Learn To Protect Your Business From a Security Breach

It's not only big companies that are the target of hackers and susceptible to security breaches, your small business is just as vulnerable to these data ‘thiefs'.  According to a recent report released by Verizon, nearly three-quarters of data breaches analyzed in 2011 involved businesses with 100 employees or fewer.

How do you ensure that your information is safe?  I recently published an article on the Wells Fargo Business Insight Resource Center that gives you six steps that you can take to protect your company from a data breach.  You can read the full article here.

 

 

Twitter Tools And Techniques To Power Your Marketing

2. Use Advanced Search

Most people don't think of Twitter as a search tool. But you can get a lot done by a few simple commands via the Advanced Search function.

You can figure out some good stuff:

• Find the top trending topics, only the most current or all of it, and just pictures, too.
• If someone is mentioning you, without the @ symbol, you can see that via this advanced search option.
• You can track multiple profiles
• Eavesdrop on your competitors
• Follow links from certain people

For example, you can search a topic with or without links that people retweet by checking the box at the bottom of the advanced search form.  You can read Twitter's guide to advanced search.

4. Hash Tag Tracking

The beauty of hashtags is you can add a simple term along with the hash mark # and easily track the conversation.

Here's another article for American Express OPEN Forum on how to use hashtags.

Simply append #SmallBusiness or whatever term you want to track. No space after the hash mark and your term, though.

Hashtags.org lets you quickly jump to trending hashtags on its site.

6. Tweet Archivist

This powerhouse web service (also available as a desktop application) allows you to search for a Twitter user, a keyword, or phrase. It states you can find, analyze, and archive your tweets.

That's the key: Archive. It lets you download the search as a spreadsheet. For this sample search, I looked up “small business” as a term and it returned almost 1,500 tweets and the usernames of who tweeted it, the tweet itself, and other details.

Pretty useful if you are searching for people to follow or potential clients, perhaps.

Another part that I liked: When I searched for my name without the @ symbol, it showed me tweets where my name was not mentioned in the tweet itself, but the underlying post or link contained my name. Pretty savvy.

Tweet Archivist is one to use.

8. Tweriod

Tweriod wants to help you understand the best time to send your tweets. It works in conjunction with Buffer (an app where you upload your tweets and they parse them out at an even interval, or at least not in a rapid fire procession, which is generally considered better form).

Tweriod reveals the best times when your tweet will get the most exposure, based on your followers and when they are online.

10. TwitterMap

TwitterMap is exactly what you'd expect from the name.

Enter Twitter Search Terms, and visualize tweets by a user's location on a map. It is a super simple app that just gives you an idea of where a topic is more popular geographically. It is leveraging Google Maps combined with Twitter data. It takes a little while to populate the map, so do a search, then stop back in a few minutes.

When you hover over the red pushpin, it reveals the actual tweet at the top of the screen.

12. Topsy

Topsy is a real-time social search engine. They recently started offering a pro analytics account that I tested, but haven't posted on yet. But just using their search engine you can find new users to follow, and dig deeper into a topic.

I like that it gives you the stats (on the left side column) of how many times a term has been shared or mentioned over different time periods.

So, in this example, “entrepreneur” is mentioned 73,000 times over the last 30 days.

7 Mobile Apps Helping Customers Shop Smarter

Which mobile apps are helping consumers shop smarter - either online or while in the store?

The following answers are provided by the Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC), an invite-only nonprofit organization comprised of the world's most promising young entrepreneurs. In partnership with Citi, the YEC recently launched #StartupLab, a free virtual mentorship program that helps millions of entrepreneurs start and grow businesses via live video chats, an expert content library and email lessons.

 

1. AisleBuyer

AisleBuyer combines mobile self-checkout with intelligent shopper functionality: product barcode scanning that returns information, customer reviews, and recommendations. AisleBuyer uses a consumer's shopping history to deliver coupons, offers, and discounts, and it stores users' receipts and shopper loyalty cards.

- DC Fawcett, Paramount Digital Publishing

2. RedLaser

RedLaser is a great go-to app for all in-store shopping. You can scan about anything that has a bar code, and the app informs you whether there's a better price on the item and where it can be found. Its available for all mobile phones. You can make purchases directly through the app, and it even provides ingredient/allergen information on food products.

- Andrew Schrage, Money Crashers Personal Finance

3. ShopWell

ShopWell is one of my favorites: it's an app that helps you find healthier alternatives and smarter swaps for popular products at the grocery store…plus, it's pretty, too!

