No matter what market or industry you’re in, running a small business can be tough. Because competition and consumer demands are so high, you’re constantly looking for ways to increase market share and grow the business.

But what can you do on a strategic level that will have a big impact? Quite a bit, actually. One thing many business owners fail to realize is the importance of having a mission statement, and recognizing their value proposition.

No matter what industry you’re in, there’s bound to be some kind of workplace politics at play. People are always striving to look good, jockeying for a promotion or strengthening connections with the “right” people. And more often than not in these situations, there is some kind of power dynamics in play.

These power dynamics become even more evident under certain stressful situations, like when you’re giving feedback to another colleague in the office. Giving feedback to others is a key part to team success, but you need to consider who you’re giving it to, their position, and how responsive they might be based upon the power dynamics at play.

Since the dawn of the workplace, the relationship between management and subordinates has been a complicated one. Managers are trying to maximize the performance of their teams and a necessary part of that process is providing constructive criticism to individual contributors.

But knowing how to provide feedback to subordinates in a way that doesn’t ruffle any feathers can often get tricky. There’s always the danger of someone taking things too personally, creating drama, or damaging team morale.

Being a manager is a tough job, we all know that. It’s a constant balancing act, and you’re always looking for ways to make things easier. Many of your days are filled with training employees, dealing with customers and making sure upper management is satisfied with the performance of your team.

That’s why CLIMB Professional Development and Training has put together the following resources and blog posts for managers. From networking, to training and skill development, there are tons of things you can do to boost the performance of both yourself and your team.

Whether you consider it a life hack, a work hack, or plain old self help, sometimes it takes an outside perspective to help you get on track at home, at work, and throughout your day. Some people naturally have what it takes to flow from one task to the next, but if you find yourself struggling, the tips in today's post will be a great starting point for making your day a little easier.

If you own a retail business, you understand how important sales are. They literally define your bottom line. But have you sat down and considered how important your retail sales team is? Today's article is going to talk about how your sales team affects your bottom line and touch on how to find the best salespeople.

Owning your own retail business can present many unique challenges. When it comes to learning how to be the best retail manager, many store owners find that actually managing a staff is one of the most difficult balancing acts they have to perform. As Leslie Hidula, PCC SBDC business advisor says, “I have found that retail owners struggle with being ‘the boss.’ They act like a friend, a mom, or a control freak. These approaches can really hurt a business, especially as they grow.” Overcoming this barrier by learning how to tow the line between employer and friend can help improve, not only your retail store’s growth, but also your skills as a retail store boss.

No one wants to endure the discomfort of having difficult discussions; yet it’s a part of every job. Doing it well is what separates a leader from simply a manager.  

Here are three difficult business conversations you may encounter and a few tips on how to not only make them easier, but more effective. Please note this is NOT legal advice and you should make sure you are following all state and federal laws as well as your HR department guidelines.

Being in a leadership role is more than having a strong understanding of the job and what work needs to be done. You must be able to motivate others to perform at their best but be willing to provide constructive criticism or discipline when needed.

Developing your leadership skill sets is the first step in succeeding as a leader. As well as learning which behaviors you should avoid. Even with the best intentions, bad behavior can make critical mistakes that are detrimental to company culture and employee morale.

When you are building your career, no matter what field it is in, self-promotion is important. There are some conflicting views on whether or not it is beneficial or detrimental, but in the end, the more others know about how you can contribute to their success, the more sought after your services will be.

The key is to find the balance between self-promotion and arrogance.