December 2012-January 2013

Cover Story

Upsize Business Builder Awards

The Upsize Business Builder Awards, presented by Winthrop & Weinstine, is an annual contest designed to recognize Minnesota entrepreneurs for driving smart, sustainable growth. From nominations, Upsize selected three finalists: Bob Hildreth of ESP Systems Professionals; Melanie Nelson of Learning ZoneXpress; and Craig Kruckeberg of Minimizer. They presented their stories in a private session in [...] Continue reading →

Business Builder

‘Sweet 16’ tips will save money, time in tax season

As the accounting year-end approaches, many business owners ask how they can lower their accounting and tax prep bill. The quick answer is: do as much as you can before you send the info to your tax accountant. Many business owners would do this if they knew where to begin.  Here are some insider tips. [...] Continue reading →

Why your firm needs to be on Google+

When Google dove head-first into social networking last year with the launch of Google+, pundits were quick to compare it to Facebook and declare Google+ too little, too late. “No one’s using it,” they said. “Facebook’s got too big a head start. Google+ is doomed.” These pundits forgot one thing: Google+ is owned by Google, [...] Continue reading →

Is an ESOP right for your small business?

As any good attorney will say in response to such a question: yes and no. If you are the owner or co-owner of a business and are looking for a way to convert your ownership into cash proceeds, perhaps to fund retirement or to invest in something else, and you want to maintain the status [...] Continue reading →

How to induce employees to do what you want

Why don’t your employees consistently do the things you want them to do? Probably because they don’t know what you want them to do. According to Robert Kaplan and David Norton, creators of the Balanced Scorecard, on average, 95 percent of a company’s employees are unaware of or do not understand its strategy. Furthermore, only [...] Continue reading →

How smart banks evaluate risk when you’re seeking a loan

If you are thinking about approaching a bank for a loan, keep in mind that while the bank must analyze risk, they are also viewing you as a potential new customer. Most banks still make the majority of their income from interest paid on loans, so their ability to grow depends largely on their ability [...] Continue reading →