Monday - December 02, 2013
Why are the holidays so much more stressful for small business owners? Marie Dubuque joins Jim Blasingame to reveal a few of the extra issues in the life of a small business owner during the holidays and how to minimize them.
What kinds of questions do you ask in an employment interview? Marie Dubuque joins Jim Blasingame to recommend a productive way to interview prospective employees during the hiring process.
The marketplace is rejecting Obamacare. Grace-Marie Turner joins Jim Blasingame to preview her upcoming testimony to the House Ways and Means Committee on the damage that Obamacare is doing to businesses.
Obamacare provisions for small business are pushed off another year. Grace-Marie Turner joins Jim Blasingame with an update on another way that the dysfunction of Obamacare is hurting small businesses.
Records now show the Obama administration knew that millions of Americans would lose their insurance. Grace-Marie Turner joins Jim Blasingame to reveal the evidence that Obama and his administration knew his promise that we could keep our insurance was a lie.
Helping your business get the new year started right. Jim Blasingame reveals his "December cleaning" ideas for helping your business start the new year without the baggage and bad decisions of the previous year.
Jim Blasingame reports on the impact the anti-business policies from Washington have had on businesses and the economy, especially Obamacare.
Has Washington killed Christmas? Rick Newman joins Jim Blasingame to report that the slow economic growth can be traced directly to the poor policies and anti-business behavior of the political class in Washington.
Will people become jealous of the tech-billionaires? Rick Newman joins Jim Blasingame to dispel the notion that Americans will react negatively to technology billionaires who's greatest crime is the created many jobs from nothing.
Does the U.S. have anything to fear from Chinese economic strength? Rick Newman joins Jim Blasingame to refute the notion that China will overtake the U.S. in economic power, but rather, China is it's own worst enemy.
Tuesday - December 03, 2013
Karen Cortell Reisman joins Jim Blasingame to offer do's and don'ts for when customers & colleagues share about challenges in their lives, plus why you should never try to solve their problems - just listen.
Karen Cortell Reisman joins Jim Blasingame to explain that when customers or colleagues share their personal challenges, don't ask how you can help, just do something, such as send a card, make a meal, or make a charitable donation in their honor.
Bob Negen joins Jim Blasingame to offer 3 tips to retailers for the holiday season, (1) sell - this is the time for you to be on the sales floor, (2) Building your customer database - this is your opportunity to gather info from holiday shoppers to market to them year round, (3) have fun - this is the time to be excited about a store full of customers anxious to buy something.
Bob Negen joins Jim Blasingame to explain how small, independent retailers should deal with Black Friday and Cyber Monday, including having item sales instead of store-wide sales, being creative, and targeting existing customers.
Bob Negen joins Jim Blasingame to explain that as a small business owner, you must say thank you to every customer, plus you must hire and train employees to say thank you.
Wednesday - December 04, 2013
Erica Ariel Fox joins Jim Blasingame to explain that in order to be successful, clear & direct in negotiating with other people, you must inner-negotiate with all the parts of yourself to ensure you know exactly what you want.
Erica Ariel Fox joins Jim Blasingame to explain that everyone has tendencies and habits, but that doesn't mean that you don't have the capacity to harness other parts of your inner-negotiator.
Michael Stallard joins Jim Blasingame to discuss organizational behavior vs individual behavior as it relates to employee engagement, plus making sure your employees feel connected, not unsupported.
Michael Stallard joins Jim Blasingame to discuss structuring your organization to foster engagement, plus your company values should include serving and connecting to people.
Michael Stallard joins Jim Blasingame to explain that if you want your employees to be engaged, you must find memorable ways to inspire them, plus talking to your most productive employees about how they've been inspired at work.
Confidence is up among small business around the world. Connie Certusi joins Jim Blasingame to report on the Sage Business Index survey, which shows that small businesses around the world are feeling better about their future.
Have small business priorities changed? Connie Certusi joins Jim Blasingame to report on the Sage Business Index survey which show that the three priorities of small businesses are more sales, better cash management and better employees.
When will small businesses start borrowing money to grow? Connie Certusi joins Jim Blasingame to report on the Sage Business Index survey which shows small business owners are somewhat more likely to grow their business with a loan.
