Sunday, August 27, 2017

Why Celebrating Labor Day needs to Include Small Business!


Labor Day is when we celebrate the 
American Worker. 
We honor the many contributions they have made, and continue to make, to the strength and resilience of our country.

We recognize their struggles to make a life for themselves and their families. We admire their work ethic and their focus. And we realize that without their hard work, our nation could not function.


As Small Business owners we understand this. We know that without our employees, we cannot succeed. We value what they bring to our companies and try hard to reward their dedication.

As a group, Small businesses employ many different types of workers. They hire employees just entering the job market; full-time, part-time, temporary and seasonal workers; those looking to re-enter the workforce; and even non-traditional employees.


That is why at Access Profiles we believe that when we celebrate Labor Day, we should also be celebrating Small Business! 

3 Reasons why Small Business & Labor Day are Perfect Partners:
  • Small Businesses are Vital to our EconomySmall Business employs “over 50% of the current working population (according to Forbes) and have created more than 63% of the new jobs in the U.S. since 1993” (www.sba.gov).
  • Small Businesses Recognize the Importance of their EmployeesSmall Business owners recognize the need to appreciate their employees.  They work more closely and rely more heavily on them than bigger businesses.
  • Small Business Owners Embody and Reward a Strong Work EthicThey recognize hard work in others because they need to work hard themselves.
Learn more about why Small Business is so important to our country and its workers in “Labor Day and Small Business are a Perfect Partnership”!

It is for those reasons that this and every Labor Day we should also remember to honor our nation's Small Business owners!

Small Business Owners forge their own path. They create their own success with a fierce focus on the future ~ and they won’t let anyone get in the way of what they want to achieve.

Being an Entrepreneur means You won't Be Stopped from Reaching Your Goals!
"Tweet This"



So this Labor Day as we celebrate our nation’s hard working men and women, let’s not forget our Small Business owners and their day-to-day contributions. After all, their dedication and drive are traits that truly match our American spirit!

Happy Labor Day to All!

Authored by  




Discover more About Us and our Small Business here! And be sure to visit our Background Investigations & Applicant Services, Business Mentoring, and Security Consulting services pages.

to find out how API can help get your business to the next level!

Sunday, August 20, 2017

Happy Anniversary! Join Me in Celebrating 5 Years of Blogging!



This August, I am celebrating 5 years of blogging! 

In that time, I have written almost 300 articles covering everything from hiring, workplace issues, employment discrimination, and even business marketing. Through it all, I have shared my knowledge, my thoughts and opinions, and, even learned a lot myself. 


However, the most important thing I have gained through my blogging journey is the connections I have made. 


I have grown my client and reader base, “met” (both off and online) other business owners, and forged relationships with other bloggers. These connections have not only been invaluable to my business, but also to my mental well-being!

Running a “solo” business can be a lonely venture. All decisions rest on your shoulders and second guessing yourself often comes with the territory. Having real-life and online friends to reach out to can make all the difference.

They have been there. They know the ins and outs and can give advice or just lend an ear.

Blogging has given me the opportunity to reach them in ways I don’t believe would have been open to me if I hadn’t started writing.


For that I will always be thankful.



So, in celebration of these past 5 blogging years, I am sharing my favorite articles. 


While not all of them may have gotten the most traction, these have been a pleasure for me to write ~ and many have found their own audience who sees in them what I do.


First up is an article I wrote way back in 2012! “Why You Should Run a Background Check on Yourself", speaks to my desire to help both employers and job seekers. 


Knowing what is “out there”, and prepping your resume BEFORE you even apply, makes sense. It puts you in the best position to land the job and helps the employer easily do the screening they need. Anytime you can save an employer time and money, you are ahead of the game! 

Find out more by visiting my article here!


Since Hiring and Background Checks is my primary business focus, I have written many articles dealing with this subject. But this particular one has always stood out to me. It dealt with a subject that I truly believe in ~ the need for people to be given a second chance!

In my article, “Once a Criminal Always a Criminal, Why We need to Believe in Second Chances”, I discuss the very real problem of recidivism and hiring ex-offenders. My solution focuses on balancing cautiousness with fairness. I explore how employers can find a happy medium between giving people a chance and keeping their company safe. Check it out here!


Sharing what other “at home” business owners have to say about what it really takes to run a business from home was a pleasure. In this article, I polled some of my “work from home” entrepreneur friends for their tips, suggestions, and concerns. 

Read more in “The Challenges and Rewards of Running a Business from Home!”.




5 Years of Blogging ~ Time to Celebrate! "Tweet This"



The next few choices focus on my love for Small Business and Small Business Owners!


