My Book's a Winner in 2012 Small Business Book Award

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

“Starting Your Own Business” by Freda Thomas, MBA
A Winner in 2012 Small Business Book Awards


Cleveland, OH, February 23, 2012 - “Starting Your Own Business” has been voted a Winner for a 2012 Small Business Book Award, in the category of start-up.


Freda Thomas, MBA Winner 2012 Book Award


The Small Business Book Awards recognize business books that were published in 2011. Small business owners often seek advice and information through books. While there are many thousands of books published each year, it’s those of interest to small businesses and entrepreneurs that the Small Business Book Awards seek to honor.


“With so many books being published each year, we wanted to recognize those that made a difference to small business owners and managers and startup entrepreneurs,” said Ivana Taylor, Book Editor at Small Business Trends, which produces the Awards. “Our annual Small Business Book Awards are a way to highlight the books that entrepreneurs are reading and learning from.”


The Awards are an honor to the authors who write books for the small business and entrepreneurial community. Says Anita Campbell, CEO of Small Business Trends, “For many of the authors, writing a book is a labor of love. Often they get up early in the morning before the rest of the family awakes, and they devote their evenings, weekends, holidays and vacations to writing. They deserve recognition.”


About the Small Business Book Awards
The Small Business Book Awards, now in their fourth year, enable the small business community to nominate, show their support for, and vote on their favorite business books. The top 10 winners and 30 category winners were selected by readers based on number of votes as the Best Small Business Books of 2012. Nominations opened in January 2012, and voting was held February 1 through February 16, 2012. Over 54,000 votes were cast by the community in 2012.


The Small Business Book Awards initiative is produced by Small Business Trends, an award-winning online publication, which along with its sister sites, serves over 4,000,000 small business owners, stakeholders and entrepreneurs annually.


CONTACT:
Small Business Trends
Press@smallbiztrends.com
Twitter hashtag: #BizBookAwards#




Thanks to all who voted. This is truly an honor.

Caterpillar's Genius

One of the most compelling articles I have read on strategy was featured in the May 2011 issue of Fortune magazine.  The story was about Caterpillar, the equipment giant.  Several years before this country’s economic meltdown, Caterpillar’s approach was to create absolute worse case scenario’s, and figure out how they would survive the worse.  Weekly meetings were held between division managers and the CEO where disaster models were developed.  When the recession hit, Caterpillar wasn’t scattering for a line of attack. Instead, they were executing catastrophe tactics.  While other firms were running at a loss and going under, Caterpillar’s shares were up by 88%.  It’s one thing to plan when times are tough.  It’s another thing to have a well designed strategy in place when business is relatively good.  That’s what Caterpillar did; they planned for the worse when business was good.  That’s what makes for genius and forward thinking.  That’s what sets this company apart from most.  To read the article in its entirety go to http://management.fortune.cnn.com/2011/05/12/caterpillar-is-absolutely-crushing-it/

When I Teach I Learn

It only takes a minute to sign up for a free webinar, or register to take part in a networking event. In so doing, the result can be similar to opening pandora's box, a vast wealth of learning might await you revealing endless possibilities.  I, too am learning as I conduct this bonding education program through the DOT, that's the Department of Transportation partnered with the Small Business Transportation Resource Center here in NYC.  Over the course of several weekends what I have come to understand is that having access to new information and resources can indeed be powerful. The participants in the bonding program have, without candor expressed to me that the information which I am conveying is life changing. One student wrote to me in an email saying "your presentation was very thought provoking; it made me think all weekend about my company."  It's been a couple of months since I facilitated a workshop and it was a different crowd, new start-ups.  This present group of participants, they are a bit more seasoned, with more skin in the game. Perhaps they are more hungry, and perhaps that's the big difference between this group and the start-ups who I presented to previously.  No matter,  since what I've learned, what I've gained from teaching is this, exposing one's self to knew information and new ways of doing things and thinking about things is vital to an entrepreneur's success.

What To Do About Customers Who Don't Pay

In the July 2011 issue of Crain’s New York Business, there’s an article entitled, “A Braintrust for Female Business Owners”. The story profiles an event hosted by a women’s group in NYC, where the invited guest was a customer relations expert. At the gathering, a business owner wanted to know how to handle a longstanding customer who had stopped paying her. The expert advised to continue doing business with the deadbeat; she suggested an arrangement with longstanding so that every time a new order was placed, they’d have to pay on an older order.  I don’t agree with this premise. The cost associated with carrying a debt for more than 90 days doesn’t reflect well from a cash flow perspective, nor does it bode well in the accounting of one’s books.  I think it’s just plain rude to ignore a debt.  Its one thing if longstanding was to provide an explanation for the problem and offer a solution.  It’s another thing when calls, notices, and request for payment are ignored.  What do you think? 

http://mycrains.crainsnewyork.com/blogs/executive-inbox/2011/07/a-brain-trust-for-female-business-owners/