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A business that does not have an organized system of checks and balances can suffer. Without oversight of employee activities, one-time errors can grow to become bad habits that taint the company's reputation or bring on far-reaching consequences. One need look no further than the financial crisis of 2008, when unscrupulous activities of several major banks contributed to a global economic collapse. While I'm not insinuating that failing to...

Leader of Yahoo Marissa Mayer announced to the public that the company will no longer allow workers to telecommute, or operate out of a remote or home office. Mayer argued productivity levels declined when workers were given this flexibility, but many other experts argue that depending on the employees and their positions, they may actually perform better when provided with alternate workplace options. Try to avoid setting absolute rules when starting a...

Many entrepreneurs may be young professionals with limited business experience, or seasoned veterans with a staff of fresh workers. Because startups and burgeoning businesses have limited resources and lack a strong industry reputation, it is common for them to be staffed with recent graduates or professionals with limited expertise and hands-on experience. While it may seem as if youthfulness in an uncertain economic climate may be a noticeable hindrance to...

Entrepreneurs may be more focused on business building than they are employee development, but learning how to manage a team and help individuals grow is at the heart of creating a strong, skilled organization. Conducting periodic performance reviews is a major part of overseeing a group of employees and ensuring they continue to improve and acquire skills. My colleagues have shared tips on how to assess employees' work and offer guidance so they can...

Taking on a new enterprise is a hefty endeavor. Entrepreneurs and business builders must not only take a concept from idea to reality, but also develop strategies to sustain long-term growth in volatile and ever-changing markets. By testing out tactics and monitoring industry trends, entrepreneurs should establish best practices to build a strong company - standing firm to major decisions while remaining flexible and adaptive to market conditions and...

While many entrepreneurs focus their marketing and branding efforts on popular social media platforms such as Facebook, Google Plus and Twitter, they often neglect sites like LinkedIn. However, this social media channel can have tremendous branding power and offer business owners a new way to learn more about potential clients, enhance their brand exposure and connect with even more consumers. There have recently been big changes within LinkedIn...

Building a business is a lot like juggling. Small team operations force entrepreneurs to juggle a lot of small items. These may be tasks that are not difficult, but are time consuming and distract the owner from bigger-picture pursuits such as mapping out an infrastructure or setting one-, three- and 10-year goals. As your organization grows and you add support staff who take on the lower-stratum functions and activities, you may find yourself juggling fewer,...

An advisory firm offers valuable services to clients, helping them preserve a stable future, feel secure and plan for major transitions or events in the short and long term. Financial advisors must discuss with clients their immediate needs, what their future plans are and how they want to achieve these through financial strategies and planning. There are many factors that may influence client decisions with regard to savings, retirement, investing and...

Social media and interactive marketing strategies are dominating many industries, as entrepreneurs and business leaders look to engage shoppers through various channels. The proliferation of social media platforms, online shopping and mobile devices has created a digitally driven consumer base for most companies. Rather than relying on traditional marketing outlets to engage clients, businesses are experimenting with video and social media campaigns that play into...

Companies that aim to make client relationship management one of their differentiating characteristics may develop grand plans of responding to customer complaints via social media and tracking big data for insights into client needs and demands. However, before these organizations adopt complex service delivery models, they must learn the basic elements of high-quality client relationship management . Regardless of whether you as the business builder will...