Rank your business on the SWAG Meter
July 17, 2019
By Jerry Bellune Last week we talked about you and your business’s SWAG. That’s: S = Self Confidence. Customers trust you because you believe in yourself. W = Wonderment.…
Read MorePosted in: midlandsbiz Category: advice, marketing-and-communications
Have you and your business got SWAG?
July 10, 2019
By Jerry Bellune If you are an entrepreneur or business owner striving to grow your business, you need SWAG. This attracts and keeps customers, says our friend MaryEllen Tribby.…
Read MorePosted in: midlandsbiz Category: advice, marketing-and-communications
Workplace Safety and Summer Heat
July 10, 2019
By David Dubberly Summer temperatures can create hazards for workers, and employers can be liable for not addressing conditions that could lead to injuries and illnesses, such as heat exhaustion…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: advice, law, on-the-move
US Attorney prevents fraud with Bingo campaign
July 9, 2019
By Katie Ritchie “Fraud Bingo!” That was what seniors called out at a Justine Department awareness campaign. Assistant U.S. Attorneys David Stephens and Rob Sneed shared tips for seniors.…
Read MorePosted in: midlandsbiz Category: advice, technology
It’s a Match: Pairing Your Passions and Career Goals
July 8, 2019
By Amanda Loveday The perfect job can be described as the combination of your passion with your potential. Throughout my career, I’ve been fortunate enough to work with interesting and…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: advice, marketing-and-communications
Maverick entrepreneurs’ independent lives
July 7, 2019
By Jerry Bellune When anyone asks what’s so special about maverick entrepreneurs, we laugh. It’s like asking why your faith is important to you or why it is that…
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Learn to code for free
July 2, 2019
By Katie Ritchie Do you have an aspiring software developer or web designer in your family? SC Codes is an online learning platform which launched in September of 2018.…
Read MorePosted in: midlandsbiz Category: advice, technology
Your local advertising drives higher sales
June 27, 2019
By Jerry Bellune Local advertising is a small business’s best bet to attract customers, say advertising experts Brian and Michelle Mattingly. A simple, targeted approach to advertising will almost…
Read MorePosted in: midlandsbiz Category: advice, marketing-and-communications
FCC responds to Robocall complaints
June 26, 2019
by Katie Ritchie Did you hear the good news? We might finally get some relief from robocalls. The Federal Communications Commission voted unanimously to give cell phone companies more power…
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8 questions, millions of answers
June 19, 2019
By Jerry Bellune Ken Blanchard, co-author of “The One-Minute Manager,” “Raving Fans” and other books, has a challenge for us. As business owners and community leaders, we need to…
Read MorePosted in: midlandsbiz Category: advice, marketing-and-communications
Attorney General aims to close online sex-trafficking loophole
June 18, 2019
By Katie Ritchie Online sex-traffickers have been hiding behind a loophole in a South Carolina law. South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson and 46 other state attorneys general want…
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Four Common Mistakes When Engaging The Media
June 17, 2019
By Heather Matthews NP Strategy In all my years as a journalist, it never failed: 5:50 p.m. and my work phone would ring. Did the caller not know we…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: advice, marketing-and-communications
Can Absolut vodka teach us anything?
June 12, 2019
By Jerry Bellune Have your products and services become commodities? Are you forced to compete on price, discounts and other concessions? Take a lesson from a former dish washer…
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Try a free spam blocker
June 11, 2019
By Katie Ritchie If you followed the instructions from last week, you should be on track toward a much cleaner inbox. It can take up to 30 days for…
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How to get rid of email spam
June 4, 2019
by Katie Ritchie The best scam email I’ve ever gotten read as follows: Dear beneficiary, I have been mandated to inform you that, “Yvonne Wachendorfer” has come to let…
Read MorePosted in: midlandsbiz Category: advice, technology
Leaving the Nest: Financial Strategies for Life After College
June 4, 2019
By Ann J. Beckwith, CFP® With spring upon us, nearly 3 million college students are preparing to proudly accept their hard-earned college diplomas and storm the “real world.” With…
Read MorePosted in: midlandsbiz Category: advice, banking-and-finance, on-the-move
Dog Trainer, Manager, Entrepreneur?
