Features
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Georgia Native Returns Home as Filmmaking Rises in Savannah & Atlanta
August 05, 2014
In the news as of late have been Medient Studios and the dismissal of its founder and CEO, Manu Kumaran, and the legal action he has been taking against the company’s new leadership. There has been the exposure of early mismanagement and the rapid devaluation of the company’s stock and then the reinstatement of trading under Medient’s new leadership.
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Time of Change and Crisis in the Hospital World
August 04, 2014
The financial turmoil rocking Georgia’s hospitals shows no signs of fading. Just this past week, Emory-Adventist Hospital announced it would close by the end of October. By doing so, the Smyrna hospital would become the fifth Georgia hospital to close within the past two years. And unlike the previous four, it is in the affluent Atlanta suburbs, not a struggling rural area.
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Should Your Small Business Just Ignore These 7 Technologies?
July 31, 2014
New technologies are released every day. For those small business owners that have shiny object syndromes (SOS), they can be hard to resist. Many are pushed to thinking that in order to have a competitive edge, they need to offer their customers the latest technology. However, for the good of your company, here are seven that you may need to ignore for now.
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Should You Demand a Return on Investment From Business Travel?
July 30, 2014
How do you choose when to travel, and when not to, for your business? The smart business owner expects a return on investment from business travel. That means having a plan for your trip, and then following through on the plan after the trip.
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The Hidden Costs of an Unreliable Internet Connection
July 28, 2014
In business, an unreliable Internet connection costs dollars and cents. It’s that simple. Let’s break down the real issues and what they could cost you, to measure how important your Internet connection is.
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Profile: Fran Glover Forehand, Georgia Power East Region VP
July 24, 2014
Fran Glover Forehand, Georgia Power’s East Region Vice President has a passion for talent development, and with more than 23 years at Southern Company, Georgia Power’s parent company, Forehand considers it the most important part of her job.
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What are Some Sources of Start-up Funding?
July 22, 2014
The latest Gallup-Wells Fargo Small Business Index, a representative telephone survey of 600 small business owners conducted at the end of March 2014, provides some interesting statistics on where current small company owners got the money they needed to start their businesses.
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How to Improve Your Self Control – It’s the Key to Your Success
July 21, 2014
If you’re tired of reading self help books and seemingly never getting anywhere, you may be interested in a study that found a single factor — self-control — to be one of the primary keys to success.
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Merrill Lynch Scorecard Shows Productivity Tied to Employees’ Financial Well-Being
July 17, 2014
Merrill Lynch recently released their 401(k) Wellness Scorecard for the second quarter, with results showing a positive increase in financial habits from plan participants. We spoke with James Wallace and Deborah Howard, Managing Directors – Wealth Management, Global Corporate & Institutional Advisory Services, to get their take on the results of the scorecard and why more companies need to become invested in the financial well-being of their employees.
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Study: Yes, There Are Benefits of Offering Free WiFi
July 16, 2014
It’s gotten much more common today to find businesses that offer complimentary WiFi for their patrons, especially in cities. Still, there are many places outside of Big-City-America where free WiFi is the exception and not the rule.
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Chamber of Commerce Enhances Columbia County’s Business-friendly Image—and Its Own
July 14, 2014
Today’s pro-active Columbia County Chamber of Commerce is not your father’s chamber, that is, that it’s just a group of ribbon-cutting officials. “It’s the voice of the business member,” said Tammy Shepherd, President/CEO of the economic development organization.
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Should You Ever Make a Counter Offer to an Employee?
July 11, 2014
It’s no secret that competition for experienced employees is heating up. Despite the economy’s ups and downs, the news continues to be filled with reports that businesses seeking to hire can’t find qualified workers. So if you have qualified workers on board, how far should you go to retain them? When a key employee gets a job offer, should you consider making a counter offer?
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3 Classic Recipes in Case Your Brand Ever Gets Grilled
July 10, 2014
Yes, it’s true. The Paula Deen Network is launching in September. The celebrity cook, whose career was nearly burnt, is cooking up something new – and digital. Just in case your brand ever gets grilled, we look at three fast and easy tips inspired by the digital rebranding of Paula Deen.
