, completely necessary to find talent which will fit your company. Once you’ve found the perfect fit for your company, you want to make sure that your offer is accepted. This can lead to some very interesting or unusual elements within a potential new hire’s offer letter. To find out more, we asked entrepreneurs from Young Entrepreneur Council the following:

“What is the most unusual thing you’ve included in an employee’s offer letter?”

Unusual Things in Offer Letters

Here’s what YEC community members had to say:

1. Unlimited Seltzer Water

“We have an employee that is obsessed with seltzer and we knew that by adding this to the offer letter we’d get the right reaction and hopefully an acceptance. We wanted the employee to know that we were obsessed with the details, remembered the conversations we had and wanted to make their experience working with us a good one. Sometimes it’s the little things that stand out.” ~ Corey Eulas, Factorial Digital

2. Walks on the Beach

“Being in southern California, we had a candidate make a joke about loving walks on the beach. This candidate then crushed the interview; they were so passionate and had all the right questions. We left feeling like we knew this individual for years. We were confident this person would take our offer, so I included “walks on the beach” in the offer. They loved it and are now apart of our team.” ~ Colbey Pfund, LFNT Distribution

3. Pet-Friendly Office

“We have a team member with us now that is a huge dog lover. He brings his dog everywhere. Learning this through the interview process, we included in our offer letter that we’d make our office dog-friendly (it had never come up before) — meaning he could bring his pal with him to work every day. Now, not only does he get to have his dog in the office, but we have our very own mascot.” ~ Zach Binder, Bell + Ivy

4. Bagel Tuesdays

“During the interview they asked if we had any specific company morale events on a weekly basis. We said that we do something once a quarter, usually an outing. They suggested bagel breakfast Tuesdays. We liked it, so we added it.” ~ Nicole Munoz, Nicole Munoz Consulting

5. Mugs with Personalized Avatars

“Because I run several online businesses, many employees have an online business profile. They can choose if they’d like to use an actual image of themselves or a professionally created avatar. While I offer more significant perks and bonuses in a job offer, I do also offer a personalized mug with their business avatar. What is more motivational than looking at yourself!” ~ Shu Saito, Godai Soaps

6. Unlimited Time Off

“Since our company is entirely remote, we can’t offer many perks that other companies with physical locations can like unlimited coffee, so instead we offer unlimited time off. This perk is perfect for a remote company and our employees who value job flexibility.” ~ Chris Christoff, MonsterInsights

7. Monthly Massages

“A fantastic benefit that I love to offer our management and front desk employees is access to a free massage at our studio, every month. This perk gets employees very excited about the potential for working with us, and is a nice benefit to welcome them to the team and thank them for their hard work.” ~ Rachel Beider, Massage Outpost

8. Their Choice Between Equity and Cash

“Everyone has a different set of priorities and life situation. We like to let our employees choose from a menu of three different cash and equity options. You can choose more cash and less equity, middle-middle or more equity and less cash. There is no judgment in selection, we just want to be creative about supporting our team in the way that fits them best.” ~ Aaron Schwartz, Passport

9. Seed Funding for Side Hustles

“Unlike some companies and corporations, particularly larger ones, we try to encourage our team to be entrepreneurial. This encouragement goes so far as to frequently help our employees start businesses in their downtime. Obviously, none of these can compete, but there is no reason not to let your team taste the fruits of the gig economy as well.” ~ Ryan Bradley, Koester & Bradley, LLP

10. Free Change of Environment

“If they’re not able to be productive in their current environment, they are free to change to a new environment of their choice at any given moment. They don’t have to stay stuck in an office they’re not happy in. They can move around at their discretion. I have seen that being in the office all the time actually inhibits productivity and hacks their creativity. I like to give freedom of location.” ~ Sweta Patel, Startup Growth Mode

11. International Remote Days

“We offer 14 “international remote days” to all hires. Millennials love to travel and our retention is higher because we allow our employees to have the best of both worlds. The rules? They have to be at least three time zones away, have access to high speed wifi and outline goals while remote. Our company wins because the team mixes PTO and remote days so productivity doesn’t completely halt!” ~ Krish Chopra, NPHub

12. No Management Structure

“Being a completely remote company we already offer unlimited time off and the ability to create your own office hours. If you are a night owl you can work during the middle of the night if you are a morning person, go for it. With that said, everyone at our company has a voice and there is no management structure. All employees are equally important and their ideas and concerns are listened to.” ~ Jared Brown, Hubstaff Talent

Image: Depositphotos.com

This article, “12 Most Unusual Offers Made to Recruit a New Employee” was first published on Small Business Trends





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Finance, Disaster, and You

February 11, 2019 by Asif Nazeer Leave a Comment



The Financier, an often-overlooked 1912 novel by the iconic American writer Theodore Dreiser, isn’t just a page-turning morality tale about early American capitalism. It offers contemporary businesspeople valuable insights on hubris, risk, adversity, and redemption.



