Networking across gender lines By Leslie T. Snadowsky Cristina and Ron Kirby are co-executive directors of BNI South Carolina Lowcountry. It’s a franchise of Business Network International (BNI), the world’s largest business networking and referral organization with a mission to help businesses grow and scale. The Kirbys also happen to be married, and their yin…
Forward-thinking By Leslie T. Snadowsky Susan Edwards, the founder and owner of Forwards Career Services, remembers having a conversation with a friend whose kids attended a Ducklings Early Learning Center franchise. Through that initial casual connection, Edwards was ultimately hired as an HR consultant assisting with virtual training for 11 out-of-state Ducklings Daycare locations. When…
Networking tips from The Big Easy By Leslie T. Snadowsky From staging parades in the French Quarter for thousands of conventioneers to orchestrating fireworks displays over the Mississippi River, planning intimate dinners at world-famous restaurants and hosting business conferences at area 5-star hotels, Diane B. Lyons knows how to throw a party and let the…
The priceless benefits of networking By Leslie T. Snadowsky Eight to 10 hours a week. That’s how much time you should invest in networking if you want to generate more than half of your business from referrals, according to Dr. Ivan Misner, the founder of Business Network International, BNI. When it comes to costs, LinkedIn…
Tips to make an upgrade easy and affordable. By Mark Rossi According to industry experts, you can expect the average desktop PC to last between three and eight years. It may seem that you just updated your computers, but if you are experiencing any of these symptoms, it is time to consider an upgrade: According…
How to avoid trapping your kids in the family business By Hannah Massen We’ll start by saying the first thing your kids want you to know: it’s not you, it’s them. As an entrepreneur, you’ve poured your heart, soul and years of your life into growing and sustaining your business. Yes, you’ve had many long…
Sometimes they even backfire By Don Harkey With an increasingly challenging labor market, employers are left looking for ways to attract and retain talent. Most are rightly looking at their benefits, and some are looking at bonuses or profit sharing as an option. I am often asked the simple question, “do bonuses work?” Sorta. Let…
Three mistakes that can destroy your family business By Hannah Massen While many entrepreneurs dream of building a lasting business that becomes part of their families’ legacy, family businesses have low survival rates beyond three generations. Data suggests that around 70 percent of family businesses fail by the time the second generation comes into power,…
Renaissance man markets olive oil to millennials By Leslie T. Snadowsky Tommie Williams grew up on a farm in Georgia but fell in love with Italian olives in the 1970s when studying abroad in Tuscany as an art major at the University of Georgia. “I just loved the tree and the fruit and the oil…
Famed franchise family swimming with Slapfish By Leslie T. Snadowsky | Photos Courtesy of CH2 Magazine From treadmills and weights to poke bowls and lobster rolls, Zach Lomasney took the bait and is hooked on Slapfish, a modern seafood shack franchise with a mission to increase consumption of sustainable seafood. His mom, Sharon, dad, David,…