Michael Giuffrida

Image source: express.co.uk Things are looking up for the Boston Celtics these NBA playoffs. After a regular season replete with issues on chemistry and on-court bickering, the team seems to have found its stride, mused entertainment writer Mike Giuffrida. The Celtics breezed past the first round, defeating Indiana via a sweep. Moreover, as of this writing, they’ve blown out top-seeded Bucks in the first game of the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. A huge part of Boston’s newfound success is the sense of focus they’ve gained after losing Marcus Smart to injury in the first round. The loss of its starting two-way player and defensive stalwart seemed to have rallied and galvanized the team and led the players to trust one another anew. Even though Jayson Tatum has yet to be consistent on offense these playoffs, the improved game of players like Kyrie Irving, Terry Rozier, Al Horford, and Marcus Morris are more than noticeable. Image source: celticsblog.com Of...

One of the biggest mistakes small business owners make is neglecting to come up with a yearly budget. This is different from the one, three, and five-year projections made before opening the company. The annual budget takes into account all the things that take place while the business is actually running. It’s this yearly budget that allows owners to make some adjustments to the business. More or less, it can be considered a "readjusted operating budget." Alongside these invaluable operation tweaks, owners can also see the bigger picture and have confidence in the business. Image source: business.com The readjusted operating budget may take a lot of work, so it is best to start with simple numbers at first. Predict both revenue and revenue growth and list direct costs (costs of products sold and the expenses for their delivery). More often than not, numbers, especially for the first year, will only show the business either breaking even or at a loss (if the...

For two decades now, the email has been one of the main avenues of communication in business for good reason. Emails are messages that can be sent and read instantaneously, and provide an unprecedented level of convenience. Image source: information-age.com Nowadays, it’s common practice for some companies to have their employees access the company email on their personal mobile phones. It’s common practice—but is it good practice? Is it safe? What are the chances that other people outside the company will take advantage of the company email? These are questions a number of managers have been trying to answer. This is one of the reasons the AUP or acceptable use policy exists in companies. And this needs to be emphasized as soon as an employee starts training to be a regular part of the company. Employees need to understand their responsibility and put it in black and white by signing the AUP. Companies also need to have plans in place if an employee loses his mobi...

What happens in monthly financial tallies is the result of day-to-day financial management. There are a lot of consequences business owners could face if they don’t properly manage their daily financial activities. Their business can slowly bleed, resources could be misallocated, and revenues would not be as big as they expected. According to financial expert Michael Giuffrida, business owners, especially of small enterprises, should know the importance of effective daily financial monitoring. Here are some day-to-day finance tips for small businesses. Image source: foundersgrid.com Hire a trustworthy bookkeeper Not everyone who goes into business has a knack for accounting and finance. This is why business owners should consider hiring a bookkeeper to help give them a transparent look at their finances. Not only can a bookkeeper have the business’ finances on track, but they can also make suggestions on assets that can be improved upon. Actively evaluate employee r...

Image source: Pixabay.com   It’s the era of cloud technology, and businesses have started making the big shift in handling their data and moving some or all of those resources in the cloud. But is it still right and helpful for a business to maintain a server in the workplace, or is it better to move everything on the cloud? First, it’s important to know the pros and cons of riding the cloud. The positive side: resources are equally accessible from anyone and anywhere, as long as there’s sufficient internet access speed. Data backup as well as redundancy can be made much simpler with proper configuration, while there’s also the ability to add resources such as memory, disk space, and processor at the mere touch of a button. Image source: Pixabay.com   As for the cons, accessing server resources requires a highly robust internet connection if most employees are located in the office. If the internet connection goes down, office productivity also...

Image source: proinsuranceflorida.com Just last year, Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy led the establishing of a strategy to protect the state from cyber security attacks. Given the rampant increase of cyber attacks globally, this landmark move is most-welcome. The strategy comes with a detailed plan that discusses steps the government should follow not just to be prepared for any cyber attack, but ways to mitigate damages if it does occur. The document came with specific strategies for such industries as financial services, higher education, and insurance, which play a big role in the state’s economy. Governor Malloy went on record saying, "We must defend ourselves, which demands new habits and sensibilities. At the same time, we can never stop inventing and investing in knowledge and systems that improve our lives and ability to compete." Business leaders must, therefore, ask critical questions that are in line with the government’s cyber security strate...

It can prove very difficult to accept that a prospective sales client has given you a definite “no” answer, because it often makes sales persons feel that all their efforts have gone to waste.   But this is also an occasion to move on, to finally be liberated and now focus on other possible clients.   Sometimes the no comes during the later stage of proposal delivery, which can be doubly frustrating.   At this point the client has already received everything from your side, but there’s still that chance that the he or she would back out.   Adopting a move-on mindset may be the best way to deal with such situations.   For example, if the proposal has been sent and remains dormant or not acted upon for a significant amount of time, then it’s most likely that you’ve lost that sale and it’s time to move forward.   In other words, be practical and pragmatic. Of course, there’s no harm is giving it one last try and simply asking.   Don’t apply a ...