Where is our world headed with this lack of personal communication? Could some of the problems we see each day be a result of lack of interaction between people? What can we do about it? Isn’t it amazing how you can communicate with someone around the world in the click of a button? Isn’t it [...]

The WOW card is the best type of card to give and receive because it has been personalized with just the right saying and a special picture. And as you know, a picture says a 1,000 words, so when it is combined with your heartfelt message, it becomes a WOW card. The best WOW cards [...]

Until the development of the Certified Performance Technologist (CPT) designation, just about anyone could claim that they were a training professional. On the other side about the same time, training practitioners were asking for a credential to help them assess their ability, laser focus their professional development efforts, and receive recognition for their capabilities. In [...]

One of the most difficult cards to send to a family or friend is a sympathy card. Why? Because if you are like us, you have many mixed feeling on what is truly appropriate for the situation. But never underestimate the powerful message you convey by just sending a card at a time of grief. [...]

Sending a thank you card is a great way to build and maintain a business or personal relationship. It can be simple and to the point, yet still pack a punch with the receiver in demonstrating that you are a sharing and caring person. In our impersonal world, the simple act of saying “thank you” [...]

While catching the early morning news at the gym today, I was astonished to hear the headline that Starbucks is closing nationwide for three hours to train its 135,000 store employees on the art of coffeemaking and the ultimate customer experience. Wow! I have been a training professional for over 25 years and this announcement [...]

My assumptions are that: You have some basic knowledge of training. Or you may have experience in the training field as an instructor. You might have developed instructor-led training or printed training manuals. YOu would rather get a root canal than write objectives! Wait, there is hope! The first most important principle to remember about [...]

Please answer these questions: 1) Would you pay someone to fill out an application for a credit card? 2) Do you want to make a simple process more complicated? 3) Are you lazy? If you answered YES, to one or more of the above, then totally reconsider if you want to get SBA 8a certified, [...]

Background Are you a minority or woman business owner? Have you considered applying for SBA status to allow you to access millions of contract dollars with the federal government? Wonder if your business qualifies to become 8(a) certified? Here is what the Small Business Administration (SBA) has to say about who is considered socially disadvantaged? [...]

Recently I helped a small business owner totally re-write his marketing and business plans. The owner was grateful for the new copy, but expressed a concern that he may have issues writing copy for marketing materials or responding to bid proposals later in the year. He said,”It is so hard to start from scratch writing [...]