Business Mentors

While it may seem as though you were filing tax returns just yesterday and packing away last year’s records, the time for tax planning for this year-end is now upon us. With a number of significant changes to the tax code resulting from 2013 legislation, tax planning is more important than ever. For a number […]

Organizations spend a lot of money each year to develop their image, brand reputation, and messaging for their key audiences. However, there comes a point when leaders wonder if what they are communicating through advertising and public relations is actually being received as intended by their audiences. Achieving success by re-enforcing your brand begins with

Since the beginning of the Great Recession in 2008, many contractors have found themselves in a continuous battle to achieve a positive bottom line. They have reduced overhead, whittled away at their bid margins, and expanded their geography — all proven strategies for short-term, once-in-awhile growth spurts. We are now into the fifth year of

I’d like to review recent developments in the local and national economies. As always, what I have to say reflects my own views and not necessarily those of the Federal Reserve System or the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) Starting with the [New York City] area’s economy, one of the greatest challenges in the city

Social media isn’t new anymore. Just about everyone uses Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, blogs, photo-sharing sites, and more. And it’s not new for organizations to use these sites for two-way communication with many different audiences. Does your organization have an official presence on social media? You might be surprised to find what you think is

Knowing my passion for excellent customer service, my neighbor shared his recent service experience with me. He took his white truck in to be serviced. When he dropped the truck off, the service adviser was busy on his computer. He looked up, told him to leave the keys, and he would call when it was

All too often, unfortunately, many construction subcontractors do not get paid for labor or materials. In order to receive payment, most subcontractors resort to filing a Mechanics Lien. The governing statutes contain a thicket of requirements that are strictly construed by the courts and must be followed to the letter, and collection efforts may be

Today’s technology makes it easy to engage with customers when things are going great. But what about when things are not going so well? How you engage with your audiences during difficult situations can be crucial to your organization’s survival. If a problem arises, it’s important to respond quickly, address the concerns with empathy, and

“If your emotional abilities aren’t in hand, if you don’t have self-awareness, if you are not able to manage your distressing emotions, if you can’t have empathy and have effective relationships, then no matter how smart you are, you are not going to get very far.” — Daniel Goleman, author of “Emotional Intelligence” I thought

The goal of every presentation is to influence how listeners will think or act. Given that objective, few presentations make the cut. Although many people treat presentations rather casually, every one counts, and each one is equally important.   And here’s why: we are our presentations. We’re the one on stage, and we’re judged by