A quick overview of five resources to help you run your business better, including reasons skilled workers are in short supply, interview questions to help make the right hire, and strategies to cut taxes under the new law.

1. When qualified workers are in short supply – Crain’s Detroit Business reports companies that complain they can’t find skilled workers may have only themselves to blame. When they cut their training budgets during the last recession they cut their supply of future talent short, too. Data shows that more than 54 percent of companies don’t have programs to build skills for future needs.
2. Keep SasS subscriptions in check – New businesses benefit from software that streamlines accounting, lead management and HR, but some folks pay too much too early. Forbes shares tips on how to make the most of software as a service.
3. Interview questions to make the right hire – Replacing the wrong hire is costly, but behavioral interview questions help you size up candidates. Get 19 Interview Questions That Cut Through the BS to Reveal a Great Hire.
4. Plan for 2018 taxes and beyond ­– Yes, we just finished filing 2017 taxes and now is the time to strategize ways to cut your 2018 taxes under the new tax law. One strategy for charitable donations is called “bunching” where you aggregate two or three years’ worth of contributions in one year. Get three more tax strategies from
5. So you wanna be a marketing video star – According to Cisco, by 2019, 80 percent of Internet traffic will be video. Here’s a complete guide to help you get video right for your audience.

Thank you to our Friday Five sources: Crain’s Detroit Business, Forbes, Inc., CNBC and Impulse Creative.

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