California just passed a law that will force a business with five or more employees to enroll its workers in a state-run retirement savings program if the business doesn't provide any other qualified savings plan. Gov. Jerry Brown has 30 days to sign or veto California Secure Choice, which lawmakers passed Aug. 31, 2016. Most observers expect he will approve the law, which …
Benefit Corps (B Corps): What are they and could your small business benefit from a B Corp certification?
Doing good can be good for business, and more than ever your customers expect your small business to pay as much attention to its social responsibilities and environmental impact as to sales and profits. The idea that businesses can be agents for positive change was the spark behind the founding of the Ohio nonprofit, B Lab Inc., and its B Corp certificate program a decade …
6 Critical Steps You Need to Take After Your First Year in Business
[This article was originally published in the Small Business blog at Captain401.com, a fintech company offering 401(k)s for modern employers.] Your small business has survived its first year. Congratulations! Two out of every 10 new companies don't make it that far, according to government data. And the failure rate gets worse over the next few years of a new venture. How …
How to choose a CRM vendor for your commercial real-estate brokerage
[This article was originally written for Apto, a Denver-based commercial real-estate technology start-up.] On the hunt for a new customer relationship management (CRM) system for your commercial real estate brokerage? Any software you choose should offer the basics: a cloud-based system, mobile access, flexibility and ease of use. To really narrow down your choices, …
Commercial Real Estate brokers: What do your clients really want from you?
[This article was written for Apto, a commercial real estate tech company.] Is it customer service? Deep market knowledge? Transactional expertise? According to a National Real Estate Investor (NREI) survey, it comes down to one question: Can you close the deal? No surprise there. That quality was ranked “extremely important” by more clients than any of five other …