Category Business News

Over the course of speaking with almost 500 leaders for my weekly “Corner Office” series, I’ve asked every one of them, “How do you hire?” Their answers are always insightful because after years of interviewing countless job candidates, they’ve learned the best approaches to help them get right to the core of who a candidate is and how he or she will work with a team. Learn the strategies these chief executives have developed through trial and error to help you go beyond the polished résumés, pre-screened references and scripted answers, to hire more creative and effective members for your team. And if you’re on the other side of the job hunt, you can gain insight on what your interviewer is really looking for in a candidate. Sourced from nytimes.com

Most investors like to say they would rather invest in an “A” entrepreneur with a “B” idea than a B-entrepreneur with an A-idea. I generally agree, but what constitutes an A-entrepreneur? They typically have domain expertise, operational experience and strong business acumen. They are driven, willing to take risks most wouldn’t (more on that another time), and optimistic almost (but not quite) to a fault. Yet, there is more. Sourced from Forbes.com

Although the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) was closed for most of January due to the government shutdown, the percentage of SBA loan approvals dropped by just one percent last month at regional and community banks, which process a sizable percentage of the government-backed loans. Sourced from Forbes.com

SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS looking to reduce their tax burden can take advantage of several money-saving deductions. These include existing deductions, such as those for vehicle expenses and home offices, as well as a brand new qualified business income deduction that will allow some small business owners to write off 20 percent of their income. Sourced from USNews.com

The effort you put into your small business is important. But you still need to concern yourself with the results. If you want to improve the results your small business gets, you have to focus on the right tasks and constantly make realistic improvements. Here are some tips from members of the online small business community to help you get better results going forward. Sourced from SmallBizTrends.com

Going into business for yourself is a big deal. There’s always a long to-do list and you’ll find yourself wearing many different hats from time to time. Your business is more of a hobby if you’re not making money. Properly managing and organizing your small-business finances can contribute to the success of your business and make sure you’re hitting your profit goals. Like personal finance, there are plenty of ways to organize your small-business finances depending on what your goals are. Sourced from Entrepreneur.com

Have you filed your taxes yet? If not, you better hurry — April 17 is just around the corner. With the new Tax Cuts and Jobs Act that was put in place last year, taxes might seem a little scarier than usual, especially for small businesses. However, there’s no need to stress. Payroll and HR solutions service Paychex has come up with a complete tax reform checklist to make sure your business is fully prepared. Sourced from Entrepreneur.com

Shares have become the social media marketing equivalent of gold, especially for small businesses. Each share is a chain reaction where brand messaging is relayed to an entirely new audience, which can greatly help generate leads and sales. As it stands, Facebook is the undisputed king of social shares, making up for over 90 percent of shared articles in the first half of last year. Sourced from Entrepreneur.com

In business we often conduct a SWOT analysis. A SWOT analysis is a framework used to evaluate a company’s competitive position and then to develop a strategic plan to address these areas. SWOT stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. You can apply the same process to your workforce, which is extremely helpful when determining if you have the right employees to grow your business and stay competitive in your industry. Sourced from Forbes.com