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Kerrigan's WE Inc. Journal Karen
Kerrigan, President & CEO, WE Inc. GROWTH WITHOUT BARRIERS Webcast Rewind: WE Inc. Founder Karen Kerrigan, and Grow Fast Grow Right Co-Founder Andrew Sherman wrapped up National Small Business Week on April 25 by bringing Growth Without Barriers webcast viewers timely tips and content related to revenue stabilization and growth, cutting costs and operating more productively. You can watch the webcast by visiting: http://www.growfastgrowright.com/events/080425/ Over the last several months, Sherman and Kerrigan have talked with scores of business owners about their strategies for streamlining costs, identifying and targeting new markets and how they have taken advantage of current economic conditions to develop and exploit niche products and services. These strategies and tips were shared with webcast participants.
Again, you may watch the webcast by visiting: Self-Employed Women Differ From Their Wage And Salary Earning Counterparts -- Age, Education, And Experience Are Key Human Capital Factors, According to SBA Advocacy Study Self-employed women differ from their wage and salary earning counterparts in several human capital areas, according to a new study by the Small Business Administration (SBA) Office of Advocacy. "Most notably, self-employed women tend to be older, are better educated, and have more managerial experience than wage and salary earners," reads the media release highlighting the key findings of the report "Human Capital and Women’s Business Ownership." "Human capital factors such as education and experience have long been known to have a positive correlation with entrepreneurship," said Dr. Chad Moutray, Chief Economist for the Office of Advocacy. "This report delves deeper into women’s business ownership and shows that factors such as occupational skills and entrepreneurial preparedness are essential to women’s entrepreneurship." The report, written by Business Development Advisors with funding from the Office of Advocacy, also compares human capital factors of self-employed women and men, as well as between self-employed whites and minorities. The authors presented the report during the annual meeting of the Urban Affairs Association in Baltimore on April 26, 2008. Comparing self-employed women to other working women, the authors found that:
For more information and a complete copy of the report, visit the Office of Advocacy website at http://www.sba.gov/advo. National Women’s Business Council Announces South Florida Town Hall Meeting, May 14, 2008 Following the success of its first four Town Hall Meetings for Women Entrepreneurs, the National Women’s Business Council will host an additional Town Hall meeting in Boca Raton, FL in May 2008. This half-day event will allow members of the Council to hear directly from women business owners in the South Florida region about their priorities, challenges and concerns with regards to running their businesses. This dialogue will help the Council formulate future policy recommendations. Topics to be discussed include access to affordable health care, access to capital, procurement, taxes, education and workforce development, and civic engagement. For more information, or to register, please visit http://www.nwbc.gov. New IRS Campaign Helps Educate the Self-Employed and Small Business Owners The Internal Revenue Service launched a campaign to help educate new self-employed small business owners about federal tax responsibilities. The campaign will provide new Schedule C, Profit or Loss from Business, filers with improved and updated educational materials through a variety of channels, including IRS.gov, small business workshops and other outreach events. Please click on the link for additional information. http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=181721,00.html House Small Business Committee Issues Report on Updating the Tax Code Recently, the House Committee on Small Business hosted a hearing on modernizing sections of the tax code while making it more small business friendly. As part of the forum, the Committee also issued a report titled "Seven Ways to Stimulate the Economy by Updating the Internal Revenue Code," which provides specific recommendations on fixing provisions that impact small firms. The recommendations, supported by the SBE Council, include: simplifying the home office deduction, streamlining record-keeping requirements, indexing for inflation the cost of vehicles used in business, shorter depreciation schedules, allowing self-employed entrepreneurs the ability to deduct health insurance on an equitable basis with large companies, and improving incentives for investments in small companies. Knowledge@Wharton, April 14-18 enews Human Resources (Podcast and Videocast with Transcript) -- The Talent Hunt: Getting the People You Need, When You Need Them: "Ask any CEO or senior level executive what his or her biggest challenge is, and the answer is almost always finding and keeping good people. Yet most executives fail to manage their company's needs in a way that recognizes the unpredictability of the global marketplace. In a book titled, Talent on Demand: Managing Talent in an Age of Uncertainty, Peter Cappelli, director of Wharton's Center for Human Resources, proposes a new approach to this issue based on applying the principles of supply chain management to people. He and Joyce Bradley, senior vice president and general manager, Delaware Valley region, of global human capital