Undoubtedly, the U.S. workplace in 2021 will be as complex, if not more so, as what employers are managing today. Three key areas to watch in the New Year: The Ever-Changing COVID-19 Best Practices As treatments come to market (and even a likely vaccine or two), anticipate updated CDC guidance on how long COVID-positive employees should remain away from the workplace and … [More]
Leading through COVID-19 and Other Challenging Times
I’ve spoken to a lot of CEOs recently, and the one question I hear over and over is, “What is the best way to lead my team through this tumultuous time?” Here are the main points I cover with them: Be clear with your entire team that the direction has not changed, but we will have to navigate this crisis together. Over-communicate the plan to get through this crisis. … [More]
Why Community Banking Matters
As a business banker at a community bank, I’m often reminded of the old saying, “A rising tide lifts all boats.” To me, it speaks to the interconnected nature of our communities; how we’re all in this together; and how what’s good for the community is good for the individual, and vice versa. Community banks understand this intimately, and that’s what separates them from the … [More]
Is the Health of Your Payment Technology a New Year’s Resolution?
COVID has certainly challenged businesses of all types and sizes to rethink the way products and services are made available to their customers. Through these challenges, there have been numerous innovations and improvements that will outlast COVID. What will 2021 bring and is your business prepared. Online Digital Payment Solutions We’re all in this together, apart … at home … [More]
Fostering Convenience, Connection, and Community Engagement
As a town center and community hub with more than 80 retailers, restaurants and office tenants in Scottsdale, Scottsdale Quarter has had an up-close view of the impacts of COVID-19 on small businesses in Arizona. While there is no doubt that companies continue to face unprecedented challenges, we’ve been continually inspired by the resilience of our retailers and our … [More]
Returning Employees to Work during a Pandemic: What’s So Hard about That?
After managing the devastating impact the COVID-19 response has had on business, including the labyrinth of forgivable and non-forgivable government loans, businesses are now tasked with formulating a strategy for restarting the bulk of their operations. With that comes the perilous task of returning employees from furloughs, posting jobs, and changing the job functions for … [More]
Zoom – A Great Solution … If Set Up Properly!
Many folks, including myself, are utilizing the Zoom platform for web conferencing as more and more employers are urging their employees to work from home and minimize leaving their houses to come to the office. But, as with all things these days, every great solution comes with its challenges and learning curves ... and Zoom is no different. Many users are sending out alerts … [More]
Culture and the New Normal
Jimmy Dean of Jimmy Dean Sausage said, “You can’t change the direction of the wind, but you can adjust the sails to reach your destination.” What is happening during the pandemic may not be comfortable nor immediately welcomed by many of us. We have had to adapt to something that we did not see coming, may not entirely understand, and have little control over. A Black Swan. … [More]
COVID-19 – The Tsunami that Hit Corporate Leadership
First comes the ground-shaking tremors. Then, the aftershocks. In Fukushima, it was the shifting of the tectonic plates, a tsunami, and then a nuclear meltdown. In America right now, and globally, it’s COVID-19. But the result is the same. Lives lost. Businesses vanquished. Cities turned into ghost towns. Having witnessed the earthquake that brought Japan to its knees on … [More]
Submitted Your Loan? What Are Your Next Steps? Here’s the Checklist You Need!
If you already applied for the PPP and got approved, here is what you can do: Set up a new bank account & keep track of your funds. Remember, 75% goes to payroll and 25% on utilities and rent. Track how you spent it, what you spent it on, and when you spent. Apply for forgiveness when the time comes. File your 2019 taxes; the deadline has been deferred … [More]
Networking Your Small Business
You may have the most lucrative product or service, but how do you move from no one knowing about it to achieving great success in business? Networking for your small business is an integral part of marketing and promoting what you offer. Networking is the next step of branching outside of the office, meeting new people and forming new relationships. Networking can be a … [More]
What Motivates Employees?
Andrew Siegel decided to start looking at best practices for employee engagement. For many in the HR field, balancing the buzzword-heavy realities of “multi-generational workplaces,” “talent management,” “creation of culture” and “employee engagement,” his attention to the subject couldn’t have been more timely. As president and CEO of PayDay HCM, while the company developed … [More]
Are You Setting Your Business Up for a Disaster
If you’re like most business owners, your computer data backups are one of those things that you rarely pay attention to. Backups are kind of like flossing your teeth and eating low-fat, high-fiber foods — everyone knows they’re supposed to do them, but how many really do these things regularly?!? Unfortunately, when it comes to your backups, complacency can be very … [More]
Taking Document Security to the Next Level
In a famous New Yorker cartoon, one dog sitting at a computer declares, “On the Internet, nobody knows you’re a dog.” The cartoon’s impact has grown and is now seen as prophetic. As a business, not being sure who you’re dealing with can break your company. Regardless of the industry, the need for immediate gratification by the general population is more apparent than ever … [More]
How to Create the Website of Your Dreams
Imagine: a stunning, professional website that brings in clients 24/7, and didn’t cost $10,000+ to build. Think it’s impossible? Think again. Thanks to simple DIY tools online, you can design your dream website (and manage it yourself from now on, too!). No more relying on Web developers to make every tiny change you need. Now, the power is back in your hands, meaning … [More]
The Advantages of One Benefits System
Your job is hard! As a small-business owner, you have a lot of different balls to juggle and things to manage, and you don’t have time for complex and confusing benefit plans — which we all know isn’t going to get easier any time soon, especially since there’s currently more than 70 years’ worth of laws on the books! And every time there’s new legislation, it feels like you … [More]
Re-cap, Re-Vamp, and Rev-Up for 2019
While the heat is finally behind us, it’s time we reflect back on our accomplishments of 2018 and look forward to the planning of a new, exciting year. As small-business owners ourselves, the Arizona Small Business Association understands the challenges of staying fresh and relevant in the marketplace. Sales, marketing, personnel, profitability — all key components you need … [More]
The Voice of Small Business
Public Policy — it sounds boring until you realize how crucial it is to your success as a small-business owner. While it is not uncommon for many legislation and legal processes to install new rules and regulations that hinder your operations as a business owner, we are lucky to operate in Arizona, where our lawmakers are partial to small business and understand it is the … [More]
