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Archive of Gina Blitstein

• For Your Safety and Theirs Proper Disposal of Client Data Many businesses collect personal information from their customers in the course of doing business with them. Your clients place their trust in you and one of the biggest manifestations of that trust is providing...... more

• Venture Capital 5 Basic Questions Answered “Venture capital” is a term you hear bandied about among small businesses and startups. The word “venture” conjures up images of a dynamic, even romantic escapade - an exciting adventure, pursuit or endeavor. In...... more

• Customer Service a Marketing Power Tool Customer service. Customer care. Customer experience. Call it what you will but it's all about treating those with whom you do business well. It's more than the golden rule. It's more than good business....... more

• Is a Franchise the Right Type of Business for You? Starting a business from scratch can be an exhilarating - yet terrifying and potentially risky undertaking. A significant number of new businesses go belly-up before they ever get off the ground. One way to...... more

• First Steps to Business Growth Beginning and running a successful small business is an admirable undertaking. Once your business has taken off, will you be satisfied with the status quo, of will you want to make plans to keep...... more

• Actions You Can Take Toward a More Motivated You Whatever you seek to accomplish, the key to finding and maintaining the drive, momentum and creativity you need is a strong sense of motivation. Your motivation can make or break your productivity. Even when...... more

• Exploring Our Motivation In short, motivation is what gets us out of bed in the morning. While the drive to do certain things is innate, the drive to take on those particular things that help define ourselves...... more

• Pinterest Visually Enhances Social Media Marketing Social media outlets continue to gain popularity and broad adoption. Facebook, for instance, is downright mainstream these days, embraced by individuals and businesses alike. Indeed, social media is one of the proven ways that...... more

• Setting Up an Office for Productivity The days of the "traditional" office are long gone. Through the years, it's been discovered that the one-size-fits-all office...doesn't. So much time is spent in and so much is expected out of an office...... more

• Entice Holiday Shoppers by Offering Layaway Getting customers to commit to a purchase - closing the sale - is a crucial element to your business' success. And around the holidays, with sales and promotions everywhere, it's even more of a...... more

• Best Practices for Small Business Money Management As a small business, it's not enough to be competent in your field of expertise. To be a successful small business in every sense of the word, you must manage your money carefully and...... more

• The Right Content for Your Business Website Customers - and potential ones - who visit your company website will gain a general feel about your business. Once they're drawn in by your site's clean and attractive layout and eye-catching color scheme,...... more

• Getting Legal Advice and Assistance for Your Business It's the nature of an entrepreneur to be a do-it-yourselfer at heart. When navigating unfamiliar business terrain however, it's best to seek counsel from the professionals. At times when legal matters come into play,...... more

• Shared Calendaring Getting Together in the New Workplace The new workplace is conducive to productivity by providing employees flexibility in the places and times that they work. It can accommodate employees located anywhere in the world, on completely different and independent schedules....... more

• Choosing the Right Computer Platform for Your Business. Could It Be... When you're in the market for computers for your business, one of the first choices is between a PC (Personal Computer) and a Mac (Apple). It's a fundamental choice because it dictates so much...... more

• Keeping Your Business Pipeline Full Nearly every business has a natural ebb and flow. Sometimes you're bustling - working at (or above) capacity. Other times, it feels like you're twiddling your thumbs waiting for the phone to ring. This...... more

• The Search for Inbox Nirvana Your inbox - is it your friend or your enemy? It's the clearinghouse for all the emails you receive; but what happens to those emails once they land in your inbox is the difference...... more

• Finding Security in Virtual Signatures With all the things technology allows us to do virtually - conduct meetings, read and send documents, transfer funds - there’s one seemingly simple thing that we’ve continued to do the “old fashioned” way:...... more

• Successful Financial Record-Keeping: Keep Tools and Practices Fresh Little else is as important to the economic health of a small business than its financial record-keeping. Each year when tax time comes around, small businesses are confronted with a record-keeping report card, so...... more

• Mentoring from the Viewpoint of a Mentor - Part 2 Finding the right mentor/mentee match is key to having a successful mentoring experience. While mentoring is usually examined from the viewpoint of the recipient and what she is gleaning from the process, it’s interesting...... more

• Mentoring from the Viewpoint of a Mentor - Part I Mentoring is generally a casual relationship which grows out of a need and/or desire for contextual support in one’s career. The most important determining factor in the success of a mentorship is finding an...... more

• Dealing with the "Ghost of Your Predecessor" You’ve got a new position taking over for a previous employee - congratulations! Of course, you want to do a great job for the sake of your company and yourself. The important thing to...... more

• Preparing and Applying for Contracting with the GSA The American Government has countless agencies which help run the government itself and the nation as a whole. Each of these agencies plays a crucial role in keeping the wheels of our country rolling...... more