consulting firm Lee Hecht Harrison, spoke with Knowledge@Wharton about talent management, including the challenges of managing employees in a recessionary economy." Marketing -- Navigating Olympic Sponsorship: Marketing Your Brand without Alienating the World:" Images of Chinese guards and local police protecting the Olympic torch on its journey to Beijing were hardly the kind of publicity the IOC or the Chinese government were hoping for. Nor can the 12 'Worldwide Olympic Sponsors' be thrilled at the latest images of hand-to-hand street fighting. How can sponsors make the August Olympics a brand builder for their products rather than a public relations nightmare for their companies? Wharton professors suggest they figure out a way to reap the benefits of associating with the event while maintaining reputations for corporate social responsibility outside China." Managing Technology -- Gadgets at Work: The Blurring Boundary between Consumer and Corporate Technologies: "The boundaries between work and play are beginning to disappear as consumer technologies -- including social networking tools, user generated content and wikis -- are increasingly adopted by corporate America. For technology companies, this emerging 'consumerization' trend represents an opportunity, but it also brings new management challenges as companies struggle to embrace these technologies in a way that doesn't limit their usefulness but also doesn't result in lost time or money. And while there may be productivity gains for corporations that experiment with integrating the latest consumer gadgets, security remains the deal breaker, say experts at Wharton." Finance and Investment -- Compensation Consultants and Conflicts of Interest: Two Different Views: "Companies that use compensation consultants end up paying more to their CEOs, leading to allegations that these consultants push for excessively high CEO packages because many of them profit from doing other work for the company. A recent Congressional committee report supported the idea that such conflicts drive up CEO pay. But a new Wharton study by accounting professor Mary Ellen Carter and two colleagues suggests that conflicts of interest between the consultant and the firm aren't to blame." Leadership and Change -- Trading Up: Canada and the U.S. Have More in Common than Their Border: "With a healthy economy that is benefiting from its economically troubled neighbor to the south, Canada has little to complain about these days regarding its relationship with the United States -- although there is always room for improvement on both sides. That was the message from Canadian Ambassador Michael Wilson during a recent visit to Wharton during which he addressed a wide range of topics, including border security, energy trading, rebuilding Afghanistan, and political posturing in the U.S. presidential campaign over the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)." Finance and Investment -- Microfinance Grows Up: Success Brings New Challenges for Investors, Practitioners, in Emerging Economies: "Microfinance -- the business of providing financial services in small transaction amounts to poor, underserved markets -- has taken off in recent years. With financial sectors in many developing countries maturing and microfinance institutions (MFIs) themselves growing rapidly, capital markets have been quick to enter the fray, providing ample funding for expansion. But microfinance's evolution in countries throughout Asia and Eastern Europe has cast a spotlight on changes now buffeting the industry as private investors arrive in force and traditional microfinance values are questioned." From the IRS Subscribe to e-News for Small Businesses: e-News for Small Businesses is a free electronic mail service designed to provide tax information for small business owners and self-employed individuals. It is distributed every other Wednesday. IRS Continues Program on Political Campaign Activity by Charities; Stresses Education and Enforcement: The Internal Revenue Service today announced its Political Activities Compliance Initiative (PACI) once again will be in effect for the 2008 election season. The PACI program seeks to educate section 501(c)(3) organizations such as charities and churches about the federal law concerning political campaign activity and to enforce the law in this area. IRS Issues Draft Instructions for 2008 Form 990: The Internal Revenue Service recently released for public comment the draft instructions to the 2008 Form 990, which is the return most tax-exempt organizations must file annually. IRS To Issue Guidance on Special 50-Percent Depreciation Allowance: The IRS announced today that it will issue guidance for businesses on how the special 50 percent depreciation allowance that was included in the Economic Stimulus Act of 2008 can be used to make capital investments this year. Until the guidance is issued, businesses may rely on the regulations previously issued regarding bonus depreciation. Headliner 231 IRS Small Business Resource Guide 2008 Available Now: The Small Business Resource Guide 2008 is now available. The free CD is a one-stop source for all the information a small business owner needs to comply with federal tax laws. IRS Fact Sheet 19 Avoiding Penalties and the Tax Gap: The Internal Revenue Code imposes many different kinds of penalties, ranging from civil fines to imprisonment for criminal tax evasion. In the Marketplace "E-Bay Chief Says Change Isn't Over," New York Times, April 17, 2008. "More