This favorite is really a collection of 5! It was my Small Business tips from “People in the Know” series. It was the first long “series” type of blog article I had ever written and it got a lot of feedback and interest. It’s success illustrated the power to be found in the blog “series” and the people it could reach. 

Most importantly, however, it fostered my love of sharing tips from real business owners about what has worked for them and the challenges they faced. I covered everything from set-up, finances, hiring, marketing, and more.

Check out Part 1 (Set Up & Finances), Part 2 (Hiring, Outsourcing, & Background Checks), Part 3 (Social Media & Marketing), Part 4 (Networking), and Part 5 (General Tips & Tricks) to discover what they had to say!  



Throughout many of my blog articles, there has been a recurring theme ~ the Power of Small Business! 

Here I shared the reasons we should all be “shopping small”. But the real focus was on why, as a group of small business owners, it makes sense for us to Band Together!

Building a Small Business Community helps us all “tap into the power of support and collaboration” we get from joining forces. This is something I really believe in. It drives me to help other entrepreneurs whenever I can. That is why this article has continued to be a favorite of mine!

Learn more about how to foster and grow the strength of Small Business in "Small Businesses Need to Band Together"!



I am closing with my #1 Favorite Article ~ 

It is this article that truly sums up everything I want to share about myself and my business.

I found my “Why” by taking a hard look at my core values and what was truly important to me. These values then became the cornerstone of my business.

Knowing“Why” has also helped me really focus. Simply said, it drives everything else I do. From how I treat my clients, the kind of services I offer, my social media presence, and, of course, my blogging!


While these 6 articles sum up a lot about me and my business, and have continued to be my favorites, I don't intend for it to stop here.


I am intend to share more tips and news in the years to come. I hope they will help You succeed while I continue to share my take on all things business. 


I hope you will join me! Subscribe Now and receive one new article each week, and no spam!

Authored by  







Sunday, August 13, 2017

How You can Achieve Your Entrepreneurial WIN!



We all want to succeed. For some, success may mean finding your dream job or owning your own home. For others, it can be as simple, and as truly fulfilling, as finding someone to love who loves them back.

But if you have the drive to become your own boss, then your ultimate triumph is to create your own viable and successful business!

And while that may seem like an easy and straightforward feat at first, more often than not the road to entrepreneurial success is fraught with roadblocks and detours.

I often find that it is those challenges that hold the biggest lessons. They help us focus and discover what really works for us and our businesses.

There is no doubt that you will learn a lot along the way. To help you get a jumpstart on your own journey, I share some tips that have not only helped me but also my entrepreneurial friends! 


What You Need to Know to Run a Successful Business! "Tweet This"


Here are my Top 10 Business Lessons:

  1. Be Focused & Find Your Business Niche
  2. Have a Business Plan ~ and Write it Down!
  3. Be Smart & Market Wisely
  4. Understand that Time is Money
  5. Be Willing to Outsource or Hire Others 
  6. Find Ways to Stay Motivated
  7. Forge Your Own Path & Do What Works for You
  8. Be Honest in Your Business Dealings
  9. Don't Shy Away from Being a "Solopreneur"
  10. Find Time for a Personal Life & Remember to "Unplug"

Learn more about each of these tips and what they can do for you in "10 Lessons to Help You Find Success in Your Small Business".




Over time, I have found two other tips that I believe will also help you realize your business goals.

Number 1, Get Your Family and Friends Onboard. Let them in on everything that you are doing and what you hope to achieve.

They can be your best cheerleaders and your biggest support system. No one can make a go of it truly alone.

Number 2, Never Stop Learning! No one knows it all. But keeping your mind and eyes wide open to all the resources around you will help your business stay current and succeed. As in most things in life, curiosity and a thirst for knowledge is never a bad thing!


Running your own business can be a rewarding and fulfilling experience. The key is to put in the work, know when you need help, and strive for a well-rounded life.

Accomplish that and you will truly be a success!

Authored by   







Discover more tips by visiting our blog. Subscribe Now to get one new article each week focused on You and Your Business!



Visit our About Us, Background Investigation & Applicant Services, Business Mentoring, and Security Consulting pages to learn more about Access Profiles and what We can Do for You! 

Monday, August 7, 2017

How to Keep the Best Employees in Your High Turnover Business


Hiring for any business can be stressful. But when it comes to hiring in a “high turnover” industry, it can be even more challenging!

When you own a business that experiences a lot of employee turnover, you may find your initial hires to be quite easy. You have a lot of applicants and it seems that it is a “buyer’s market” with you, as the employer, in the driver’s seat.

