Blog
Protect your company from hackers
With an ever-growing technological world, protecting both your company’s and your clients’ information is of the utmost importance. While not every method is foolproof, there are ways that will help you keep your data safe.
Email guidelines: the proper way to handle online communications
While we use email for a variety of reasons, from querying other businesses to quickly replying to a coworker, there are right and wrong ways to handle this form of communication.
How to effectively communicate with your staff
In order to keep an efficient and happy work environment, you need to be able to communicate with your employees about anything that comes up.
Employee benefits that won’t break your bank account
As a small business owner, you won’t be able to afford some of the same benefits that larger companies can, but that doesn’t mean you can’t show your appreciation.
Create a Website Consumers Will Want To Visit
From online shopping to information hunting, consumers visit companies’ websites for a plethora of reasons. As a small business owner, it’s important for you to create a page that will drive traffic to your website.
Protecting yourself from fraud
In today’s technological world, all of our information is stored online or on a card. By taking proper precautions, you can protect yourself from fraud.
Embrace Your Employees’ Creativity
Some of the greatest products come from employees’ original ideas as opposed to business-centric thinking. That’s why it’s important to foster your workers’ creativity instead of squash it.
Protect your business from melting snow
The warmer weather of spring brings melting snow that could damage your business. While you can’t prevent flooding, you can take proper precautions to protect your building.
Why you should create an educational workplace
Owning a small business and managing a staff provide you with perfect opportunities to increase your and your employees’ knowledge.
Why it’s never too late to start a business
A recent study from Gallup found that people aged 50 and over are twice as likely as millennials to start a small business.
Make your employees part of their handbook
Employee handbooks don’t have to be a thing you and your employees dread. If you get your workers involved and present your policies in an exciting way, you’ll all enjoy the process.
6 tips for filing your taxes
April 15 is quickly approaching, and that means so is your deadline for filing taxes.
How to excel at being a boss
Overseeing an entire staff can be a trying ordeal, but if you show your employees respect and make them feel comfortable, they’ll happily work under you.
3 ways to handle negative feedback
Feedback, both positive and negative, gives you the chance to connect with consumers and create a conversation. By replying with a response that shows you appreciate their assessment, you’ll stand a better chance of getting return customers.
Make your remote workers feel included
While telecommuting might save a company money, it can also lead to a lack of bonding between coworkers. Try implementing methods, such as video conferencing and social media pages, to make them feel a part of the team.
Increase your meeting efficiency
In order to make the most of your meetings, establish a pre-determined list of points to discuss during a specified time limit.
Choosing an office layout: open space vs. cubicles
Deciding on an open space or a sectioned off office can be a difficult decision, but if you consider what kind of business you’re running and what goes along with each layout, the choice will be easier.
Build your dream team
When it comes to your employees, all employers want someone they can trust and who will do the job well.
Work from home like a pro
Working from home can be difficult, but if you plan your day and keep the lines of communication open, the process will go smoothly.
How to make the most of your day
There are only so many hours in a day. If you have a plan, you’ll be much more productive.
How to keep your young workforce happy
We all need to work, but we don’t all necessarily want to work. That’s why it’s important for employers to create a comfortable and motivated work environment
How to make your shyness work for you
When you’re shy, it can be hard to communicate, whether it’s in your personal life or in the boardroom. While it can be difficult being the quiet one, it’s not always a bad thing.
Managing your cash flow
Only about 50 percent of businesses survive five years or more. That’s why learning how to manage your cash flow is so important.
How to make the most of your money
Whether you’re running a business or your own personal finances, how you handle your money can impact your spending and savings.
Changing Shoes & Changing Lives
Check out the cover story about our associate's experience in the recent Maryland Banker magazine. [download id="68"] Carissa L. Rodeheaver, president and chief financial officer of First United Bank stated, “The Soles 4 Souls mission was a gratifying and fulfilling...
How to manage work-related stress
For those of us who have entered the workforce, stress is no stranger. However, we don’t need to let it control our lives.
3 reasons you should switch to digital marketing
The old way of catalogs and newspaper advertisements is out and digital marketing is in.
4 ways to improve your client relationship
Customers are the driving force behind any business. Establishing a relationship with them can take time, but it will be worth it in the end.
