Grow a Small Business

5 Tips for Using Networking to Grow Your Small Business

By MBO Partners

Networking can be a powerful tool as an independent professional. By building relationships with peers and industry professionals, you can find new clients, discover potential partnerships, and benefit from new ideas and fresh perspectives. Whether you are connecting with people online or offline, consider making networking a regular part of your job to help boost…

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Balancing Act: Growing Your Side Hustle While Maintaining Your Full-Time Job

By Zanaba Hudson

In the dynamic world of today’s workforce, I decided to delve into the realm of side hustles for a multitude of personal reasons. Economic considerations have been a driving force for me, pushing me to explore additional income sources as a safety net amidst the uncertainties of a rapidly changing job market.  Beyond the financial…

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How to Do a Year End Business Review: 5 Steps

By MBO Partners

Conducting an end-of-year review isn’t a practice that just applies to bigger businesses—it’s a process that is valuable to freelancers and independent professionals as well. A business review gives you a chance to look back at what you have achieved, revisit your goals, and consider how to best move forward for the coming year. To…

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Preparing for the Holidays as an Independent Professional

By MBO Partners

The year-end holiday season is upon us! From now through New Year’s Day, many of us will juggle additional activities. School events, family visits, and social commitments get added to our usual workload and home responsibilities. For some, stress levels increase as to-do lists get longer and time gets shorter. An added stressor for independent…

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Help Solve the Challenges of Independence through Talent Marketplaces

By MBO Partners

Our State of Independence research defines independent workers as full and part-time workers of all ages, skills, and income levels. This includes consultants, freelancers, contractors, temporary or on-call workers, solopreneurs, gig workers, and others who work independently to build businesses, develop their careers, pursue passions, and/or supplement their incomes. According to independent workers who participated…

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Setting SMART Business Goals for the Upcoming Year

By MBO Partners

Conducting a year-end business review is a valuable practice as an independent contractor. Taking stock of your accomplishments over the past months, reviewing your network contacts, and setting goals for the upcoming year can help you identify gaps in your business offerings, keep your back office organized, and uncover new ways to grow and evolve….

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Mastering the Art of The Side Hustle: Thriving in Full-Time Employment and Entrepreneurship Simultaneously

By Zanaba Hudson

In today’s fast-paced world, many ambitious individuals, myself included, are continuously seeking innovative ways to pursue our passions and financial goals. For those of us who are inherently creative, the idea of balancing a full-time job while simultaneously running a successful business is an enticing challenge. While it might initially appear as a daunting endeavor,…

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The Support Team Every Independent Professional Needs

By MBO Partners

As an independent professional, you will spend part (or, in some cases, all) of your career as a solopreneur. With a high degree of flexibility, autonomy, and control, being your own boss has a lot of advantages. The choice to go solo does have challenges. Respondents to our 2023 State of Independence survey cited unpredictable…

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Downsides of Using AI in Your Open Innovation Solutions

By Keaton Swett

Last month I talked about how AI can help you solve open innovation challenges as a research assistant and brainstorming partner. But there’s a dark side to AI in open innovation. While using AI more extensively in your solving activities might be tempting, this can be a big risk.   3 Risks of Using AI in…

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6 Ways to Find Work When Business is Slow

By MBO Partners

As the holiday season approaches, it’s common to find business slowing down. Many clients will take time off for the holidays and prospective clients may not want to start a project until the new year. But it’s important to keep in mind that other businesses may have budgets that need to be spent by the…

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