June 4, 2019
By Connie Cleveland A Business Owner’s Perspective Listening to a recent interview, this question was posed to comedian Brian Regan: “Your colleagues are in awe of how much material…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: advice, business-services
Are you neglecting your best branding tool?
June 3, 2019
By Marcia Purday, APR NP Strategy Companies throughout the nation invest millions (or billions!) in their brands – from research and communication strategies, to analytics and more. But ultimately,…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: advice, marketing-and-communications, on-the-move
Make it fun to do business with you
May 29, 2019
By Jerry Bellune Dian and Gerald Harmon worked hard to make their concrete business successful and sold it for a bundle long before they were ready to retire. They…
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Use secure passwords
May 28, 2019
By Katie Ritchie Are you using a common, easily hacked password? The National Cyber Security Center (NCSC) released the first UK Cyber Survey. With it, they released the 10,000…
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Social Media and the Need for Brand Standards
May 23, 2019
By J. Bradley Studemeyer NP Strategy Small businesses often find themselves in a difficult position with social media marketing: on one hand, many feel like their current revenue streams…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: advice, marketing-and-communications
Do you have enough cash to avoid disaster?
May 22, 2019
by Jerry Bellune Do you want profits or wealth? As a business owner, you need both. You cannot have wealth without profits, says our friend Ruth King of ProfitabilityRevolution.com…
Read MorePosted in: midlandsbiz Category: advice, business-services
Time to upgrade your entire system?
May 21, 2019
by Katie Ritchie Do you have an older computer using Microsoft Windows software? You’ll need to update your computer. On May 14, Microsoft announced a computer bug it had…
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How to get prospects to open your emails
May 15, 2019
by Jerry Bellune Want to write subject lines that work? Subject lines that prospects will open? You are competing with the 121 other emails most of us receive each…
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Devices to block landline robocalls
May 14, 2019
by Katie Ritchie 42 Attorneys General called on the Federal Communications Commission to stop illegal robocalls and spoofing. The AGs urged the FCC to adopt proposed rules specifically targeting…
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Workplace Violence Citation Upheld – Decision Highlights Steps To Prevent Violence At Work
May 9, 2019
By David Dubberly In December 2012, a “service coordinator” (similar to a home health worker) employed by Integra Health Management Inc. was fatally stabbed during a home visit to one…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: advice, law
The Toughest Crisis May Be the One You Don’t Know You’re In
May 8, 2019
By Erin Sanders Senior Communications Advisor with NP Strategy The shooting at the UNC Charlotte (UNCC) college campus on April 30th resulted in the death of two students and…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: advice, marketing-and-communications
How to double your productivity
May 8, 2019
By Jerry Bellune Our friend Andrea Nierenberg shared with us these ways she makes her 24 hours each day more productive: Awaken 10 minutes early and you’ll be surprised…
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Can you block robocalls from landlines?
May 7, 2019
by Katie Ritchie Can you block robocalls from your landline phone? Bruce Donatelli, the reader who wrote me about robocall landlines, followed up last week. He graciously let me know…
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Where Organized and Spontaneous Collide
May 6, 2019
By Connie Cleveland I had the opportunity to spend a week in Hawaii with my cousin. The first day, I discovered I loved snorkeling, and every morning, when my…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: advice, business-services
The worst thing Barr did this week had nothing to do with the Mueller report
May 3, 2019
By Catherine Rampell The worst thing that Attorney General William P. Barr did this week arguably had nothing to do with possible contempt of Congress or the Mueller report.…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: advice
Is someone secretly stealing from you?
May 1, 2019
by Jerry Bellune How do you know your bookkeeper, employees or vendors aren’t helping themselves to your hard-earned revenue? After working with business owners for 38 years, our friend Ruth…
Read MorePosted in: midlandsbiz Category: advice
Why is your customer buying from you? It may not be why you think.
