At this point, you have learned what employee engagement is, how money may or may not affect engagement, and now you’re ready to learn how to keep employees at your small business engaged. Perhaps you have the money to give everybody raises, but if you don’t, there are plenty of ways that you can still keep employees engaged in the work they are doing. 

For any business to be successful, a solid marketing plan is key. After all, if people don’t know that you exist, or what products or services you sell, how are you supposed to make any money? Marketing can also be confusing, and is an area that is always evolving. This week, we have some articles that will help you better understand marketing, tips for a great plan, and how Generation Z is going to shake up online marketing.

“Money can’t buy happiness.” How often have you heard this saying, and how often have you heard the follow up along the lines of “maybe not, but I would be happier sitting at my beach house with a margarita in hand”? Researchers have spent a lot of time understanding how money affects people, and at what point will they be happy. The same is applied to workers and how much money will make an employee engaged. 

Did you know that October is National Women’s Small Business Month? To kick off the month, we are dedicating this week’s reading list to female small business owners. Being a female small business owner can be a challenge. From typically being paid less than male counterparts, or struggling to find the funding, many women are intimidated to launch their own business. This week, we gathered some articles that will help female entrepreneurs with funding, building a supportive team, and understand how to charge what they are worth. 

Employee engagement can be tricky to measure. Some people think that money is the biggest factor involved, while others turn to workplace benefits and culture. In our three part series on employee engagement, we are going to explain what it is, share some research about it not being all about money, and how you can get your employees more engaged, especially if you can’t increase salary.

As a small business owner, you likely struggle to find the time to keep up on the important news that could impact your business. This week, we gathered three timely pieces that you should be aware of. Check in to learn the latest tech news, which states are “friendliest” for small business owners, and understand what other small business owners are thinking about the new tariffs.

You know why you should be working how, and the long-term health and mental benefits of doing so, but do you know that exercise can help your small business? The articles below discuss a few benefits, such as how exercising can be your biggest competitive advantage, or how you can learn business tips from a popular boutique fitness studio. 

Each season brings something new such as warmer temperatures or changing leaves. When it comes to owning a small business, that something new may be your busy season. Two of the most common busy seasons are summer and holidays. For some businesses, these seasons are crucial to their success, such as a summer only lakefront restaurant, or a wintertime ski resort. During your busy time, you may be struggling to manage everything solo. In these cases, seasonal employees can be a major asset to your business. These seasonal employee hiring tips are bound to set your business up for success before the crowds start pounding down your door.  

Saving money is hard. As a small business owner, you’re likely juggling balancing your personal savings and saving money on your businesses expenses as well. Being a small business owner certainly isn’t cheap, and it can take some extra strategy to save your money. Below are some tips to help you keep more cash in your wallet, and check out the bonus article about some retirement news.

Running a business is expensive. Depending on the type of business you have, your expenses could include rent, utilities, materials for a product you sell, or paying multiple employees, as a few examples. However, as a small business owner it is possible to cut back on some of your expenses. We have put together a list of ways you can save, and even how to get more money during tax season below.

Saving money can take on a variety of forms; from saving for a rainy day, building an emergency fund, or setting aside money for college costs and retirement, it feels like there is always something that you should be saving for. Running a small business can require a lot of money, especially to get started, and with any business decision, you could find yourself turning towards the red easier than you think. In this two-part savings series, we are exploring some ways that you can save in your personal life along with business expenses.

As a small business owner, finding the happy spot balance between work and life can be challenging. To make it a little easier, we rounded up some articles about what makes work-life balance possible for small business owners and some simple tips for how you can achieve it.

Whether you are looking to expand your business out of your home office or simply set up shop for the first time, choosing a location is an exciting process. However, similar to your home or car, you may be struggling with a purchasing dilemma when it comes to your business – should you rent or buy?

It seems that every day there is a new article about millennials – what their habits are, what industries they are killing, and how they are changing the world. What you likely aren’t seeing, or thinking about, is how millennials play a role in the small business space. This week, we gathered some articles that explain how millennials are shaping the small business world, and if you employ millennials at your small business, how to better manage them.

As a small business owner, you likely struggle to find the time to keep up on the important news that could impact your business. This week, we gathered three timely pieces that you should be aware of. Check in to see if your business qualifies for a small business tax break, learn where you should be looking for new employees, and lastly how tariffs can impact your business and what you can do about it.

Technology is an area that is always evolving, which can sometimes make it difficult to keep up with. Additionally, with the rise in tech comes the fear that our entire workforce will become automated and therefore taking jobs away from people. However, when used the right way, technology really can improve productivity and small business growth. This week check out some articles about the various ways you can incorporate more technology into your small business and learn about the benefits of doing so.

As a small business owner, you work hard and we are guessing you are long overdue for a vacation. In case you haven’t heard, employees in the US are terrible at using their vacation days. Glassdoor conducted a survey and found that only 23% of employees take all of their eligible time off. We understand when you’re the one running the show it can be hard to step away, but taking a breather for yourself is crucial to staying healthy and avoiding burnout. We have some suggestions for how you can get better at planning a vacation (or staycation – anything that gets you to take a break) no matter what type of business you have.

Choosing to offer a retirement plan as a benefit for your employees can be a real differentiator when it comes to attracting and retaining a talented workforce—and it’s also a milestone for many small businesses, marking when they have “made it” to the degree that they can compete with benefits offered by larger companies. Actually selecting and administering a plan that is right for your specific business, however, may be a bit confusing. With different options and government regulations to follow, it can be overwhelming.

For many, retirement is one of those subjects they know they should worry about and prepare for, but most end up putting it off because they don’t know where to start. So what should you be doing and how can you take the scare factor out of the subject? This week we gathered a variety of articles around the subject including how to take the stress out, how you can live well during retirement, and peek into some of the best retirement advice others have received.

We’ve previously covered that many Americans in the workforce are facing a retirement crisis—they aren’t prepared to retire and don’t know how to get there. With the Safe Harbor 401(k) deadline rapidly approaching, we wanted to revisit some of the most frequently asked questions we hear from small business owners considering offering a retirement plan to their employees.