Thursday - December 05, 2013
Jeff Zbar joins Jim Blasingame to discuss how to prepare for when a customer leaves your small business, plus how to prepare to fill the void left by a departing customer.
Jeff Zbar joins Jim Blasingame to explain that expressing your thankfulness for your customers isn't just important during the holiday season, it's important every day.
Great adversity Jay Myers joins Jim Blasingame to explain how to be successful in a down year, including running your business as efficiently as possible.
Jay Myers joins Jim Blasingame to discuss the differences between the generations working the marketplace today, plus motivating your millennial employees by finding out what matters to them.
Debbie Meyer joins Jim Blasingame to discuss properly managing a busy scheduling, being proactive rather reactive.
Debbie Meyer joins Jim Blasingame to explain why New Year's resolutions are an excuse to wait to do something that needs to get done.
Debbie Meyer joins Jim Blasingame to discuss setting objectives instead of making resolutions, plus being realistic & prioritizing your objectives.
Friday - December 06, 2013
What can we learn as leaders from President Obama's lack of leadership? Tim Irwin joins Jim Blasingame to reveal several elements of leadership that are missing from the failed launch of Obamacare, and what we can learn from them.
Leaders provide direction and require accountability. Tim Irwin joins Jim Blasingame to reveal what can be learned about leadership direction and accountability from the failed launch of Obamacare.
The power of a negative corporate culture can be very costly. Stephen Baum joins Jim Blasingame to report on a real company that has a negative culture and the many ways that toxic condition manifests.
Have you witnessed the power of a positive corporate culture? Stephen Baum joins Jim Blasingame with a story about a real company that grew exponentially because of the power of their positive corporate culture.
What is your redemption culture? Stephen Baum joins Jim Blasingame to reveal the power of having a culture that goes the extra mile to redeem employees when they need extra management attention.
Do you have an effective social media strategy? Catherine Kaputa joins Jim Blasingame to reveal what she thinks is the secret ingredient in any social media marketing strategy, whicih is emotional element.
How many screens does your message reach? Catherine Kaputa joins Jim Blasingame to reveal the many different screens viewed by customers today and recommend way to reach them there.
How Obamacare changes the way health care insurance is priced. Jim Blasingame reports on how Obamacare reduces the health care insurance eight-tier pricing structure to three tiers and why that is one of the laws defects.
What do you know about your customers' expectations? Jim Blasingame reveals how the Age of the Customer is being influence by new options available to your customers and how that is changing their expectations.
Mobile wasn't any part of your past, but will dominate your future. Jim Blasingame reveals several reasons why mobile computing is changing expectations of customers and why you're future will be tied to your mobile strategy.
Monday - December 09, 2013
Holiday behavior you learned in Kindergarten. Chip Bell joins Jim Blasingame to remind us that the best way to get and keep customers, especially during the holidays, is to be honest and be kind in your marketing and delivery of service.
Focus on the fundamentals this holiday season. Chip Bell joins Jim Blasingame to say that holiday shoppers will love you if they can trust you, feel valued, and appreciated.
What are the details of a lower unemployment rate? Ken Gronbach joins Jim Blasingame to talk about some of the demographic challenges that are coming to light as the unemployment rate declines.
What will the workplace look like over the next decade? Ken Gronbach joins Jim Blasingame to reveal the broad range of demographic participants in the workplace over the next decade and what this diversity will mean for performance.
What will happen when Millennials have money? Ken Gronbach joins Jim Blasingame to propose some of the influences Millennials -- Generation Y -- will have on the economy and society when they are spending their own money.
Marketing has changed in the Age of the Customer. Robert Grede joins Jim Blasingame to talk about the increasing number of marketing options and customer expectations as the Age of the Customer expands.
Rob Grede joins Jim Blasingame to reveal how the bare essentials of marketing have been disrupted by the new social media expectations of prospects and customers.
Don Cooper joins Jim Blasingame to offer suggestions on how to manage the busy holiday party season without offending and without making yourself crazier than usual.
Don Cooper joins Jim Blasingame to offer suggestions on how to decide whether to attend a social gathering or a business event during the holidays, as well as how to behave when you get there.
Don't let a holiday party ruin your business or career. Don Cooper joins Jim Blasingame to recommend losing the social media and the smartphone camera during the holiday parties.
