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Welcome to the Business Advantage
Small Business Community
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Running a small business is no easy feat. That’s why we’ve created a forum for small business ideas, insider tips, and the industry knowledge you need to help your small business grow.
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The Heartbeat of Main Street: NAWBO New York’s President Elizabeth Foster
NAWBO’s NYC chapter president and CEO and founder of Maison Visionnaire, Elizabeth Foster discusses the tools NAWBO provides to women and the community that they’ve built together.
Sharon Miller Discusses the 2019 Bank of America Women Business Owner Spotlight
BofA’s Head of Small Business, Sharon Miller, discusses increased opportunities for women entrepreneurs and how they are continuing to grow their leadership stake in the small business market.
Fall 2019 Small Business Owner Snapshot
The bi-annual Small Business Owner Snapshot, conducted by Bank of America, explores the concerns, aspirations and perspectives of small business owners throughout the U.S. and across 10 major cities.
6 Reasons Why You Should Consider Rebranding
With the new year approaching, your small business brand might be in need of a makeover. Read the six reasons Rieva Lesonsky gives to consider rebranding in 2020.
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ACV Plus Philippines Forestall any malady or wellbeing condition. Your Wellbeing And Individual Weight reduction Plan.It is certain that forskolin doesn't cause weight reduction. Weight reduction by… (Show moreShow less)
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Veteran and small business entrepreneur, Duane Topping, didn’t let PTSD get the better of him. This episode of “The Heartbeat of Main Street” with Forbes Books dives into how he conquered his… (Show moreShow less)
Veteran and small business entrepreneur, Duane Topping, didn’t let PTSD get the better of him. This episode of “The Heartbeat of Main Street” with Forbes Books dives into how he conquered his… (Show moreShow less)in General BusinessLike (0)
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Since technology has become an indispensable part of our lives, it has also turned into a necessary tool for the proper functioning of all sectors; whether it is for business or leisure. The travel… (Show moreShow less)
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Hello! I had experience working with call centers in the industrial sector with several manufacturers and suppliers. ABB is such a big company that they don’t give a shit about service anymore for…
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Why did you start your business? There are, of course, all sorts of reasons that someone becomes an entrepreneur: passion, boredom, necessity, inspiration, liberation . . . you name it. But even… (Show moreShow less)
Why did you start your business? There are, of course, all sorts of reasons that someone becomes an entrepreneur: passion, boredom, necessity, inspiration, liberation . . . you name it. But even… (Show moreShow less)in General BusinessLike (0)
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The world doesn’t stay still, and it is your responsibility to make the most of inevitable changes. The biggest driver of that change will continue to be technology. Here are five ways you can… (Show moreShow less)
The world doesn’t stay still, and it is your responsibility to make the most of inevitable changes. The biggest driver of that change will continue to be technology. Here are five ways you can… (Show moreShow less)in TechnologyLike (3)
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Hi !! This is George from HomezTale located in Alabama, US. HomezTale helps you to build and manage your dream home. Read in-depth guides and follow us to get expert tips.
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Hi, I am working on a website that evaluate peoples personality based on Artificial Neural Network (Ai). I have a valuable dataset (over 10000 records) that has been train and ready to go. But I am looking for ways to evaluate the website...
Hi,
I am working on a website that evaluate peoples personality based on Artificial Neural Network (Ai). I have a valuable dataset (over 10000 records) that has been train and ready to go. But I am looking for ways to evaluate the website quality, content and flow of things.
For instance forum, individual or website that can do this service for reasonable price since this my own project and can't pay tons of money.
Any help would be greatly appreciated and let me know if more information is needed.
Thanks again,
Dean
The e-commerce food industry is expected to grow from $4 billion to $31 billion by 2022, and solid-waste generation is expected to exceed 6,000,000 TONS per day; approximately 30% of this waste comes from food packaging! The packaging is costly,...
The e-commerce food industry is expected to grow from $4 billion to $31 billion by 2022, and solid-waste generation is expected to exceed 6,000,000 TONS per day; approximately 30% of this waste comes from food packaging! The packaging is costly, does not improve lifestyle, has no class, adds little value to the food it is holding, and in the long run, it is expensive.
The solution: a reusable insulated food carrier.
I am looking for an innovator/entrepreneur to work together on a reusable, returnable, insulated food carrier called the CaterBox. CaterBox is a unique reusable food carrier specially created to provide, at home, without any hassle freshly prepared food that is served hot, safe to eat, and completely table ready.
The CaterBox has successfully passed the first stage of prototyping. Significant improvements are possible with numerous valuable patents. I have a unique go-to-market strategy and a vision on how to expand worldwide, with units licensed or company-owned, becoming a large chain of the true Ready-Meal.
I am looking for a business developer and innovator capable of raising the startup capital. Someone who will work under my guidance and eventually becomes the co-owner of the company. Must be willing to keep with the founder's strategy, vision, and mission — strong ability to lead as an inspired leader who believes strongly in the success of the concept. I prefer it if you live close to Las Vegas, but the location is not a deal-breaker.
Feel free to email me at SanGilinc@cox.net for more information.
Is an End-user License Agreement(EULA) a Legally Binding Contract?
Is an End-user License Agreement(EULA) a Legally Binding Contract?
The rules are simply when it comes to Tax-Filing and Tax Compliance. America operates a voluntary Tax-Filing and Tax Reporting system. That said, the IRS and STATES uses penalties and interest charges to punish the offenders. One of...
The rules are simply when it comes to Tax-Filing and Tax Compliance. America operates
a voluntary Tax-Filing and Tax Reporting system. That said, the IRS and STATES uses
penalties and interest charges to punish the offenders.
One of the largest IRS penalty is the Failure-To-File your Tax Returns on time. This penalty
can added hundreds if not thousands to a Tax Debt by NOT filing on time.
Further, if you're business is new and makes a loss the best way to preserved this loss and use
it to off-set future profits is by filing your Tax Returns.
Start this year by separating your personal expenses from your business expenses. Get separate
checking accounts. Pay yourself a salary and stay current with your estimated tax payments.
Hi there! I have a website, after filling it began to slow down a lot, the long response of the server and the database. I’m afraid it’ll affect the ranking. Hosting will not call, that would not be taken for advertising. Please,...
Hi there!
I have a website, after filling it began to slow down a lot, the long response of the server and the database. I’m afraid it’ll affect the ranking. Hosting will not call, that would not be taken for advertising.
Please, recommend a fast hosting for a heavy site for a reasonable price, with large images and complex functionality. The site has a complex slider, you can check here: https://www.coffee-statistics.com/
Thanks!
Even if you are a seasoned entrepreneur, the constantly changing nature of the small business landscape – from new communication technologies, to an ever-changing tax code, to shifts in your own industry – means that you must be always...
Even if you are a seasoned entrepreneur, the constantly changing nature of the small business landscape – from new communication technologies, to an ever-changing tax code, to shifts in your own industry – means that you must be always alert to the steady stream of news that may affect how you operate your business.
Business blogs can be a great way to keep abreast of developments, to get quick tips and practical advice, and to be inspired by novel ideas and success stories.
Here are six blogs that every entrepreneur or small business owner should follow:
- Seth Godin’s Blog – Marketing guru Seth Godin (bestselling author of over 25 books, including Tribes and the most recent This is Marketing: You Can’t Be Seen Until You Learn To See) posts daily reflections on life and business. Always informative, interesting, and insightful, the topics of his posts range from statements about the future of communication to practical suggestions and witticisms about neologisms.
- You’re the Boss – The small business blog of the New York Times is written by contributors who are all entrepreneurs. Bringing an insider’s perspective to all aspects of running a small business and provides an information-sharing forum for business owners. The blog also includes commentary on political and policy issues, analysis of news events, and suggestions about investing.
- Quick Sprout – Analytics consultant Neil Patel has helped companies like Amazon, GM, and HP to increase their web traffic, but he is, first and foremost, a by-the-bootstraps entrepreneur, named by Entrepreneur Magazine as one of the top entrepreneurs before he was 21. He shares his enthusiasm in a blog whose content ranges from SEO and social media to leadership and communication. Patel also shares best practices based on the work of his two companies, Crazy Egg and KISSmetrics.
- Duct Tape Marketing Blog – John Jantsch’s blog, which gives marketing advice specifically for small businesses, is on practically every must-read list. Considered by many to be the world’s foremost expert on small business, Jantsch posts daily with practical ideas and strategies that are intended for implementation as much as edification.
- Mixergy – This is where to go to hear it straight from the horse’s mouth. Andrew Warner conceives of his website as a teaching and mentoring site. He regularly posts videos of in-depth interviews that he’s conducted with experienced entrepreneurs. You’ll learn a lot from the wisdom shared by the interviewed mentors and from Warner’s incisive questions.
- Copyblogger – This blog has a single goal: to teach people how to write “killer online content.” It’s easy to get lost in a cycle of SEO, social media, and blogging, but Copyblogger keeps you focused on the importance of content in order to increase traffic, attract subscribers, and grow revenue.
- Cayenne Consulting’s Blog – Our own blog covers the full spectrum of issues facing small business owners running “Main Street” businesses, as well as entrepreneurs building scalable ventures that hope one day to be the next “unicorn.” Get advice on topics ranging from leadership and innovation; to industry-specific posts; to crafting your business model, business plan, financial forecast, and pitch deck.
If you prefer to listen to startup advice instead of reading it, here are our picks for the ten best podcasts for entrepreneurs. Please feel free to recommend other blogs or podcasts in the comments below!
In today’s Internet-powered world, smart entrepreneurs and small businesses are growing faster and becoming stronger with every passing day. So, to stay on top of your business endeavor you need to master some of the great tools that will...
In today’s Internet-powered world, smart entrepreneurs and small businesses are growing faster and becoming stronger with every passing day. So, to stay on top of your business endeavor you need to master some of the great tools that will make all the difference in your small business success.
To beat the competition in your industry you need to implement the tools that will increase the productivity and efficiency of your team and provide you time to focus on the most important aspects of your business.
There are hundreds of marketing related, services related and modern technology related tools available online to help you grow your business. However, to choose the best ones you have to put a lot of time and efforts.
So, to save you from that hassle we have reviewed and listed 11 of the best business tools that are cost-effective and provide great values to your business.
#1 Hootsuite
Managing all social media accounts regularly and publishing new posts frequently can become an area of concern for small business owners and entrepreneurs simply due to lack of time and proper resources. After signing up for Hootsuite you can manage all your social media platforms with its simple and easy to use dashboard.
