Finance
How to Find The Right Tax Adviser For Your Business
For any small business, tax time is both stressful and exciting. The business’ yearly tax return provides valuable insights into not only revenue but also…
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Human Resources
Retirement Education for a Generationally Diverse Workplace
They say nothing is certain but death and taxes, but at Fisher Investments 401(k) Solutions, we’d add retirement to that list, at least for Americans. As new…
Risk Management
Planning for a Family Business Leadership Succession
Only around 30% of family-owned or managed businesses survive the transition to the second generation of family leaders. From there, the pool splits again—only…
Business Technology
Artificial Intelligence Applications for Small Business
At this point, saying that your small business needs to embrace technology to drive growth is on par with saying you need to make money – it's true, but…
Project Management
Agile Project Management Strategies from Silicon Valley
There are many different project management philosophies small businesses can use to succeed, but few are as tried and tested as the ones that have been…
Marketing
Cohesive Small Business Brand Messaging to Segmented Audiences
Television and radio commercials are effective in part because they’re the same on every channel. With catch phrases, jingles, mascots, and more, the methods…
Business Technology
Assessing Your Tech Budget for 2018
There’s a saying making the rounds in business publications for every industry: “Every company is a technology company.”1 The advantages today’s tech can…
Marketing
Top Video Editing Tools for Small Business
When it comes to marketing for your small business, it’s hard to find a more attractive and timely tactic than video content marketing. Recent studies have…
Marketing
Tools to Meet Your Customers on the Web
Today’s economy is driven by the internet, and a company’s ability to target customers online can make or break their digital business. In a study by the…
Business Technology
Educating Your Team on Cybersecurity
Cyberattacks are one of the greatest threats to American small businesses. Almost half of small businesses faced a cybersecurity threat in the last 12 months…
Leadership
Business Travel Tips
Business trips represent exciting opportunities for a small business owner to meet new partners, get face time with clients, or grow brand awareness—or maybe…
Leadership
Addressing Toxic Employee Behaviors
Parents often teach children to cope with difficult personalities by ignoring the grumpy or rude individual and going on with their business. But when you…
Risk Management
Small Business Insurance FAQs
Business owners turn to Google about 100 times each month looking to learn: "what does business insurance cover?" While state-by-state regulation does…
Strategic Planning
The 2018 Strategic Planning Checklist
As the year draws to a close, small business owners often start thinking about how their organization has grown or changed since the last time they replaced…
Risk Management
Creating a Digital Disaster Recovery Plan
October is Cyber Security Awareness month, and in some states it’s also the last month of temperate weather before storm season begins. Weather and natural…
Human Resources
Evolving the Practice of Human Resources
Today’s human resources departments are tasked with engaging and supporting one of the most diverse workforces ever. It’s not just about finding the right…
Marketing
4 Lead Generation Customization Hacks to Captivate Your Customers
In the past, a website was essentially a sales brochure—it had basic information about services and pricing, and a way to get in touch. But today, research…
Finance
Avoiding Common Small Business Budget Threats
Unanticipated major expenses are one of a business owners’ worst nightmares, even when the quantifiable costs might not seem outrageously high. An extra $1,…
Finance
9 Non-Monetary Incentives for Employee Engagement
Retaining talented employees can be difficult. With over half of job separations for new hires being voluntary in 2016, it’s becoming more necessary to build…
Strategic Planning
10 Eco-Friendly Business Practices
Going green is bringing small businesses major cost savings on monthly utilities and other expenses, and it’s easier than ever to get started. Even small…
Leadership
5 Alternatives to Traditional Networking Events
We’ve written before about making the most of traditional networking events, but there are alternatives to hotel ballroom panels or restaurant patio mixers…
Leadership
Strategies to Support Your Employees' Continuing Education
September is Learning and Development Month, which means we should reflect closely on our lifetime pursuit of knowledge, and how we carry it on as adults.…
Human Resources
Retirement in the U.S.: A History to Today
The American labor movement brought us Labor Day, the weekend, employer-sponsored health coverage, and the right to retire. In the late 1800s,…
Marketing
10 Tips to Tie Social Media Into Your Marketing Strategy
In the U.S. alone, 81% of the population has a profile on at least one social media network.1 According to HubSpot, 71% of shoppers are more likely to make a…
Business Technology
Online Payment Solutions for Small Businesses
In the app economy, small business owners have more options than ever when it comes to transaction processing. Online payment solutions offer wide…
Marketing
5 Email Marketing Tools
For many business owners, email marketing represents a huge opportunity they know can build their brand and engage customers. For both B2B and B2C businesses…
Leadership
Time Management Tips for Leaders
Recent research by McKinsey & Company has shown that four kinds of behavior account for 89% of leadership effectiveness: skillful problem-solving, a…
Human Resources
3 Tips for Promoting Workplace Wellness
Americans have grown more concerned with their wellness in recent years.1 In fact, a recent Nielsen Global Health and Wellness Survey found that 80% of those…
Risk Management
4 Common Scams That Target SMB (and What to Do When One Targets You)
With greater sophistication of internet use comes greater vulnerability to internet scams. In fact, annual fraud costs reached $32 billion in losses for…
Human Resources
Writing an Effective Job Description
Whether you’re hiring brand new talent to fill an established role, or creating a brand new role for a rock star that’s already on your team, writing a good…
Business Technology
5 Business Expense Tracker Apps for Small Businesses
With everything business owners have to keep track of, managing business expenses down to the cup of coffee they bought an assistant might seem like overkill,…
Human Resources
5 Causes of Employee Boredom and How to Combat Them
The workplace is one of the places in our lives where boredom can be the most toxic, and for many American employees, boredom at work is a daily event. Not…
Human Resources
