When Kathy and I decided to create this blog, we made a conscious decision to avoid giving employee-management advice that you our readers could find on other blogs and websites, or in our many books. So you won't find a list of the top-5 ways to reward your employees here, nor an essay on how to get your employees engaged in their jobs, nor 10 steps to creating a happy work environment. Instead, we decided to focus on giving you our own unique findings on the best ways to start and grow a GREAT business.

However, we do recognize that many of you also need help from time to time when it comes to managing your employees. To that end, I thought I would mention a great website for those of you who would like a one-stop place to find LOTS of advice on employee management, and on the nuts and bolts of running a small business. That site is American Express OPEN Forum.

At the heart of the site is what is called an Idea Hub comprised of articles, videos, posts, and much more in seven specific areas: innovation, lifestyle, managing, marketing, money, technology, and the world. Browse around and you'll find a remarkable amount of helpful content. While you can view much of this material without becoming an OPEN Forum member, you'll need to join (and you'll need to be an American Express cardholder to join) the OPEN Forum to view certain areas of the site.

So, when you're looking for advice on how to manage your employees in 2010 -- a topic that we definitely won't be covering here -- then I suggest you give OPEN Forum a try.

Oh. And tell them I sent you.