Tuesday - December 10, 2013
Inventory management is key to success during the holidays. David Goldin joins Jim Blasingame to encourage inventory management during the holiday to maximize in-stock conditions, plus take advantage of the new media options.
Capitalizing a small business will look a lot different in the future. David Goldin joins Jim Blasingame to reveal the evolving landscape for capitalizing a small business, especially non-bank sources.
What do business managers think about the 2014 economy? Sam Norwood joins Jim Blasingame with the Tatum Survey that shows business managers are not happy about current business conditions and not optimistic about 2014.
What's wrong with sales on Main Street? Sam Norwood joins Jim Blasingame with the Tatum Survey which shows that business managers are reporting slow sales currently and projecting slow sales for the next two months.
Why aren't businesses hiring? Sam Norwood joins Jim Blasingame with the Tatum Survey that shows businesses are still not feeling motivated to hire more employees and to discuss some of the reasons.
What does it take to sustain small business success? Jim Blasingame reveals why focusing on the fundamentals sustains small business success after the passion fades.
Do you know what you need to know about how Obamacare will impact your business? Jim Blasingame reveals several organizations that small business owners should stay close to in order to stay up on the impact of Obamacare.
Is this the worst unemployment condition since the Great Depression? Gary Moore joins Jim Blasingame to discuss the current unemployment condition, including the fact that labor participation is the lowest since the Great Depression.
Is shareholder value the enemy of jobs? Gary Moore joins Jim Blasingame to reveal why corporate focus on driving shareholder value is one of the primary reasons unemployment is still chronic and stubborn.
Why aren't small businesses hiring? Gary Moore joins Jim Blasingame to discuss the reasons small businesses have other growth options instead of just hiring more people, and why raising minimum wage won't help low wage employees.
Wednesday - December 11, 2013
Words matter when making connections. Beverly Inman-Ebel joins Jim Blasingame to offer communication best practices, including the right way to ask questions when you're trying to create a business connection.
How a stolen check created lots of mayhem. John Harrison joins Jim Blasingame to reveal the chaos that was created when someone stole a check he had written and tried to cash it.
You're in charge of protecting your identity. John Harrison joins Jim Blasingame to reveal several steps you can take to protect yourself from the nightmare of identity theft.
Don't be naive about bad actors who will steal your identity online. John Harrison joins Jim Blasingame to reveal the online exposure to identity theft that we all have and how to guard against this potential nightmare.
Susie Wang joins Jim Blasingame to talk about how she started her business by identifying something that needed to be improved and focused on how to get her solution into the hands of customers.
Susie Wang joins Jim Blasingame to reveal some of the mistakes she made when she started her business, especially in the area of the hiring process.
Could this ancient plant remedy find new life as a cancer medicine? Joel Barker joins Jim Blasingame to reveal how a natural plant-based drug for diabetes could become a new weapon against cancer, thanks to Big Data.
Are America's greatest days in the past? Joel Barker joins Jim Blasingame to make the case for why America has more than enough quality elements to maintain its prominence as a great nation for a long time.
Are you ready to ship your stuff by airship? Joel Barker joins Jim Blasingame to reveal new innovations in dirigible construction and function that could make airships prominent in bulk shipping strategies.
Thursday - December 12, 2013
Barbara Weltman joins Jim Blasingame to discuss some of the most recent tax reform proposals and explain that after a while of patchwork fixes, important to overhaul the entire tax code to make things more simple and more fair, plus how tax code doesn't recognize technology.
Barbara Weltman joins Jim Blasingame to offer some tried and true year-end tax strategies, such waiting to the end of the year to send out bills and paying outstanding bills now, plus details on voluntary withholding for the self-employed.
Bob Fischer joins Jim Blasingame to explain concept extraction is a tool for disrupting your paradigm so that you can see new ideas for your small business.
Bob Fischer joins Jim Blasingame to continue the conversation on concept extraction, including why you should spend 15 minutes every week generating new ideas for your business, even if they're bad ideas.
Bob Fischer joins Jim Blasingame to discuss provocation as a tool to create ideas by disrupting your normal thinking patterns so that you can see new ideas for your small business.
