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How To's
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How ToHow to: Protect your brand by trademarking
February 6, 2017Many business and service providers operate for years without considering whether they should trademark elements of their business. The most common way people think of (and see) trademarks are through logos. Think: New England Patriots or Apple
February 6, 2017
How ToHow To: Create opportunities that keep employees engaged
January 9, 2017People often ask how my 27-year career in the military influences my work in human resources and training in a credit union. Some expect a caricature of a hard-knock military officer barking out commands to keep people in line.
January 9, 2017- Ask ACE
Expanding a part-time business to full time
January 9, 2017Q: I have a promising part-time business, and I'd like to expand it to full time. I need to identify possible new customers and the competitors I might face in a larger market.
January 9, 2017 
How ToHow To: Run a more effective meeting
January 9, 2017I read an article a while back regarding the topic of meetings.
January 9, 2017
How ToPrepare a data center for disaster recovery
November 28, 2016The top 15 employers in the state of Maine are all medical centers, universities, financial institutions or government entities. All of these organizations have something else in common — they have serious privacy and security concerns and are under
November 28, 2016
How ToHow To: Develop a succession plan for a family business
November 14, 2016Consider this: Some 35% of Fortune 500 companies are family controlled, according to Conway Center for Family Business. Family businesses account for 64% of U.S. gross domestic product and generate 62% of the country's employment. They account for
November 14, 2016
How ToHow To: Create a good marketing plan
November 14, 2016Working with clients over the years has made me appreciate marketing as a key to success. The ability to create a great product isn't going to assure success. There are many great products and services that fail. You can't take the “build it and
November 14, 2016
How ToHow To: Make a successful media pitch in six easy steps
October 31, 2016Pitching a story to the media is a bit of a gamble. There's really no guarantee that a journalist is going to pick up on your story idea, no matter how great it is. Over the years, I've had some great media pitching successes and some complete
October 31, 2016
How ToHow To
October 17, 2016A while back, I caught up with a former employee. During our conversation he said, “I'm not even sure why you took so much time with me.” Caught off guard, I replied, “Because it's my job to help my employees be the best they can be.” Over the years
October 17, 2016
How ToHow To
October 17, 2016The Project Management Institute defines a Project Management Office as a “management structure that standardizes the project-related governance processes and facilitates the sharing of resources, methodologies, tools and techniques.”
October 17, 2016
How ToKeep an aging workforce on the job
September 19, 2016Keeping your workforce healthy and on the job is a simple tenant of productivity. However, studies clearly indicate that work-loss days increase with the age of the worker. Adhering to that simple tenet is therefore not so simple for businesses in
September 19, 2016
How ToStand out in a sea of sameness
September 19, 2016Oscar Wilde once said, “Be yourself. Everyone else is already taken.” In business, as in life, it pays to be memorable. Of course, you want to be remembered for the right things. Have you thought about what you'd like to be remembered for?
September 19, 2016
How To: Create a working business plan
September 5, 2016Many small business people think of the business plan as that thing they had to do to obtain financing for their business. While that is one way to describe a business plan, it isn't the right one. Business plans are not something that should be
September 5, 2016
How To: Finance the physical growth of your business
September 5, 2016At some point, spare bedrooms, home kitchens and cramped offices not only inhibit capacity, but also limit a company's stature. Investing in a commercial property or renovation can help operational efficiency as well as increase brand awareness,
September 5, 2016
How To: Communicate after a data breach
September 5, 2016While companies tend to have disaster recovery plans that emphasize restoring critical systems, communication plans are too often ignored until after a data breach. An oversight of this kind at the time of a breach can have a lasting negative impact
September 5, 2016
How To: Craft tax savings for breweries with the federal R&D credit
September 5, 2016Maine is the proud home of a number of microbreweries, with frequent startups placing us among the top breweries per capita in the nation. Legitimate reduction of income taxes is one way a new brewery can reduce a significant barrier to survival and
September 5, 2016
