Tips from November 19, 2009 The Small Business tips today discuss how to conduct performance reviews. Apply performance reviews to everyone in the office. Be fair and consistent with all reviews. The easiest way to do this is to create a template criteria sheet for every performance review. Conduct your review first, and before revealing it to the employee, ask them to evaluate themselves. The two should match fairly closely. If not, it's a red flag that something is not right. Talk the evaluation out and clarify expectations of their role. Although it is hard, you need to indicate poor performance. Be honest and straightforward about it, but don't be brutal or harsh. If you have any examples of the poor performance, document the behavior as it is happening. A performance review is not just to point out what the employee has been doing wrong. Use it to show what they're doing right as well. It's just as important since positive... [Read Full Article]

Tips from November 13, 2009 The Small Business tips today discuss the importance of customer service in your holiday marketing. Hire additional help if you know you are going to be busy. Many students are looking for seasonal work; attempt to reach out to them. Make sure you've updated your voicemail to include any special holiday hours. Consider adding weekly promotions to the recording! Reiterate the importance of great customer service, especially the holidays. SMILE! It's the simplest way to bring cheer and joy to customers. Have a holiday meeting with your staff. Go over the holiday promotions and what they'll need to know to help customers more efficiently. Daily Overview: Boost your customer service during the holidays: hire extra help if you need it, smile a lot and make sure all of your staff is on the same page and are aware of your holiday promotions. [Read Full Article]

Small businesses have a lot on their plate when it comes to finances as it determines the state of their business.  Many small businesses have trouble managing their finances, and encounter problems without knowing it. Ironically, many of these small businesses having trouble are making the same mistakes. Learn from these top five financial mistakes small businesses make and keep your business in business.  1. Your Business Has No Financial Policies Established Since there are fewer employees who wear many different hats, policies are important for small businesses to establish rules, regulations, and procedures. It is the same for finance matters. Financial policies provide assurance that everything regarding finances is carried out in the same manner. Policies also encourage efficiency, as each employee learns the policies they are more accustomed to how to handle them.  The important policies to have for your small business include handling petty cash, an employee re... [Read Full Article]