Why Stakeholder Engagement Matters
July 22, 2020
By Jean Cecil Frick NP Strategy I’ve long been a fan of the insights of author Seth Godin. Last week, one of his blog posts spoke to me: I…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: advice, marketing-and-communications, on-the-move
How to insult your best customers
July 22, 2020
By Jerry Bellune You can call them micro-insults – the tiny things that most annoy your customers. Sadly, unless you ask, you will never be able to correct them.…
Read MorePosted in: midlandsbiz Category: advice, marketing-and-communications
What a rubber duck can do for you
July 20, 2020
By Jerry Bellune What can we do to delight and surprise our customers? What will get them talking about our companies? It doesn’t have to cost much. The rubber…
Read MorePosted in: midlandsbiz Category: advice, marketing-and-communications
Has COVID-19 Opened the Door to Business Fraud?
July 13, 2020
Bauknight, Pietras & Stormer CPA Jessica Kaczor Says “Yes!” Editor’s Note: I recently sat down, virtually of course, with Jessica Kaczor, a business fraud super sleuth and Certified Fraud…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: accounting, advice, on-the-move
Coming Soon!
July 10, 2020Coming Soon!
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Your best covid-19 business strategy
July 8, 2020
By Jerry Bellune I’ll never forget the salesman who ended his presentation by asking for the names of 3 people who might use his products. I told him he…
Read MorePosted in: midlandsbiz Category: advice, marketing-and-communications
Finding a New Way to Connect with Your Audience During a Pandemic: A Case Study
July 7, 2020
By Kara Gormley Meador NP Strategy When COVID-19 hit in full force, the NPS+ team started brainstorming on our weekly call. As schools, businesses and people became paralyzed by…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: advice, marketing-and-communications
How you can survive covid-19 nonsense
July 2, 2020
By Jerry Bellune Some of us are starting to suspect there was more to the lockdowns and non-essential business shuttering than science and epidemiologist caution. Could this have been…
Read MorePosted in: midlandsbiz Category: advice, marketing-and-communications
Seeing beyond the chair requires a clear vision
July 1, 2020
By Demetra Moore When will the cosmetology industry recover from the COVID-19 pandemic? That’s the question on the minds of barbers, hair stylists, nail technicians and estheticians as states implement…
Read MorePosted in: midlandsbiz Category: advice, on-the-move
Finding Calm in the Chaos
June 30, 2020
By Liz Ashley The times of uncertainty we find ourselves in of late could be the best time to tap into our internal resources to help calm anxiety and cultivate…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc Category: advice, on-the-move
What to Consider in a Buy-Sell Agreement
June 30, 2020
By Jonathan J. Robertson, CFP® If your business has more than one owner, having a buy-sell agreement in place is vital. A buy-sell agreement is used to determine in advance…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: accounting, advice, banking-and-finance, on-the-move
Use covid-19 to strengthen your team
June 25, 2020
By Jerry Bellune Retired university professor Preston Hardy wrote us the other day with the story of a boy in rural Ohio who became the first human survivor of…
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COVID Positive Employees: How to communicate with stakeholders
June 23, 2020
By Heather Matthews NP Strategy If you are a business serving the public you know this all too well: there is no playbook for navigating COVID-19. You are making…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: advice, marketing-and-communications
Build greater loyalty in a pandemic
June 18, 2020
By Jerry Bellune Churches, civic and networking groups, book and garden clubs share a secret many business owners ignore at their peril. Which of these 2 customer groups would…
Read MorePosted in: midlandsbiz Category: advice, marketing-and-communications
Tax tips for newlyweds in South Carolina
June 16, 2020
While your wedding plans may have changed this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, however you get married carries tax changes you should consider before walking down the aisle. The…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: advice, government, on-the-move
How to make more money in a pandemic
June 11, 2020
By Jerry Bellune The real question is not should you but what should you advertise. Take Kentucky Fried Chicken. Even after covid-19 became a pandemic, they ran ads of people licking…
Read MorePosted in: midlandsbiz Category: advice, marketing-and-communications
The protests have exposed the flaws that we Americans must keep working to repair
June 9, 2020
By U.S. Rep. James Clyburn In my memoir “Blessed Experiences: Genuinely Southern, Proudly Black,” I share a philosophy I developed as a student protester on the campus of South…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: advice, government, on-the-move, op-ed
Post COVID-19, What’s Your Social Media Plan?