- Derek Flanzraich, Greatist

4. Decide

Known as the crystal ball for shopping, Decide mobile has been an online web tool for electronics, computers, TVs, cameras, and appliances. They now have a mobile app out for iPhone to predict pricing wherever you are. It will base off of trends in price changes (lows and highs) with graphs to determine the best time to buy.

- Lane Sutton, Social Media from a Teen

5. Shopkick

Shopkick is a great app; not only is it free, but this mobile app uses your geolocation information to hook you up with cash-back rewards programs. You can earn points, or kicks, just for checking in, and then cash those points in for gift cards and movie vouchers. It's a win-win for businesses and consumers.

- John Hall, Digital Talent Agents

6. Google Goggles

While there are probably newer solutions out there, I still use Google Goggles to scan bar codes at the store, read reviews, and compare prices at other stores close by. Works great!

- Sean Ogle, Location 180, LLC

7. Amazon's Price Check

Amazon's Price Check app has the potential to save consumers a significant amount of money by al lowing them to scan a product's barcode in-store to see if they can buy it for cheaper on Amazon. Aside from the cost savings, getting on-demand reviews can help customers make a much more intelligent buying decision

- Aaron Schwartz, Modify Watches

Arbor Networks launches traffic visibility solution for enterprises

Arbor Networks has launched a new visibility solution to monitor all traffic, including from third party devices.

According to the company, Pravail Network Security Intelligence monitors network traffic data and uses analytics to help organisations close the security gaps left by firewalls and intrusion prevention systems.

Targeted at enterprise and service provider networks, it looks inside the network and delivers the situational awareness required to identify advanced threats, internal network misuse or abuse, and also infected mobile devices connected to the network, the company said.

Pravail also offers the ability to remove infected hosts on the network, identify new devices on the network and monitor network activity of trusted users and identify suspicious activity.

Arbor Networks president Colin Doherty said: “The threat landscape has changed dramatically in the past two or three years, let alone over the past decade. Pravail NSI extends those capabilities to address an acute concern for businesses today, the damage to the bottom line and brand integrity that can come from an undetected advanced or insider threat.”

Arbor Networks launches traffic visibility solution for enterprises

Arbor Networks has launched a new visibility solution to monitor all traffic, including from third party devices.

According to the company, Pravail Network Security Intelligence monitors network traffic data and uses analytics to help organisations close the security gaps left by firewalls and intrusion prevention systems.

Targeted at enterprise and service provider networks, it looks inside the network and delivers the situational awareness required to identify advanced threats, internal network misuse or abuse, and also infected mobile devices connected to the network, the company said.

Pravail also offers the ability to remove infected hosts on the network, identify new devices on the network and monitor network activity of trusted users and identify suspicious activity.

Arbor Networks president Colin Doherty said: “The threat landscape has changed dramatically in the past two or three years, let alone over the past decade. Pravail NSI extends those capabilities to address an acute concern for businesses today, the damage to the bottom line and brand integrity that can come from an undetected advanced or insider threat.”

IronKey confirms sale of brand and launch of secure access solution from Marble Cloud

IronKey has rebranded to ‘Marble Cloud' to move into the secure cloud access space.

According to the company, its Marble Access solutions offer an end-to-end hardened environment that allows any user to securely access enterprise provisioned public and private clouds, from anywhere, on any of their own devices. Solutions are offered for iOS, Android and other Windows or Linux endpoints.

There are three components available: Marble App for users to download and install, which is based on policies defined by enterprise on the Marble Cloud management service; the Marble Cloud management service that allows administrators to define policies across PC and mobile device platforms for cloud access control, endpoint security, VPN configuration, cloud access whitelists, malware scanning and jailbreak detection on the cloud service; finally, the Marble Network VPN service that encrypts all cloud access on any WiFi hotspot in the world.

The Marble Access platform also enables IT security teams to manage policies in one central location from the Marble Cloud security service, grant access to internal and external cloud services and by using integrated, whitelisting and blacklisting and other policy controls, prevent risky behaviour, the company said.

David Jevans, founder and CTO of Marble Cloud, said that Marble Access changes the paradigm of the security industry, because it starts with the assumption that an endpoint and a network connection are compromised, and hardens endpoint clients that are then linked using encryption and strong authentication through a multi-layer security system that includes a trusted network and a cloud-based managed authentication and risk analytic service.

