The large crowds that Black Friday deals attract can create unsafe conditions. Store owners should be prepared. Black Friday is only a day away and the anticipation among retailers and consumers is building to a fever pitch. During last year’s Black Friday weekend over 138 million consumers ventured out in search of deals, discounts and door busters. According to the National Retail Federation, 152 million consumers plan to shop this year’s Black Friday weekend, a significant increase of 10 … [Read more...]
Civility: 3 Virtues Absent In The Modern Business World
With the highly competitive nature of our economy, have we lost what other generations would have called "civility"? "Go for the jugular" and "nice guys finish last" are common sayings among highly competitive individuals. In fact, this type of thinking permeates many business cultures, and has for decades. The highly competitive nature of our economy, the consumption-oriented society that requires ever-higher levels of disposable income have created negative work environments. We have lost … [Read more...]
Federal Reserve’s latest move
Mike Periu explains the Federal Reserve's latest move. Operation Twist Leaves Economy In Knots One of my favorite shows on television is Mike Rowe’s Dirty Jobs which airs on the Discovery Channel. Mike travels the country putting himself in the shoes of people that perform dirty but necessary jobs—I’ve seen everything from dead crustacean removal to hog rustling. Given the way things are going with the economy lately, I would like to propose they cover the following dirty job: Chairman of the … [Read more...]
The Financial Meltdown May Happen Sooner Than Expected
Mike Periu explains the sudden falling of the global markets and Why The Financial Meltdown May Happen Sooner Than Expected. When I recently wrote my column on potential catalysts of financial crisis, I made a mistake. I assumed that these events may come to fruition in 2012. It looks like the world decided not to wait. The global markets entered panic mode recently. Numerous concerns about the condition of the European economy, the U.S. economy and the Chinese economy led to massive sell offs … [Read more...]
How Fragile Is The U.S. Economy Right Now?
Some feel we're on the road to recovery, others shout doom. What objective criteria can we use to assess the economy. How Fragile Is The U.S. Economy Right Now? Concern over the state of the U.S. economy has reached a fever pitch. Political pundits tussle over whether the end of the U.S. as the global economic engine has arrived. Opportunists are peddling “doomsday” kits so your family will survive the inevitable downfall of society. Conspiracy theorists are having a field day misinterpreting … [Read more...]
Breaking Down President Obama’s American Jobs Act
President Obama presented the American Jobs Act in his address last night. Here's what it means for small businesses. Last night, President Barack Obama presented his long anticipated plan for creating jobs: the American Jobs Act. The plan calls for a combination of tax incentives and spending that are intended to motivate companies to hire people and raise salaries while also providing economic support to unemployed people. The price tag: nearly $450 billion. Small businesses are a central … [Read more...]
New Legislation Targets PEO (Professional Employer Organizations)
Do you know what a PEO is? Mike Periu tackles current legislation, and what it could mean for your business. Professional Employer Organizations (PEOs) offer an innovative way for small businesses to outsource the headaches associated with certain elements of human resources management. When a small business hires a PEO, the small business’ employees also become employees of the PEO. This is known as co-employment. From the perspective of the IRS and state governments, the PEO is the … [Read more...]
Are You Hiring More Men Than Women?
In the wake of the recession, statistics show that men are faring much better than women when it comes to finding work. Are You Hiring More Men Than Women? According to the National Bureau of Economic Research, The Great Recession officially ended in June 2009. But it certainly doesn’t feel like that for most small business owners and the nearly 10 percent of the labor force that remains unemployed. During the so-called recovery there have been a number of studies produced analyzing how … [Read more...]
Don’t Be Afraid To Empower Your Employees
Are you micromanaging your employees to the point where they are scared to make a decision? It's time to change Empower your employees. My wife and I had dinner recently at a Thai restaurant close to our home. The place was absolutely packed—a testament to the quality of the food and the low prices. When the exasperated waitress brought our check it totaled $27.02—tax and tip automatically included. I seldom carry cash but I just happened to have $27 on me. I told the waitress that I could give … [Read more...]
Your Baby Boomer Employees Aren’t Going Anywhere Soon
Each generation has it's own culture, and they're starting to blur in the workplace. What does this mean for small biz? Our workforce can be divided into distinct groups based on year of birth. Each group is considered a “cultural” generation and these divisions are generally accepted. The Baby Boomer generation consists of people born after World War II from 1946 until 1964. Following the Baby Boomers is Generation X for people born from the late 1960s until the beginning of the 1980s. After … [Read more...]