Mom and pop shops are a big part of our American culture. It’s the picture many of us conjured up when we visualized a small business — very Normal Rockwell. But today technology has dramatically changed the small business landscape to the point where you might think the family-owned business — the corner grocery store so to speak — has disappeared. Well, think again.
Starting and growing a small business is stressful. No doubt about it. A recent survey from ComPscyh Corporation found more than half of all workers find it tough to stay focused on their jobs because of stress.
Stress affects us mentally, emotionally and physically. Between 75 and 90 percent of all primary care doctor visits are stress-related, and stress is linked to most of the leading causes of death. Clearly when you let stress take control of you, it significantly minimizes your ability to succeed in your business. April is National Stress Awareness month so I thought I’d share some tips on how you can get a grip on stress in order to enhance your business success.
It’s tax time. Something none of us can avoid. But what we can avoid is paying more than what we rightfully owe to Uncle Sam. Here ten tax deductions for small businesses that you may overlook. Make sure you review them before you submit your filing this year. And it’s always smart to double check with a professional
What were you doing eight years ago? On the campus of Harvard University a few students huddled in a dorm room to create a social media platform site which became known as Facebook. From those humble beginnings the site has soared to success making founder Mark Zuckerberg possibly the youngest billionaire in the country. And that’s just the beginning of the story. Recently, Facebook filed for an initial public offering that could put the value of the social media site between $75 and $100 billion –one the biggest U.S. stock-market debuts in history.
The lost art of listening. A morning news program featured a segment on how desensitized the human race has become to noise. There is so much noise in our society that as a means of survival we’ve learned to tune it out. For those of us who want to succeed in business, it’s time to hone our listening skills. Like our hunting and gathering ancestors, keen hearing can help us attract and retain new customers. Good listening is one of the most powerful skills you can have in business.