Features:
- Schedule post - You can schedule your upcoming social media posts in advance which will save you a lot of time and will keep you active on various social media channels.
- Analyze the performance - You can analyze your social media performance by tracking the number of followers you are getting, your most shared and liked posts by your audience.
- Find content - With Hootsuite you can find lots of attractive and compelling content and images which you can post on your social media channels to engage your visitors.
- Security - Hootsuite prevents your brand from all sorts of social media threats by providing its advanced social media security features.
Pricing:
- 3O Days free trial.
- Professional Plan - 29$ per month
- Business Plan - 599$ per month
#2 Slack
Slack is a communication and teamwork management tool. Slack lets you manage project works and conversation with your business partners or team members from a single platform across all devices. Using slack you can send emails, reply to text messages and follow up someone on Twitter without any headache.
Features:
- You can divide your team members according to their profiles, projects to properly monitor the work of your organization.
- Collaborate and share your channel with the companies and businesses you frequently work with to expand your business network.
- Make conversation over voice or video calls and share screen to track the progress of projects.
- With the help of slack, you can effortlessly share files, images, videos, PDFs with others and make an archive of feedback of your work.
Pricing:
- Free version
- Standard - 6.67$ per month
- Plus - 12.50$ per month
#3 Evernote
Evernote is a note-taking application which is very helpful for busy business owners and entrepreneurs. It lets you take notes of business-related ideas, plans, thoughts from anywhere in the world. Further, you can save the notes, audio recordings, photos, clipped web documents etc. in an organized way so that you can find them later easily.
Features:
- You can write your notes, collect web clippings and page screenshots, record audio notes, create a to-do list, highlight or comment on images.
- Sort your documents and important files by date, tag or title to arrange them properly.
- Share your notes with anyone in your business group.
- You can set permission-lock to prevent anyone from accessing your personal notes.
- You can convert your notes to a PowerPoint presentation with one click.
Pricing:
- Basic - Free version
- Premium - 7.99$ per month
- Business - 14.99$ per month
#4 Trello
Trello is one of the most popular projects management software to organize and track the progress of any project in your organization. You can create various cards, boards, set deadlines, add notes using your Trello account.
Features:
- Organize and plan collaborations with clients, colleagues, business owners.
- Customize your account with various tags, labels, cards, and categories.
- Upload various files and attachments.
- The mobile-friendly
- With its free version you can access some basic services, but for other advanced features, you have to subscribe to their premium plans.
Pricing:
- Free forever plan.
- Business class - 9.99$ per month
- Enterprise - 20.83$ per month
#5 Shopify
Shopify is an e-commerce software that helps you build an online e-commerce shop of your own. With the help of its marketing, drop shipping, shopping carts, SEO features you can manage all the functionalities of your online store from a single platform.
Features:
- You can use top quality themes for your website from its collection of more than 70 professional themes.
- With the help of its easy-to-customize templates, you can customize your online store according to your choice and build your brand online.
- Your Shopify store comes with an in-built mobile commerce shopping cart feature that lets your customers browse your products, services, and buy directly from their smartphones or other mobile devices.
- You can integrate your Shopify store with more than 100 payment gateways across the globe.
- You can offer free shipping services to your customers for a certain order size and price point.
Pricing:
- 14 Days of the free trial.
- Basic - 29$ per month
- Advanced - 299$ per month
#6 Skype
Skype is the world's one of the most used and recommended internet calling services offered by Microsoft. It provides audio and video calling services, messaging, file and screen sharing between computers and mobile devices across the world.
Features:
- Calling service - You can connect with your friends, families, business members, colleagues with the Skype calling service for absolutely free. You can even make a group-call with up to 25 people at once.
- Video service - You can chat through video calls and virtually interact with others face to face.
- Message service - You can send text messages, emojis, video messages, voice messages instantly using Skype.
- File sharing service - You can share documents, images, videos etc. of any size. At the same time, you can share your screen with others to track the progress of any task.
Pricing:
- Skype is free
- Skype for Business is not free
#7 Asana
Asana is a productivity tool to manage your works, projects, and daily tasks. This tool helps you grow your business and improve the efficiency of the team members.
Features:
- Plan your tasks and prioritize them according to the deadlines, and share them with the team members.
- With Asana you can track the project improvement in every step to achieve your certain business goals.
- As Asana connects with Google Drive, Dropbox, Onedrive you can easily share files and documents from your computer.
Pricing:
- Premium - 9.99$ per month
- Business - 19.99$ per month
- Enterprise - Contact sales team
#8 Boomerang
Boomerang for Gmail is an email-communication tool to improve the email service. It provides you with an option to schedule emails and monitor their performances.
Features:
- Using Boomerang, you can write your emails and schedule them to send at your preferred time.
- At times there are some important emails we need to send or receive. Using its reminder feature you can easily send, receive or follow up with people.
- Boomerang is also available for Android and iOS devices. This lets you stay connected over email on the go.
Pricing:
- Basic - Free
- Personal - 4.99$ per month
- Premium - 49.99$ per month
#9 Google Analytics
Google Analytics is one of the best analytical tools which has loads of features to improve any website’s performance. There are some of the best features available in Google Analytics which every marketer and small business owners must know to grow their businesses.
Features:
- You can track your campaigns and monitor the traffic on your website. Further, you can analyze their activities on different pages of your site.
- You can track the leads and conversions of your website by the number of requests for the product demos, email sign-ups, ebook downloading, contact form submissions, purchases etc. This will help you to target your customers according to their interests.
- You can create custom reports with the Google Analytics data according to your business goals.
Pricing: Free
#10 Hubspot
Hubspot is inbound marketing software that helps to gain more traffic to your website, generates leads and converts your website visitors to potential customers.
Features:
- Increases visitors and generates leads to your optimized landing pages.
- Follows up with the buyers through email automation system.
- Provides full customer assistance and builds relationships with your customers.
- The free version of Hubspot provides basic marketing facilities whereas the paid version gives you many other advanced marketing features.
- Hubspot is available for Windows, Mac as well as for Android and iOS devices.
Pricing:
- Free version
- Starter - 50$ per month
- Enterprise - 3,200$ per month
#11 Paypal
Paypal is one of the most used and trusted online payment service providers. Using Paypal you can make and receive payments for your business in more than 100 currencies. It is one of the fastest and safest payment options available online.
Features:
- You can make payment for any online purchases using the credit card, debit card, online banking etc. or send money to another PayPal account in 100+ different currencies.
- You can withdraw your payments from more than 200 countries using PayPal.
- You can request payments from people who don’t have a PayPal account using an email address.
Pricing:
- Free sign up.
- 3.7% of the transaction amount plus $0.30 USD
Conclusion:
Hope you have found this article helpful. Though there are plenty of tools available today, the tools we have mentioned here will fulfill most of your business requirements. Most of the aforesaid tools offer free trials, so you can include those tools in your business plan to check their effectiveness. And as your business gets bigger, you can go for the paid versions that fit your budget and resolve your business needs.
This article was brought to you by PromozSEO Web Marketing Academy, a Digital Marketing training program in Kolkata, India.
I am starting an Scorp with two shareholders and registering two PLLC's businesses under it. Each has their own bank account and we keep all bookkeeping separate. All income derived from each business goes into their respective accounts. How do we...
I am starting an Scorp with two shareholders and registering two PLLC's businesses under it. Each has their own bank account and we keep all bookkeeping separate. All income derived from each business goes into their respective accounts. How do we fund the Scorp so that the Scorp can pay each shareholder a wage?
Google is still dependent on Apple for growth - that sound off, right? Apparently, no. Google paid Apple $12Bn to achieve search growth (as per few reports). WHY BUT? Google has a solid search engine and market share of that is over 90% but that...
Google is still dependent on Apple for growth - that sound off, right? Apparently, no. Google paid Apple $12Bn to achieve search growth (as per few reports). WHY BUT?
Google has a solid search engine and market share of that is over 90% but that still doesn't solve a problem. You need a browser for that.
Google created that as well - Chrome. Chrome was instrumental in what they are today. Chrome still have 65-70% market share. AWESOME!!!
Now, to access browser one needs a screen (computer, phone or tablet). That's where then the entire game is being played.
Apple still has a 50% market share in phone category in US. And Google derives 50% revenues from US and search revenue is 70% of total revenue. Growth is coming from mobile search and hence the $12Bn to Apple.
This $12Bn to Apple is to make Google Search a default Search Engine for Safari.
CRAZY how the dynamics play!!!
As per 10K - Google spends a total of $14Bn to acquire traffic - called as TAC (traffic acquisition cost) through Google Properties and here it pays to Apple close to 85% to acquire traffic.
This shows how much Apple is important for them and how CHROME and YouTube will be driving future growth strategy.
Our ecosystem production center is located in China, we may act as your purchasing office locally we not only source products but also may produce according to your design in small MOQ and cost effectively. if anyone need, feel free to...
Our ecosystem production center is located in China, we may act as your purchasing office locally
we not only source products but also may produce according to your design in small MOQ and cost effectively.
if anyone need, feel free to contact with me
joeryan#qq.com
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Why did you start your business? There are, of course, all sorts of reasons that someone becomes an entrepreneur: passion, boredom, necessity, inspiration, liberation . . . you name it. But even so, it is also safe to say that there is...
Why did you start your business? 
There are, of course, all sorts of reasons that someone becomes an entrepreneur: passion, boredom, necessity, inspiration, liberation . . . you name it. But even so, it is also safe to say that there is one reason you did not start a business:
A love of budgeting.
Indeed, I would venture that creating a budget – or “the B word” as I like to call it – ranks near the bottom of those things that a small business owner has to do (if they do it at all.)
And the reason is self-evident. If you are like most small business owners, then you likely think along these lines:
- Budgets constrict
- Budgets are complicated
- Budgets are boring
But what if I was to tell you making a budget is easy but moreover, that creating a budget is liberating?
It’s true.
A big problem, of course, is that B word. With so many negative connotations associated with it, no wonder you don’t want to create one. Think of it this way instead:
Would you ever get in a car, start it, then put on a blindfold and drive away?
Of course not. With a blindfold on, you would never know if you were headed in the right direction. You wouldn’t know if you needed to slow down or speed up. How would you know if you needed to pivot – err – turn in a new direction? And what if a red warning light started flashing? With a blindfold on, you would never know there was danger ahead.
A budget is simply the process of taking off the blindfold so you can navigate the entrepreneurial highway clearly.
So, instead of calling it a “budget,” try calling it a “plan.” What is your plan for your business? How much money do you have and need to execute on your plan? That is all a budget really is.