He said: “The Marble platform turns the endpoint and cloud security paradigm on its head. The difference between our approach and everyone else boils down to isolation, an integrated, multi-layer approach that has already proven to be more effective at preventing zero-day attacks than detect and patch.”

The re-naming of the company comes after the IronKey brand was acquired by Imation. Jevans said: “IronKey is an extremely well-known brand in the security space, but it is very tightly tied to secure data storage; that identity now fits Imation's business better than ours.

“Today's name change marks an exciting new era and will help us to distinguish between our roots as the creators of the world's most secure storage and our future as the world's most secure way to surf the web and access cloud services, the brand identity we will build for Marble Cloud.”

IronKey confirms sale of brand and launch of secure access solution from Marble Cloud

IronKey has rebranded to ‘Marble Cloud' to move into the secure cloud access space.

According to the company, its Marble Access solutions offer an end-to-end hardened environment that allows any user to securely access enterprise provisioned public and private clouds, from anywhere, on any of their own devices. Solutions are offered for iOS, Android and other Windows or Linux endpoints.

There are three components available: Marble App for users to download and install, which is based on policies defined by enterprise on the Marble Cloud management service; the Marble Cloud management service that allows administrators to define policies across PC and mobile device platforms for cloud access control, endpoint security, VPN configuration, cloud access whitelists, malware scanning and jailbreak detection on the cloud service; finally, the Marble Network VPN service that encrypts all cloud access on any WiFi hotspot in the world.

The Marble Access platform also enables IT security teams to manage policies in one central location from the Marble Cloud security service, grant access to internal and external cloud services and by using integrated, whitelisting and blacklisting and other policy controls, prevent risky behaviour, the company said.

David Jevans, founder and CTO of Marble Cloud, said that Marble Access changes the paradigm of the security industry, because it starts with the assumption that an endpoint and a network connection are compromised, and hardens endpoint clients that are then linked using encryption and strong authentication through a multi-layer security system that includes a trusted network and a cloud-based managed authentication and risk analytic service.

He said: “The Marble platform turns the endpoint and cloud security paradigm on its head. The difference between our approach and everyone else boils down to isolation, an integrated, multi-layer approach that has already proven to be more effective at preventing zero-day attacks than detect and patch.”

The re-naming of the company comes after the IronKey brand was acquired by Imation. Jevans said: “IronKey is an extremely well-known brand in the security space, but it is very tightly tied to secure data storage; that identity now fits Imation's business better than ours.

“Today's name change marks an exciting new era and will help us to distinguish between our roots as the creators of the world's most secure storage and our future as the world's most secure way to surf the web and access cloud services, the brand identity we will build for Marble Cloud.”

Steps To Effective Change Management

Change management is a complex process which varies according to each individual organization's needs. There will be different approaches taken depending on a wide range of factors including the type of organisation, the change objectives and the external environment.

However, there are 5 fundamental steps which need to  be part of any effective change management program.  These steps form the foundation for managing change.  The steps below provide insight into how to manage change effectively:

Step 1 â€" Build The Read More

The post Steps To Effective Change Management appeared first on Small Business Trends.

Are Your Emails Getting Where They Need To Go?

According to Campaign Monitor, anywhere between 20 to 40 percent of people receiving emails actually open them. That means that at least 60 percent of the emails you send out go straight to someone's trash or get ignored in a pile of other marketing emails that one receives. If you send out more than 10 thousand emails a month, that's 6,000 emails you paid for that don't even see the light of day. And that number is adequate only if they even reach their destination.

According to Return Path, that number gets even smaller. George Bilbrey, president and co-founder at Return Path, reported on its blog that about a fifth of all emails don't even successfully reach the inbox. “Unfortunately, many ESPs and marketers have developed the belief that whatever emails aren't bouncing have successfully reached the inbox,” he said.

Think of all the money you're wasting sending emails that either don't get read or simply don't reach their inboxes. The open rate alone might discourage you from actually going about your campaign. But that's why you have to invest in smart email marketing solutions that filter out all the bad stuff for you.

Email-IQ, from Analytics-IQ, is a recently-launched service that breaks through your email address list and filters out anyone who's either not likely to open an email or anyone who doesn't check their email anymore. This isn't the only service you can use, though. Vertical Response, a service which I've covered earlier, does pretty much the same thing.

