Ryan and Nicole Kilwein, owners of a snow-removal business, opened a greeting card store in Dickinson, N.D., in 2016. Holidays such as Mother's Day and Valentine's Day are the biggest drivers of business for the store, which also stocks kitchen gadgets, baby items and other gifts.

Some small businesses avoid setting up websites and rely on social media platforms for online outreach, writes executive coach Leanne Hoagland-Smith. However, it's important to remember that companies have limited control over social media and that the ultimate goal of having an online presence is to drive conversions.

Anonymous-looking packaging can help customers become more comfortable with purchasing embarrassing products or items of a personal nature. Promotions, discounts and in-aisle product locations can also help customers feel more relaxed when buying such products.

Whether you realize it or not, your company has a customer culture, although it may not be the kind of culture you would like, writes Micah Solomon. A good culture encourages purpose-driven behavior and an enthusiasm for innovation, among other things.

Businesses organized as pass-through entities will receive a 20% deduction under the new tax law, although the rules are different for businesses that provide personal services, including accounting firms. The law also modifies the rules for deducting property purchases and eliminates the entertainment deduction, among other changes.

Train in new skills that are emerging and have practical relevance in the workplace, Mike Kehoe writes. To keep motivation levels high when taking an online course, interact with peers and teachers so learning is not taking place in isolation, he adds.

Leaders who can't manage their emotions create a workplace ruled by fear and stress unless they address their subconscious behavioral controls, says leadership coach Christine Comaford. "The more fully developed they are, the more a person can operate in what I call the Smart State, where all three key parts of our brain are working together and one has behavioral choice," she says.

A recent Businessolver webcast covered changes that employers may have to make to wellness plans in response to the AARP vs EEOC ruling. Employers should avoid asking medical questions and allow employees to opt out of medical inquiries or exams, and they should consider alternative solutions to the problems they're trying to address with wellness programs.