December 8, 2021
The Small Business Guide to a Winning December
With big box stores hanging their tinsel and trees before trick-or-treating even starts – and gingerbread-flavored drinks hitting cafes just a few days later – it’s easy to forget that there’s actually an entire month between Thanksgiving and Boxing Day. That’s plenty of time to set holiday sales goals (and reach surpass them!).

If you’re feeling behind on your holiday marketing and operations strategies, don’t fret. You can still make the most of this season, and Heartland would love to gift you some resources to help.
2021 Year-End Planning for Your FedEx and UPS Shipments
The end of the year is usually pretty hectic for a lot of businesses, but 2021 is proving to be one for the books. As you navigate the holiday season and prepare for the year ahead, you’ll want to heed our warnings for your FedEx and UPS parcel shipments. Ship early, review holiday shipping deadlines and prepare for the 2022 rate increases.
Small Business Season's Secret Weapon: Email
Okay, so this might not be a “secret” weapon, but email marketing can help extend the push to shop small that began on Small Business Saturday. These types of gentle reminders can keep customers buying from you all season (and all year) long. You just need a couple of great ideas, an email marketing tool (like MailChimp or Constant Contact), and of course an email list.
Retain Top Talent Through Agile Compensation Strategies
Now more than ever, it’s important for association leaders and managers to place emphasis on elevating the employee experience by ensuring frequent opportunities for performance and development feedback, role clarity, and meaningful and equitable reward and recognition strategies.

After all, employee engagement is a key factor in the retention of high-performing employees. As Gallup highlights, managers are responsible for 70 percent of team engagement. In thinking of your association’s finances, it’s simply too costly for your association to risk the attrition of key talent. According to Gallup, the cost of replacing an individual employee can range from one half to two times the employee’s annual salary.
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Mayfield Heights, OH 44124
Phone: (440) 252-4138