Did you enjoy the Olympics as much as I did?  Watching the world’s finest athletes reminds me how much entrepreneurs and corporate athletes have in common. Disagree? By watching and mimicking some of today’s best athletes, entrepreneurs and small businesses can tap into the American entrepreneurial spirit and find their own success despite today’s turbulent economy and business market...

Many seasoned entrepreneurs – including me – have a passion for helping other entrepreneurs achieve their goals, and to mentor or support young professionals the way our mentors were there for us. However, it can be a lot of work to find an opportunity or a person worth sponsoring, especially when financing a young entrepreneur – and there are very few safeguards in place. But that was before the advent of a new website – Kickstarter.com...

On July 18^th, Newsday published a story about Kozy Shack, a Long Island based rice pudding company. Kozy Shack is celebrating its 44^th year of operation and is still going strong. Business like this that were “born and raised” on Long Island can serve as a great inspiration to other businesses and entrepreneurs – after all, every great business starts with just an idea...

At Basso On Business we want to expand our reach to give back and help each and every part of the business world, including the online sector.

We launched a real world forum with Working Lunch where business professionals can come together and share insights to challenges and problems they’re looking to overcome while garnering advice and feedback.  As of today, we’ve launched our new LinkedIn group and have taken that same entrepreneurial mindset in bringing business owners and professionals together to help each other overcome challenges and problems and transcended our thinking into the social media realm...

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.

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...

Email is the number one method of business communication; the amount of “snail mail” my office receives is rapidly dwindling with the exception of catalogs.  However, the cost associated with company email can be staggering to a startup company.  Hence, many small businesses rely on free email services such as AOL, Hotmail or Gmail; using these for business purposes can be a struggle and confusing....

It's the time of year when everyone starts looking at 2011 and setting personal resolutions, such as losing weight, saving money or taking more vacations.  This year, I challenge you not just to make personal resolutions but resolutions for your business as well...

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.

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...

In June, the New York Enterprise Report asked me to write a monthly blog using my 15 years of experience as an entrepreneur to provide their readers with useful tips and innovative advice to help their readers run their businesses more efficiently...

http://nyreport.com/articles/77040/3_reasons_why_a_business_plan_is_essential

I typically begin my day by browsing some of the newest headlines to stay informed with the latest business news. I came across an article on Forbes.com that showcased 11 movies that entrepreneurs should watch because of the long lasting lessons for those who aspire to be wealthy. I thought I would share with you the movies they listed and ask what outside forces or business related experiences you have been through that have taught you valuable lessons of aspiring wealth that have impacted your business strategy....

Recently I had the opportunity to go on Fox news and talk about the potential results of the new small business legislation that was just passed by both houses of Congress. This new legislation includes $30 billion in aid to community banks, a capital gains increase, deductible health care for those who are self employed as well as much more. Click the link below to hear my thoughts on how this legislation is really going to help small businesses.

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?