Make a Mistake in 2007? Hopefully You're Not on the List of the 101 Dumbest Moments in Business in 2007

We've all been there. You try something with your business that you think will take you to the next level only to find out that this ride is a one way ticket down the tubes. The folks at CNNMoney.com are so kind to seek on the 101 dumbest business moves of 2007 and put them all in a handy slideshow available at http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2007/fortune/0712/gallery.101_dumbest.fortune/index.html.

So when you look back at 2007 assessing your business sucesses and failures, take comfort in knowing that while you may have experienced lows at least you're not:

• the owner / operator of the KFC/Taco Bell whose rat infestation was shown to the world on YouTube
• the pilot of the Cosco Busan who struck the San Francisco - Oakland Bay Bridge with an oil tanker
• Johnson & Johnson who sued the American Red Cross for using their trademarked red cross logo
• the doctors at a Rhode Island Hospital who were fined for operating on the wrong side a patient's head three times in less than a year.

This is just a sample of the 101 dumbest moments in business for 2007. Much like the experience of watching COPS on tv, you can't help but feel better about your own life.

Happy Holidays!

Performance Evaluation Time

It's time for annual performance reviews here at the library which can make for nervous employees and anxious supervisors. The same holds true for most any business when the performance appraisals are happening. As one of those anxious supervisors (who just happens to be a reference librarian), I looked for resources in the library's collection that would be helpful to me as a manager during the appraisal process. Hopefully some what I found will be of service to you and your management team when the performance review time rolls around at your business.

• Performance Appraisal Handbook: legal & practical rules for managers by Amy Delpo
  
• Performance Appraisals that Work! by Corey Sandler
  
• Successful Performance Reviews by Ken Lawson
  
• Perfect Phrases for Documenting Employee Performance Problems by Anne Bruce
  
• Perfect Phrases for Motivating and Rewarding Employees by Harriet Diamond
  
• Managers Guide To Performance Reviews by Robert Bacal

Any of these books can be checked out through you local branch of the Jefferson County Library!

Free Employer Seminar: Disability Awareness For Employers

Get your reservation in now for the free employer seminar: Disability Awareness for Employers sponsored by Jefferson County Missouri Employer Committee, Missouri Department of Economic Development, Missouri Career Center - Arnold Office, and Adult Vocational Services. The seminar will be held at the Arnold Branch of the Jefferson County Library, 1701 Missouri State Rd, on Thursday, October 25, 2007 from 8:30 a.m to 10:45 a.m.

Speakers include:

• Glen Abramowski, a Boeing employee will discuss successful employment with a visual impairment
• Linda Baker of the Governor's Council on Disabilities will cover workplace accommodations
• Larry White of the Missouri Career Center will discuss work opportunity tax credits for employers

Please contact Bob Swartz at the Missouri Career Center for more information: 1-800-292-1314 or robert.swartz@ded.mo.gov. Reservations should be in by October 19th to reserve a space for this free seminar.

Giving Back Through Everyday Tasks

What if Jefferson County Library earned a penny every time you searched the Internet? Well, now we can! GoodSearch.com is a new search engine that donates half its revenue, about a penny per search, to the charities its users designate. You use it just as you would any search engine, and it's powered by Yahoo!, so you get great results. Just go to http://www.goodsearch.com/ and be sure to enter Jefferson County Library as the charity you want to support. Make it even easier by downloading the GoodSearch toolbar. Just 500 of us searching four times a day will raise about $7300 in a year without anyone spending a dime! And, be sure to spread the word!


You can also help while doing online shopping with Shop the Library,
http://www.shopforthelibrary.com/, a program initiated by the Woodlands CA Public Library with funding from an LSTA grant. Numerous retailers will donate a varying percentage of your online purchases to your favorite charity. To sign up for the program, go to the web site listed above, register, choose the library as your charity, and download auto track on your computer. When you go to a retailer's web site that is participating in Shop for the Library, auto track will automatically pop-up a Shop for the Library logo indicating that a percentage of your purchase will go to your chosen charity.

Please take advantage of these opportunities to give back to your community by creating more funds for the library through your everyday tasks.

Business Services Available Through JCL - talk given at Northwest Chamber of Commerce meeting 08.29.07

Below is an outline of the topics and websites covered in my talk at the Northwest Chamber of Commerce meeting on 8.29.07.

The services available to you as a member of the Jefferson County Library represent the best money you’ve already spent. Have you ever wished your business had a trained researcher at your fingertips? You do, at your local JCL branch. My task here today is to tell you about just a few of the many things we at the library can do for you and your business.

Am I entitled to library service?
The Jefferson County Library serves the residents of the Fox, Windsor and Northwest school districts.

Businesses can apply for a corporate card provided the owner/director is willing to accept responsibility for the activity on that card. There can be up to five users on a corporate account.

Overarching Themes:

Why reinvent the wheel? (aka “learn from the mistakes of others”)
Business plans – examples of what has been successful and what has not
Management books – there’s nothing new under the sun, someone else has faced the same issues as you, learn from what they did and didn’t do to survive.

Public Information is Your Best Friend
If the business or individual has a listed phone number, then they will be in Reference USA or in the Haines Directory.
You can create mailing lists based on geographic, financial and other criteria

EbscoHost Business Searching Interface will guide you to articles and analysis about larger companies

Missouri Secretary of State’s Corporations Division as a corporation search - http://www.sos.mo.gov/business/corporations/
Can find out if company is in good standing with the state and have access to their corporate filings such as Articles of Incorporation

SEC Edgar Database does same thing at federal levelhttp://www.sec.gov/edgar/searchedgar/webusers.htm

Missouri Case.net http://www.courts.mo.gov/casenet
Can research case records including docket entries, parties, judgments, and charges in public court. (Jefferson County is the 23rd Judicial Circuit)

Computer Classes / other events
Free opportunities for yourself or your staff to better their computer skills. Class offerings range from basic computers to Excel for the business user.
Library events can be found by visiting www.jeffersoncountylibrary.org and clicking on Calendar of Events.

Meeting Room:
Are you looking for a place to meet with clients or hold an information seminar? All three branches of the library have meeting rooms that can be reserved by outside groups. There is a reservation fee for for-profit entities along with a refreshment fee.

How Can the Library Help Your Business?

The Jefferson County Library District has served with pride the information needs of our communities for over fifteen years. This blog is an effort at strengthening the library's ties to the business professionals in our area.

The library is the answer place for both new and established businesses. Entrepreneurs starting a new business can find guides on business plans, financing options and franchising opportunities. Established businesses benefit from resources devoted to marketing, project management and human resources issues. This is just the beginning of what you can find at the library to help you and your business.

While any branch of the Jefferson County Library is a great place to find helpful general business resources, the Arnold Branch specializes in business and government information. This added emphasis means that the reference staff and resources available at the Arnold Branch serve your more in-depth business needs.

As the name of this blog suggests, we are "open for business" at your library. Please stop by or contact your local branch of the Jefferson County Library to see how we can serve your business needs.