Do I Really Need QuickBooks for My Start-Up Business? And, How the Heck Do I Figure Out Which One?
If you own a start-up business, you've probably heard over and over again that you should get QuickBooks for your business. This can be a great idea for most businesses, but the dizzying array of choices can leave any business owner reeling.First, consider why QuickBooks should be your first choice.QuickBooks was the first nationally recognized accounting software program designed for business owners, rather than accountants. Starting in 1992, QuickBooks software has made computerized accounting accessible to every business owner.QuickBooks uses real a

Alright Isn't All Right in Business Writing
Basic business writing (letters, memos, emails) today is supposed to be informal and conversational. "Write more like you talk" is the advice frequently given by business writing experts. Many of the grammar rules that we learned in school either no longer apply or have been altered to fit the times. American English is based on common usage, which means that even if something is done incorrectly according to the rules, if it's done often enough and by enough people, it becomes acceptable, much to the chagrin of most high school English teachers.One rule that is “on t

Vending Machine Consumer Perceptions
A recent vending machine industry-wide survey revealed that the vending machine industry is losing many potential consumers due to a lack of consumer education. The study surveyed 2,223 people over the Internet. The objective of the new vending machine industry study was to determine vending machine consumer motives for purchase decisions. The study also examined potential areas to expand vending machine use and the general public's awareness of new vending machine technology and products.The key findings of the vending machine industry survey are listed below.fference. How will they know they are doing that? They’ll know it when you build a system to keep them abreast of how the business is doing. Now, you don’t have to tell them everything, but you should keep them informed of the important stuff. “Like what?” you ask?

Well, how about the challenges the business is facing, new procedures you’re considering, or new twists the market is taking. You might let them know when you or other leaders are going to take time off, and even give them a little report when you get back. Tell them honestly how their work is affecting the success of the business; people want to know when they’re doing things right. By the way, if there are bad things going on, focus on the effect of those bad things (gossip, customer service issues, incomplete work) rather than pointing out individuals and ‘hanging it on them’. There IS a time to do such a thing, but it’s when you’re meeting one-on-one with the person involved, don’t point out individual problems in general meetings with other staff.

LISTEN TO WHAT THEY’RE TELLING YOU
This is the second critical piece of good communication. Most business leaders are challenged for time, so planning for listening is important. Set up a bi-weekly or a monthly meeting for listening. You want to avoid a gripe session, so – especially at the beginning – carefully script it and stick to the script. It’s wise to take notes, and then to take action where action is called for. By the way, there’s nothing wrong with deciding that you are NOT going to do everything that staff would like, but it IS important to respect them enough to tell them face to face that you’ve decided not to, and why. Regular feedback is ESSENTIAL. In a small office, giving feedback about action taken on the past month’s concerns is enough. In a larger organization, you may want to post a bulletin board listing concerns and the action that followed them. One owner set up an actual team whose job was to follow up on staff concerns and see that action was carried through. Done in cooperation with the management, this is a very good idea. It’s important, though, that this type of team and leadership communicate regularly to avoid misunderstandings.

INVOLVE THE STAFF IN MAKING THE BUSINESS WORK
Everybody wants to be part of a winning team, good staff especially so. Once you’ve laid out the challenges that the business is facing in your “listening meetings”, find ways to get the staff involved in helping to meet those challenges. The same business that formed the team for dealing with staff concerns also had staff teams for other major areas, such as the physical plant and internal processes. Not surprisingly, their process team was able to make several changes in scheduling procedures that significantly improved flow through the business,

s on the effect of those bad things (gossip, customer service issues, incomplete work) rather than pointing out individuals and ‘hanging it on them’. There IS a time to do such a thing, but it’s when you’re meeting one-on-one with the person involved, don’t point out individual problems in general meetings with other staff.

LISTEN TO WHAT THEY’RE TELLING YOU
This is the second critical piece of good communication. Most business leaders are challenged for time, so planning for listening is important. Set up a bi-weekly or a monthly meeting for listening. You want to avoid a gripe session, so – especially at the beginning – carefully script it and stick to the script. It’s wise to take notes, and then to take action where action is called for. By the way, there’s nothing wrong with deciding that you are NOT going to do everything that staff would like, but it IS important to respect them enough to tell them face to face that you’ve decided not to, and why. Regular feedback is ESSENTIAL. In a small office, giving feedback about action taken on the past month’s concerns is enough. In a larger organization, you may want to post a bulletin board listing concerns and the action that followed them. One owner set up an actual team whose job was to follow up on staff concerns and see that action was carried through. Done in cooperation with the management, this is a very good idea. It’s important, though, that this type of team and leadership communicate regularly to avoid misunderstandings.

INVOLVE THE STAFF IN MAKING THE BUSINESS WORK
Everybody wants to be part of a winning team, good staff especially so. Once you’ve laid out the challenges that the business is facing in your “listening meetings”, find ways to get the staff involved in helping to meet those challenges. The same business that formed the team for dealing with staff concerns also had staff teams for other major areas, such as the physical plant and internal processes. Not surprisingly, their process team was able to make several changes in scheduling procedures that significantly improved flow through the business,

, and then to take action where action is called for. By the way, there’s nothing wrong with deciding that you are NOT going to do everything that staff would like, but it IS important to respect them enough to tell them face to face that you’ve decided not to, and why. Regular feedback is ESSENTIAL. In a small office, giving feedback about action taken on the past month’s concerns is enough. In a larger organization, you may want to post a bulletin board listing concerns and the action that followed them. One owner set up an actual team whose job was to follow up on staff concerns and see that action was carried through. Done in cooperation with the management, this is a very good idea. It’s important, though, that this type of team and leadership communicate regularly to avoid misunderstandings.

INVOLVE THE STAFF IN MAKING THE BUSINESS WORK
Everybody wants to be part of a winning team, good staff especially so. Once you’ve laid out the challenges that the business is facing in your “listening meetings”, find ways to get the staff involved in helping to meet those challenges. The same business that formed the team for dealing with staff concerns also had staff teams for other major areas, such as the physical plant and internal processes. Not surprisingly, their process team was able to make several changes in scheduling procedures that significantly improved flow through the business,

ant, though, that this type of team and leadership communicate regularly to avoid misunderstandings.

INVOLVE THE STAFF IN MAKING THE BUSINESS WORK
Everybody wants to be part of a winning team, good staff especially so. Once you’ve laid out the challenges that the business is facing in your “listening meetings”, find ways to get the staff involved in helping to meet those challenges. The same business that formed the team for dealing with staff concerns also had staff teams for other major areas, such as the physical plant and internal processes. Not surprisingly, their process team was able to make several changes in scheduling procedures that significantly improved flow through the business, raising customer satisfaction and also building employee morale. You might be pleasantly surprised at what staff can do, but again, it takes planning to make it work. Don’t just form a team and hope for the best.

REWARD STAFF FOR MAKING THE BUSINESS SUCCESSFUL
Finally, a reward system for making the business successful is an investment, not a cost, if it’s done right. To do it right the rewards have to be tied to important values and key results in the business, and not just to monetary gains. Do you want customers to be delighted with your service delivery? Find a way to reward for that. Are you concerned with a smooth flow of customers and information through the business? Look for the data that will allow you to monitor the flow. Monetary rewards are the most common, but they should be tied to actual performance so that they are only paid when the business is performing to known goals. Rewards can also be in the form of awards, pins, dinners, etc., but should always be tied to actions or results that make the organization more effective.