Features

• Georgia Experiences Fourth Record Year in International Trade

  February 18, 2014

  Georgia experienced its fourth record year in a row for international trade, exceeding last year’s milestones in both imports and exports. The total value of goods exported from Georgia totaled $37.6 billion, the most the state has ever exported within a single year.

• SBA Nominee Talks Marketing to Banks, Businesses at Confirmation Hearing

  February 14, 2014

  If finally confirmed, the newly nominated chief of the U.S. Small Business Administration promised to do more to promote the agency’s services. Maria Contreras-Sweet said at her confirmation hearing before the U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship that more must be done to brand the SBA.

• The Gift of Margin - 3 Ways to Get You Some

  February 13, 2014

  Margin in life is truly a gift and most of us have so little these days. Margin in our calendar gives us time to listen to a friend. Margin in our finances allows us to help a friend, or help ourselves. It is also keeps us out of debt and reduces stress.

• Yet Another Delay for Obamacare, Until January 2016

  February 12, 2014

  We’re at the point where we’ll soon need a spreadsheet to keep track of all the changes to Obamacare. On Monday the Obama Administration once again delayed a provision of the Affordable Care Act.

• Buying is a Sensual Activity

  February 11, 2014

  I once heard Ken Blanchard (the One Minute Manager author) tell a story about Sheldon Bowles, a Canadian entrepreneur who decided to go against the self service gas trend back in 1970 by creating a full service franchise in western Canada called Domo Gas.

• 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.

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