Would you like to spend more money on Facebook ads this quarter? Great, then do so. All you need do then is look at your plan, decide how much you want to spend and then decide how to pay for them. If that means less entertaining, so be it. You decide what your priorities are. It is your plan after all.
How to Make a Budget
Here is how you make a financial plan for your business, a.k.a., a budget:
Step 1: Go over your expenses for the past three months and categorize them. If you have a tool like QuickBooks, this should be easy, but even if you don’t, it should be fairly painless. How much did you spend on:
- Rent: $
- Labor: $
- Taxes: $
- Inventory: $
- Marketing and advertising: $
- Taxes and insurance: $
- Capital expenditures: $
And so on. It’s your business, your plan, so make this list your own.
Step 2: Decide if this is the best use of your precious capital. Maybe you want to spend less on marketing next quarter and more for hiring contractors to help carry your load. Great! Start a similar list, add a category called “Independent contractors,” and next to it, add a realistic number. Then you just need to cut back in a few other areas to make the numbers crunch.
Voila, you just created a budget.
See, that’s wasn’t so tough, was it? Instead of your finances running you, you are running them. You figured out how to get some extra help, and even how to pay for it.
And there you have it. You just took the blindfold off and made a budget, oops, I mean a plan.
About Steve Strauss
Steven D. Strauss is one of the world's leading experts on small business and is a lawyer, writer, and speaker. The senior small business columnist for USA Today, his Ask an Expert 
column is one of the most highly-syndicated business columns in the country. He is the best-selling author of 17 books, including his latest, The Small Business Bible, now out in a completely updated third edition. You can also listen to his weekly podcast, Small Business Success.© Steven D. Strauss.
Web: www.theselfemployed.com or Twitter: @SteveStrauss
You can read more articles from Steve Strauss by clicking here
Bank of America, N.A. engages with Steve Strauss to provide informational materials for your discussion or review purposes only. Steve Strauss is a registered trademark, used pursuant to license. The third parties within articles are used under license from Steve Strauss. Consult your financial, legal and accounting advisors, as neither Bank of America, its affiliates, nor their employees provide legal, accounting and tax advice.
Bank of America, N.A. Member FDIC. ©2017 Bank of America Corporation
It’s the phrase employers dread hearing from their employee: “Can we talk?” Often what follows is a request for a raise. As small businesses continue to struggle with retaining employees—this will likely come up...
It’s the phrase employers dread hearing from their employee: “Can we talk?” 
Often what follows is a request for a raise. As small businesses continue to struggle with retaining employees—this will likely come up more often in 2020.
If talking about raises has always been uncomfortable for you, knowing the right way to handle the conversation can leave you and your employees feeling satisfied and optimistic about your future working relationship.
But first, just how important are raises to employees?
Mo’ Money
According to a survey from Kelton Global, commissioned by QuickBooks Payroll, while health insurance and paid time off matter to employees, salary is important to showing how much you value them.
Not surprisingly, the survey shows 44% of small business employees are not satisfied with their pay and 49% of those surveyed complain their salaries haven’t kept up with the cost of living. And if they haven’t gotten a raise in the past year, 54% are not satisfied with their individual salaries and their overall compensation packages. Which of course leads to unhappy employees who believe they could be earning more money elsewhere (69%). More troubling, only 55% say they’d actually ask for a pay raise, so the first you’d know about their unhappiness with their salary, is when they quit.
Low salaries and financial worries are the leading causes of workplace stress, according to Dr. Greg Willard, a Harvard University professor and executive at Cangrade, a job candidate screening company. Stressed employees are usually less productive.
If you have been giving annual raises, don’t stop now. When asked what would happen if they didn’t get a raise this year, respondents said: They would immediately start looking for a new job (37%); request a meeting with the boss (30%); or ask for a new benefit to compensate (21%).
Bottom line, salary is important, and the survey shows more workers are motivated by making more money (41%) than by getting benefits (31%).
How Much is Enough?
You should arm yourself with competitive salary information. For an overview of salaries by industry and location, check out the Salary Data & Career Research Center (United States) or at Salary.com. To know what wages your competitors pay (those businesses who want to “steal” your employees), check out job offers on Indeed and Glassdoor.
It’s not a must to match the highest salary out there. Hopefully, there are other factors about working for your company that are an incentive for your employee to stay such as company culture, small perks, room for advancement, etc. Even a small raise might make the difference between keeping and losing a valued employee.
A recent Indeed survey about how workers feel about their salaries revealed employees would like enough money to live comfortably. Only 18% said their lives are “comfortable” with their current salaries, the majority (61%) thought a boost of $6,000 would do the trick.
According to the Kelton Global study, of the respondents looking for a raise this year, 52% plan on asking for a 5% increase or less, 41% plan to ask for a 6% to 10% raise and 7% will ask for more than a 10% boost.
Having “The Talk”
It’s important to make the conversation as comfortable as possible. Don’t be defensive or standoffish as employees will feel your vibe and immediately believe you don’t feel they’re worthy of the conversation, let alone the raise.
Assume your employee has a number in mind and will likely come to the meeting with knowledge of competing salaries and an expectation. Be prepared to talk about other non-direct compensation perks.
If the salary increase is tied to a performance review, underperforming employees will be disappointed, so you need to offer examples of where performance lacked and future expectations. Conversely if the raise is substantial, the performance discussion should focus on the positive aspects of the employee’s performance.
Employees rarely think their raises are high enough. If business is tight, don’t alarm your employees, so they panic and immediately start looking for a new job. Be honest, saying, “business is tight right now, but in a few months we can consider another increase.” Don’t say this if there’s no intention of following through.
No matter how hard the conversation may be for you as the boss, your employees trust you to respect and validate their value.
About Rieva Lesonsky
Rieva Lesonsky is CEO and Co-founder of GrowBiz Media, a custom content and media company focusing on small business and 
entrepreneurship, and the blog SmallBizDaily.com. A nationally known speaker and authority on entrepreneurship, Rieva has been covering America’s entrepreneurs for more than 30 years. Before co-founding GrowBiz Media, Lesonsky was the long-time Editorial Director of Entrepreneur Magazine. Lesonsky has appeared on hundreds of radio shows and numerous local and national television programs, including the Today Show, Good Morning America, CNN, The Martha Stewart Show and Oprah.
Lesonsky regularly writes about small business for numerous websites and for corporations targeting entrepreneurs. Many organizations have recognized Lesonsky for her tireless devotion to helping entrepreneurs. She served on the Small Business Administration’s National Advisory Council for six years, was honored by the SBA as a Small Business Media Advocate and a Woman in Business Advocate, and received the prestigious Lou Campanelli award from SCORE. She is a long-time member of the Business Journalists Hall of Fame.
Web: www.growbizmedia.com or Twitter: @Rieva
You can read more articles from Rieva Lesonsky by clicking here
Bank of America, N.A. engages with Rieva Lesonsky to provide informational materials for your discussion or review purposes only. Rieva Lesonsky is a registered trademark, used pursuant to license. The third parties within articles are used under license from Rieva Lesonsky. Consult your financial, legal and accounting advisors, as neither Bank of America, its affiliates, nor their employees provide legal, accounting and tax advice.
Bank of America, N.A. Member FDIC. ©2019 Bank of America Corporation
Do you have a business expense reimbursement horror story? I bet you do. We all do. My latest is with a well-known company for whom I speak at events every year. The accounts payable people know me. I’m in the system. I’ve...
Do you have a business expense reimbursement horror story? I bet you do. We all do. 
My latest is with a well-known company for whom I speak at events every year. The accounts payable people know me. I’m in the system. I’ve been submitting invoices to them for years. And yet, even so, last year it took five months to get my travel expenses for an event reimbursed.
I get it – I’m a small fish in a very large pond, but still. Imagine if I were an employee trying to get repaid for expenses I incurred on behalf of the company. I would not be a happy camper.
This issue is especially relevant for small businesses. Employees and accounting folk equally seem to dislike expense reports and reporting. One common solution then is to give company credit cards to appropriate staff members.
This intuitively makes sense, but does it work in actuality? Consider the pros and cons:
Pro: Ease of use. Let’s face it – expense reports are a pain in the rear for everyone. Employees don’t like filling them out (even if they are digital) and often do so late, and management often does not prioritize paying them. Expense reports take up time and eat up resources.
Giving employees credit cards may remove the need for cumbersome expense reports. And equally, it is easy for the bookkeeping team to review credit card bills and charges online. All in all, credit cards can make everyone’s lives easier.
Con: Overspending. Because the point of a credit card is to make spending easier, some employees may abuse that privilege. Check with your credit card company to see if they offer employee misuse protection.
Watch this video about managing a credit line for your corporate credit card.
Pro: Happier, appreciative employees. On the other hand, having a company credit card makes taking clients out to dinner easy. Indeed, it can be stressful for some staff members to entertain clients or buy expensive items on their own dime, knowing it may take time to be reimbursed. Removing that stress will be much appreciated.
Similarly, the time savings of not having to fill out expense reports – and not having to wait to get them paid – will be very welcome as well.
Con: Comingling. Another downside is that, because using a company card is in fact so easy, it can sometimes be too easy for employees to accidentally (or accidentally on purpose) mix personal and business expenses. As such, two things are critical:
- The employee must be someone you inherently trust
- You need to remember the immortal words of Ronald Reagan about the Soviet Union regarding the SALT arms control treaty: “Trust but verify.” It will be incumbent on your bookkeeper to keep close tabs on credit card expenses.
For the employer, one benefit is that expense monitoring can be done more easily. Checking online for what has been charged can be done effortlessly, quietly, and as often as desired.
Learn how to easily manage your business with account alerts.
Pro: Card benefits. These days, credit card rewards are common, often generous, and so, if employees are using cards for company expenses, those card benefits will go to the business.
All in all, while there are definitely some risks to consider, they usually can be mitigated fairly easily and as such, the pros of issuing company credit cards usually outweigh the cons.
Next: Find the credit card to fit your business needs.
About Steve Strauss
Steven D. Strauss is one of the world's leading experts on small business and is a lawyer, writer, and speaker. The senior small business columnist for USA Today, his Ask an Expert 
column is one of the most highly-syndicated business columns in the country. He is the best-selling author of 17 books, including his latest, The Small Business Bible, now out in a completely updated third edition. You can also listen to his weekly podcast, Small Business Success.© Steven D. Strauss.