How Business Owners Can Optimize Their Personal 401(k)
Planning for retirement while helping your employees Your employees love the 401(k) plan because it gives them an opportunity to achieve their retirement…
Marketing
3 Ways Digital Trends Have Changed Customer Service
As the digital economy has grown, it has brought businesses closer to their customers than ever before. That means a bigger, more accessible market, but it…
Risk Management
Employee-Centered Change Management During a Merger
The amazing long-term potential of a merger can be hard for employees to stay focused on and committed to if the short-term stress is overwhelming. The…
Human Resources
3 Tips for Equitable PTO Policies
Giving your team ample time off to recharge and reset is absolutely critical to morale and productivity. At a small or medium-sized business, it’s especially…
Business Technology
The Best Online Collaboration Tools for Small Business
When your business requires you to travel, to manage remote teams, or to keep track of many projects at once, it’s of the utmost importance to find efficient…
Finance
3 Private Investor Types Every Small Business Owner Should Know
A few months ago, we shared an article on the different sources of funding for small businesses to offer business owners a basic primer on the options…
Marketing
3 Branding Strategies from SXSW
The 30th annual South by Southwest Festival (SXSW) was hosted in Austin, Texas, March 10 to 19, 2017. SXSW brings together professionals in almost every…
Strategic Planning
3 Essential Considerations for a New Business Location
If you’re growing your small business by opening an additional location in a new geographic area, you probably already know basic facts like who your…
Leadership
The Right Thing: Hiring Ethical Employees
Guest Article from Nathan Fisher, Managing Director, Fisher Investments 401(k) Solutions. Recently I was at our Camas, Wash. office. After a long day of work…
Leadership
5 Habits of High Performing Teams
It’s easy to recognize a high-performing team when you see one. Maybe it’s a sales department that exceeds quarterly projections, an IT staff that reduces…
Leadership
Going Beyond Managing Your Managers
For a business owner, establishing loyalty, confidence, and trust between you and your management team means more than just hiring someone you like and…
Strategic Planning
Celebrate American Small Business Week with Us
Since 1963, the US Small Business Administration has celebrated Small Business Week, a period intended for national reflection on and appreciation for the…
Leadership
Pros and Cons of Annual Performance Reviews
For many in the corporate world, annual performance reviews might feel like an inevitable rite of passage. Managers know that reviews will give them a chance…
Business Technology
Cloud Storage and Digital Security
Cloud storage services like Microsoft Azure, Google Drive, and Dropbox are the leaders in an industry expected to be valued at $200B globally by 2018. For…
Risk Management
Vetting Process For Vendors
Choosing a vendor for goods or services is one of the more important decisions a small business owner can face. A sound and consistent evaluation process can…
Finance
6 Business Tax Reductions
Small business owners face quite a responsibility when it comes to filing taxes. Your accountant or tax professional may not know every expense you’re…
Finance
NEWS: 2017 401(k) Penalty Rates Hike
Guest Article from Nathan Fisher, Managing Director, Fisher Investments 401(k) Solutions. If you manage a 401(k) plan, you are probably familiar with the…
Human Resources
Successful Onboarding for Your New Employees
Last month's Business Navigator discussed how to digitize your business' recruiting efforts, including the onboarding process. But software tools are just…
Marketing
Small Business Website Hacks You Need to Know
For many small businesses, a website is the first impression that you make on a potential client, so it's important to make a good one. One commonly held…
Business Technology
Top Tech Trends for 2017
We’ve seen a lot of business-changing technologies develop over the past few years, like cloud services, Bluetooth-equipped everything, video conferencing,…
Business Technology
Strategies for Digitizing Your Recruitment Workflow
If you’re looking to fill an open position at your business, the Internet can be your best friend or your worst enemy. On one hand, the Web enables your search…
Finance
Salary Benchmarking Tips for Small Businesses
Looking around online to see what other businesses in your industry are paying employees can be a sobering experience. Small businesses simply may not be in…
Leadership
Managing Millennials in the Workplace
As Millennials have begun to define their careers, they’ve placed new demands and expectations on the workplace. As the first generation to grow up with…
Business Technology
How to Use Online Legal Help for Your Business
In 2013, a survey of small business owners by marketing research firm DecisionAnalyst revealed that nearly 60% of all small businesses had experienced a…
Human Resources
The Modern Office Dress Code
Today, our growing social acceptance of individuality is mirrored in how people dress, both at home and at work. But workplace dress code is about a lot more…
Leadership
Three Ways to Clear Negative Office Energy
There’s no doubt that stress and negativity weigh heavy in the office, especially when people are bringing those emotions in from outside work. 14% of…
Finance
Funding Options for Small Businesses
If you’re a business owner looking for capital to use as growth funding, you’re faced with the questions of where to get the money from and what you’re…
Human Resources
Managing Conflicts of Opinion in the Office
Conflicts of opinion happen every day in almost every workplace. Sometimes that means disagreeing about how to do the work at hand, clashing personalities,…
Leadership
Developing a Project Management Process
Many small businesses hire individuals to fill a certain position, but then responsibilities outside that person’s job description accrue on their desk over…
Leadership
The Networking Event Survival Guide
Networking events are held in almost every industry, and across the board, many people dread them. Who likes to have to walk around a room full of strangers…
Strategic Planning
Mastering the Q4-Q1 Transition
"Strategies exist to help keep the success thundering into the New Year, and we’re sharing some here." Even with a smooth, successful year under your…
Business Technology
Judging if a New Software Will Fit Your Business
Software is essential to today’s everyday business functions. From point-of-sale systems to accounting programs to project management platforms, there’s a ton…
Leadership
Merging Leadership Goals With Office Design
Today there are lots of opinions about what makes the ideal office, but there’s no one-size-fits-all prescription for success. Each company has its own…
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