Steve Jacobs: Your annual business plan — Are you ready to fully execute your 2014 blueprints?
After careful planning to refresh company strategy, a major financial services company set aggressive objectives for the coming year. The executive team aimed to create a consistently outstanding customer experience across every access point. Leaders resolved to hire a new chief service officer, broaden the roles of field personnel to “quarterback” the service experience across […]
Lessons learned as an African-American owned business
Moody Nolan set up shop in 1982 as one of a few minority-owned architectural firms in the United States. The company started out with loads of confidence in our abilities and a drive to succeed, just as all start-ups do. Of course, it takes more than confidence to succeed, or every business would. It takes […]
Directors and officers liability: How to establish policies, procedures that will protect your company
While it is obvious that directors and officers shouldn’t steal from their company or commit other criminal acts, running a business can be very complex and it’s a good idea to set clear policies and procedures for what should and shouldn’t be done, says Nicole S. Healy, a partner with Ropers, Majeski, Kohn & Bentley […]
2014 Pillar Awards: photos and video
Medical Mutual 2014 Pillar Award for Community Service On Jan. 16, 2014, Smart Business and Medical Mutual presented the 2014 Medical Mutual Pillar Award for Community Service event to a well-deserving group of honorees. The evening event, held at the Statehouse, not only recognized corporate philanthropy in many forms and the special relationship between the […]
James D. White found the right blend of strategies to create a smooth turnaround at Jamba Juice
When James D. White came on-board with Jamba Juice Co. in December 2008, same store sales dipped 8 percent and the company lost $149 million for the year. The recession had prompted consumers to cut discretionary spending, and smoothies just weren’t considered essential. Management created a road map to get the business back on track. […]
Can The Surprising U.S Economic Expansion Continue?
Q: The U.S. economic expansion appears to be continuing at a moderate pace into 2014. Are you surprised? A: Not at all. We switched from negative to positive on the economy back in the Spring of 2009 and have not wavered since then. The key to our confidence has been the message from our proprietary […]
Starting your own brand isn’t easy, but it’s worth it
Ever since I can remember, I knew I wanted to design my own clothing line. I have always loved art in general. Growing up with two older brothers who are incredible artists may be the reason I have always wanted to design. Since day one, my inspiration for launching my own business has been my […]
The most important part of leadership . . . that's rarely discussed
The most important part of leadership . . . that’s rarely discussed
Lee Ellis: The epiphany to growth and prosperity in 2014 — Three ways to climb higher
Looking back, 2013 was a very busy year for most of us — what a blur of activity! Some of my closest friends were worried that I wouldn’t be able to sustain the pace of traveling, speaking, book signing, consulting, coaching and even working on a new book. There were challenging moments, but amazingly my […]
Mary Ann Lievois – How you can take the lead to build a healthier work force
A growing number of companies are making a commitment to enhance employee performance by implementing health and wellness programs. Many leaders, however, overlook the value of thoughtfully designed workplaces as a tool to inspire, motivate and retain employees. Conventional workplace health and wellness programs are terrific, but tend to be disproportionally utilized by those already […]