Features

• Your Employees Are Your Most Valuable Recruiting Tools

  February 10, 2014

  The most obvious and glaring trend for recruiting is the use of social media for outreach to active and passive candidates. Most recruiters, staffing firms and other companies will tell you that their job opportunities need to be readily available, easily accessible and mobile friendly. One vital asset that recruiters often overlook are the people sitting right around them in the office. Current employees can provide valuable help in the recruiting process.

• Small Businesses Once Again Create More Jobs Than Big Businesses

  February 07, 2014

  Small businesses created almost double the new jobs in January 2014, compared with large businesses. And when you add growth among medium-sized businesses to the employment growth in small businesses, the numbers swamp the job growth of large corporations.

• Dougherty County Sheriff Kevin Sproul Looks Back on 2013

  February 05, 2014

  2013 was a great year for the Dougherty County Sheriff’s Office. Sheriff Kevin Sproul highlights some of the initiatives that the Sheriff’s Office undertook during 2013 to serve you and keep you safe.

• Georgia Manufacturing Activity Drops for Second Consecutive Month

  February 04, 2014

  Georgia manufacturing activity dropped slightly for January, while the nation experienced a greater decline for the same month, closing the gap between manufacturing activity in the state and the nation.

• Fewer Small Businesses Paying Late in 2013

  February 03, 2014

  Small businesses were prompter at paying their loans and bills in 2013 than in 2012, data from several sources reveals. Moody’s Analytics and Experian reported substantial declines in both 30 and 90 day small business credit delinquency rates during the past year, part of an improving trend since the summer of 2011 when those rates peaked.

• The Bright Side of High Employee Turnover

  January 31, 2014

  Are you worried about losing key employees this year? A Right Management study says 83 percent of employees definitely plan to look for jobs this year, while 12 percent say they might and just 5 percent have no plans to look for new jobs. This is bad news for your business, right? Maybe not.

• What is Strategy?

  January 30, 2014

  Despite all the consultants in the world wanting you to believe that you could never comprehend strategy at "their level", strategy is quite simple. Strategy is simply a plan to get from point A (where you are at today) to point B (where you want to be at a future date). Curt Fowler shares how all of us use strategy each and every day, even for the simplest of things.

• What Do Small Business Administration (SBA) Loans Look Like?

  January 29, 2014

  Hidden among the large amount of data released regularly by the Federal Reserve is some valuable information about the terms of Small Business Administration (SBA) guaranteed loans.

• Small Business Optimism: Status Quo or Cautious Optimism?

  January 27, 2014

  Small business owners tend to be optimistic by nature. You have to be, if you want to overcome the obstacles of running a business. Still, the economy has been pretty rough since 2008. Are there signs of improvement? If I had to sum it up based on two small business optimism surveys, I’d say it’s “status quo” or perhaps “cautious optimism.”

• Why You Should Consider Building Business Credit

  January 24, 2014

  Building business credit is both highly misunderstood and becoming more and more important all the time for business owners. I have heard some people say that building business credit doesn’t matter. I say, then why are a lot of business credit reports being pulled if business credit doesn’t matter?

• Huckaby: “We are Making the Right Decisions for Students & the State”

  January 23, 2014

  The need to help more students afford and earn a degree is driving key and fundamental changes in the University System of Georgia, said Chancellor Hank Huckaby in remarks to the Georgia General Assembly’s Joint Appropriations Committee.

• Georgia Ports Authority Has Banner Year in 2013, Looks to Top It in 2014

  January 22, 2014

  When success is part of your DNA, it can become tempting to rest on your laurels and keep doing more of the same. Or, your company can keep your foot on the gas and strive for more. Georgia Ports Authority certainly falls into the latter category, partly because the whole state—heck, the whole country—is watching.

• What You Can Learn from Family Businesses

  January 21, 2014

  For a while, the spread of corporate monopolies seemed destined to wipe out mom-and-pop shops for good. But family businesses demonstrated their resilience during the economic downturn, and now they’re stronger than ever. In fact, family-owned companies make up 90% of U.S. businesses. They are responsible for 80% of new jobs and 60% of all jobs in America.

