Posts

Posted on

Small Business Development Centers – An Introduction

Small Business Development Centers are partnerships between universities and the Small Business Administration, to provide management and technical assistance to businesses on a very large scale.

This post is aligned with a network of sites interested with the intersection of small business, the philanthropic sector and government in creating healthy and sustainable communities.

Find additional information and resources on small business grants and loans, home buyer programs and impact investment programs from around the world.

Posted on

SBA Resources for Women-Owned Businesses

The Small Business Administration has a variety of offerings to assist woman entrepreneurs start and grow and their business endeavors. This latest video provides an in introduction to how the SBA can help you.

This post is aligned with a network of sites interested with the intersection of small business, the philanthropic sector and government in creating healthy and sustainable communities.

Find additional information and resources on small business grants and loans, home buyer programs and impact investment programs from around the world.

Posted on

Pell Grants – Help Financing Your Education

The Federal Pell Grant Program is overseen by the Department of Education and falls under the Federal Student Aid Information Center. In order to be eligible students must be enrolled in eligible schools that may be public or private nonprofit institutions of higher education.

This post is aligned with a network of sites interested with the intersection of small business, the philanthropic sector and government in creating healthy and sustainable communities.

Find additional information and resources on nonprofit information, educational grants and Civic Engagement programs from around the world.

Posted on

Small Business Administration Backgound

The Small Business Administration was established in 1953. Since that time the agency has dispensed millions of dollars in loans and loan guarantees, contracts, consulting assistance and other programs for small business across the United States.

This post is part of a network of sites interested with the intersection of small business, the philanthropic sector and government in creating healthy and sustainable communities.

For more information on small business grant and home ownership programs visit TopGovernmentGrants.com.

Posted on

Business Leadership Information You Will Not Find Elsewhere

Good leadership is a quality that many like would like to have. Many are born with it just in them, while other people need to really work hard at it. Many skills are needed to become a great leader. If enhancing your leadership skills is what you are looking to do, read on for effective ways to do this.

Honesty is always the perfect starting point for any decent leader. When you are a leader, your goal should always be to try to lead your team in the right direction. Honesty is easy for the people you lead to see. Stay open and honest and your team will return the favor.

When you are leading, focus on those involved and work will be completed almost effortlessly. Make the effort to read up on how to give encouragement and create inspiration in those you lead. Motivate your team instead of pushing them hard to complete everything.

No one is able to read your mind. You have to give them exacting details on how they need to complete any project you present to them. If you do this, you won’t have to micro-manage them once the task is theirs.

If you want to get better at being a leader, don’t act like you’re a know-it-all. While your ideas might be great, remember that helpful people can always add to them or bring different perspectives. They may offer advice about improving and executing your idea, and they may highlight problems that appear in the plan.

Don’t do anything dishonest or shady. In order to build trust as a leader, you must come through with your promises. If touting your unbeatable service is something you do, your subordinates need to know how to accomplish those goals.

Set aside some time everyday to evaluate how everything is going. Ask a few team members to join in this reflection if you’d like. You can discuss changes, consider suggestions, and even make friends.

You must recognize the different talents of your team members. When you look for assistance, it needs to be easy for you to pick who would benefit you most. This strategy works if you are hiring people or contracting someone to do a small job.

Take ownership of your statements. As a leader, responsibility for what you say and do always falls on your shoulders. You are the center of your company, so what you say and do affects a lot of people and the business itself. If you have made mistakes, you must fix the problem. Never try to have other people clean up your messes.

A truly challenging and effective leadership skill in the business world is listening to what your subordinates have to say. Employees can take goals and ideas and expand on them in ways you might not have considered. Also, listening causes others to trust you more.

Work hard to create loyal and productive teams. Be available to team members to answer questions and offer advice. If you build your team right, you won’t need to micro-manage.

Always be decisive. Since you’re the leader, many decisions may come down to you. If you have a team that is giving many different ideas on how to fix problems, then as a leader you need to figure out what’s best for everyone.

Something a leader needs is to be able to communicate effectively and clearly with others. Be sure that your team knows all the details of any project they must complete. Don’t micromanage, but always be aware how each project within your company is progressing.

Keep considering new skills that you should learn as a leader. Attend webinars, workshops or teleclasses to continually brush up and refine your leadership skills. The leadership field is constantly growing and evolving with new theories and information. Make sure that you do everything you can to stay current.

In conclusion, being a good leader involves many qualities. Use what you learned to be an effective leader. Using the tips above can help you become a leader much easier.

Stay transparent. Business issues can’t be hidden as they once were. What is the reason for this? Communication is essential in today’s environment. What’s done in the dark comes out in the light eventually. So, it is better to control the message rather than having to respond to it. Being a true leader means you are on top of that message.

Posted on

Community Development Financial Institutions

CDFI’s could be community development banks, community development credit unions, community development venture capital funds, micro-enterprise development loan funds, or community development corporations.

This post is aligned with a network of sites interested with the intersection of small business, the philanthropic sector and government in creating healthy and sustainable communities.

Find additional information and resources on nonprofit information, educational grants and Civic Engagement programs from around the world.

Posted on

Tops Tips About Leadership That Anyone Can Follow

While learning about leadership is a good thing, it is even better to put those skills to good use. Strong leaders realize that there’s always more to learn. Read on to learn which skills a great leader needs.

Communicate the vision of the team. Use your mission to guide the firm and incorporate a sense of values into all you do. Make sure your team gets an idea of what the bigger picture is about so they can feel good about their accomplishments. This helps build rapport with your team and gives them a solid direction.

