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Saturday, March 5, 2011
Small Business Blogs
It stands to reason that budding businesspeople would be attracted to Weblogs, those do-it-yourself publishing sites that embody the very spirit of entrepreneurism. What do blogs add to the small-business dialogue that a whole host of magazines, cable channels and Web sites don't? In addition to transmitting news, industry gossip and occasional rants, the best small business blogs offer interactivity, allowing readers to chime into the dialogue with their own bright ideas. There are, unfortunately, too many small business blogs peddling the same prosaic resources you can get from a simple google search. The better ones at least offer fresh insight on the mundane and first-hand accounts from the entrepreneurial front lines. -- Lea Goldman
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Friday, March 4, 2011
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Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Facebook blamed for 1 in 5 divorces in US
WASHINGTON: Facebook and other social networking sites can help you meet that special someone if you're single. But improper use of social media can turn even the healthiest of marriages into disasters.
Facebook is cited in one in five divorces in the United States, according to a recent survey by the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers.
Also, more than 80 percent of divorce lawyers reported a rising number of people are using social media to engage in extramarital affairs.
"We're coming across it more and more," said licensed clinical psychologist Steven Kimmons, of Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, Ill.
Facebook is cited in one in five divorces in the United States, according to a recent survey by the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers.
Also, more than 80 percent of divorce lawyers reported a rising number of people are using social media to engage in extramarital affairs.
"We're coming across it more and more," said licensed clinical psychologist Steven Kimmons, of Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, Ill.
"One spouse connects online with someone they knew from high school. The person is emotionally available and they start communicating through Facebook. Within a short amount of time, the sharing of personal stories can lead to a deepened sense of intimacy, which in turn can point the couple in the direction of physical contact."
Though already-strained marriages are most vulnerable, a couple doesn't have to be experiencing marital difficulties in order for an online relationship to blossom from mere talk into a full-fledged affair, Kimmons said. In most instances, people enter into online relationships with the most innocent of intentions.
"I don't think these people typically set out to have affairs," said Kimmons, whose practice includes couples therapy and marriage counseling. "A lot of it is curiosity. They see an old friend or someone they dated and decide to say 'hello' and catch up on where that person is and how they're doing."
It all boils down to the amount of contact two people in any type of relationships -ncluding online - have with each other, Kimmons said. The more contact they have, the more likely they are to begin developing feelings for each other.
"If I'm talking to one person five times a week versus another person one time a week, you don't need a fancy psychological study to conclude that I'm more likely to fall in love with the person I talk to five times a week because I have more contact with that person," Kimmons said.
Stories of people whose marriages were destroyed by affairs that began on social networking sites abound on the Internet. It's enough to make some people swear off online technology for life. Though there are no hard-and-fast rules to follow, there are some safeguards couples can apply to decrease the chance of online relationships getting out of control. For starters, do a self-assessment of why you're using online sites.
"Look at the population of the people who are your online friends," Kimmons said. "Is it a good mixture of men and women? Do you spend more time talking to females versus males or do you favor a certain type of friend over another? That can tell you something about how you're using social networks. You may not even be aware that you're heading down a road that can get quickly get pretty dangerous, pretty fast to your marriage."
Another safeguard is to spell out from the beginning with your online contacts what your expectations are of social networking relationships. Also, it's a good idea to not engage in intimate conversation with someone who is not your spouse.
"From the start tell your online friend that you're not looking for anything more than establishing old contacts with people to find out how they're doing," Kimmons said.
In some instances, couples could share passwords with each other and place the computer in a common area in the house or apartment.
"It's not that people are going to read what you're writing but they'll see what you're doing," he said. "Then it's not a secret."
Couples can also set parameters around how much time and when they are online each day.
"If you're doing this at 2 o'clock in the morning with no one watching because you don't want anyone else to know about it, that should be a signal to you that this is something approaching a boundary line or you're at least moving in that direction," Kimmons said.
