4 Ways to Keep a Small Company Culture as Your Business Grows

Most startups are looking to grow. But once success hits, how can you scale your company without shedding the shared values and culture that helped make you successful in the first place?

FreshBooks, a cloud accounting company based in Toronto, started in 2003 as a handful of people in a small office. Today, more than 5 million people have used FreshBooks to manage their books and we now have more than 90 employees.

As we've moved beyond our initial startup stages, here are four ways that we strive to keep our small business values as we continue to grow:

1. Keep a small-business owner's perspective. When we were a really small business, it was easy to empathize with the pains felt by our small business customers -- be it paperwork keeping them from the work they love, to struggling to grow their own businesses. As we grow, it's critical that we continue to see things from the small business owner's perspective.

Empathy is important in more than just customer support. From marketers to product design and quality assurance, we want our employees to all be able to step inside the small business owner's shoes and then focus on how to make their lives easier.

2. Build a foundation of shared beliefs. Every business has its own culture, whether you define one or not. It doesn't mean that all of your employees must think exactly the same way as management does. But by creating a set of shared beliefs, everyone has a framework for how to set priorities, make decisions, treat customers, and treat each other.

To keep your company's core beliefs fresh in everyone's mind, consider writing them down somewhere highly visable. For example, online retailer, Zappos, has the 10 core values of the company written on every staff member's nametag. Whether you do this or not, the actions of your company's leaders will always speak louder than any words in the corporate manual.

3. Create open channels of communication. When your company is small everyone wears multiple hats and experiences the business from multiple dimensions. As a company grows, communication can become a labyrinth and employees get pigeonholed into one or two roles.

At FreshBooks, we've taken a unique approach to keep the small company dynamic. Everyone (executive management included) rotates through customer support. A customer might get the CEO one day or a developer the next day. We take this unorthodox approach because we want everyone at the company to stay close to the customers.

4. Develop company culture outside business hours. If a company expects employees to love its customers, the company must love its employees. We include a lot activities outside of the office -- in fact, fun is one of our values. For example, one weekend every year, the entire company and their families take a group vacation.  

How to Build an Ethical Business Culture

Are business ethics in danger? A 2011 report from the Ethics Resource Center found that "ethics cultures are eroding and employees' perceptions of their leaders' ethics are slipping." Employees are experiencing increased retaliation against whistle-blowers as well as more pressure to break rules.

That doesn't surprise Michael Josephson, president and founder of the Josephson Institute, a Los Angeles-based nonprofit organization that delivers services and materials to increase ethical awareness, commitment and behavior. When the stakes are higher, such as they are in today's tough business climate, people may feel more pressure to act unethically to produce results, whether it's lying to customers, bad-mouthing competitors, or undermining co-workers.

That kind of behavior can cause significant problems with morale and could even lead to legal issues. Josephson says that it's critical for business leaders to take a stand when it comes to ethics and offers these three tips to do so.

1. Make your expectations clear. Teach employees what you mean by ethical behavior -- there's no simpler way to do so than to write down your expectations. Include your expectations when it comes to ethical decision-making in your employee handbook or in other documentation that employees receive during their first days on the job.

In addition to mapping out the behavior you expect, give employees some guidelines to help them when it comes to making ethical decisions, including when they should turn to their managers for guidance and how to report unethical behavior they see around them.

2. Enforce your policies. When ethical breaches happen, there should be consequences, says Josephson. If your top performer is cheating on an expense report or lying to customers, you're not just tolerating the behavior -- you're teaching your other employees to be unethical, as well, he says.

The behavior will likely multiply when others see what you'll overlook. Josephson also cautions that if your top performer is lying or mistreating others, it's likely only a matter of time before he or she does the same to you.

3. Be your own change agent. The best-laid ethics policies won't matter if you don't walk your talk, says Josephson. Employees watch you for cues about how they're expected to act. When you cut ethical corners, they notice and are likely to think the behavior is okay.

"Instilling ethics into your organization is probably going to cost more than you want to pay," says Josephson. It's tough to be a model citizen and rein in behavior that, while helping your business earn, isn't on the up-and-up. In the long run, however, the damage that ethical lapses can cause may cost you far more than letting go of an unethical employee or some bad business habits, he says.

10 Habits That Are Making You Miserable At Work

Happiness—in your business life and your personal life—is often a matter of subtraction, not addition.

Consider, for example, what happens when you stop doing the following 10 things:

1. Blaming.

People make mistakes. Employees don't meet your expectations. Vendors don't deliver on time.

So you blame them for your problems.

But you're also to blame. Maybe you didn't provide enough training. Maybe you didn't build in enough of a buffer. Maybe you asked too much, too soon.

Taking responsibility when things go wrong instead of blaming others isn't masochistic, it's empowering—because then you focus on doing things better or smarter next time.

And when you get better or smarter, you also get happier.

2. Impressing.

No one likes you for your clothes, your car, your possessions, your title, or your accomplishments. Those are all "things." People may like your things—but that doesn't mean they like you.

Sure, superficially they might seem to, but superficial is also insubstantial, and a relationship that is not based on substance is not a real relationship.

Genuine relationships make you happier, and you'll only form genuine relationships when you stop trying to impress and start trying to just be yourself.

3. Clinging.

When you're afraid or insecure, you hold on tightly to what you know, even if what you know isn't particularly good for you.

An absence of fear or insecurity isn't happiness: It's just an absence of fear or insecurity.

