Business Toolbox

Cash flow planning during uncertain times

By Christopher Hines, CPA

Many people solely consider profit when measuring the success of their business. The trouble is that profits do not necessarily coincide with their associated cash flows.

The fact is, most failed businesses fail as a result of lack of cash flow. During these uncertain economic times, cash flow planning is an important exercise when running your business, regardless of the size of your operation. Trying to manage ...

How small businesses can compete

By Nikki Manna

The 23 million small businesses in the United States represent a huge piece of our economy, but there’s no disputing the struggle many face when going up against their larger competitors. There are eight things you can do to move your business into the big-time where you’ll be able to
compete for customers on a level playing field.

1. Build outside expertise
When you first started ...

7 steps to creating a great employee performance plan

By Warren J. Rutherford

At one time or another, any business with employees, even just one, has thought about employee performance. Business owners and managers can struggle with employee performance reviews, particularly if they like the employee but are not so enthralled with that person’s performance.

What is performance appraisal?
As a human resources consulting firm, we often work with clients to develop...

Event promotion: Is it time to try something new?

By Corissa St. Laurent

The start of a new year is the perfect time to think about the events you’ll be hosting in the months ahead, and the best ways to make them successful. As an event organizer, you’re always worried about people showing up. The good news is that you’re not alone. In fact, a study we conducted with HubSpot revealed that the top two challenges for event organizers are getting people to pay attention to event communic...

HR resolutions for 2012

By Allison Frommeyer

It’s that time when many of us reflect on the past year and contemplate the approaching one with determination. Resolutions are dreamed up with hopes that they will be completed and yet, many pass us by, largely because they are unrealistic and unattainable. If we take the word at its simplest definition it needn’t be unfeasible. A resolution, by definition, is “a firm decision to do something” … so he...

Technology: A crystal ball for 2012

By Kevin MacArthur

As we dig into 2012, it’s time for a look into the crystal ball for the current year. I’ve learned that being a prognosticator is a lot like being a weather person – if you sound convincing that is really all people expect. The sun will shine eventually, so there are certain things we know for sure. As I ponder what lies ahead, here are a few key areas I believe will be important for you and your business in 2012.

State vs. federal anti-discrimination laws

By Beth O’Neal, Esq.

I am the Human Resources/Payroll Manager in a relatively small Massachusetts company (with 28 employees), and someone recently told me that we have to follow federal law regarding discrimination in the workplace, as well as the Massachusetts anti-discrimination laws. Is this true, and if it is, are there any differences in the laws?

With the size of your workforce, you do indeed have to abide by both fe...

Renovating the Cape Cod banking industry

By Rich Bryant

You probably don’t think about it, but many of the banks you visit every week likely haven’t been updated since they were constructed. Windows, doors, roofing and siding that make up the exterior envelope are at the point (typically 20 years) where they need to be replaced. Electrical and mechanical systems that were once state-of-the-art are now outdated, inefficient and not able to accommodate expansion. In addition to regul...

Case Study: A life saved

First in an occasional series of patient care case studies from Cape Cod Healthcare facilities.

Lying on a Cape Cod Hospital cath lab table in the middle of a heart attack did not make Peter Van Stratum, 65, nervous or anxious.

“It was peaceful, amazingly enough,” the Truro resident said. “I’ve lived a good long life. I wished good luck to the people working on me. You’d think you’d be panicky, but I wasn’t.&r...

The importance of a home energy assessment

By Richard J. Lorenzotti

With current economic realities, everyone is looking for ways to save money. A good place to identify cost savings is in your home’s energy-consuming systems. But before investing in any expensive system upgrades, the smart thing to do is to have a home energy assessment.

A home energy assessment or audit can determine how much energy your home consumes – which systems are operating efficiently and whi...

Jumping the shark and looking ahead

By Kevin MacArthur

Several years ago the term “jump the shark” was coined. For those of you not familiar where this term came from, it originated from the episode of Happy Days when The Fonz jumped over a shark on water skis. Typically this signifies the moment when a TV show has reached the pinnacle and is on the way down.

So as I write this article, on my water skis with a great white shark on the horizon, I started...

Meaningful metrics

By Corissa St. Laurent

As a marketer, small business owner or nonprofit manager, you’re likely obsessed with numbers. Usually those numbers have to do with sales, donations, event attendees, or operating costs. But there are other ways to gauge how successful (or not) a marketing program has been.

Email marketing and social media offer a wealth of options and success metrics. It’s one reason why both have grown in popularity i...

