Every business owner or entrepreneur struggles with this at one point or another.  Whether you are cash strapped or have the cash but it’s still not incentivizing your employees, we’re always looking for ways to help ramp up the employee motivation level.

I came across a great article on Inc.com with nine ways to motivate your employees without using cash.  I took a few minutes to examine her list and compare with what I’ve done and the results...

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...

Overworked?  It may be time to recharge your batteries.

One of the biggest and most common mistakes that small business owners make is failing to delegate.   They carry the responsibility of the entire company on their shoulders, attempting to be involved in every decision at every level whether it’s customer service, marketing, sales, accounts payable while email piles up in their inbox… the list goes on.  It’s easy to get snagged up in the little stuff on a daily basis, leaving less time to concentrate on actually running the company.  Especially in these economic times, business owners are overcompensating, trying to do more with less resources.  The result of burning the candles at both ends?  Burning out.

The act of refrigeration is simply the removal of heat from an enclosed place or a material.  Simple, right?  I bet Jeff Tempone from East Coast Refrigeration in Bohemia, NY begs to differ.  Everyone in the Western civilized world takes the simple luxury of ice as a given, but not Jeff. He works long hard hours making sure his clients stay cool. 

His technical skills are unsurpassed and he can fix nearly anything mechanical. That's how he got his start working in the refrigeration business. Like many small business owners, he learned a trade and opened his own shop. For the last five years he has worked hard making his small enterprise grow....and then he realized he was really stuck...

When people think of the stereotypical entrepreneur they usually think of a male in his late 20’s with the determination to raise capital. Today, this stereotype has diminished. Instead, there is a rapid growth in entrepreneurship among young women. I found an article on Newsday.com that validated that the business world has changed and young women are finding inspiration to launch their own businesses.

Fox Business Network asked me to share my thoughts on the latest legislation passed by Congress, and whether or not it’s simply another bailout, or if it would have the power to actually boost our small businesses and our economy.  Check out the video for my thoughts and don’t forget to comment.   I want to know what you are thinking.

http://www.bassoonbusiness.com/TheBassoNewsroom.aspx

I recently wrote about a visit to the town I attended high school in. On that same trip I took a few pictures of the school, and a few places I worked when I was a teenager. One of those places was a print and copy shop called Kwik Kopy.  The owners at the time I worked there over 20 years ago were a married couple, Dan and Peggy.

For some unknown reason I choose to go inside Kwik Kopy and see who was running the place now.  To my surprise when I walked in, there was Dan. Maybe a few more grey hairs, but I certainly recognized him.  To my utter shock, he recognized me immediately. He must have had many people working for him over the years and I was only employed there for one year. How and why did he remember me?

To Franchise or Not To Franchise?

As the owner of a successful business that services franchises, I’m definitely an advocate for those thinking about owning a franchise.   Based on my background, Ken Stein from the Kensington Company asked me to speak about my experience at the conclusion of both of tomorrow’s sessions.

Click here to register for the entire event:  http://www.eventbrite.com/event/716178108/rbasso and come down to this free seminar “The Right Knowledge To Make Your Entrepreneurial Dreams A Reality” and hear what I, among other experts, have to say about franchising.

My brother lives in Westmont, NJ just one town over from where I spent my junior and senior high school years. I attended Haddonfield Memorial High School and on my last visit to see my brother I decided to stop by and show my nearly 10 year old son, Nick, the school.  We pulled up and the kids were just being let out for the day.  A few faculty members were out front I presume to keep some order to the dismissal process....

With a school district referendum vote coming up tonight in Huntington, I’ve been reminded of the importance of voting not just in federal elections, but also at state and local levels. In America we sometimes take our right to vote for granted, and yet we feel frustrated when election results don’t turn out the way we had hoped. The only way we can eliminate this sense of frustration is by doing everything we can to have our voices be heard. Join me in committing to vote from here on out.

And don’t forget to vote on Tuesday, September 14th!