Holding on to what you think you need won't make you happier; letting go so you can reach for and try to earn what you want will.

Even if you don't succeed in earning what you want, the act of trying alone will make you feel better about yourself.

4. Interrupting.

Interrupting isn't just rude. When you interrupt someone, what you're really saying is, "I'm not listening to you so I can understand what you're saying; I'm listening to you so I can decide what I want to say."

Want people to like you? Listen to what they say. Focus on what they say. Ask questions to make sure you understand what they say.

They'll love you for it—and you'll love how that makes you feel.

5. Whining.

Your words have power, especially over you. Whining about your problems makes you feel worse, not better.

If something is wrong, don't waste time complaining. Put that effort into making the situation better. Unless you want to whine about it forever, eventually you'll have to do that. So why waste time? Fix it now.

Don't talk about what's wrong. Talk about how you'll make things better, even if that conversation is only with yourself.

And do the same with your friends or colleagues. Don't just be the shoulder they cry on.

Friends don't let friends whine—friends help friends make their lives better.

6. Controlling.

Yeah, you're the boss. Yeah, you're the titan of industry. Yeah, you're the small tail that wags a huge dog.

Still, the only thing you really control is you. If you find yourself trying hard to control other people, you've decided that you, your goals, your dreams, or even just your opinions are more important than theirs.

Plus, control is short term at best, because it often requires force, or fear, or authority, or some form of pressure—none of those let you feel good about yourself.

Find people who want to go where you're going. They'll work harder, have more fun, and create better business and personal relationships.

And all of you will be happier.

7. Criticizing.

Yeah, you're more educated. Yeah, you're more experienced. Yeah, you've been around more blocks and climbed more mountains and slayed more dragons.

That doesn't make you smarter, or better, or more insightful.

That just makes you you: unique, matchless, one of a kind, but in the end, just you.

Just like everyone else—including your employees.

Everyone is different: not better, not worse, just different. Appreciate the differences instead of the shortcomings and you'll see people—and yourself—in a better light.

8. Preaching.

Criticizing has a brother. His name is Preaching. They share the same father: Judging.

The higher you rise and the more you accomplish, the more likely you are to think you know everything—and to tell people everything you think you know.

When you speak with more finality than foundation, people may hear you but they don't listen. Few things are sadder and leave you feeling less happy.

9. Dwelling.

The past is valuable. Learn from your mistakes. Learn from the mistakes of others.

Then let it go.

Easier said than done? It depends on your focus. When something bad happens to you, see that as a chance to learn something you didn't know. When another person makes a mistake, see that as an opportunity to be kind, forgiving, and understanding.

The past is just training; it doesn't define you. Think about what went wrong, but only in terms of how you will make sure that, next time, you and the people around you will know how to make sure it goes right.

10. Fearing.

We're all afraid: of what might or might not happen, of what we can't change, or what we won't be able to do, or how other people might perceive us.

So it's easier to hesitate, to wait for the right moment, to decide we need to think a little longer or do some more research or explore a few more alternatives.

Meanwhile days, weeks, months, and even years pass us by.

And so do our dreams.

Don't let your fears hold you back. Whatever you've been planning, whatever you've imagined, whatever you've dreamed of, get started on it today.

If you want to start a business, take the first step. If you want to change careers, take the first step. If you want to expand or enter a new market or offer new products or services, take the first step.

Put your fears aside and get started. Do something. Do anything.

Otherwise, today is gone. Once tomorrow comes, today is lost forever.

Today is the most precious asset you own—and is the one thing you should truly fear wasting.

9 Critical Common Sense Success Factors for New Employees

New employees are often lavishly courted, persistently pursued, and even occasionally cajoled by hiring organizations, especially if they have rare, unique, or high-demand skills or experience. But once they’re inside the door…watch out!  Often, the corporate indoctrination machine takes over despite the best intentions of an organization and new employees are left to the firehose tour of policies, personal benefits forms, nondisclosure agreements, and the process of orientation. Even in organizations with effective mentoring programs, new employees are often assumed to know the following nine points and are never actually told them.  Time and again, promising employees fall victim to the merciless consequences of not knowing these success factors.  Forewarned is forearmed…