Though already-strained marriages are most vulnerable, a couple doesn't have to be experiencing marital difficulties in order for an online relationship to blossom from mere talk into a full-fledged affair, Kimmons said. In most instances, people enter into online relationships with the most innocent of intentions.
"I don't think these people typically set out to have affairs," said Kimmons, whose practice includes couples therapy and marriage counseling. "A lot of it is curiosity. They see an old friend or someone they dated and decide to say 'hello' and catch up on where that person is and how they're doing."
It all boils down to the amount of contact two people in any type of relationships -ncluding online - have with each other, Kimmons said. The more contact they have, the more likely they are to begin developing feelings for each other.
"If I'm talking to one person five times a week versus another person one time a week, you don't need a fancy psychological study to conclude that I'm more likely to fall in love with the person I talk to five times a week because I have more contact with that person," Kimmons said.
Stories of people whose marriages were destroyed by affairs that began on social networking sites abound on the Internet. It's enough to make some people swear off online technology for life. Though there are no hard-and-fast rules to follow, there are some safeguards couples can apply to decrease the chance of online relationships getting out of control. For starters, do a self-assessment of why you're using online sites.
"Look at the population of the people who are your online friends," Kimmons said. "Is it a good mixture of men and women? Do you spend more time talking to females versus males or do you favor a certain type of friend over another? That can tell you something about how you're using social networks. You may not even be aware that you're heading down a road that can get quickly get pretty dangerous, pretty fast to your marriage."
"From the start tell your online friend that you're not looking for anything more than establishing old contacts with people to find out how they're doing," Kimmons said.
In some instances, couples could share passwords with each other and place the computer in a common area in the house or apartment.
"It's not that people are going to read what you're writing but they'll see what you're doing," he said. "Then it's not a secret."
Couples can also set parameters around how much time and when they are online each day.
"If you're doing this at 2 o'clock in the morning with no one watching because you don't want anyone else to know about it, that should be a signal to you that this is something approaching a boundary line or you're at least moving in that direction," Kimmons said.
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Fox Business: In a New Economy, Small Businesses Must Adapt
Feb 25, 2011 3:22 PM EST
Profit is not a dirty word and any small business owner will attest that they don't have the luxury of speculation and haphazard risk taking with their funds. Free enterprise requires small businesses to adapt to new models and technologies or risk falling behind and maybe even eventually failing. And that's the way it should be.
Rewind a couple decades and you will find that entrepreneurs seeking more exposure relied on word of mouth and traditional print advertising. Flash forward to the 21st century and you find entrepreneurs still facing the same exposure battle, but they now have new tools with the Internet, e-commerce and social networking sites.
The modern consumer is in constant contact with family and friends, and small businesses need to become part of that loop. The small business owner who shows and tells the most new prospects about his or her product or service will end up moving the most volume, considering the entire infrastructure is in place to properly capture that business.
IMToolSuite.com - Make Thousands of Dollars Per Month Promoting ...
*PLUS Receive Access to All of Our Future Tools & Software At No Additional Cost! BizConnect Enterprises, LLC ---Recommends:
http://www.imtoolsuite.com/bizconnectent
Profit is not a dirty word and any small business owner will attest that they don't have the luxury of speculation and haphazard risk taking with their funds. Free enterprise requires small businesses to adapt to new models and technologies or risk falling behind and maybe even eventually failing. And that's the way it should be.
Rewind a couple decades and you will find that entrepreneurs seeking more exposure relied on word of mouth and traditional print advertising. Flash forward to the 21st century and you find entrepreneurs still facing the same exposure battle, but they now have new tools with the Internet, e-commerce and social networking sites.
The modern consumer is in constant contact with family and friends, and small businesses need to become part of that loop. The small business owner who shows and tells the most new prospects about his or her product or service will end up moving the most volume, considering the entire infrastructure is in place to properly capture that business.
IMToolSuite.com - Make Thousands of Dollars Per Month Promoting ...
