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About Us
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Reference Library
   Business Growth Center
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Business Links
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Book Stores
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Business Plan Materials & Templates
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Favorite Fun & Inspirational Sites
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Customer Relationship Software & Solutions
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Financial News Sources
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Human Resource Sites
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Job Search Sites
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Microsoft Office & Office Support
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Personal Computer & Digital Camera Sites
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Point-of-Sale Systems
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Search Engines
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Small Business Resource Sites
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Tax-Related Sites
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Time-Management Resources
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Cornerstone PowerPoint Presentations
 •  Dealing with Customer Complaints
 •  Delegation Thoughts
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The Ins and Outs of Business Banking and Borrowing
 •  The Ins and Outs of Filing Business Records
 •  Thoughts Worth Pondering
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Knowledge Bank
 •  Customer Service
 •  Customer Complaints
   Keeping Customers When Things Go Wrong
 •  Even Negative Feedback can be Valuable
   Turn Customer Complaints Into More Sales
 •  Customer Relationship Management
   Are You Making the Most of Your Customer Database?
   Avoid the Four Perils of CRM
   CRM Explained
 •  CRM - The Comeback King
 •  Do You Need CRM?
 •  The Four Phases of CRM
 •  Customer Satisfaction
 •  6 Ways to Get Customer Feedback
 •  7 Things to Never Tell Your Customers
 •  10 Ways to Improve Your Client Relationships
 •  Can You Create Customers for Life?
 •  Customer Advisory Boards: Everyone Wins
 •  Customer Loyalty -- A New Look
 •  Customer Loyalty -- Why Now More Than Ever Focus On What We Have?
 •  Customer Loyalty Programs Can Be Valuable for Small Businesses
 •  Customer Loyalty Programs for Small Companies
 •  Customer Satisfaction -- A Matter of Survival
 •  Customer Satisfaction Improvement Program Process Diagram
 •  Danger Signals from Your Customers
 •  Employee Suggestion - Customer Service Improvement Card from Kroger Grocery
 •  Employee - Customer Suggestion Idea Card from San Juan Regional Medical Center
 •  How to Get Your Customers to Say WOW!
 •  Keeping Satisfied & Profitable Customers
 •  Kroger Grocery's Play-by-Play Brochure to Keep Customers Coming Back
 •  What a Business Can Learn from Its Customers
 •  Your Business Is On Trial and the Judge is Your Customer
 
•  Customer Service Strategies
 •  Audit Your Customer Service Standards
 •  Can You Deliver Customer Service Via E-Mail?
 •  Create Your Own Customer Service Strategy
 •  Customer Service Needs Assessment Form
 •  Customer Services Standards -- It's What Customers Want
 •  Don't Let Customer Service Be Your Downfall
 •  For Openers -- 5 Greetings that Boost Sales to Walk-in Visitors
 •  Instilling a Customer-Driven Culture
 •  Margaritas or Lemonade? Great Customer Service is About Small Details

 •  Mystery Shopper Sample Form - Ice Cream Store
 •  Phrases that Pay: Simple Statements that Increase Your Perceived Value
 •  Providing Quality Customer Service is a Key for Success
 •  Reaching Out to Clients Pays Dividends
 •  The Time for Customer Alignment is Now.  Is Your Company Ready?
 •  Your Business Is On Trial and the Judge is Your Customer

 •  General
   12 Sure-Fire Steps to Improve Retail Sales
 •  
What to Do When You Lose a Major Client
 •  Guarantees
    Guaranteed Growth -- The Power of Keeping Your Word to Customers
 •  Image
   Apparel Perils: Dress for Success Isn't so Cut and Dried Anymore
   
Business Cards: Design to Convey the Right Message
 •  Your Business Card -- In Wallets or Wastebaskets?
   Creating the Right Atmosphere for Your Customers
 •  
Designing for Graphic Identity
 •  First Impressions Count:  Add Them Up
 •  
Make Your First Impression a Good One
 •  
The Shocking Truth About Your Image -- 4 Reasons Customers May Not Like You
 •  What's In A Name? Possibly Your Entire Image.
 •  Your Image Needs Constant Attention

