If you live in a big city, you've probably seen cars with Cars2Go, ZipCar or Turo logos driving around. These brands are part of a fast-growing trend that lets you "rent" a shared car whenever you need it. Whether you're going grocery shopping or getting across town for an interview, using a shared car is a unique alternative to owning (and paying for) your own car. Car sharing is a big win for anyone with an environmental conscience –– just one shared car eliminates the need for up to 20 person...

You're a go-getter. You've spent months, if not years, getting your startup off the ground. If you're like most entrepreneurs, you've done most of it on your own. But, regular tasks like recruitment, hiring, payroll, benefits plans and employee care are slipping away from you, and there's that nagging voice in your head that's telling you that you need some help. Yet, you don't think your startup is quite big enough for an HR (human resources) department. So, what do you do? In this article, we'...

One of the major reasons why people leave their jobs or feel unsatisfied with their current work position is routine. Doing the same thing every day, even if you're good at it, can kill productivity and leaves the person behind the job feeling stuck. Another reason behind the work routine is micromanagement. When you don't trust your employees with empowering tasks, you take away from their confidence. In time, this leads to boredom, a no-creativity work environment and finally, low productivity...

Taking care of your startup's accounting functions in-house can not only be a headache but a time-consuming task that eats up a lot of your resources. Whether it's payroll, accounts payable, accounts receivable, credit card reconciliation, inventory and budget reports, bank reconciliation, or payroll reconciliation, accounting can often be too much for the small startup to handle. How do you know you need help? Here are five signs it's time to outsource accounting. #1: You have no time left for ...

Making financial decisions is hard. So hard, in fact, that 7 in 10 Americans admit to postponing making major financial decisions. The stress that comes with potential repercussions of our decisions lead us to commit errors in thinking called cognitive biases which affect our judgement and decision-making skills. They cause us to hold on to our own preferences and beliefs instead of assessing our situation from a more rational standpoint. Cognitive biases can wreak havoc on our financial lives —...

An employee handbook is vital to the success of your startup. But, perhaps you're wondering why your startup needs an employee handbook and when it's appropriate to create one. Two of the simplest reasons you need one are for the creation of processes and policies and to facilitate benefits administration. Let's look at these reasons as well as a few others, but first, let's discuss when you need one.   When do you need a handbook? While there's no one-size-fits-all answer, it's the best pr...

The Robots are Here: Good news – for employees While robots which vacuum the carpet, mow the lawn or deliver lunch are cute time savers, their possible entry into the workplace can be scary. Employees who have spent years performing a routine task can be threatened by the idea of technology taking over their job. People in customer facing roles (cashiers, bank tellers, check-in agents) may argue that use of self service or remote interfaces 'dehumanizes' the company. Business leaders today know ...

As a startup, you know you need general liability insurance, property insurance, and workers compensation insurance, but have you ever considered cyber liability insurance? What is cyber liability insurance Cyber insurance generally covers your startup's liability for a data breach that can involve private, sensitive customer information such as social security numbers, credit card numbers, account numbers, addresses, health records and driver's license numbers. When hackers gain this informatio...

Americans' commutes are getting worse every year and employees are starting to weigh their options. With the high price and stress of long commutes, much of the workforce is willing to take pay-cuts just to avoid an added 20 minutes to their trip home from work. The focus on a healthier commute is leading to talented workers choosing jobs that allow them flexibility and reimbursements when it comes to their commute and employers need to take notice if they want to retain those high value workers...

Your startup is in its early stages, or perhaps you've been in business for a while, and you're ready to hire employees. Have you thought about how you'll hire the best ones? The most beneficial thing for your startup and your employees is to offer a healthy benefits package. In this article, we look at five employee benefits small companies can offer new employees, but first let's look at why you should offer benefits at all.   The reasons you should offer benefits Yes, offering perks to y...