June 9, 2020
By Sarah Robinson NP Strategy After three full months of navigating the coronavirus in the United States, let’s check in on how it has impacted the marketing landscape, and…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: advice, marketing-and-communications, non-profit
5 steps to turn problems into profits
June 3, 2020
By Jerry Bellune Has the covid-19 crisis crippled your confidence, your sales and your income? Our friend Jill Konrath says that when she faces the same thing she: 1.…
Read MorePosted in: midlandsbiz Category: advice, marketing-and-communications
The crucial moments this crisis calls for you
May 28, 2020
By Jerry Bellune The 2 most important days of your life, Mark Twain said, are the day you were born and the day you find out why. You were…
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Four Tips for Webinar Success: How to master your next online meeting or interview
May 26, 2020
By Casey Watson NP Strategy Undoubtedly, COVID-19 has taught us a major lesson in adaptability. Part of my adjustment was dusting off my computer’s webcam and becoming Zoom-savvy…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: advice, marketing-and-communications
More trends that may help or hurt you
May 22, 2020
By Jerry Bellune Last week we talked about 3 trends that can help or hurt you. Here are 3 more: • A friend observed that the political bickering in…
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Trends to help – or hurt – your business
May 15, 2020
By Jerry Bellune Alert business owners and entrepreneurs need to be aware of new consumer trends that may help – or hurt – their business. • A local ad…
Read MorePosted in: midlandsbiz Category: advice, marketing-and-communications
Estate planning in the COVID-19 era
May 15, 2020
By Sterling Moose In uncertain times like these, COVID-19 reminds us to be prepared for the unexpected. Do you have an estate plan in place? If so, now is the…
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Transferring the Ownership of Your Business as You Approach Retirement: an ESOP may be the answer
May 14, 2020
By Ann J. Beckwith, CFP® As the owner of a business, you have worked tirelessly to build a profitable company in which you take pride. Now, as you approach…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: advice, banking-and-finance, on-the-move
Managing employees in a time of crisis
May 13, 2020
By Jean Meeks Koch, Ph.D. As we try to navigate through the uncertain times this COVID-19 pandemic has presented to every one of us and our businesses, we probably don’t…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc Category: advice, on-the-move
2 Keys to Accelerating Your Business
May 12, 2020
By Bill Edmonds In 1901, Charles R. Walgreen opened a drug store on the corner of Bowen Avenue and Cottage Grove in Chicago. Within 12 years he had four stores on…
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Video as an ongoing investment
May 12, 2020
By Taylor Kearns NP Strategy The Hollywood film industry runs on a system of expectations, standards and edicts that are probably pretty dissimilar from the work you or your…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: advice, marketing-and-communications
In a crisis, focus on survival, not fear
May 7, 2020
By Jerry Bellune Our friend MaryEllen Tribby’s daughter Delanie is training to play pro tennis. She has won dozens of junior tournaments and observers say she’s the next Chris…
Read MorePosted in: midlandsbiz Category: advice, marketing-and-communications
Unemployment Benefits for Furloughed Employees in South Carolina
May 4, 2020By Reggie Belcher and Hannah Stetson The COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect all aspects of society. For many businesses and employers in South Carolina, the pandemic’s effects have necessitated tough…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: advice, law, on-the-move
What can you control in trying times?