• Location-Based Technology and Your Business Local advertising has taken some serious blows recently. With the waning popularity of newspapers, telephone books and even local radio due to widespread adoption of newer technologies, there’s a lack of effective places to...... more

• Holiday Bonuses Demystified Each year as the holidays approach, employers consider the topic of holiday bonuses and/or gifts for their employees. Even though the economy is still suffering, ‘tis the season to spread cheer among your employees...... more

• Balancing Business with Holiday Hubbub It’s that time of year - the holidays are upon us. It’s a wonderful season when our minds follow our hearts and priorities shift from professional to personal; from the office to home. That...... more

• Your Business' Importance in Stimulating the Economy As a woman-owned company, you know that the government is a fertile source of business, consistently providing contracting opportunities to procure the goods and services they need to run the country - especially with...... more

• 6 Options to Consider When Choosing Among Android Phones As a business owner, your smartphone is neither a time-draining gadget nor a distraction - it’s your lifeline. Often serving as your mobile connection to your office and to your business as a whole,...... more

• What are Your Goals for Mentoring in 2012? Believe it or not, the year is drawing to a close. It’s quickly coming up on the holidays and once those are over, we’ll find ourselves at the beginning of another new year. That...... more

• Leasing Affordable Commercial Space for Your Business One of the biggest expenses involved in running a small business is acquiring a suitable place in which to actually conduct business. If you’re among the many businesses that lease commercial space from which...... more

• Manage Your Information - Manage Your Life It’s no secret that life is complicated. At any given point, you’re undoubtedly juggling your personal life, your family and your professional life. Let’s face it, there’s never going to be enough hours in...... more

• The Professionals Weigh In on Finding Your Own Mentor Mentoring, it is a well-established fact, can help you go farther in your career, discover and exercise your true passions and talents and increase your career and life satisfaction. It’s true - even the...... more

• Lessons for Business from the U.S. Debt Crisis As we Americans have recently discovered, finances are a sticky subject, even for a powerful nation. It’s never graceful to confront as volatile a subject as money, whether you’re a country or a small...... more

• Small Business Contracting with the Government: A Win-Win Proposition Operating a small business these days is a challenge, to say the least. It seems the big fish are more and more frequently swallowing up the little guys, providing goods and services to their...... more

• Put a Creative Spin on Your Life We all know that all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. Poor Jack is dull intellectually, creatively and emotionally because he’s singularly focused on only Jack the “worker.” When we’re constantly...... more

• Government Contracting: Simplified for Success While the process of winning federal contracts is never a walk in the park, the path to government procurement may be more complicated in FY2011 than ever. The late approval of the federal budget...... more

• QR Codes: Effective and Affordable Marketing with Technology Technology continues to bring us novel ways to connect to information. Rather new on the horizon (especially to the Western world) is the QR code - a bit of technology that can help customers...... more

• Hot Mommas Project: An Online Mentoring Library for Women and Girls It’s an established fact that women and girls can benefit greatly from mentoring. As well as helping them to overcome personal issues and obstacles, being made aware of other women’s successes inspires them professionally...... more

• Leadership and Women: We Have a Lot to Offer In the decades since women have taken powerful roles in business, we've discovered that while we are every bit as intelligent and capable as men, we are not - and should not aspire to...... more

• Wanted: Green Businesses to Contract with the Government It’s not only well-intentioned citizens of planet Earth who are making strides toward conserving her precious resources for future generations. As awareness of environmental issues and the desire to do more while reducing impact...... more

• Spring Cleaning for Your Business' Finances With the arrival of Spring we think of rebirth and renewal. The very world around us seems new and refreshed following months spent maintaining the status quo. In response to that rejuvenated feeling, we...... more

• More Than Words Can Say: Videos Breathe Personality into Your Marketing Advertising - especially on the Internet - is a beast with many heads. There are so many places to spread your message: on your website, your blog, Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, email newsletters...the list goes...... more

• Mentoring: There's a App for That ... more

• Revisions to Federal Contracting Program Provide Greater Opportunities The Small Busiess Administration (SBA) has announced revisions to its rules governing the 8(a) federal contracting program, the initiative designed to create procurement opportunities for socially and economically disadvantaged businesses. These revisions are being...... more

• Social Media Marketing: Cost Effective Advertising for Your Business Advertising your business is easily one of your biggest professional expenses. You probably spend more than you want to each year marketing your business in the quest for more customers and greater opportunities. Traditional...... more

• Planning for Parenthood as an Employee There are countless details to consider when you’re expecting a baby. Appropriately, most of them have to do with your personal life and health. You make plans for every contingency and arrange who will...... more

