Small Business Matters

Connection Calendar

PRESENTED BY

July 20

Want more information and resources on this week's topics, ideas and events? Go to www.cose.org/smallbizmatters.i

A GLIMPSE INSIDE 10KSBDo you know what you need to do to take

your business to the next level? The Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses initiative can help you chart

your path to growth. This session will give you a glimpse into the wildly successful entrepreneurial

program, off ering practical business skills, expert advice and counsel, access to capital

and a powerful support network.JULY 29

11:30 AM – 1 PMTri- C Metro Campus

Cost: FreeRSVP to 10ksb@tri-c.edu

Check out www.cose.org/events for all the latest happenings.CONTENT PROVIDED AND PAID FOR BY THE COUNCIL OF SMALLER ENTERPRISES

Stress in the workforce has become one of the biggest problems in business today. It has been called a global epidemic, with numerous studies encouraging businesses to be more proactive in helping their employees manage stress.

“Every day, people deal with stress at work or in their personal lives — or probably both,” says Cindy Ballog, manager of Health Promotion, Wellness and Disease Management for Medical Mutual. “That’s why it’s important for organizations to understand the eff ect it can have on the health of their employees, and what that means for the future of their business.”

With the high demand and fast pace of today’s work environment, employees at practically every level of an organization are dealing with some level of stress. By providing stress management resources, organizations can help employees be healthier and control healthcare costs. “Healthy employees are often happier and more productive employees,” says Ballog. “In many cases, turnover and absenteeism can also go down.”

Stress is hard on the body. There are the obvious and immediate eff ects, such as headaches, upset stomach and loss of sleep.

But there are more long-term consequences. Chronic stress can weaken the immune system, which makes it tougher to fi ght off illness, causing people to get sick more often. It’s also linked to high blood pressure, abnormal heartbeat, heart attacks, anxiety and depression. These conditions and others can worsen as a result of continuous stress.

According to Ballog, diet and exercise go a long way. “When your body feels good,

your mind often does, too,” she explains. “People often adopt poor eating and lifestyle habits as a form of stress relief, but those habits just make the symptoms worse.” Exercise is another important factor. Just 30 minutes of exercise a day can have a signifi cant impact on stress. Even at work, when feasible, Ballog says employees should be encouraged to do things like go for a walk at lunch or use the stairs instead of the elevator.

Of course, each employee is diff erent when it comes to stress, with diff erent sources and diff erent eff ects on their health. Some employers off er classes on relaxation techniques and managing time more eff ectively. Employees should also feel comfortable discussing challenges and asking for help, which can help reduce stress for those employees and ensure projects are completed on time.

“It can be diffi cult to eliminate all the stress factors in life, but everyone can fi nd ways to understand their stressors and respond to them a little better,” says Ballog. “Helping your employees along in the process could help your business be healthier—both physically and fi nancially.”

52 TIPS FOR YOUR BUSINESS

#29 – Increase Productivity by Reducing Stress

Cindy Ballog, Medical Mutual

COSE WEBED SERIES: HOW TO JUMPSTART SALES IN 90 DAYS Every business is a sales organization, whether

it’s a one-person consultancy or a manufacturing plant. Sales guru Marvin Montgomery will share actionable steps to revitalize sales and help you connect your

audience to the value of your off ering.JULY 28

11 AM – NOON

Cost: FreeRegister at www.cose.org/events.

HOW DO YOU RANK IN ENTREPRENEURIAL STRENGTHS?

Todd Johnson is the Global Channel Leader of Entrepreneurship and Job Creation with Gallup. As one of the leaders of Gallup’s Entrepreneurial

StrengthsFinder, Johnson has explored the diff erent strengths that come along with being a successful

entrepreneur. With a great knowledge of the research and the assessment tool, Johnson will take you through the assessment, and explain how to identify and engage your highest potential entrepreneurial talents to take your

business to the next level.AUGUST 13NOON-2 PM

100th Bomb Group, Cleveland

Cost: COSE Members $30, Non-Members $40Register at www.cose.org/ep10.

Six years ago when Go Media Partner Jeff Finley had the idea to combine three of his passions – art, design and music – into a cool, creative endeavor, he never dreamt where it would lead. Today, what started as a grassroots event to inspire and mo-tivate local creative talent has snowballed into one of the most recognized creative conferences in the design industry. And it is right in our own backyard. The sixth an-nual Weapons of Mass Creation Fest, to be held at the Allen Theatre August 6-9, is produced by Cleveland graphic and web development fi rm Go Media and runs on the energy and fortitude of the small staff who take inspiration from the strong com-munity behind it.

Members of the Weapons of Mass Cre-ation (WMC) community help to lead deci-sions about where the fest will organically go. Those discussions lead this year’s con-tent curators, Go Media’s own Heather Sakai and Bryan Garvin, to stray from the fest’s

roots in music and pull the focus to the heart of the matter: networking and education.

One of the fi rst to hop on the 2015 Fest lineup was design legend Michael Bierut, partner in New York City’s multidisciplinary

design fi rm Pentagram, founder of the Design Observer blog, and a senior critic in graphic design at Yale School of Art. Bierut, originally from Parma, is donat-ing his time due to his passion for Cleve-land and WMC. According to Bierut, there was nothing resembling WMC or graphic design in the suburbs of Cleveland in the ‘60s when he was growing up. Bierut will explain his journey in a talk titled: “How to Use Graphic Design to Get from the Corner of Granger Road and West 132nd Street in Garfi eld Heights to the Corner of Fifth Av-enue and 25th Street in New York City in Only 50 Years.”

The Fest, whose motto is “Defy the Hand You’re Dealt,” is expected to bring more than 1,000 attendees to Cleveland for three days of learning, self-discovery and knowledge.

For more information or to register for WMC Fest, visit www.wmcfest.com.

Defy the Hand You’re Dealt Weapons of Mass Creation Fest 2015

The Small Biz Challenges of 2015

By The Numbers

BIG IDEAS

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SAVE THE DATECOSE Small Business Convention 2015October 21-22, 2015Cleveland Public Auditorium

BIG IDEAS INSPIRATIONAL SPEAKERS EMPOWERING WORKSHOPS

Follow the latest developments, including speakers, workshops and networking opportunities at www.smallbizconvention.com.

SOURCE: SCORE

37% Increasing

profi ts

45% Growing revenues

42% Hiring new employees

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