Corporate Business Solutions offers critical information that is often necessary for growth in small and medium – size businesses.  Our consultants realize that employers sometime complain that unions are harmful to business and to the economy. From an employee standpoint, being a union member is often beneficial. 

If you’re unsure about unions, here are three reasons why some employees prefer to work for a union:

• Higher wages- According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, union workers do make a higher average salary than nonunion workers.
• More benefits – According to a survey by the National Compensation Survey, nearly 93 percent of unionized workers were entitled to medical benefits compared to 69 percent of their nonunion peers.  The survey represented about 101 million private industry workers and 19 million state and local government employees. Unmarried domestic partners — same sex and opposite sex — also had access more often to these benefits if they were unionized. Workers with union representation also had 89 percent of their health insurance premiums paid by their employer for single coverage and 82 percent for family coverage. For nonunion workers, the comparable numbers were 79 percent and 66 percent, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. And 93 percent of unionized workers have access to retirement benefits through employers compared to 64 percent of their nonunion counterparts.
• Job security – Nonunion employees are typically hired “at will,” meaning they can be fired for no reason. There are exceptions. Employers can’t terminate a worker for discriminatory reasons such as race, religion, age and the like. Nor can they fire an at-will employee for being a whistleblower and certain other reasons. However, workers with union jobs can only be terminated for “just cause,” and the misconduct must be serious enough to merit such action. Before an employee can actually be fired, he or she can go through a grievance procedure, and if necessary, arbitration.

To learn more about us and / or to schedule your appointment with the business experts at Corporate Business Solutions, call us today at 877-357-9366.

Corporate Business Solutions offers critical information that is needed for growth in the small business marketplace. Our consultants often see business owners looking to build their business credit. This may seem like a daunting task to a business owner, but it doesn’t have to be too difficult.

If you are amongst those looking to improve business credit, we have some tips that may help you reach your goal:

1. Understand the basics- If you have a line of credit, you can start building a business credit history. The point is to be able to show that your business has, over time, been able to meet its obligations by paying back what it owes when it’s supposed to.
2. Make sure your personal credit score is in good shape – Banks will base their decision on whether to lend to small or newly established businesses at least partially on the credit history of the business owner.
3. Kickstart your credit history as soon as possible – Even if you don’t need it quite yet, it’s a good idea to sign up for a credit card to get your business track record going. Use this credit card responsibly and don’t take out more than you can handle, but do pay back what you owe. Once you get the card, keep your personal and business expenses separate.
4. Look for credit in more than one place – Do business with more than one financial institution, preferably of varying sizes. Large banks offer convenience and a variety of financial products, but small banks make it easier to build personal relationships with your potential creditors.
5. Always pay your bills – With every bill you pay on time and every time you chip away at your balances, you are establishing your business’ reputation and its credit history.

To learn more about us and / or to schedule your appointment with the business experts at Corporate Business Solutions, call us today at 877-357-9366.

Corporate Business Solutions is a leading business consulting firm recognized throughout the United States. We offer valuable information that is often necessary for growth in the business marketplace.

We know firsthand that many small and medium- size businesses are affected by paid holidays. Paid holidays are not required in the United States by any government regulations since the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) does not require an employer to pay employees for time that they do not work, such as for vacations or holidays.

However, employees in the US receive an average of 7.6 paid holidays, according to The Bureau of Labor Statistics in the category “all full-time employees.”  A 2016 study of paid time off by the WorldatWork Association found that nine paid holidays was the norm in the United States.

Private Sector Paid Holiday Schedule in the U.S. – These are the most common paid holidays in a private sector organization’s paid holiday schedule. They will vary by the company based on the needs of the employees and the needs of the business. For example, even companies that offer these paid holidays may have jobs that must work on the holidays. This is a necessity, or in some cases, a choice for profitability, in industries that serve customers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and 365 days a year. These jobs include manufacturing when capacity and customer demand requires more hours; direct patient healthcare services including nursing, emergency room services, hospital food services, custodial services, and more; open retail establishments; restaurants; gas stations; drug stores; convenience stores; some technical and customer support positions; and grocery stores.

As a reward for working the holiday (and to make employees feel better about working on it), these employees often receive additional compensation in the form of time and a half or double time pay.

Usual Paid Holidays

•New Year’s Day

•Easter

•Memorial Day

•Independence Day (4th of July)

•Labor Day

•Thanksgiving Day

•Friday after Thanksgiving

•Christmas Day

Additionally, some organizations add several of these days to their paid holiday schedule. This depends on regional differences and the input of employee feedback over time.

•Washington’s Birthday or President’s Day

•Good Friday

•Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday

•Veterans’ Day

•Columbus Day

•Christmas Eve, and/or New Year’s Eve

To learn more about us and / or to schedule your appointment with the business experts at Corporate Business Solutions, call us today at 877-357-9366.

The consultants at Corporate Business Solutions help small and medium – size business owners find their path to success.  During the holiday season, we realize that many business professionals are invited to seasonal events. If you’re considering attending a holiday work party, here are tips to help you achieve success: 

1. Attend – If you want to enhance your relationships with your boss, co-workers and clients, be sure to attend your office holiday party.  Think of the holiday party as a necessity rather than an option.

2. Dress appropriately – Work-related holiday parties are not the time to take fashion risks. The holiday party is typically a time when individuals observe appropriate dress codes, such as skipping casual dress and opting for party dress attire. With that said, it’s important to keep an eye out for clues on what to wear from the invitation since an invitation will often suggest what to wear.

3. Bring something – Everyone knows it’s suggested to bring a host / hostess a gift, but many don’t realize the same rule often applies to a work party. Make the gift appropriate, such as a bottle of wine, a box of chocolates, a bouquet of flowers, etc.  If you’re worried that something might be too personal, bring something that can be enjoyed in an office setting.

