GPS Reviews: Changed The Business & The Way We Think
By 
Situation
GPS was engaged by a commercial flooring company, which the clients described as having “a low margin, which resulted in cash flow issues. The cash flow volatility created great stress. We were regulated to the status quo and did not foresee our company growing beyond its current size at the time.”
Process
Upon arriving, the GPS consultant evaluated the clients’ estimating and accounting processes. “The first discovery was that we did not understand the difference between mark-up and margin. He also determined that we had no budget forecasting, in place. With his help, we now have a correct margin …
How To Create An Email Newsletter Using AWeber
By 
Running a small business often means that you do not have the time or money available for online marketing avenues such as pay-per-click advertising, banner ads or an email newsletter. If your chief concern is limited resources, however, creating an email newsletter may be the best option for your small biz.
What many small business owners need is simply a push in the right direction to make it happen. This article is that push!
Understand the Terminology
There are a few terms that you will want to be familiar with before you start.
Email list. Your email list is the …
Hostess Brands – The Sweet Taste Of Success, The Bitter Bite Of Failure
By Tom Ryan
It has been said that there are only two ways to learn from mistakes, you can learn from your own mistakes, or you can learn from the mistakes of others; and it is a lot more expensive to learn from your own mistakes…
Twinkies were once the go-to after school snack.
Most everyone is familiar with Hostess Cupcakes, Hostess Twinkies, Dolly Madison Cakes and (anyone over the age of 50, for certain!) Wonder Bread. The baking company which owned the Hostess brand, until March 2013, was Interstate Brands, when they were forced to sell the rights to these iconic products …
The Impact Of The ACA On Small Business Owners
By Ken DiPrima
Eric Lee’s excellent article on the consequences of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) on married taxpayers is an outstanding examination of how this law affects a very select, but rather small portion of American taxpayers (approximately 2.9% of all married couples have taxable income of $250,000 or more). Businesses, additionally, making over $250,000 in profit must pay a .9% increase on the current Medicare part ‘A’tax on that portion of their income over that amount. The tax is split (.45% each) between the employer and employees making over $200,000 individual or $250,000 family.
GPS Reviews: A Mini MBA Course In Business Management
Situation
GPS arrived at a “very pivotal time” for this client with an HVAC and plumbing services company as she was actively seeking change.
“I was trying to fine tune the way that we were running things. I had reached out to the Employment Security Commission and the Small Business department at my local community college. They were trying to help me, but it just wasn’t moving fast enough to suit my needs.”
Process
Once the analyst “came in and did her assessment and I decided that this was the step that I had to take, your people were here …
GPS Reviews: Recharged My Batteries
Situation
Before GPS arrived, “I was in a hole and I had been feeling overwhelmed for a long time,” shared this family-owned for four generations, and more than 100 years, retail/grocery store client.
Process
Their GPS consultant was “very knowledgeable in the grocery business and he presented information to me and my management team in a clear and organized way.”
His people skills, however, especially drew the notice of the client. “I was impressed with the way that my team interacted with him. They started implementing action plans for their departments after the first week—before they even knew what were …
The Splendid Colors of Summer!
With warmer temperatures, summer outfits saturated in color have started appearing in our offices. Whether inspired by the neon hues of the players’ attire/footwear from the World Championship Soccer teams or the fluorescent fashion from the runways of New York, Paris and Milan—GPS can only be described as being colorful. We’re all over the color chart! Vivid pastels and primary colors that glow can be seen, sometimes balanced by neutrals and, other times, full head-to-toe luminosity is being displayed. All we can say is, “Orange it grand!”
GPS Reviews: No More Guessing
Situation
GPS was engaged by the owner of a company that provided disinfection and sterilization services to healthcare/laboratory facilities, due to his business being “on a roller-coaster ride for the past 25 years. I, finally, decided that it was time for professional guidance to smooth out performance.”
Process
The GPS consultant “quickly fit into our culture and understood our complicated business structure. This guy was a working machine, crunching numbers and analyzing ideas all day long. There was no wasted time.”
Among the numerous projects, one stand-out would be the Employee Evaluation and Gain Sharing Incentive Plan, which “was something …
GPS Reviews: Created Accountability For Change
Situation
Value enhancement, or “to help us achieve greater business success,” was the goal of this construction contractor specializing in catastrophe restoration (i.e. water, mold, fire, and smoke damage) in hiring GPS for business consulting services.
Process
The initial visit by the GPS analyst “was insightful. In less than one day, he had a firm understanding of our struggles. He pointed out several personnel conflicts and billing issues that were impacting the business. His approach and suggestions opened my eyes to solutions that I had not thought of before.”
Next, the GPS consultants arrived and in their review “went further …
The Affordable Care Act Is Less Affordable For Married Taxpayers
By Eric Lee
Much has been made about the controversial provisions of The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and Health Care and Education Affordability Reconciliation Act of 2010 (“ACA”). As documented through many other sources, the Act contains important changes that will have a substantial impact on small business owners and individuals. The most controversial of these changes include penalties for small businesses failing to provide adequate health insurance for employees and an individual mandate that people obtain health insurance, or be subject to a penalty. Much to the chagrin of many, the individual mandate was upheld by the Supreme Court, and …
