Stay up-to-date on the companies, people and issues that impact businesses in Syracuse, Central New York and beyond.
Personality Testing: Don’t Hire Without it
“Having the most talented people in each of our businesses is the most important thing. If we don’t, we lose.” — Jack Welch while CEO of GE “If you don’t invest the time to do it correctly today, you will spend more time and money in repairing mistakes tomorrow.” — Don Paullin Would you […]
A Solution to Fix the Broken Congress: Make it Bigger
Everybody hates Congress and its work. And, its sleazy, out-of-touch, and corrupt politicians. Here is a remedy: increase the size of Congress— dramatically. Both houses. You know the politicians are out of touch. They treat themselves as royalty. Most are millionaires. Most know only politics their entire careers. Their votes are bought by big money
Is your business ready for a refresh? The case for an LLC
Nearly nine months ago, USA Today reported that about three quarters of the nation’s small- and mid-sized business leaders indicated they were anticipating higher revenues in the year ahead, and nearly 60 percent expected rising profits. Among those who expressed confidence in their future, 54 percent expected to hire more employees, and 50 percent were
Charitable Organizations: What the Politicians Won’t Tell You
“I was gratified to be able to answer promptly. I said I don’t know.” —Mark Twain There are less than 9 months before the 2012 presidential election. For the past six months, and the next nine, the answers to questions asked of the candidates will continue to be rhetorical and nebulous, at best.
Unemployment: What’s behind the latest BLS numbers
On Feb. 3, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released its monthly employment report, which was greeted as good news. The numbers showed a net increase of 243,000 jobs, 108,000 above the consensus forecast. As a consequence, the unemployment rate dropped from 8.5 percent to 8.3 percent. The BLS also revised its November and
Do you want to think positive today? Do you want to feel good about this country’s economic prospects? All right. Let’s go for it. Are you ready? Let’s think oil and gas. Little Wow? Hey — I suggest you think Big Wow. And here is why. Whether you like it or not, energy rules. When
Managed care: “of the people, by the people, and for the people”?
Listen carefully, quiet, shh … did you hear? New York State is approaching bankruptcy. And Gov. Cuomo, with the cooperation of the state Senate, the Assembly and every New York State resident is attempting to avert a Greece-like collapse of the state’s credit status and governmental system of providing necessary services in a fiscally responsible
New Internet-Security Standards for Financial Institutions
The Federal Financial Institutions examination Council (FFIEC) — a group of federal financial regulators empowered to issue uniform standards for most of the financial institutions in the United States — issued new guidelines to the nation’s federal credit unions, banks, and other financial institutions. It notified them that they will have to comply with new
Cuomo Shows the Courage to Tackle the Extreme Left
New York’s Gov. Andrew Cuomo intrigues me. What he is trying to do may impact the entire country some day. Cuomo is from the left, of course. He gets a lot of campaign money from the left. Teachers’ unions and the education lobby give him big bucks. So do the unions for state and municipal workers. And yet,
Blogs, social media are the best marketing for a small business
For a small business, marketing and advertising seek an answer to the question, “How will prospective customers find me?” People today no longer reply to direct mail. They don’t peruse the phone book. They use television, newspapers, magazines, and other traditional media much less. In fact, they don’t even ask their friends in person. They use
Stay up-to-date on the companies, people and issues that impact businesses in Syracuse, Central New York and beyond.