Office mindfulness is an increasingly popular notion, with companies such as Apple, Yahoo, Starbucks, and Google using it to their benefit. Google, for example, offers employees a 19-hour course on office mindfulness , which is so popular that thousands of Googlers take it each year. So what exactly is mindfulness? Mindfulness is a simple yet effective form of meditation that enables … Read More
Six New 2015 Tax Breaks
The Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes Act of 2015 is a long-awaited legislation which offers a slate of personal and business tax breaks that had expired at the end of 2014. Here’s a quick summary of how the resurrected breaks can affect your 2015 federal income tax return (Form 1040). Option to deduct state and local sales taxes instead of … Read More
2015 Tax Provisions for Individuals
From tax credits and educational expenses to the AMT, many of the tax provisions affecting individuals for 2015 were related to the signing of the American Taxpayer Relief Act (ATRA) in 2012… …tax provisions that were modified, made permanent, or extended. With that in mind, here’s what individuals and families need to know about tax provisions for 2015. Personal Exemptions … Read More
5 Tips for Motivating Team Members
Great managers are made by how well they motivate their team members. Here are five proven ways for motivating people on your staff. 1. They take responsibility for the store’s success and failure. Exceptional managers always have a “the buck starts and stops here” mentality. They never blame weather, competitors, unaligned stars, or anything else if they fall short of … Read More
4 Small Business Strategies
It might be time to stop cutting costs and start focusing on growth strategies again. The law of diminishing returns tells us that cutting costs with your business will have a positive effect, but there comes a point where the return on investment starts to diminish. Is your company too focused on cost-cutting to boost revenue and profit? Cutting back … Read More
The Value of Accountability
Accountability is truly essential for any successful organization. When team members take ownership of their projects and accept responsibility for outcomes, the entire company benefits. In order to foster a culture of accountability, leaders must step up to the plate. Accountable leaders don’t necessarily have to come from the very top. Anybody, at any level can lead through accountability. The four … Read More