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Learn Social Media Marketing for Your Small Business at Upcoming Event in San Diego

February 9, 2019 by Asif Nazeer Leave a Comment


Effective Facebook Marketing Strategies - 5 Ways to Kill It with Social Media Marketing on Facebook
According to eMarketer digital media advertising will eclipse traditional advertising in 2019.

And digital advertising features prominently in a three-day Social Media Marketing World event in San Diego. Small businesses looking to learn the latest marketing techniques should consider this event a priority.

There will be 17 tracks and workshops addressing virtually all there is to know about social media marketing.

Topics includes Facebook Ads, Facebook organic marketing, Instagram marketing, analytics, video creation, YouTube for business, messenger bots, live video, social strategy and more.

Ninety-minute professional development workshops will cover everything from copywriting to visual marketing, video production, personal branding, augmented reality and more.

More than 7,000 small and large business marketers from across all industries attend the event. In 2018, big brands at the event included Best Buy, Bose, CBS, Caterpillar, Cisco, and Colgate Palmolive to name a few.

You can attend live from Wednesday, March 20 to Friday, March 22, 2019, at the San Diego Convention Center.

If you can’t make it to San Diego, you can buy a Virtual Ticket and get access to all the recordings of the events, all the marketing sessions, the keynotes and every workshop.

Click the red button and register.

Register Now



Featured Events, Contests and Awards

Social Media Marketing WorldSocial Media Marketing World
March 20, 2019, San Dieg, CA

Discover the best social media marketing techniques from the world’s top experts. Experience three phenomenal days with the best social marketers, discover the latest tactics, and master social media in 2019. Join 7,000 fellow marketers and influencers at the mega-conference designed to empower you with business-building ideas — brought to you by Social Media Examiner.


Listening to the Voice of the Customer WorkshopListening to the Voice of the Customer Workshop
April 23, 2019, Boston, MA/USA

Join Applied Marketing Science (AMS) for the next open-enrollment session of “Listening to the Voice of the Customer,” our acclaimed training workshop, on April 23-24, 2019 at the Sheraton Boston Hotel located in the heart of downtown Boston. Led by veteran product development and market research experts, Gerry Katz (AMS Vice Chairman), and John Burns (AMS Principal), this course will introduce Voice of the Customer market research and teach you to use it to accelerate innovation in business-to-business markets.
Discount Code
SMALLBIZ ($100 Discount)


Beachpreneurs Beach Camp 5Beachpreneurs Beach Camp 5
April 26, 2019, Daytona Beach, Florida/USA

For starters, we’re for Women Entrepreneurs only. During Beach Camp, you’ll have plenty of opportunity to learn, apply and mastermind with warm successful women.
You’ll also have time to sleep in and you’ll get long breaks to relax and walk the beach or go for a swim. We didn’t create a conference at the beach just to lock you away in a conference room from dawn til dusk. Beach Camp is a lifestyle focused event so you’ll be spending as much time enjoying your life as you will be focusing on your business. Join us today!


More Events

  • DCC & PereGonza Law Present: Real Estate Contract 101 The Do’s and Don’ts of the Real Estate Game
    February 13, 2019, Miami, Fla.
  • IoT Forum on Retail
    February 14, 2019, Sunnyvale, Calif.
  • How to achieve increased worker safety and productivity with IoT
    February 15, 2019, Online
  • Recruiting Trends and Talent Tech LIVE! 2019
    February 20, 2019, Las Vegas, Nev.
  • Impactful Speaking Workshop
    February 25, 2019, Walnut Creek, Calif.
  • HR West Conference
    March 11, 2019, Oakland, Calif.
  • LEAP Tech Talent
    March 12, 2019, San Francisco, Calif.
  • Responsible Business Summit New York 2019
    March 18, 2019, Brooklyn, N.Y.
  • Breaking Through: Taking Your Consulting Business to New Heights
    March 27, 2019, Burlingame, Calif.
  • Transformational CISO Assembly in Nashville – April 2019
    April 23, 2019, Nashville, Tenn.
  • Advancing Construction Analytics 2019
    April 29, 2019, Lakewood, Colo.
  • DigiMarCon East 2019 – Digital Marketing Conference & Exhibition
    May 09, 2019, Online
  • Fearless in Data
    May 14, 2019, Atlanta, Ga.
  • Kimberly Coates
    May 14, 2019, San Diego, Calif.
  • 2019 Marketing Analytics Conference, Atlanta, Ga, May 15 – 16, 2019
    May 15, 2019, Atlanta, Ga.
  • DigiMarCon Canada 2019 – Digital Marketing Conference & Exhibition
    May 16, 2019, Toronto, Ontario
  • Advancing Preconstruction and Estimating 2019 Conference, Dallas, Texas
    May 20, 2019, Dallas, Tx.
  • Breaking Through: Taking Your Consulting Business to New Heights
    May 29, 2019, Waltham, Mass.
  • The Brand Marketing Summit West 2019, San Francisco, USA
    May 30, 2019, Burlingame, Calif.
  • DigiMarCon South 2019 – Digital Marketing Conference & Exhibition
    June 05, 2019, Houston, Tx.