4. Don’t leave too early or late – Remember that work parties are more about the work part than the party part, so do your best to show up and remain long enough to make a good off-hours impression.

5. Talk to someone new – While it’s OK to talk to your work friends during an office holiday event, make sure to also spend time talking with people you don’t know as well and with whom you would like to develop a stronger business relationship.

To learn more about us and / or to schedule your appointment with the business experts at Corporate Business Solutions, call us today at 877-357-9366.

The consultants at Corporate Business Solutions  help small to medium – size businesses implement new tools and techniques that are often critical in advancing in their industry.

We have worked with many small business owners that are interested in handling their own public relations. If you’re willing to put in the time and effort, doing PR yourself can be a great money-saving option for your small business. However, as you grow, you may opt to work with a professional public relations firm. Here are some tips that may help you with your PR endeavors:

1. Tell your story- Storytelling can help transform your brand’s identity and presence, and create trust from consumers or others in the industry. Some of the best stories come from you and your loyal customers. You can tell the story of how your brand came to be, and customers can tell the stories of their experiences with your business.
2. Keep current – Stay informed with everything related to your industry. Set up Google Alerts and Twitter Mentions. Find and follow the top industry influencers, and read up on what your competitors are doing. You can use sites like IFTTT to collect articles containing relevant keywords from all over the internet, and have new content delivered right to your inbox.
3. Network with the top influencers- If you’re actively keeping up with the top industry reporters and influencers, the second step is to then try and network with them. If you take notes on what those writers typically focus on, you’ll have an abundance of knowledge when you finally reach out to them to build a relationship.
4. Do your research and remain objective – Be sure you have something to contribute to the conversation or the industry, whether it be information in the form of an article or a product or service that is particularly helpful. It’s important to do enough prep work before making any pitches. Study the outlets you’ve chosen to pitch to, and look to see if there is a specific person at an outlet you think would respond well to what you’re offering. Once again, learn as much as you can before jumping forward.
5. Craft creative and compelling pitches – When you’re pitching your brand or product, you need to make sure you remain as objective as possible. Even though you might think everything your business does or provides is notably the best, not everyone will agree.  Remember that a lot of top industry influencers are constantly bombarded with pitches, so yours needs to be creative and, most importantly, personal.

To learn more about what we can do for you and / or to schedule your appointment with the experienced business experts at Corporate Business Solutions, call us today at 877-357-9366.

Corporate Business Solutions  helps small to medium – size businesses implement new systems, procedures and protocols, which will often lead to the business achieving a greater level of success.

As you probably know, every store needs a cash management system to handle purchases at the point of sale (POS.)  When deciding what to buy, it’s critical to learn the parts of a POS cash register, understand the benefits and potential drawbacks of various point of sale systems and even to know how much money to keep in the till.

For a new business, the choice of cash register or POS system may simply depend on the budget of the retail location.  Before selecting a cash register or POS system, it is important to understand your business needs, the cash management options and POS hardware available and make your selection based on an educated decision. In addition, before you buy either a cash register or a POS system, learn what kind of warranty or support comes with the machine. Also plan how you or your staff will be trained to use the equipment.

Some benefits of POS systems include:

•More detailed reports

•Inventory management and control

•Customer relationship management (CRM)

•Marketing tools

•Omni-channel capabilities

•Improve accuracy

•Loyalty programs

•Gift Cards

•Easily grows with business

Some benefits of cash registers include:

•Low cost for startups

•Most models are easy to use

•Fewer components

•Basic functions and reporting

•Longer life since it does not need to be updated constantly like a POS

To learn more about what we can do for you and / or to schedule your appointment with the experienced business experts at Corporate Business Solutions, call us today at 877-357-9366.

Corporate Business Solutions  has the proven-expertise to put your business on the path to success. We often help small to medium –size businesses determine their external and internal environmental factors that are affecting business. The internal business environment includes factors within the organization that impact the approach and success of your operations. The external environment consists of a variety of factors outside your company doors that you typically don’t have much control over.

To be successful, business owners must manage the strengths of internal operations and recognize potential opportunities and threats outside of operations.

• Organizational Direction: The role of company leadership is an important internal business factor. Your leadership style and the styles of other company management impact organizational culture. The positive or negative nature, level of family-friendliness, effectiveness of communication and value of employees are cultural implications that result from leadership approaches. Companies often provide formal structure or direction with mission and vision statements. These are forward-looking statements that provide the business for company decisions and activities.
• Other Internal Factors: The strength of your employees is another crucial internal business factor. Motivated, hard-working and talented workers generally produce better results than unmotivated, less-talented employees. Your business processes and relationships within and between departments and employees also significantly impact business effectiveness and efficiency. In a high-performing workplace, employees not only have talent, but they work well together and collaborate on ideas and resolutions.
• External Competition: One of the most critical external business factors is competition. Whether you operate in a concentrated industry with a few major competitors or a large industry with many competitors, you need to know the competition. Many companies do competitive analysis to compare their offerings and prices to those of competitors. When developing business philosophies and products, it is helpful to use your strength in quality production, customer service or operational efficiency to build competitive advantages that benefit your customers.
• Other External Factors: Other common external factors fall into several categories, including socio-economic, legal or ethical, political and technological. Socio-economic factors relate to the values, attitudes and concerns of your target customers and their economic abilities to afford your products. The legal, ethical and political environments generally relate to your need to abide by business laws and to meet the ethical or social responsibility standards of your customers and communities. In some industries, technological evolution drives the need for companies to adapt and constantly research for improvements.

To learn more about what we can do for you and / or to schedule your complimentary appointment with the experienced business experts at Corporate Business Solutions, call us today at 877-357-9366.