I participated this week in a chat regarding the difference between knowledge and experience, and, more specifically, whether or not formal education is worth the price paid. Living in Canada, the price of an undergraduate degree is about $25,000 which is significantly lower than in the US. As a result, the length of time required [...]
In recent discussions with several people, I’ve noticed a trend in certain small businesses. Since there is significant amounts of paperwork and filings associated with hiring an employee, some companies choose to hire their workers as contractors, thereby reducing the obligations between the two parties. Additionally, it allows for more fluctuation in workload, while achieving [...]
I was reading about a company, I believe it was in The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell (Amazon Affiliate link), in which the owner of a company discovered a locked cabinet in one of the offices which contained office supplies. He immediately cut the lock, stating something to the effect of that in a company, [...]
I was reading an interesting pair of articles on CNN (here and here) regarding 15 companies which have, despite poor economic conditions, managed to avoid laying off any members of their workforce. The stories were varied from one another, but there were still some common ideas behind all 15 companies. What struck me as being [...]
In my recent posts on questions to be constantly asking yourself as the owner of a small business (10 Questions to Keep Asking About Your Business and Readers Respond: Questions to Ask About Your Business), the area I seemed to miss was in regard to employee satisfaction. Yet, this is a critical component to the [...]
Elie Kochman is the author of Advice for Small Business Owners and the founder of Optimal Upgrade Consulting. Using his experience working in the corporate world along with his exposure to the world of small businesses, he writes these articles to assist others avoiding common pitfalls of growing a business. His experience in the corporate world, building his own business, and working directly with other growing businesses has given him some perspective on the trials and pains of running a business.