Kathy Perry joins Jim Blasingame to explain that Facebook is being driven by Wall Street and if you really want your content to be seen on the social media site, you should pay for it.
Kathy Perry joins Jim Blasingame to discuss the new +Post ad system on Google+ that will reach the entire web, not just your network and how this could a better alternative than Facebook-bound advertising.
Joanne Black joins Jim Blasingame to explain that no matter how much we rely on technology for our businesses, there is nothing better that face-to-face communication with customers, plus why it's important to have a conversation with your customers before they even realize they have a need.
Joanne Black joins Jim Blasingame to explain that you have to step away from the keyboard to have conversations with people, plus why Gen Y need guidance and training from management in order to perform successfully.
Joanne Black joins Jim Blasingame to explain that as a salesperson you now have a larger responsibility to add value and build relationships with customer who may have already done research before you even connect with them.
Monday - December 16, 2013
Why are the holidays so much trouble for small businesses? Katherine Crowley joins Jim Blasingame to reveal the triple jeopardy that happens to a small business owner when various year-end issues converge with the holidays.
You can take steps to decrease the anxiety created by holiday obligation. Katherine Crowley joins Jim Blasingame to reveal how to communicate, coordinate and schedule holiday activity so it doesn't disrupt your year-end efforts.
The world is full of disorder, but your business doesn't have to suffer that malady. Steve Martin joins Jim Blasingame to reveal what organizational disorder looks like and how it steals profit right off of your bottom line.
Are your operating practices robbing you of profits? Steve Martin joins Jim Blasingame to identify several of the ways our operating practices can either deliver profits to the bottom line, or waste them through dysfunction.
Is inertia costing you profits? Steve Martin joins Jim Blasingame to reveal how not being able to finish a project, drop the gavel on a decision, or put a bow on an innovation can create profit-stealing inertia and crisis management.
Is it time to put your best foot forrward on Twitter? Lois Geller joins Jim Blasingame to make the case for why every small business should be engaging with new contacts on Twitter and turning them into customers.
What does your Twitter plan look like? Lois Geller joins Jim Blasingame to reveal that your level of success using Twitter as a way to reach new prospects is based on how you create and execute a Twitter plan.
Start the new year by getting your customer lists organized. Skip Miller joins Jim Blasingame to use the OAK acronym to help you begin the new year, starting with getting your customer lists organized so you can manage them.
How do you get the gold out of the head of customers? Skip Miller joins Jim Blasingame to remind us that asking customers about their business, not telling them about ours, is the straightest line to sales success.
How many different ways can you "knock" on the door of a prospect or customer? Skip Miller joins Jim Blasingame to say that once all the research and connections are completed, you have to "knock" on some doors to get the business.
Tuesday - December 17, 2013
Do you know what dysfunctional leadership looks like? Bill Treasurer joins Jim Blasingame to reveal three of the six signs of a dysfunctional leader, including ineffective teams and resistance to feedback.
If you think you're going to live forever, you might be a dysfunctional leader. Bill Treasurer joins Jim Blasingame to reveal three more signs of a dysfunctional leader, including not preparing an exit strategy.
Why are small businesses still so down about the economy? Bill Dunkelberg joins Jim Blasingame to review some of the reasons his NFIB Index of Small Business Optimism is not positive, including the impact of Obamacare.
Why are small business sales and investment still lagging? Bill Dunkelberg joins Jim Blasingame with this month's NFIB Index of small business optimism that shows sales, hiring and investment are still at close to recession levels.
What's the next step for the Fed's quantitative easing strategy? Bill Dunkelberg joins Jim Blasingame to discuss the next Fed chairman and how the inevitable tapering of quantitative easing will impact the economy and small businesses.
Jim Blasingame restates the first of his 2013 predictions, what actually happened and his score, including on economic performance, problems with Obamacare and unemployment.
Jim Blasingame compares seven more of his 2013 predictions to what really happened, including the economy, Obamacare failures and the BCS championship.
What does your web strategy look like? Anita Rosen joins Jim Blasingame to talk about examples of a web strategy, how it can work and how to monitor the results.
Have you defined what you want your web strategy to accomplish? Anita Rosen joins Jim Blasingame to ask if you have a goal for your web strategy and to recommend tools to use to execute a strategy and then monitor it.
