Nationally, the number of women-owned businesses increased a dramatic 31 times since 1972 — from 402,000 to 12.3 million in 2018; employment grew 40-fold, from 230,000 to 9.2 million; and revenues rose from $8.1 billion to $1.8 trillion — 217 times greater. Noting this information from the recently released eighth annual State of Women-Owned Businesses Report, commissioned by … [More]
Employment for Americans with Disabilities
Accommodations are an important factor in the successful hiring of people with disabilities, and in the retention of employees who develop new disabilities. Employers that are open to providing accommodations and have the capability to provide them, will have greater success in meeting their need for staffing. In the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Jobs Report released in … [More]
Enterprises Challenged in Addressing Employee Engagement
New survey data shows that a majority of enterprises polled are committed to prioritizing employee engagement. The 2018 Employee Engagement Survey from StaffConnect asked C-level executives, HR, communications and other business professionals in North America and Europe about their methodologies, technologies, challenges and goals concerning employee communications and … [More]
Urban Infill Development Potential
Combining a new inventory focused on vacant parcels located in central business districts (CBDs) with in-depth research on CBD construction activity as well as a 25-city survey that gauges what developments are most desirable to the local urban population, COMMERCIALCafé research shows that recent development efforts have failed to address the needs and wants of the citizens … [More]
Leading Brands Are Learning from Big Digital Marketplaces
Large, global eCommerce communities like eBay, Amazon and Alibaba are disrupting the retail marketplace by bringing together vast numbers of buyers and sellers in frictionless transactional environments. Inspired by their success, brand marketers are rethinking go-to-market strategies to better integrate digital advertising with personalized shopper engagement and more … [More]
Women in Business Can Thank H.R. 5050
Thirty years ago, some U.S. states had laws that precluded women from obtaining a business loan without a male relative to cosign for them — even if that male were an underage son. The National Women’s Business Council, which does research into the women’s business ecosystem, and the Women’s Business Centers, managed by the U.S. Small Business Administration, did not … [More]
Small-Business Sale Prices Reach Record Highs to Start 2018
The first quarter 2018 Insight Report from BizBuySell.com, the Internet’s largest business-for-sale marketplace, shows a record-breaking quarter for the business-for-sale market for sales prices and completed transactions, highlighting a positive start to the new year. Small businesses sold for a median sale price of $245,000 in the first quarter of 2018, the highest sale … [More]
Middle Market: Economic Clout
There is a reciprocal relationship between middle market firms (businesses generating between $10 million and $1 billion in revenues) and the metropolitan areas in which they operate, as uncovered by the Middle Market Power Index: Best U.S. Metropolitan Areas for Middle Market Firms from American Express and Dun & Bradstreet. Metro areas provide infrastructure and talent … [More]
Woman-Owned Firms: A Force in the Economy
The seventh annual “State of Women-Owned Businesses Report,” commissioned by American Express OPEN, analyzes growth trends over the past 20 years among the nation’s 11.6 million women-owned enterprises, which employ nearly 9 million people and generate more than $1.7 trillion in revenues. As of 2017, there are 138,300 woman-owned business in Phoenix. These firms employ … [More]
ROI on Expense Spend
Sales team travel and entertainment (T&E) is a major expense. But do companies know how this spend actually contributes to revenues, and which expenses don’t? While sales teams generate huge amounts of data based on their activities, and wins and losses are highlighted in their respective CRM systems, finance teams can often only view granular spend details in their expense … [More]
The Changing Office Investment Landscape
As we approach the 10-year mark since the recession, COMMERCIALCafé has tracked the office investment and lending landscape during a period of 20 years to highlight how the markets and investor interests have shifted and adapted to the new outlook. While some things have changed spectacularly, some have stayed the same. Here are key findings, based on data from Yardi Matrix … [More]
Global Talent Mobility Is Strategic Priority
The 22nd Talent Mobility Trends Survey, which explores how employee mobility is transforming to better support overall corporate growth strategies, found senior human resources leaders are approaching talent mobility with a new sense of purpose and support from the top. Sixty-three percent of respondents to this survey by BGRS, a leading provider of talent mobility solutions, … [More]
Hispanic Small-Business Growing
Hispanic small-business owners are among the fastest-growing market of entrepreneurs in the United States. In fact, the 4th Annual Report 2016 by the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce cited that the number of Hispanic-owned businesses was on track to grow to more than 4.23 million last year. Northwestern Mutual conducted a 2017 survey to identify Hispanic small-business … [More]
Phoenix Tech Hiring Is on the Rise
Phoenix-area technology hiring is on the rise for the second half of 2017, according to the IT Hiring Forecast and Local Trend Report from Robert Half Technology, a leading provider of technology professionals for initiatives ranging from web development and multiplatform systems integration to network security and technical support. Twenty-two percent of CIOs say they plan to … [More]
Woman-Owned Businesses: Achievement in a Growth Demographic
Women represent the largest growing demographic of business owners in the country. This is among several interesting trends revealed in final data from the most recent census. The number of women starting businesses was almost three times that of men — more than expected. As of 2012, women business owners (WBOs) represented 36.2 percent of all businesses, numbering just under … [More]
Deal-Steady Second Half?
A deals market that started 2017 with energy — anticipating action by a seemingly business-friendly government — has calmed somewhat at the midway point. But with deals volume up over 2016, PwC’s Deals Mid-Year Review and Outlook finds the outlook for the rest of the year remains largely positive. Wading through the Uncertainty in Washington With a new presidential … [More]
Big Issues Face Employers in Arizona, Nationwide
Employers are facing a great deal of uncertainty — from the new administration in Washington, to a growing patchwork of state and local laws, to continued advances in technology and shifts in how work is performed. That was the major takeaway from The Littler® Annual Employer Survey, released this past May at Littler Mendelson’s annual Executive Employer Conference in … [More]
Business-for-Sale Market Hot and Balanced
A record number of businesses were bought and sold across the nation in the early months of 2017, according to 2017 Q1 Insight Report from BizBuySell, an online business-for-sale marketplace. A total of 2,368 closed transactions were reported in the first quarter of 2017, a 29-percent increase from this time last year. Though the spike in small-business transactions may be … [More]