1. All organizations have a culture that is an amalgam of laws, regulations, practice, history, mores, and politics – learn it. You cannot be successful by ignoring organizational culture, and sometimes you can’t by following it. It contains many unspoken rules, including what constitutes appropriate dress for the office and how you address problems on an informal level. I mention dress because business casual is not the norm for many offices and dressing down can make you appear unprofessional or lazy to people whose decisions matter. In some offices, business casual is more like “This Old House” and either gender wearing a business suit will stick out like a sore thumb. That being said, it never hurts to dress like the leaders of your organization, but endeavor not to out-dress them.
2. Adhere to the established chain of command. They exist in non-military organizations, too. It can take forever for good ideas to make it up where they do some good. “No” isn’t always a negative comment about your idea. Good managers know their organizational culture, and they know when the timing may be wrong for your idea. It’s good if they tell you that the time isn’t right, but even good managers don’t always tell you everything you need to hear. And, if you skip a management layer without approval, don’t be surprised when the layer with which you speak informs the subordinate layer.
3. You cannot be friends with your superiors, but you can be friendly. Apuleius said, “Familiarity breeds contempt, while rarity wins admiration.” It is difficult not to become familiar with managers and coworkers in offices where first names are the norm, where people often lunch together or socialize after work, and where the working environment is friendly. Friendliness does not make people unprofessional, it makes the work environment more pleasant; however, expecting to capitalize on friendships in the workplace at the expense of accountability is unprofessional. Your managers will do you a great disservice if they fail to mentor you, including corrective action, and you will do them a great disservice if you expect them to overlook your needs because you or they want to be friends.
4. Do not play in office politics. You cannot remain outside office politics. While seemingly paradoxical, both statements are true. Politics exists in any office on many different levels. You need to observe and understand what is going on in the office and it helps to learn where skeletons are hidden – moreso because you don’t want to be putting the broom away and have the boss come along and think you’re putting the skeleton away. You will be “in” office politics even if you never gossip, make it a rule never to have lunch with coworkers, never socialize with coworkers after work, and always toe the administration line. Most of those things, by the way, will make your life very lonely, at least in the office. Chat, have lunch with someone if it suits you, but never gossip about or denigrate coworkers or your leaders.
5. Email is a powerful tool and greatly facilitates communication, but it is lacking in an essential element. Remember that there is no body language conveyed in email. Things often get misconstrued. If at all possible, conduct conversations in person or on the phone and follow up by email for a record. Official communications should not be accompanied with emoticons…Email is fast and convenient, but professionalism requires you to treat official communications with dignity. Email is forever and generally is subject to the legal discovery process. Don’t put anything in email that you wouldn’t put on a postcard or that you wouldn’t want seen by someone you respect. If you need to write an email that criticizes someone or something, write it but don’t send it. Put it away and read it in an hour. Read it again in two. A blistering email sent is a negative impression of you that cannot be recalled, and it may be many people’s first impression of you.
6. Don’t blow your own horn. Harry S. Truman said, “It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit.” You’re very lucky if you’re blessed with a boss who gives credit where it is due, even when he or she would look really good if they took credit. However, if you aren’t so lucky, never blow your own horn. Excellence speaks for itself, even if it occasionally takes a while. If you do excellent work and are professional about your response both when you get credit and when you don’t, your reputation will grow.
7. Don’t lollygag, but be available where managers congregate. Remember that areas where people casually congregate at work are natural places to have conversations. Managers often have ideas crystallize on the spot and frequently issue assignments to the person they’re talking to if they believe them capable. This isn’t always the best way to make assignments, but it happens. If you believe you aren’t getting assignments because you don’t hang out in the conversation area, you need to become much more proactive about how you seek assignments.
8. Seek out several mentors. Having one mentor is like having one friend. You miss out on the incredible gifts possessed by different people. Every person has something positive to offer, and having several mentors, both inside and outside your organization, is essential to becoming a well-developed person. Not all managers have faced the same trials, and good mentors will be able to recount how they recovered after failures. They will also tell you how you can improve yourself. Remember that personality plays a large part in mentoring, and not all people are compatible. You can learn your most valuable lessons from people who aren’t like you.
9. Participate in social activities with your office. You don’t have to attend everything, but attending some functions is a good idea and it allows you and your managers to get to know each other in a less formal environment. Go to the holiday parties, occasionally go to happy hour, even if you’d rather go out with friends from your personal life rather than work. If you cannot drink responsibly, do not go to office social functions.

The 4 Things we should Do Consistently to Be More Productive

“Work is hard. Distractions are plentiful. And time is short.” – Adam Hochschild


1. Don’t Multitask

The greatest “executioner of productivity” was that we had convinced ourself that we were multitasking — and therefore was doing work faster.

Were we ever wrong.

Multitasking is not a real thing. What you are really doing when you are (apparently) multitasking is going back and forth between two separate tasks. So rather than giving 100% to one task at a time you are going back and forth between tasks, giving each task a monumentally less amount of focus. This simply means that you end up doing both tasks at less than 100% — and you gain a whole lot of stress and tension.

2. Break Things Down

Okay…so imagine a really large meatball. Got it? Good.

According to animal instincts, the best way to eat it is to put the entire thing in your mouth and chew. Do that and you will be chewing and swallowing for the next 10 minutes.

Sensibly and productively speaking, the best and fastest way to eat the meatball is to cut it into smaller pieces so that you can take in as much as your mouth can handle, and swallow it in less than no time.

This same rule applies to life.

You are only able to handle so much at one time. If you try to take on a task too big all at once, you will only get clogged up and slowed down. But if you break it down into more manageable pieces, you’ll find that you will be able to finish the task a lot faster.

3. Prioritize Your Tasks

You are craving a chocolate bar…or a client is waiting for your proposal.

Which one is more important?

Unfortunately, thousands of people find themselves in similar situations every day. You have to learn to automatically prioritize things that are more important. This way rather than wasting energy and time, you will focus on these particular things and get them done faster. This will make you more stress-free and will greatly boost your productivity.

4. No Distractions

Sometimes we wonder how much time people end up wasting by:

• Checking email
• Checking their cellphones
• Idly chatting with their colleagues
• Surfing the web

All of these things (among others) will make you very unproductive. So when it gets down to finally getting work done, turn off or remove all distractions. Just get rid of them.

10 Simple Steps to Conquering Your Messy Desk

Does your desk look more like a crime scene than a workspace? Is your job one where you interact with people face-to-face on a daily basis? If you answered “yes” to both questions, now’s the perfect time to look into cleaning up your act.

