What you should know when you look to franchise your business
Franchising provides a tremendous opportunity to grow your business, so long as you understand the commitment that is required to make it work, says Sean Brauser, founder and CEO at Pizzafire.
Ohio’s Franklin County Clerk of Courts builds model approach to fiscal, operations management
Franklin County Clerk of Courts Maryellen O’Shaughnessy has achieved superior fiscal and operations management in the greater Central Ohio region.
Five things employers should know about Ohio’s medical marijuana law
How Ohio’s new medical marijuana law will impact workplaces in the state.
How asking powerful questions can help you win
We want you to think of questions as a starting point for taking a team on a journey. If leaders use just what’s in their own head to take a team somewhere, they are capped by their own knowledge. On the other hand, if leaders ask genuine, open questions of the team — and that doesn’t mean giving up responsibility for where the team needs to go—they are no longer limited to just what they know. Everyone can participate in getting to a new place.
Making order out of chaos in a crazy world
How does one learn to lead — a business, an organization, a life — in a world that’s always changing, always unpredictable and often just plain nuts? Following are five indispensable tips for creating order out of chaos in a crazy world:
Five ways to avoid delusional altruism
Good businesses pride themselves on the good they do for others, both in terms of their products and services and in the way they give back to their communities. However, in my 16 years of experience advising corporate, institutional and individual philanthropists, I’ve found that many suffer from delusional altruism.
Become pleasantly persistent (not pushy)
Do not give up at the first sign of resistance. You will get a “no” a minimum of three to five times before you get a “yes.”
Bay Area festival entertains with diverse music, beautiful scenery
Click here to access this story about Stern Grove Festival in the Digital Edition of Smart Business Northern California.
How challenges at work led to preventing blindness for millions
In 1965, a young Dr. Jim Hobart and Gene Watson tried to convince their Silicon Valley employer, Spectra-Physics, to enter the laser business. They were turned down and immediately resigned. In 1966, they persuaded six other founders to start Coherent Inc. For startup capital, the group managed to scrounge up $10,000. During an initial meeting, […]
Businesses must adapt a new mindset to remain competitive
Today’s knowledge workers must go beyond the current needs of the economy and focus on the skills organizations will need in the future. Here are two of the most essential skills of the future workforce: Social intelligence Social intelligence is the capability to both read the thinking and emotions of others quickly in each context, […]