More Contests

This weekly listing of small business events, contests and awards is provided as a community service by Small Business Trends.

You can see a full list of events, contest and award listings or post your own events by visiting the Small Business Events Calendar.
Image: Shutterstock/small>

This article, “Learn Social Media Marketing for Your Small Business at Upcoming Event in San Diego” was first published on Small Business Trends





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In the News: Former NFLer Turning Attention to Mom-and-Pop Businesses

February 8, 2019 by Asif Nazeer Leave a Comment


Earlier this week, we all snoozed through a large portion of the Super Bowl.

Hopefully, before you dozed off, you were able to catch the story of former NFL star Nolan Carroll.

Nolan never got to play in the Super Bowl during his NFL career, but like nearly 1 in 4 former pro football players, he’s making a play in small business afterward.

He’s teaming up with an international human rights lawyer and launching an app called YOOTROO. It’s designed to help local mom-and-pop businesses, probably just like yours.

His story is not the only NFL start-turned-entrepreneur story we’ve shared. Check out this story on Chris Gronkowski, the brother of Super Bowl champion Rob, and how he’s using Instagram to build his brand.

Football wasn’t the only thing making headlines this week. We also learned about some surprising jobs numbers and a new survey was released on just what people want to see from your social media posts.

Check them all out in our news and information roundup below:

Employment

Economy Adds 300,000 Jobs in January Despite Government Shutdown

The U.S. economy added 304,000 jobs while the unemployment rate rose slightly to 4 percent in the first month of 2019, according to Department of Labor (DOL) data released Friday. January 2019 Jobs Report January marks the 100th straight month of job growth in the U.S., a record more than twice as long as the previous one of 48 months set in June 1990.

Marketing Tips

26% of Gen Z Wants to be Entertained by Your Online Content

Content is the engine that drives today’s digital ecosystem. Whether it is a website, blog, social media channel or even e-commerce, you have to have the right content. And for 26% of Gen Z consumers, you will do better if you entertain them. The data comes from an international study commissioned by WP Engine and conducted by The Center for Generational Kinetics.

Research

30% of Freelance Writers Make Less Than $10 Per Hour Their First Year, Survey Says

Written content has become an integral part of an online presence, and this has created a boon for freelance writers. As more freelance writers enter this segment, the question has to be asked, “How Much Do Freelance Writers Make?” The Pay Survey 2019 from Make a Living Writing is looking to answer this question with the help of 1,400+ participating freelance writers.

Social Media

Big Changes Come for Business Users as Google Plus Shutdown Looms

If you use it for your small business, you probably know the end of Google Plus is near. The consumer side of Google Plus will shut down in April 2019, but the company started implementing changes starting on February 4, 2019. The shutdown comes months before the August 2019 date Google announced in October of 2018.

Taxes

14 Important Dates for Small Businesses in the 2019 Tax Calendar

Tax season is approaching. But for many businesses, managing taxes can be a yearlong undertaking. In fact, there are many different types of deadlines you should be aware of throughout the year. 2019 Tax Calendar Here are the most important tax dates for businesses to know in 2019.

Image: DepositPhotos.com

This article, “In the News: Former NFLer Turning Attention to Mom-and-Pop Businesses” was first published on Small Business Trends





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Biz Opps

Photo by Aditya Vyas on Unsplash Stock market … [Read More...]

The evolution of work in the digital age is making … [Read More...]

Image Source: StartupStockPhotos on PixabayBeing a … [Read More...]

Customer Focus

First published in Exchange, the magazine of the … [Read More...]

How do executives affect their respective … [Read More...]

For our second blog series of Incredible … [Read More...]

Entrepreneurs

Barry Turner, who along with his co-founder … [Read More...]

Like things neat and clean? Starting a … [Read More...]

Keith Belling's RightRice, made of lentils, … [Read More...]

Strategy

In the last few years, business leaders have … [Read More...]

Digital technology has given small businesses … [Read More...]

We saw more signs this week that the economy may … [Read More...]

Supply Chain

Although managing inbound shipping can be … [Read More...]

Whether you run a small startup or a … [Read More...]

Nuclear Submarines execute some of the most … [Read More...]

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