by Iris Dorbian. “I believe that if you provide the right working environment, people enjoy work,” says Colin Earl, CEO of EnterpriseWizard, a web-based business solutions company in Silicon Valley. This attitude—fueled by the desire to avoid the sort of office politics Earl had experienced at a previous job—greatly influenced the United Kingdom native when he founded his company 20 years ago. The result: telecommuting, a relaxed dress code, and free food on-site are regular options for...

By Susan Caminiti. At Gramercy Tavern in New York City—consistently rated as one of the top restaurants in the country—Executive Chef Michael Anthony (right), 44, oversees a kitchen staff of nearly 70 people and knows a thing or two about leading a team in a pressure-filled environment. He recently spoke with business writer Susan Caminiti about learning to delegate, the best ways to motivate employees, and why it’s important for the boss to occasionally disconnect from the action. SC:...

By Erin McDermott. Once upon a time, small business owners gathered their staff in one location from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.  They would dial all 10 digits on landline telephones and get charged a hefty price, await the latest batch of tasks once the mail arrived, and sometimes even meet  at an actual watercooler to chat. Remember those old days—you know, the early 1990s? Today, technology has made it easier than ever to run a small business and manage employees from afar. Inexpensive Web...

For many small business owners, their company is like their child. As such, they invest the majority of their time and resources into ensuring the business stays healthy and has opportunities to grow and maximize its potential. Few focus on preparing for that inevitable moment in the future when they will have to hand their baby over to someone else. This may partially explain why of the 90 percent of 21 million small businesses in the United States that are family-owned, only 30 percent...

Great interview questions that get to the heart of a job candidate's capabilities By Reed Richardson Be prepared You would never run right from a conference call into a job interview if you were trying to get hired, so you shouldn't engage in the same, careless behavior if you're going to be the one doing the hiring. Instead, spend at least 15 to 30 minutes before an interview going over a job candidate's resume so you can prepare some intelligent questions specific to their background and...

By HRExpert Nobody likes to talk about it, even though it is happening in workplaces all across America - employees who have decided it is time to fly the coop. Departure lounges are overflowing with these types of employees - all waiting for their final boarding call. Employees rarely start a job thinking they will tour around the company for a while and then seek greener pastures, and yet it happens all the time. Here are five things you can do to prevent employees from taking flight:...

Keeping remote employees engaged can be a difficult task for a small business owner. But when managed well, your off-site employees can be just as productive as the ones you see every day. by Max Berry Sometime during the 20th century, the water cooler assumed a crucial position in the American office-it became a trading post not only for gossip and recaps of last night's television shows, but also for ideas and advice. With a growing number of 21st-century employees working remotely, the...