by Cathy Sedacca

As a business owner, you get to do all the glamorous things that go hand-in-hand with your lofty position. Things like working longer hours, resolving sticky HR issues, and making tough hiring and firing calls.

At least you get a primo parking spot, right?

But of all the tough duties that business owners face, there’s one that many find consistently challenging and decidedly un-fun: holding employees accountable.

Unfortunately, you never have to hold employees accountable for doing things they like to do or are good at.

The challenge lies in asking people to follow through on things that are not fun and/or things they aren’t skilled at.

That leaves you to play the role of the office “heavy.” And nobody wants that title.

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by John McDonald

One of the most entertaining aspects of the Winter Olympics is that we often find ourselves cheering for unknown athletes competing in largely unfamiliar events. And although these athletes and their sports grab the world spotlight for only a short time, they often make lasting impressions.

The latest example from PyeongChang was Duluth, Minn.-native John Shuster, who on Saturday led Team USA’s curling team to their first-ever gold medal.

Although Shuster seemingly came out of nowhere to lead the U.S. team to victory, he is actually quite well known on the world curling stage.

Among his accomplishments is serving as U.S skipper (team captain) on four world championship teams that never finished worse than fifth in any of the prestigious tournements.

But in the Olympics, where he served as U.S skipper for the past three Winter Games, he had struggled mightily.

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by Cathy Sedacca

In the spirit of full disclosure, I must admit that I’ve probably watched more Puppy Bowls than Super Bowls the last several years. But this year, with the big game in our backyard, I definitely paid more attention to both the hoopla surrounding the event and the game itself.

And it got me thinking: What if businesses were run more like professional football teams?

What might that look like?

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by Karen Turnquist

“While the yield curve has not yet inverted, the bond market is telling us that the odds of a recession are increasing.”

—Neel Kashkari, Minneapolis Fed President, Dec. 18, 2017

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“We expect the U.S. economy to continue to expand at about 2.5% in 2018, supported by improved business spending, better global growth, and business-friendly fiscal policy.”

—The Weekly Economic Market Commentary, Dec. 11, 2017

So, which is it? Economic disaster or full-steam ahead?

A look into my own crystal ball (aka historic economic data) tells me the answer is both.

The Dow hit a record high last week—going above 25,000 for the first time ever. But at some point, inevitably, the economy will slump, markets will suffer a “correction” and valuations will fall.

And when it does, business owners will find reaching their business objectives is much more difficult.

So where does that leave us now?

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by Cathy Sedacca

In my past professional life in a large corporation, I worked as part of a team that was considered a “cost center.” On its face, the name implied we were sort of a necessary evil. But, unfortunately, it was more than just an ill-conceived moniker.

Whenever our manager wanted to reward us for the work we had done, she had to fight upper management tooth and nail to spend money on things as trivial as a lunchtime pizza party.

Meanwhile, the company’s “profit center” departments enjoyed what appeared to be unlimited expense budgets when it came to their choice of opulent rewards, travel accommodations and food.

I never quite understood the inequity. I saw both the cost and profit centers working together toward a common goal—neither able to accomplish the company’s goals without the other.

And the truth was no one in our department expected lavish rewards. We simply wanted to feel appreciated for our hard work.

I do recall one manager who did communicate her appreciation during my time at that company. She sat me down and expressed some really nice things about me and the work I had done.

It’s funny; I don’t remember the words she used, but I still—20 years later—vividly remember how she made me feel.

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by Cal Walker

My recent foray into the job market, which, I’m happy to say, concluded with me joining Sage offered a valuable first-hand look into today’s job market.

I learned a lot—both good and bad—about what organizations are doing to attract job applicants.

Let’s be clear: Unless you’re an Amazon or Google, attracting top talent can be a difficult challenge. There’s stiff competition and online tools have made it easier than ever for employees to find new and better opportunities.

Because I work closely with Sage’s many growing entrepreneurial clients, I know it’s also a challenge that they often face.

With that in mind, here are five suggestions for attracting and landing your top job candidates:

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Calvin Walker

John McDonald

Sage Business Credit is proud to welcome the newest member of its professional staff Portfolio Manager Cal Walker.

Cal left a career in banking to join Sage because of a desire to help small-business owners in ways beyond just financing.

“I like Sage’s hands-on approach when it comes to working with small businesses,” Cal said. “In my banking career, my ability to help was mostly limited to lending. But Sage digs in and looks for ways to help businesses grow. That’s much more rewarding.”

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by Cathy Sedacca

At a time when it’s increasingly difficult to find common ground on even the most innocuous topics, here’s something we can all agree on:

Stepping on a LEGO brick while barefoot is simply the worst.

The worst.

As the mother of two daughters, it’s an experience with which I’m much too familiar. And while it’s caused me to exclaim some not-so-motherly things in the past, I’m taking a new approach to future encounters: I’m using it as a reminder about an important life lesson.

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For Sage Senior Vice President, Melissa Gotchnik, participating in the MS 150 bike ride was a life goal—and a very personal one.

 “My mom was diagnosed with MS about 20 years ago. So riding in the MS 150 was something I’ve always wanted to do for her,” Melissa said. “But I’d never been able to dedicate the time necessary to do it.”

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