Whether you like to believe it or not, coworkers and clients often judge your professional potential by the amount of clutter that surrounds you. And the last thing you want is to be sending nonverbal cues that you’re disorganized and unfocused.

Even if you’re the only one who ever sees your workspace, it won’t hurt to give these tips a shot. You’d be surprised how quickly items on your daily to-do list get crossed off when your desk is clean and airy.

Here are 10 simple tips to help you get your desk space in tip-top shape:

1. Give yourself less room to be messy

Consider downsizing your computer desk (especially if you primarily work on a laptop). It’s hard to have a cluttered desktop when there’s only room for a computer, a phone, and a pen or two.

2. Keep the essentials out in the open

Pare the items on top of your desk down to the things you use several times a day. Your computer tower, monitor, one or two pens and pencils, a lamp, highlighter, family photo, and phone will usually do. Keep papers filed away unless they’re something you’re actively working on that day.

3. Get rid of duplicates

Once you have your desktop essentials set aside, get rid of the extra office supplies you’ve unwittingly been hoarding. No one needs 3 staplers, 2 staple removers, 12 steno pads, 100 pens, 14 thumb drives, or 8 boxes of paper clips. Trust your office manager to have more of something if you run out of it.

4. Keep the secondary essentials in your closest drawer

You can keep things like extra pens, whiteout, stationary, binder clips, and staples in your closest desk drawer. A compartmentalized storage tray can help keep things organized while out of sight.

5. Hide it in plain sight

Attractive decorative storage trays, drawers, and cubes work double duty by keeping non-essentials out of the way and giving your desk some personality.

6. Use your walls (sparingly)

Instead of putting sticky notes anywhere you can or having a clogged cork board, use a whiteboard. This ensures your daily to-do list is never more than you can actually handle in a day, and keeps you from having to solve the mystery of the missing Post-It. Keep your floorspace clear by using hooks to hang things like bags and coats.

7. Files are your friend

If it’s a completed or upcoming project, file it away accordingly. If it’s ancient or obsolete, trash it. If it’s something you’re actively working on that day, it can stay in a file folder on top of your desk.

8. Lose the paper trail

Make digital archives (scan, then save as a PDF) of old documents then toss them (or put them into storage if you’re really attached). Doing this will let you free up file space that can be used for in-progress projects.

9. Keep a shredder next to your trashcan

Have one multi-tiered storage tray for incoming and outgoing mail. Resist the temptation to start another pile somewhere else once it’s full. Open your incoming mail over the trashcan and immediately shred or recycle what you don’t need.

10. Schedule daily maintenance

Once you have everything under control, set an alarm on your phone and schedule 10 minutes at the end of each workday to keep it that way. This will help you get into the habit of being tidy. Plus, it’s much easier than waiting for things to pile up and having to start from scratch every time.

Hope to see your desk clean....

5 Important Questions to Ask Yourself Every Day

Try asking yourself some or all of these questions at the end of every day. Doing so should help you to become a more successful and a better person:

1.  What was the best thing that happened to me today?

What was it that made you particularly proud, happy or grateful? Was there a moment of joy or accomplishment?

Relive the feeling for an instant. We want more of those moments in our lives so let’s just think about something really positive and build on that.  Too often we take good things for granted. We should enjoy them and be grateful. This question helps us to be positive, happy and appreciative.

2. What could I have done better today?

What lessons can you learn from the day’s experiences? What mistake did you make that you will avoid in the future? How could you have handled a situation or conversation better? Think about ways to improve in this area in the future.

3.  What is the most important thing I must accomplish tomorrow?

What is the single task which will make the biggest difference? If you have a to-do list then this item will be on there — probably at the top. Think about how you are going to get this done early in the day. This question will help you focus on what is essential.

4.  What new thing can I try tomorrow?

Life is a journey of discovery. We need to keep trying new things every day, no matter our age. What new approach or experience can you try?

5.  Who is the most important person (or most important people) in my life and what am I doing for them?

Focus on someone you love — your partner, child, parent or other loved one. Have you told them and shown them how much you care? What can you do for them tomorrow to help, delight, and surprise them? We can be so busy that we neglect the most important people in our lives. This question can get you back on track.

That’s it. Five simple but powerful questions that can help you to improve your life. Try asking them before you go to bed tonight!

The Six Basic Needs of Customers

1. Friendliness
Friendliness is the most basic of all customers needs, usually associated with being greeted graciously and with warmth. We all want to be acknowledged and welcomed by someone who sincerely is glad to see us. A customer shouldn’t feel they are an intrusion on the service provider’s work day!

2. Understanding and empathy
Customers need to feel that the service person understands and appreciates their circumstances and feelings without criticism or judgment. Customers have simple expectations that we who serve them can put ourselves in their shoes, understanding what it is they came to us for in the first place.

3. Fairness
We all need to feel we are being treated fairly. Customers get very annoyed and defensive when they feel they are subject to any class distinctions. No one wants to be treated as if they fall into a certain category, left wondering if “the grass is greener on the other side” and if they only received second best.

4. Control
Control represents the customers’ need to feel they have an impact on the way things turn out. Our ability to meet this need for them comes from our own willingness to say “yes” much more than we say “no.” Customers don’t care about policies and rules; they want to deal with us in all our reasonableness.

5. Options and alternatives
Customers need to feel that other avenues are available to getting what they want accomplished. They realize that they may be charting virgin territory, and they depend on us to be “in the know” and provide them with the “inside scoop.” They get pretty upset when they feel they have spun their wheels getting something done, and we knew all along a better way, but never made the suggestion.

