Business Coaching

  Dr. Rick Franza, Professor of Management at the Hull College of Business, discusses a different, timely business topic each Monday in this column. This week, he talks about the importance of a succession plan for your business. The interview has been edited for clarity and impact. ABD: We often hear that a business should have a succession plan to keep going after the owner or founder retires. Why is a succession plan important? Rick: It’s particularly important for small businesses and family-run businesses, but succession planning is important even

  Dr. Rick Franza, Dean of the Hull College of Business, discusses a different, timely business topic each Monday in this column. This week, he talks about how to recover from a customer issue. The interview has been edited for clarity and impact. ABD: One of the things that is inevitable in running a business is that at some point, there will be a mistake or problem that affects a customer. Why is it so important to be able to recover well from this? Rick: I’ve seen research that shows

For those of you who have been reading my columns in various venues during the past six years, you know that I am an avid sports fan and that Major League Baseball (MLB) is among my favorites.  Therefore, when I heard those magical words, “Pitchers and catchers report,” a couple of weeks ago, signifying the start of MLB’s pre-season “Spring Training,” my excitement for the coming season began to build. If you don’t follow MLB, Spring Training takes place from mid-February to late March, with some MLB teams training in

  Dr. Rick Franza, Dean of the Hull College of Business, discusses a different, timely business topic each Monday in this column. This week, he talks about the importance of digital marketing. The interview has been edited for clarity and impact. ABD: We hear a lot about digital marketing, but I think for many companies that is still a somewhat vague and confusing term. What is digital marketing and how does it differ from traditional marketing? Rick: Marketing is any way of providing your message and can be done through

  Dr. Rick Franza, Dean of the Hull College of Business, discusses a different, timely business topic each Monday in this column. This week, he talks about risk management practices. The interview has been edited for clarity and impact. ABD: Being in business, even just starting a business, always carries risks. That requires some way to manage them. So how does one assess and manage those risks? Rick: Risk management is important in business because you can never think of everything. So you identify the potential risks that can undermine

  Dr. Rick Franza, Dean of the Hull College of Business, discusses a different, timely business topic each Monday in this column. This week, he talks about the importance of maintaining a marketing presence even during hard economic times. The interview has been edited for clarity and impact. ABD: Some economists still think we’ll be heading into a recession this year, and we’re going to talk about the importance of maintaining your marketing during that. But first, explain what is meant by the term marketing. Rick: A lot of people

  Dr. Rick Franza, Dean of the Hull College of Business, discusses a different, timely business topic each Monday in this column. This week, he talks about a local version of Shark Tank. The interview has been edited for clarity and impact. ABD: This year you plan to again be part of the Jessye Norman School of the Arts’ J-Tank program. First of all, what is the Jessye Norman School of the Arts? Rick: The Jessye Norman School is a gem of the CSRA. Jessye Norman was a world-renowned opera

  Dr. Rick Franza, Dean of the Hull College of Business, discusses a different, timely business topic each Monday in this column. This week he talks about the benefits of having a Small Business Development Center office in Augusta. The interview has been edited for clarity and impact. ABD: The CSRA has an active Small Business Development Center, under the auspices of the University of Georgia. What is its history and purpose? Rick: They’ve been around since 1977. Dr. William Flewellan, the dean of the UGA school of business at