Small Business Toolbox

A library of business management info


MyAdvice from MyBusiness Magazine
  • MyAdvice: Good Growth
    02/11/2008
    One business owner reveals why a culture of growth translates into happy employees
  • Finding the Absurdly Ideal Solution
    11/30/2007
    People always ask me, "How do I do build a better product? How can I provide my customers with a better experience? How do I get a superior product to market more quickly?" The answer I give them is to reach for the absurdly ideal solution.
  • Stay Involved--And Out of the Way
    09/26/2007
    As CEO of a growing technology business, I face a multitude of challenges. I have lots of constituents to keep happy: employees, investors, partners, suppliers and, of course, customers. For anyone facing a similar situation, I offer this advice: Surround yourself with trusted professionals and help them work effectively. But that isn't all. You also need to step back and let them do the jobs you hired them to do.
  • MyAdvice: Money Well Spent
    05/30/2007
    Call me biased, but stainless-steel boat parts made by my business, Gem Products, could stand up to the fiercest competition. We've always invested heavily in technological and mechanical upgrades to make a higher-quality part. But even though I was constantly looking for every new process, method, idea, ingredient or invention to improve my product, I couldn't seem to get customers excited about it.
  • MyAdvice: When the Wheels Fell Off
    04/02/2007
    The year 2001 was supposed to have been a banner year for M&L Transit Systems, the bus-service business I own with my husband, Michael. That year we purchased six brand-new buses for our booming airport division, which serviced Logan International Airport in Boston. We were just up and running--in fact the buses had only been in service for a few weeks--when Sept. 11, 2001, happened. After that dreaded day, our buses never ran out of Logan again.
  • MyAdvice
    11/21/2006
    A rower's approach to running a business
  • MyAdvice: The Narrow Path
    09/20/2006
    Choose a niche to propel your business' growth
  • MyAdvice: An Outside Job
    07/25/2006
    Instead of hiring lots of senior-level managers, one business owner relied on a board of directors during the start-up phase.
  • MyAdvice: Home Sweet Home
    05/25/2006
    How telecommuting can be an assett—and a success—for your small business.
  • Overexposed: Why non-disclosure agreements are fundamental for any business
    03/31/2006
    I should have seen it coming. All the signs were there, but I was too busy running my business to notice that a contract worker was stealing a business idea from me.
  • Slow to Change: Why I should have started using accounting software sooner
    01/23/2006
    I realized how much I needed accounting help when I found a 3-year-old check in the back of a desk drawer. It was payment from a client we didn't even work with anymore, and it was too old to cash.
  • Basket Case
    11/21/2005
    How I learned not to put all my business in one client's basket.
  • Returning to Pickle Paradise
    09/27/2005
    Why selling out to a corporate giant is harder than you think.
  • How to Make Foresight 20/20
    07/26/2005
    When shipping giant UPS announced that it had purchased Mail Boxes Etc. in March 2001, the news came as little surprise - at least to me. As one of the cofounders of PostNet, which has been in the postal, business and communications services industry since 1993, I was more inspired by the news than surprised.
  • A Good Boss Is a Great Employee
    06/01/2005
    My husband and I own a company that provides temporary skilled food servers and bartenders to hotels, country clubs and upscale caterers. We have 20 full-time and 75 part-time employees. Our gross revenues this year are expected to reach $800,000, and we just launched our first franchised location in Miami. But if it’s Saturday night, you won’t find my husband and me out toasting our success.
  • Champion of Change
    04/01/2005
    Making major changes to your business requires planning, foresight—and guts, especially when you must sell the idea to others in your business. But after renaming his business and revamping his strategy three years ago, one franchisor looks back and wishes he’d done it a long time ago.
  • Finding The Perfect Fit
    02/01/2005
    How to hire for your business’ culture
  • From 'I' to 'We'
    11/19/2004
    How to reclaim the benefits of being a small-business owner
  • Managing Generation Next
    10/01/2004
    I started my career right out of high school, and oftentimes was the youngest employee on my team. While many questioned my expertise, most were infected with my energy and obvious enthusiasm for the company I represented.
  • Going at it Alone
    08/01/2004
    Why You Don't Need a Partner
  • You Should be the Boss of Them
    05/28/2004
    Perhaps the greatest lesson I've learned as a small-business owner came when I was still signing the back of a paycheck.
  • Chatting With the Enemy
    04/01/2004
    I couldn't get so caught up in short-term dollars that I didn't use my long-term business sense. I had to divulge just enough information about our business to keep outsiders interested -- without revealing too much of our strategy.
  • Do You Work for Free?
    01/29/2004
    To make money, you need to win clients. To win clients, you've got to wow them, impress them, strut your stuff.
  • Man With a Plan
    11/26/2003
    I owe all of my success in business to Earl. No, Earl isn't my father, brother or mentor. Earl is the name of my business plan.
  • Top-Heavy
    09/29/2003
    In a tough economy, small business owners might think one big account could save them. They're right; it could. But you've also got to make smart business decisions along the way so that you can keep those accounts.
  • Step Off the Porch
    08/01/2003
    Are you ready to partner with big business?
  • Growing Pains
    06/03/2003
    As small businesses grow, stress levels of small business owners increase.
  • Searching for Relief
    04/15/2003
    Selecting consulting services is a lot like shopping for an allergy remedy. How? You can find relief without paying a premium.
  • My 'Won't Do' List
    02/24/2003
    The long-term economics of your small business should influence how you parcel out your own energy supplies.
  • Hiring Help
    01/20/2003
    Hiring people has never been my strong suit.
  • The Need for Tort Reform
    11/04/2002
    My husband and I lived the American dream until three years ago when we were caught up in what has become an American legal nightmare.
  • Lessons Learned in a Changing Industry
    09/05/2002
    It's no secret that travel agents have had a tough time of late. Yet we've found success by tapping the advantages that come from being a small travel agency.
  • Redefining My Role
    07/08/2002
    I had some great ideas about growing the firm and better serving our clients, but was frustrated because I never seemed to have the time to implement them.
  • The Outside Advantage
    05/09/2002
    Working out of your home has the mystique of being the ultimate work situation. Not always.
  • The Downloading Epidemic
    04/11/2002
    There's an epidemic of downloading going on in the business world today--and I'm not talking about the Internet.
  • Four Things You Should Never Say to a Pregnant Woman
    04/01/2002
    Pregnancy is a wonderful time in a woman's life. Unfortunately, during this time of hormonal chaos and aching legs, many women are also much more easily hurt and even downright moody than they had previously been.
  • A Cast of Characters
    04/01/2002
    The continuous montage of employees I've hired over the years could populate a television sitcom.
  • A Meeting to Keep Employees
    04/01/2002
    Integrating your diverse group into a cohesive team .
  • Two Businesses In One Family
    04/01/2002
    My husband, Mike, and I uprooted our lives five years ago to pursue the dream of owning my own veterinary clinic.
  • When a Partner Doesn't Work Out
    04/01/2002
    Helpful ways to make and keep a good partner.
  • From Vacation to Vocation
    04/01/2002
    A family vacation sparks a successful business.