Business Growth

Advantages Of Online Learning It’s the time of year when people look back on 2018 and begin planning their training needs for 2019. To any business, knowledge is its greatest asset and the biggest key to achieving business goals. How can you better prepare your teams to perform in a highly competitive environment? Through training. During our in person events, we often hear questions about how to start a business, should I start a non-profit, do you know a good CPA, who is good at raising funds? In 2019, we are committed to providing you with online resources. We reviewed many online learning platforms, took the courses ourselves and are now offering online courses. Check out our on-line course tab on our website. All courses… • are designed for a wide array of learners • combine interactive exercises, videos, and real-world examples or case studies • provides access to an expert in a related field who will answer your questions within 24-hours—through “Ask the Expert” feature • have been approved for CFRE and/or CEU credits among others • are available 24/7 via the Mobile app What are the top 5 benefits of on-line learning? 1. You can learn whatever you want! With online education, you can take any program or course present in traditional four-year universities. For example, let’s say you’re mostly interested in starting a non profit or growing your for – profit business. All it takes is a Google search for such online course, and you’ll easily find the online programs offered by some of the most prestigious universities from all around the world. The great variety of online programs and courses is a huge advantage of this type of education. It doesn’t matter where you live and what you want to study – you can always find a suitable course or even a degree program that you can follow from home. 2. Comfort. Forget about attending classes for hours, sitting in an uncomfortable chair, and suffering from back pain by the end of the day. You will not be bound to physical class session when you opt for online education. All lectures and needed materials are provided via online platforms, so you’ll easily access them from the comfort of your home. 3. Online courses look great on a resume. It doesn’t matter where your career stands at this moment; an online program will always look good on your resume. It will show potential employers that you’re committed to learning and you’re eager to obtain more knowledge and new skills. 4. Self-paced...

Join Us @ WISH 99.7’s 1st Spring Show!  Inaugural WISH 99.7 Spring Home & Design Show Join Building Bridges for Business at The Galleria of Mt. Lebanon for the Inaugural WISH 99.7 Spring Home & Design Show! Building Bridges for Business, a non-profit 501c3, is proud to support our small business partners at this fun, worthwhile event. Visit our booth to meet Quigley Photography, Atlas Dreams Languages, Close to Home Cleaning and our very own U Can B program. Building Bridges is a 501(c)3 organization that educates and empowers through live and virtual business education, Coffee With Film Series on www.kdka.com/careertalk, U can B career education program for 6th -12th grade students, and Building the Bridges across the business and workforce ecosystem. Our mission is to strengthen the economic vitality of the region by providing educational programming and opportunities for small business and students to connect with vital business resources. The WISH 99.7 Spring Show provides a unique opportunity to feature the partners and small businesses that make our mission a reality. Spring is the perfect time to improve your home, show off your best projects and to learn something new. Close to Home Cleaning owner Sarah Harvey will be on hand to discuss spring cleaning options. Dan Quigley, owner of Quigley Photography will talk about ways to show off landscaping and your beautiful home projects. Atlas Dreams founder and CEO Zineb Outnouna will share options for expanding your horizons and learning a new language. Scott Albert of the Building Bridges for Business U can B Program will provide career tips, books, and resources to help you or your child make great career choices. Join us at the Inaugural WISH 99.7 Spring Home & Design Show. Also, take time to learn about a fantastic non-profit organization that is located right in the South Hills – South Hills Interfaith Movement (SHIM). They are the charity beneficiary for the show. It all tales place this weekend at the Galleria Mall in Mt. Lebanon! For more event information, visit http://www.wshh.com/2016springhomedesign.aspx. For more information about Building Bridges for Business, visit...

Building Bridges for Business Announces Participation in PA Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC)   Support education while helping your company’s financial position. What is EITC? A PA Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) program that provides state tax credits to eligible businesses for charitable contributions made to Building Bridges for Business and their teaching program U can B. Is my business eligible? If you do business in Pennsylvania and pay any of several corporate taxes, the answer is Yes. How can I make EITC work for me and my business? Visit the PA DCED website for EITC Guidelines and access to DCED’s electronic Single Application system. Once you are approved* by DCED, make your contribution Building Bridges for Business. What’s the bottom line? Tax credits equal to 75% of your contribution up to a maximum of $750,000 per taxable year; can be increased to 90% of your contribution, if your business agrees to provide the same amount for two consecutive tax years. *Applications are approved on a first-come-first-served basis by date received, and approved until available tax credits are exhausted. EITC – Tax Credits Email us at...

