How Long Will the “Great Resignation” Last?

Barclays US Consumer Bank’s “Small Business, Big Wins” Campaign is Down to 10 Finalists!

More than 4,700 small business owners entered Barclays US Consumer Bank’s “Small Business Big Wins”  romotion in February and March. Judges have since narrowed the field to 10 finalists vying for a $60,000 grand prize.

The promotion invited small businesses from across the nation to share how they met the unique demands of 2021 for a chance to win the grand prize or one of many cash prizes. The total prize fund for the promotion is $255,000.

Here’s your chance to get involved. From April 13 through April 22, the public will have a chance to review the stories of the top-10 finalists and vote for their favorite small business at BarclaysSmallBizBigWins.com.

The announcement of contest winners for the top 10 will take place on May 3 to coincide with National Small Business Week. In addition to the top-10 prize fund, all businesses outside of the top 10 that submitted qualifying entries were entered in a random drawing to win one of 50 $2,000 sweepstakes prizes.

For more information and to vote for the finalists, visit BarclaysSmallBizBigWins.com. Best of luck to the small business finalists!

How to Negotiate With Jerks

Make ‘em laugh. While that sounds like good career advice for an aspiring comedian, you may think it has nothing to do with entrepreneurship. But you’d be wrong.

According to an article in Fast Company, intriguingly titled, “5 tactics that can help you negotiate with jerks,” in a negotiation, the other party may not be acting in good faith. When that happens, a business professor who teaches negotiation skills says, “humor is a powerful tool,” defusing the tension and breaking the ice.

Read more about how you can better “negotiate with jerks.”

5 Easy Steps to Clear Computer Clutter

It’s still early enough in the season for you to do some spring cleaning—especially if you’re a procrastinator like me. I’m not telling you to break out the vacuum, though; I’m talking about clearing the clutter off your computer.

PCMag.com offers five thorough but simple steps to purge and organize your computer, including getting rid of unused apps and how to sort and organize your computer’s files.

In the end, you’ll be more efficient, productive, and have a zippier computer.

Read more about cleaning your computer.

How Long Will the “Great Resignation” Last?

While CNBC reports the “Great Resignation” is still in full swing, there may be signs it peaked at the end of 2021.

That’s the view of Daniel Zhao, senior economist at Glassdoor, a career site. Zhao told CNBC that while “the high demand for workers shows little sign of abating, it may have plateaued. But that’s not to say we should expect the Great Resignation to disappear overnight.”

For your small business to be competitive, you need to know what’s driving employees to look for greener pastures and how to keep them on board.

Read more about the “Great Resignation.”

6 Ways to Save at the Pump

I live in New Jersey, which used to boast about its fairly reasonable gas prices (and a state law that forbids self-service), but now, like the rest of the country, getting gas gives me sticker shock. And I know it’s even worse for my California friends.

But there are ways to save—and who better to tell us how than the folks at Consumer Reports? They share six ways to save money at the pump.

Read more about keeping your gas expenses down.

Resource of the Week: Small Business Help From SCORE

SCORE has the largest network of free volunteer small business mentors in the nation. No matter what stage your business is in, you can easily request a mentor to help you start, grow, or transition your small business.

Plus, their website is filled with valuable small business information, templates, advice, webinar links, a library, and the Resilience Hub, which offers training, resources, and remote mentoring to help small businesses adapt and succeed.

Learn more about SCORE and find a mentor.