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...

By David J. Abeshouse

Civility is – and should be – a core negotiation issue.  The degree to which one employs ordinary civility in negotiations often has a marked effect on the bottom line result. It also makes life more pleasant, even in the fundamentally adversarial situations in which business litigators and transactional lawyers often find themselves. Consider the opposing party or counsel who -- instead of working with you to resolve a dispute or problem in customized, mutually acceptable fashion -- prematurely blurts out, “I’ll see you in court.” This knee-jerk reaction usually fails as a negotiation tactic...

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....

For a lot of small businesses, the first few months of the year can be slower.  The holiday spending is over, and people are starting to tighten their budgets to save for a summer vacation.   It’s the time of year to get creative and keep your business moving forward.   

When your staff has some downtime, have them hit the phones to call your current clients and make sure they are aware of all the ancillary products and services you offer.  Have everyone catch up on any projects that have been left untended due during the busy times, whether it’s scanning in old files or updating training manuals.  Try to schedule in any refresher courses during downtime as well.  Have your managers take a look at recent office supply orders and make sure they are ordering efficiently.  Offer a webinar on new laws that have passed or run additional training for your clients that may be interested in using or already are using a special product or service that you offer.  Dust off your business plan and make sure it’s updated to reflect your current position and business goals...

Guest Post by David Abeshouse, Law Office of David J. Abeshouse. 

At the dawn of history, human beings resolved disputes in ways not so far removed from those of their mammalian and reptilian forebears. Progressing over the centuries, society developed increasingly sophisticated and customized dispute resolution mechanisms. The American court system has been our forum for settling disagreements. This mostly worked, for a century or so. Early in the 20th century, new alternatives arose in reaction to many of the defects of our judiciary, and others globally. Now, 90 years later, Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR – including arbitration and mediation) has a firm and deservedly growing foothold in our business dispute resolution landscape, domestically and globally.

The vast majority of recent United States Supreme Court decisions encourage greater use of ADR in business cases. However, ADR is not yet sufficiently widespread in the opinion of those who see it as a better way to resolve more business conflicts without enduring onerous court procedures before an overworked judiciary...

It’s estimated that there are about four billion mobile phones in use worldwide. That’s right folks not four million, FOUR BILLION! Meaning that just about 70% of the world’s population is connected to the handheld device. The smartphone industry is growing at an astounding rate and 2011 could prove to be a big year in regards to mobile expansion and innovation.

As a small business owner and business professional, why not take advantage of the huge audience that you’re able to reach. By taking a few small steps you can reach the mobile masses and not miss out on the important thing that is most important, sales. Ensuring that you’ve got a mobile friendly website is one of the first steps you can take towards reaching your audience. There are a lot of great services and plug-ins that won’t break your budget but can still help optimize your site for mobile browsing...

Credit Reporting: Do You Know What Your Rights Are?

Our information is everywhere.  We shop online, save it for e-billing, lose our checking account statements, credit cards and more.  That’s why it’s so important to keep tabs on your credit score to ensure your private information is correct and protected.  I know dozens of colleagues and business owners who have fallen prey to erroneously reported charges from collection agencies among other fraudulent charges or mis-reporting from banks or credit card companies.

The best way to combat this is to stay informed.  Per the Federal Trade Commission, "the Fair Credit Reporting Act requires each of the nationwide consumer reporting companies — Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion — to provide you with a free copy of your credit report, at your request, once every 12 months."

Guest Post by David Abeshouse, Law Office of David J. Abeshouse.

Perhaps I shouldn’t be telling you this (you’ll see why in a moment), but I think you ought to know. 

Many start-ups, professional practices, and other small businesses lack line-items in their budgets for legal representation.  But they place themselves (and their owners) in considerable peril when they forego having solid written business agreements.  Owners of businesses and professional practices often assume that they have workable understandings with their vendors, associates, and partners.   These assumptions often are misguided, because even the process of negotiating an agreement reveals possible future pitfalls and misconceptions that should be addressed now, before they become mortal issues.  Lack of a written agreement often means there hasn’t been a true meeting of the minds. 

Exactly 234 years ago, a group of brave, brilliant and industrious individuals met in a steamy Philadelphia room and agreed to do something that had never been done before—start a revolution.  The risks were great; the price that was paid was high in terms of lives lost, lives destroyed and money, but in the end the reward was unmatched in human history.  The American Revolution gave us a country where freedom is sacred.

Today despite a challenging economy we have the freedom to express ourselves and pursue our business as well as our personal dreams.  For many the dream is being an entrepreneur or a small business owner or simply pursuing a career in a chosen profession or industry.  Having this choice is an integral part of our national character and a driver of the entrepreneurial spirit.  While entrepreneurs and small businesses are under attack from many directions, the American entrepreneurial spirit lives on...