That feeling of control over your employment situation, however, soon ends. Then it becomes a question as to how long you can actually keep them!

Retaining employees in some industries is much easier than in others. 

While a universal “ideal” turnover rate hovers around 10% or lower, some types of businesses routinely exceed that.

According to a CompData Survey that compiled data from over 30,000 organizations, industries with notoriously high Voluntary and Total Turnover rates include (Source1):

Hospitality ~ 20.7% / 28.6%
Healthcare ~ 15.3% / 18.1%
Banking & Finance ~ 15.3%  18.1%
Non-Profit Businesses ~ 12.2% / 15.7%
Service Industry ~  11.4% / 16.8%
Manufacturing & Distribution ~ 10.1% / 16.0%

According to this survey, a couple other industries fare marginally better:
Insurance ~ 8.8% / 12.2%
Utilities ~ 5.9% / 8.8%

For these companies, and the owners, it can feel like they are in the middle of an employment revolving door.  

Employers worry about the time it takes to hire and train each employee, only to have a number of them turn around and leave. They may also question how they can continue to fill the needs of their customers when so many of their employees come and go. A lack of consistency is definitely a cause for concern. 

So, if your type of company is on this high-turnover list, what do you do?

Your first step should be to understand “Why”. Why is your type of business more likely to be plagued by high turnover than other industries?

Often, the types of businesses on this turnover list offer lower than average pay and benefits, especially at the entry level. Limited opportunities to advance within these companies is also a factor. Restaurants, hotels and motels, and hospitals or care facilities fall into this category. 

Others, like retail and service industries, are effected by seasonal fluctuations, think things like “Black Friday”, holiday shopping, and even weather sensitive services like landscaping. These spikes in business require employers to increase their workforce to meet the demand. Then, when the busy season is over, many of those workers are no longer needed.  

Another reason for higher than average turnover in these industries is their amount of younger hires. Fast food restaurants often employ workers that are still in high school or who are on college break. The same goes for many in the hospitality industry. The majority of these hires are also part-time. These types of workers are rarely in it for the long haul. They are there to make some money and gain some work experience ~ and then they move on. 


A less obvious, but just as impactful, reason for high turnover is that some employers in these industries don’t do background checks. 

Skipping the background check may seem like the cost-effective, smart thing to do. After all, your new hires won’t be there for long, so why bother?

This way of thinking couldn’t be further from the truth!

Not screening these employees won’t save you money in the long run. Incidents of employee theft and, more seriously, workplace violence, will cost you more in the end.

Screening every employee will not only help protect your workplace, it will also preserve the integrity of your workforce, your brand, and the reputation you have worked so hard to build.

You should, at the minimum, run a criminal history check. Finding out if your potential new hire has been convicted of violent crimes or theft is crucial. In addition, if a certain level of skill is necessary to complete their duties, then verifying those skills are also in your best interest.

What employers need to keep in mind is that as with any hire, protecting your company, your employees, and your customers must come first. Using a background check as a tool to that end is always in a company’s best interest, even if it is on temporary employee”.

Find out more tips about hiring seasonal, temp workers, or interns here!

Bottom line ~ Companies that screen every new hire are more likely to retain more and better employees than those who don’t.

So, if you are now willing to take the time and expense to screen your employees, it then makes sense to find ways to keep them. 

Hiring in a High Turnover Industry? Learn How You can Retain Your Best Workers! “Tweet This”

What can You Do to lower your Employee Turnover rate?
Changing the trend of “job hopping”, or high turnover, needs to start with you, the employer. Creating a work environment that offers real incentives for good employees to stay is the key.

To accomplish this goal, you should:
  • Enable your Employees to develop strong, marketable skills
  • Offer Your Employees real opportunities to progress 
  • Be as flexible as possible when scheduling work hours 
  • Encourage Employee Input 
  • Make your Employees feel Appreciated and Heard
Find out more about what you can do to keep your top talent in; “Tips to Help You Hire and Keep the Right Employees”!

Even taking these steps is not enough to entirely eliminate employee turnover. The nature of many of these industries dictate that their hires will only stay a short while. Seasonal businesses, for example, will never overcome the ebb and flow.

However, addressing employee needs and offering incentives for good workers to stay, can make a difference.

Be the place people want to work. Treat your employees right. Do everything you can to build a strong relationship with all your workforce.
Taking the time to empower and engage your employees is good for you and your business. You will soon find that your hires are more invested in their work and in being a part of your business success! 

Authored by   






Have questions about Hiring and Background Checks for Your Business? Contact Us Now
We have the answers you need.




Source1: Compensation Force Turnover Rates by Industry