*PLUS Receive Access to All of Our Future Tools & Software At No Additional Cost! BizConnect Enterprises, LLC ---Recommends:
http://www.imtoolsuite.com/bizconnectent
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Five companies move, expand in Palm Beach County
Date: Thursday, February 24, 2011, 12:52pm EST
The Business Development Board of Palm Beach County announced on Thursday that it helped five companies relocate or expand to its county.
The result should be 127 more jobs. The BDB aided the companies with real estate information, permitting, incentives and training programs.
Brenham, Texas-based Blue Bell Creameries plans to hire 28 people at its distribution facility in Delray Beach. In 2009, the company bought a 2.3-acre site at 9655 Atlantic Ave. for $1.4 million. The BDB said it recently started construction on a 13,000-square-foot facility there.
An additional 24 jobs came when Native Outfitters moved its headquarters and manufacturing center to West Palm Beach from Hobe Sound. The company, located at 411 Seventh St., has its own brand of outdoor lifestyle apparel.
Also in West Palm Beach, Mass Mutual DBS Financial Group and Richard S. Bernstein & Associates joined together to open a district office. They plan to recruit 25 workers in the financial service field over the next five years.
Mass Mutual DBS is a mutual life insurance provider, while Richard S. Bernstein & Associates does insurance advising and estate planning, mostly to wealthy clients.
“It is very exciting to form this strategic alliance where we can combine the synergies of two highly successful organizations,” Mass Mutual DBS CEO David Schulman said in a news release. “We will be jointly providing advisory services, retirement analysis, estate planning strategies, employee benefits and retention services, and business continuation consultation.”
Bernstein is on the BDB’s board of directors. The companies received assistance from the BDB in finding office space, but did not receive public funds.
Boca Raton-based 3Cinteractive, which plans to hire 25 people this year, received financing support from the Workforce Alliance for recruitment and training. The mobile communications technology firm is relocating to take up the 26,000-square-foot fourth floor of Boca Colonnade II by June.
Another Boca Raton company that moved to a larger facility was Clarity Diagnostics. It plans to add 10 workers after moving into 7,500 square feet at 33 S.E. Eighth St. The company manufactures and distributes diagnostic testing devices.
The BDB has several large prospects in the works that have yet to be finalized. In January, Palm Beach County commissioners approved a preliminary offer for job growth incentives to Garda Cash Logistics. The Canadian cash management and armored car firm was considering creating 100 jobs in Boca Raton. On Tuesday, the Palm Beach County Commission will vote on making a final offer to Garda – indicating that it is close to making a decision.
Visit http://www.FLBizConnect.com for more information and join our local network on Facebook and Twitter
The Business Development Board of Palm Beach County announced on Thursday that it helped five companies relocate or expand to its county.
The result should be 127 more jobs. The BDB aided the companies with real estate information, permitting, incentives and training programs.
Brenham, Texas-based Blue Bell Creameries plans to hire 28 people at its distribution facility in Delray Beach. In 2009, the company bought a 2.3-acre site at 9655 Atlantic Ave. for $1.4 million. The BDB said it recently started construction on a 13,000-square-foot facility there.
An additional 24 jobs came when Native Outfitters moved its headquarters and manufacturing center to West Palm Beach from Hobe Sound. The company, located at 411 Seventh St., has its own brand of outdoor lifestyle apparel.
Also in West Palm Beach, Mass Mutual DBS Financial Group and Richard S. Bernstein & Associates joined together to open a district office. They plan to recruit 25 workers in the financial service field over the next five years.
Mass Mutual DBS is a mutual life insurance provider, while Richard S. Bernstein & Associates does insurance advising and estate planning, mostly to wealthy clients.
“It is very exciting to form this strategic alliance where we can combine the synergies of two highly successful organizations,” Mass Mutual DBS CEO David Schulman said in a news release. “We will be jointly providing advisory services, retirement analysis, estate planning strategies, employee benefits and retention services, and business continuation consultation.”
Bernstein is on the BDB’s board of directors. The companies received assistance from the BDB in finding office space, but did not receive public funds.
