Wow, it’s hot outside. Not just “Iowa summer humid and toasty” … it’s just plain ol’ HOT and STICKY. For the record, I’m not a fan. Sometimes our projects feel the heat as well, especially when a critical deadline or due date is approaching. People get testy, collars get loosened, sleeves get rolled up… and [...]

I recently saw a Harris Poll that continued to reiterate what our group’s research has confirmed for many years: customers are generally willing to pay a little more for a better service experience. The Harris Poll showed that 85 percent of consumers were at least somewhat willing to pay extra for products and services if [...]

The new headquarters building for Wellmark does all it can to not go to the well for flushing toilets. Actually, they don’t have a well, but get their water from the Des Moines Waterworks like everyone else. The LEED platinum building reduces water consumption by nearly 7,200 gallons of water per day or 2,600,000 gallons [...]

The failure of companies to provide a vision for the organization leads to employees that feel blind. They go through the motions with half-hearted efforts that lead to apathy and poor results. If the company does not know where it is headed, then how can any organization expect the employees to know where they are going. [...]

By Rieva Lesonsky Did you miss any of my blog posts from around the Net this week? Heres the lowdown on what Im writing about. Every entrepreneur needs to keep on top of trends. This week on Anita Campbells Small Business Trends, I wrote about 5 hot industries that all small businesses should know about. [...]

Father’s Day is coming up (it’s June 18, for those of you who aren’t aware). What will Americans be doing—or, more importantly to small business, buying and spending—to mark the day? According to the National Retail Federation’s Consumer Intentions and Actions Father’s Day survey, conducted by BIGresearch, Americans will shell out an average of $106.49 [...]