Dorothee Mitrani-Bell came to the United States from France in her twenties because she felt a new life awaited her in California. She studied architecture at UC Berkeley, and on her days off she managed a restaurant in San Francisco. After a suggestion from a friendly neighbor got her thinking, she jumped at the unexpected opportunity to open her own restaurant and combine her love of design, food,...
Transactional emails -- such as order confirmations and shipping notifications -- are the long lost (revenue) loves for businesses. Transactional emails are a terrific opportunity to increase revenue by establishing new and long-term relationships, and courting customers with sweet gifts like rewards, promotions and sales. But most companies don't realize this opportunity is staring them in the face,...
Today, consumers desire to interact rather than to just mindlessly consume. Consumers don't want to just read; they want to comment. They don't want to just watch TV; they want to live tweet. They don't want to just dance at a new club; they want to share the whole night on Instagram. Consumers want to do more than just "enjoy the moment." Modern consumers crave what consumer scientists Darren Dahl...
Former educator Sabina Hitchen is on a mission to demystify public relations, social media and SEO for small businesses. Two years ago, Hitchen and her business partner Katie Hellmuth-Martin decided to start Tin Shingle , an online membership program that offers buzz-building tools and tips to entrepreneurs. "We saw a big gap in the small-business word that was necessary to fill," she says. Owners...
Earlier this month I had the privilege to conduct a webinar for Accounting Today and Accountingfly on the topic of Developing Superstars: A Playbook for High-Potential Young Talent and the People Who Manage Them. (The webinar is available on-demand here) . As always, at the end of the presentation I gave out my email address and offered to answer any questions that we didn't have time to address in...
As a business owner, you're challenged with a variety of tasks every day. Small business owners take on multiple roles, from accounting to legal to human resources. Regardless of whether you handle human resources yourself or delegate it to someone else, your company is bound to make mistakes. These human resource management mistakes can be devastating for your company in numerous ways -- from litigation...
By Vanessa Lopez-Littleton UCF Forum columnist I recently overheard one manager ask another if he knew a nurse who was looking for a job. After a moment of thinking, he remembered someone. Within a week, an offer of employment was made for a great-paying job with a wonderful schedule. It is a position that will open doors and create opportunities as well as move this individual into circles he may...
In recent years, small businesses lacking visibility in search engines have struggled to compete with large corporations. As the rules for ranking higher in search results pages have continually changed, small businesses have been tasked with creating content and engaging in social media marketing to reach customers. Those without professional marketing departments or quality vendors have especially...
A bad business partner is like a bad marriage, but with one exception: It's easier to get a divorce than to get out of a bad partnership. Years ago when I was raising money for my first venture, a wise investor pulled me aside, and asked me what I knew about my business partner. When I asked him why that was important, he told me that many people go into business with partners they really didn't know...
"99 bottles of beer on the wall in the case, 99 bottles of beer..." Well -- cans, technically, but there are 99 of them to a case. Austin Beerworks , a brewery in Texas, is selling 99-packs of its "Peacemaker Anytime Ale." Really. The brewery sought to reassure incredulous buyers on Twitter earlier this week that the 99-packs are actual, real things that can be bought in Austin-area liquor stores....
What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think of prepaid cards? Do you think of them as an alternative to cash? Are they the same as a debit card? Are they synonymous in your mind with holidays, since you've either given or received them as gifts? The fact of the matter is that there's a lot of confusion and misunderstanding out there regarding reloadable prepaid cards. Many people don't...
The world of business is cut throat and ultra-competitive. It’s an arena where only the strongest ideas and the hardest working people can really succeed. To get by in this often harsh and unrelenting climate, you have to think differently and work creatively. This is particularly true when it comes to marketing, as the way you choose to advertise your business to a target audience can have...
As a general rule, the prevailing health and safety culture in the UK has often been regarded as overbearing. To many, it is the symptom of a ‘Nanny state’, in which governments look to exert control beyond reasonable means and influence the private sector. This has prompted justice secretary Chris Grayling to declare war on Britain’s so-called health and safety culture , in a bid...
Over the last year, distributed denial-of-service DDoS attacks have gotten stronger and evolved in strategy and tactics as cyber-criminals get smarter. With increased reports of “smoke screening”, where attackers use DDoS attacks to distract IT staff while inserting malware to breach confidential data such as bank account credentials and client data. Over 50% of attacked companies reported theft of...
New Zealand angel investors are backing too few start-ups and should broaden their portfolios if they want to improve their chance of a return, according to Angel Association
Can you tell me a bit about Auckland Adventure Jet? Auckland Adventure Jet has the very first purpose built sea jet of its kind in New Zealand and we started business here in Auckland in 2010. Prior to that I had been involved in......
Can you tell me a bit about Genevieve's Cuisine? I was working full time as a food writer when the recession hit. I had to go back to my roots and return to restaurants to work as a chef. But I wasn't happy in that role anymore,......
By way of background, can you tell me a bit about your business? BRAVEday started as YFS in 2001 as a sole insurance adviser, being myself and a part-time personal assistant. My wife Tania joined to assist with administration......
Small business owners often talk about the busyness of being in business. Juggling multiple roles throughout the day is a necessity in a small team (or when you're a team of one) and then there's the ubiquitous admin/paperwork/everything......
I am convinced that in any business there is both a 'hard' and an 'easy' way to higher sales and profits.The hard way is to invest huge amounts of time, money and effort to produce very modest increases in sales......