6. Information
“Tell me, show me – everything!” Customers need to be educated and informed about our products and services, and they don’t want us leaving anything out! They don’t want to waste precious time doing homework on their own – they look to us to be their walking, talking, information central.

10 things we need to know about productivity...

1) The secret to getting more done is to make things automatic.

2) Progress motivates us more than anything else.

3) But we know a lot more than that about motivation. And there's a quick trick when you need to hustle ASAP.

4) Men and women use their time at work differently.

5) When you give the boss info, use numbers.

6) Control over our schedule stops us from getting tired at work.

7) Sorting your email into folders? Stop it.

8) There are rules that your brain works by. Get familiar with them.

9) Gesturing helps you learn.

10) There's a quick and easy way to improve performance at anything.

10 Common Team Problems

1. Floundering

This problem occurs in the teams, which are having trouble starting or ending a project or different stages of the project. Solution to this state are to look critically at the improvement plan, review the mission statement, determine the cause of the holdup, and have each member write down reasons and discuss them at the next meeting.

2. Overbearing participants

These participants have an unusual amount of influence in the team. They usually have a passion of authority or a particular expertise. Teams need these abilities; however, it becomes detrimental when they discourage discussion on their expertise and discount other member’s ideas. Solutions are to reinforce the ground rules, talk to the person off-line and ask for cooperation, and enforce the importance of data and the problem-solving method.

3. Dominating participant

They like to themselves talk, use overlong anecdotes, and dominate the meeting. Members get discouraged and find excuses for missing meetings. Solutions are to structure discussion on key issues for equal participation. Talk to the offending person off-line, and have the team agree in the needs for limits and a balanced participation. In addition the leader may act as a gatekeeper by asking questions.

4. Reluctant participants

They feel shy or unsure of themselves and must be encouraged to contribute. Problems developed when there are no built-in activities that encourage introverts to participate and extraverts to listen. In addition to structured activities, solution includes dividing the task into individual assignment and acting as a gatekeeper by asking questions such as, “ what is your experience in this area?”

5. Unquestioned acceptance of opinions as facts occurs

When members assert personal beliefs with such confidence that other members think they are facts. Solutions are to request data and to follow the problem-solving method.

6. Rush to accomplish

It is common to teams being pushed by one or more members who are impatient for results. Teams must realize that improvements do not come easily and rarely overnight. Solutions are to remind members that the ground rules call for the problem-solving method or to confront the rusher off-line and explain the effects of impatience.

7. Attribution

This is the activity of guessing at a person’s motives when team members disagree or don’t understand his or her opinion or behavior. Solutions are to reaffirm the importance of the problem-solving method, question whether this opinion is based on data, and find out the real meaning of the problem.

8. Discounts and “plops”

These things arise when members fail to give credit to another’s opinions or no one responds to a statement that “plops”. Every member deserves the respect and attention from the team. Solutions are to reinforce active listening as a team behavior, support the discounted member, or talk off-line with members who frequently discount, put down or ignore.

9. Wanderlust

Digression and tangents happened when members’ loss track of the meeting’s purpose or want to avoid a sensitive topic. Discussions then wonder off in many directions at once. Solutions are to use a written agenda with time estimates, write meeting topics on flip charts or redirect the conversation back to the agenda.

10. Feuding team members

This can disrupt an entire team with their disagreement. Usually these feuds predate the team and are best dealt with outside the team meetings. Solution are to get the adversaries to discuss the issues off-line, offer to facilitate the discussion, and encourage them to forms some contract about their behaviors.

9 Routine Tasks You Should Eliminate From Your Workday

Rachel Weeks couldn't get through the workday without constant interruptions. Employees at her Durham, N.C., apparel company, School House, would ask her to sign checks, approve designs and field questions whenever they wanted. Realizing that routine tasks were taking over her day, she started signing checks once a week, sending out packages at a set time each day, and addressing staff questions at weekly meetings.

Those changes have helped Weeks grow the business by developing a new e-commerce site and partnering with a big-box retailer. So far this year, revenue has risen 20 percent, compared with the same period in 2011. "In a small company, there's this tendency to think … if anybody needs something, they can come and find me," she says. "You really have to carve out those hours of uninterrupted work time."

But that means something's got to give. Here are nine daily tasks you probably can eliminate from your workday to help you stay focused and be more productive.

1. Stop overloading your to-do list. You might feel the need to write down everything you need to accomplish each day, but resist making an impossible list of daily tasks, says Peter Turla, a time-management consultant in Dallas. Compiling a lengthy list of things you need to accomplish might seem productive, but you could be doing more harm than good. "It results in too many items at the end of the day that are not completed," says Turla. "That will make you feel stressed out, inadequate and unfocused." Instead, create a manageable list of essential tasks that should be finished on a given day--and save the rest for later.

2. Stop having open-ended meetings. Figure out your priorities before you call a meeting and make them clear to all the attendees, says Doug Sundheim, a New York consultant and executive coach. Too many small-business owners waste half the meeting just getting to what they really want to talk about. Sundheim suggests putting three priority topics at the top of your agenda to avoid getting sidetracked by other issues.

3. Stop answering repetitive questions. If you find yourself answering the same question from clients or employees frequently, you're wasting time, says Peggy Duncan, a personal productivity trainer in Atlanta. Instead, put together an FAQ on your website or create instructional videos that people can access via links at the bottom of your emails. "Figure out better ways to answer [questions] without your having to be involved," she says.

