Entrepreneurs often apply their life skills to their sales and marketing, and the acquired lessons from marriage are no different. The business professionals we spoke to explain how their marriage helped them become stronger entrepreneurs…and how running their own companies helped their relationships. Eric Gilboord, of Toronto-based WarrenBDC, helps Boomer-aged business owners to sell or transition out of their […]
One of the truisms of being an entrepreneur is eternal optimism. It is a necessary ingredient for anyone going into a high-risk venture. Even though the chances of failure are high, entrepreneurs believe they will be successful. This is what makes entrepreneurs so captivating– they are willing to take chances the rest of us would […]
Canadian and American businesses hiring interns have been struck with some bad news over the past couple of years. With claims and widespread reports of companies allegedly taking advantage of interns by performing tasks that violate labour and minimum wage laws, governments at all levels are looking at ways to combat this growing issue. It has become […]
by Kay Mathews Your intern got it wrong again. You’ve tried to be patient about his missteps but you can feel your right eye twitching now that he’s really messed up and cost other staff time and effort. Now is the time to instruct him with the kind of feedback that’s been seething inside you for weeks, but […]
What every startup or entrepreneur needs is not only a great idea, a smart business model and a strong staff backbone, but also a growing customer base. One important way to attract more accounts is through your existing customers. Aaron Goodin, CEO and Founder of Tack, a media technology startup, notes that, “What most startups often overlook is the value […]
by Kay Mathews Firing someone and being let go are two very unpleasant experiences in life. The perspectives of those who have faced both circumstances shed insights on how executives can ensure that the tough termination conversation goes smoothly and how employees can recover after losing their job. In an interview with B2B News Network, David Waring, co-founder of B2B […]
Employment and HR specialists have long considered it a typical chicken/egg paradox. Are happier workers more productive, or does productivity make workers happier? Research is starting to come out on the side of worker happiness leading to better productivity, not the other way around. “Despite the fact that happiness has remained a hard concept to […]
With customers’ ever-rising comfort levels to purchase and self-service online, and increased pressure on businesses to develop end-to-end Web enabled applications to accommodate, it seems the value of human capital in sales and service is diminishing. From a business end, consider that businesses must hire, train, coach, performance manage, payroll, incentivize, and provide benefits to […]
We’ve all been there: A meeting trudges along so painfully, your mind wanders to what you need to cook for dinner. Boring meetings and brainstorming sessions can bruise a staffer’s workplace experience and mire office culture in a haze of fatigue. If you’re hosting staff meetings regularly, you need to add sizzle and focus to […]
In a match against my brother, I smash a volley ball into the net, and curse under my breath. I’m upset at myself for missing an easy shot, for not taking advantage of a “gimme” and this frustration creeps into my next serve. I double-fault and my brother wins the game and then later handily wins the […]
An infographic making the rounds online looks at the various leadership approaches and how each outlook motivates employees. More than 4,000 executives were analyzed to identify six defining characteristics of leadership styles, based on results from emotional intelligence tests. As the consultants at Business Management Degree point out, these are the top performing leadership styles: Authoritative […]
When you work at a start-up or SMB, it’s easy to dive headfirst into your career and think of little else. You might have family obligations and social events to attend, but as an entrepreneur you could envelope yourself in work without a second’s hesitation. After all, this company is your baby and your dedication […]
What’s more overwhelming than an already-stressful full time job? How about two jobs? That’s the general perception most entrepreneurs have when describing their jobs-kids-family workload. Recently, new father Simon Schneider reflected on the balance between running a start-up and running a family, in his article for Fast Company “How the birth of my son made […]
You can tell the first time you talk to Doug Shirra that one of his strengths as an executive is an ability to get something done efficiently in the nicest way possible. And he advocates that management style. Despite an increasingly B2B chaotic marketing technology environment, in the many trends and forecasts for marketers in […]
What’s the best time to send an email? Whenever there’s less competition. According to Yesware’s analysis of over 500,000 sales emails sent in Q1 2014, email open and reply rates are higher on the weekends. Why? It could be because there’s significantly less email being sent on weekends. Think of it as the Late Night […]
Giving a talk at an industry event can be a great way to increase your visibility and grow your business. Here’s how some SMB execs have successfully grabbed the spotlight. There you are, at one of the many industry events you attend each year, listening to a speaker up on the stage giving a talk […]
Aleya Chattopadhyay may now be taking time off and “thinking what I want to do next,” as she puts it, but she has some sharp insights to offer on the future of marketing and social. The ex-CMO of ScribbleLive has an impressive resume. She was the VP of Marketing for large-format and mall stores at […]
You don’t need to follow basketball to admire how the Toronto Raptors are turning heads in the NBA. They boast the third-best win percentage in the league, lead the NBA in offensive rating, and point guard Kyle Lowry is already an early contender for MVP. In short, the Raps have accomplished a masterful turnaround from […]
It’s a B2B company’s worst nightmare: your client is so slow to pay for your services/product, and you don’t know if you’ll ever see payment. Unpaid and overdue invoices are too often a reality in the B2B space, thanks to a client’s sloppiness or internal turmoil never communicated to others. Delta Inc., a Baltimore firm providing […]
How do women juggle professional careers, family life and rewarding hobbies? It’s a question that continues to plague many working women, no matter their industry. According to a report from the Harvard Business Review, fewer women are opting out of careers to raise families, and those who do, do so reluctantly. As the study noted, […]
