by Iris Dorbian. “I believe that if you provide the right working environment, people enjoy work,” says Colin Earl, CEO of EnterpriseWizard, a web-based business solutions company in Silicon Valley. This attitude—fueled by the desire to avoid the sort of office politics Earl had experienced at a previous job—greatly influenced the United Kingdom native when he founded his company 20 years ago. The result: telecommuting, a relaxed dress code, and free food on-site are regular options for...

By Susan Caminiti. At Gramercy Tavern in New York City—consistently rated as one of the top restaurants in the country—Executive Chef Michael Anthony (right), 44, oversees a kitchen staff of nearly 70 people and knows a thing or two about leading a team in a pressure-filled environment. He recently spoke with business writer Susan Caminiti about learning to delegate, the best ways to motivate employees, and why it’s important for the boss to occasionally disconnect from the action. SC:...

By Erin McDermott. Once upon a time, small business owners gathered their staff in one location from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.  They would dial all 10 digits on landline telephones and get charged a hefty price, await the latest batch of tasks once the mail arrived, and sometimes even meet  at an actual watercooler to chat. Remember those old days—you know, the early 1990s? Today, technology has made it easier than ever to run a small business and manage employees from afar. Inexpensive Web...

By Sherron Lumley. How do you find a mentor?  The answer sounds simple: “Just ask.” However, for many people, that is easier said than done. There are different ways to ask someone to be a mentor, but the best way is to be direct, know what it is you want to learn, and then go for it. Many businesses in a variety of industries have barriers to entry that can only be overcome with the help of someone inside the trade. “Respect is a two way street,” says Jay Terry, owner of Custom Metal...

For many small business owners, their company is like their child. As such, they invest the majority of their time and resources into ensuring the business stays healthy and has opportunities to grow and maximize its potential. Few focus on preparing for that inevitable moment in the future when they will have to hand their baby over to someone else. This may partially explain why of the 90 percent of 21 million small businesses in the United States that are family-owned, only 30 percent...

By Christopher Freeburn. Keeping your employees motivated and productive is an important goal for any small business owner. Not only will highly motivated and happy employees do more work, but their motivation can also boost your business in other ways. In fact, the smaller your business, the more crucial it is that your employees are happy at their jobs. In smaller workplaces, individual employees have a greater impact on the overall business because each employee does so much....

by Reed Richardson. This time of year, a small business owner may be forgiven for thinking that his or her company has entered a weeks-long holiday gauntlet. Starting even before Thanksgiving, the calendar marks the arrival of seemingly incessant, often overlapping, and sometimes conflicting religious and cultural holidays, among them Eid al-Adha, Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, Epiphany, Ashura, and the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, as well as the traditional and Chinese New Year’s...

Giving (and getting) back: Why "doing good" also makes good business sense by Reed Richardson Amidst this turbulent holiday season, many small business owners, facing one of the most challenging economic climates in recent memory, may be tempted to curtail or even suspend their company's charitable giving. After all, if a small business doesn't survive today, it can't very well give much in the way of charitable donations tomorrow. But more and more small business owners are changing their...