Entrepreneurs and small business owners often feel lonely and precarious on their perch as the leader of their business. Keeping the team and themselves motivated despite seemingly overwhelming challenges can be a daunting and draining daily task. Putting on a brave face and smiling can go a long way in keeping the team working. You may be convinced that they would bolt if they were to comprehend just a small fraction of your fears. No matter how hard you try to maintain a po

Many challenges in business, team and employee performance result from inadequate communication. Leaders often make incorrect assumptions about the members of their teams. Those assumptions lead the team to believe the leader is not interested in listening to their ideas for improvements. Sometimes communication breaks down when attempting to avoid conflict or not wanting to put personal relationships at risk. All of these will damage team performance and ultimately the perfo

The internet first promised businesses a faster and more direct way to interact with customers from the point of sale through to the supply chain. Small businesses who mastered the web discovered that they had access to a much larger market at a lower cost than traditional methods. Over time, internet services such as IT infrastructure hosting, software as a service (SAAS), mobile connectivity and a host of new applications (“apps”) has transformed the landscape for business

Business networking is all about building an extended team of associates who can add value to you in terms of expertise, advice and counsel and access to resources such as financing, channels of distribution and suppliers. As you build this team, you will learn who is more likely to be a productive resource and who focuses on his or her own enrichment. Sometimes these lessons come from the disappointing experiences of unfulfilled promises. Occasionally, the signals were clear