Mobile computing will dominate your future. Anita Rosen joins Jim Blasingame to reveal the power and inevitability of mobile computing in your future and encourage you to adapt your online strategy to serve mobile prospects.
Wednesday - December 18, 2013
What's the difference between a mobile website and mobile optimized? Deltina Hay joins Jim Blasingame to talk about the reasons why your web strategy must include having your website mobile optimized, which is the same as a mobile site.
How many mobile ad words are you buying? Deltina Hay joins Jim Blasingame to talk about establishing an online marketing strategy that includes mobile ad words, and why they're different from other ad words.
How will college students receive their instruction in the future? Jack Uldrich joins Jim Blasingame to reveal the growth in Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) in undergraduate education which will disrupt legacy college models.
Non-carbon energy may be closer than you think. Jack Uldrich joins Jim Blasingame to reveal some of the innovations that could make renewable, non-carbon energy available and affordable sooner than later.
Will physical currency become obsolete? Jack Uldrich joins Jim Blasingame to talk about some of the challenges crypto-currencies will have getting established as alternatives to government-backed currency.
Do you know who loves your brand? Steve McKee joins Jim Blasingame to reveal that one of the keys to success for big brands is that they know who loves them and they stay close to those people.
How has the 21st century marketplace changed branding? Steve McKee joins Jim Blasingame to reveal what has and has not changed about brand development and execution in the Age of the Customer.
The Federal Reserve Board celebrates its 100th anniversary. Former Fed official, Bob McTeer joins Jim Blasingame to report on the Fed's centennial celebration and offer an appraisal of it's historical performance.
The Fed has to begin reducing their economic stimulus eventually. Bob McTeer joins Jim Blasingame to report on reasons why the Fed has taken the unprecedented economic stimulus over the past several years, and how long this will continue.
Will the Volker rule be a successful bank reform? Bob McTeer joins Jim Blasingame to report on the banking reform policy known as the Volker Rule, and to discuss whether this policy will be good for small businesses.
Thursday - December 19, 2013
How far back does the NSA go in working with private companies? Steve DelBianco joins Jim Blasingame to reveal the long history of the NSA requiring private companies to help them surveil Americans.
Who owns the infrastructure of the Internet? Steve DelBianco joins Jim Blasingame to explain who owns the backbone and the last mile of Internet connection, and what's behind certain companies increasing their infrastructure positions.
How much do regulations cost American businesses? Wayne Crews joins Jim Blasingame to report that the cost of federal government regulations equals more than half of the total government annual budget.
Federal regulations cost each small business thousands of dollars annually. Wayne Crews joins Jim Blasingame to report on some of the financial impacts of regulations on every small business, which is a disproportionate burden.
Can the growth of regulations be stopped? Wayne Crews joins Jim Blasingame to offer suggestions on how to reduce existing regulations on businesses, and control the growth of new regs.
Performance is not optional, even if you negotiated the wrong price. Rob Jolles joins Jim Blasingame to talk about pricing your services and products successfully, but performing as if you did, even if you didn't.
If you're not right for the customer, the price doesn't matter. Rob Jolles joins Jim Blasingame to talk about how to set the stage in customer negotiations so that the cost is not discussed unless you're the right company for the job.
What is at the heart of why some states are not business friendly? Ray Keating joins Jim Blasingame to reveal the elements of his index of states based on how conducive their policies are to business.
Blue states typically are not small business friendly and red states usually are. Ray Keating joins Jim Blasingame to reveal the top five and bottom five states as they are ranked based on how their policies impact small businesses.
What certain states are doing to make their states conducive to business. Ray Keating joins Jim Blasingame to reveal the policy changes certain states are making to be friendlier to small businesses and economic growth.
Friday - December 20, 2013
Jim Blasingame discusses goal setting for 2014, including non-negotiable standards for your employees and for yourself.
Do you have the courage to lead change? Tom Asacker joins Jim Blasingame to talk about the elements of leading change, including the level of personal and organizational courage required.
Leading change has to become a way of life. Tom Asacker joins Jim Blasingame to explain why leading change cannot be a means to an end, but rather a way of life
Fair use is the nexus between the creator and purchaser of intellectual property. David Dawsey joins Jim Blasingame to reveal the legal definition of "fair use" and explain how it serves both creators and purchasers of intellectual property.