4. Stop taking the same follow-up approach if people ignore you. If you've sent someone an email and the recipient hasn't responded, don't keep firing off more emails. Try communicating in another way--calling, sending a text or visiting in person if it's appropriate, says Jan Yager, author of Work Less, Do More (Sterling, 2008). Too many business owners get bogged down communicating with people inefficiently, she says.

5. Stop eating lunch at your desk. Tempting as it might be to scarf down a sandwich between emails at your computer, don't make it a daily routine. A short break will help you make clearer decisions, Sundheim says. "You get your best ideas when you get up and walk away from your desk."

6. Stop making regular visits to the post office. Instead of going to the post office, schedule mail pickups from your business or home office, Duncan says. You also can buy envelopes with pre-paid postage or invest in an inexpensive scale and postage printer.

7. Stop making piles. Eliminating clutter can boost efficiency, Duncan says. Rather than organize papers in piles whose logic is known only to you, stick to a systematic filing system and eliminate any pieces of paper you no longer need.

8. Stop scheduling appointments by phone or email. You can waste a lot of time just trying to find a time that works for a meeting. Instead, use an automated system that does the work for you, Duncan says. She suggests using software, such as Schedulicity or Appointment Quest to let people schedule appointments with you online.

9. Stop signing every check. Designate a specific day and time for certain tasks, such as signing checks, rather than allow them to randomly interrupt your workflow. Better yet, you can have your signature printed on checks to avoid signing each one. Programs like QuickBooks let you use preprinted checks and keep track of transactions, Duncan says.

Don't Let Family Drama Derail Your Business

5 must-dos for minimizing conflict in a family-run business

Curtis Krietzberg started out as a corporate guy, but family business was in his blood.

He spent many years watching his father and uncle manage restaurants together, so when Krietzberg was ready to leave the corporate world, turning to family made sense.

"Reflecting on my dad's business relationship with his brother, I decided that if I was going to go into business with anyone, it should be my brother," Krietzberg says. "I knew he would always have my back."

That was nearly five years ago. Now Krietzberg and his brother, David, manage Krietzberg Financial Group, a financial planning firm in Edison, N.J.

The Krietzberg brothers are the exception. More often than not, family business is fraught with complications non-family-run businesses don't have, as family relationships can strain working relationships. But with proper planning--lots of it--your family-owned business can avoid the pitfalls.

Here are five must-dos for minimizing conflict in family-owned businesses.

1. Create a hierarchy
   It's crucial for any business to have an unambiguous chain of command and clear job descriptions, but this is especially true for family-owned businesses. The business dynamic is often different from the family dynamic.
   
   "It is critical for all parties, family and nonfamily, to know that Dad may be in charge of the family, but the sister is in charge of sales at the office," says David Levi, a lead managing director and head of the tax department in the Minneapolis offices of CBIZ MHM, a professional services company.
   
   If those relationships aren't well-defined or based on skill, squabbles among family members can create confusion.
   
   If nonfamily employees don't know who they answer to within the family, it can be difficult for them to navigate their own careers, and they may tiptoe around business decisions that may upset a member of the family.
   
   Clients are impacted, too, as they may not be sure who to approach if they have a problem.
   
   The Krietzberg brothers have clear roles at their company, but they have always known that disagreements might arise anyway. They have a business coach available to step in if they need someone to help resolve conflicts.
   
   Another option is to let the customer have a say about disagreements.
   
   "The ultimate boss is the customer," says David G. Strege, a certified financial planner with Syverson Strege & Co. in West Des Moines, Iowa. "When in doubt about some issue of what or how to deliver something to a customer, ask a core group of them for feedback."
   
   Strege says client advisory boards--in person or via e-mail surveys--can help keep the business focused on what the customer wants. Also consider the use of social media sites for instant feedback from your target audience.
2. Communicate
   A lack of communication, or miscommunication, can cause frustration and resentment. You can't simply pass important company news to your family partners at a weekend barbeque or chat about client issues at grandma's birthday party.
   
   Schedule regular meetings to ensure central players in the business are properly informed and have an opportunity to voice concerns and offer suggestions.
   
   "When scheduling any meeting, the key is to determine the purpose and what you hope to accomplish," says Strege. "Send out these items ahead of time in an agenda format."
   
   Before holding the meetings, set a consistent policy--the rules of engagement--about who can, or has a responsibility to, contribute at these gatherings. Also create a reporting system so family investors are properly informed about decisions.
   
   "If I am a 10 percent owner of a family business but I don't work there, I still have a vested interest in what is going on, and there should be a constructive mechanism for me to get certain information," says Levi.
3. Set compensation rules
   A startup may not provide enough cash flow to compensate family employees, but if the business lasts, you must have a predetermined compensation plan.
   
   Strege recommends using a compensation consultant to help determine salary amounts. The consultant will research industry data to find appropriate salary ranges for each job description. Next, you can develop a variable compensation or bonus plan based on the measurable items of what each position is expected to accomplish.
   
   After you have a starting point based on the value of the employee to the business, remember that some seemingly unfair family relationships may now come into play.
   
   "If an employee is receiving more because of family issues, that needs to be identified and addressed," Levi says. "It still may not change, but there should be acknowledgement that there may be a differential."
4. Establish a welcome plan
   Create a plan to address how family members who may want to enter the business will be treated. Some family businesses will not permit a family member to enter the business until they have gotten some related experience in a nonfamily business, which helps build credibility for that incoming family member, Levi says.
   