• SBA's Women's Procurement Program: A Game-Changer Coming February 2011 There is some huge help to women-owned small businesses on the horizon, courtesy of the Small Business Administration. Come February 1, 2011, their Women’s Procurement Program – also known as the 8(m) program -...... more

• Manage Who, What and When with Scheduling Software Whether your business is a one-person operation or a large and far-flung team, scheduling your work time to insure that tasks are being completed is one of your top priorities. Orchestrating different people, schedules,...... more

• Mentoring for 2011 - Everyone Teaches, Everyone Learns Technology, job requirements and the workforce in general, is changing at a rapid pace these days. As we approach another new year, how can workers keep up with the numerous and diverse career demands...... more

• It's About Time: Track It or Lose It Time - it’s often casually wasted and it gets away from us all too easily. When your company’s productivity is measured by the standard of time, however, it becomes a valuable and finite commodity....... more

• Resources for Successful Government Contracting Were you aware that the U.S. Congress has set forth a goal that 5% of all government contracts to provide goods and services are awarded to women-owned businesses? In dollars and cents, that 5%...... more

• Changes in Attitude Can Create Changes in Business Success Sometimes, no matter how well you plan for and operate your business, unforeseen factors can take you by surprise, knocking your company off its financial footing. That’s what happened to Lisa Merriam of Merriam...... more

• Surviving - and Learning from - Financial Challenges The adage goes, “Desperate times call for desperate measures.” When your business is faced with difficult financial times, you are presented the opportunity to either lay down and take it or take action to...... more

• Mentoring: Valuable Lessons for Success in Career and Life The fact that mentors can greatly enhance our careers and overall life-satisfaction is well-established. The word, “enhance,” however, is quite subjective and unique to each individual. What types of career and life enhancements can...... more

• Contracting with the Government in 2011: What's Hot? A new year is fast approaching. Do you know where your clients will come from in 2011? In addition to private companies, the government is fertile ground for establishing lucrative relationships, proving well worth...... more

• The Art of Attracting Investors A simple fact of business is that you can’t operate without funding. Whether it’s at start up or when expanding your operations down the road - or both - there will come a time...... more

• First Steps to Contracting with the Government So your business wants to contract with the government on some projects. You’re certified as an International Women’s Business Enterprise (IWBE) - that’s a great first step. That certification will assure those agencies with...... more

• You'll "Like" Facebook for Business Advertising your business can be challenging and fraught with uncertainties. What to say and where and how to say it are vital decisions to the success of your advertising campaign. Not to mention, there...... more

• Five Financing Ideas for Your Start-up Financing of any kind is hard to come by these days as we slowly rebound from a significant economic downturn. No one is bending over backwards to loan money to anyone but the economy...... more

• The Job of Finding Financing Starting you own business is an enormous undertaking, which takes and enormous amount of time, effort - and money. One of the most crucial elements to setting sail on your own enterprise is getting...... more

• Positioning Your Business for Government Contracting Government agencies offer a myriad of contracting opportunities. Whatever your field, you can be certain there’s a need for your goods or services somewhere, at some level, within the government. While any business can...... more

• Keeping It All Together Is Rachael able to do that in her own life? How does she integrate her business life into her personal life? She explains, "My office is in the kids’ playroom. They come home from...... more

• Conducting Your Own Twitter Chat Social media is taking the internet by storm. It provides a way for people to communicate efficiently, spreading a message to as few or as many people as they wish. The practice of utilizing...... more

• Networking Opportunities with Twitter Chat Twitter is a social networking website that enables people to chat with each other in 140-character messages. When you sign up to use Twitter, you complete a profile in which you describe your fields...... more

• Tweet Success The Internet allows us to connect not only with friends and family but with virtual strangers who share our interests. Social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter span the miles between people, allowing...... more

• Happiness in the Workplace, Happiness on the Homefront At the end of a long day at work, many people head home to what they hope is a happy relationship. Our marriages are the loving, nurturing escapes from the "real world." We want...... more

• Contract with the Government. Rinse. Repeat. Any company can acknowledge the benefits of repeat business. The advantages to you are that once you are a known entity to your customer, you needn't go through the effort of selling yourself again....... more

• The Power of a Good Search The Internet is the current repository for information - information of all kinds. Whatever we need to find, learn or retrieve, it's undoubtedly on the Internet. But how do we sift through it all...... more

• Discover a Great Client in the U.S. Government Who are your clients? Sometimes you don't have the luxury of choosing with whom you work. You hope you can count on your clients to be easy to work with, pay you in a...... more

• Coworking Keeps Solo-Workers Productive You're ready to take the entrepreneurial leap: You have a solid business plan, a laptop and a disdain for business suits. While at first it may sound appealing to work in your pajamas as...... more