6 ways to stay sane when starting a business
You’ve decided to start a business. Now what?
Erase negativity from the workplace
Nothing hurts productivity more than a negative work environment. If your employees aren’t happy, you’ll know.
Business Owners Love Flexibility, Hate Finances
The vast majority of small business owners love the flexibility self-employment provides, but they also despise the bookkeeping work that comes with it.
Protesters in Oregon call for $15 per hour minimum wage
On the heels of the State of the Union address, a portion of which focused on raising the minimum wage, protesters in Oregon took to the picket lines to protest why the state has yet to raise the wage scale.
2015 is the Year of the Employee, business owners say
Small business owners know that their financial plan is highly contingent upon their employees, who many describe as the lifeblood of a company’s economic strength In other words, without them, the goals that entrepreneurs set out to achieve wouldn’t be possible.
5 tips for ensuring data security
Often times it can be difficult for small business owners to think about data security in the midst of everything else going on, but forgetting about it can be a big mistake.
How to handle the company fridge when the power goes out
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently released some helpful tips on the best course of action for refrigerated food before, during and after a power outage.
Many Employees Cavalier About Password Security
The Internet has opened up many opportunities for consumers and businesses large and small. At one time, the only way workers could “check in” at their workplace was by actually being on site. Thanks to the web, however, millions of employees are able to work from the comfort of home, freeing up their schedules and reducing overhead costs for employers.
Obama encourages Congress to increase minimum wage
A somewhat controversial subject matter for small business owners is the minimum wage and how it can be worked into their financial plan.
3 ways to brand better in 2015
This year it is easier than ever for people to market their services through a number of channels, so how do you tell a different story than everyone else selling a product in 2015?
Most willing to move for dream job, poll finds
More than half of job seekers – 55 percent – say they would move to a new country if doing so would enable them to find their dream job, based on a recent survey done by employment search engine Monster Worldwide.
Poll: Phony sick days not uncommon, employers say
In a poll of 2,200 company managers and 3,100 employees, 25 percent of employers said that they have dealt with a worker who faked their illness, CareerBuilder.com reported.
Creating a fun culture for small business owners
Monolithic organizations such as Google have proven that no matter what stage your business is at, a fun culture is still possible to maintain. Small business owners can learn from companies such as Google while attempting to foster their own unique offices.
Why you may want to replace your business’ roof
Among the costliest sources of damage in the winter is wet snow that can pile up on rooftops. According to the Insurance Information Institute, roof cave-ins contribute to winter weather being the third-largest cause of insured catastrophe losses, averaging $1.2 billion per year in the past two decades.
How to keep your employees healthy
Employee absences can prove pretty costly for employers, so how do small business owners make sure their employees aren’t taking too much time off?
Small business owners’ skeptical of government improving economy
Though the year may be young, the economy is doing pretty well compared to recent years. The private sector has seen 58 consecutive months of uninterrupted job growth, and the nation’s unemployment rate is at 5.6 percent, according to the Labor Department, a near seven-year low.
1 in 3 workers say they’d stay with employer after lottery win
t’s pretty difficult to fit winning the lottery into your financial plan, as hitting the jackpot is a one in a million shot. But based on a new poll, the vast majority of people employees would continue to work if they struck it rich, which is good news for small business owners who rely on their staff.
3 in 4 family-run businesses don’t have succession plan, poll finds
It’s estimated that 50 percent of gross domestic product in the U.S. is attributable to family-run businesses and generate 60 percent of the country’s employment. However, the structure of these companies may be at risk, as a majority of family businesses have not implemented a succession plan, based on the results of a recent study.
Workers going to office despite flu, poll finds
While health officials encourage workers to stay home if their sick, many are spurning this advice and reporting to work nonetheless, creating issues for business owners, a new poll suggests.
One-third of businesses to hire more this year, poll finds
It’s 2015, and a considerable number of business owners believe that hiring more workers this year is the best financial plan they can make, based on the results of a recent survey.
Smart contractor hiring for small business owners
Sometimes small business owners turn to independent contractors for projects, which can have its benefits. However, it is important to make sure you’re informed about hiring contractors before doing so.
3 tips for dealing with disgruntled employees
An employee could be upset for any number of reasons, and knowing how to handle a disgruntled worker properly is vital to being an effective business owner.