• Small-business managers bear many responsibilities in the company. The small-business manager addresses employee issues, while planning the strategic direction of the company. She decides between alternative strategic directions while negotiating health insurance costs. Specific management features work well for small businesses.
  
  

Thinking Ahead

• The small-business manager needs to anticipate the direction his business will take in the following months and years. The small-business manager has already planned the work taking place today. He needs to foresee industry or government influences that will change his actions tomorrow. Circumstances, such as planned road construction or a recently passed small-business tax, will impact the decisions he makes. At the same time, he should not plan much farther than one year ahead. Government regulations change. Competitors announce store openings. Plans created too far in advance need to change when circumstances like these arise.
  
  

Hiring the Right Employees

• Hiring the right employees is critical in small-business management. Each employee requires recruiting expenses, such as advertising, and training time. Every employee needs to be trained, and hiring the wrong employee wastes time for the employee and the manager.
  
  The first step to hiring the right employee is to write a clear job description. Identify the tasks you want the employee to handle, the skills necessary for the job and the hours you need the employee to work. When you meet with applicants, determine how well their qualifications match the job description requirements. Hire the person who can meet the responsibilities of the position, not the person you like the most.
  
  

Dealing with Difficult Customers

• Every business gets visits from difficult customers. The small-business manager often deals with these customers directly, either at the customer's request or because the employee is overwhelmed. The small-business manager needs to determine what she is willing to offer the customer to satisfy him. She can approach the customer by recognizing the customer is unhappy and that she wants to make things right for him. Many unhappy customers feel acknowledged by this approach and become loyal customers thereafter. Some customers will never feel satisfied; the small-business manager should recognize this fact and focus her energy on those situations that will further the business.