As we settle back in at our desks after the holidays have passed, now is the perfect time to take an hour or two to close your door and reassess. Take a few minutes to draft out some personal and business-related New Year’s Resolutions. They can be anything from using less paper at the office to resolving the dust off your business plan and making sure it reflects where your company needs to be in 2012.

My own goals are varied. Personally, I want to make more time for my family. I’m firmly resolved to attend less evening and weekend networking events and if I do have to attend an event, I will try and pick events such as galas and charity dinners where I can bring my spouse. My goal is to attend more baseball games, soccer games and talent shows for my kids...

We all know our reaction to a cute dog. Our attention is immediately diverted, and more often than not we have to stop, pet the dog and most likely tell the dog how cute it is in our best baby talk voice. The Fairmont hotel is capitalizing on this instinct, and the hotel is going to the dogs. Literally.

They have rolled out canine ambassadors in over 60 of their high end hotels to soothe the guest with their presence. The dogs come equipped with a name tag and a sign out book for guests who would like to walk the dogs around the area...

In this slowly recovering economy, it is difficult for employers to gauge whether their employees are staying as a result of lack of other options, or if it’s because they truly enjoy their job and don’t *want* to leave. Some employers may decide it doesn’t matter why their employees stay, as long as they do – a body in a seat is good enough.

But is it enough? Although workers don’t necessarily have many options to look for jobs elsewhere in an economy like today’s, is it still important to keep your employees happy and comfortable in their work environment?...

It’s difficult to find a good employee – someone who will arrive on time, who will be dedicated to the task on hand, who won’t be a negative presence in the office. I wrote on the American Express Open Forum recently about an experience I had with an employee who was difficult, disrespectful and a negative influence on other, more dedicated staff members. In that blog, I highlighted the importance of an interview process that ensures that those types of individuals do not get hired...

Many small businesses operate with a simple formula that works, for the most part – one person, the entrepreneur/founder, at the helm – and a team of associates who help them achieve their goals and keep the business running. But they often miss a crucial part of the work equation – feedback.

Feedback can be the difference between a company of tightly knit employees and a company staffed with a rotating cast of workers. It’s important to build feedback cycles into your business; feedback between your business and its customers, and from employer to employee, and of course, vice versa...

As an employer, have you ever thought about what makes your organization stand out? Why people would want to not only work for your organization but feel proud to say they do? Having motivated and trained employees is one of the most important aspects of a company. It is nearly impossible for business owners to do it alone when they have plans to expand the business. Compensation is one thing but ask yourself; what keeps your employees willing to put 110% into a day’s work. Sometimes it’s as small as letting your employees know the time and effort they put in doesn’t go unnoticed. Taking the time to train your employees correctly lets them know you are willing to invest the time in them because you foresee a strong future within the organization. Comment below to let us know ways that you help keep your employee passionate about their job!

When you hear the word “leader”  Alexander the Great, Martin Luther King Jr., Teddy Roosevelt are just a few names that come to mind but, what about great business leaders? How do you become a strong leader in your organization? Leadership skills are not something you learn overnight; developing good leadership skills takes time. To me, a leader should not only demonstrate courage, competence, and a clear vision of where he/she wants to take the company but a leader should also visually look the part. It’s important to be confident in your leadership role. Jeff Tempone from East Coast Refrigeration felt a lack of leadership respect in his organization. After spending some time with Jeff, we found out that the issue began with Jeff not his employees.  It was Jeff’s fault for not positioning himself as the driver of his company. It’s important for Jeff to become a leader to achieve breakout success and navigate his company to prosperity.  Comment below and let us know what characteristics you think a leader should have.

A company mission statements helps your employees understand what you’re trying to do as a business owner and what exactly the company should strive for. Your mission statement is the driving force behind your company philosophy. Mission statements should be succinct and easy to understand so that it paints a clear picture of what exactly you want your business to accomplish. When employees feel confident in their mission and rally around it, it makes it easy for others to feel confident in your services.  Since we last visited Jeff Tempone from East Coast Refrigeration, we learned that Jeff not only created and applied  a company mission statement  to his business but asked all of his employees to create their own personal mission statements to help them reach their full potential.  Take a look at your mission statement and ask yourself; is it driving clients to your business?

Written job descriptions are not always easy to put in place but they shape the duties of your employees. Creating job descriptions and implementing them will help your employees fulfill their daily duties. East Coast Refrigeration had some difficulties creating job descriptions for their employees. Since those job descriptions did not exist, they were unsure of their  responsibilities and were not capable of achieving daily tasks. Since the show last November, East Coast has made some significant changes to their organization including providing job descriptions to all of their employees. Now, the staff is held accountable for specific tasks because they have certain guidelines they must follow. Be sure to help your business by helping your employees first.

Rising gas costs affect everyone, no matter what the size of your business but it can be an especially tough burden on small businesses.   Everything we do costs more; the trips we take to clients and prospects, the products we ship, the mailings we send, the goods that we buy.  The list is endless.   As I looked at the rapidly rising cost of a gallon of gas (almost $4 and counting) I thought about simple ways we can use less gas and help take less out of our wallets....

How often do you receive advice about your business that you don’t take literally? Many of us discuss our business plans with consultants, business coaches, other local business owners, and family but it takes a special type of person to take the advice and essentially apply it to their business. At Basso on Business, we would like to highlight particular individuals who not only listened to the recommendations we presented them but took action! Our “Actions in Action” blog will quote our past featured business owners of 2010 and prove that when you act on advice and forge forward, positive change will flourish...

Employees are receiving a surprise raise and may not even realize it. There have been changes made to employee payroll tax/social security tax rate which will put some extra cash in many pockets. Americans can use the extra money to stimulate the economy, lord knows we need it.  Take a look at the clip below for some further detail about this “surprise raise...”

As I watch the snow rapidly fall outside my window, I feel my appointments for the day grinding to a screeching halt as the roads slush up and traffic gets worse.  Faced with some newly empty hours ahead, I’m going to utilize my time to dust off my to-do list and see if I can get the jump on a few tasks that I never seem to finish...

Our company along with twenty other companies participated in the Action Long Island Wellness Challenge where we implemented Healthy Work Programs, scheduled educational “Lunch and Learn” seminars and participated in the American Heart Association’s Online Health Tracker Program.  The program ended in November but that didn’t stop us from continuing to promote wellness throughout the company....