via Forbes : Franchise marketing is, if nothing else, your ability to tell a truly compelling story. If done right, the program encourages folks to say, “I could see myself running the show in that restaurant, clothing store, etc.” The problem, however, is effectively touting that tale, especially to the right …

via For Construction.com : Hiring an outside virtual bookkeeper allows construction business owners to focus their time on other areas of the business without having to hire a new employee to do the bookkeeping.  Who handles the financial books in your construction company? Hopefully there is someone. Many construction business owners …

via Vanity Fair : After briefly dethroning Microsoft zillionaire Bill Gates to become the world’s richest man last week, Jeff Bezos has settled back into third place on Forbes’s list of billionaires. On Thursday, the 53-year-old Amazon founder and C.E.O. found himself atop the list of the richest individuals in the …

via XinHuaNet : WELLINGTON, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) — New Zealand Trade Minister Todd McClay launched a new online portal and non-tariff barrier (NTB) clearing house on Tuesday to improve Kiwi access to international markets. The government is committed to removing barriers to trade so New Zealand’s exporters can compete internationally, McClay …

via HRD : It’s difficult to give specific advice relating to sexual harassment complaints because there are particular facts applying to each situation, according to Renae Harding, Partner at Jackson McDonald. Harding’s first and foremost recommendation is for HR professionals to take the complaint or the allegation seriously. This means that …

via diginomica : One of the great things about my job is being able to meet with so many industry-leading sales teams around Europe – not only within Salesforce, but also those within our well-respected customers. At our World Tour event in London I was fortunate enough to sit down with …

via Independent : A recent conversation with a Wall Streeter who is worried about bad things happening in financial markets got me thinking about bubbles and, more particularly, how to measure them. By coincidence the conversation took place almost a decade to the day since the first rumblings of the financial …

via lcsun : If you’re like many small business owners, the last thing on your mind is the thought of transitioning out of your business. According to a recent Wells Fargo/Gallup Small Business Index survey, 70 percent of business owners said they do not have a formal, written plan in place …

via Forbes : Even though most people don’t even know what they are, Bitcoins increased in value from about $570 to more than $4,300 — an astounding 750% — in just the last year. Because of this huge return, more people, hoping to make a fast fortune, are becoming interested in …

via TechCrunch : 500 Startups is ramping up its next batch of companies in its early-stage startup program, which this time consists of 36 startups. The firm’s pitch to companies entering the accelerator has generally been that it can better help support growth and marketing efforts. So a lot of the …

via theedgemarkets : KUALA LUMPUR (Aug 8): Transfer pricing and taxation concerns are one of the biggest hurdles facing small and medium enterprises (SMEs) that are interested in exporting their goods, said Baker Tilly (Malaysia). “These SMEs have a fear of the unknown. They hear about things like tax investigations from …

via abc News : As small businesses keep hiring, many owners discover that being a do-it-yourself human resources manager is the wrong job for them. Becky Robinson handled hiring, payroll and other HR needs when she started her marketing company, Weaving Influence, five years ago. But during periods when she focused …