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Will Your Next Business Suit Be an Executive Hoodie?
July 08, 2014
Whoever thinks that hoodies don’t belong in the workplace has probably never seen the Executive Pinstripe Hoodie from Betabrand. The Executive Hoodie is made from suit fabric and retails for $168. Mark Zuckerberg provided the inspiration behind the hoodie, and its launch coincided with the social media giant’s IPO.
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Do Customers Buy Because of Your Core Values?
July 07, 2014
As we've discussed in previous posts, customers buy brands and they pay more for brands that they want to be associated with. But, it's not just your logo and advertising that creates your brand.
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15 LinkedIn Mistakes You Can Easily Avoid
July 02, 2014
Are you a B2B professional who wants to make a standout impression with your expertise and build your personal brand? Want to meet and engage with other quality professionals in your industry? Want to stay up to date on interesting information shared by peers in your field? Then LinkedIn is the professional party you should attend when it comes to your social media mix.
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Powerserve Powers Your Business
June 30, 2014
Powerserve, a custom software development, website design and marketing company, has been serving Augusta and beyond since 1998. Jeff Partl took over the reins in 2003 and has helped the company roll with the punches through market shifts and economic downturns. Powerserve offer services that help businesses get attention in our fast-paced, online-heavy world, from developing custom software solutions, iPad, iPhone & Android Apps to mobile website design, social media services, to improve their website's visibility through Search Engine Optimization.
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Aflac-Backed Communicorp Gives Customers FORTUNE 500 Stability
June 26, 2014
The seeds of Communicorp, Inc. started over fifty years ago as a vehicle to provide Aflac headquarters and field force offices with business cards, letterhead, and brochures. The concept quickly grew to an internal print shop chartered in 1981 to the Georgia-based corporation it is today with locations in Columbus and Atlanta, with a presence throughout Georgia.
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3 Surefire Ways You Can Achieve Public Relations Success
June 25, 2014
The lines between advertising, marketing and public relations have always been a little blurred, with many firms providing a combination of two or more of the services. But the Internet has almost removed the lines completely, as advertisers reach out to customers on social media and press releases begin to make appearances in search engine rankings. Here we are going to show you three surefire ways to find PR success.
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Georgia Ranked 10th Friendliest State for Small Businesses in Nationwide Survey
June 24, 2014
Thumbtack.com, in partnership with the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, today released new data showing that Georgia has won praise as one of the top ten states for small businesses. Jon Lieber, Chief Economist of Thumbtack.com, said “Creating a business climate that is welcoming to small, dynamic businesses is more important than ever, and Georgia's friendliness towards small business is helping to make that happen.”
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The 5 Game Changing Benefits of Networking
June 23, 2014
We live, work and play in two worlds today – in person and online. They are equally important, inter-dependent and mutually beneficial. The importance of consistent, qualified, dedicated networking can never be stressed enough as a requirement, not an option today.
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13 Best Practices for Building Solid Small Business Operations
June 19, 2014
Running and scaling a business will always be challenging. But having a solid foundation of smoothly operating practices underlying your company can make it much easier. To find out how successful entrepreneurs were building their operations, we asked 13 founders from Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) the following question: “As a business owner, what do you feel is most important when it comes to building solid small business operations?”
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5 Ways to Boost Your Retail Sales This Summer
June 18, 2014
For many retailers, summer isn’t exactly the high season. But that doesn’t mean it has to be a bust. With summer about to go into full swing, have you thought about how you’ll boost business for your retail store this season?
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12 Tips for Training Your Summer Interns
June 16, 2014
Summer interns can be an invaluable resource for a small business. But although these bright young college kids are ready to tackle challenges, they’re likely inexperienced in the business world and won’t automatically integrate with your team. We look at how other entrepreneurs were successfully training their interns for the summer.
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4 Steps to Facing the Challenge in Strategy
June 13, 2014
Strategy is a way through a difficulty, an approach to overcoming an obstacle, a response to a challenge. If the challenge is not defined, it is difficult or impossible to overcome it.