That’s what’s happening, according to recent testimony before the House Small Business Committee. John Dearie, executive VP of the Financial Services Forum, a trade organization in D.C., reported that only 8% of companies are in business less than one year, compared with the 15% rate in effect since the 1970s. And for the first time in 30 years, business deaths (closures, bankruptcies) are exceeding business births. What do you think the government can or should do?

Want to hear my favorite procrastination joke? "I’ll tell you later." Piers Steel, a psychologist at the University of Calgary, has saved up countless such lines while researching the nature of procrastination. Formerly a terrible procrastinator himself, he figures a dose of humor can’t hurt. It’s certainly better than continually building up anxiety about work you should do now but put off until later and later, as your chances of completing it grow ever slimmer, and the consequences loom ever larger. Start living your dream, your business plan, your work out regimen or anything you feel like you have to wait for the perfect moment before you start. Do not wait! Start NOW! Start TODAY! Its already the perfect day! 

Even if budgets for bonuses are tight, you can curb employee grumbling with a little recognition. Keeping them feeling good about what they bring to the table can be a huge motivator and create loyalty. Make a fuss over standout employees on social media to give them time in the spotlight. Spread the word that you have a great team and (more importantly) that you appreciate them.

When your team members go above and beyond the call of duty, it’s important to recognize them to help keep them motivated and on track. But if your small business is struggling, a cash reward or a raise might not be in the budget. That’s not to say your hands are tied. When your employees go the extra mile, recognize their efforts. Here are six ways to do so without killing your budget.

1. Use a Social Media Shout Out

Your social media accounts are good for a lot more than business marketing. The next time an employee performs well, craft a quick narrative about what he or she did, and how it positively affected business operations, then post it on social media. Give a hearty “Thank you!” at the end. Your other team members and customer base can see what a great job your staff member did.

2. Develop a Local Gift Card Exchange

If you run a restaurant and you've been rewarding your staff with gift cards for free food, you might want to re-think your approach. Your team probably eats food at the restaurant all the time, so free food may not seem that special. Instead, partner up with other local business owners and exchange gift cards, using their cards as your rewards. Your employees will appreciate the free goodies, and you can generate goodwill and more business by deepening local business relationships.

3. Offer a Better Title

Even if you can’t offer an official promotion, there are things you can do to show you respect your employees and the work they put in. For instance, you could make your top salesperson an Executive Sales Rep (with a modest bump in commission), or if you have a staff member who does a great job training other team members, you could promote him or her to Trainer, adding $1 per hour to his or her wage during training(s).

4. Implement Non-Financial Incentives

An extra week of vacation would be cherished by your staff, as would the ability to write their own schedules for a week. You could even set up a contest, so that the winning staff member gets to opt out of his or her least favorite job duties, assigning them to the rest of the team – it can be a great way to motivate other team members to take things to the next level.

5. Allow Telecommuting

How many of your employees are dying to work from home? Of course, not every position or business model lends itself to home-based work, but if your employees do most of their job online, considering offering telecommuting as your next incentive.

6.  Arrange a Team Building Event

Rather than organizing and planning your next team building event, give your high-performing team a budget to plan their own event. They can decide where to go, what to do, and how to enjoy celebrating their success.

When it comes to motivating your team, it’s important to get creative. Sticking to the same old incentives gets boring, making it hard to keep spirits high. If you’re struggling to come up with a good idea, ask your staff what they’d appreciate most – you may be surprised by what you learn.

Delegation doesn't come naturally for many small business owners. It's a complete change of pace from what most business owners do during the startup phase -- i.e., everything! But that doesn't mean it's not possible.

A big challenge that comes with delegation is avoiding micromanagement. If you have trouble letting go and compensate by trying to keep your fingers on every part of your business, you are undoing any good that can come from the delegation process.

Effective delegation starts with a desire to offload some of your work so you can focus on growing your business. Without delegation, your success as a small business owner is limited. Until a team is developed and daily business management responsibilities are delegated, the business can't grow and, as a business owner, you will likely be overextended and highly frustrated.

Running a business goes far beyond marketing, payroll and office supplies these days. As discussion intensifies and changes arise in the legalization of marijuana, business owners should stay on top of how it could affect company policies. Be proactive and reach out to your attorney to see what's best for your business in light of any new or possible legislation.

RELATED ARTICLE

Legalized Marijuana and Your Business

By Barbara Weltman

Two states have legalized the recreational use of marijuana and other states may follow suit. A number of other states permit the use of pot for medical purposes. Is it time to review your employee manual to account for this drug?

On-the-job versus off-the-job use

You may have heard of the Washington man who was first in line to purchase marijuana the day it became legal in that state. (The employer had seen him in the local media and was unaware that he had taken the day off.) When the test showed him to be positive for pot use, he was fired. He was later reinstated when it was clear that he was not on the job the day he used the drug.

This is only the first instance of any repercussions for legal marijuana use as it relates to the workplace. It won’t be long before there are terminations that come before the Department of Labor for review.

What to do

If you are in a state that has legalized marijuana, it may be worthwhile to review your company’s employee manual and set guidelines with respect to marijuana use. You can restrict use for safety reasons, but you can’t put a blanket ban on it if marijuana is legal in your state. You may not need to make any changes if you have a substance abuse policy that is broad enough to cover marijuana’s new legal status.

If you don’t have a policy in place that is suitable, consider rules that parallel those for alcohol use in the workplace. For example, there should be an explicit ban on driving for company business—or driving a company-owned vehicle for any reason—while under the influence. Be sure to check with your attorney before putting anything in writing.

Article Source

 So you've got a little something to share, do you? Don't underestimate the power of a well-written press release, and how this can help feed other communication channels, such as your website and social media. A press release is a simple tool to communicate important information using a basic formula, but it also boosts your search engine optimization (SEO) and creates opportunities to start conversations through social media. When developing your release, remember to use consistent style, write in the third person, and be sure to include your contact info.

Why do we need them? The alert the media and they help with SEO.

So, how can you make them more effective? Use AP style, Use Third Person, Include Contact Information. 

• Make sure they are interesting. 
• Use free PR distribution sites. 
• Manually distribute the Press Release. 
• Use Social Media. 
• Publish them on your own website.
• Or Hire MNMMediaGroup to write a professional low-cost PR for you.

Press releases are very helpful.

Contact Marie to request a write up about whats happening next in your company!

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