Web: www.theselfemployed.com or Twitter: @SteveStrauss
You can read more articles from Steve Strauss by clicking here
Bank of America, N.A. engages with Steve Strauss to provide informational materials for your discussion or review purposes only. Steve Strauss is a registered trademark, used pursuant to license. The third parties within articles are used under license from Steve Strauss. Consult your financial, legal and accounting advisors, as neither Bank of America, its affiliates, nor their employees provide legal, accounting and tax advice.
Bank of America, N.A. Member FDIC. ©2017 Bank of America Corporation
Instagram has been testing what would appear to be a radical departure for the social network: removing likes. Facebook, which owns Instagram, is considering as well. Plus, there's buzz that Twitter may join the party and hide like counts. ...
Instagram has been testing what would appear to be a radical departure for the social network: removing likes. Facebook, which owns Instagram, is considering as well. Plus, 
there's buzz that Twitter may join the party and hide like counts.
While this may seem like a reason for marketer panic, it isn’t ... or shouldn’t be.
Although likes are a nice ego-boost metric, it’s well known that liking a post is the most low-maintenance way to engage. Rather, a comment, a share, or substantial video watch-time is a much better indicator of how much your content resonates with your audience. Therefore, it’s important to remember that removal of public-facing like counts is not the end of the world. In fact, it’s simply a reminder that you need to find other ways to analyze audience affinity and engagement.
Could Instagram actually be doing marketers a favor?
When Instagram first announced its decision to test removing like counts, I, like many others, questioned the reasoning. “We want your friends to focus on the photos and videos you share, not how many likes they get,” Instagram said in July 2019. “You can still see your own likes by tapping on the list of people who've liked it, but your friends will not be able to see how many likes your post has received.”
The theory was that like counts foster competition, and the goal of Instagram was to encourage connection and community. A healthy environment was top priority. "We want [Instagram] to be a place where people spend more of their energy connecting with the people that they love and the things that they care about," explained Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri.
While the whole move was positioned as a mental health play - removing likes will help alleviate cyberbullying and downplay competition - I still had doubts. It just didn’t ring true that this was the genuine reason that Facebook/Instagram deeply cared so much. Of course, I believe the company cares about their users’ well-being. However, they also care about making money and ensuring the longevity of their platforms.
So how would hiding likes improve Instagram’s - and Facebook’s - bottom line? I got my answer when more information surfaced last month. Suddenly it started to make sense.
Three former employees told CNBC that there is a hypothesis inside Facebook’s growth and data science teams: Removing “likes” may be an effective tactic for getting users to post more original content on Instagram.
“The theory goes that by hiding like counts, users may feel less self-conscious when they post photos or videos that don’t receive many likes,” the article states. “This in turn may serve as a catalyst for getting users to post more often.”
Translation: If users weren’t so hung up on public-facing engagement numbers, maybe they’d feel more compelled to publish more content. And, publishing more content means they would spend more time on Instagram. And more time on Instagram means there would be more users for advertisers to target.
Anyone who still has concerns about like-counts being removed only needs to look at Instagram Stories for proof that all will be okay. Social engagement metrics on Stories have never been public-facing. Users and marketers are not consuming other people's Story content, wondering how many people engaged with it, how many people responded to the poll, or answered the questions. They just engage. That’s what’s most important to businesses… and marketers: engagement.
Bottom line: Marketers need not worry too much about hidden likes.
Note that Facebook is also in the midst of testing hiding video view counts. Personally, I really like video view counts as invariably that gives me a strong indication - and sometimes legitimacy - of the content. I find it a tad frustrating when I cannot (easily) find the number of video views on other people’s Facebook videos! Whether that’s a long-term problem remains to be seen.
Moving forward, marketers need to concentrate on creating quality, relevant content for their followers. Focus on engaging with your audience in new ways, such as further integrating the Stories format, as well as video, including Live video and building community in Facebook Groups.
The removal of public-facing like counts should not make any difference to marketers on Instagram, Facebook, or any other social platform. While it seems to be affecting influencers to some degree, that may be a good thing. It will shake out any unethical behaviors, such as artificially inflating numbers, buying followers, etc. In its place will be highly engaged users on the friendly, community-building platform that Instagram wants to be.
About Mari Smith
Often referred to as “the Queen of Facebook,” Mari Smith is considered one of the world’s foremost experts on Facebook marketing and social
media. She is a Forbes’ Top Social Media Power Influencer, author of The New Relationship Marketing and coauthor of Facebook Marketing: An Hour A Day. Forbes recently described Mari as, “… the preeminent Facebook expert. Even Facebook asks for her help.” She is a recognized Facebook Partner; Facebook headhunted and hired Mari to lead the Boost Your Business series of live events across the US. Mari is an in-demand speaker, and travels the world to keynote and train at major events.
Her digital marketing agency provides professional speaking, training and consulting services on Facebook and Instagram marketing best practices for Fortune 500 companies, brands, SMBs and direct sales organizations. Mari is also an expert webinar and live video broadcast host, and she serves as Brand Ambassador for numerous leading global companies.
Web: Mari Smith or Twitter: @MariSmith
Bank of America, N.A. engages with Mari Smith to provide informational materials for your discussion or review purposes only. Mari Smith is a registered trademark, used pursuant to license. The third parties within articles are used under license from Mari Smith. Consult your financial, legal and accounting advisors, as neither Bank of America, its affiliates, nor their employees provide legal, accounting and tax advice.
Do you ever feel that you’re the only business out there who can’t invest much right now, and who believes a recession might be around the corner? And if your hunch becomes reality, does your business have all it needs to...
Do you ever feel that you’re the only business out there who can’t invest much right now, and who believes a recession might be around the corner? 
And if your hunch becomes reality, does your business have all it needs to survive – and perhaps thrive? There are three questions you should ask yourself when thinking about what you have versus what you want:
The first question is this: who does this help?
If something helps customers (especially the acquisition of more customers), that’s likely where your dollars should flow versus when it’s something that improves the quality of business and life for employees.
The second question, will this make us money?
Let’s say you run a business that accepts cash and credit/debit cards, but your customers are saying that if you accepted alternative funding like Venmo or PayPal, they’d be more inclined to do business with you. Naturally, it’s worth considering.
Hardest of all to answer is can we make do?
I’ve never met a company that doesn’t hate its current website design. Usually the second day after you launch a new website, you start to hate it. The layout is wrong, or you worry people can’t find what they need and so on. Almost always, your site is “good enough” to earn attention and guide people where they need to go.
And sometimes, thinking about making do requires creativity.
Resourceful People Thrive in Tough Times
It’s amazing what we think we need until we’re forced to consider operating without it. When I launched my business in 2009, I had an office in Massachusetts and an office in Maine to house my small team. We rolled along doing our work for a while before three important details dawned on me:
1. Rent costs a lot.
2. No customers ever came to our offices. We went to them.
3. Working at home is almost everyone’s preference.
I saved about $8,000 dollars a month almost instantly. Now, your business might not be something that can be run virtually. You might have to find another area to be resourceful and clever. But it’s out there.
Does your business really need a printer? Think about the money saved in ink and paper expenses monthly. Are you traveling to four or five conferences this year? Can you skip two?
Make Do In Marketing and Advertising with Technology
Marketing and advertising can cost a lot of money. Or it can be free. You might be inclined to think that paid efforts are better than free. Sometimes, that’s a very true fact. Other times, our free efforts land us more success than when we spend.
Is what you sell something visually appealing like food or clothes or even construction? Instagram is a great platform to earn some attention that can translate to business.
Have you used LinkedIn to publish interesting articles and videos? More and more people are slowly learning that LinkedIn isn’t that old site where you stick a digital copy of a resumé. It’s a thriving content hub where people go to learn and explore.
Recommended Reading: Top 5 LinkedIn Strategies to Grow Your Business
Do you have a YouTube channel? YouTube is the No. 2 search engine in the world (Google is No.1 and they own YouTube). Publish how-to videos and interviews with satisfied customers and behind-the-scenes videos and so much more. This costs nothing more than some time, getting a little better with your smartphone, and being brave.
Recommended Reading: Tips and Tricks for Fast, Easy Video Content
Don’t forget Facebook. In my small town, a very small local store throws events so often that you wonder whether they ever have a “regular” day without one. The events are free to post on Facebook, and with just a little bit of ingenuity around thinking up themes, they have a constant stream of people stopping by the store for the themed experience that matches their interest.
Read articles from Mari Smith, Premier Facebook Marketing Expert
Spend a little time on Twitter search (search.twitter.com) and type in your locale and see what comes up. A restauranteur friend of mine used to “stalk” people coming to Milwaukee and then personally invite them into one of his four restaurants. It got him on ESPN, then another larger news story, and eventually brought him so much success he can hardly catch his breath. All from Twitter searches (and good food).
Constraints Are your Creative Best Friend
To stay on the theme of restaurants a moment longer, it turns out that most of the restaurants succeeding right now are those with smaller and more specific menus. Barring the typical Chinese Restaurant experience which has endless pages, most of the growing food chains in the U.S. sell just a few items and do it well.
By looking at your business the same way, you might find areas to consider cutting to focus on growing one aspect even more.
Constraints are great for being creative. If you must do more with less, it pushes you to consider methods and means that might otherwise have gone unnoticed.
Can you make do? Of course you can!
You’ve got a lot to offer your customers, and they look forward to seeing you ride out any potential recession and make it through to better times again.
About Chris Brogan
Chris Brogan is an author, keynote speaker and business advisor who helps companies update organizational interfaces to better 
support modern humans. The age of factory-sized interactions is over. We all come one to a pack. And it’s time to accept that we are all a little bit dented. Chris advises leadership teams to empower team members by sharing actionable insights on talent development. He also works with marketing and communications teams to more effectively reach people who want to be seen and understood before they buy what a company sells.
Web: https://chrisbrogan.com Twitter: @ChrisBrogan
Bank of America, N.A. engages with Chris Brogan to provide informational materials for your discussion or review purposes only. The third parties within articles are used under license from Chris Brogan. Consult your financial, legal and accounting advisors, as neither Bank of America, its affiliates, nor their employees provide legal, accounting and tax advice.
Bank of America, N.A. Member FDIC. ©2019 Bank of America Corporation
At a recent event the CEO and Founder of Her Agenda, Rhonesha Byng, sat down to talk about how her organization is working to bridge the gap between ambition and achievement among women business owners.
Kate...
At a recent event the CEO and Founder of Her Agenda, Rhonesha Byng, sat down to talk about how her organization is working to bridge the gap between ambition and achievement among women business owners.