   Once the new family member is on board, conflict between the older and younger generations is common.
   
   "This can be the powder keg issue," says Levi. "Neither party is necessarily right or wrong, but often senior members think that younger members are trying too many things too quickly."
   
   He suggests that a board of directors or advisors that includes nonfamily members with experience and the respect of both generations (such as accountants, bankers or lawyers) can be a valuable bridge in these situations.
5. Have a succession plan
   You may plan to stay with your business until the day you die, and maybe you will. You need a succession plan to make sure your business will survive after you're gone--something too many businesses fail to do.
   
   In fact, only 30 percent of family-owned businesses make it to the second generation, according to the 2007 "American Family Business Survey.
   
   "Not planning for it, or just hoping that junior or the granddaughter is going to be the future of the business can be fatal," says Levi.
   
   Levi says even nonfamily businesses aren't always successful with the first choice of a new leader, and they have to turn to Plan B. Make sure your family has a Plan B, too.
   
   One quarter of family-owned businesses don't even have a Plan A, the survey found, with senior members having no estate planning other than a will. And with more than 40 percent of owners planning to retire in the next 10 years, nearly a third haven't yet picked a successor, according to the survey.
   
   Hire an estate planning attorney with legacy planning and family business experience to help your family create a succession plan and get your documents in order.
   
   The Krietzberg brothers did just that.
   
   "David is 10 years older than I am, and he may be ready to retire before me," says Curtis Krietzberg. "In that case, we have preliminarily discussed what each of us wants to see happen."
   
   They have a written succession plan with life insurance policies to provide for their families and compensation as it relates to their stakes in the business, and they also have policies with each other as beneficiary.

7 Ways to Improve Liquidity - Find out how to calculate your company's liquidity ratio and how to improve it.

Liquidity is your company's ability to pay the bills as they come due. We've all heard the saying "Cash is king," so here are seven quick and easy ways to improve your company's liquidity.

1. Sweep accounts: Use sweep accounts through your financial institution. This will allow you to earn interest on any excess cash balances by "sweeping" or transferring the funds into an interest-bearing account when the funds aren't needed and sweeping them back to your operating account when you do need them.
2. Overhead: Assess your overhead costs and see if there are opportunities to decrease them. Lowering overhead has a direct impact on profitability. Overhead expenses, including rent, advertising, indirect labor and professional fees, are indirect expenses that you incur to operate the business outside of direct material and direct labor.
3. Unproductive assets: If you have unproductive assets that the business is just storing, then it's time to get rid of them. The only reason you should spend money on assets such as buildings, equipment and vehicles is to generate revenue.
4. Accounts receivable: Monitor accounts receivables effectively to ensure that you're billing your clients properly and that you're receiving prompt payments.
5. Accounts payable: Negotiate longer payment terms with your vendors whenever possible to keep your money longer.
6. Owner's draws: Monitor the amount of money that's being taken out of the business for non-business purposes such as owner's draws. Taking too much money out can put an unnecessary cash drain on the business.
7. Profitability: Review the profitability on your various products and services. Assess where prices can be increased on a regular basis to maintain or increase profitability. As your costs increase and markets change, prices may need to be adjusted as well.

Implement these seven easy tips in your business to improve your liquidity. It will help ensure you have the proper cash flow levels for continued operations and company growth. There are two main financial ratios used to measure a company's liquidity ratio.

1. Current ratio equals current assets divided by current liabilities. This should have a target ratio of 2 to 3, which indicates you have adequate liquid funds to pay your current obligations.
2. Quick ratio equals current assets (less inventory) divided by current liabilities. This should have a target ratio of 1 to 2, which indicates your liquid funds without selling your inventory.

You can find the balances of your current assets and current liabilities on your balance sheet. Visit with your accountant if you need further guidance and analysis. Looking at industry information also can help you assess how you compare to others in your specific industry.

Leadership?

Anger...

Apology ?

‘I believe…True love is tough’ - by Mr.Bharath K S

SMILINGLY YOURS Smilingly yours True love is indeed tough love, though it seems an oxymoron. Tough love strengthens; it is not conditional love that degenerates into emotional blackmail and expects a muffled response.

In a Tamil movie that was released about a decade back, the protagonist sacrifices his love and compromises in his personal life to bring up his three younger brothers. One of the brothers aged about twelve refuses to go to school without a cycle as it is a long way off. The hero can’t afford a cycle and offers to take the boy on his shoulders. He even runs like that when it gets late. The intention of the director is to display the attachment of the hero to his younger brothers and this scene is probably an attempt to showcase this sentiment movingly. Actually, it seemed more mushy than practical. By not explaining the situation to a boy who is perfectly capable of understanding it, this expression of love would stunt the boy’s progress rather than support it.

Soft love which only gives in to demands is a sure fire way of setting up a child for failure in life. Life is not a bed of roses and the child has to understand that rights and restraints go hand in hand. Dollops of love can of course be doled out in huge portions. Equally, care must be taken to garnish such servings with good habits and embellish with discipline and behavioural regulations. A totally laissez faire and lenient upbringing would amount to sparing the reality and spoiling the child.

