The straight line

The explosion in the use of debit and credit cards is not without a downside. As more and more credit cards are provided to merchants, the potential that the information will be stolen also increases. Consumers expect their card information will be handled by merchants in a secure manner. When card data is stolen, consumers feel...

Most lenders require the individual owner of a small business to personally guarantee loans made to a business. This pledge indicates the owners’ commitment and helps ensure that the loan obligation won’t be abandoned. The problem: A personal guarantee means your personal assets are available as collateral. It opens an individual — or a husband and wife...

Get to the heart of the matter. If you want the truth about your company, ask people on the way out. Exit interviews can deliver important inside information. The way departing employees view your organization might be the way things really are. Below is an exit interview questionnaire you can print and give to staff members...

The following table provides some important federal tax information for 2017, as compared with 2016. Many of the dollar amounts are unchanged or have changed only slightly due to low inflation. Other amounts are changing due to legislation.   Social Security/ Medicare 2017 2016 Social Security Tax Wage Base $127,200 $118,500 Medicare Tax Wage Base...

If you could never run another newspaper, radio, television, direct mail or online ad, how could you bring in customers?” The simple answer is by working together. Frequently, many companies have absolutely no impetus for one department to collaborate with another. This kind of “departmentalism” can defeat a company. But by sharing information, your sales staff can...

Despite the popularity of e-marketing, direct mail still works for many companies. How well it works depends on a number of variables. It’s a game of percentages. Here are six tips to help improve your company’s odds: Remember that “direct” is the operative word. A key advantage of direct mail versus traditional advertising to a mass audience...