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How Can Small Businesses Cope?

Tips for Surviving and Thriving in a Tough Economy

How Can Small Businesses Cope?

November 21, 2008

The U.S. Small Business Administration reported in April that small firms are being hit the hardest by rising energy costs. Small firms spend considerably more on energy in proportion to large ones. This alone is enough stress to make or break many companies.

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Messages from an Entrepreneur

Sharing Her Heart Through Art

Messages from an Entrepreneur

November 7, 2008
By Molly Dilks

To walk a mile in someone else’s shoes is to view life from that individual’s unique perspective. A stroll in the shoes of Sandra Magsamen — lifelong resident of the Baltimore suburb of Glen Arm — reveals a special place where even the smallest of moments get the recognition they deserve. Read more »

 

Holding Back the Tears

Many Employers Frown Upon Crying in the Workplace

Holding Back the Tears

October 9, 2008
By Karen Nitkin

Rachel Joseph thought she was doing her client a favor when she agreed to go from being a consultant to stepping aboard as an employee. But one day last summer, when her boss surprised her with some starkly negative feedback, Joseph was so startled and upset that she burst into tears. Read more »

 

Network 2000 Aims For the Top

Businesswomen get help landing boardroom seats

Network 2000 Aims For the Top

September 19, 2008
By Emily Parks

These days there is nothing exotic about women holding executive positions in major companies. Yet their presence barely registers in the boardroom — especially in Maryland. Nationally, women hold 14.7 percent of board seats in publicly traded companies. In Maryland the average is an anemic 8.7 percent.

A Baltimore group, Network 2000, has been working for 15 years to increase that number by providing opportunities for businesswomen to network and find mentors, two important ways of landing a spot as a corporate director. Read more »

 

Telecommuting Yeas & Nays

Can you do it? It depends

Telecommuting Yeas & Nays

July 29, 2008
By Elizabeth Heubeck
Image ©2008 jupiterimages Corporation

When I tell women that I work out of my basement, I usually get admiring oohs and aahs. Women with children are especially impressed. Their responses generally go something like this: “Oh, you’re so lucky to work at home. Read more »

 

Earn What You’re Worth

Speak Up For More Pay

April 29, 2008
By Elizabeth Heubeck
Image ©2008 jupiterimages Corporation

Among girlfriends, talk about salaries tends to be a lot like talk about sex. Most women will speak in generalities but few will divulge the down-and-dirty details. Read more »

 

The Etiquette of the Interview

February 27, 2008
By Elizabeth Heubeck

Though I’ve tried to blot out my early interviewing experiences, some memories just won’t go away. There’s my first suit, navy blue with lineman-worthy shoulder pads and matching pointy-toed pumps with gold appliqués, in which I was the picture of extreme discomfort. Read more »

 

Beating the Boredom Blues at Work

December 27, 2007
By Christianna McCausland

When Beth Smith took a job managing the post office of a local university, she thought it would be a great way to get management experience. For a while it was. Then her boss left and Smith (not her real name) suddenly found herself with a dud of a new supervisor. The work — overseeing the sorting and delivery of mail — was tedious and the number of complaints was high. Smith was bored out of her mind.

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Managing the Boss from Hell

July 27, 2007
By Mary Medland

They curse, they yell, they threaten and pound their fists on the desk. When they’re really revved up, they’re apt to throw things. Anyone who has spent time in the workplace has probably had a brush with that soul-chewing monster, The Boss from Hell.

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