Your Business
Your Business Phone Isn't as Secure as You Think
By Kevin Beaver Thursday Jun 24, 2010I recently heard a caller speaking with consumer advocate Clark Howard about a phone he purchased online. The caller said he had all sorts of personal information belonging to the phone's previous owner, including her health care records. Not good.
Where Art Thou, Leaders? Management Lessons from the Gulf
By Ira Wolfe Thursday Jun 24, 2010The disaster in the Gulf has been a disaster of leadership. As a result, leadership lessons seem to be gushing from the incident faster than Deepwater Horizon is spewing oil. Where art thou, leaders?
A Future Without Offices? 6 Things to Consider First
By Ira Wolfe Tuesday Jun 22, 2010Can you see an office-less company in your future? Estimates of how many people telecommute and how often they do it vary widely, but the result is the same: telework is growing rapidly.
Why You Should Hack Your Own Business
By Kevin Beaver Monday Jun 21, 2010Ever thought about hacking your own network to see just how vulnerable your systems are? There's a process called "ethical hacking" that allows you or an employee to peform various security checks so the flaws can be uncovered before there's an attack.
Should You Ban Facebook at the Office?
By Kevin Beaver Friday Jun 18, 2010In the whitepaper "To Block or Not. Is that the Question?," Palo Alto Networks explores the issue of "Enterprise 2.0" applications such as Facebook, Skype, Twitter and YouTube and howusers are now in control of the network. Meanwhile, IT staff is saying "just block it!" and users say "just don't block it!," but it's not that simple.
3 Marketing Rules to Live — or Die — by
By Eric Reyes Monday Jun 14, 20103 marketing rules to live — or die — by. You may think your product is so good it will sell itself, but Tim Berry at Online Finance Blog has a reality check for you: great marketing sells even the crummiest products. His second rule: consistency beats brilliance — meaning don't change your marketing strategy every few months. Familiarity breeds trust among customers. Third, writes Berry, people can trump money.
Recession Over? Now's the Time to Win Back Your Customers
By Reuben Advani Monday Jun 14, 2010Many small businesses have watched their best customers wander off during the recession. Maybe the customer was unhappy with the service or its budget was slashed or it simply reassessed priorities. Whatever the reason, a lot of companies were too busy trying to survive to spend the time and money necessary to luring customers back. But as the economy stabilizes — and many small businesses regain their footing — now's the time to turn your attention to wooing lost customers. How do you do it?
An Approach to Business Meetings That Even You Will Love
By Patrick Forsyth Monday Jun 14, 2010I recently wrote about a problem we all face — too much to do, too little time — and offered some tips on how you can manage your time better. Now I'd like tackle one of the biggest time-sucks in our daily work lives: the ubiquitous business meeting.
In a Crisis, What's Your IT Backup Plan?
By Kevin Beaver Friday Jun 11, 2010As a small business owner, you've undoubtedly had others tell you to "have a contingency plan" for when crises strike. This phrase means different things to different people depending on the context of the situation. Many business owners do have fallback plans for many aspects of their operations, including their accounts receivable and supplier relationships. But what about IT and more specifically, your web presence?
Employee Theft Hits $2.9 Trillion — Are You a Victim?
By Eric Reyes Thursday Jun 10, 2010Can you really trust your workers? Employees are stealing $2.9 trillion a year from companies, according to a report from the Association of Certified Fraud Executives. Believe it or not, some employees are robbing their bosses of $1 million — and getting away with it. They typically do it over longer periods, about 18 months before they stop or are caught. The most vulnerable businesses are banks, financial services and manufacturing.