Managing People

If you want to have a real business, you have to learn to delegate functions that don't add value to your time as the owner.

As your business grows, you will increasingly need to hire people to duplicate your skills, as well as bring in complementary skills that you and your current team don't possess. For growing businesses, hiring freelancers is an attractive alternative to hiring full-time employees, especially in the areas not directly related to your core business.

One big question facing many business owners is when to hire full-time staff members and when to consider other options, such as part-time employees, independent contractors or partnering with other small businesses. The answer depends on the business itself. The ability to be creative and flexible is an advantage of a smaller, independent enterprise.

Many entrepreneurs end up also being first-time managers once they start hiring employees. If you're facing "being the boss" for the first time, here are some tips to help you get started.

Entrepreneurs and small businesspeople are always looking for creative ways to accomplish more of their business goals for less money. One strategy that can help you save time, money and frustration as you start and build your business is to outsource as much work as possible to skilled, but cost-effective, external service providers.

When your e-commerce business grows to the point where you can no longer package and ship the orders yourself, it's time to consider outsourcing your order fulfillment. Fulfillment warehouses offer small business the opportunity to compete with the "big dogs". See what benefits fulfillment warehouses offer to small business owners, and learn how their individual methods and costs will help you choose one over the other.

Our Small Business Information Guide discusses indicators to watch for that it's time to hire and the advantages small businesses have for recruiting top talent.

One of the biggest headaches of small businesses is hiring good people. Some people are great in interviews but perform miserably. Others are nervous in the interview process but have all the skills to do a great job. Big companies have HR departments that are equipped to sort through the hiring quagmire, but what about smaller firms that don't...

Increasing numbers of business owners are hiring coaches to help them work through the many strategic issues they face in competitive times. But finding a qualified coach isn’t easy. There are no standards required for coaches as there are for other professionals such as lawyers, public accountants, stock brokers and therapists. So how do you choose a coach?

Founders of a Chicago software company show small businesses how to manage entrepreneurial organizations without bureaucracy.

Building consensus for corporate decisions takes patience and a willingness to fail once in a while. Here are some tips on getting it right.

Experts on wellness and nutrition offer advice for business owners to keep themselves and their employees healthy and working productively through simple mental and physical exercises.

When a visitor comes to your place of business, what's their perception? Often, small business owners overlook the value of making a good impression.

Ten rules about how managers can lead people in the workplace to better performance and healthier lives.

Want to improve productivity at your small business? Here's a revolutionary idea -- be nice! Could that simple concept be the starting point for increasing employee loyalty and getting more done? Author Brian Tracy thinks so.

When the economy is tough, most salespeople take their foot off the gas and blame outside forces for low production. That's not acceptable in an entrepreneurial company that can't afford to lose momentum. There are several strategies you can undertake to keep the salespeople gaining sales even when times are hard.