Business Owner Advice

ARTICLE BY: NAOMI JOHNSON If you are a small business owner, chances are you’ve never experienced anything quite like the challenges created by the pandemic. Maybe your business has been closed since March, or maybe you’ve been allowed to reopen at a limited capacity. Whatever the circumstances, it’s essential to prepare for the future—a future where your business is up and running, whether it’s at full capacity or not. For you to be adequately prepared, not only...

A recent Economist article titled "Countering the Tyranny of the Clock" explores our changing relations to time as work becomes more flexible. A little philosophical? In fact, it's super pragmatic! "Flexible working existed well before the pandemic. But it only offered employees the ability to choose when in the day they worked their allotted hours," writes Bartleby. "Remote working has brought a greater degree of freedom." Rather than an unraveling of work ethic when work is removed...

A recent study by Wharton’s Jay H. Baker Retailing Center and WisePlum suggests rising consumer frustration with retail as shopping shifts online. The survey-based study, “The New Reality: Understanding the Retail Consumer Experience During a Pandemic,” finds mounting customer impatience and decreased loyalty. In a Knowledge@Wharton interview, the study's co-author, Marketing Professor Thomas Robertson, says these findings are related to underprepared online shopping and loyalty program customer experience and the tech that underpins it. The Challenge We...

Once again, Teya Vitu has written a thoughtful and timely piece for Santa Fe's small business community in today's Santa Fe New Mexican.This is the year just about every business owner is wondering, how long can I last?The coronavirus drags on with no sense of when a mask-free, mass-gathering-restored normal will resume.Businesses have failed. More businesses will fail. But do businesses with a fuzzy horizon need to shut down forever?Not at all, insists...

As businesses re-open offices and welcome employees back from working from home, office safety is a huge concern for many business owners and HR leaders. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce suggests these 10 practical and actionable ideas on how offices can adapt to the coronavirus era. Capacity signage Social distancing can be challenging in offices that previously packed in workers. Custom-made capacity signs can help control how many people are in various spaces. Offices may have had...

Vendor relations are important, and this is probably even more true in a year with supply chain disruptions and budget adjustments. As many businesses are looking for ways to save money, many vendors are hoping to hold on to clients. It might be a good time to talk about wiggle room. "Suppliers and service providers are often open to negotiating their 'standard' prices if you ask, and doing so can help your business get the...

Before leaping into a new business opportunity, most entrepreneurs face the challenge of securing working capital. Although it’s not an easy task, it is essential to getting your idea off the ground. It’s also not a decision to take lightly, as the choice you make will stick with you for years to come, even after your business starts making a profit. You can set yourself up for a win by researching the different avenues available and...

Here is the first in a series of resource roundups of helpful information. COVID-19 BUSINESS AND NON-PROFIT FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE Small Business Administration- Disaster Loan Assistance The Small Business Administration (SBA) is providing up to $2 million in disaster assistance low-interest loans. This funding is now available to all New Mexico small businesses. Apply online: https://disasterloan.sba.gov, call 1-800-659-2955 (TTY: 1-800-877-8339) or email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov. State of New Mexico – Help for Businesses Negatively Impacted by COVID-19 The State of New Mexico...

A lot of people know the symptoms: feeling overwhelmed, unworthy, overly lucky, terror at being “found out.” If you’ve wrestled with Impostor Syndrome, you know the struggle is real—even when your lack of qualifications isn’t! Impostor Syndrome is a pervasive sense of self-doubt, a belief that one’s successes have not been earned. While this insecurity can strike at any level of professional experience, research indicates that it is more common when starting a new endeavor, such...

It’s normal to think about interview etiquette when you’re going up for a position, but what about when you’re making the hiring decisions? In a recent Wall Street Journal article, reporter Sue Shellenbarger points out the significance of employer conduct during the selection process. It is important to think about how you treat potential employees. We all know the feeling that there aren’t enough hours in a day. With a small business, you can't put everything...