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Should you invest in real estate or stocks?

Patrick Gleeson Business Management, Services & Risk Management

In the long run, stocks have a higher return on investment than real estate. But in some circumstances, you’re better off investing in both. If you’re trying to figure out which is a better investment over the long term, you might begin by searching the internet with a simple query like "real estate or stocks better?" You’ll be surprised to find that while most sources conclude that stocks are the better long-term investment, there are writers that come to the opposite conclusion. But not all of these writers rely on appropriate data.

‘Fail’ your way to the top in 2019

Fred Berns Business Management, Services & Risk Management

Make 2019 the year you really get to know "no." Make it the year that you get turned down by more prospects, try and fail to "upsell" more clients, lose out on more bids, miss out on more opportunities, come up short on more proposals, and attempt unsuccessfully to close more deals than ever before. In short, make it the year that you "fail" more. Why? Because only when you put yourself out there more, can you fail more. And only when you put yourself out there more can you succeed more.

No thanks — I have enough customers

Anne Rose Retail

A business has to walk a delicate line between serving existing customers and prospecting for new ones. It’s hard enough when you have a big company with distinct departments to handle the unique needs of each. But when you’re a mom-and-pop operation or a solo entrepreneur, those challenges are magnified. And if you decide you can’t take care of your customers and solicit new ones at the same time, the repercussions for ignoring one of those constituencies are negative. Choose to serve existing customers only, and you’ll find, one day, you have no fresh pool of people who needs your services.

Marijuana drinks may start to make a splash

Bambi Majumdar Food & Beverage

Marijuana drinks are the new kids on the block in the beverage world. Beer giant Molson Coors announced that it is ready to grab a large share of the nascent market with its line of cannabis-infused drinks. Its plans align with Canada making cannabis edibles legal later this year. Molson Coors may be in the lead, but it is not the only one interested in this niche. A Forbes article reported Coca-Cola as planning to launch cannabidiol (CBD)-infused drinks for the masses in the U.S. after the 2018 Farm Bill removed hemp as a controlled substance.

U.S. payrolls add 312,000 jobs as unemployment rises to 3.9 percent

Seth Sandronsky Business Management, Services & Risk Management

Nonfarm employers added 312,000 new hires in December, and the number of jobless workers increased 276,000 to 6.3 million, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. The December rate of unemployment rising to 3.9 percent from 3.7 percent in November "happened for the ‘right’ reasons as more workers entered the labor force — the labor force participation rate ticked up 0.2 percentage points," according to Elise Gould, an economist with the Economic Policy Institute in Washington, D.C.

New year, new skin for your spa clients

Elizabeth Donat Retail

Our clients will certainly be setting goals and New Year's resolutions for 2019: starting a new exercise routine, a dietary cleanse, or perhaps a goal to finally give themselves the skin that they always wanted. We, as spa industry professionals, should be several steps ahead of them and ready to guide them in the right direction when it comes to making major improvements in their skin for this upcoming year. Follow my expert tips below and help your clients transform their skin in 2019.

Workplace dress code: Necessary or outdated?

Terri Williams Business Management, Services & Risk Management

In 2016, Nicola Thorpe, a London-based temporary receptionist at one of the Big Four accounting firms, gained international attention when she was sent home from work for violating dress code, which required women to wear heels between 2 to 4 inches high. Thorpe started a petition in the U.K., which led to a fierce debate. The dress code came from Thorpe’s temporary employment agency, not the accounting firm. And, the temp agency’s dress code also included other stipulations. This policy was rather extreme, but is it necessary to even have a dress policy?

Negotiating commercial leases: Get a document review

Dale Willerton and Jeff Grandfield Retail

For many commercial tenants, negotiating a good lease or lease renewal against an experienced agent or landlord can be a challenge. While an entrepreneur focuses on marketing and managing, savvy real estate agents and brokers are specialized salespeople. Their job is to sell tenants on leasing their location at the highest possible rental rate. Whether you are leasing a new location for the first time or negotiating a lease renewal for your business, here are two money-saving tips.

Make sure your employee harassment policies are strong enough

Lisa Mulcahy Business Management, Services & Risk Management

In today's workplace, managers can't be too careful when it comes to issues regarding employee harassment. It is key that you protect your company against internal legal claims, and you certainly don't want your staff members to feel uncomfortable, or worse, afraid when they are trying to do their jobs on a daily basis. Researchers have been looking into which company policies are the most effective in terms of shielding both your workers both physically and emotionally from various forms of co-worker or supervisor abuse. Use what they've learned through the following tips to make sure your policies offer the proper protection, and make changes where they're needed.

How is the ‘new NAFTA’ different?

Michelle R. Matisons Manufacturing

The idea of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) was very controversial when first proposed during the Clinton administration and signed in 1994. It was the first North American trilateral trade bloc representing Mexico, Canada and the United States. NAFTA’s successor, called the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), was signed by all three participating countries’ leaders at the G20 Summit on Nov. 30. The legislatures of all three countries must ratify the agreement before it goes into effect. We know USMCA is intended to make up for NAFTA’s shortcomings. But will it?

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