Just as it is with parenting, so is it with counselling on an issue, coaching for a skill or mentoring at work. The tightening of the solar plexus while coping with ridicule, anxiety or disappointment is an experience that the counselled has to go through and cross over himself. Bruises and growth pangs need to be endured if the person under coaching needs to surge ahead. Failures and a couple of burns from the red hot stove are inevitable when a mentee proceeds to realize his wisdom at work. While the swimming lessons are learnt, the guardian, counsellor, coach or mentor can wait on the shore to provide moral support or to aid in an emergency.

Ships are safest in the harbour but they are not meant to be there. While it may be cute to watch children play with shells and sand on the sea shore, they can’t do it throughout their lives; they would need to set sail themselves and have to be trained for that. Dress rehearsals need to start; they need to be prepared to handle the central stage and lime light in main roles. An empathetic shoulder may always be lent to lean on temporarily, but never to take the load off completely.

Be it home or work, it is inappropriate to believe that rushing to make decisions for others or to solve their problems is an expression of support or love. There could be exceptional situations where this nevertheless needs to be done, but not as a rule. The person who faces an issue should know to wash his face and spruce up. Expecting to be molly cuddled and wallowing in self pity is no solution.

Giving refuge to a person within the pleats of our dress doesn’t tuck away the problem. Our momentary feel of ‘being in charge’ makes the other person feeble forever. On the other hand, handholding for a while and empowering people to make decisions and solve problems themselves is true love. Making them aware that they have to bear the consequences of their decision while a gentle helping hand is just an arm’s length away is also part of this deal. The basic truth is that no one can live another’s life and each one has to learn to stand on his own feet sooner or later. The joy of love is not in driving the other’s plane for him. It is in supporting him to take off by himself and feel the pride within, as he soars higher.

True love is indeed tough love, though it seems an oxymoron. Tough love strengthens; it is not conditional love that degenerates into emotional blackmail and expects a muffled response. A butterfly would have to struggle its way out of its cocoon if it were to fly into the sky. Trying to help and draw it out wouldn’t be love or compassion; it would be damaging its wings and freedom forever. True love neither subdues nor succumbs; it just extends and hopes… with a soft and firm smile from the heart…

(The writer may be contacted at smilinglyyours7@gmail.com)

Setting Your Business Free Through the Practice of Systematic Delegation

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After owning a business for over twenty years now, here’s something I firmly believe. Your business is worthless until it can operate without you.

Now that may seem a bit harsh to some, but until you’ve created a system that allows others to bring in the business and provide the products and services without the need for you to make it happen, you’re stuck in a job. It may even be a well paying job, but it’s probably not one that you could convince someone else to come in a buy some day.

In many ways, your business is stuck to the degree you can successfully delegate the work you do today to others. Others may mean key employees or it may mean other companies or virtual support staff, but your goal as the owner of the business should be to actually rise to the level of CEO.
We could all argue about what CEO work is, but I’m guessing you spend large parts of your day not doing it. I get that, the printer gets jammed, the package needs to be shipped, the copy must be proofread, and then it’s time to go home.

One of keys to growing your business to the point where you can rise to the level of CEO, the place where you can focus on the highest payoff work, is to adopt a mindset of systematic delegation.
The first step in creating this mindset is to analyze the work you currently do each day and assign a value to it in a way that creates priority.

The value matrix
 I like to do this little exercise with people because is assigns a fictitious monetary value to work that helps with delegation thinking. To me there are four kinds of work we do each day – $5, $50, $500, $5,000. (The actual numbers you use for this don’t matter as much as the concept of differing values.)
The idea here is that some work you do has great value and is likely the work you should attempt to focus on and some work has little value and is certainly the work you should delegate if you are to ever get to the high payoff work.

$5 is stuff you can easily delegate such as proofreading, link checking or many kinds of basic research.

$50 includes stuff that you’re probably not that good at and should pay someone that’s likely better to do, such as getting your site to run faster, creating PPC campaigns or most of your bookkeeping functions.

$500 is the trickiest one of all. This is usually stuff that’s important, expensive to delegate and that you may indeed be pretty good at, but that will keep you from truly getting free. This includes things like writing sales copy, creating key PowerPoint presentations, delivering your services or even making sales calls.

$5,000 is the high payoff work, but it’s also the hardest to accept because the payoff may indeed be off in the distance, so sometimes it doesn’t feel like the most important work. Spending more time in the $5,000 box should be your goal if you’re ever to set your business free to create value. This is innovation work, strategic partner creation, product and service development, masterminding, documenting and delegating your success systems. The items left in this box should be things you enjoy doing, that serve your passion and purpose and that tap your core abilities or you might need to rethink your business entirely.

Draw a box and create four squares, placing one of the above numbers in each box. Now, go through you typical work week and think about the tasks you’ve done or do routinely and put them in one of the boxes according to what you think they are actually worth.

For most people the easy delegation starting point is the $5 and $50 boxes. Right now, commit to documenting how to successfully get that work done by others and start looking for ways to stop doing anything that keeps you in these boxes.

Look at your $500 box and start thinking about items in that quadrant that you could delegate. This will be the hardest one because this box almost always contains things that you enjoy doing or that you don’t think you can ever get anyone else to do as well as you, but this is where the real progress comes from.

The to-delegate list
As you start to adopt this thinking make it a daily habit by combing over your daily to-do list. Write it down and then break it into two tiers – to-do and to-delegate. Identifying the things you’ve come to realize you can and should delegate, but still do on a daily basis, will train you to focus on getting them off your to-do list.