September 2013 Features

  • 3 Questions for You to Ask Yourself About Employee Health Care

    September 30, 2013

    Small businesses face important decisions about employee benefits, and as deadlines for Affordable Care Act (ACA) requirements draw near, timing is of the essence. You should consider the following three questions to make more informed decisions for your workforce.

  • Sheriff Kevin Sproul on “Building Unity In The Community” BBQ

    September 27, 2013

    As Autumn sets in, the weather cools, and we begin looking forward to the holiday season, the Dougherty County Sheriff’s Office wants to thank you for your support by hosting our 4th annual “Building Unity in the Community” cookout. The cookout will be held on Saturday, October 26th, at C.W. Heath Park from 11:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m.

  • If You Want Entrepreneurial Success, Learn to Embrace Failure

    September 24, 2013

    First off, let me tell you this: I fail – a lot… and I’m ready for more failures. Before you say, “Are you out of your mind,” let me explain a bit. I hate the feeling of failure. Nobody likes to fail. But I learned during my entrepreneurial career that if you want to achieve entrepreneurial success, you need failures. You need to fail and the more you fail, the closer you are to your goal.

  • Couples in Business: You and Your Partner, Inc.

    September 23, 2013

    After firing my husband, Joe, at least three times from our family-owned communications and production company because we absolutely could not work together, I was anxious to read a new, self-published book by therapists, Miriam Hawley and Jeffrey McIntyre. The Cambridge, Massachusetts-based couple interviewed about 45 couples in business together to collect anecdotes and strategies for You & Your Partner, Inc.: Entrepreneurial Couples Succeeding in Business, Life and Love.

  • 70% of Small Business B2B Websites Lack A Call to Action

    September 20, 2013

    Does your home page on your website have a call to action? In other words, does your website home page attempt to get the visitor to do something — besides simply read and leave?

  • Scott Hunter: Plan Carefully When It’s Time to Make a Career Move

    September 19, 2013

    The days when an employee would spend his or her entire career with the same company appear to be all but gone. Nowadays, beyond simply changing jobs over the course of a career, many workers even take on an entirely new career before they finally reach retirement. When you make a job change, one of the biggest challenges you may face could be deciding what to do with the assets you’ve built up in your former employer’s retirement plan.

  • Are Americans Becoming Interested in Entrepreneurship Again?

    September 17, 2013

    The recently released Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM), a nationally representative survey of American adults, reveals that the fraction of Americans who intend to start a business rose to 12.5 percent in 2012 — a substantial increase from the 8.3 percent recorded in 2008.

  • State of Georgia Ports: GPA Adds Cargo, Customers in FY2013

    September 16, 2013

    In his State of the Port address, Georgia Ports Authority Executive Director Curtis Foltz reported record cargo volumes, an influx of new business, and more than 1 million square feet of distribution center space leased or developed.

  • GDECD Commissioner Chris Cummiskey Leaving Post to Join Southern Power

    September 13, 2013

    Gov. Nathan Deal today announced that he has nominated U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson’s chief of staff, Chris Carr, to succeed Chris Cummiskey as the commissioner of the Georgia Department of Economic Development. Cummiskey will join Southern Co. as chief commercial officer of Southern Power.

  • Doug Robinson: Great Salespeople Aren’t Born…They’re Good Storytellers

    September 11, 2013

    When your employees sell your products and services, do they jump into a presentation of nuts and bolts to explain how it works, or do they tell success stories?

  • Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany Provides Fiscally Responsive Support

    September 10, 2013

    One of the largest employers in the Albany area, the Marine Corps Logistics Base (MCLB) faces a number of issues related to cuts in defense spending from the sequester and the end of U.S. engagement in Afghanistan.

  • Why, When, What and How to Outsource Tasks

    September 09, 2013

    Is it a good idea for a small business to outsource some tasks? Contrary to what many small business entrepreneurs think, it is often a great idea to outsource certain tasks to others. But, before you make any decisions to outsource, here are a few things you need to think about.

  • Commentary: Georgia's Senate Race: Who'll Win?

    September 06, 2013

    Who’s going to win? It doesn’t matter the race really. The question is almost the political equivalent of commenting on the weather. It is an entry into picking the brains of other politicos to compare notes and strategies for an upcoming campaign season. And yet, for this election cycle in Georgia, it is the wrong question at this time.

  • Sheriff Kevin Sproul Talks About The Castle Doctrine

    September 05, 2013

    In my last article, I spoke about Georgia’s “Stand Your Ground” law which allows the victim of an unlawful use of force to fight back rather than retreat. In that article, I stated that deadly force may not be used to protect property. The Castle Doctrine is an exception to that.

  • Artesian Contracting Builds Albany

    September 04, 2013

    Artesian Contracting could be described as a federal, commercial and industrial construction company based in Albany with 80 percent of its business in Georgia, 25 percent in Albany. Co-owner Glenn Singfield Sr. would prefer people think of the firm as a committed community partner.

  • Learn How To Acquire New Businesses: Review of Successful Acquisitions

    September 03, 2013

    Business acquisitions are announced in the Wall Street Journal almost everyday and are glamourized in movies such as Oliver Stone’s “Wall Street.” But most small business are not public. So most owners only have imagined what an acquisition process entails — or they just have cliched Gordon Gekko quotes to go on.