How analytics software provides useful information during audits
Big data can reveal many opportunities for improving your business, but extracting the precise information you need can be a struggle. “Some companies today have more than 30 years worth of data. Their databases are so large that it’s difficult to get a handle on them,” says Joe Welker, CISA, IT audit manager at Rea […]
Beau Euton & William Mehus: Insurance exchanges — Determining the difference between public and private alternatives
There’s no question that a fair amount of confusion exists about the Affordable Care Act — including the lack of clarity about the differences between private insurance exchanges and public exchanges. Beginning now, individuals are, as a result of the ACA, required to either obtain health insurance or face penalties. Most people are covered by […]
Kelly Borth: Best foot forward — Make social media work for your business by using this guide
Although social media has become mainstream practice for businesses, many executives are still uncertain how to put their best foot forward with social media strategy. If done right, social media is the perfect platform to give your brand a personality, and build brand affinity and awareness. It requires clear objectives and a smart strategy in […]
Mimi Dane: Dust off your core values — Use your culture as a foundation for every decision you make
If you ask anyone what makes Flying Horse Farms so special, unquestionably the answer will be “the people.” As CEO of this life-changing organization, I am proud of the culture we have built and believe our culture has everything to do with our success. As a young organization, we were fortunate to build our culture […]
Aigerim Shorman: Avoid these five things when doing a startup and you’ll have a better chance
Being an entrepreneur is probably one of the hardest things you’ll ever do. There is very little room for error. Therefore, it is important to learn as much as possible from other people’s mistakes and try not to repeat them. In the past three years as an entrepreneur, I have accumulated a long list of […]
How do you know when it’s the right time to sell?
As a rule, you make money in real estate when you buy, not when you sell. With that said, it’s common for an owner not to know when to sell, says Joseph V. Barna, SIOR, a principal at Cushman & Wakefield/CRESCO Real Estate. The property owner needs to weigh market conditions, along with internal factors […]
Greg Booth protects and diversifies Zippo’s billion-dollar brand so it’s no match for the competition
After more than 10 years as president and CEO of Zippo Manufacturing Co., Greg Booth is still amazed by the product’s brand recognition. In many places, there’s 90 percent brand awareness. When Japanese consumers were asked to name top American brands, their first responses were Coke, McDonald’s, Nike and Zippo. “Prior to coming to work […]
Lessons learned: John Sheppard draws on his experience to lead EveryWare Global into a new future
When John Sheppard stepped into his role as president and CEO of EveryWare Global Inc. nearly two years ago, he knew he was faced with the difficult challenge of bringing together two ingrained cultures of two iconic brands — what he didn’t know, was that the two companies had yet to meet. Anchor Hocking and […]
How plan sponsors are expanding options and managing risk
Smart Business spoke with Phil Scott of Sequent Retirement and Benefits Group about trends for plan sponsors. What are some areas of growing interest and focus for plan sponsors? One area that continues to be explored is automatic contribution enrollment and automatic contribution increases as ways to boost participation. By providing better education and communication […]
How the Ohio health insurance market is responding in the ACA era
Health care used to be one of the more scrutinized types of insurance, but that’s no longer part of the landscape. Under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the only criteria that determines price for small group health insurance is date of birth, zip code and whether you smoke or not — making it one of […]