October 2025

FEATURED ARTICLE

How Are You Treating Your Employee Alumni?

As a university alumnus, how often do you hear from your alma mater?

I receive some type of communication from my alma mater almost weekly. It includes timely updates from the Tulane University president, fundraising solicitations from the development office, and frequent invitations to attend various university alumni events, both in Atlanta and New Orleans. There’s no shortage of effort on Tulane’s part to stay in touch with me as a loyal graduate.

Imagine for a moment a different scenario. I graduated from a four-year university where I had a great college experience. I love my former school, and they seem to love me. Then I moved on to a new career, started a family, and…. never heard another word from my alma mater. Not a peep.

Have they forgotten about me? Do they not care about me anymore? How strange it would seem to be cut off from all communication with my favorite school. Over time, my love for that institution would evolve into uncertainty and maybe even anger.

While this scenario is very unlikely to happen with your former school, it happens all the time with former employers. Companies spend a tremendous amount of time and resources onboarding new employees and retaining them, yet very little effort is made toward offboarding them when they leave.

I think this is a huge mistake for companies, big and small.

READ MORE >

VIDEO OF THE MONTH

A Little Fun: Amazed and Amused

Entertainment is at its best when we’re amazed and amused. If you’re open to 3 minutes and 15 seconds of both, check out four women who offer a stunning musical combination of talent, comedy and teamwork.

If you never played a musical instrument you’ll be amused; if you have, you’ll be amazed.  Spend a few magical minutes with this Competitive Foursome.

SBM PODCAST

What does it take to build a thriving company—and keep it growing for more than a decade? In this episode of the Small Business Matters podcast, host Tim Fulton and co-host Taylor Fulton talk with Zac Nicklas, President & CEO of The Pool Boys in League City, Texas.

Zac shares how he transformed a small family-run pool service into a respected, 15-person operation known for professionalism, reliability, and integrity. From scaling smart and hiring the right team to sustaining long-term partnerships and finding balance as a leader, Zac’s insights are a masterclass in growing with purpose.

Episode Highlights:

• Transitioning from “doing it all” to leading like a CEO

• The biggest mistake that reshaped how he runs his company

• Building a loyal, low-turnover team

• Why hiring a second-in-command changes everything

Whether you’re a seasoned entrepreneur or just starting out, this conversation will leave you inspired to grow not just your business—but your leadership. Tune in to hear how Zac built not only a successful company but a culture rooted in trust, teamwork, and continuous improvement.



LISTEN TO THE PODCAST >

MASTERMIND GROUP

Hosted by former Vistage Chair and SBM President Tim Fulton, the SBM MasterMind Group enables small business executives to work virtually with growth-minded peers to hone their leadership skills and prioritize their most important weekly action items. The MasterMind Group offers each member the following:

• A weekly one-hour virtual group meeting
• Quarterly one-to-one individual coaching sessions
• An annual group retreat
• Ready access to a growth-minded peer group

All for the small investment of $295/month!

Mastermind group member Mary Ritz shares her experience...

To learn more or to join the SBM Mastermind Group,

contact tim@smallbusinessmattersonline.com

SBM @LUNCH

This week, I hosted another group of growth-minded entrepreneurs for lunch, and a lively discussion around small business ensued. In addition to unique insights on AI, the talent market, and the economy, strong recommendations for watching Mask, The Diplomat, and Slow Horses were shared.

If you're interested in joining us for lunch next month, please contact me by email at tim@smallbusinessmattersonline.com. I guarantee you'll learn something new.



TIM'S BOOKS

Order The Meeting

Order Small Business Matters

Order Small Business Matters & All That Jazz

WORDS OF WISDOM

DID YOU KNOW?

Women Are More Resistant To AI Than Men

In a recent, very interesting article in HuffPost, researchers reported that while most men are in their AI experimental phase, most women are more conservative in their AI usage. Here's a sampling of the data reported:

• Women are adopting AI tools at a 25% lower rate than men on average.
• When it comes to AI usage on phones, a mere 27.2% of total ChatGPT application downloads were estimated to have come from women.
• Female students were also reported to be less likely to use AI tools as compared to their male peers.
• Women are more inclined than men to prefer being interviewed by an AI interviewer.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE >

A LITTLE HUMOR

SMALL BUSINESS MARKETING SPONSORS

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