Features

  • Georgia Manufacturing Activity Registers its First Increase in Six Months

    October 07, 2013

    Georgia’s manufacturing experienced a slight increase – the first increase in six months – due to strong gains in employment, production and supplier delivery time, according to the Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) released by Kennesaw State University’s Econometric Center in the Michael J. Coles College of Business.

  • How Common are Small Business Administration (SBA) Loans?

    October 04, 2013

    Small Business Administration (SBA) guaranteed loans get a lot of attention in Washington. President Obama, for instance, believes that “the SBA should be provided additional resources to assist small businesses in acquiring capital necessary to start, continue, or expand operations”, the Congressional Research Service reports.

  • Small Business Employment in Recessions and Expansions

    October 02, 2013

    Small business employment has grown more slowly than big business employment since the end of the Great Recession. That wasn’t supposed to happen. Conventional wisdom is that small business employment declines more in economic downturns, but rises more in economic expansions. Small companies, the argument goes, are more nimble, making their employment decisions more responsive to economic conditions.

  • 3 Questions for You to Ask Yourself About Employee Health Care

    September 30, 2013

    Small businesses face important decisions about employee benefits, and as deadlines for Affordable Care Act (ACA) requirements draw near, timing is of the essence. You should consider the following three questions to make more informed decisions for your workforce.

  • If You Want Entrepreneurial Success, Learn to Embrace Failure

    September 24, 2013

    First off, let me tell you this: I fail – a lot… and I’m ready for more failures. Before you say, “Are you out of your mind,” let me explain a bit. I hate the feeling of failure. Nobody likes to fail. But I learned during my entrepreneurial career that if you want to achieve entrepreneurial success, you need failures. You need to fail and the more you fail, the closer you are to your goal.

  • Couples in Business: You and Your Partner, Inc.

    September 23, 2013

    After firing my husband, Joe, at least three times from our family-owned communications and production company because we absolutely could not work together, I was anxious to read a new, self-published book by therapists, Miriam Hawley and Jeffrey McIntyre. The Cambridge, Massachusetts-based couple interviewed about 45 couples in business together to collect anecdotes and strategies for You & Your Partner, Inc.: Entrepreneurial Couples Succeeding in Business, Life and Love.

  • 70% of Small Business B2B Websites Lack A Call to Action

    September 20, 2013

    Does your home page on your website have a call to action? In other words, does your website home page attempt to get the visitor to do something — besides simply read and leave?

  • Are Americans Becoming Interested in Entrepreneurship Again?

    September 17, 2013

    The recently released Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM), a nationally representative survey of American adults, reveals that the fraction of Americans who intend to start a business rose to 12.5 percent in 2012 — a substantial increase from the 8.3 percent recorded in 2008.

  • State of Georgia Ports: GPA Adds Cargo, Customers in FY2013

    September 16, 2013

    In his State of the Port address, Georgia Ports Authority Executive Director Curtis Foltz reported record cargo volumes, an influx of new business, and more than 1 million square feet of distribution center space leased or developed.

  • GDECD Commissioner Chris Cummiskey Leaving Post to Join Southern Power

    September 13, 2013

    Gov. Nathan Deal today announced that he has nominated U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson’s chief of staff, Chris Carr, to succeed Chris Cummiskey as the commissioner of the Georgia Department of Economic Development. Cummiskey will join Southern Co. as chief commercial officer of Southern Power.

  • Doug Robinson: Great Salespeople Aren’t Born…They’re Good Storytellers

    September 11, 2013

    When your employees sell your products and services, do they jump into a presentation of nuts and bolts to explain how it works, or do they tell success stories?

  • Commentary: Georgia's Senate Race: Who'll Win?

    September 06, 2013

    Who’s going to win? It doesn’t matter the race really. The question is almost the political equivalent of commenting on the weather. It is an entry into picking the brains of other politicos to compare notes and strategies for an upcoming campaign season. And yet, for this election cycle in Georgia, it is the wrong question at this time.

  • Georgia Manufacturing Activity Drops for 5th Consecutive Month

    September 05, 2013

    Georgia’s manufacturing experienced a drop in August, resulting in the fifth consecutive month of decline, according to the Purchasing Managers Index released today by Kennesaw State University’s Econometric Center in the Michael J. Coles College of Business.

