Financial Eyes & Ears

Self-made real-estate mogul Barbara Corcoran, founder of the Corcoran Group, and personality on ABC’s Shark Tanktalks about how she got her employees to go after big deals. View the video on Inc.com at: http://www.inc.com/barbara-corcoran/how-to-motivate-your-staff-forget-money.html

Is the economic turmoil overseas a crisis–or an opportunity? Here’s a look at a few savvy American companies reaping the benefits of European market instability. Doing business in Europe right now is a scary thought: The euro has pretty much crashed through the floor, the Greek government is pleading for a second bailout, and European [...]

It’s time to put away the golf clubs and pull out Google Reader: Sales are no longer just about personal relationships. If you think customer loyalty is driven by personal relationships or because of your hard work, then not only are you wrong–but you’re putting your revenue at risk. The reasons for customer loyalty have [...]

Good founders benefit from vision and courage. But great founders know their success hinges on this one crucial decision. Business is a lot like sports. While business is rarely a zero-sum game, since success does not have to come at the expense of others, still, some companies win while others lose—and the reasons why aren’t [...]

When making the jump to social media marketing, small enterprises must avoid assuming that customers are ever truly engaged. There’s a turn of phrase that’s been rattling around my head recently—you know the one about being a “victim of your own success?” Sometimes I wonder whether that’s the case with social media evangelists. By any [...]

A short list of high-value opportunities will keep you focused on what really matters. In the pursuit of growth and value, the best management teams try to focus on the few opportunities that will drive the most value in the business. Once your team has aligned on the facts surrounding your business (part of our [...]

Daily deal programs provide a quick influx of cash–but what happens after that? Here’s what you need to know. While daily deals work well for some merchants, for others the positives are outweighed by operational hassles and, more importantly, the costs – and many of those costs only become apparent after the fact. “If you’re [...]

If your to-do list is fast becoming unsustainable, you do not have to wait till you are literally drowning in tasks you do not have the time, skills, nor expertise to accomplish. You could hire a virtual assistant (VA) to help you. As small business profit margins stay slim and trim while sales continue to [...]