Why authors sued Google over fair use abuses. David Dawsey joins Jim Blasingame to report on a recent lawsuit where authors claimed Google violated the fair use practices allowed under copyright laws.
David Dawsey joins Jim Blasingame to discuss digital rights management and how it impacts users and copyright owners.
Scott Aurnou joins Jim Blasingame to discuss the recent breach of 40 million Target customers' credit and debit data, plus steps to take if you think you've been impacted.
Scott Aurnou joins Jim Blasingame to continue the conversation on Target's breach, plussome steps small businesses can take to discuss to ensure their point of sale security.
Brad Huisken joins Jim Blasingame to explain that business owners should set specific goals for the New Year, plus why training your employees in sales, product knowledge, operations, and customer service is important.
Brad Huisken joins Jim Blasingame to discuss accountability, plus why business that manage based on opinions instead of facts fail.
Monday - December 23, 2013
Mary Cantando joins Jim Blasingame to discuss 3 sales questions to close out the year: Why did you our did you not reach your sales goal? Why sales approach worked best for you and how can you replicate it? and What new expansions did you experience this year and how can you replicate it?
Mary Cantando joins Jim Blasingame to discuss 2 more sales questions to close out the year: What one thing do our competitors do better than us? and What do people hate about your industry and how can you capitalize on that?
Is Detroit one of the early dominoes of municipalities that will start to fall? Bill Brandt joins Jim Blasingame to state that he believes Detroit is not a canary in the mine shaft, but rather an example other municipalities can learn from.
Will the Volker Rule prevent future financial collapses? Bill Brandt joins Jim Blasingame to reveal what the Volker Rule is with regard to banking reform, why it is needed and predict whether it will be successful.
Will the 2014 economy be better than 2013? Bill Brandt joins Jim Blasingame to report on the 2014 economy by saying that he believes we're going to continue in this slow and steady growth path, without much significant change in trajectory.
Tom Hegna joins Jim Blasingame to offer 4 steps to retire optimally: ! Cover your basic expenses with guaranteed lifetime income, 2. Optimize your portfolio to protect against inflation, 3. Make a plan for long term care, and 4. Life insurance is the most efficient way to pass on wealth.
You won't have to be concerned about runaway inflation next year. Tom Hegna joins Jim Blasingame to explain that due to high government debt levels, deleveraging and demographic challenges, global inflation will be in check.
Josh Costell joins Jim Blasingame to explain that you have to make sure you get the return your expecting when sending your salespeople to training seminars by making sure they actually have a desire to learn.
Josh Costell joins Jim Blasingame to explain that sales training should focus on substance that can be applied to a salesperson's own personal style.
Josh Costell joins Jim Blasingame to explain that you should be sure that the goals of the training seminar you're spending money are compatible with your own goals for your business.
Tuesday - December 24, 2013
Don't let your year-end compensation plans create moral problems. Kopf joins Jim Blasingame to make some recommendations for ending the year with better organization, including separating holiday gifts to employees from bonuses.
How do you avoid having no good deed go unpunished? Ed Kopf joins Jim Blasingame to talk about how to avoid problems when compensating family members who are employees during the holidays.
Take an honest look at your own performance at work this year. John Bradberry joins Jim Blasingame to talk about the reasons why an evaluation of your own performance and relationship with the business will be helpful and healthy
CEO-level planning time must be scheduled and conducted. John Bradberry joins Jim Blasingame to encourage you to schedule and conduct the time necessary to perform the CEO duties that must be carried out in every business.
How is your attitude during Christmas? Kita Szpak joins Jim Blasingame to offer suggestions on how to prevent the unfortunate parts of Christmas from getting you down and how to actually enjoy the season more.
Kita Szpak joins Jim Blasingame to reveal three areas to be aware of and pay attention to in order to have a happier holiday season, including expectations, patterns, and self-care.
Here are some retirement plans for year-end tax planning. Eva Rosenberg joins Jim Blasingame to talk about establishing retirement plans before year-end, including a 401k and a SEP IRA.
Know the tax implications of year-end gift giving. Eva Rosenberg joins Jim Blasingame to review what you need to know about the tax treatment of gifts you give to customers.