May 4, 2020
By Jerry Bellune Our friend Jill Konrath admits it’s tempting to slip into “poor me” thinking. But we have a single option right now. We need to focus on…
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Put Empathy Into Action
April 28, 2020
Leighton Lord Board Chair, Nexsen Pruet Founder and Managing Director, NP Strategy, LLC Empathy is a key element of emotional intelligence – the connection between self and others. We’re…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: advice, marketing-and-communications, on-the-move
What to do if you’re forced to close
April 22, 2020
By Jerry Bellune Manufacturers are switching from their prime products to making health care products such as masks and gowns. Some have even designed ventilators and are selling to…
Read MorePosted in: midlandsbiz Category: advice, marketing-and-communications
Thoughts from the COVID-19 Frontlines
April 20, 2020
By Cynthia Feldman, MBA I write this in the midst of the COVID-19 chaos; we don’t know if we’re at the beginning, the middle, or nearing the end. But we…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc Category: advice, on-the-move
Maintaining Good Financial Habits in a Time of COVID-19
April 20, 2020
By South Carolina Treasurer Curtis Loftis It’s no secret that money has a significant influence on our lives. While this is frequently made obvious in our daily routines, nothing underscores…
Read MorePosted in: midlandsbiz Category: advice, banking-and-finance, education, on-the-move
Hard times challenge us to innovate
April 16, 2020
By Jerry Bellune A friend of ours was looking for a birthday gift for her teenage daughter. Amazon was backed up in deliveries. She found what she was looking…
Read MorePosted in: midlandsbiz Category: advice, marketing-and-communications, technology
What’s ‘the Buzz’ with SC Business?
April 14, 2020
By Burnie Maybank Nexsen Pruet Today’s dominating business buzzwords are a little different than what we might have thought they’d be a few months ago. “Uncertain times;” “a new…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: advice, marketing-and-communications, media
Don’t Waste This Crisis – How to Prepare to Pivot Your Business
April 10, 2020
By Bill Edmonds The onslaught of Coronavirus (COVID-19) has sent businesses scrambling to find their footing in this new environment. These days, many small businesses are struggling simply to stay…
Read MorePosted in: midlandsbiz Category: advice, on-the-move
How to survive in trying times
April 8, 2020
By Jerry Bellune Sure, covid-19 is a challenge. Most of us have been through this before. Our friend Scott Channell reminds us that when the economy contracts, we get…
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Local news and covid-19
April 6, 2020
By Jerry Bellune An urgent note to our readers and visitors: In trying times, truth matters more than ever. The more accurate local news gets out to our community,…
Read MorePosted in: midlandsbiz Category: advice, marketing-and-communications
Online tutoring for SC students
March 31, 2020
By Katie Ritchie Do you have a child or grandchild who’s out of school? The South Carolina State Library wants to help. The library is giving students, parents, and…
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Watching Working Parents – and Learning A Lot
March 30, 2020
By Sarah Robinson NP Strategy This ‘new normal’ is unlike anything any of us have ever experienced – forcing us to adjust and evolve our day-to-day routines. As our…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: advice, marketing-and-communications, non-profit, on-the-move
Need A Cure For Your Current Business Crisis?
March 30, 2020
By Bill Edmonds Owner of TAB Columbia and Northstar Leadership Solutions Have you ever experienced a crisis in your business? I have. Early in my career in the investment business,…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz Category: advice, on-the-move
Aging and Eldercare – What’s Your Plan?
March 27, 2020
By Molly Thomas FPQP® at Abacus Planning Group Benjamin Franklin wisely said, “When you fail to plan you are planning to fail”. Many of us and most of our parents…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: advice, banking-and-finance, business-services, health-care, insurance, on-the-move
Making the most of workplace distance
March 27, 2020
By Liz Ashley These are strange times for all of us, and for those now working from home, there are benefits to collaboration and productivity when working remotely. However, it…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc Category: advice, on-the-move
Never let a crisis go to waste
March 25, 2020
By Jerry Bellune President Obama’s chief of staff Rahm Emanuel famously said in 2008, “You never want a serious crisis to go to waste. I mean, it’s an opportunity…
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After Uncertainty Comes Opportunity
March 24, 2020
By Bryan Stange Director of Business Development, Mashburn Construction If you’ve spoken with a real estate developer over this past year, just about every one of them will have…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: advice, construction, on-the-move
Work safer from home
March 24, 2020
By Katie Ritchie Are you or a loved one working from home? Covid-19 has moved many industries into unfamiliar territory — telecommuting. This puts many businesses at risk for…
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You know what the good news is?
March 23, 2020
By Taylor Kearns NP Strategy When I was a kid, my mom would ask us that question immediately following what – at the time – seemed like a soul-crushing…
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Coronavirus: Facts You Should Know
March 23, 2020
By Mike DuBose A fast-spreading illness called COVID-19 is sweeping across the world, bringing with it waves of fear and misinformation. Despite dire warnings from doctors in areas first…
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