• Should You Consider an Accountability Partner?

  January 17, 2014

  When people, especially salespeople, are left to their own devices, they lack consistency and succumb to their own emotional performance roller coaster, operating more by default than by design. Hence, consider bringing in an accountability partner.

• No Sign of Real Recovery in Small Business Numbers

  January 15, 2014

  Small-business optimism ended the year slightly up from November at 93.9, but below the previous 3 mid-year readings of over 94 and 6 points below the pre-recession average, according to the National Federation of Independent Business’ (NFIB’s) latest index. On the positive front, reports of capital spending rose significantly in December, increasing by 9 points from November and job creation among NFIB firms was the best since February 2006.

• The Era of Declining Self-Employment

  January 13, 2014

  The number of employed Americans rose from 144,144,000 in October 2013 to 144,775,000 in November 2013, an increase of 631,000, according to Federal government data. That’s good news. More people going back to work is something that everyone – left, right and center – agrees is good for the country.

• Is Your Business a Talent Attractor?

  January 10, 2014

  Only an elite group of businesses earn the title “talent attractor.” What is a talent attractor you may ask? A talent attractor is a company that is best in class when it comes to benefits packaging and delivery. The human resources departments at these companies are more likely to believe that overall employee health is important to workforce productivity.

• 35 of Georgia’s Brightest Come Together as Young Gamechangers

  January 08, 2014

  GeorgiaForward kicks off its second annual Young Gamechangers program on Thursday, January 9th convening 35 of the state’s most promising young leaders in Dublin, with the goal of revisioning the area as a vibrant 21st century community.

• Starting a Business in 2014? Here Is Your Startup Checklist

  January 07, 2014

  Each year, the number of new businesses spikes in January as the start of a new year seems like the most natural time to begin a new venture. Whether you’re just starting out or are a seasoned entrepreneur, run through this startup checklist to better understand the steps needed to make your business legit.

• 2013 Georgia Job Creation Hits Record High

  January 06, 2014

  Gov. Nathan Deal today announced that the Global Commerce Division of the Georgia Department of Economic Development produced a 10 percent increase in job creation during the state’s most recent fiscal year. Statistics from the department show its 389 company expansion or location announcements generated 31,656 jobs and $6.07 billion in investment. These statistics indicate a continued trend of growth since the state’s 2009 fiscal year.

• Small Business Optimism Sees Slight Bump

  December 17, 2013

  November ushered in the holiday season, but it did not translate into enthusiasm among small-business owners, whose optimism increased, but only slightly—under a point (0.9)—for a total reading of 92.5, according to NFIB’s monthly Index. Of note in November is the positive trend, albeit sluggish reality, of job growth.

• Scott Hunter on What You Should Know About Market Corrections

  December 16, 2013

  There is no way around it – markets generally move in cycles! Although the past is no guarantee of the future, historically, the stock market has spent more time on bullish advances than on bearish retreats – which is why stocks have been considered a good investment over the years – the market also tends to retrench more than the average investor would like to think about.

• Poll: Georgians Concerned About Effects of Obamacare

  December 13, 2013

  Healthcare Georgia Foundation today released the results of a statewide public opinion poll to gauge how Georgians perceive the cost and quality of their healthcare. According to the poll, Georgians rate the quality of healthcare in the state a modest 7.26/10, with ten being excellent and one being poor. Georgians were also surveyed about their perceptions about what the government is doing about healthcare today.

• Economic Forecast: Georgia’s Economy Will Rise More than the National Average Next Year

  December 12, 2013

  Buoyed by rising home prices, smart economic policies and new jobs, Georgia's economy will rise more than the national average next year. That was the message delivered by Charles B. Knapp, interim dean of the Terry College of Business and president emeritus of the University of Georgia, at the Georgia Economic Outlook luncheon held Dec. 11 in Atlanta.

• Don’t Let That Business Plan Collect Dust on a Shelf

  December 10, 2013

  Small business owners rank creating a business plan right up there with writing the dreaded high school term paper, college thesis, and bar exam rolled into one, says Tim Berry.

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