Winning a large prize has tax implications. Eva Rosenberg joins Jim Blasingame to reveal the phantom income implications you will have if you win a large prize like a new car.
Wednesday - December 25, 2013
Jim Blasingame celebrates Christmas Day by encouraging all to be less commercial and focus more on those who have great needs, and less on those who don't need more stuff. He also recites messages from Isaiah and Luke.
Jim Blasingame celebrates Christmas Day with his annual message in honor of the members of our military and their families.
Andrew Sherman joins Jim Blasingame on Christmas Day to share their thoughts on why family should be emphasized during the holiday season.
Andrew Sherman joins Jim Blasingame, a Jew and a Christian, as they share their thoughts on Christmas Day about the value and power that can be found in tolerance.
Andrew Sherman joins Jim Blasingame to share their thoughts about the sacrifice that has been made for all of us by the members of our military, and how much more they're appreciated today.
Bob Dilenschneider joins Jim Blasingame on Christmas Day to reflect on the new Pope and talk about how his position could be used to promote tolerance among all religions.
Bob Dilenschneider joins Jim Blasingame to talk about the fact that, regardless of race, religion, geography, or politics, all humans want the same basic things, and why we should focus on that list.
Barbara Weltman joins Jim Blasingame to discuss year-end tax planning for 2013 with a focus on the tax treatment of gift giving and charitable contributions.
Barbara Weltman joins Jim Blasingame to talk about the unique levels of charitable giving around the globe by Americans and how some tax code changes may be putting that in jeopardy.
Barbara Weltman joins Jim Blasingame to identify some of the retirement programs that you can still take advantage of for tax purposes both now and until you file your tax return.
Thursday - December 26, 2013
What? Starbucks franchises? Joel Libava joins Jim Blasingame to report that Starbucks is offering the availability of franchises, but only in Europe and only to certain prospects.
Who's really in control of your franchise business? Joel Libava joins Jim Blasingame to reveal how the dynamic of power and control works between the franchisor and its franchisees, and how this is changing for some franchises.
Think you've got trouble? Bill Schley joins Jim Blasingame to share an incredible story of strength of will and positive attitude from one of America's heroes, a wounded Navy SEAL, recovering in the hospital.
What happened to belief and courage in corporate America's workplace? Bill Schley joins Jim Blasingame to talk about how the workplace in corporate America today lacks courage and belief, and what they can learn from Navy SEALs.
Bill Schley joins Jim Blasingame to explain that belief and courage are trademarks of entrepreneurship and why you must create a culture of belief from day one, plus what entrepreneurs can learn from Navy SEALs.
Make New Year connections with customers at the end of this year. Ilise Benun joins Jim Blasingame to talk about the right way to connect with customers as we end one year and start a new one.
Do you know how to set and achieve goals? Ilise Benun joins Jim Blasingame to joins Jim Blasingame to recommend goal setting best practices, including using small steps, as you begin the New Year.
When should you conduct employee performance feedback? Leigh Branham joins Jim Blasingame to reveal the proper way to conduct performance feedback, including when, how and how much.
What we can learn from football coaches about feedback. Leigh Branham joins Jim Blasingame to talk about how to conduct employee performance feedback like a winning coach does, which is regular, incremental and specific.
There is a proper way to word corrective employee feedback. Leigh Branham joins Jim Blasingame to reveal how to use neutral language when delivering corrective performance feedback to employees.
Friday - December 27, 2013
Without a budget, you're operating blind. Gary Sirak joins Jim Blasingame to talk about the power you can achieve by establishing a cash flow budget and managing with it.
The most important tool of any small business owner. Gary Sirak joins Jim Blasingame to reveal the power of a cash flow spread sheet and how to build one.
Obamacare doesn't look like it did. Grace-Marie Turner joins Jim Blasingame to reveal the unilateral changes the Obama administration has made to Obamacare to the extent that it is almost unrecognizable from the original bill.
Obamacare has many new things in store for us in 2014. Grace-Marie Turner joins Jim Blasingame to reveal the new taxes and mandates that Obamacare will cause to be applied beginning in 2014.
