• Supportive CEO – If management doesn’t buy-in and show active support, then the employee base will not either.
• Program champion/guru – This individual will be the “personal trainer” for the organization and will have the ability to help people with their efforts and get them involved in the program.
• Initial health survey – gives important insight into what matters to the employees; what concerns do they have about their health. 
• Physical activity – Provide opportunities that encourage activity regularly in the workplace
• Eating education – Include activities or methods that will educate employees on healthy eating habits and be sure that food offered in the workplace matches what you are teaching
• Convenient information – Provide access to reading materials or other self-regulated tools that will continue the education process
• Health newsletter – Present the ongoing results or success stories as a periodic newsletter
• Company health policies – Include health policies as a part of the company procedures and policies
• Community health events – Take an active role in community activities as participant and partner

•  Have a high concern for all party interests and search for mutually inclusive solutions.
• Develop self-awareness and, if possible, prepare yourself for the negotiation or confrontation.
• Clarify what needs are being threatened by the conflict.
• Identify a place that is safe and, preferably, neutral territory.
• Take a listening stance. Be prepared to actively hear what the other party is saying.
• Assert your needs with clarity.
• Approach the interaction with flexibility.  Be open-minded.
• Manage impasses with calm, patience, and respectful behavior.
• Build an agreement that works highlighting areas of mutual importance.

These guidelines will prevent you from being walked on and help you to be open to the solutions and needs of the other party. To read the full article , visit NAWBO online.

Most people have seen the circled letters on ads or job applications. But does everybody know what they mean? And from a small business perspective, what is the implication to business practices?

•  Title VII of the Civil Rights Act 1964 (Title VII) – Prohibits discrimination based on race, sex, religion, national origin, or color. This law applies to businesses with 15 or more employees. :
• Equal Pay Act of 1963 (EPA) – Men and women must be paid equal pay for substantially equal work within the same organization. This act applies to businesses with 20 or more employees. The most inclusive of the group, this law applies to most businesses with one or more employees.
• Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (ADEA) – Individuals 40 years or older are a protected group. This law applies to businesses with 20 or more employees.
• Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Sections 501 & 505 – Protects qualified individuals with disabilities that work within the federal government.
• Title I & Title V of the Americans with Disabilities Act 1991 (ADA) – Protects qualified individuals with disabilities that work within the private sector and local and state governments. This law applies to businesses with 15 or more employees.
• Civil Rights Act of 1991 – Provides monetary damages for those found to be intentionally discriminated against.

• Make final federal tax deposits
• File final employee pension/benefit plan, final quarter or annual employment tax return and final tip income and allocated tips information return (if applicable)
• Issue final wage and tax withholding to employees and payment information to any subcontractors
• Report from W-2’s and 1099’s issued
• Report capital gains and losses, partners’ or shareholders’ shares, corporate dissolution or liquidation, and sale of business assets or other exchange of property.

• The Business – This section should tell the reader why the business exists and what it is going to do to stay in existence. An internal analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the business coupled with an external examination of the opportunities and threats that are at force in the business environment is appropriate for this section. An explanation of the overall strategy of the business and specifically the marketing strategy will also help the reader understand where the business is trying to go and how it intends to get there.
• Financial Data – The financial data should include past, present, and future views. A three-year summary will show how the business has previously performed. A current balance sheet and capital equipment list will define the business in this moment in time. Pro-forma income statements and cash flows will demonstrate the future potential of the business. 
• Supporting Documents – Essentially the appendix of the plan, this should include previous tax filings, contract agreements, such as sales or leases, and résumés of the major principals.

• Women, especially single women, are rightfully having products and services designed and marketed with their needs and opinions. One group that has been lagging in this move is the non-profit sector. The 2007 book The She Spot: Why Women Are the Market for Changing the World—And How to Reach Them by Lisa Witter and Lisa Chen gives several reasons why this sector should stop ignoring women.
• Women’s Economic Clout is Rising – As mentioned above; women are responsible for a large majority of the purchasing decisions. But this doesn’t mean they are just spending their husbands’ money. One out of four women out-earns her spouse. Women earning more than $100,000 per year were the fastest growing income segment over the last decade. 
• Women Care –And Give – Almost more important than who has the money, is who gives the money. A survey of 400 businesswomen found that more than half donate $25,000 or more a year and 19% donate $100,000.  Women aren’t just giving money, but their time also. In the public sector, women head more than half the foundations in the country and hold 70% of the program officer positions.
• Women Pay It Forward – Women are more likely to recommend a product to a family member or friend. Powerful word of mouth advertising is second nature to most.
• Women Volunteer More of Their Time – In a 2005 study, 32.4% of women did volunteer work compared to 25% of men. More women than men engage in volunteer work across every state, education level, and age group.

Organizations have opportunities to innovate around one or all of these areas. The Innovation Center challenges their participants to list one way they can innovate in each of the areas. At the very least, this exercise get most organizations thinking about and truly understanding their business model in new ways. A better understanding of the business will lead to better innovation. Louis Pasteur once said, “Chance favors the prepared mind.” Click to learn more about The Innovation Center and what Robert Newhart is hollering about.