Features
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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“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.
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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?
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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.
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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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Georgia Manufacturing Falls Below National Index for First Time in 2013
August 05, 2013
Georgia manufacturers experienced lower activity for the fourth consecutive month, falling below the national index for July, according to the Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) released today by Kennesaw State University’s Econometric Center in the Michael J. Coles College of Business.
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5 Ways Your Business Can Beat the Summer Slump
August 01, 2013
It’s the dog days of summer, and your small business might be starting to feel like a ghost town. Everybody seems to be working shorter days, or on vacation, or just not ready to shift gears from browsing to buying. You may be thinking of throwing in the towel, but your business doesn’t have to suffer from a summer slowdown.
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The Ugly Truth About Small Business
July 31, 2013
People who know me know that I love being an entrepreneur. There is absolutely nothing like the thrill of taking something that you created out to market. It’s a ton of fun, it’s challenging and it’s so rewarding to know that your future is entirely in your own hands. I really don’t know that anything helps you develop your own sense of self in quite the same way as creating your vision and then working hard to ensure its success.
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No Ifs, Ands or Butts: Get Your Employees Fit!
July 29, 2013
Are your employees sitting at their desks all day? If so, chances are they’re not maximizing their productivity—and they could be racking up your health insurance costs. If you’re looking to build a healthier workforce (one that won’t have as many accidents and illnesses, and saves you money on health insurance and workers’ comp), consider ways to make yourself and your team more active at work.
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How Are Your Road Warriors Spending the Company Dime?
July 26, 2013
Concur Analysis of $50 Billion in Business Expenses Reveals Small Business Travelers are More Active on the Road, Resulting in Higher Spend than Enterprise Counterparts.
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9 Entrepreneurship Principles You Shouldn’t Forget
July 25, 2013
Businesses fail all the time. SBA likes to throw statistics at you such as a 95% failure rate within a year of operation and so on. (But see the definitive small business failure rates.) We visit 9 entrepreneurship principles you shouldn’t forget, to help you be more successful.
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Billion Dollar Baby: U.S. Chamber is First to Hit $1B Lobbying Milestone
July 24, 2013
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has made big news with the filing of a simple quarterly report. When the behemoth business trade group reported its lobbying numbers for the second quarter of 2013 on Monday, it set a new record: The Chamber became the first organization to report total lobbying expenditures of more than $1 billion, according to OpenSecrets.org. What has that gotten them? Not as much as they would like.
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Georgia’s International Businesses Experience Declined in 2nd Quarter
July 23, 2013
Georgia international businesses experienced a slight drop in second-quarter activity due to decreases in both employment and capital spending, which offset increases in new orders and production, according to the Georgia International Business Index.
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7 Ways Savvy Businesses Use Mobile
July 22, 2013
It’s exciting to see small businesses jumping on the mobile revolution. I think it’s more noticeable with small businesses, because we’ve been conditioned to expect “old style” low tech ways of conducting business from smaller vendors. But today that’s simply no longer true.
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How to Take a Summer Vacation From Your Business
July 19, 2013
Summer is a popular time for Americans to set off to their favorite vacation destinations. But for small business owners, taking time off can lead to missed opportunities and missed income.
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How Changing Interest Rates May Affect Your Investments
July 18, 2013
Even if you didn’t take Economics 101 in college, just navigating through the past several years has given you hands-on experience with one of the course’s most valuable lessons: The rise and fall of interest rates is one of the biggest factors influencing global economies, financial markets, and our daily lives. That’s why it is important to have a basic understanding of how interest rate changes could affect not only your wallet but also your investment portfolio.
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Small Business Owners: Healthier, But Less Likely to Be Insured
July 17, 2013
A majority of small business owners (53 percent) believe that running a company improves their health, a recent Bank of America survey indicates. And those in business for themselves are in better shape than those who work for others, a Gallup-Healthways Well-Being survey reveals.