  • Artesian Contracting Supports Georgia's Military Bases

    September 04, 2013

    For the past 25 years, Artesian Contracting has renovated, remediated and improved base facilities at military installations across Georgia. The firm is based in Albany near the Marine Corps Logistics Base and also has satellite offices at Moody AFB and Robins AFB. Approximately 80 percent of the firm's work is in Georgia and government projects represent about 75 percent of its completed projects.

  • Learn How To Acquire New Businesses: Review of Successful Acquisitions

    September 03, 2013

    Business acquisitions are announced in the Wall Street Journal almost everyday and are glamourized in movies such as Oliver Stone’s “Wall Street.” But most small business are not public. So most owners only have imagined what an acquisition process entails — or they just have cliched Gordon Gekko quotes to go on.

  • Big Business Tactics Your Businesses Can Use

    August 30, 2013

    Don’t buy into the idea that as a small business, you’re limited to your personal capabilities. Software is getting more affordable. And DIY is “in” right now in a major way. The lines blur between “big” and “small” business when it comes to tools and techniques like these.

  • 49% of Workers Do Not Negotiate Job Offers

    August 29, 2013

    A failure to negotiate a job offer means many workers are leaving money on the table. A new CareerBuilder survey finds that even though 45 percent of employers are willing – and expect – to negotiate salaries for initial job offers, almost half (49 percent) of workers accept the first offer given to them.

  • 3 Things Small Businesses Can Learn From Google Product Failures

    August 28, 2013

    People tend to give Google a hard time for trying out so many different products – many of which eventually go to the chopping block. Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt is famous for saying “We celebrate our failures.” We discuss three reasons why your small business should celebrate them too.

  • Are You a Dreamer or Are You a Visionary?

    August 26, 2013

    Dreaming is fun because a dream can be anything. There are no rules, no approvals necessary and no one you have to impress or satisfy. You can turn off the safeties, play in traffic, and generally indulge in anything you want. Businesses are built on dreams.

  • What You Need to Know About Business Licenses and Permits

    August 20, 2013

    If you’re launching a business, you’ve probably already looked into the option of incorporating or forming an LLC for your new company. This act registers your business with the state, and you should be all set to legally operate your business, right? Not so fast. Incorporating or forming an LLC creates a legal entity for your business, but there are most likely other permits and licenses that you’ll need to obtain.

  • Georgia Currently 23rd in the Nation for Solar Power

    August 16, 2013

    Today, Environment Georgia Research & Policy Center released Lighting the Way, a new report highlighting a solar energy boom across the country. The report outlines the twelve states that have made a considerable contribution to the nation’s rise in solar power. Georgia, however, missed the cut and ranks 23rd in the nation for per capita solar installations. But, Georgia should not be written off yet, in the past year the Georgia Public Service Commission has voted to expand Georgia’s solar market by over 700 MW.

  • “Jobs” Movie Chronicles the Life of a Creative Entrepreneur

    August 15, 2013

    Jobs, the indie biopic about Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, is set to release tomorrow. The movie chronicles Jobs’s journey from college dropout to successful creative entrepreneur, taking place roughly from 1971 to 1991. Though the movie is specifically about the beginnings of Apple and, more specifically, Jobs’ rise as an innovator, entrepreneurs may find things that will inspire them in their own journey.

  • How Do Your Employee Benefits Stack Up?

    August 12, 2013

    Are you worried about retaining your key employees as the economy heats up? Or do you need to attract new workers to help with growing demand for your product or service, or to expand your business? In either case, employee benefits are an important factor in whether employees choose to join your company, stay with your business for the long haul or jump ship. How do you know if your employee benefits measure up?

  • Doug Robinson: Perfect Practice Makes Perfect

    August 09, 2013

    Salespeople continually hear the mantra, practice makes perfect, but that’s not really true. As the title above emphasizes, it’s perfect practice that makes perfect, underscoring the fact that not just any practice will do.

  • Starting A Small Business: 7 Deadly Sins

    August 07, 2013

    A small business owner’s life can be a real roller coaster. There’s no road map, and pitfalls lurk around every corner. While making mistakes may be a great way to learn, it’s a lot better to avoid them in the first place.

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