Business Mentors

The 2012 legislative session has come to a close. I would like to highlight some of the real achievements of the past six months. With sound fiscal planning and the consolidation, merging, or elimination of nearly 30 government agencies and offices, my colleagues and I closed $13.5 billion in budget deficits over two years without raising […]

Local governments in New York State recently received a long sought after shot-in-the-arm from the state legislature in the final round of budget-bill approvals. For the first time since “Tax Increment Financing” (TIF) was recognized by the New York Constitution in 1983 and made part of the Municipal Redevelopment Law in 1984, this powerful economic-development tool,

What do these things have in common? Social Security. Disability. Windmills. Food stamps. A state’s low taxes. Big contributions to politicians. These are linked by a basic ingredient of our nature. We go for the gold. What prompted this thought was the number of Americans who recently signed up for Social Security disability payments. As

At the risk of sounding like a CPA, I advise you not to fall into the trap of complacency now that the April tax deadline is behind you. Your attention is still needed.  Whether you are looking to next year, or still gathering data from the past year, there are important points to consider. Filing your

Have you ever wondered how many times you have tried to do something half-way, only to discover that it would have been easier if done the right way from the very beginning? My daughter hates to read instructions. She will build a model or assemble a new toy by “intuition.” Sometimes she goes forward one

In past columns I have asked, “Who does the best thinking in your organization?” The purpose of this question is to focus on two different and yet important types of thinking — creative thinking that generates new ideas that can be exploited for the growth and prosperity of the business, and analytic or critical thinking

In my book, “Employees, Kids & Pets,” I talk about how the lack of proper and disciplined communication can lead to unhappy employees and business owners. What I don’t talk about is how profoundly that unhappiness can affect your bottom line.  When I say, “communicate with employees,” I don’t mean day-to-day stuff or even formal “task”

Let me start by saying that tax filings are a necessary evil. While you may just want to sweep the entire thought of your tax return under the carpet, my advice is: don’t.  With the adage “pay me now, or pay me later” in mind, many folks procrastinate on filing their tax returns with the

The most important asset contributing to a company’s productivity is the energy and efficacy of its employees. More than financial figures or public-image potency, employee productivity is crucial. The importance of keeping your workers focused and dedicated can’t be emphasized enough — so how are you, as an employer, able to motivate your employees? The