 •  Listening Skills
 •  Listen and Earn
 •  
Teaching Customer Service Reps the Art of Listening
 •  Telephone Skills
   Do You Have a Moment -- Five Words to Save a Lead
 •  Phone Answering Tips to Win Business
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Test Your Telephone Effectiveness
 •  Entrepreneurship
 • Business Plans
    Business Plan Basics
   •
Business Plan Maintenance
   •
The Fine Art Of Writing A Business Plan
   •
Trend Analysis For Business Planning
 • Buying A Business
    Buying A Business Or Its Assets
   •
Buying, Valuing, And Selling Your Business -- A Glossary
   •
Buying A Small Company Requires Some Patience
   • Due Diligence Explained
   •
How Much Is That Business Really Worth?
   •
Making A Clean Break When Buying A Firm
   •
Moving On? Options For The Departing Business Owner
 • Company Structures
   • Choosing Between a Corporation and an LLC
   • Frequently Asked Questions Related to LLCs
   • Three Dumbest LLC Formation Mistakes
   • What is the Difference Between an LLC and S-Corp?
    What Legal Form Is Best For Your Business
 • Family Businesses
   • Defining the Family Business
   • A Family Business Council Helps Drive the Family Business
   • Grooming the Successor in a Family Business
   • Hiring the Family in the Family Business
   • It's All About Objectivity -- An Advisory Board Can Help
   • Next in Line for the Family Business
    Passing Along The Family Business
   • Transferring Control in a Family Business

   • Transitioning Between Generations
   • Working with Family in the Family Owned Business
 • Franchising
   • 10 Common Mistakes Of Prospective Franchisees
   • Franchising Offers Downturn Opportunities
   • Is Buying a Franchised Business Right for You?
   • Is Franchising For You?  Questions To Ask Yourself Before Taking The Plunge

 • General
    10 Mistakes That Can Cost Your Business
   •
11 Ways To Pump Up Productivity
   •
Attitude And The Entrepreneur
   •
Attitude Matters When It Comes To Success
   • Can You See the Vision?
   • Change is a Part of Growth
   • Debunking the Entrepreneurial Myth (E-Myth) to Grow a Successful Business
   •
The Entrepreneurial Right Stuff (And Assessment Tools)
   • Failure's Not So Bad if You Learn Something From It
   •
Growing Pains In The Small Business
   •
Prepare Well When Changing Your Business Name
   •
The E-Myth Revisited - A Book Review
   •
The Long-Term Perils Of Being A Control Freak
   • Personal Risks in Small Business

   • What is Your Intellectual Property?
 • Location
   • Choose Your Location with Care
    Location Issues To Consider
   •
What Makes A Location Great?
 • Selling A Business
   • 8 Key Steps to Selling Your Business and Cashing In
    10 Steps To Maximize Value
   •
Buying, Valuing, And Selling Your Business -- A Glossary
   • Due Diligence Explained
   • Is Owning a Business Like Owning a Boat?
   •
Is You Business Ready To Be Sold?
   •
Moving On? Options For The Departing Small Business Owner
   •
Selling Your Business: A One-Shot Challenge
   • Selling Your Business?  Keep Quiet!

   • Succession Planning for Business Owners - A PowerPoint Presentation
   • Top Tips for Business Buyers or Sellers
 • Start-ups
   • 4 Reasons Why Small Businesses Succeed (or Fail)
    10 Survival Strategies For Entrepreneurs
   •
How To Succeed In Business In Four Easy Steps
   • Questions Would-Be Founders Ask (& The Answers)
   • Pros and Cons of Being Your Own Boss
   • Ready to be Your Own Boss? (Part 1)
   • Ready to be Your Own Boss? (Part 2)
   • Ready to be Your Own Boss? (Part 3)
   
The Deadly Mistakes Entrepreneurs Make
   • The Seven Habits Of Highly Effective Start-Ups

   • Starting Your Business Checklist - Colorado
   • Take Care Starting Entrepreneurial Businesses
   • Top 7 Reasons Businesses Fail and How to Avoid Them
 • Strategy
    Barriers To Entry
   • Big Gap Between Workers’ Commitment and Organizational Goals
   • Competitive Advantage: A Michael Porter-Based Definition
   • Effective Competitive Analysis
   • Five Ways to Kill Any Business
   • Management by Fad
   • Porter's Five Forces
   • Porter's Five Forces - A Diagram
   • Porter's Generic Strategy

