Business Mentors

Knowing my passion for excellent customer service, my neighbor shared his recent service experience with me. He took his white truck in to be serviced. When he dropped the truck off, the service adviser was busy on his computer. He looked up, told him to leave the keys, and he would call when it was […]

All too often, unfortunately, many construction subcontractors do not get paid for labor or materials. In order to receive payment, most subcontractors resort to filing a Mechanics Lien. The governing statutes contain a thicket of requirements that are strictly construed by the courts and must be followed to the letter, and collection efforts may be

Today’s technology makes it easy to engage with customers when things are going great. But what about when things are not going so well? How you engage with your audiences during difficult situations can be crucial to your organization’s survival. If a problem arises, it’s important to respond quickly, address the concerns with empathy, and

“If your emotional abilities aren’t in hand, if you don’t have self-awareness, if you are not able to manage your distressing emotions, if you can’t have empathy and have effective relationships, then no matter how smart you are, you are not going to get very far.” — Daniel Goleman, author of “Emotional Intelligence” I thought

The goal of every presentation is to influence how listeners will think or act. Given that objective, few presentations make the cut. Although many people treat presentations rather casually, every one counts, and each one is equally important.   And here’s why: we are our presentations. We’re the one on stage, and we’re judged by

The Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) is a valuable tax break for businesses that hire workers from certain targeted groups. Although it has been available in some form for many years, it tends to be overlooked. Currently, the WOTC is available only for businesses that hire employees that begin work before Jan. 1, 2014. Although

Stephanie Mayne is the human-resources manager at M.S. Kennedy Corp., a company based in the town of Clay that has been designing and producing high-performance analog microelectronics for 40 years. As the HR manager, Mayne receives a flood of résumés for every job opening. It’s easy for Mayne to determine what type of work ethic

“Shh, can you keep this quiet?” Certainly, most of us have heard that phrase at one time or another from a boss or a colleague in the course of our careers. Sometimes, it relates to a particularly sensitive piece of information about the organization that has critical importance to a business strategy. And sometimes, it’s

As employers prepare for open enrollment, some may be implementing new wellness programs to encourage and reward employees for taking steps toward better health. Whether starting a new program, or continuing an existing program, employers need to be aware of recent regulatory changes under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and evaluate whether their programs are

The video “Wealth Inequality in America” was recently featured on Upworthy (www.upworthy.com), a social-media megaphone. It was then re-posted by a significant minority that’s become more infatuated with socialism. The video is not only misleading, but the research methods of its underlying study are laughable. The content is based on a 2005 survey by Michael