Kate Delaney: I'm Kate Delaney with Gregg Stebben. We're from “Heartbeat of Main Street” with ForbesBooks and Bank of America, and we're so pleased to be here at Luminary for the 2019 Bank of America Women Business Owner Spotlight, and we have Rhonesha Byng with us. Think HerAgenda.com, wow. I scribbled that down when that was mentioned.
Rhonesha Byng: Oh wow.
Kate Delaney: Because I thought it was so interesting.
Gregg Stebben: I love the name.
Kate Delaney: I do too. So tell us about HerAgenda.com.
Rhonesha Byng: Her Agenda is the digital media platform, bridging the gap between ambition and achievement for millennial women. We really believe in the concept that you can't be what you can't see. So every Monday we have a story called, “A Peak Inside Her Agenda,” where we feature a different woman in a position of power, from education to entrepreneurship to the C suite. We featured women like Arianna Huffington, Misty Copeland, Nadia Lopez, who went viral after being featured on the Humans of New York Instagram page.
So it's very diverse. We feature diverse women across industries, across backgrounds, and the idea is to give you everything that you need to achieve whatever is on your agenda. And the motto is, no one ever slows her agenda, which was a personal motto that I came up with from a nickname of mine. My name is Rhonesha. My nickname is Nesha. So that acronym it stands for No One Ever Slows Her Agenda, and that means whatever your goal is, go for it. Don't let anyone or anything stop you. And we live in this age where media has the power to shape perception and has a power to shape how we think of ourselves and how the world thinks of ourselves. And we want to change how ambitious women are seen by the world and how ambitious women have access to resources and opportunity. So we also, in addition to our articles, have a database of event panels, networking and also a private community called Her Agenda Insiders, which act as a peer mentorship community where you get access to the hidden job market and exclusive events that we can't post publicly on the website.
Gregg Stebben: Sometimes I want to be a woman.
Rhonesha Byng: Wow!
Gregg Stebben: This is so beautiful.
Rhonesha Byng: I get why you say that, but the reason we exist is because we live in a society where for a man this is easily attainable, and accessible, and for women it's not unfortunately.
Gregg Stebben: I was not diminishing what you're doing at all. It's beautiful though. And I guess I want to hear from you. What was the vision or the catalyst for you to see this idea and then that it was possible and then take the steps to do it?
Rhonesha Byng: Well, it started a long time ago, way back when I was in high school and I was one of those young women that were ambitious and, as soon as I found my purpose in life, which was journalism, I hit the ground running. So at 16-17 I was at press conferences. At the UN, I was covering funerals of major figures like Gordon Parks.
And I was really taking myself seriously as a journalist and I got all these mentors who were editors of publications. I was also modeling for Seventeen Magazine, literally, I guess you could say. The media world was just so accessible to me because I'm from New York City and I got all these mentors. Then I go to college and take a women's studies class and it was almost like a slap in the face. Like wait a second, I was in a bubble. The world does not look like that. Women are not in power, and I just could not understand why. And so for me, I knew that my talent and my superpower was media. And so I knew the influence impact media had, and so I thought if more of my peers, and more of the world could see these powerful women and they were more accessible and at the forefront, then it could change the ratio of women in power ultimately across the board.
Because like I said, you can't be what you can't see. So I literally as a college student was talking about this idea, and it was a friend that was like, you should start a website, and I said, "Oh, someone probably started something," did some market research. No one started it and looked up the URL, HerAgenda, because that was already tied to my motto I had for myself, didn't exist, created it and slowly but surely put it together and it grew into now what it is today. But it started from the fact that I was just shocked that there were not more women in positions of power because all the women I personally knew were empowered. They were in charge. They were not taking no for an answer. They were to me like how celebrities are to kids. Like if you see Beyonce, you're like, "Oh my God!"
For me back then, I would freak out to see Danielle Smith who at the time was the editor in chief of Vibe, or someone who was more behind the scenes but had the power to make decisions. That was something that I wanted to see more of and it didn't exist at the time. That was in 2008.
Kate Delaney: What's your ultimate goal for HerAgenda.com?
Rhonesha Byng: My ultimate goal is for us to be more global and just more known and to reach women. Every woman, no matter where she is. If you have internet access you know about Her Agenda in terms of if you're looking for inspiration, if you're looking for information, it's just really to continue to grow what we're doing. Reach more women and have more resources and ultimately we actually want to do is we want to use that platform as a gateway for a pipeline to leadership.
And so, we want to do more direct partnerships with companies like Twitter, like Google, like Microsoft that claim that they can't find women. Well, the women that read our website are the women that you want, and so why don't you partner with us, post your jobs with us so that you can reach those women.
Gregg Stebben: Will you make us a promise?
Rhonesha Byng: Okay.
Gregg Stebben: We need to talk to you every three or six months.
Rhonesha Byng: Okay, great.
Gregg Stebben: Because you're the beacon, first of all, but you also have your pulse on something. I think you created something that's a pulse taking environment that maybe nobody ever had a way of taking a pulse of before. I'm stunned by what you've done.
Rhonesha Byng: Can I take you everywhere with me?
Gregg Stebben: I want to take you with me everywhere I go. I'm really blown away by what you've done.
Rhonesha Byng: Thank you.
Gregg Stebben: I can't tell you how impressed I am.
Rhonesha Byng: Thank you. It has not been easy. I started out, like I said, in college, so this was built from my college dorm room, went out into the working world, I thought I was a complete failure because I had branded myself as Her Agenda. No one ever stops her agenda, so I thought I'd be doing that full time after I graduated from college, and I ended up working as a producer at NBC. Now that is not a failure. But at the time I was like, I'm not living what I said I was about, and so I did that. But that in hindsight ended up being the best thing for me because I really got more experience as a journalist and more experience within a corporation itself. Then I went on to be an editor at The Huffington Post, which was also a whole other experience in terms of seeing the digital side of media at scale.
And then at that point I got into an accelerator that allowed me to transition to full time. So that was 2015, so I started in 2008, side hustle up until 2015 and then full time in 2015 didn't make money for the first year. And then 2016, 2017 was when the transition in terms of becoming a profitable media company became more of a reality.
Kate Delaney: What do you hope happens when people get in your funnel? I mean you hear their stories and that has to get you excited when there's someone who connects to HerAgenda.com, and because of you, they get the education, they get the mentorship, they figure out what it is they need through what you've given them and what you've written. What do you hope ultimately happens for those women that get in the pipeline?
Rhonesha Byng: Simply that they achieve whatever their goal is. And then once they do that, naturally as women, our natural instinct is to give back and to pour into others. And so, that's really what the hope is, and with the insider community that we created, that private network - first you had the page to opt into that. And so that's something that's a value add service. But also in the community, we always say the mindset to get in is that you have to have the mindset of lifting as you climb. And so, really that's the idea is just to pour into others, share a resource, share an opportunity, invest in another entrepreneur once you've made your first $1 million. It's really just to pour back into the economy as a whole. And there's that statistic where if you invest in a woman, you invest in a whole community, versus if you invest in a man, you invest in that man. That's what the data says. That's not what I say.
Gregg Stebben: I feel it's getting hot in here.
Kate Delaney: Wow. Just absolutely amazing.
Gregg Stebben: Yeah. The website is HerAgenda.com and I'm telling you, this is one of the best things…I talk to a lot of small business owners, a lot of founders. This is one of the most beautiful stories I've ever heard. I can't wait to hear more.
Rhonesha Byng: Well thank you. And we'll be in touch. This won't be our first conversation.
Gregg Stebben: I have a feeling we'll hear from you if you don't hear from us. Thank you.
Rhonesha Byng: Thank you.
Narrator: For more great small business tips check out Bank of America’s online Small Business Community at bankofamerica.com/sbc. Thanks for listening to “The Heartbeat of Main Street” with ForbesBooks at ForbesBooks.com and Bank of America at BankofAmerica.com.
Caulipower founder and CEO, Gail Becker, wasn’t afraid to tap into the competitive food industry when she launched her successful company that took the frozen food section by storm. This episode of “The Heartbeat of Main Street”...
Caulipower founder and CEO, Gail Becker, wasn’t afraid to tap into the competitive food industry when she launched her successful company that took the frozen food section by storm. This episode of “The Heartbeat of Main Street” covers the goal and vision behind Caulipower, the obstacles Gail Becker faced as a new female entrepreneur, and the support she found through NAWBO.
Narrator: Welcome to “The Heartbeat of Main Street” with ForbesBooks at ForbesBooks.com and Bank of America at BankofAmerica.com. And here's your host, Greg Stebben.
Gregg Stebben: I'm here with Gail Becker. She's the founder and CEO of the company, Caulipower. I'm going to say that again in case you think I said cauliflower. I didn't. I said Caulipower. The website is eatcaulipower.com. They're on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram @Caulipower. Gail, welcome.
Gail Becker: Thank you. Thanks so much for having me.
Gregg Stebben: I want to start this interview by saying that you and your company, you and your team, are 100% responsible for my dinner last night.
Gail Becker: That might be the best interview start I've ever heard.
Gregg Stebben: Well, you can hear the bag. I'm wrinkling it in the background here. I had the Spicy(ish) Chicken Tenders, and they're pretty spicy for spicy-ish.
Gail Becker: You know what? Some people think they're spicy. Some people think they're not spicy, so we decided to beg the difference and call them spicy-ish.
Gregg Stebben: I'm going to really heap a lot of praise on you, your company, the product that I had for dinner last night, and what you've done. But I have to tell you one of the best advertisements I've seen in a long time was on your website. So, I knew I was going to be talking to you today. I was doing my research yesterday, and I said I'm going to go get some Caulipower product to try before we talk, because it would be rude of me not to.
Gail Becker: Thank you.
Gregg Stebben: And there was this ad on your website of a woman holding a bag of your chicken tenders. And it said, "I can't believe I ate the whole bag." Only ... I'm looking for the number here. 490 calories? I mean, I've memorized the ad. Only 490 calories. And I knew when I saw that that two things were going to happen before I went to bed last night.
I knew I was going to have some Spicy(ish) Chicken Tenders. And I knew, knowing myself as I do, that I was going to do just as she did and I was going to get the entire bag.
Gail Becker: And you didn't have to feel too bad about it.
Gregg Stebben: No, I felt ... First of all, delicious. Easy to make. And the other thing that was interesting to me ... and I just want to say this because it was kind of a real lesson for me in this. I never eat frozen food. Just going to that aisle was an eye-opener for me of all the probably really unhealthy food, and there I was with your chicken tenders reading the back of the bag, and thinking of myself, "This, as promised, is a really healthy option." And it was delicious, too.