   • Project Investment Criteria Matrix
   • See Your Vision
   • The Business Vision and Company Mission Statements
    What Happens Next -- Shell Oil's Use of Scenario Planning
 •  Finance & Accounting
 • Bookkeeping & Accounting
   • Accountants and Bookkeepers Narrow the Gap
    Accounting Software That Suits Your Needs
   •
Basic Terms & Concepts Of Small Business Accounting
   •
The Balance Sheet: Definition & Uses
   •
Bookkeeping and Accounting Basics
   • Choose the Right Accountant
   •
Components Of The Accounting System
   •
Depreciation: The Concept Explained
   • Fraud - Why Small & Medium-Sized Businesses Lose Out
   • How to Choose an Accountant for Your Small Business
   •
The General Ledger: The Concept Explained
   •
The Income Statement: Definitions & Uses
   •
Inventory Accounting: The Concept Explained
   •
The Language Of Accounting
 • Borrowing Basics
    Business Loan Glossary
   •
Getting Money From Banks
   • The Ins & Outs Of Business Borrowing & Banking -- PowerPoint Presentation
   • The Few, The Proud, The Bankable
   •
The Savvy CEO's Loan Pitch
 • Capital Structures
   • Financing Basics
   •
Debt vs. Equity -- The Pros And Cons Of Both Financing Options
 • Cash Flow Management & Modeling
   • 7 Ways to Improve Your cash Flow
   • Accounts Receivables:  30 Ways to Get Paid in 30 Days
   •
Accounts Receivables: Clear Up Those Overdue Accounts
   •
Accounts Receivables: Don't Get Caught With Overdue Accounts
   
Accounts Receivables: Early Warning Signs of Payment Problems
   •
Accounts Receivables: Easing The Collection Of Overdue Payments
   •
Accounts Receivables: Give Credit Only When Credit is Due
   •
Accounts Receivables: When The Customers Won't Pay
   •
Biting The Bullet On Preparing Financial Projections For The Business Plan
   •
Cash Conversion Cycle Calculator
   •
Cash Management: No Financial Discipline Is More Important Or Misunderstood
   • Lease vs. Purchase Calculator
   • Multiple Loan Analysis Calculator (MS Excel Zip File)
   • Profit & Loss Projection (MS Excel Template)
   • Sales Forecast Projection (MS Excel Template)
   • Toward a Better Budget
 • Credit Card & Merchant Accounts
   • Are Your Paying Too Much for Credit Card Processing?
    How To Evaluate Credit Card Processing Companies
   •
What Constitutes Credit Card Risk?
 • Financing
   • Debt vs. Equity -- The Pros And Cons Of Both Financing Options
   •
Factoring: An Expensive Source Of Financing Explained
   •
Great Bootstrapping Secrets: 45 Ideas That Can Save Your Business Money
   •
Lease Financing Explained
   •
Searching And Applying For Grants And Business Loans Online
   •
Small Business Failures And Finances -- The Real Story
   • Where to Find Start-Up Money -- Ten Sources for the Micro-Size Business
 • Financial Ratios & Formulas
    Common Business Ratios And What They Mean
   • Days Sales Outstanding Formula
   • Days Sales Outstanding Calculator
   • Inventory Turnover Ratios Formula
   • How to Calculate a Price Markup
   • Margin and Mark-Up Calculator
   • Margin and Mark-Up Calculator with Ranges
   • Percentage Calculation Formulas
   • Price-Margin-Volume Relationship Tables
 • Personal Finance and Investment Management
   • Intro to the Fee-Based Services of Comprehensive Financial Planning, Inc.
 • Profit Improvement
   • A Lack Of Business Is Not Always The Problem
 • Taxes
    Large Tax Blunders For Small Businesses
   •
What Expenses Can Entrepreneurs Deduct?
 •  Human Resources
 • Absenteeism
    Absenteeism: There Is More To It Than Meets The Eye
   •
Combating Absenteeism
 • Benefits
   • Dealing With Sick Leave As A Matter Of Policy
   • Health Insurance With Less Pain
   • Health Savings Account Information Brochure
 • Coaching & Soft Skills
   • Accentuate the Positive
    Are You In With The 'In Crowd'?
   •
Behave Yourself -- Changing How People See You
   • Coaches do it by the Rules
   • Coaching Begins at the Top
   • Coaching is Coaching
   • Executive Coaching -- What Is It and How it Works
   • FISH! A Manager's Guide to Morale Boosting in the Workplace
   •
Focus On Soft Skills -- A Leadership Wake Up Call
   • Is Your Body Language Helping or Hurting Your Business?
   • Special Considerations for Coaching CEOs
   • Taming the Alpha Executive
   • Turn Supervisors into Coaches
    Working with Navajos (Presentation by Marshall Plummer)

 • Communications & Performance Reviews