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5 HR Snafus That Could Sink Your Business

July 30, 2018
By Jennifer Lobb –

business personFor many small business owners, HR is a complicated web of internal and external policy, law, regulation, and documentation. Neatly packed into the HR box is an array of considerations and tasks that govern the relationships between your business and those you hire (or fire), as well as your business and the organizations that govern labor and industry (federal, state, and local).

For small business owners, failure to properly manage human resource tasks can quickly lead to substantial and detrimental personnel and legal problems. And while there are plenty of factors that must be considered to meet all HR responsibilities and factors, here are 5 common HR snafus that can sink your business: (more…)

Where Can I Get My Dun & Bradstreet Rating?

July 23, 2018
By Megan Tyler –

FinanceWhether you’re competing for a government contract or trying to secure favorable terms for a loan, a solid Dun & Bradstreet Rating can help you take your business to the next level. As the oldest credit bureau in the U.S., Dun & Bradstreet (D&B) deals only in business credit and is often the go-to credit agency for the the federal government and other high volume lenders. But how do you get your D&B scores?

Business credit works differently from personal credit. Unlike with personal credit, you aren’t entitled to one free business credit report per year, and lenders aren’t required to tell you if they turned you down for a loan based on your business credit score or lack thereof. Many business owners may not know how to interpret their business credit, and that goes doubly for a multi-faceted rating like Dun & Bradstreet’s. (more…)

A Housing Solution For People With Mobility Issues

July 16, 2018
Success Story, Vermont SBDC –

Wheel Pad L3CIn 1988, Architect Joseph Cincotta and Julie Lineberger, started LineSync Architecture, an award winning firm currently with 9 employees. Wheel Pad L3C, their second enterprise, evolved from an accident in 2010 that rendered their Godson quadriplegic and forced to live isolated in an accessible hotel room for eight months after rehab until he could find appropriate housing.

While designing the universally accessible renovations for a home their Godson eventually purchased, Joseph came up with the idea for Wheel Pad and started building the prototype in 2015: A 200 sq.ft. accessible bedroom and bathroom that can be attached to an existing home. It provides eco-friendly, temporary, accessible housing for people with mobility issues, allowing friends and/or family to provide support until permanent accessible housing can be arranged. Permanent models are also available. (more…)

How to Use Snapchat to Boost Your Sales

July 2, 2018
By Jennifer Lobb –

smartphoneSnapchat may not be the social media site with the most users, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a powerful tool for companies with a specific audience – namely, millennials. With over 180 million daily users, many of whom are under the age of 34, Snapchat, when leveraged properly, can help boost sales and grow brand awareness.

Not intimately familiar with Snapchat? Unlike Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, Snapchat’s longevity is, in part, based on its fleeting nature. The social platform allows users to send images and short videos to each other, but unlike other social platforms, the Snapchats expire after they’re opened. (more…)

Do Schools Kill Entrepreneurship?

June 25, 2018
By Gerri Detweiler –

Lecture Hall“Do Schools Kill Creativity?” is one of the most popular TED Talks of all time. In his entertaining and provocative presentation, Sir Ken Robinson says (referring largely to the state of education today) that “..if you’re not prepared to be wrong, you’ll never come up with anything original. And by the time they get to be adults, most kids have lost that capacity. They have become frightened of being wrong.”

Robinson doesn’t address entrepreneurship directly in his talk, but plenty of other people question whether our educational system helps prepare students to run their own businesses, often against the backdrop of stories like that of Bill Gates or Mark Zuckerberg dropping out of college to start their businesses. (more…)