Gail Becker: Thank you. That's such a nice thing to hear. The frozen food section has changed a lot over the years for the better, definitely. There's some room to go, but the point is there's something for everybody.
Gregg Stebben: Yes, yes. Well, I discovered that. I think I found my go-to. I do not think we will ever have a freezer without at least one bag of your chicken tenders for an emergency dinner.
Gail Becker: Oh my gosh. Made my day.
Gregg Stebben: Yes.
Gail Becker: Today is all downhill from here.
Gregg Stebben: So, you're ... I hope not. I hope it only gets better and better during the course of this interview. So, the company is Caulipower. What is Caulipower? What is the company? What are your products? And how on earth did you come to make a company called Caulipower?
Gail Becker: The last question is probably the most tricky. I'll start with the easy part. Caulipower is a company that, quite simply, brings meal hacks to life. Better for you, easier, more convenient, and never sacrificing taste for nutrition or convenience. It's a frozen food company. I started it in ... I had left corporate America in May of 2016 and launched the company in February of 2017.
Gregg Stebben: So, you're a newbie at this.
Gail Becker: Super newbie. We punch above our weight.
Gregg Stebben: I want to take note of the fact that you're new in this business, and getting in the food business cannot be easy. I mean, there's a lot of hurdles you have to jump through far beyond making more common, unregulated consumer products.
Gail Becker: Yeah, no. There are definitely easier industries to go into. I will not lie. But I have to say, it's also an industry that is very welcoming of innovation, welcoming of entrepreneurs, and new blood. While in some ways it's one of the more challenging to break into, in other ways it's actually very welcoming of the innovation that is often brought by small businesses.
Gregg Stebben: Your original product, if I understand correctly, was cauliflower pizza crust under the name Caulipower. Correct? I eat a lot of cauliflower. I make cauliflower rice and things like that. I didn't know that cauliflower pizza crust was a thing. How did this become such a thing that you thought you should start a business revolving around it?
Gail Becker: I'm the mom of two boys with celiac disease, and they were diagnosed at such a young age that there was no gluten free food in the store. Every time they needed something, I would have to make it from scratch, or order it from some funky company that you never heard of online. What I began to notice over the years was how much junk the industry was putting in gluten free food. More fat, sugar, and calories, and less nutrients.
I sort of waited for the industry to do something about it. And when I saw that they never did, I decided to leave corporate America and do it myself. Now, I didn't invent cauliflower crust pizzas. I tried it one time. I've actually only made it at home one time. People find that hard to believe, but it was only one time. And-
Gregg Stebben: You mean the traditional from scratch way?
Gail Becker: Well, yeah.
Gregg Stebben: I'm assuming you've eaten your product many times.
Gail Becker: My product many, many, many times. But I'm saying when I first started, I made ... there were 569,000 recipes online. I just picked one. I couldn't even tell you which one I picked. I made it. It was okay. My sons asked if I would make it again. And I said, "There is no way I'm making that again, because it took 90 minutes to make the crust after I got home from a full day of work."
Gregg Stebben: Right? And you still have to make the pizza.
Gail Becker: And you still have to make the pizza. By the way, it's kind of insulting that people even think that I have time for that. I thought, "Well, I can't be the only one." Clearly there's all these people who are struggling to do this. I was disenchanted with corporate life. I was ready for a change. My father had just passed away, and I was really looking to do something more meaningful. I put all of those three things in a blender, and basically what I came out with was, "Hey, I know. I'm going to quit my job and start a company called Caulipower." And that is exactly what I did.
Gregg Stebben: Looking at your background and looking at it on LinkedIn ... I mean, you have a fascinating background that includes ... you were a reporter, you worked on the Clinton/Gore campaign, you made a transition from there to the Department of Health and Human Services. Then you ended up as the president of Strategic Partnerships and Global Integration for Edelman, which is a huge global ... I guess, would you call it a communications company?
Gail Becker: Yeah. It's the largest PR firm in the world.
Gregg Stebben: Okay, so the largest PR firm in the world. What's interesting is on one hand I would think, "Well, there's probably some things there that would make it easy for you to start a business." Or at least you would have some insights that others might not. But there would have been nothing there to make me think you would, again, start ... not just a food company, but a very, very specific type of food company making very specific products with this real promise. I think you called them food hacks.
But really, when I look at your product line, I think what you're really promising to do is to give me a better way to eat at home conveniently and in a very healthy way. How much of an impact, or how much of a benefit do you think you got from your previous experience? And what were the things that were the hardest for you to learn that nothing had ever prepared you for?
Gail Becker: I would say in terms of my background, the things that probably helped the most was actually my time in the corporate world. At my prior job, I ran a lot of the businesses for the company. But I also worked on a lot of clients. I had a lot of exposure to how to build a brand, how not to build a brand, and things to do from a marketing perspective that would help tell your story to consumers.
That was a huge benefit to me in starting my own brand. And it's funny when you come from the consulting world, because you sort of spend all those years giving advice to people. Sometimes they take it and sometimes they don't. One of the great things about starting your own company is you get to always take your advice.
Gregg Stebben: Or sometimes you take it and sometimes you don't.
Gail Becker: Yeah, exactly. Sometimes you regret taking it. So, that was a huge help. I would say everything that was difficult had to do with the specific food industry. Being a manufacturer in that industry, making stuff ... making stuff is just hard, whatever it is. I mean, maybe food in particular. But being a manufacturer of anything is really, really tough. I had no idea.
And then learning the industry ... you know, I would go into the early sales meetings with different retailers and so forth. There were so many acronyms, and so many ways of doing things, and saying things in this tight knit community that ... I actually would leave a meeting and I had no idea what people were saying, because there were so many words that I had never heard before. So, really learning the industry, learning the jargon that went along with it, and battling it up against the big boys, as it were. When you look at the frozen pizza space, for instance.
Gregg Stebben: But you actually probably went into one of the most competitive frozen food fields, other than ice cream, that exists.
Gail Becker: Yes. I wish I had known that then. I didn't. Ignorance is bliss, I suppose. You are right. The frozen section overall is the most competitive space in the grocery store, because there's the least of it. Anyone that's in there, there is very limited space. If you come in, someone else has to go out. Today we are right up there next to the big boys, I like to say, but it certainly it wasn't like that in the beginning. It's been quite a journey, but a really remarkable one.
Gregg Stebben: I want to call out the fact that you started by making ... tell me if this is correct. Essentially, pizza crust made out of cauliflower. Hence the name Caulipower. And you were making that because you recognize that there were families like yours where flour was not a possibility. But you've expanded now.
Gail Becker: You know what? I would never say that ... I certainly didn't make it for only the gluten free community. That's why I went into it. But my thing was far more… I mean, we don't even market it as gluten free products. We market it as better tasting, better-for-you products that happens to be gluten free.
I did that because my insight as a mom of two boys growing up with celiac was that there was always ... there's an art. There was always everybody had to eat something different. My insight at the time was: wouldn't it be great if we could all just eat the same thing even if we had different reasons for eating it? Why do you have to eat something that's specifically gluten free? Why do you have to eat something that's specifically lower in calories, or lower in fat? I just thought: let's make products that really everybody can enjoy even if they have different reasons for enjoying it. Nobody has time today to make three different meals. There's something really nice about sharing from the same plate.
Gregg Stebben: Well, to an equally important if not more important business point, is when you look at it that way, the market is exponentially larger. Correct?
Gail Becker: Correct.
Gregg Stebben: Which we all love that.
Gail Becker: We also love that.
Gregg Stebben: One of the points I want to make is you went from pizza crust, to pizza, what you were saying. Now you're next to the big boys.
Gail Becker: We launched with four pizzas. Three tops, and one plain crust.
Gregg Stebben: Okay. And now there's-
Gail Becker: Now, we have more flavors of pizza, and we have tortillas. We have our brand new chicken tenders, which just launched a few weeks ago. We also have our sweet potatoes, which are a bread replacement made from sliced sweet potatoes.
Gregg Stebben: I will confess, I had some sweet potatoes last night, too. Because once I started down the Caulipower road, it was hard to stop me. I had a really great and healthy dinner last night.
Gail Becker: Oh, fantastic. Okay. Well, welcome to the family.
Gregg Stebben: Thank you. We've been talking about scale here, and one of the things that impressed me ... because you started the business in 2016, really launched the products in 2017. So, two years plus. I went to Walmart to get your products after printing out a coupon. My understanding, particularly of the food industry, is it's really hard to get into Walmart. And there you are after just two years.
Gail Becker: Yeah. It's interesting. Walmart actually brought us in pretty early. We launched in February of 2017. We were in some Walmart stores as early as October of that same year. They've been a great partner to us. One of my objectives for building Caulipower was I wanted to make better-for-you food accessible to as many people as I possibly could, and that's accessible in a number of ways. The way that the product looks, the way that it tastes, the way that our packaging is, the stores that it's sold in, the price that it's sold for, and the fact that we give a percentage of sales to help build Teaching Gardens and underserved schools across the country. Accessible nutrition is a key platform of who Caulipower is.
Gregg Stebben: You've just brought up a point about scale that I think is worthy of a little conversation here. You not only had to master the food business, but by getting into Walmart that quickly, you had to scale in some pretty dramatic ways, I would think, in terms of production and ... I don't know. Raising capital and hiring.
Gail Becker: Yes. You name it.
Gregg Stebben: I mean, Walmart does not take a chance on you. You have to prove that you're ready, I'm assuming.
Gail Becker: I think it was both. I mean, they were looking to expand their better-for-you options, so it was a really nice partnership early on. They did take a bit of a chance on me. Luckily, we've been able to prove ourselves and make the relationship work. But you are right. Scaling as fast as we did was just huge when I think back.
And we're still doing it. We're still scaling at a rapid rate. It's very much like building the plane while flying it, you know? We're trying to make it bigger, but we're also trying to run the day-to-day business. It was a huge hurdle for us. But I'm just thrilled and so proud of the team that we were able to manage and keep up.
Gregg Stebben: I'm talking with Gail Becker. She's the founder and CEO of the company Caulipower. It's eatcaulipower.com. If you think I said cauliflower, I didn't. It's Caulipower, spelled exactly the same way but a 'P' instead of an 'F.' Eatcaulipower.com on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at Caulipower.
So, this year as a sign of your success and your ability to have successfully scaled, you were awarded the Woman Business Owner of the Year award by NAWBO, the National Association of Women Business Owners. Can you talk about how a professional network like NAWBO became a very important part of your success?
