News & Resources

Headphones in the office – positive or negative?

Article courtesy of SBAM Approved Partner ASEBy Joe DeSantis Studies are showing that wearing headphones or ear buds to shut out ambient noise in an open office can be a good thing or a bad …

August 8, 2012

Employers beware when it comes to social media in the workplace

(By Julie Mann and David J. Houston. From SBAM’s member-only Focus on Small Business magazine.Historically, we have seen that “law” lags “life.” What this means is that cases do not make it to and through …

July 27, 2012

Improving your employees’ customer service skills! Advice Friday on the free Business Next audio seminar

SBAM’s Michael Rogers talks with business consultant Tom Borg about phone answering techniques for your small business, the importance of greeting customers at the door and appropriate ways to deals with customer complaints. Also on …

July 23, 2012

Steven Strauss: 5 things to know before starting a business

Question: Everything I read about this ‘starting a business’ stuff is so peachy. But it seems pretty hard to me. So what do they not tell you that I should know before I jump in?Answer: …

July 20, 2012

SBAM on President Obama: “Yet another example of his mistrust of free enterprise.”

SBAM President and CEO Rob Fowler:It would be charitable to agree with President Obama’s defenders that his July 13 statement “If you’ve got a business -- you didn’t build that…somebody else made that happen” was …

July 20, 2012

The future of recruitment: Talent circles

Article courtesy of SBAM Approved Partner ASEBy Anthony Kaylin Job boards are on the way out and their replacement is on the way in.Today there are over 50,000 job boards. Yet job board traffic has …

July 11, 2012

Registration is open for SBAM’s annual golf outing

Join SBAM at its annual golf outing for a fun day benefiting the Small Business Foundation of Michigan. This great event supports the Foundation's main project, the annual Entrepreneurship Score Card, as well as other …

July 10, 2012

Negligent hiring makes hiring more risky

Article courtesy of SBAM Approved Partner AdvanceHRNegligent hiring lawsuits: They're becoming popular among people who are harmed when an employee acts irresponsibly.With more and more cases of negligent hiring heard in courtrooms, here are some …

July 4, 2012

Upcoming free webinars from SBAM partner ASE

Join SBAM approved partner ASE for three webinars on a variety of human resources topics. Each webinar airs at 2:00pm Eastern time.July 11th: Creating a Training Program and Learning Culture in Your OrganizationJuly 18th: Preparing …

June 29, 2012

SBAM Small BIZ PAC list of endorsements for Aug. 7 Primary

SBAM's Small BIZ PAC has endorsed candidates for the Aug. 7 primary election. In addition, in some races the Small BIZ PAC has designated multiple candidates as receiving the “SBAM Stamp of Approval.” The Small …

June 28, 2012

“ObamaCare” ruling a setback for small business job creators

The Small Business Association of Michigan (SBAM) joined with representatives from National Federation of Independent Businesses and the Michigan Chamber to deliver a strong message that today’s ruling by the Supreme Court to uphold Obama’s …

June 26, 2012

SBAM welcomes 29 new members

This week, SBAM is excited to announce the addition of 29 new members to the association. Twenty-four members joined for an exclusive member-only benefit including group health insurance, COBRA administration or tuition discounts through Davenport …

June 25, 2012

Hear inspiring words from House Speaker Jase Bolger at SBAM’s annual meeting. Monday on Business Next!

Excerpts of the keynote address delivered by House Speaker Jase Bolger at the Small Business Association of Michigan annual meeting in Lansing on June 21. Also from the annual meeting, Yan Ness, CEO of Online …

June 25, 2012

Steven Strauss: CGI

Question: When I watch these so-called “civil servants” in Washington talk about the economy and creating jobs and whose fault it is and so on, I am reminded of that old joke – everybody talks …

June 22, 2012

SBAM part of coalition that files challenge to radical proposed rewrite of State Constitution

Citizens Protecting Michigan’s Constitution (CPMC), a diverse group of job creators, taxpayers and organizations on June 21 asked Secretary of State Ruth Johnson to reject the petition filed last week by Lansing special interests to …

June 21, 2012

SBAM honors legislative leader, introduces new officers and board members at 43rd SBAM Annual Meeting in Lansing

The Small Business Association of Michigan (SBAM) at its June 21 annual meeting and networking luncheon presented its Legislator of the Year award to Rep. Jeff Farrington. “Representative Farrington is yet another example of a …

June 20, 2012

SBAM opposes 25 percent Renewable Energy Constitutional Mandate

SBAM strongly opposes the proposed ballot initiative mandating that Michigan energy providers produce at least 25 percent of their electricity from renewable sources by 2025, association officials announced today. The proposal would lock the 25 percent …

June 18, 2012

Hot new social media tips for small business owners. Monday on Business Next!

Michael Rogers talks with Sharlan Douglas, president of the Douglas Communications Group, and gets state-of-the-art advice on how small business owners can tap into the tools of social media to grow their sales and business …