It’s Back… Minnesota Reconsiders a B2B Tax on Consulting

According to yesterday’s Star Tribune, the Minnesota Legislature is reconsidering a tax on B2B custom computer software services… here’s an excerpt from the Star Tribune article:

“To make up for the lost revenue, those who buy… custom software… would pay … sales taxes”

I wrote an article when this was first being considered by the Governor entitled Taxing business services is bad for Minnesota.  The principles in my OpEd are still accurate.  If you live in Minnesota and agree this is a bad idea, let your legislators know by using this simple automated site to voice your concern (it takes less than a minute).

standardMay 13Tom SalonekTaxes

Happy Mother’s Day – A 75 Year Study on the Impact of Moms

Tom with his mom and dad

Tom with his mom and dad

Mother’s Day is Sunday, May 12.

Whether your a son or a mom to a son, there’s a fascinating piece in this month’s issue of The Atlantic that describes some surprising results from one of the longest running longitudinal studies of human development.

The project, which began in 1938, has followed 268 Harvard undergraduate men for 75 years, “measuring an astonishing range of psychological, anthropological, and personal traits—from personality type to IQ to drinking habits to family relationships—in an effort to determine what factors contribute most strongly to human flourishing.”

Turns out that our relationships with our mothers matter – a lot! Specifically:

  • “Men who had ‘warm’ childhood relationships with their mothers earned an average of $87,000 more a year than men whose mothers were uncaring.”
  • “Men who had poor childhood relationships with their mothers were much more likely to develop dementia when old.”
  • “Late in their professional lives, the men’s boyhood relationships with their mothers—but not with their fathers—were associated with success at work.”

Happy Mother’s Day to my mom and my wife!

standardMay 9Tom SalonekLeadership

Effective Public Engagement – 3rd in a series of 5 posts

Old-School-GovernmentFighting a government threat is a lot like any important undertaking involving any constituent group. To be effective, you must first seek to understand before you work to be understood (this is a key takeaway in my book, Building a Winning Business). That’s why my first lesson is (1) Pay close attention to the issues and government proposals before they become laws!

It takes time to read newspapers and to follow the many proposals that are described, particularly at the beginning of the legislative season. If you don’t have time to personally monitor the political landscape, engage a professional to do this on your behalf (larger companies have public affairs teams in house who routinely do this important work). Don’t take a blasé approach to a potential threat in the early stages because the best time to influence a legislative outcome is before a proposal becomes a law.

Part of understanding proposed legislation should include an appreciation for what a politician is seeking to accomplish. Thus, my lesson #2: Seek to understand both sides of the issue so you can provide a reasonable, balanced perspective.

In the recent B2B debate, the Governor was clearly concerned about the long-term viability of our state. He repeatedly stated the need to make sure every single Minnesotan is prepared for the future with a solid education. Those are goals I, and many in the business community share.

This also explains why lesson #3, “Work to document your company’s contribution to the local community,” is so important. We need to prove that we have “skin in the game” when discussing what is best for our businesses, employees and the communities where we operate. During the B2B debate, we gathered information about where our employees live, how much we contribute in taxes and charitable contributions and other key data. This was woven into my articles and into direct conversations with members of the Minnesota State Legislature.

Next time: lessons 4-7

standardMay 4Tom SalonekTaxes

Marketing Director Wanted!

Yes-to-OpportunityThis is a deviation from my normal posts.  In the past, some of you have inquired about working at Intertech.  This position reports to the Intertech Partner in charge of training sales but has “dotted line” reporting to me.  If you have interest or know someone who may, please apply at Intertech’s website (http://www.Intertech.com/Jobs).  We’re looking for candidates in Minneapolis/St. Paul.  Below is the copy from the job posting on our site.

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Intertech, an award-winning firm named the #1 mid-sized employer in Minnesota by Minnesota Business magazine in 2012 and eight-time winner of the Business Journal’s Best Places to Work competition, is looking for an exceptional Marketing Director.

This role will continue the drive in Intertech’s growth (Intertech is an eight time Inc. 500/5000 winner).

As a Marketing Director, we’re looking for someone who can provide direction to the leadership team yet organize and implement the day-to-day marketing activities.  We’re looking for an extraordinary individual who can:

  • Provide a yearly marketing plan with execution details
  • Manage activities and events like our newsletters, user group, and conference exhibiting
  • Engage our customers on social media
  • Create phenomenal content
  • Work with our outside marketing design firm on branding
  • Work with our outside retained public relations firm

Additional Skillsets Needed:

  • The ability to get the big picture and get things done
  • Past marketing experience
  • An undergraduate degree in marketing, business, or English is preferred
  • Excellent writing skills
  • Solid organization skills

Why Join Intertech?

There are many reasons Intertech is the employer of choice.  Below are just a few:

  • The ability as the Marketing Director to have an important voice and visible role in our firm
  • Flexible schedule including standing work-from-home day(s)
  • A remarkable environment. We’re the recipient of over 35 awards for work environment and growth
  • A three month paid sabbatical for every seven years of service

All the other stuff needed to be recognized as the #1 mid-sized employer in Minnesota… good pay, comprehensive benefits, …

standardApril 30Tom SalonekArticle on Intertech