Everything is perfect in your business world: coworkers all get along, business always runs smoothly, meetings never run over…ha!

Okay, let’s visit reality now, your co-workers fight which leads to bumps in your business and long, drawn out, angry meetings and whatever else coworker conflict brings on. You’ve got to do something to keep everything running smoothly, and you’ve got to do it now.

While the economy has been slowly recovering, it's still a tough environment out there for small business owners. And it looks to be just as tough going into 2014.

Here are some of the issues to consider when thinking about opening your small business in 2014:

Capturing new business clients can be hard in today’s economy. One way to improve your chances of securing a new client is to impress them, and following these five tips can help you do just that:

Dedicate personal attention during onsite meetings

Whether it is a round of golf at the local country club or a nice business dinner, make sure you pamper your soon-to-be client for the day. Provide a chauffer for airport pickup as well as for driving the group to each destination. Have a personalized gift waiting in the hotel room - this is where branded promotional items come in handy. A high quality experience may be just what the client needed to close the deal.

From catalogs to social media networks, many businesses are using traditional and popular ways to market their business. Stand out from the crowd by using creative and clever ways to market your brand new business, which can help you increase profits and gain popularity.

Everyone loves a holiday bonus - particularly those on the receiving end. If you own a small business, how do you know if you can afford to give them out? And if you can't, what can you offer instead?

American Express conducted a survey and found that 35% of small businesses gave year-end holiday bonuses to their employees in 2012.

When winter weather hits, it is important to make sure that your business is ready to handle freezing temperatures and cold weather precipitation. As every savvy business owner knows, implementing a few basic building maintenance strategies early in the season is the key to avoiding costly repairs that can interfere with the bottom line. Here are five ways you can get your business ready for winter weather while improving the overall curb appeal of your business.

Some business owners end up working too much, thereby getting burnt out and losing the joy of being their own boss and their competitive edge. That’s why savvy business people don’t expect to do it all. They leverage five different aspects of their business to create time and money from virtually nothing. They learn to delegate, to partner, to automate, to do without, and to invest.

In today's challenging economy, savvy marketing strategies for new and established businesses are not a luxury. They are absolutely necessary for many businesses to stay afloat. This is true not only for start-ups without an existing customer base, but also for well-established businesses.

"If you build it, they will come" may be true for baseball fields on an Iowa prairie, but it is often untrue for businesses. Establishing your business is only the first step. To attract and retain customers, it is vital to be sure your brand and your business are top-of-mind when customers are ready to pull the trigger on the purchase of a product or service you offer.

Owning a small business involves taking risks. Besides having to face the possibility of losing money because of poor sales, you also have to be prepared for unexpected misfortunes such as accidents, thefts, fires and lawsuits.

One way to protect you against such misfortunes is to purchase small business insurance.

Fringe benefits can take many forms today from tuition assistance to free childcare. They are being used by some of the most successful companies in the world to attract and retain talented employees. These types of benefits also provide direct benefits to employers. There are five advantages of offering fringe benefits to employees.