Is uncertainty killing growth?
With the clock ticking on efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act, many are reluctant to hire new workers for fear of unforseen insurance expenses. Possible higher taxes on job creators adds to uncertainty and slowed expansion. Fortunatelly, there are alternatives to hiring full time staff. Marketing, advertising and design services can all be outsourced, and often for less than doing so internally.
Hiring a contractor also gives another perspective on your outreach programs. Internal departments have a similar perspective as other members of the organization, and are often unable to see things from the customer perspective. Outside agencies have a much more immediate incentive to perform, not only to meet the requirments of the contract, but to get repeat business and referrals.
We at Groundbreaking Media offer great design and SEO services for your organization, and you won’t have to worry about high taxes or healthcare.
Cutting the Budget
The CATO institute has provided readers with a comprehensive guide to cutting the federal budget. Hopefully the urgent need for cuts, not spending, will soon become apparent to more people. This guide can help future leaders analyze what we can a live without. We know what works and what doesn’t. A bloated government and burdensome taxes only hurt economic growth and destroy opportunities for everyone.
Make Cash with Affiliate Program
Affiliate programs are a great way to make some extra cash, or earn a full time living. Success is all about finding a niche that isn’t crowded with thousands of people pushing the same product.
Groundbreaking media, a full service media design company, offers a tantelizing 10% commission on affiliates sales. Promote services through personal and proffesional networks, web sites and social networks. If you’d like to learn more about joining this program, check out: http://groundbreakingmedia.com/index.php/affiliates
Top 10 Books on Business
A list of my top ten business and management books. All acquired through personal study and college courses.
1. The Truth About Managing People, The (2nd Edition)
It’s simple and to the point advice on managing people. The chapters are about two pages long, so it’s easy to work through daily, or use as a handy reference guide.
2. Entrepreneurship: Successfully Launching New Ventures (3rd Edition)
3. Purple Cow, Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable
Seth Godin is one of my favorite authors and marketing gurus. This book is based on his “purple cow concept”, that viewers won’t pay attention to images or messages they’ve seen countless times. Successful businesses stand out from competitors to find a unique space of their own.
4. Networking with Millionnaires
Ever wonder how to get connected with influential movers and shakers? This book gives some great ideas for expanding and optimizing your personal network. One of the best principles is focusing on specific industries, to become an authority in that specific niche.
5. Customer Mania! It’s Never Too Late to Build a Customer-Focused Company
6. The Top Ten Mistakes Leaders Make
7. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
The 7 Habits breaks down leadership philosophy into 7 easy to digest principles. It’s been a mainstay of corporate and non-profit management training for many years.
8. The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness
Author Stephen Covey expands on the concepts of his previous book “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” with “The 8th Habit”. He explains that the final habit is inspiring people to lead and improve their own skills. It is all about being a charismatic and influential leader.
9. Brand Failures: The Truth about the 100 Biggest Branding Mistakes of All Times
10. Guerrilla Marketing, 4th edition: Easy and Inexpensive Strategies for Making Big Profits from Your Small Business
Credit Haters
Many well intentioned people including celebrity financial advisor Dave Ramsey warn young adults to avoid using credit cards at all cost. They reason that the temptation to overspend with a credit card is simply too great to resist, and we should pay for everything with cash because we won’t spend more than we actually have. Excessive spending on lavish lifestyles is the sickness, overwhelming debt is the symptom. Learning responsible credit card use is a life skill that many should pursue. It gives a great deal of flexibility and convenience.
I recommend the Citi Dividend Select World MasterCard. I signed up for the card in 2008, and have used it for everything possible. Because I used the card frequently and always paid on time, I went from no credit to excellent credit. This opens the door to home and business loans, and even cell phone plans that would usually require a pricey security deposit. Most importantly, I have been using the MasterCard for over 3 years and have yet to pay one cent of interest or fees. With responsible use, we have only to gain from using credit cards.
Keynesianism vs Austrianism
Keynesianism (kayn-zee-an-ism) has dominated public decision making and economic policy. I remember learning that government spending on the military and public works projects boosted the economy. In fact, we had the huge financial effort and sacrifice in fighting WWII to thank for the post war surplus in the US. Fast forward to 2011, we’ve been spending trillions of borrowed dollars hoping that it will stimulate the economy, and it hasn’t worked. As much 80% of the US congress has no economic or business training. Understanding what drives a free economy should be expected of all politicians. Luckily they can now learn through a more palatable medium.
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