Employers can help shift post-pandemic priorities from surviving to thriving. By Courtney Patt As we continue to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, many have been reflecting on the year that was—or perhaps wasn’t. For a vast number of folks, priorities have shifted from simply surviving to remaining strong in the face of what has passed [...]

Seven steps every business can take, from organizing more to doing less.  by Laurie F. Junker No business owner wants to waste time and money, have frustrated employees, and risk customer relationships with mistakes and delays. But the truth is that all of these things happen when businesses operate less efficiently than they could be.  [...]

By Clint Halladay Four years ago, the fabric of our organization, SewLong Custom Covers, was held together by cheap cotton thread. Our company was growing and doing well financially, but our culture was in crisis. Our leadership was fractured and distracted, employees were frustrated, some were leaving. As the “second-in-command,” I wasn’t sure what to [...]

Here are the keys to achieving sustainable growth. By Charlene Clark, IFM The concept of scaling a business is not interchangeable with growing a business.  Consider this scenario: You are experiencing exponential growth, revenues are up, work is pouring in the door and you decide to hire more people. You and your team work longer [...]

Self-education comes in many forms. By Chris Ritsema  Education is a valuable asset when it comes to success in life and business. Going to college is the standard road map many people use to get an education that helps them succeed, but I never really enjoyed the classroom. I wanted to get out and get [...]

By Mark E. Battersby Cash flow is the lifeblood of every business. In fact, according to a recent U.S. Bank study, poor cash flow management causes 82 percent of U.S. business failures. Although seemingly counterintuitive, many experts advise putting cash flow management before profits. While profits are how a fabrication business survives, a failure to [...]

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) posted a revised, borrower-friendly Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan forgiveness application implementing the PPP Flexibility Act of 2020, which was signed into law by President Trump on June 5, 2020. In addition to revising the full forgiveness application, SBA also published a new EZ version of the forgiveness application [...]

By Madeleine MacRae Determining the best way to sell and, even more so, how to effectively and appropriately market your products and services at a time of such widespread uncertainty and deep market disruption can be a daunting task. As a leader during this unprecedented time, you have a lot on your plate. You have [...]

The most important, yet ignored, step in the canvas trade. By Russ Griffin Log onto any canvas or upholstery forum and you’ll quickly see that pricing and estimating is the most asked question by people in the marine canvas trade. Yet, it is the most debated and unresolved question, leaving the inquirer no more knowledgeable [...]

By Larry Oxenham Succession planning can be a tricky matter, especially if you’re passing your business on to a family member. Sometimes keeping it in the family is viable, but not in every case. If it comes time to sell the business instead, you should be armed with some strategies for getting what it’s really [...]