As the 2018 year gets underway, I wanted to provide you a reminder in regards to your entities 401(k) pension plan. For those that have calendar year plans, now is the time that you or your third party administrator (TPA) will be conducting compliance testing on the 2017 activity. This is a very important step...

At the first sign of a southbound economy some companies rush into panic mode. They slash the staff and hope for the best. Certainly, labor is the biggest expense for most businesses, which is why many managers believe there is no faster, more efficient way to improve the bottom line than by cutting staff. But when...

If your company wants to improve cash flow, you might consider leasing equipment, vehicles and facilities, rather than buying. The primary advantage of leasing used to be the tax advantages. But the fact that leasing allows you to conserve cash makes it a form of financing. It’s not an alternative that works for every company so you...

Human resources (HR) departments face some complicated and unique challenges during difficult economic times. For example, a business facing financial cutbacks may decide to cut the benefits budget in HR, and then require the department to motivate employees who are feeling the results of those budget reductions. Such a challenge may seem impossible to meet, but...

As the saying goes, “knowledge is power.” To derive valuable knowledge from your company’s operating data requires the development of an effective business intelligence (BI) program. Simply put, BI is a technology-driven process for analyzing data and presenting actionable information to help corporate executives, managers and others make more informed decisions. For example, if you’re clear...

Even in America, not all customers are created equal. If you apply the “Pareto Principle” to your sales department, you’re likely to make two discoveries: 80% of your revenue comes from 20% of your customers and 80% of your sales are generated by 20% of your sales team. The ratio varies by industry, and for some companies,...