United for our communities
The Pillar Award for Community Service was developed by Smart Business and Medical Mutual to honor businesses and individuals dedicated to making Northeast Ohio a better place to live.
It's time to 'lean in'
Even in this new-age feminist generation — while we’re breaking glass ceilings, running for political office in record numbers, starting and running companies — when it comes to our personal finances, we’re still pushing those decisions to men.
Customer service IS your business
Your ability to build a team that can personalize that journey for your customers can go a long way toward achieving enduring customer satisfaction, says BMW of Westlake’s Adam Moon.
Why some deals fail to meet expectation
Not all acquisitions turn out as well as originally anticipated. It is one of those skills for which people say, “If it were easy, everyone would be doing it.”
When you play ‘Gotcha!’ in M&A, it often comes back to bite you
Buyers with a gotcha mentality win some due diligence battles, but they often lose the due diligence war, says Mark A. Filippell.
Tune out the noise
Customer service is not a department. It’s an attitude. We need to find a way to get back to the basics, says VMS’s Dolf Kahle.
Ask the tough questions
Being smart about managing the bottom line is really just about hard-core management of all the “lines” that come before it, says Our Lady of the Wayside’s Terry Davis.
Take steps to be the best
It’s not enough to say we didn’t waste the talents we’ve been given. We need to put those gifts to use, says Smart Business President and CEO Fred Koury.
Why supervisory training should be provided for frontline managers
Employees are typically promoted to frontline manager positions because they’re great individual contributors. However, they often arrive at the role with little or no prior management experience, says Corporate College’s Jody M. Wheaton.
How to look for and identify the signs that it’s time for a new banker
While some banks can grow with a company, others can’t. That’s why companies should regularly evaluate their banking relationship, says First Federal Lakewood’s Kurt Kappa.