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About Rieva Lesonsky

Authored 31 articles.

Articles

• 4 Ways to Capitalize on Consumers’ Desire to Support Local Business

  Features, July 18, 2016

  Good news for small retailers (and, indeed, for all small businesses): Consumers prefer local businesses to national chains, according to a new study by GoDigital. How can you capitalize on this preference, and more effectively market your retail store to local customers in a way that appeals to their natural preference for shopping local? Here’s what the report had to say.

• Are Exhausted Employees Destroying Your Business?

  Features, May 24, 2016

  Very few entrepreneurs get enough sleep, and the “sleep shortage” is affecting employees too. Seven out of 10 workers in a recent survey (PDF) by Accountemps/Robert Half report they are frequently tired on the job — which could be putting your business at risk.

• Millennial Home Buyers to Spur Retail Growth

  Features, May 21, 2015

  If you’re a retailer looking for this year’s hot market, look no further than Millennial home buyers.

• Are Your Employees Getting Enough Sleep? (And if Not, Why Do You Care?)

  Features, April 13, 2015

  It’s no secret to any harried entrepreneur that getting too little sleep has plenty of ill effects. But did you ever stop to think about the effect lack of sleep might be having on your employees. And, by extension, how that could be affecting your business?

• 5 Ways to Boost Your Retail Sales This Summer

  Features, June 18, 2014

  For many retailers, summer isn’t exactly the high season. But that doesn’t mean it has to be a bust. With summer about to go into full swing, have you thought about how you’ll boost business for your retail store this season?

• The Benefits of Giving Your Staff a Raise

  Features, February 28, 2014

  Are you trying to keep your key employees happy by offering them perks like work-at-home days, cross-training and flexible hours? That’s great and I encourage you to keep offering those extras, but a new study shows that they may not be enough to retain workers.

• Do Men and Women Have Different Small Business Outlooks?

  Features, November 18, 2013

  How are men and women entrepreneurs feeling about their businesses’ prospects for the coming year? The 5th in a series of studies by Hiscox Small Business, the DNA of an Entrepreneur (PDF), found that while both men and women small business owners are optimistic about their futures, there are some important differences in how they run their businesses.

• How Do Your Employee Benefits Stack Up?

  Features, August 12, 2013

  Are you worried about retaining your key employees as the economy heats up? Or do you need to attract new workers to help with growing demand for your product or service, or to expand your business? In either case, employee benefits are an important factor in whether employees choose to join your company, stay with your business for the long haul or jump ship. How do you know if your employee benefits measure up?

• No Ifs, Ands or Butts: Get Your Employees Fit!

  Features, July 29, 2013

  Are your employees sitting at their desks all day? If so, chances are they’re not maximizing their productivity—and they could be racking up your health insurance costs. If you’re looking to build a healthier workforce (one that won’t have as many accidents and illnesses, and saves you money on health insurance and workers’ comp), consider ways to make yourself and your team more active at work.

• Are Tough Times Inspiring Better Leaders and Increasing Engagement?

  Features, July 15, 2013

  Are your employees engaged in their jobs? A Gallup poll measured the growth of employee engagement and which of 12 different occupations tend to boast the highest engagement.

• Do You Trust Your Employees to Work Remotely?

  Features, April 08, 2013

  Yahoo’s Marissa Mayer unleashed a firestorm of commentary throughout the business world with her recent announcement that remote working was off the table for the tech company’s staffers, who will now be expected to show up in the office every day. If you’ve still got a nagging feeling that letting employees work at home means paying them to watch Cartoon Network in their jammies all day, how can you get over it?

• The Myth of Customer Service

  Features, October 29, 2012

  There’s a pervasive myth about customer service that, if you believe it, could have devastating consequences for your small business. It’s one you’ve probably heard dozens, if not hundreds, of times over the life of your business.

• Here’s What Your Employees Want: Are You Listening?

  Features, October 05, 2012

  When it comes to what your employees want, too many small business owners are in denial. At least, that’s the finding of a new study by MetLife, which polled small business owners and employees and found that while employee loyalty has dropped steadily since 2008, employers mistakenly believe it’s on the rise.

• Give Your Small Business A Post-Summer Morale Boost

  Features, September 06, 2012

  Summer is over, and for most small business owners, that means the slow season is coming to a close and it’s time to get back to work with renewed enthusiasm. With Labor Day (a holiday created to honor working people) just past, it’s also a good time to sit down and take a look at the state of your small business’s work force.

• Keep Your Employees Motivated This Summer

  Features, July 13, 2012

  Summer’s here in full force and, no matter where your business is located, chances are your employees have caught summer fever. How can you keep employees motivated, engaged and present when beautiful summer days are calling them away?

• Have You Reinvented Your Business Lately?

  Features, June 29, 2012

  What has it taken to keep your small business thriving—or even just surviving—for the past four years since the U.S. economy crashed? For my business, it’s been an ongoing process of reinvention.

• Does Flextime Benefit You More Than Your Employees?

  Features, June 04, 2012

  Are you resisting offering employees at your small business flexible working hours because you think it’ll give them an excuse to slack off? Well, some new research should convince you otherwise. It seems flextime may actually be less flexible than a regular schedule.

• Is it Time to Sell Your Business or Buy a New One?

  Features, June 01, 2012

  Have you delayed retirement because the recession was preventing you from getting a fair price for the business you worked so hard to build? Have you been contemplating buying another business, but couldn’t find the financing? Small business owners in both of these situations have a lot to be hopeful about.

• Why You Should Encourage Your Employees to be Entrepreneurs

  Features, April 15, 2012

  Are you worried about keeping employees in your workplace happy, engaged, and maintaining your competitive edge? One way to accomplish both of these challenging goals is to encourage entrepreneurship in your workplace.

• Every Business Needs A Bench: 6 Steps To Building A Strong One

  Features, July 29, 2011

  How do great sports teams get that way? It’s not just because they have star players (although that certainly doesn’t hurt). No—to field a winning team with the ability to consistently perform under all kinds of conditions, they’ve got to have a strong bench.

• 4 Trends to Take Advantage of Now

  Features, April 01, 2011

• Small Biz Success Index

  Features, March 11, 2011

• Keep Your Company Healthy, Wealthy and Wise

  Features, March 04, 2011

• 7 Secrets to Keeping Key Employees

  Features, January 21, 2011

• Can Business Accelerators Help Your Business Grow?

  Features, December 17, 2010

• Does Your Biz Have Reason to Celebrate

  Features, December 06, 2010

• Are Small Business Loans Getting Easier to Obtain?

  Features, October 08, 2010

• Small Biz Hit Harder by Regulations

  Features, September 30, 2010

• Health Insurance Costs Rises--But Workers' Costs Rise More

  Features, September 16, 2010

• Trends in Microfinance

  Features, August 27, 2010

• Ruralsourcing a Win-Win for Small Business

  Features, August 19, 2010