Hang on to Your Employees

If entrepreneurs have mixed feelings about selling, that’s nothing compared to what the employees go through during a change of ownership.  If you are selling, the new buyer expects the knowledge and expertise of your employees to come in the purchase.  If you are the buyer, you based the purchase price on a going concern.  Losing trained employees costs money. Continue reading

6 Things Successful Entrepreneurs Do Daily

bigstock_Entrepreneur_852877-e1285599598853

Success in entrepreneurship is not an end destination. It’s to be the best version of yourself every day as you work with and communicate with those around you and provide services and products to your customers. We are a constant work in progress that requires some daily effort. The “laptop in the coffee shop” version of entrepreneurship may only exist for a very few. Continue reading

Trade Show Marketing Tips

trade-show-marketing

It seems that I have walked the floors at trade shows or vendor display areas at conferences a lot during 2015. If you have plans to participate in booth (or table and chair) marketing events in 2016, I hope these tips make your time spent there more rewarding. Continue reading

Work Force Development – You Can Change the Future

untitled

You must be the change you wish to see in the world.

Mahatma Gandhi

Are you looking for a better workforce?  Did you know you could influence the workforce of the future?

Consider getting involved in creating that pool of employees you will see in the future. Become a tnAchieves Mentor and help this year’s high school seniors be successful in their path to a community college degree or vocational certification. Continue reading

Announcing: 100 Days to Launch – Tourism

Picture1

Applications will soon be accepted for the Cumberland Business Incubator’s (CBI) 2016 Accelerator, 100 Days to Launch – Tourism. The selection committee will review applications to find the top candidates with an existing business or those interested in launching a new business with a tourism focus. Continue reading

Business Taxes for the Self-Employed: The Basics

Surviving-a-business-tax-audit

Posted by the Internal Revenue Service

FS-2015-22, August 2015

For anyone starting a small business, especially those who are self-employed, the Internal Revenue Service offers some basic information on filing, reporting and paying taxes.

Generally, one is self-employed if they:

  • Carry on a trade or business as a sole proprietor or independent contractor, or are otherwise in business as an individual, including a part-time business
  • Own an unincorporated business

Continue reading

Do Something!

do something

Attracting a prospect’s attention does not help if they disappear: if you want to make a sale, you need to direct your prospects to take some kind of action.

Your prospects can’t read your mind. If you want your prospects to take the next step you’re encouraging, you need to tell them exactly what to do. The most effective marketing messages give the recipient or prospect a single, very clear, very short action to take next. Continue reading

5 Quotes on Business… from Signers of the Declaration of Independence

independence

This 4th of July, the United States celebrated its 239th birthday.  Hopefully you’re reading this with memories of a holiday weekend filled with fun and relaxation with family and friends.

In honor of our founding fathers, I share a few quotes that apply to business, from some of the more notable men who signed one of the greatest documents ever drafted.  It’s amazing that these concepts hold as true today as they did over 200 years ago. Continue reading

$1,423,400 and Counting!

untitled

We just filed a report with the Economic Development Administration (EDA) on the impact the Cumberland Business Incubator has had since February, 2013. Our number for Private Investment Generated came to $1,423,400! This is money that our clients have spent in their businesses on real estate, building expansion, equipment, rent and build out. Continue reading

First Hire

help-wanted

Your initial employees can make or break the place.  Choose wisely.

The first few employees at your startup are crucial. They set the tone for your company and determine whether you fade out or make it to the next level.

“Hiring the right people is absolutely critical in the beginning, because each person you add will have a significant impact on shaping what will – and won’t – be valued, and how people will behave,” says Chris Cancialosi, founder and managing partner of gothamCulture, a New York-based organizational consultancy. Cancialosi was interviewed for Entrepreneur magazine about attracting and selecting employees to create the right corporate culture from the start. Continue reading