Ray Titus

article

How will your company's management change as baby boomers continue to retire and are replaced by Gen X and millennial leaders? Here are suggestions to prepare your workplace for the new generations.

article

Here are seven things to look for when seeking a potential business partner.

article

You may be doing business in another country, and there may be some local customs that differ from what is done in the States, but it’s still your brand, and it still needs to be recognizable abroad.

expert panel

Consider these best practices to enhance your business focus. Spring cleaning in the workplace is more than just getting rid of old files, so you can consolidate your space. It can also be an annual ritual for leaders and teams to renew their mindset and create smarter, more efficient ways to conduct business operations and satisfy their customers' biggest pain points. In the long term, decluttering your physical business space and readjusting old procedures and thinking patterns can free your time to focus on what matters most for your company to succeed. Eleven leading experts from Fast Company Executive Board share the same sentiment. Here, they discuss their plans for spring cleaning and what they hope to accomplish by doing so.

article

Big goals and small, productive steps are not mutually exclusive. You need both. Here's why.

article

The right time to change is before you have to—otherwise, you risk going the way of the dinosaurs.

expert panel

Strive to offer your customers (and employees) the best, even with a lean workforce.  When department leaders focus on building better relationships and providing the best resources to support their front-line employee service workers, they may help reduce stress levels, boost morale, and improve a higher-performance level on the job.  Whether your company is thriving through a peak season or facing uncertain challenges, Fast Company Executive Board members have 15 tips to encourage team members to provide quality customer service, even if you're short on staff.

expert panel

Here are 11 factors to consider before you open a second or third location. If revenue streams are increasing at your flagship location, then your business may be ripe for an expansion. But just because business is booming doesn't mean you should make assumptions about your potential to succeed in a new market (locally or globally).  Taking on additional overhead should be a strategic decision that is driven by potential new revenue, a decrease in expenses, or provides a competitive advantage to make the company a standout. Below are essential questions that Fast Company Executive Board members urge you to ask yourself before you move forward with the right plans to grow the business.

expert panel

These crucial factors will contribute to the organization's ability to thrive and make the necessary improvements, year after year. Taking a mid-year stock of your company's latest goals, accomplishments and challenges in the industry is a typical process that every leader and their team must engage in to enable the establishment to survive.  But why wait until mid-year? Planning ahead of the assessment season to find innovative solutions that will push your company's growth—whether you're experiencing an economic downturn or the business is booming—is the best way to move forward!  Here are nine items that leaders from Fast Company Executive Board always like to consider in their efforts to help the company continue to meet its objectives. 

article

Without a doubt, small business owners excel at hard work and deliver on goods and services. As I like to say, we're not in the reality business, we're in the real-world business, and all indications are that things are picking up tremendously.

expert panel

Follow these tips to attract the right people, gain credibility, and elevate your business. When you are just starting out in the market, it may be hard to achieve immediate recognition as the newest player on the field or compete for clients in a crowded space. To pique consumer interest in an oversaturated space, you can study behavior patterns to carve your niche, but it is going to take more than free product samples or a trial membership to get consumers to support your brand and stick with you for the long haul.  Below, 15 members of Fast Company Executive Board offer their advice on how to boost your brand to appeal to clients in the marketplace. 

expert panel

Set your terms and conditions early to achieve a positive partnership and maximize outcomes. As you continue to network and market the business, you may be open to innovative ventures and exciting opportunities that come your way to boost the company's platform and share its products or services even further. At first glance it may seem like a good idea to join forces with a new alliance in business, but how much do you really know about your potential partner's financial track record, its commitment to customer satisfaction, and whether it shares your same core values and views on what it takes to maintain success in the marketplace?  That's why 13 Fast Company Executive Board members want to point out additional key factors that leaders must consider in the decision-making process prior to signing the next deal.