Hiring Remotely? Here’s How to Change Your Hiring Strategy to Get the Best Candidates Drawing on a decade of experience of hiring remote employees, the author shares the process she and her team have refined to hire “best of the best”. She breaks down the process she uses into four strategies, discussing each in detail: post on job boards that attract remote job-seekers; set up prescreening questions that specifically assess the candidate’s ability to work remotely; interview candidates with a video meeting tool multiple times to really get to know them; and finally, if needed, take additional steps to ensure you truly get to know the candidate before offering them a full-time role. 5 Mistakes That Sabotage Your Company’s Bank Credit Score In this article, the author begins with defining what bank vs. business credit is, how they’re intertwined, and how bank credit works. She then discusses five common mistakes […]

Facts About Trademarks You Might Not Have Known You’ve likely heard of trademarks, “words that distinguish one organization from the rest in its niche,” the author says, but you may not have known seven facts about them. Besides the fun fact that trademarks have their roots in the Roman empire, the other six have some bearing for entrepreneurs and businesses looking into establishing their own: you can trademark more than words, such as designs; you cannot trademark descriptive phrases; forming a business entity is not the same as acquiring a trademark; trademarks are distinct from copyrights and patents; your trademark application could be rejected; and finally, trademarks are national rights, which is important if you intend to take your business international. Netflix Avoids Rules Like the Plague. Here’s What It Does Instead In his new book “Great Leaders Have No Rules”, the author (Kevin Kruse) cites Netflix for its success […]

What is Your SEO Location Strategy? A location strategy is usually associated with brick and mortar businesses. However, the author explains that depending on the business, the SEO location strategy could be far more important – especially if its lead generation or sales is dependent on the web. The most important part of a local SEO campaign is the NAP (Name, Address and Phone) that is listed on GoogleMyBusiness (GMB) and local directories. Here, he discusses why a consistent business centre virtual address and a VoIP account is the best SEO location strategy for search engine rankings, and for your professional image. 8 TED Talks That Will Change Your Life Changing your life is a tall order, but sometimes “all you need is a flash of insight that shifts your perspective or rewires your thinking,” the author notes. She then shares eight TED talks that Reddit users say changed their […]

Overcoming the Pitfalls of a Virtual Office For entrepreneurs just starting their business, a virtual office may seem an expense they can forego until they move to an office space. However, as Telsec’s Terry Van Horne explains, “a virtual office takes coworking to a whole new level with the ability to have all work done by a remote workforce” that prefer their freelancing status and shun traditional offices. He also notes that a virtual office (and remote workforce) has its problems — availability of employees with no set hours of work, customer perception, lack of communication and collaboration, and security – but goes on to detail how to overcome each of them. Summarizing his discussion, he says that overcoming the disadvantages of a virtual office and/or remote workforce comes down to providing employees with the necessary software tools, office procedures, and management oversight. How to Increase Your Productivity With This […]

How using slang improved my team’s productivity and creativity The CEO and co-founder of Lending Express discusses his belief that company culture “boils down to words”, as “the words and expressions that dominate an office impact not only company culture but also influences how creative (and productive) its employees can be.” He then shares his company’s defining words – slang – that “capture the essence of the entire startup nation’s ethos”: b’zitkur for getting to the point and chutzpah for some nerve. He then discusses integrating slang in a business, and advises leaders to think about which terms or slang they use “and share the lingo with your employees.” This CEO Has a Near 100 Percent Employee Retention Rate. Here’s the Fascinating Reason Why The world’s leading college admissions agency, CollegeWise, has succeeded in achieving an employee turnover rate of nearly 0 percent for the past four years. Citing research, […]

How US Retailers Can Make The Most Of Doing Business In Canada Canada offers a fertile, lucrative market for U.S. companies. Unfortunately, there have been issues for U.S. retailers when shipping to Canada. Foremost among them are tax issues and resulting border holdups, which are often exacerbated by additional fees for their customers – or their business. In this article, author Terry Van Horne (of Toronto-based Telsec Business Centres) discusses how online retailers can easily circumvent these costly hassles through Canada’s Non-Resident Importer program. He further details why U.S. companies should look to Canada instead of larger markets, including the relative ease of entry and ranking their e-commerce website in Canadian search engines. The Types of Small Business Retirement Plans Whether you’re a solopreneur or have a good number of employees, there are a variety of small business retirement plans to suit your needs. Here, the author discusses the four […]

2018 was a great year for retail, 2019 is another story According to Deloitte’s 2019 Retail Outlook, after 2018’s retail performance that negated the prevailing notion of a “retail apocalypse”, 2019 looks to be a year of transition in a time of economic and geopolitical uncertainty. Among the key takeaways from Deloitte’s study cited by the author is that “legacy retailers must ensure that their brand position is clear, their data yields value and their loyalty programs are effective”. She then shares in-depth insights from Deloitte’s report, noting that e-commerce received little attention (specifically, Amazon), and including this direct quote: “Opportunity abounds for retailers and entrants to capture share in the upcoming year. 2019 will likely require retailers to differentiate themselves in their investment strategy; the upcoming one to two years are unlikely to be a tide that lifts all boats.” We’re terrible at predicting time, so do these things […]

Here’s Why You Should Stick To Your Prices – Even If Your Customers Hate Them The author of this article makes the point that while it can be tough to know what to charge, “with the right research and break even analysis you can find a price that will help your business grow and your customers want to pay.” She then discusses three reasons “why you shouldn’t take all customer feedback into account when you’re setting your pricing”: you’ll sacrifice quality; breaking even will be a challenge; and lastly,  you won’t be able to grow the business. How Small Businesses Can Address Debt “No matter the size and stage of a company, the recipe for scaling stays similar: take on debt and balance it effectively,” the author says, continuing, “Of course, that last part is often easier said than done.” He then discusses fives ways small businesses can manage debt “to […]

9 Tips for Starting a Business in a Crowded Digital Marketplace So how do you break into a crowded digital marketplace? The author of this article asked nine successful entrepreneurs that did just that. Their responses range from offering the highest quality product and being fully transparent with your customers to improving the customer experience and being local, wherever you are. 8 predictions for the state of women entrepreneurship this year Citing the statistic that over the past two decades, the number of women-owned businesses has grown 114% compared to the 44% national growth rate for all new companies, the author shares eight predictions from women leaders for 2019 entrepreneurism trends: More women will develop side hustles Startups focused on improving the lives of women will continue to grow Successful female entrepreneurs will work to close the VC gap More millennial women will want to be part of female-led organizations […]

There are now 5 generations in the workforce – can they work together? For the first time ever, five generations coexist in the workplace, spanning from Gen-Zers to Boomers. While this presents an unprecedented opportunity to drive innovation, it also presents leaders with the challenge of uniting these disparate groups into cohesive, productive teams. Noting that each generation wants to be heard, the author (president of HP’s Americas region), contends “technology can help build a future of work that is beneficial for everyone, and by applying the right types of innovation, organizations can hear all employees and solve many of the issues that arise within a multigenerational workforce.” He then goes into detail on four ways this can be accomplished: building a capacity for collaboration and communication; creating workspaces that match the mission; easing fears with professional development; and lastly, leveraging automation to create time for collaboration. 8 Keys to […]