Gail Becker: One of the things that struck me early on about coming into the food industry is I sort of thought, like all the other industries that I had encountered, this is one where there'd be a lot of women at the top and involved in sort of every level. Because somehow I thought, "Oh, it was food. Clearly there's going to be a lot of women running the industry." And maybe not surprisingly, I didn't necessarily find that to be true. Obviously there are some, but not nearly enough.
I also struggled with seeing how difficult it was for female entrepreneurs to raise VC money. When I started to read some of the statistics, it blew me away. Only 2% of VC money goes to fund female-led companies. That's outrageous. Even though they perform better. So when I started to put that all together in my head, it really became important to me to support other female business owners and entrepreneurship.
Read next: Angel Investors Seek Women-Owned Business Startups: How to Find a Match by Steve Strauss
As I always say, if you want to see more female businesses, there is only one thing you can do. That is support more female businesses. Buy their products, tell your friends, share their social media. That's the only way that we're going to ever break the cycle.
As it relates to NAWBO, NAWBO was really a strong part of that. It's so interesting to me because I am new to NAWBO, but obviously now I'm forever a fan and a member. But when I went to the conference, I have to say I was just blown away by what I saw there. I have never been in a business setting like that where so many people were just cheering each other on. Doesn't matter who won the award for whatever category. People were dancing for each other and cheering each other. I had people fixing my jacket before I went on stage. I mean, when does that happen? It doesn't ever happen.
I was just blown away by the camaraderie and the generosity. I have since had several other female business owners reach out to me that maybe we could do work together through Caulipower in some vendor relationship, and what have you. It's just this wonderful network to be a part of. And to remind each other that we're all in this together and we're all trying to make this world a little bit better than we found it.
Gregg Stebben: I find it really interesting that a large part of your initial motivation for going to your first NAWBO meeting and other organizations like that was not to get something, but to give something. Because I think ... I mean, it's a bit of a stereotype, but I think we find in business that often women just have a very different view of the world of business that men do. I think you've really just illustrated that.
Gail Becker: Well, it's so interesting because there's been a lot written about this. This is not me saying it. But whenever you talk to female entrepreneur ... I've sat on a number of panels now and I've heard a lot of stories. They're always motivated by trying to improve people's lives, trying to make things better, trying to make things easier, trying to help people.
I can't tell you how much I hear that motivation over and over again. I think that's one of the reasons that actually accounts for the success of female business owners, which has a better rate of return from venture capitalists than actually men do. I think the reason is is because that mission is so clear, and so empowering that it just ... you can't help but succeed. It's really quite remarkable.
Gregg Stebben: Okay. So I have one last question for you, Gail. She's Gail Becker. She's the founder and CEO of the company Caulipower. It's eatcaulipower.com on Twitter, and Facebook, and Instagram @Caulipower. The question is this: you've grown so fast, what's next?
Gail Becker: Sleep.
Gregg Stebben: It sounds like you've earned that, and I'm not surprised to hear you say that. But once you wake up ... and I'm sure you're looking ahead to a new year-
Gail Becker: I'm kidding. I'm kidding. I'm kidding. No, I would say that we have a lot of new products coming out that we're super excited about. Our chicken tenders, which are baked, not fried. And really a huge category buster in terms of what else is out there. Those are just launching now. We also have some new products coming out next year, which we're very excited about. And just continuing to grow our footprint, and help people, and most importantly, build a lot more Teaching Gardens.
Gregg Stebben: I want to mention the name of the product, the chicken. We've been calling them chicken tenders, but the name really deserves to be called out.
Gail Becker: I like it. Go for it.
Gregg Stebben: The name of the product is New Chick on the Block. And part of your advertising slogan is, "No Clucking Way!" I mean, you have just really ... I'm sure your background at Edelman didn't hurt. From the name of the company, Caulipower, to New Chick on the Block. No Clucking Way. You've really clearly identified a market. We know you have, because look at your growth, and your sales, and your success. But everything that I looked at in preparing to talk to you spoke to me exactly the way it should after identifying me as a potential customer. Really, I'm very impressed and I'm not surprised at all with the success that you've had. I want to thank you for joining us.
Gail Becker: Well, thank you. That's really lovely to say. The industry has to remember that food is never precious, that the only thing precious about food are the people that you share it with. We like to have fun. We don't take ourselves too seriously. We remind people that food is joy, and there's nothing wrong with having a bag that makes you smile.
Gregg Stebben: New Chick on the Block. I hope you don't mind me mentioning, I did not realize that the chicken tenders were just a few weeks new on the market.
Gail Becker: Yeah, I know. Oh my gosh, I love it.
Gregg Stebben: Great, great. If you go to the website, again, it's caulipower.com. Just like cauliflower, but it's Caulipower. A 'P' instead of an 'F.' And when you get there, you can do what I did. There's a $2 off coupon for the chicken tenders. Very cleverly, you've picked a great vendor for managing that. Because when I printed out the coupon, it also gave me the address of the four closest stores. No matter which direction I went, I had to drive past a place that I knew I could get the chicken tenders, and I'm so glad I did. I had a great dinner last night. And I've had a great conversation with you, Gail. Thank you so much for joining us, and thank you for enriching my when-I'm-home-alone-and-hungry dinners. Because I'm going to be eating a lot of your Spicy(ish) Chicken Tenders.
Gail Becker: Oh, well that's the best kind of endorsement I can hope for. Thank you so much. I had a great time.
Gregg Stebben: Thank you.
Narrator: Thanks for listening to “The Heartbeat of Main Street” with ForbesBooks at ForbesBooks.com and Bank of America at BankofAmerica.com.
Before I started the entrepreneurial chapter of my life, I managed a staff of 30 who ranged from recent college graduates to those nearing retirement. And, although they were at different life stages (and therefore had different motivations and...
Before I started the entrepreneurial chapter of my life, I managed a staff of 30 who ranged from recent college graduates to those nearing retirement. And, although they were at
different life stages (and therefore had different motivations and goals), I tried to build a cohesive team that thought outside the box and worked collaboratively to build the best product possible.
Oh, there were some bad seeds every now and then, but I learned as you try to foster certain traits in your employees, you’ll be rewarded tenfold. I was always conscious of the bad bosses I’d had in my career and vowed to never be like them—creating a corporate “golden rule.”
These are the traits I found to be the most important to foster in employees.
1. Flexibility and adaptability
I believe in the “if it ain’t broke, break it” theory of management. Every so often I’d announce to my staff, “let’s shake it up.” The end result was usually better—and even when it wasn’t, we still learned a valuable lesson.
For structured personalities, being flexible might be a difficult trait to learn. But, in a small business, everyone needs to be flexible enough to handle difficult situations and adaptable enough to come up with solutions.
The American Psychological Association reports there are three types of adaptability:
- Cognitive: the way one thinks
- Emotional: the way one feels
- Behavioral: the way one acts
The idea is to make employees, well, comfortable with being pushed out of their comfort zone. Once they are, you end up with a team able to handle new challenges without flipping into crisis mode.
It’s important to lead by example when unpredictable events occur. Be calm and discuss possible solutions with your team. By showing your staff how compromise, collaboration and calmness can prevail, you’re modeling how to handle future challenges.
2. Perseverance
As an entrepreneur you know the road to success is fraught with setbacks. You won’t succeed without having the “grit” to persevere and keep moving and the resiliency to bounce back when obstacles appear.
Fostering the same attitudes in your employees is just as important. When you assign a large or difficult project to an employee, explain the goal and the difficulty. Offer encouragement and support. Commiserate when needed. (I found feeding my staff kept them going). Fostering perseverance results in confident, resourceful and self-reliant workers who take pride in their work.
3. Self-confidence
You probably learned this on the playground in elementary school, but the more insecure a person is, the less willing they are to work with others and the more disruptive they are to your business. Sometimes insecurity in the workplace can lead to a toxic environment that breeds distrust and unhealthy competition. My most self-confident employees were the ones more willing to share and encourage others.
Some people are seemingly born confident, but it’s possible to “breed” confidence in those who lack it. One way to do that—recognition. Gallup’s State of the American Workplace report shows how “recognition motivates employees, gives them a sense of accomplishment and makes them feel appreciated for their work.”
The report says the “act of recognition also sends messages to other employees about what success looks like. In this way, recognition is both a tool for personal reward and an opportunity to reinforce the desired behavior to other employees.”
Being acknowledged for a job well-done instills self-confidence and encourages employees to accept more responsibility and greater challenges going forward. Adding a small reward (a $25 gift card; a comp day) encourages people to work harder.
Today’s business owners are worried about employee attraction and retention. Many businesses are focusing on the attraction part while ignoring the retention aspect. But making employees a valuable part of your team, fostering these traits and empowering them can lead to a better business with less turnover and more profitability.
About Rieva Lesonsky
Rieva Lesonsky is CEO and Co-founder of GrowBiz Media, a custom content and media company focusing on small business and 
entrepreneurship, and the blog SmallBizDaily.com. A nationally known speaker and authority on entrepreneurship, Rieva has been covering America’s entrepreneurs for more than 30 years. Before co-founding GrowBiz Media, Lesonsky was the long-time Editorial Director of Entrepreneur Magazine. Lesonsky has appeared on hundreds of radio shows and numerous local and national television programs, including the Today Show, Good Morning America, CNN, The Martha Stewart Show and Oprah.
Lesonsky regularly writes about small business for numerous websites and for corporations targeting entrepreneurs. Many organizations have recognized Lesonsky for her tireless devotion to helping entrepreneurs. She served on the Small Business Administration’s National Advisory Council for six years, was honored by the SBA as a Small Business Media Advocate and a Woman in Business Advocate, and received the prestigious Lou Campanelli award from SCORE. She is a long-time member of the Business Journalists Hall of Fame.
Web: www.growbizmedia.com or Twitter: @Rieva
You can read more articles from Rieva Lesonsky by clicking here
Bank of America, N.A. engages with Rieva Lesonsky to provide informational materials for your discussion or review purposes only. Rieva Lesonsky is a registered trademark, used pursuant to license. The third parties within articles are used under license from Rieva Lesonsky. Consult your financial, legal and accounting advisors, as neither Bank of America, its affiliates, nor their employees provide legal, accounting and tax advice.
Bank of America, N.A. Member FDIC. ©2019 Bank of America Corporation
Let’s say you hired a great team, operations are going smoothly and all your employees are thriving. You lean back in your chair, relax and say, “My job here is done.” Soon your stellar team starts lagging and the quality...