Boca Raton-based 3Cinteractive, which plans to hire 25 people this year, received financing support from the Workforce Alliance for recruitment and training. The mobile communications technology firm is relocating to take up the 26,000-square-foot fourth floor of Boca Colonnade II by June.
Another Boca Raton company that moved to a larger facility was Clarity Diagnostics. It plans to add 10 workers after moving into 7,500 square feet at 33 S.E. Eighth St. The company manufactures and distributes diagnostic testing devices.
The BDB has several large prospects in the works that have yet to be finalized. In January, Palm Beach County commissioners approved a preliminary offer for job growth incentives to Garda Cash Logistics. The Canadian cash management and armored car firm was considering creating 100 jobs in Boca Raton. On Tuesday, the Palm Beach County Commission will vote on making a final offer to Garda – indicating that it is close to making a decision.
Visit http://www.FLBizConnect.com for more information and join our local network on Facebook and Twitter
Monday, February 21, 2011
Finding the Right Credit Card for Your Business
No. 1: Look for cash-back or travel rewards.
From: Matt Mickiewicz of 99designs.
If you plan to pay off your card monthly and your business requires lots of travel; look into the highly-regarded SPG AMEX card to earn Starwood Points. Alternatively, Costco has some fantastic cash-back cards that can put money into your pocket as you are book-strapping your business and Capital One offers cards without foreign exchange fees. Check out CreditCards.com for more info and comparisons.
No. 2: Does the card work where you need it to?
From: Ashley Bodi of Business Beware.
Find out if the credit card works when and where you will need it to. Emergencies can come up at anytime and anywhere with business especially when traveling. Make sure and ask others if they have ever had a problem with this or with a card you're looking at applying for.
No. 3: Know the lows and highs cold.
From: Nick Friedman of College Hunks Hauling Junk.
Look for the lowest interest rate and highest credit limit. Also look for cards with no annual fee and good rewards programs that accrue points you can use to buy things for your business. We started with a Chase business card that gave 1% cash back on all purchases and then obtained an American Express Card about one year into the business. We still use both cards to this day.
No. 4: If you do your own bookkeeping, then solve for easy user interface.
From: Eric Bahn of beat the gmat.
Points and travel perks can be great, but if you're a small business owner and you're managing your own bookkeeping, then solve for using a credit card service with an easy-to-review online user interface. You'll be surprised by how poor most bank Web sites are in presenting simple things like lists of transactions. Using a bank with a nice user interface does wonders to optimize your bookkeeping.
No. 5: Cash flow control.
From: Matt Wilson of Under 30 CEO.
Building credit for your business is important, but getting into something that you don't understand could mean bankruptcy. Make sure the cardholders within your company are extremely responsible. Credit cards can be vital to controlling your cash flow and while you may not plan on carrying a balance, find one with a conservative APR and forget the rewards.
No. 6: Have a 'what's in it for me' mindset.
From: Natalie MacNeil of Imaginarius.
Choose a credit card that rewards you. If you do a lot of business travel, select a card that gives you travel points towards free flights and hotels. Other cards give you up to 5% cash back on purchases which can help your growing business. Whichever card you choose though, use it responsibly and pay your balance off in full each month. You don't want to worry about debt as you grow your business.
How should I go about selecting the right credit card for my business? Rachel McDonough, NY
The following answers come from members of The Young Entrepreneur Council, a nonprofit founded in New York in 2010 that focuses on international initiatives that include entrepreneurship education, advocacy, mentorship programs and events, scholarships, and health-care for young entrepreneurs. E-mail your questions about best practices for starting up and/or managing a small business to smbs@foxbusiness.com.
From: Matt Mickiewicz of 99designs.
If you plan to pay off your card monthly and your business requires lots of travel; look into the highly-regarded SPG AMEX card to earn Starwood Points. Alternatively, Costco has some fantastic cash-back cards that can put money into your pocket as you are book-strapping your business and Capital One offers cards without foreign exchange fees. Check out CreditCards.com for more info and comparisons.