Avoid thinking people can read your thoughts. State fully how the work needs to be done, and the various steps to get there. Be open to questions. If the instructions are not clear, make it clear that anyone can come talk to you about it.

Your employees do not have the ability to read your mind. Communicate everything clearly to them so that they can do and complete what you want and on time. If they don’t understand the instructions you give, they don’t need to hesitate about coming to you for help.

Be honest when dealing with employees, customers and clients – this is extremely important. If your team doesn’t trust you, they won’t work well for you either. Always be open and honest with your team. People will respect you in a leadership role if they know you’re reliable and trustworthy.

Keep sight of those principles, such as honesty, that you hold dear. Make decisions that you can live with as a human being. Don’t make a decision that goes against your values. Do whatever you think is right.

Business Problems

Always be ethical. In order for your business to be successful in the long-term, being ethical is key. When people know you are thinking about their best interests, they will be loyal. Set an example that your employees will follow by being ethical.

Always handle emerging issues with transparency. Although in the past it was common practice to hide business problems, in today’s workforce the best leaders talk about business problems with their team. What’s the reason? Communication is essential in today’s environment. The truth will emerge no matter what. Why not control the message that comes out, instead of reacting? Good leaders know to go down this road.

Tenacity is an important leadership quality. When everything goes wrong, the whole team will be looking to you for cues on how to react. You should focus on accomplishing the goal whatever obstacles stand in the way. When you show tenacity, your team will be motivated to reach their goals.

If you want to be trusted as a legitimate leader, never act like a know-it-all. You might have good ideas and think you’re perfect, but others may wish to add something, too. They may be able to provide ideas to facilitate your plans or identify issues that may arise during implementation of them.

When you are leading, focus on those involved and work will be completed almost effortlessly. Find out what inspires and gives encouragement to your team members. Instead of micromanaging everything, work on getting the most out of your team’s potential.

Your decisions are crucial. They way you mete out responsibility, fire, hire and promote others will help them form opinions of you. If you aren’t fair or responsible, your business will suffer.

You need to better your skills when it comes to leadership. Now you have the information to help you lead the right way. Use this information as a guide. Being a leader is something that everyone needs to work on, so get moving.

Posted on

Grants and Loans From The Department of Energy

Since its establishment the Department of Energy has been pioneering the leveraging of informative science in order to address the country’s energy, environmental and nuclear challenges.

This post is aligned with a network of sites interested with the intersection of small business, the philanthropic sector and government in creating healthy and sustainable communities.

Find additional information and resources on nonprofit information, educational grants and Civic Engagement programs from around the world.

Posted on

SCORE Services to Small Business – An Introduction

In an excerpt from a 2010 interview the SCORE CEO discusses its counseling and workshops offerings to small businesses.

This post is aligned with a network of sites interested with the intersection of small business, the philanthropic sector and government in creating healthy and sustainable communities.

Find additional information and resources on nonprofit information, educational grants and Civic Engagement programs from around the world.

Posted on

Tried And True Advice To Improve Your Leadership Skills

Leadership must be implemented after it is learned. Good leaders continually better their skills. Keep reading to learn what makes a great leader.

Honesty is a great place to start when you are looking to improve your leadership qualities. When you are a leader, you always want to have a positive direction in which to lead your team. If you are always honest, your team will notice and appreciate the effort. You being honest also encourages others to be honest, too.

When you find yourself being a leader, put your focus on those working with you and watch how the work seems to follow. Learn how you can best inspire and encourage those who are working with you. Rather than focusing so much on making sure every single task gets done, put your energy into motivating your team to do their best.

It is wise to use honesty as a great starting point for leadership. Leaders should always strive to take people in better directions. If you are always honest, your team will notice and appreciate the effort. You need to have some honesty in your leadership so that people can become influenced to act in a more positive way.

Remember, no matter how good of a leader you are, you still have room for growth. While your ideas might be great, remember that helpful people can always add to them or bring different perspectives. They can offer suggestions on ways to improve your idea, execute it, or point out problems that they may see in your plan.

Always focus your team on high goals and standards; however, avoid making them unattainable. All this will do is set your team up for failure. This will only serve to show that leadership is not your strong point.

Convey messages with confidence. It’s essential to hold yourself accountable for what you do and say. Think about how you are representing your company whenever you interact with others. If you’ve said or done the wrong things, then it’s up to you to make it right. Never expect others to deal with the problem for you.

Keep things simple as a leader. Be sure to focus on the important things. After doing this, it will be time to set your priorities straight. Make things as simplistic as possible. Make time for yourself to think.

Don’t become obsessive with winning. Spreadsheets, goals and statistics are the norm in today’s society. Lots of managers tend to think this way as a means to measure their workers’ effectiveness. Instead, focus on creating the work culture that motivates everyone to do their best.

Leaders must know the difference between what they are working on and what’s in their mind. They are indirectly related. If you have plans in your mind, make sure they are completed. Put it down on paper, then your focus can be on the task at hand.

Work on being a good decision maker. Leaders are generally known for their good choices. Know when it is necessary to take a risk. If you’re able to make quick decisions using the information available to you, you’ll be able to set a good example for people to follow. Never underestimate your ability to make decisions. It’s good to realize that not every decision will have a good outcome, but how you deal with and learn from those outcomes determines what type of leader you are.

Good leaders bring out lots of creativity in their employees. Using creative thinking and taking risks allows you many opportunities. Keep exploring possibilities and stay curious. Have faith in new concepts, even if they are not needed at this time. This ensures all ideas are shared.

There’s no time like the present to start putting better leadership traits into action. Now, you are aware of how to do this right. The ideas presented in this article are the path you must follow. Leadership skills take time to develop, so get to work!