• What Does Mentoring Look Like? Mentoring provides a plethora of benefits for businesspeople. It can help them to grow within their position, tackle obstacles and recognize and capitalize on their strengths. You can find effective mentors in the workplace,...... more

• Adding Environmental Responsibility into the Procurement Equation The U.S. Government spends hundreds of billions of dollars each year purchasing goods and services. It is good to know, then, that in these times when most everyone is trying to be more conscious...... more

• Fostering Leadership Skills Through Mentoring What makes an effective leader? Do you possess the traits of an effective leader? What does leadership in the 21st century look like?... more

• Efficient Inventory Tracking Leads to Greater Profits Does your business have inventory to sell? Then you are well aware that it is in your best interest to keep track of that inventory - to know when and where it came from...... more

• Realize Your Resolutions with Accountability Coaching It's one thing to know whether or not you're making progress toward your goal. It's another to take action when that progress isn't satisfactory. What are the consequences of failing to achieve a desired...... more

• Collect This! What You Can Do When Clients Don't Pay Freelancers must take proactive measures to make certain they are paid for their services. In most cases, clients will respect your work, take your invoice seriously and pay up accordingly. But what if they...... more

• Measure Your Way to Success Using Benchmarks The beginning of a new year invariably evokes a sense of renewal; of hopes for a fresh start and a recharged battery. Many people attempt to take advantage of the "clean slate" a new...... more

• Collect This! Proactive Steps to Ensure Clients Pay As a freelancer, you enjoy different freedoms - and shoulder different responsibilities - than those who are not self-employed. One of the most important differences is that, as a freelancer, you are solely responsible...... more

• Phasing in Successful Government Contracting Ann Farrell is a procurement success story. She has parlayed the experience she gained in the first phase of her career working for a company who provided equipment for the government into her own...... more

• A DIY Guide to Advertising Your Service Business In order for your business to fly, you have to alert people of your existence, which means you must advertise. While the actual cost varies from industry to industry and business to business, the...... more

• Accepting Credit Cards: It's Not Always Easy Getting the Green It would be great if customers would simply peel off the benjamins when it was time to pay us for our product or service. These days a merchant or service provider has practically no...... more

• Career Coach or Mentor: Who Best Suits Your Needs? No one can be a success in business alone. It takes many smart and savvy people to guide and challenge you along your path and throughout your life. Where can you find the help...... more

• Spice Up Your Webinars For Greater Productivity "Oh, no! Not another b-o-r-i-n-g webinar! I'm so sick of sitting here while the presenter drones on and on. Doesn't she know I have more important things (or at least more interesting things) to...... more

• Don't Be A Bore: Talking About Your Business to Friends and... Entrepreneurs are a proud group, passionate about their business and the work they do to ensure its success. And why shouldn't they be? They have embarked on a brave journey, investing their talent and...... more

• Email Marketing - A Winning Campaign Advertising can be among the costliest parts of running a business. It can also be a hit-and-miss prospect if your message doesn't reach the right ears and eyes in the right way. The bottom...... more

• Control the Barrage of Incoming Calls Incoming calls - while sometimes important - can become a major distraction throughout the day. It's difficult to balance being available with getting down to the tasks at hand. Friends and family know your...... more

• A 21st Century Approach to Mentoring In a business world that moves faster and expects more daily, you need every advantage you can get to stay sharp and effective. Keeping on top of your game may mean the difference between...... more

• Family-Friendly Corporate Culture: A Benefit For All Today's workplace is changing to accommodate the lives of those working in it. The old paradigm of 9-5, Monday through Friday with a two-week vacation and some sick days (that you'd better really be...... more

• Penning the Perfect Government Proposal A daunting part of the process of pursuing a government contract is writing a proposal. In response to the agency's RFP (Request for Proposal), those businesses interested in competing for the contract must prepare...... more

• Interns as a Source of Savings and Skills Business owners often wear many hats but can rarely wear them all, even at a small firm. Finding the two requirements - competent and affordable - in one employee is challenging at best and...... more

• How To Positively State The Negative When it's your responsibility to make sure people perform at their best, you have limited choices: Usually a pat on the back or a wag of the finger. It's easy to give praise where...... more

• Social CRMs: Utilizing Social Media To Connect With Customers When you have business contacts or customers, you most likely keep track of them in a Customer Relationship Manager (CRM). Along with a customer's name and contact information, these programs allow you to track...... more

• Mentoring Students Helps Launch Successful Careers On-the-job mentorship is a beneficial tool for advancement in the workplace. Mentors can help their mentees avoid pitfalls and advise them on best practices based on their experiences in business. The guidance of a...... more

• Contracting with the Government: A Cautionary Tale Government contracts are a profitable prospect for a business. As more are made available as a means to stimulate the economy, you may be hearing about even more opportunities to provide products and services...... more