No. 2: Does the card work where you need it to?
From: Ashley Bodi of Business Beware.
Find out if the credit card works when and where you will need it to. Emergencies can come up at anytime and anywhere with business especially when traveling. Make sure and ask others if they have ever had a problem with this or with a card you're looking at applying for.
No. 3: Know the lows and highs cold.
From: Nick Friedman of College Hunks Hauling Junk.
Look for the lowest interest rate and highest credit limit. Also look for cards with no annual fee and good rewards programs that accrue points you can use to buy things for your business. We started with a Chase business card that gave 1% cash back on all purchases and then obtained an American Express Card about one year into the business. We still use both cards to this day.
No. 4: If you do your own bookkeeping, then solve for easy user interface.
From: Eric Bahn of beat the gmat.
Points and travel perks can be great, but if you're a small business owner and you're managing your own bookkeeping, then solve for using a credit card service with an easy-to-review online user interface. You'll be surprised by how poor most bank Web sites are in presenting simple things like lists of transactions. Using a bank with a nice user interface does wonders to optimize your bookkeeping.
No. 5: Cash flow control.
From: Matt Wilson of Under 30 CEO.
Building credit for your business is important, but getting into something that you don't understand could mean bankruptcy. Make sure the cardholders within your company are extremely responsible. Credit cards can be vital to controlling your cash flow and while you may not plan on carrying a balance, find one with a conservative APR and forget the rewards.
No. 6: Have a 'what's in it for me' mindset.
From: Natalie MacNeil of Imaginarius.
Choose a credit card that rewards you. If you do a lot of business travel, select a card that gives you travel points towards free flights and hotels. Other cards give you up to 5% cash back on purchases which can help your growing business. Whichever card you choose though, use it responsibly and pay your balance off in full each month. You don't want to worry about debt as you grow your business.
How should I go about selecting the right credit card for my business? Rachel McDonough, NY
The following answers come from members of The Young Entrepreneur Council, a nonprofit founded in New York in 2010 that focuses on international initiatives that include entrepreneurship education, advocacy, mentorship programs and events, scholarships, and health-care for young entrepreneurs. E-mail your questions about best practices for starting up and/or managing a small business to smbs@foxbusiness.com.
Friday, February 18, 2011
What is real cost of social networking?
FEB 18. 2011
Social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and LinkedIn are rapidly becoming an everyday part of the business environment. These platforms are even viewed as essential business tools in many organizations. With the increased use of various social networking platforms, it is vital to control risk and quantify the real cost. Uncontrolled use across the company will lead to costs spiraling out of control and can open one up to unnecessary information security risk.
Information is a key driver and has become the lifeblood of every modern organization. With the ever-changing environment in which business is conducted, it is more important than ever to ensure that information is protected and risk is minimized. Preventing staff from accessing social networks is no longer an option, company executives merely have to apply sound security measures to ensure their information is protected and costs are controlled. It is critical for all companies to create the correct environment where all staff is empowered to be the guardians of information.
The entire continent has seen an explosion of bandwidth; this has brought about masses of new, naïve and uneducated Internet users. These 'new' users are more susceptible to the ever-changing risks and strategies being employed to get users to part with sensitive information, and it is essential that these risks be mitigated in a systematic manner. The objective must be to identify the challenges that organizations face and implement all possible solutions to mitigate the risk that the human factor poses in an organization’s information security strategy.
“We have been told by several clients that they had previously decided to block social networking sites, especially after noticing the extensive use of these sites. They soon discovered that since blocking these sites, users were finding ingenious but dangerous and risky ways of accessing these sites. This opened them up to very nasty network vulnerabilities and threats. In addition, at one of our clients quickly discovered that there was an average of well over 10 hours per week per employee spent on these sites. This amounted to just over 20% of their total work time being wasted. This essentially meant that a full time employee was working less than 80% of the time; owing to a single Web site. I am sure the staff would not be happy if they were only paid 80% of their salary.”
What do you think is the answer to the social network concerns that business face?
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