January is a month of good intentions, when it comes to making resolutions and setting business goals. Increasing top-line revenue by 30 percent or deciding to eliminate a service offering isn’t the end of your goal-setting. It’s an opportunity to take a deep dive into the story behind your business data. Here’s how three business owners deconstructed their data and set long-term, high-impact goals. “Our revenue goal for 2019 is…

What are you giving this year, and why?…

Business owners, especially those with smaller businesses, will tell you that one of the main ways they get new customers is through word-of-mouth. However, very few of those same business owners actually do anything to purposely generate word-of-mouth. They’re just happy if it happens. Think about some of your own experiences or maybe businesses that you’ve known. If you were to ask those business owners why their customers would say nice things…

As predicted, Missouri voters turned out in record numbers for the 2018 general election this month and overwhelmingly voted to pass Proposition B: The $12 Minimum Wage Initiative. As a result, beginning Jan. 1, 2019, the hourly minimum wage in Missouri will increase from $7.85 to $8.60, and will gradually increase by 85 cents per year until it reaches $12 per hour in 2023: 2020 – $9.45/hour 2021 – $10.30/hour…

A letter to the editor from Tom Salisbury, Region VII administrator for the U.S. Small Business Administration Consumers are again anticipating the holiday season — the time of year when many of us will make purchases for our family, friends and others. You may have more to spend this year because of the recent tax cuts. I hope you will spend part of your budget at small businesses on Small…