Three Ways to Maximize Your Facebook Reach You’ve had your Facebook brand page for months, invited your friends and received some initial Likes, filled in your About section and started posting here and there – but after that first couple months when your total Likes and overall reach started to taper, you began to wonder – What is this doing for my business? The truth is – if you aren’t doing anything with Facebook, it probably won’t do anything for you. A hammer purchased and then left in the tool box won’t drive any nails, after all. But rest easy – these three simple tips can help you boost your online image, spur your Facebook growth, manage your relationships, heighten your visibility and – ultimately – drive your sales. 1. Reward Your Audience – Whether you offer a coupon or simply just mention your audience members, a little reward can go a long way. Try creating a ‘Fan of the Week’ or ‘Fan of the Day’ to create interpersonal engagement that drives Likes to your page. If people see their friends are getting rewarded, odds are they’ll want a free slice of pie too! You’ll also want to make sure you’re providing your audience with a mix of information they can use in their daily lives, in addition to promotions for your business. If you make it about THEM, they’ll make it about YOU. 2. Keep Your Content Fresh – If you don’t update your content regularly, your page will fall by the wayside and people will have no reason to check on it, aside from never being reminded about your presence on their newsfeed. How often you post a photo, status, link or event may depend on how busy things are for you, but don’t forget that the social space is all about sharing. Ask your audience how they are, share industry news, and talk about current events with a spin that ties your business into the equation. The Web is near infinite, so you should never really have an excuse not to have something to say. At the very least, post 2-3 times a week – but not more than 2-3 times a day (people don’t like to be bombarded either). 3. Be Proactive – Many argue that the social media space is a new public relations function – and PR is all about establishing and maintaining relationships. Keep in mind that it’s highly likely that no one is looking for your page, which means you have to invite them in. Ask your friends to give you a Like and connect with other local non-competing businesses and non-profit organizations by Liking their page and sharing their content. Facebook is all about taking the initiative to start a conversation and then making the effort to keep it going! These three tips should help you get your Likes up, improve your reach and boost traffic to your page – but it’s important to have realistic expectations and to be patient. If you keep yourself focused and have a daily or weekly social media plan that utilizes all of these ideas, keeps you focused, and efficiently maximizes your gains by minimizing your time spent, you can expect realistic growth in your numbers and carry that over to your...

Americans have always taken pride in having the best-educated workforce in the world, but now that is no longer true. In Tough Choices, Tough Times, the New Commission on the Skills of the American Workforce reports that over the past 30 years one country after another has surpassed the United States in the percentage of its population entering the workforce with the equivalent of a high school diploma, and many more countries are on the verge of doing so. Thirty years ago, the U.S. could lay claim to having 30 percent of the world’s population of college students. Today that proportion has fallen substantially, to 14 percent, and continues to decline. American students place anywhere from the middle of the pack to the bottom in all three continuing comparative studies of achievement in mathematics, science, and general literacy among advanced industrial nations. Students from low-income families are six times more likely not to finish high school than those from high-income families. Dropouts face severe obstacles to employment, livable wages, and civic participation; instead, many drift into crime. This situation means a loss of opportunities for the individuals, substantial cost to the govern¬ment and taxpayers, and a decline in productivity for businesses. Even those students who do graduate may not be well prepared. According to the National Reading Panel, American companies lose nearly $40 billion annually due to il¬literacy. A survey by the National Occupational Information Coordinating Com¬mittee and the National Career Development Association found that a majority of students report feeling unprepared in skills, knowledge, and attitudes upon entering the...

What is the Benefit of Utilizing Virtual Employees? With today’s market taking advantage of technology, more employees are working from home. The benefits for an employee working remotely can include the following: • Minimizing gas expense to get to and from work as well as parking expenses. • Minimizing the dress expense. • Potentially the ability to flex around family and appointments. • A more balanced lifestyle. • Generally a higher morale. The benefits to an employer: • Doesn’t have to rent office space for employees. • Has the ability to recruit for a position nationwide rather than geographically which gives the employer a bigger talent pool. Here are a few tips to ensure success with virtual employees: 1) Performance-based goals: Micromanagement with virtual employees does not need to occur. Getting a better understanding of how an employee will structure their day working from their remote offices as well as setting up performance-based goals can eliminate micromanagement and set up an employee for success. 2) Frequent and regular communication: The employee needs to know they are part of the organization. Include the employee in conference calls as well as set up a weekly time to touch base will help an employee feel they are part of the organization. 3) Adequate tools: A broadband connection is a requirement these days. Is a video camera needed for conference calls? Not all cell phones provide solid connections, so make sure the communication path is a good one! Does the employee have a company platform that needs to be used? Is a webinar platform required for the...