Is your toilet clean?

By Warren J. Rutherford

OK, I know it may not be the most pleasant subject, but did it catch your attention? I’m asking about what many view as an unpleasant task; a task, a means to an end, but a task nonetheless. Most tasks have a purpose – for instance, going from point A to point B. In this analogy, the purpose is cleaning the toilet.

Now what is the purpose of the task – a clean, sanitary toilet? Is this objective d...

Take time now to rethink that holiday bonus

By Jim Moniz

Every year someone calls me the Grinch because I’m the guy who points out the ineffectiveness of the holiday bonus – but business owners and CEOs need to recognize there exist more creative vehicles that can serve as incentive programs to drive and maintain growth, as well as recruit and retain key talent. Now is the time to rethink the annual holiday bonus you likely doled out a few short weeks ago and make some strategic chang...

Five steps to a great succession plan

By Warren J. Rutherford

It’s the responsibility of every business owner to plan for the day when he will no longer be involved in his business. The plan is the process – the sale of the business is the objective. It’s not uncommon for the owner to avoid the process, instead waiting for the objective to occur so he can sign the purchase and sale agreement with a new owner and move on to his retirement – also unplanned and ill-defi...

Put a charitable spin on your celebration

By Laurel Hartman

As you plan your holiday party this season, consider finding opportunities to give more than just a fun evening. Here are some suggestions of how to incorporate charitable giving into your celebration:

Bring a donation – One easy and obvious solution is to have your guests bring a donated item. Be it toys, canned goods, coats or blankets, there are myriad organizations that would be delighted to re...

Cell phone integration

By Byron Lafferty

The best way to illustrate a solution often is by way of a case study. Below, we look at a company struggling with the integration of its fleet’s mobile phones and the office phones.

Case Study: Fleet Communications
Business condition: Cell communications has become the primary method of contact with mobile workers. However, communications with mobile workers from the office...

Six steps to success in social media

By Nikki Manna

The world of social media may seem a bit overwhelming, but the following steps and tools will help you figure it out.

Step One – Listen, and respond. One of the first things you should do is listen to what is already being said about you. Are there already Facebook pages set up by others in the company or by your fans? Are people tweeting about your company or your products? Is it positive?

The technology year in review

By Kevin MacArthur

There is no doubt that 2011 was the year of mobile computing. Just about every manufacturer introduced a tablet of some sort. It started with the newest release of the Android, continued with the iPad 2 and went all the way down the line to Amazon’s new Kindle Fire. HP went all-out, pushing the Touch Pad on the general public and then promptly pulled it off the market.

Speaking of HP, one month they decide to pull...

Winterizing your garden

By Christopher J. Joyce, MCLP, and Steven T. Davis, MCH, MCLP

Now is the time to develop a plan to put your garden to bed for the winter in proper fashion. Your plants and lawn will be healthier and you will reduce unwanted heartache by doing some preventative maintenance on your property.

1. Cut your perennials that die back to the ground. Plants like Hosta, Daisy, Black Eyed Susan, and Astilbe will all benefit from a pr...

When employees are tuning out

By Robert Nealon

You’re committed to excellence in doing your job, so surely your employees approach theirs the same way, right? Unfortunately, not always. And it can be tough to recognize and accept that your team is struggling with motivation.

As a manager, you need to pay attention to smaller behaviors at the office that may signal a problem. This is particularly critical today, when staff members who’ve already given their...

Use email and social media at the holidays - and year-round

By Corissa St. Laurent

There’s a buzz in the air: the holidays are here. Undoubtedly, businesses are descending upon your inbox offering 20 percent off, then free shipping, then another generic offer that will be indistinguishable from all the rest. How does a business or organization separate itself from the herd at such a busy time of the year? And what lessons can you learn now that can be carried into 2012?

Integrate your commun...

Learn how to use social media

By Nikki Manna

Facebook? Twitter? Blogs? Will a huge fan base on Facebook enhance your brand image? Will posting videos on YouTube turn leads into sales? Does the potential for negative feedback deter your business from having a public conversation?

Social media brings power to the people. It turns marketing on its head. Rather than being a one-to-many broadcast, your interactions with customers can become conversations and your customers...

Whistleblower protection

By Beth O’Neal, Esq.

One of my employees became upset after his recent performance review when his manager identified several areas of his performance that still need improvement, including his accuracy and productivity. He informed me, the owner, that he believed that his poor review was due to his recent complaints that his manager was not providing him with sufficient instruction or attention. I later heard from his coworkers that he belie...

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