How to Talk to your Bankers

In spite of the current credit crunch, small and mid-sized businesses can get credit, but they need to know how to talk to their bankers. The key is to understand what banks are looking for. 

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Employment Law You Need to Know

The gap between hourly and salaried employees in terms of benefits, fringes, and perks has been steadily closing, driven by decisions of business owners and CEOs. Paradoxically, recent and anticipated legislation which will require all companies to make these changes will have the perverse effect of derailing this trend. This is just one example of the unintended consequences of well-meaning laws, which drive up costs, ossify work rules, and increase US companies’ competitive disadvantages.

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Great ROI from Internet Marketing

It is usually difficult to figure out returns from spending on traditional B-B advertising and marketing, such as print ads, brochures, trade shows, and so forth. Internet marketing is different – by its nature, companies can track and measure results. Improvements to Internet marketing campaigns can be made quickly and at relatively low cost.

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Now is the Time to Fix Your Interviewing Process

The current economic downturn creates both threats and opportunities with respect to hiring quality staff. On the one hand, logic suggests that the pool of employees is larger and so the number of potential great hires is larger. On the other hand, most companies are doing their best to keep their best.
 
If your recruiting process is aimed at the “top of the field,” these obviously great candidates are the hardest to find and the most expensive to hire.

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How Can You Get the Credit You Need?

 
The Wall Street Journal reports that “small businesses are turning to angel investors, suppliers and personal credit cards as the financial crisis spreads to Main Street and access to commercial bank loans becomes more restricted.”
 
Mike Flynn, Shareholder of American Chartered Bank and a member of PAC discussed credit access with a diverse group of Chicagoland small business presidents, CEOs, and owners.
 
The good news, according to Mike, is that banks are open for business. Banks can grow only if they lend. Small and mid-sized businesses can get credit, but they need to know how to talk to their bankers. 

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Use Paid Search to Build Sales

This entry continues my report about liQuidprint president Mike Montgomery’s excellent presentation to PAC members at our latest Speaker Event.
 
Paid search is another way to attract a prospective customer’s attention. Pay per Click (PPC) is an online marketing and advertising formula, where the business does not pay a fee to place an ad, but rather pays only when a visitor actually “clicks” on the ad and visits the website.

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Search Engine Marketing for Small Businesses

Mike Montgomery, president of liQuidprint, a well-regarded website design and consulting firm, gave a great presentation to PAC members and guests at our latest Speaker Event. 
 
Mike told us, “People who are running businesses are trying to find your product or service. And one way they are doing this is through Internet searches.”

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Energy Independence In Our Time?

I'm a Baby Boomer who well remembers the oil embargos of the 1970's. Back then, it made no sense to me that we were so dependent on other countries for a basic natural resource that is a necessary raw material for our ecomony. Since then, I've believed that it is the biggest failure of my generation to not have figured this out.

I hope you will think about this major public policy issue. At least one of these three themes must certainly resonate with you:

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Can "Green" Energy Practices Pay Off?

I recently spent a morning with Phil Baugh, a Chicago real estate developer whose latest project is the Green Exchange, a unique business center and professional community.

The Green Exchange is aimed at entrepreneurs looking to grow sustainable businesses –companies that promote sustainable products and services or support those that do.

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The Leader's Passion

Yesterday, I had the good fortune of spending a couple of hours with Dan Hayes, President of HealthCall, a first-stage company that is revolutionizing how information is exchanged between healthcare professionals and the chronically ill.

During our time together, Dan spoke very little about the economic benefit of his service to his customers, and he said nothing about the value potential of his company's stock to his next group of investors. All Dan wanted to talk about was how his system helps the chronically ill.

Dan's passion is typical of entrepreneurs. In fact, the Leader's Passion is often a company's major asset.

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