The glass ceiling is alive and well, especially for start-up entrepreneurs.According to American Express Open 29% of all US businesses are owned by women and their numbers are growing by 1 and a half times the national average.  “There are over 8.1 million women-owned businesses in the United States, generating nearly $1.3 trillion in revenues and employing […]

Do you know what SWOT stands for?Of course, it means Strengths-Weaknesses-Opportunities-ThreatsWhen was the last time you did a SWOT analysis for your business?Uhm, I’m not really sure.So how did you learn what SWOT analysis is about?Oh that’s easy, we covered it when I was getting my MBA.I have conducted this informal survey on a regular basis, […]

We’ve all heard that expression, “Cash is King!” And if you own your own business you know that is never more true than when cash is tight!  Not knowing whether you can pay your bills or make payroll makes for sleepless nights and anxious days.  Unfortunately, when you desperately need cash is when the bank absolutely will not lend you money.  […]

1.  You want to increase your profitsSometimes a business will plateau at a certain level of sales or profitability.  An outside pair of eyes can often see new opportunities for growth.2.  You haven’t prepared an annual budgetA budget should be your yardstick for measuring your performance.  A budget provides comparative data to help you determine […]

With pennies hard to come by these days, every step you take to improve your productivity can add dollars to your bottom line. A simple way to increase your efficiency is to use checklists. Checklists ensure that tasks get done the same way every time, in the shortest amount of time possible, and with a […]