Posts by bb4b_Pam

One of the biggest challenges entrepreneurs face as their businesses grow is learning to delegate tasks. By delegating what you don’t excel at, and focusing on what you do best, you in turn give your company the best opportunity to grow. But once you’ve made the decision to hire some help, do you go with an employee or a contractor? Both in-house staff and outsourcing present their own unique benefits and challenges for your company. Read on to discover which one is right for you. Employees offer the benefits of having a vested interest in your company and its growth. By sticking around longer, they learn the ins and outs of your business and your industry. They form relationships with other employees that help them to better communicate and collaborate on projects. Also, many contractors work remotely, but sometimes you need someone to be physically present to get the job done. Employees can also present some challenges. You’ll need to take into account benefits, workman’s compensation, Social Security, and healthcare coverage. Your company will need to provide office space, equipment, and other resources, such as training and software licensing. You also may not be able to afford the salary for someone who is as experienced as you might prefer. Outsourcing is great for giving a boost of expertise, knowledge, and ideas to your company that you might not otherwise have access to. Contractors can offer you fresh insights, especially for research and development projects. They can also provide experience that you might not be able to afford full time, or in specialized areas that your company needs to function, such as accounting, HR, IT, or training. Typically contractors can work with minimal supervision or input from you, and can hit the ground running as soon as you bring them on board. Outsourcing doesn’t require the same resources, such as space and benefits, that bringing on an employee does either, and ending the relationship, if necessary, is easier than firing an employee that has been integrated into your company. However, outsourcing does present its own share of challenges. While contractors may know their field, they can’t know your company as well as someone from the inside does. They may have their own ways of doing things that don’t work well with your established procedures. A contractor’s success depends on having many clients, so they won’t be as invested in the long-term success of your company as an employee is. Finally, if your company has an exit strategy that focuses on being acquired by a larger organization, employees can make an acquisition more attractive than a company built around contractors. Who to hire is an important decision for your company’s growth. Consider the benefits and challenges of employees and contractors carefully. You’ll likely find that your company needs a combination of both over its life cycle in order to succeed. Still need help figuring out which one is right for you? Contact Building Bridges for Business...

The Beauty Shoppe Rabih Helou is a former consultant and business owner with a curious obsession for making business serve the social good.  He is co-founder of The Beauty Shoppe, a coworking community with two locations in Pittsburgh’s East Liberty neighborhood. He has spent over 15 years consulting to a wide range of organizations in the private, public, and non-profit sectors in the US, Canada, Europe
 and the Middle East. Before co-founding The Beauty Shoppe Rabih Helou led several multi-million dollar business operations, including international development projects for the US Department of State, and as head of Middle East operations for a Strategy Consulting firm in NYC, a $25 million multi-year entrepreneurship initiative for 
the fastest growing mobile operator in the Middle East and North Africa. Rabih earned his PhD in Social Markets from the University of Maryland. In his free time he buys and renovates old houses, and can be found over-stretching his limbs at Bikram Yoga studios across the country. We offer inspired spaces, integral services, and access to a diverse network of creatives, entrepreneurs and small companies.  Whatever your size or industry, working with us gives you the freedom to focus on your business. We stress about the basics so you don’t have to. Explore The Beauty Shoppe through our Magazine, send The Beauty Shoppe an e-mail, connect with The Beauty Shoppe on twitter, or learn about becoming a member of The Beauty...

Starting a new Business – The best places to start a new business Starting a new business requires many factors to be in place, but the most important element is living in a state that has a business friendly environment. How easy your state makes it to become licensed is an important factor in determining your state’s friendliness to small business. Other factors are involved: economic growth, educated workforce, reasonable business costs, and effective training programs. New business owners, however, determined that the key to a pro-growth environment was business friendly government policies and strong incentive offerings. In a recent survey conducted by Thumbtack and the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, 12,000 small-business owners across 38 states responded on topics concerning how easy it was for them to start a new small business. Utah topped the list while Pennsylvania placed 33 in the overall rankings. As you are planning your business, start with an online search of Federal, State and Local licensing procedures. Each will have different requirements to follow. Know what is expected of you before you make your way to your local government office to file paperwork. Knowing what to expect up front and doing the legwork will make it easier on...

How Startups Succeed The number of small businesses that fail in their first five years is astronomical – 75% to 80%. What are these businesses doing, or not doing, to cause this failure? At Building Bridges for Business, we want to give you the information you need in order to succeed. Here are a few tips to get you thinking, and help startups succeed. Start off with a Business Plan that is complete. Don’t skip over any of the details. Know what you are getting yourself into and know how to fix the problems before you even get started, and help startups succeed. Startups succeed with thorough planning. Make sure your business plan includes a Marketing Plan. Know who your clients are and what kind of products and services they are looking for. Market to these people in the places they go. If your new business is selling cupcakes for weddings, don’t advertise in a home improvement magazine. If your new business is providing weight loss coaching, make sure your put up flyers at your local gym. Keep up with the newest social media platforms and always have an up-to-date website with new information. Remember, if your clients can’t find you, they can’t support you. Make it easy for them. In addition to your marketing plan, make sure you complete your expense reports. Calculate the amount of Capital you need to not only start a business but to remain in business. Keep in mind that your business may not make enough money to cover your expenses for the first few years. Many new business owners burn through their start-up money before their cash flow is positive. Seek the advice from financial experts in order to get these calculations correct. As a solo-preneur you have a big job in front of you. Not everyone can be all things to a business. You need various skills in order to succeed. Most importantly you need to be a Leader. Know what you are able to do yourself and hire others with the proper skills to do the rest. But don’t stop there. Continuing education for all concerned is mandatory to keep up with emerging technology and trends. Don’t assume you can do it all by yourself. Self-sabotage of a business is not pretty. By starting with these suggestions you may be well on your way to success. Don’t be a statistic. Be a business that succeeds because you did the proper planning and took the advice of experts. Let’s make it so ALL startups...

Sam Patti is the founder/owner of La Prima Espresso Company, an operation comprised of two espresso bars and one wholesale roasting facility. Sam is a veteran US Army officer. He has done graduate work in Italian Studies at Pitt and the University of Pennsylvania. For almost 40 years he has held a continuing interest in the field of Italian American Studies. He and wife Debra have raised three educated, purposeful young women. In 1988, Sam decided to open a storefront on 21st Street in the Strip District of Pittsburgh with the intention of selling and servicing commercial espresso machines. Over time, his store attracted locals who were drawn by the ambiance and authentic Italian-style espresso. The showroom evolved into an espresso bar which is still located at 205 21st Street. A second La Prima espresso bar has been providing Carnegie Mellon’s campus with high quality coffee for over twenty years at its kiosk in Wean Hall. As the company gained momentum, Sam purchased small batch roasters to begin roasting coffee out of the 21st Street location. Roasting needs grew and eventually the roasters were relocated to the Pittsburgh Produce Terminal on Smallman Street. The wholesale side of the company operated in the Strip District until 2013 when La Prima Espresso Co. purchased a building in the historic Manchester neighborhood on Pittsburgh’s North Side. La Prima Espresso Company strives to have a positive impact on the Pittsburgh community, partnering with organizations like Grow Pittsburgh and The Rachel Carson Homestead by donating one dollar for every pound of their individual blends that are sold. In 2007, La Prima became a certified organic roasting facility by Pennsylvania Certified Organic and Fair Trade certified by...