There are many new Obamacare shoes to drop throughout 2014. Grace-Marie Turner joins Jim Blasingame to reveal the new disruptions and dangers of Obamacare during the second half of 2014.
Is your business accessible to all? Dr. Jeffrey Holmes joins Jim Blasingame to reveal the many humanitary and business reasons you should make your busines accessible to those who have disabilities.
Dr. Jeffrey Holmes joins Jim Blasingame to report on the various legal and regulatory parameters that determine how you make your business, including online, accessible to the disabled.
Is another bubble being created on Wall Street? Ted Fishman joins Jim Blasingame to discount the notion of another equities bubble, but to express caution about the new year.
The statute of limitations is running out on those who created the crash of 2008. Ted Fishman joins Jim Blasingame to report that we're running out of time to prosecute those who created the crash of 2008.
Is manufacturing coming back to the U.S.? Ted Fishman joins Jim Blasingame to report that there is a move to return manufacturing jobs to the U.S., but the number returning will not be as much as have left over the past 20 years.
Monday - December 30, 2013
You may have the right people, but are they in the right assignments? Jay Forte joins Jim Blasingame to talk about how to hire and position the right people in the right jobs for maximum performance.
Are you in the right place for you and your abilities? Jay Forte joins Jim Blasingame to reveal what a GREATNESS ZONE is, how to find ours and find more happiness and success.
New capital market changes may hold good news for your business. Doug Tatum joins Jim Blasingame to reveal that hundreds of investment companies are looking to acquire smaller businesses than in the past.
Why your next growth step may be to be acquired. Doug Tatum joins Jim Blasingame to reveal the new strategies of investment firms toward aggregating smaller firms into larger operations, and why this could be good news for you.
The future for community banks is a challenging one. Doug Tatum joins Jim Blasingame to reveal some of the issues that are creating problems for the important community bank sector, and what this means for small businesses.
Getting creative about how you do business. Bryan Mattimore joins Jim Blasingame to reveal how to use creativity within your organization to make sure you're future business model aligns with future customer expectations.
Here are the first five of Jim's 2014 predictions. Jim Blasingame reveals the first five of his 2014 predictions, including on the economy, unemployment, and small business performance and sentiment.
Here are five more predictions from Jim. Jim Blasingame to delivers five of his 2014 predictions, including Fed policies, Wall Street challenges and the Constitutionality of changes to Obamacare.
Here are Jim's final seven predictions. Jim Blasingame reveals his final seven 2014 Crystal Ball predictions, including the future of Congressional majorities, policy battles, and NCAA football championships.
Tuesday - December 31, 2013
Janet Christy joins Jim Blasingame to recommend that making an extra commitment to following up, whether with someone you just met, or finishing what you promised, plus how to follow the money with customers.
Janet Christy joins Jim Blasingame to offer more resolutions, including learning a new language, whether an official language or the jargon of your customer's industry, and find your niche.
Ruth King joins Jim Blasingame to reveal how to grow your business by starting with your goal for bottom line profit, and working your way up through expenses, cost of goods and finally revenue.
Financial management is not the same as accounting. Ruth King joins Jim Blasingame to reveal why failing to manage the financial part of your business will result in business failure.
are you managing your cash flow? Ruth King joins Jim Blasingame to encourage you to use a cash flow spread sheet to project cash flow each year, so you can see the ebbs and flows of your cash picture.
Bev Flaxington joins Jim Blasingame to explain that some people have lost prioritization of tasks and are rushing around more than ever, but aren't getting anything accomplished, plus asking yourself where a new project fits in to your current tasks.
Bev Flaxington joins Jim Blasingame to explain that when you have unproductive people in your business who can't resolve tasks and move projects along, they bring down team productivity.
Ellen Rohr joins Jim Blasingame to her upcoming Business Makeover 2014 event on January 13-February 11, plus why Ellen decided to interview business experts.
Ellen Rohr joins Jim Blasingame to explain that a business plan is anything that helps you gain clarity about what you want out of your business, then puts aligned actions together to make that happen, plus getting your business plan ready for the New Year.
Ellen Rohr joins Jim Blasingame to explain that a phone call to your customers to thank them and tell them why you love working with them is a great way to ensure their business in the New Year, plus why being competitive isn't enough, you must be relevant as well.
