I’m thrilled to see that the focus on jobs is giving a lot of attention to small business but I’m frustrated by the message. We have a government at odds that is tangled in its own mess and out of options. As a result policy makers are placing extraordinary pressure on small business owners and consumers, two groups to which I belong. The message they are sending is loud and clear: Hire, Grow, and Spend. I get it. They need a boost in jobs and more cash in the economy. Here’s what I need: to keep my credit card in check and, more importantly, READ MORE »

One day I walked to my usual train on my usual platform with my obligatory cup of coffee. I stepped on the train and as the train doors ding— dinged and closed behind me, I had a severe and immediate urge to leave… fast.Why?

Because a full-sized tiger sat listlessly in the middle of the train car.

I ‘subway-yelped’ (read: silently, inward) and turned around to leave the closed train car knocking myself and my coffee into the train’s closed subway doors.

Split-second realization: That tiger is a full-sized stuffed animal.

The train was full—not crazy packed, but solidly we-are-all-going-to-work-full of New Yorkers with our earphones, subway-folded newspaper, READ MORE »

I love the Christmas season. I love gift giving. I’m the person who has their Christmas cards stamped, addressed, and ready to go byHalloween and the person who uses Black Friday and Cyber Monday to finish up their Christmas shopping (all done online, of course). I don’t normally enjoy shopping. I find it tedious and frustrating. I’m much too impatient and frugal. Yet, the holidays are a time where indulgence seems festive (well done, marketers!). I have a hard time limiting my gifts and even though I aim to get one thing for each person, I end up giving at least two READ MORE »

Last week, I  spoke at the M2Moms conference in  Chicago; I spoke to a wide range of brand managers and PR people who are sincerely interested in working with bloggers to get the word out about the  products and brands they promote. Over and over, they asked how to find the best bloggers. The short answer, of course, is to do your research — there is no one-size-fits-all directory of Great Bloggers.

There are a variety of Best Of lists available; Babble Media’s Top 50 Twitter Moms is a perfect example of a really useful list. Their list covers a READ MORE »

We can’t get enough of the businesses in The Big Enough Company. Here are some fun gift ideas from Big Enough Company Businesses for the special people on your list! Spread the love, y’all.

1: Felt iPhone case by Byrd and Belle

2: Lem Lem Classic Tullu Scarf by Malia Mills

3: Blue Fabric Bucket by Lotta Jansdotter

4: Owl Bookends by SkipHop

READ MORE »

I talk with a lot of aspiring entrepreneurs who are interested in being their own boss but wonder if they “have what it takes.” I always answer the question the same way: Of course they do. Anyone can be an entrepreneur. Really, all it takes is perseverance and a willingness to learn.

Still, it can feel daunting to know where to get started—especially with hyped-up language like “leap of faith” and “take the plunge.” But guess what? Entrepreneurship has a shallow end, and it’s perfectly fine to wade in there as long as you’d like. There’s no need to incur a READ MORE »

Jessica Sutton knows her fonts! A self-confessed font junkie with a knack for creating gorgeous, sophisticated images just bursting with personality, it’s no surprise that Jessica has amassed quite a large and loyal small business following, particularly in her home town of Boston. Among her brilliant campaigns and creations is our I LOVE MY BIZ logo!  Here is one piece of her sage advice:

“Go with your gut on everything. No matter how many pro/con lists you make, and no matter how heavily you weigh a decision, whatever your gut or heart is telling you to do, it’s always going to be the best for READ MORE »

A couple weeks ago we hosting a terrific panel on Creating an Amazing Customer Experience featuring Shobha Tummala of Shobha, Claire Chambers of Journelle, and Marie Watkinson of Spa Chicks on the Go – three ladies who really know how to delight their (very loyal) customers. I took away a lot from the conversation about the role of core values and training. There was also a really interesting conversation on the challenge (and importance) of balancing staff experience with customer experience. It was inspiring and motivating.

One of the other entrepreneurs who came up in the conversation was Danny Meyer – king of customer READ MORE »

Values and mission are critical to the success of any business. We all know that passion (which should be in your mission) can help sell your service and/or product but your values help you to craft your business brand or reputation. Understanding what you stand for as a company will not only open new opportunities but will help you make smart (reputable) business decisions.

As a mission driven company, standing by our values is as important as the work we produce. TYTHEdesign  is a design-consulting firm supporting the goals and needs of agencies working in the social sector. When I started TYTHEdesign over a year ago, I spent READ MORE »

This infographic from Educational Leadership speaks for itself! So interesting.

Created by: Educational Leadership

Thanks to @awesomepeter for sharing!

-Adelaide

Once again,  In Good Company is thrilled to participate in City Harvest’s annual food drive. Now serving New York City for more than 25 years, City Harvest is the world’s first food rescue organization, dedicated to feeding the city’s hungry men, women, and children.This year, City Harvest will collect 28 million pounds of excess food from all segments of the food industry, including restaurants, grocers, corporate cafeterias, manufacturers, and farms. This food is then delivered free of charge to nearly 600 community food programs throughout New York City using a fleet of trucks and bikes as well as volunteers on foot. Each week, City READ MORE »

Rebecca Kousky has an amazing business story. What started as a passion-fueled idea has morphed into a series of various competitive business iterations. Each evolution has served to strengthen the business and help it better achieve its mission. Nest is true lesson in how to leverage experimentation and community to fuel business growth.

“You should have some sense of where you are going, but it’s really important to have a clear picture of your daily to-do list in order to make progress. It can be really overwhelming to just be visionary. You have to find a way to balance the two: the big picture READ MORE »

I love being an entrepreneur. I appreciate the opportunities it affords me and am grateful for the chance to make my own decisions and determine my own fate. I’ve come to learn over the years that the key to success is coordinating the needs of an ever-changing business and market with your own. It is one’s ability to do this in the face of the unknown or in the midst of certainty that determines the sustainability of the experience. As a result I love stories of entrepreneurs who have found creative ways to adapt their businesses when things aren’t going as well as you’d like.

READ MORE »

Losing  the goal of perfection has been a perfectly challenging quest for me.  I have a jewelry design and metalsmithing degree that rewarded me with a scrupulous and acutely trained eye for complex precision and visual aesthetics. Also, I am trained as a bench jeweler-which means I have spent many years making jewelry on a microscope scale & polishing scratches in metal to mirror perfection, that one can only see with a 10x loupe.  Add this to my slight perfectionist side already, and unrealistic expectations can start to take over, which is daunting and counterproductive to say the least. As you may imagine, these innate and learned traits have READ MORE »