Author: Tanya Ponton

01 Feb Keep ‘Em Coming: Monthly Retainer Arrangements

Posted at 07:00h in Employers, Small Business Owners, Startups

Most people in sales know, whether you’re a one-person shop or a multinational, it’s often easier to keep a current client than to get a new one. But what if you’re a service provider and a few clients are slowly using you less and less? Or they disappear for months, only to pop up again? You could consider offering clients monthly retainer arrangements. If you haven’t quite lost them, but they’re not coming to you as much as you like, this might be a solution.

Things to consider about monthly retainer arrangements:

25 Jan Speak Up: How to Communicate Like A Leader

Posted at 07:00h in Employers, Small Business Owners, Startups

If you’re the boss, then technically you might not need to be an effective speaker. People sort of have to listen to you, right? Maybe. But if you know how to communicate like a leader, then you won’t have to rely on seniority (or, fear). You want a team that both understands what you need and enjoys hearing how you say it.

Three ways to communicate like a leader:

18 Jan Quit Being a Cliché – Skills to Delete From Your Resume or LinkedIn Right Now

Posted at 07:00h in Job Seekers

If you’re in the market for a new job, you already know the importance of having an updated resume and sparkling LinkedIn profile. Obviously you want to make sure that you have all your most recent experience, new technical skills, and changes in basic information. But what’s a skill and what’s a cliché? We look at a few skills to delete from your resume (and LinkedIn) and replace with something more savvy.

Here are skills to delete from your resume – today:

11 Jan Maybe You Should Be a Mentor: Here’s Why

Posted at 07:00h in Employers, Small Business Owners, Startups

People who are looking for a new job, or at least new advice on their current job, are often told that getting a mentor could be a great step forward. But what about the other side of it? Who should be a mentor, and why?

Here are some reasons why you should be a mentor:

04 Jan New Year, New Job … or Not: Become a Happier Employee

Posted at 07:00h in Job Seekers

It’s everyone’s favorite time of year to promise to stop doing all the things they do now, and start doing all the stuff they don’t. In other words, become entirely new people to coincide with a calendar. How about taking on a few tasks that are not too overwhelming, but could help you become a happier employee? Whether you’re looking for a new job, or just a newfound enthusiasm for your current one, these ideas are way easier than giving up gluten or running a marathon.

Here are some resolutions that could help you become a happier employee:

28 Dec New Year’s Resolutions: Annual Checks for Businesses

Posted at 07:00h in Employers, Small Business Owners, Startups

Whether you’ve had your business for years or just finished the first one, a new year offers a natural time to assess where you are and where you want to be. Annual checks for businesses aren’t meant to replace the more frequent monitoring of your business. Regular activity like sales targets and budgets should be happening monthly, if not more often. But a few tasks just need a once a year check-in to make sure you don’t need to make any adjustments.

Here are some annual checks for businesses to consider soon:

21 Dec Top Dog: Things To Know About Being the Boss

Posted at 07:00h in Employers, Small Business Owners, Startups

Whether you’ve started your own company, or been hired to run someone else’s, being the boss is exciting. After all it’s a statement that you have the ability and confidence to be the last word on all things. No matter where you are in your career, there is a satisfying sense of accomplishment. And no one tells you what to do…sort of. So it might be surprising as you settle into the role and discover all is not as you expected.

Here are some surprising things about being the boss:

14 Dec Making Spirits Bright: Job Hunting During the Holidays

Posted at 07:00h in Job Seekers

It’s a common belief that hiring slows, or even stops, during the holiday season. As a result, many of those who have been dutifully networking, applying and interviewing, shelve their efforts to resume in the new year. Job hunting during the holidays might seem like a waste of time. It’s not – maybe Santa can’t gift wrap a new opportunity, but that doesn’t mean you should stop looking.

Things to consider when job hunting during the holidays:

07 Dec Getting a Mentor: Here’s Why You Might Want One

Posted at 07:00h in Job Seekers

When you’re in college, or just a young person generally, it sometimes seems like getting a mentor is unnecessary. There are so many people who naturally can help steer your path: parents, professors, school counselors. So recognizing the value of mentorship is buried in the benefits you reap through a community of informal advisers. But once you are out pursuing a career, you may slowly realize that your parents don’t have experience directly relevant to your profession, and your university umbrella of support begins to fade into the past.

Here’s why you should consider getting a mentor:

30 Nov Tis the Season: How to Survive the Holiday Season at Work

Posted at 07:00h in Employers, Small Business Owners, Startups

Like clockwork, the commercials and emails and online ads for the holidays arrived just as turkeys landed on tables across the country. We’re officially in the holiday season, and there’s no turning back until January 2. For some, this is the most special part of the year, getting ready to spend time with family, decorate the house and indulge in seasonal savories. And it can be easy to survive the holiday season at work if that’s how you see it. But taking all that jolly spirit to the office can be tricky for some.