Julie Rains's blog

How to Use Projects to Develop Your Employees

Standing at the intersection of company goals and employee-development needs is the opportunity to fulfill your business wish list through special projects.

Pros and Cons of Online Customer Product Reviews

Getting insights from fellow shoppers who may have the same needs and concerns as I do is invaluable: enter customer-written product reviews. But there are pros and cons.

Old Stuff: How to Kindly Receive and Reuse

Taking in free items can be a savvy, frugal move. Be on guard so that you won't be the not-so-proud owner of useless stuff.

How to Lay a Solid Foundation for Your Business

BrookStone is booming by equipping health care providers with electronic medical record (EMR) software along with backup and disaster recovery services.

How to Structure Merit Raises and Bonuses for Employees

Lead your employees and reward them for their efforts in a natural way.

Financial Risks and More in Global Sourcing

Global sourcing holds the promise of higher profits through cost savings on nearly any product imaginable. But risks lie in nearly every stage of the sourcing process.

What Dreams Mean About Personal Finance

Until recently, it had never occurred to me that dreams could offer insights into financial and career dilemmas. Then I had a dream that revealed a financial fear, and finally di

New Debit Card Rules

Debit-card rules are changing. You won’t notice the difference if you keep a cushion in your checking account, keep meticulous records of your balance and all pending tran

Global Sourcing Basics

Setting up global sourcing processes can be a herculean task, even for major corporations with deep working-capital and knowledge-base pockets. Here is what you need to know.

Lifestyle Employee Benefits with Payback

Wellness programs, employee assistance programs (EAPs), and more hold promise for boosting employee well-being and company profits.

Market Segmentation to Grow Customers, Sales, and Profits

Neil Lindsay, chief marketing officer for Sprint Prepaid Group, shares his approach to brand positioning, messaging, and go-to-market strategies.

Counting the Cost of 401(k) Plans

Sorting through the costs of 401(k) plans can be time consuming, but counting the expenses step by step can be helpful in deciding what type of plan to offer.

Making Your First Paycheck Work for You

Getting your first post-graduation paycheck can be exciting and unnerving. Find ways to fully support yourself -- either immediately or sometime in the future -- and b

How to Agree without Compromise

June is a popular month for weddings. During this time, many couples will probably hear that compromise is the key to a healthy relationship. I disagree.

Résumé Quirks to Embrace and Avoid

To gain deeper insight into a candidate's capabilities, try these techniques for evaluating candidates with just a few résumé and work-related quirks.

Why Stellar Service Alone Doesn't Produce Amazing Profits

If you're consistently providing stellar service but your cash flow is stagnating, here's what might be wrong and what you can do to produce higher profits.

High-Value Employee Benefits at a Reasonable Cost

Employee benefits can add 35% and more to payroll costs. Cutting benefits might be one way to trim expenses. But, there is more than one path to cost savings.

How Much After Healthcare Reform?

How much will healthcare reform cost or save your small business? It depends.

Book Review: The Twitter Job Search Guide

I’ve been reading, re-reading, and testing out Twitter techniques from The Twitter Job Search Guide. The book is densely packed with strategic and tactical advice t