Large companies place resources and focus on strategic planning at least once a year. Small businesses seldom complete a strategic plan. Yet in every way, planning is just as important to a small business as to a large business.

While operating a small business successfully can be very rewarding, the typical small business does not have the staying power financially to weather a business downturn. Avoiding a business downturn requires that business managers not only attend to the day-to-day functions of the business but also have an eye on the horizon so that “bumps in the road” ... Continue Reading

By David Whitehead

This absurd enforcement action by the Redondo Beach Police Department was probably a bureaucratic snafu the chain of command decided to proceed with despite its highly questionable legality. It was clearly an unwarranted violation of the rights of law abiding citizens, but just to keep things in perspective, it wasn’t the Rodney King incident either. For me it was just stupid and annoying.

On Sunday, November ... Continue Reading

The Goal Is To Find The Right Social Media Mix For Your Internet Marketing/Advertising Campaign

By Gregg Towsley

This article is from the latest edition of the Inside Edge – your monthly report on Internet trends and advancements that can turn your business into a more profitable business!

“Sites Like Facebook and Twitter Are For Kids”

Fear: Businesses have a difficult time grasping the concept that the same network their children use to ... Continue Reading

By Kurt Andrew Schlichter, Esq.

The article appeared in Business Insider Magazine’s first issue of 2009

While the economic downturn will increase most businesses’ exposure to legal problems, it can also be a good time to get your legal house in order. Companies and individuals in trouble often look to the law as a quick way to avoid debts or to collect on real or imagined claims that in good times would be put aside. But when things are slow, businesspeople have the chance to focus on legal matters they would otherwise ... Continue Reading

By Angela L.H. Sayers, CPA, MBA

This column ran in Business Insider Magazine’s first issue of 2009

The stock market is extremely volatile and our investment portfolios have plummeted. So how can we keep our businesses running profitably and riding through the recession without too much turmoil? Small business owners have to manage their companies much more effectively than large corporations on Wall Street regardless of the economic climate. After all, small businesses are going to pull our country out of the recession. Here are some points to help your business ... Continue Reading

By DeAnn Flores Chase

Attorney at Law

There are many reasons why a business owner should have legal counsel when starting a business.  The following is an example based on a true story:An owner of retail business hired a woman by presenting her with an offer letter.  The letter stated that after a certain period of time, the employee would receive a pay increase.  The letter did not provide for any discretion on the part of the owner to decide whether she should receive the pay increase.  The woman was employed, and at the end ... Continue Reading

By Ken Roberts

This article appeared in Business Insider Magazine’s second issue of 2009

If the real estate climate was reported like the weather, it might sound something like the following:
“Expect the stormfront in the South Bay real estate market to continue with cold temperatures, scattered showers, and occasional gale force winds in the middle class areas, gradually giving way to partial clearing and a warming trend for first-time buyers with the worst behind us for the high-end market.”
One of the barometers of the real estate climate is the number ... Continue Reading

By Kurt Schlichter, Esq, Attorney at Law

This article appeared in Business Insider Magazine in the second issue of 2009

As the economy worsens, more businesspeople find themselves being sued.  Getting sued is no fun even in the best of times.  You are minding your own business when some vaguely disreputable gentleman steps up and hands you a batch of papers, announcing that you have been served.  Reading the “Complaint for Damages,” you do not recognize yourself.  The facts are all wrong and many of the allegations are outright lies.  The ... Continue Reading