Let’s say you hired a great team, operations are going smoothly and all your employees are thriving. You lean back in your chair, relax and say, “My job here is done.” 
Soon your stellar team starts lagging and the quality of work no longer meets your expectations. Rather than hire new employees, which can be time-consuming and costly, you may start asking yourself “How can I motivate my team members?”
There are many ways to motivate employees that are not just focused on rewards and incentives. Here are five ways to bring the spark back and help boost performance.
1. Acknowledging good work – A simple thank you can go a long way. By showing an employee you notice the good work he/she is putting in, you inspire them to keep it up. You can also upgrade your typical ‘thank you for your hard work’ and go public by posting about your employees’ great work on your website or social media channels. With this extra step, you create a sense of appreciation and value in your employee.
2. Opportunity to grow – Knowing there are opportunities for promotion, employees are self-motivated to become more adept at their job. Take time to work with them to define a career path, and provide an overview of what their options are.
3. Encourage breaks – Create a work environment where it’s advised to take short breaks from working at a desk. Encourage going outside for fresh air or getting up to stretch and recharge. Another option is to Incorporate sit-stand desks that get employees moving while working. Texas A&M University research found employees using them are up to 46 percent more productive.
4. Provide external learning – Offering opportunities for employees to attend paid training sessions, lectures or networking events is a great way to help grow skills to further develop their career. In return, having a knowledgeable employee will benefit the business. Also, attending sessions and trainings is a great way to break up the day-to-day monotony.
5. Accept differences – Every employee is different. What works for one, might not work for another. Getting to know the people working for you is critical for having motivated employees. Acknowledging the individuality of each member on your team, and knowing that people are inspired by different things, is a vital step in effectively motivating employees.
So, take some time to grab coffee with your employees, ask them how they’re doing and find out what makes them happy. The benefits you reap from open communication far outweigh the costs of finding that extra time.
Additional Reading
Supporting women in business is the main goal of NAWBO and their NYC chapter president, Elizabeth Foster. She came on “The Heartbeat of Main Street” to discuss the tools the organization provides to women and the community that...
Supporting women in business is the main goal of NAWBO and their NYC chapter president, Elizabeth Foster. She came on “The Heartbeat of Main Street” to discuss the tools the organization provides to women and the community that they’ve built together.
Narrator: Now let’s hear from Elizabeth Foster, the President of NAWBO NYC, and CEO and founder of Maison Visionnaire, talking with us from the 2019 Bank of America Women Business Owner Spotlight
Kate Delaney: I'm Kate Delaney with Gregg Stebben. We're from “Heartbeat of Main Street” with ForbesBooks and Bank of America. We're here at the 2019 Bank of America, Women Business Owner Spotlight and wow, we have a great guest with us. Elizabeth Foster, Gregg, I mean, I'm telling you, people beat the drum for this woman. All I did was tweet something out, and the people are all over me.
Gregg Stebben: It helps that she is the President of NAWBO NYC. Elizabeth, welcome. And I think first, let's talk about NAWBO, and then we want to get into your career. Tell us about NAWBO. Not everyone's familiar with it.
Elizabeth Foster: NAWBO is a National Association of Women Business Owners. That's what it stands for. It actually came into creation in 1975, when a woman business owner could not get a loan without a male family member co-signing. And what happened, there was a woman that went into a bank, she had no male family member. The bank manager said, I'm really sorry. These are the rules. Isn't there somebody? She had a 17 year-old-son, and the bank manager said he'll do.
Gregg Stebben: Are you serious?
Elizabeth Foster: I'm serious.
Gregg Stebben: So I want to interject, that I think a year ago, this was a very big anniversary for NAWBO, or maybe it was two years ago, you'll correct me, but we just celebrated the 30th anniversary of making those rules go away. Correct?
Elizabeth Foster: Correct.
Gregg Stebben: So only 30 years ago?
Elizabeth Foster: Well actually yeah, it's actually less than 30 years ago. NAWBO started in '75, and what happened was, this event happened in '75, and she went out, she said, no, you're not going to have my son as a guarantor. And basically what happened was that she got together with a group of other businesswomen and she said, we need to do something about this.
So she was a woman of action, and she met with other women of action, and they got together and they created NAWBO. Then, it took them 13 years, 13 years, till 1988, which was 30 years ago last-
Gregg Stebben: I knew there was a 30 year anniversary. Listen to Gregg’s interview about the 30th anniversary of HR 5050 on “The Heartbeat of Main Street”
Elizabeth Foster: That was the one. Yeah. And it's crazy. I'm like, seriously? It took you 13 years to pass a bill to say that women had the equal rights? 1988? I'm like, shame on you.
Gregg Stebben: A creditworthy woman.
Kate Delaney: That's just sad.
Gregg Stebben: If you were not creditworthy, that's another conversation. But you could have the greatest credit, and you still couldn't get a loan because you were a woman.
Elizabeth Foster: Correct, correct.
Kate Delaney: And obviously you have a beautiful accent, so we know that you were born and raised in England, I'm guessing, and I bet you had that entrepreneurial spirit as a young woman. And I know that you got into the fragrance business. How did that start? Tell us about your journey.
Elizabeth Foster: You're right. I'm not a native New Yorker. I was born in Bath, and grew up there, and then went to London as soon as I could, basically. And I started…I had a few jobs doing this and that, whatever. And then I found a product, and I really wanted to...it kind of came to me as there was something, and this is a skill that I have: I kind of look at something, and then I'll say, well, if you just did this, and if you did this, and if you did this, then you could make a whole different product, and it would be, oh, so much better.
Gregg Stebben: So you're good at leveraging assets.
Elizabeth Foster: Correct. So that's exactly what I did. And the product was an aroma therapy-based product, and I knew a lot about aromatherapy anyway, just out of personal interest. So that was something that was very near and dear to my heart.
And we just basically started on the kitchen table. We started at very, very, very humble beginnings. And then, within two years, we had a billion-pound turnover, which is kind of cool actually.
Kate Delaney: So your journey, I mean this has to be more than near and dear to your heart, to see women thriving in entrepreneurial spaces all over the place, right?
Elizabeth Foster: Yeah. Well, very much so. And actually going back to me being here as well. So I've been here for five years now, and I was kind of "fresh off the boat." And I met a woman at an event and I'm like, where do I meet some smart savvy businesswomen? And she's like, you need to go to NAWBO. I'm like-
Gregg Stebben: What's NAWBO?
Elizabeth Foster: What's NAWBO? So she said, she told me what it was, and I'm like, huh, I can give that a go. And then you know, I think the thing is, that you need to be open as well. You need to be understanding and give things a go. So from that point of view, that's what I did. I was open, I went along, and I found my tribe.
I found those women that were smart and savvy, and I do consider myself that as well. And I fit in, and it was great. And then they obviously saw potential in me, and they're like, “Hey, you want to come hang out with us?”
Gregg Stebben: Well, so I want to make an observation here. You earlier used the phrase, I think you referred to yourself, as a “woman of action,” right?
Elizabeth Foster: Correct.
Gregg Stebben: And what's interesting is, you moved to an entirely new, not just to a new city, but to a new city in a new country five years ago, and you're now the President of NAWBO NYC. My guess is, they saw in you a woman of action, and you saw in them a lot of women of action, and I'm bringing that up just to really say to other women who are not familiar with NAWBO, if you want to meet like-minded, savvy businesswomen, women of action, NAWBO's the place to go, whether you're in New York City or not.
Elizabeth Foster: Absolutely, yeah. We've got 60 chapters around the country, and even if you're in the middle of nowhere, we have virtual membership too, so you can still connect with us women, no matter where you are in America.
Kate Delaney: What do you think is the most difficult thing that women entrepreneurs go through? What stops some of them from achieving what they could possibly achieve?
Elizabeth Foster: That's a very good question, and I think there's various answers to that. I think that often for women it's actually confidence. I hate to say that. We still don't believe in ourselves enough. And when we don't believe in ourselves, others don't necessarily believe in us. So I think that level of, you've got to just go there, you've got to put yourself out there. That’s what you know…don't hold back.
And if you struggle with that, if that's something that you know you struggle with, then get some support. Get a coach, get a whatever you need, even just a friend, like a good strong friend.
Gregg Stebben: And I would imagine also…again, not to spend the whole interview plugging NAWBO, but if one of the things you need is confidence, go be with other women who are being successful.
Elizabeth Foster: Correct.
Gregg Stebben: They'll tell you what you're great at and support you in the things that you need to grow in.
Elizabeth Foster: That's exactly the case. Exactly. And no, we're not just plugging NAWBO, but they are a great organization. So, hey.
Kate Delaney: So we have one last question for you.
Gregg Stebben: You haven't even told us about your business.
Elizabeth Foster: That's because I'm such a good advocate for NAWBO.
Gregg Stebben: You are, but you should tell us about your business.
Elizabeth Foster: I can do that. I'm the founder of Maison Visionnaire, and what we did is, we invented the reed diffusers.,So it's a home fragrance business. What we did, is we brought art to fragrance, and we made it a whole experience for your home. So instead of, I'm sure you've seen them, you know the jars with the oil and the sticks. Well, I'm sorry, but they're not very beautiful, and they're not creative, and they're kind of ugly, and you want to hide them away because you want the fragrance, and you want the benefits.
So I decided to make it beautiful. So it's a wooden art piece that has been carved, and that acts as a diffuser, but it's also beautiful to look at. And it also, it's a fusion that accentuates the home. So we also have a product behind it. It's a CDF, a composite diffusion fiber, which kind of acts like the fragrance engine, so to speak. It really pumps out the fragrance, and it's totally natural. So, that's what I'm doing here. That's my business.
Gregg Stebben: And the website for it?
Elizabeth Foster: MaisonVisionnaire.com.
Gregg Stebben: Spell it for us.
Elizabeth Foster: M-A-I-S-O-N-V-I-S-I-O-N-N-A-I-R-E .com.
Narrator: For more great small business tips check out Bank of America’s online Small Business Community at bankofamerica.com/sbc. Thanks for listening to “The Heartbeat of Main Street” with ForbesBooks at ForbesBooks.com and Bank of America at BankofAmerica.com.
Read more about Elizabeth Foster, Founder of Maison Visionnaire, on The Small Business Community.
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Rieva Lesonsky is a columnist for The Small Business Community covering employment, retail trends and women in business. Before co-founding GrowBiz Media, Lesonsky was Editorial Director of Entrepreneur Magazine. A nationally known speaker and authority on entrepreneurship, Rieva has been covering America’s entrepreneurs for more than 26 years.