Every small business has vendors and suppliers they work with to provide them with products and services. Negotiating terms is a critical component to ensure they are getting the best payment terms for what they are buying. How are you negotiating terms with your vendors and suppliers?

I was right in the middle of writing an article that would have disappointed you interest rate hawks about how the Federal Reserve’s rate cut did not translate to a direct mortgage interest rate cut. Then the president flew in with an announcement of new tariffs on China, which sent rates sinking. 

A major differentiator to successfully running and growing a small business is leadership. Small business owners who are great leaders are more successful.  

You want another reason that real estate is interesting to talk about: Since 2010, the housing market comprised about 15 percent of the Gross Domestic Product. 

Everyone has heard the term “Elevator Pitch.” It reflects the idea that you should be able to tell someone what you do in the span of a short elevator ride. Typically, an elevator ride is between 30 seconds and one minute. Quickly telling someone what you do and the benefits of working with …

Luci Allen, a Milton resident and recent graduate of Cambridge High School, was one of five Atlanta area students selected as student leaders for Bank of America’s summer internship program.

As a small business owner, have you given consideration to expanding your product lines? There are many reasons why small businesses should consider adding either new products or additional lines of business. Additionally, there are both pros and cons of doing this.

As a native of Metro Atlanta, I’m asked all the time: why didn’t you all plan better for all the people moving here? After stumbling for a good long while over answers, I’ve finally landed on one. The reason we have traffic issues isn’t a planning issue, it’s a funding issue. 

As a small business owner, how often do you want to change your strategies and tactics to grow your business? Have you changed businesses processes to make them better, only to find out that they’re not? 

Small business owners have to make decisions each and every day. Some decisions are for simple things, like approving a payment to a supplier, while other decisions are more complex and can impact a small business in a profound way. Many small business owners have learned the consequences of…

As many of you know, I’m a news junkie when it comes to things that are happening here in Georgia. After reading articles in several papers this week, I’m going to ask a question I know most of you have a very passionate answer for: Is it possible that we need MORE people to move to Atlanta? 

Having worked with small business owners for over 40 years, I have seen both positive and negative ways in which they manage their employees. How are you managing your employees? There are two extremes, and one of them is micro-managing your employees.

ATLANTA — Eight physicians from Atlanta Allergy & Asthma — the largest allergy practice in Georgia — now rank among metro Atlanta’s top doctors in Atlanta magazine’s July issue. 

A couple weeks ago I talked about the housing market being a little Jekyll and Hyde, with lower-priced houses being in a sellers’ market and higher-priced houses being more in a buyers’ market. That article was more me going off articles I’ve been reading and gut-feelings. This one is about …

As a small business owner, how often do you review the performance of your employees? When you review your employee’s performance, are you using this time not only to rate their performance but also to coach them on how to improve it? The lifeblood of successfully running a small business is…

I ran into a friend the other day who was excited to tell me that the area many affectionately refer to as “East Cobb” is looking into becoming its own city. 

As a small business owner, what performance indicators are you using to make sure your business is moving in the right direction? Have you even taken the time to assess what are the best indicators to track and measure the performance of your business? Performance indicators are critical to …

We are in an interesting time in our housing market right now. It seems higher-priced homes are not moving as fast as they have been, while homes under $400,000 in the metro area seem to be flying off the shelves. 

With tariff wars deepening and the Federal Reserve now preparing for rate cuts, mortgage rates have fallen through the floor, and we are now back into the 3 percents for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage. 

When you make commitments to your customers, suppliers and employees, do you keep them? How often have you made commitments knowing they would be tough to keep? Making commitments is essential to do business, but keeping commitments is critical to winning business and building long-term rela…

I want to warn all of you, this article caters pretty much to community development nerds. But even if you aren’t one, even if you are just someone who lives in a community, you may very well be interested in hearing about something that spends money to improve your community without using y…

How often do you challenge your customers on the strategies and tactics they are using to manage and grow their small business? If your customers aren’t interested in changing their current approach, do you point out the ramifications of not changing? Challenging your customers may sound lik…

Do you have a passion for what you do to operate and grow your small business? Do you get up each day excited about going to work and getting things done? If you want to be successful in running and growing your small business, you must be passionate about the work you do.