My wife is certified as a Master Gardener by a prestigious university in the Northeast. She designs and maintains gardens for a roster of high-profile clients in the New Jersey suburbs outside New York City, and is very good at what she does. One thing I’ve seen first hand watching her work is not just [...]

There is little that’s more important in business than trust. Whether we’re talking about communication between a company and its customers, employees, suppliers, or the public at large, communicating with integrity is vital. Without it, relationships suffer, and business, ultimately, is all about relationships. It’s not just the words that are used in communications that [...]

Worker’s compensation insurance (“work comp”) is an expense that every business owner dreads. The state forces you to purchase it, rates and premiums are seemingly out of your control, and the extent to which the insurance will be needed is a complete guess. To make matters worse, the mathematical rules that dictate work comp rates [...]

There are a million and one ‘systems’ and ‘programs’ out there that claim to hold the secret to having a successful business. For a price, consultants, gurus, and experts of all kinds will tell you what it takes to be at the top in business and in life. But it’s been my experience that it [...]

Expanding can be one of the most exciting things for a business. With many businesses turning to ecommerce, it’s now easier than ever to grow quickly and relatively inexpensively, particularly in markets overseas. But when you’ve got the world at your cyber-feet, growing globally can be a scary prospect. How do you know where to [...]

My wife and I recently stayed at a nationally affiliated “luxury” hotel in Miami and learned a lot about customer service…the hard way. Being Okay with Blown Expectations: Staying at a nice hotel ($350+/night) and being willing to pay $25/person for breakfast, you’d naturally have certain expectations. Our first morning, we grabbed the USA Today [...]

The story goes that in ancient times (B.C. – and I don’t mean before computers) women of ill repute would have a symbol carved on the sole of their sandals. As they walked through the dirt and mud of the streets, the symbol would be impressed on the road, and men could follow the trail [...]

With the world’s population reaching a staggering 7 billion, I’ve been turning my thoughts to babies. I’m a 31 year old woman, no kids and working full pelt on my startup. I can’t really imagine fitting in children yet, but many others do.  As more of my female counterparts are getting pregnant I’m impressed by [...]

Successful entrepreneurs make profits from their passions. They decide what actions they must take in order to establish or grow their own business. After speaking with many entrepreneurs from all different fields, it has become increasingly apparent they all share specific habits and lifestyle patterns that help keep them motivated and push them forward. 1. [...]

Being a risk taker in business is not the same as being reckless. Nevertheless, the word “risk” has a negative connotation to most of us, implying danger and possible loss.  For true entrepreneurs, risk is viewed as a positive, with its implied challenge to overcome the unknown and hitting the big return. In fact, risk [...]

Yes, we’re amidst an unemployment drought in the US, but there are all types of opportunities out there for savvy, motivated virtual workers.  Companies are looking for contractors for everything from one project to a permanent position.  Small business executives are hiring virtual assistants to help with travel arrangements and calendar management.  If you have [...]

New media, which encompasses all aspects of online marketing, such as social media marketing, blogging, comment marketing, and more, is everywhere we look these days. It’s almost impossible to find ads even in traditional media that don’t point to a company’s Facebook and Twitter pages, and the web is replete with blog posts, e-books, websites, [...]