Most residents of North Carolina who apply for individual health insurance apply for the innovative Blue Cross Blue Shield North Carolina (BCBSNC) Blue Advantage medical insurance plan.

Today, employers expect us to show up with more knowledge, better information, fresh creativity and vast energy. To show up in those ways we have begun to look deeper and deeper inside our being to come up with our best. And the by-product of all that inner searching is a new expectation about what we want and expect from the companies we work for.

A look at where people go wrong when considering whether or not they need the services of a professional translator or translation agency.

Almost every day we encounter an ad, a slogan, or some other communication that admonishes us to Listen! Entire ad campaigns have been built around a theme that tells the world that they listen to their customers. And I agree that listening is a very powerful way to connect with another person. That being said, I firmly believe that listening is only part of the power. The real power comes when we LISTEN & HEAR!

Year-end often means the annual performance review dance is about to begin. Our suggestion - don't do them at all if you're only doing once a year! Performance reviews need to be ongoing to be most effective for you and your employees.

Fleeced, ripped-off, cheated, conned. We're all afraid of losing money to wholesalers who turn out not to be the real deal. The horror stories can certainly be very off putting – especially to those just getting started. The trick is to spot it and stop it before it's too late!

It is well known that inadequate hand washing can lead to the spread of germs. However, as cleaning professionals it is sometimes overlooked how important this is in our industry. Even if your cleaning staff is wearing gloves, it is still important that they spend the extra time necessary to make sure chemicals and germs are thoroughly washed off their hands

If you have a business you should be bartering goods and services with other businesses. You should try to trade for something before you buy it. Barter deals usually require little or no money.

Recently the Federal Trade Commission has attempted to report on the franchising industry in a 432 page report. On page 44 of the report they discuss the definition of “Franchise Seller,” which no one ever uses in the real world. The term we use in modern day franchising is; Franchisor.