changes are coming to eBay, and John Donahoe, the new boss, is girding for the repercussions....Mr. Donahoe says he is focused on bringing consistency to the core marketplace business and improving the experience for buyers. Among his recent changes, eBay has revised the way that auction listings appear in search results on the site. Instead of listing auctions in the order which they end, the company is now favoring sellers with better ratings, lower shipping fees and cheaper prices." "The Business of Startups Is Business," BusinessWeek.com, April 17, 2008. "As the economy slumps, many entrepreneurs are looking past consumer Web sites to focus on products and services for companies." "How to sell overseas," BusinessWeek.com, April 16, 2008. "Put that talk of recession to rest. Foreign markets are eagerly buying American...If you aren't selling abroad, it's time. We don't have to tell you that the U.S. economy is struggling. Your suppliers may be raising their prices, and your business customers may be worried about their own sales. But just because demand may be shrinking at home doesn't mean you won't get a rousing welcome abroad." "AT&T Offers Wireless Service for Small Businesses," Inc.com, April 15, 2008. "BusinessTalk allows companies to share monthly Anytime Minutes among up to 40 employees." "AT&T Launches Web Hosting Suite," Inc.com, April 14, 2008. "AT&T has introduced a suite of turnkey Web hosting solutions and Web site design services designed and priced specifically for small and midsize businesses. The new services allow companies to launch or improve a Web site, sell products and services online, manage company e-mail, and distribute digital content." In the Workforce "Hide the Doritos! Here Comes HR," BusinessWeek.com, April 17, 2008. "With an eye on soaring health-care costs, companies are getting pushy about employees' eating habits." "The Re-Careering of the Baby Boomers: Reinventing Yourself in a New World of Work," ClassesUSA, April 16, 2008. "Today, there's a new awareness of early retirements, corporate cutbacks, downsizing, or restructuring - and boomers are finding out that the world of work has changed. Career change is the norm - and often a necessity - as workers today are expected to make three or more changes during their career." "Should You Pay Your Intern?" BusinessWeek.com, April 16, 2008. "Business owners struggling to decide whether or not to pay their interns should review these six requirements to help them determine the thin line between an intern and an unpaid employee." "Global Workers Seek Etiquette Training," Inc.com, April 16, 2008. "In a recent survey by OfficeTeam, a Menlo Park, Calif.-based staffing firm, nearly a half of almost 600 business professionals said they would benefit somewhat from an international business etiquette course. Up to 16 percent of executives and 42 percent of administrative workers said the training would be of great help." "Obesity More Costly To U.S. Companies Than Smoking, Alcoholism," Workforce Week, April 14, 2008. "The obesity epidemic costs U.S. private employers an estimated $45 billion a year in medical expenditures and worker absenteeism." "National Doctor Rating System Approved," Workforce Week, April 14, 2008. "Employer associations, physician groups and unions sign off on a system for grading physicians. The Patient Charter for Physician Performance Measurement, Reporting and Tiering Programs creates a national set of principles." In the News "Businesses in Bay Area May Pay Fee for Emissions," New York Times, April 18, 2008. "Air quality regulators in the San Francisco Bay Area appear set to begin charging hundreds of businesses in the region for their emissions of heat-trapping gases. It is believed to be the first time in the country that any government body would charge industries directly for emissions that contribute to climate change. The regional agency that is considering the fee, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, would be effectively leapfrogging the continuing debate in Sacramento and Washington over how to control emissions." "New 401(k) Mandates May Drive Up Costs for Workers, Republicans Warn," House Labor Committee Republicans, April 16, 2008. "Republican leaders of the House Labor Committee today repeated their commitment to providing meaningful disclosure to workers about their retirement savings, but warned that new federal red tape and cumbersome mandates could drive up costs for workers without providing the high-quality information they need." "House Bill Aims to Ban New Cell Phone Taxes," CNET.com, April 16, 2008. "A bipartisan bill introduced Tuesday in the House of Representatives would ban new state or local takes on mobile phone services for a period of five years. Sponsored by Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) and five co-sponsors, the bill is known as the Cell Tax Fairness Act (HR 5793 )." "Who for Prez? Reagan, Execs Say," Workforce Week, April 14, 2008. "Talk about being a larger-than-life figure. Most executives would eschew the presidential candidates being offered by both Democrats and Republicans in the 2008 election in favor of the late Ronald Reagan, reveals a new online survey." Publisher & Editor: Karen Kerrigan, WE Inc. Founder |
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The April 25 Growth Without Barriers webcast also featured the ever-popular From the Hill segment, sponsored by AT&T, where Kerrigan reviewed current legislative initiatives, and how they may impact your business.
