America's North Shore Journal

There are several approaches to doing business in modern America. You can find examples pro and con for each, and your specific needs should be the determining factor. I’m talking money. As a business, you can leverage yourself to the hilt. You can refuse to incur debt. Or any degree of financing in between these extremes. In order to function in business, though, you will need banking and financial relationships, even if you choose not to incur debt. You will be surprised at how much money you can save for the bottom line by astute use of these relationships. Banks have this whole bi-polar thing going on with their approaches to business. The longer that you deal with banks, the more you will come to recognize this fact. Banks want your business except when … Read entire article »

You can’t run a business without people. It’s sounds simple but way too many business owners and business services employees forget this maxim. Because, your customers are people. Your co-workers are people. Your bosses and your subordinates are people. Your vendors are people. Cripes, you say. Not another whiny paean to the Sixties theories of peace and love and togetherness. Nope. It’s not like that. You see, to be successful in business, you just have to work with people. You don’t have to party with them, or golf with them, or even like them. You just have to work with them, be productive, and allow them to be productive. Don’t hire a salesman to be your accountant. With the very rare exception, he won’t do his best work there. Conversely, please do not expect … Read entire article »

Having spent nearly thirty years working in and supervising business offices, I’m beginning a series of posts about the business office. Do’s, don’ts, buying tips, money saving tips, and general information that I’ve learned over the last three decades. What sort of background enables me to write this series? I began as accounts payable coordinator at Elmira College in 1981. I moved to become business manager of the auxiliary services corporation at Alfred State College in 1985. In 1996 I became business manager for Bishop Kearney High School and in 2001 I was hired as controller for GLC Business Services. GLC provides outsourced back office services, primarily for law firms. I have a BS degree in management from St. John Fisher College. For 18 months I served as President and Captain … Read entire article »