May 1, 2019
By Ken Gasque This is the first question I ask CEOs, Presidents and owners when they want to talk about branding or rebranding. The truth is it is a…
Read MorePosted in: midlandsbiz Category: advice, marketing-and-communications
Stop robocalls on your landlines
April 30, 2019
By Katie Ritchie Do you get robocalls at home? A reader wrote to me recently because he was getting robocalls on his landline. Although there are no 100% methods…
Read MorePosted in: midlandsbiz Category: advice, technology
Engaging Your Employees with Your Social Media
April 24, 2019
By Angela Rogers In the last 20 years, a horde of social media platforms have emerged. Odds are you’re an active user of at least one platform; between Facebook,…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: advice, marketing-and-communications
How to drive more profit to your bottom line
April 24, 2019
By Jerry Bellune Are you happy with your business’s bottom line? We never are. I mean NEVER! If you are happy with yours, take another look. Over time your…
Read MorePosted in: midlandsbiz Category: advice, marketing-and-communications
Make your internet browsing private
April 23, 2019
By Katie Ritchie Last week I shared how not reading the terms and conditions on websites can lead to privacy invasion. You can keep your internet history and personal…
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Your ‘Goldilocks Offers’ will close more sales
April 17, 2019
By Jerry Bellune If you’ve shopped at your local grocer lately, you may have noticed “Yogurt-copia.” There are so many choices – apple, banana cream pie, orange, peach, strawberry,…
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Starting reading the terms of service
April 16, 2019
by Katie Ritchie Are you on social media? When you joined Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter, did you read through the terms of service? It’s okay if you didn’t. Between…
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The best way to gain more customers
April 10, 2019
By Jerry Bellune Our friend Ruth King told us about her friend who asked for referrals for their new air conditioning system. None of the sales people asked why…
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Game tantrums: addiction or depression?
April 9, 2019
By Katie Ritchie Does your child or grandchild play video games? Have you experienced firsthand the whining and tantrums which accompany the end of playtime? Why do meltdowns happen…
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Networking 101: How to build strong connections
April 4, 2019
By Jean Cecil Frick When I was a child, my parents would constantly remind me of the importance of making a good first impression. Little did I know that…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: advice, marketing-and-communications
Sell by the numbers for greater profits
April 3, 2019
By Jerry Bellune Houston Rockets basketball coach Mike D’Antoni is passionate about 1.16. That’s the number of points per possession they must score to be the best offense in…
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Pursuing Excellence: When Did You Learn To Practice?
April 3, 2019
By Connie Cleveland My aunt came to visit me soon after I opened the Dog Trainers Workshop. She was trying to be supportive of her niece who had “gone…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: advice, life, on-the-move
Verizon battles robocalls with new tech
April 2, 2019
Verizon hopes to stop robocalls by opening access to new technology for its subscribers. The tech, called STIR/SHAKEN, is a caller ID technology you don’t have to install. It is…
Read MorePosted in: midlandsbiz Category: advice, hi-tech-information-tech
What should your obit reveal?
April 2, 2019
By Jerry Bellune My Seton Hall University reporting students’ 1st writing exercise was simple: Write a 250-word obituary you would want read at your funeral. Bear in mind that…
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Achieve your goals on time – every time
March 27, 2019
By Jerry Bellune Our friend Ann Elliott agreed to work with us on our 1st book. Its mission was to teach sales people the top 7 strategies of sales…
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HP recalls more laptop batteries
March 26, 2019
By Katie Ritchie The United States Consumer Product Safety Commission announced the computer and printer business HP is expanding a recall from January 2018. The recall is of Lithium-ion…
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RSVP Today: Making sure the right people are in the room for your event
March 22, 2019
By Emily Eckert NP Strategy My first article in October covered tips and tricks to help execute your event without a hitch. Nailing down those logistics can be a…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: advice, marketing-and-communications
When talent and hard work aren’t enough
March 21, 2019
By Brian Maynor “Talent is cheaper than table salt. What separates the talented individual from the successful one is a lot of hard work.” – Stephen King All…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: advice
