113 Posts found for Source: OPEN Forum (American Express)

Every small business has a story waiting to be told—and that story can be your most powerful ally in demonstrating how your business is different from all others. One term I have often used to describe this is in terms of the backstory of an organization.

A backstory is the history behind an organization and how it became what it is today. It is not a … [ Read more ]

Content: Article | Author: Rohit Bhargava | Source: OPEN Forum (American Express) | Subject: Miscellaneous

While experience is vital in growing any business, there are preemptive steps you can take to optimize success when launching a new product or service, such as developing a “marketing plan.” If you’ve had experience, you may find you’ve already considered these questions in some capacity.

Content: Article | Author: Tina Wells | Source: OPEN Forum (American Express) | Subject: Marketing / Sales

The following is a list of 26 DIY Marketing strategies that you can try to build your sales back up to where they need to be.

Content: Article | Author: Ivana Taylor | Source: OPEN Forum (American Express) | Subject: Marketing / Sales

Everyone wants to hire stars. But stars are very particular about the opportunities they take. After all, if you can be choosy, you should be.

So the question is, how do you get star performers if you aren’t hiring for a dream job? The answer is, you go for the people who don’t yet know they are stars. So, here are five ways to identify star … [ Read more ]

Content: Article | Author: Penelope Trunk | Source: OPEN Forum (American Express) | Subject: Human Resources

People often live by the saying: if you want to get something done right, you need to do it yourself. While I have heard people toss this phrase around like a badge of honor, there is no philosophy more toxic for an organization, especially small businesses. Businesses of any size are complex and it is unrealistic to think that a small number of individuals will … [ Read more ]

Content: Article | Author: Stephen Shapiro | Source: OPEN Forum (American Express) | Subjects: Entrepreneurship, Productivity / Work Tips, Small Business

Great leaders defend, protect and help their team. They know their most important job is to make everyone else’s job easier. And they gladly do the dirtiest of the dirty work when it supports the achievement of team goals. When you show you are willing to get in there and get dirty, you are demonstrating to them that you are humble, and you are one … [ Read more ]

Content: Quotation | Author: Mike Michalowicz | Source: OPEN Forum (American Express) | Subject: Leadership

There are two things you can do to mitigate the element of surprise when it comes to your business model being disrupted, in addition to keeping a constant vigil on the external social, economic and market forces out of your control that can potentially disrupt your business.

First, you can assess the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats to your current business model. Go through each of … [ Read more ]

Content: Article | Author: Matthew E. May | Source: OPEN Forum (American Express) | Subjects: Management, Strategy

It took 9 years of research and practice 4,000-plus writing hours, 28,456 Post-it notes, 77 forum discussions, 287 Skype calls, 1360 comments, and 137,757 online views for over 470 contributors from nearly 50 countries to arrive at these nine elements of any business model and arrange them into the visual “Business Model Canvas”

Content: Article | Author: Matthew E. May | Source: OPEN Forum (American Express) | Subjects: Management, Strategy

I’ve found that it is helpful to break the planning process down into separate topics, and then look at how they fit together in the overall business plan. It’s also a good idea to think of yourself as an investor in your business and review what you come up with from that point of view. Here are the business planning topics that I believe are … [ Read more ]

Content: Article | Author: JoAnne Berg | Source: OPEN Forum (American Express) | Subjects: Entrepreneurship, Small Business

Think about the last great article you read. The piece may have mentioned a few products or companies—possibly prompting you to research them in more depth. Chances are, a public relations firm was behind that placement.

Editorial placements can turn into big business for companies of any size, giving organizations a credibility lacking in traditional advertisements.

If you’re looking for a PR firm, here are 10 questions … [ Read more ]

Content: Article | Author: Katie Morell | Source: OPEN Forum (American Express) | Subject: Public Relations

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Tough times don’t mean that you should just forget about rewarding your employees. There are many ways that you can reward employees without handing them money, and many of these are things you can do right now, with very little effort. Here are a whopping 51 things you can give your employees that don’t include cutting them a check

Content: Article | Author: Mike Michalowicz | Source: OPEN Forum (American Express) | Subjects: Human Resources, Management

It’s a good idea for small business owners to put agreements in writing. Here are three agreements that you should definitely consider getting in writing.

Content: Article | Author: Barbara Weltman | Source: OPEN Forum (American Express) | Subjects: Legal, Small Business

In the market to hire someone? If you are like most others in business, you place a high priority on the amount of experience that an applicant has. Everyone looking for their next hire seems to look for the “best” employee, as defined by the applicant’s experience. Obviously, someone with 10 years of experience is better than someone with two years, right? Not so quick. … [ Read more ]

Content: Article | Author: Mike Michalowicz | Source: OPEN Forum (American Express) | Subject: Human Resources

Managers need to have certain competencies to effectively influence the behaviors of others and ultimately achieve desired results. Some competencies come naturally, while others need to be learned and practiced. Organizations should spend time thinking through desired competencies and identify appropriate training options, such as for these 12 common leadership competencies.

Content: Article | Author: Patricia Lotich | Source: OPEN Forum (American Express) | Subjects: Leadership, Management

An entrepreneur with a term sheet for investment has a range of decisions to make. Among the most important is which points to negotiate and which points to leave alone. You cannot negotiate every point or you will (a) drive away the investor and (b) fail to concentrate your firepower on terms that do matter.

Content: Article | Author: Guy Kawasaki | Source: OPEN Forum (American Express) | Subjects: Entrepreneurship, Legal

Hiring and training new employees is not only time-consuming, it’s also costly. That’s why, when you bring someone aboard, you should be doing all you can to make it a great start. First impressions go a long way, and if you can get that new hire off to a great start, you will have a much greater chance of having them stick around. Here are … [ Read more ]

Content: Article | Author: Mike Michalowicz | Source: OPEN Forum (American Express) | Subject: Human Resources

Just what kind of leadership style should you have? You can weed them out by taking a look at these 11 leadership styles that you must avoid if you want to succeed.

Content: Article | Author: Mike Michalowicz | Source: OPEN Forum (American Express) | Subject: Leadership

While the reason you are telling a business story may be quite different from the reason you tell a story at a party, the same techniques apply. Too often, company stories come across as dry and flat because they fall prey to these seven deadly sins.

Content: Article | Authors: Andy Smith, Jennifer Aaker | Source: OPEN Forum (American Express) | Subject: Marketing / Sales

Regardless of what system you use to manage your time, successful time management boils down to three things:

1. Setting priorities
2. Completing daily tasks
3. Eliminating distractions

Those who manage these three things are not only successful in their business, but they are successful in their life as well.

So, before you go investing in a Franklin Planner or scamper-off to download the latest smartphone … [ Read more ]

Content: Article | Author: Susan L. Reid | Source: OPEN Forum (American Express) | Subject: Personal Development