Tim Connor: Four key elements to guide a truly integrated marketing campaign
Think back to your school days. You may remember an exceptional teacher who got through to you — one who helped you make a solid connection, clarifying the material until you arrived at that “ah-ha” moment. Powerful, meaningful connections like these are the essence of successful marketing campaigns. But it takes more than a creative […]
Jerry McLaughlin: Why Amazon may not be the right model for your business
Not long ago, I went to Wal-Mart with my daughter. The store had certainly changed from the days of Mr. Sam Walton. Piles of discarded clothes languished in shopping carts outside the dressing room. Items were in disarray aisle after aisle. It took several tries to get help from distracted associates. Later that day, I […]
Building Stronger Communities: Girl Scouts of Ohio's Heartland
Remaining relevant in a changing world: Learning from the Girl Scout’s long-term success How can nonprofit operations be relevant to companies not in the same sector? The answer is simple — successful businesses share commonalities regardless of how they are defined. Gone are the days when any organization, nonprofit or otherwise, can exist, let alone […]
Matthew Figgie & Rick Solon: Author shares advice on how to run a company as a street vendor would
In his book “What the CEO Wants You to Know,” Ram Charan shares the universal laws of business success that it doesn’t matter whether you are selling from a fruit stand or running a Fortune 500 company, the same basic fundamentals dating back to his days working in the family shoe shop in India still […]
Transparency in purchasing benefits, the time has come
The employee benefit procurement process, sometimes called marketing, has changed little over the past 25 years. This continues to frustrate many organizations looking for transparency, and potential cost savings, when procuring life, disability stop loss, dental, vision or pharmacy benefit management coverage. Formal Requests for Proposals (RFP) may travel by email, but the underlying process […]
How to plan for your businesses' future and ensure it runs smoothly
Investing some time and money when setting up a business can help you avoid more expensive problems down the line. “Clients will want to form a corporation in Nevada because someone told them there’s no tax there. But if they’re doing business in California or elsewhere, generally they have to qualify as a foreign corporation and pay taxes and regulatory fees when […]
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 […]