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How To's
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Ask ACEAsk ACE: How can we encourage employees to stay with us longer?
Updated: January 4, 2024Holly Smevog, a member of the Association for Consulting Expertise, recommends how employers can help workers manage stress and ultimately stay engaged in their jobs.
Updated: January 4, 2024
Ask ACEAsk ACE: How do I prepare for a first conversation with a new sales prospect?
Updated: December 8, 2023When it comes to meeting with a new sales prospect, asking the right questions during prospecting or discovery will help you get to their needs and improve your chances of closing the sale.
Updated: December 8, 2023
Ask ACEAsk ACE: How should I focus my marketing efforts?
Updated: January 9, 2023When launching a one-person business as a coach, consultant or freelancer, start with your current connections and move out from there, says Emily Brackett, president of Visible Logic. Make your marketing personal. Your clients will hire you because
Updated: January 9, 2023
Ask ACEAsk ACE: What legal tools are available to manage risk in my small professional service business?
Updated: July 21, 2023ACE board member Carrie Yardley offers advice for how to protect a small professional services business.
Updated: July 21, 2023
Ask ACEAsk ACE: What would the consulting life be like?
Updated: November 28, 2022With advice from Terry Johnson of Practical Decisions, Ask ACE tackles the challenges of starting a consulting practice.
Updated: November 28, 2022
Ask ACEAskACE: I’ve offered my employees more money, but they’re still leaving.
Updated: November 13, 2022ACE consultant Francis Eberle suggests going beyond the basics to address the reasons people leave a job.
Updated: November 13, 2022
Ask ACEAsk ACE: How do I communicate to my clients to keep a project moving?
October 12, 2022"Creating a clear agreement is a challenge that has vexed small businesses and consultants for years," writes Matthew Opuda, a board member for ACE. He offers a simple framework for businesses to follow.
October 12, 2022
Ask ACEAsk ACE: What can you tell me about B Corp certification?
Updated: October 3, 2022B Corp certification has become a hot topic. But, as an ACE consultant suggests, it requires companies to meet high standards of verified performance.
Updated: October 3, 2022
Ask ACEAsk ACE: How to brand yourself as a great employer
Updated: September 19, 2022ACE columnist and career coach Holly Smevog says the tight hiring market demands that employers "re-evaluate wages and develop a workforce plan that adds marketing to the budget."
Updated: September 19, 2022
How To'Step back, engage a coach': How to manage startup stress and encourage employee well-being
September 5, 2022"When we launched Great Diamond Partners, the most significant stress we faced was a result of a difference in perspective," says Steve Tenney, co-founder and CEO of the Portland-based wealth management firm.
September 5, 2022
Ask ACEAsk ACE: How do I spend grant money well?
Updated: September 5, 2022ACE consultant Carrie Yardley recommends that you "keep reading and writing until you understand what you’re paying for. Professional services agreements challenge a business owner to grasp unfamiliar technical concepts and language."
Updated: September 5, 2022
Ask ACEAsk ACE: How do I prepare myself financially to start a business?
Updated: August 8, 2022A contributor from the Association for Consulting Expertise advises a reader who's looking to shore up finances before taking the big plunge as an entrepreneur.
Updated: August 8, 2022
How ToHow to earn B Corp certification for your business
Updated: July 31, 2022In this guide from the 2022 Mainebiz Fact Book, an expert lays out the benefits and steps to becoming a B Corporation — an increasingly popular mark that says a company is working to make the world a better place.
Updated: July 31, 2022
How ToHow to create an in-depth cybersecurity defense system in 4 steps
Updated: August 18, 2023The chief technology officer of Unitil explains why better cybersecurity is important for all businesses, and what they can do to achieve it.
Updated: August 18, 2023
How ToHow to create a business plan using 3 key steps
Updated: September 21, 2022Guest columnist Chris Abbott of Camden National Bank offers a three-step process for drawing up a business plan.
Updated: September 21, 2022
Ask ACEAsk ACE: How do I develop a business strategy that contributes to my community?
Updated: July 11, 2022A member of the Association for Consulting Expertise advises a reader looking for a business strategy that balances profit with social purpose.
Updated: July 11, 2022