Just use anything but your Outlook client, and you'll be fine. Launching an email marketing campaign on a service that doesn't properly filter and validate email addresses is only going to cost you more and give you less value for every buck you spend.

If you choose wisely, your email campaigns will make a tangible impact in your sales!

Brands and Advertisers Want Data. Tumblr Plans to Give It

Social media blogging site Tumblr just announced that advertisers and brands using the site will have access to a new third-party analytics dashboard, which can help users track overall engagement with other users over time, identify key influencers, and analyze posts and tags to learn what type of content most resonate with their network.

The site partnered with Union Metrics, which was founded in 2009 and until now was known mainly for its Twitter analytics product TweetReach, to Read More

The post Brands and Advertisers Want Data. Tumblr Plans to Give It appeared first on Small Business Trends.

Unemployment Rate Falls In September But What Happened To Self Employment?

Given the hubbub about the large drop in September's unemployment rate, it's not surprising that few of the other numbers released received much attention. But I think we ought to also think about what happened to the self-employment numbers, and not just because I care about entrepreneurship.

Because only about 10 percent of Americans work for themselves, self-employment doesn't drive the overall jobs number the way wage employment does. But it's important nonetheless. Unlike increases in wage employment, increases in self-employment might lead to future job creation because some self-employed people hire others.

A big jump in self-employment, particularly the incorporated self-employed who are more likely to hire others, might translate into job gains down the road.

Unfortunately, the figures for self-employment weren't nearly as good as the overall figures last month. The number of self-employed Americans rose by a seasonally adjusted 31,000 in September, 2012. The percentage increase was only one third that of people employed by others.

The self-employed who run their own corporations â€" the biggest employers among the self-employed â€" had the weakest gains. Seasonally adjusted, the number dropped by 43,000 people last month.

Over the long term, the numbers are improving, but not as fast as one might hope. Incorporated self-employment is still down by 188,000 (or 3.4 percent) since January 2009.

Moreover, as a fraction of the population, it is down more. Because the population has grown substantially over the past four years, we still need to add 399,000 more incorporated self-employed people to get back to the same fraction of the population in incorporated self-employment as we had in December of 2008.

The twitter length message here is this: Incorporated self-employment hasn't been improving as fast as wage employment, didn't improve much in September, and still has a ways to go to get back to where it had once been.

Unemployment Drops Photo via Shutterstock

Top Tips to Ensure a More Successful 2013 (Part 1)

C'mon now, THIS is the time to lay the foundation for a fabulous 2013.

2012 sucked you say. You're working harder for smaller projects that take longer to close. Well welcome to the new normal. Let's make 2013 different…better!

Make no mistake about it, regardless of who gets elected, the business economy will not turnaround quickly. Yes it is showing signs of improvement and will get better still but quickly, well, not so much.

So how to plan for 2013? These ideas might be self-evident but if you haven't started yet or haven't committed to doing these things consistently, then success might just be a little more difficult to come by.

Prospect smarter. Yes prospect proactively. If you have a newsletter they will come. Not. If you engage in social media they will come. Not.  Sure demand generation is important but reactive is not the stance to take when things are tough. You need to be proactive and that means exploring how direct marketing, targeted email marketing, telemarketing, networking and other direct forms of reaching out to prospects can play a part in your business development efforts. And while you're at it, set a prospecting goal. Quantify everything.

Network strategically.  Oh my yes, networking is all the rage and folks are out and about morning, noon and night, shaking hands, exchanging cards, smiling, meeting and doing it all without a true networking plan of attack. Before you venture out, before you join groups, reflect on the following:

• Will the types of prospects and/or referral sources that I wish to meet attend this type of meeting or event?
• Does the group have a good track record of success?
• Does this group meet my personal networking style (i.e. rigid, highly flexible, expensive, no fee, etc.)

Face it, not every networking environment may good for your unique situation.

And remember if you want to meet “C” level executives in mid to large sized companies, you have to network in in an entirely different manner than if you wish to meet business owners and referral sources for smaller companies.

Clarify your points of differentiation.  It's tough out there and the world has become highly competitive. If you haven't developed your points of differentiation it is quite possible that your competitors will soon be eating your lunch. Note that I did not say what makes you better. No, it's what makes you different.  (And of course these points of differentiation must equate to an improvement in your prospect's situation.

Start with these simple steps and remember to do them consistently and exquisitely. I'll be continuing with these pointers but the key is to start NOW.  2013 is coming up fast.

HID Global and Precise Biometrics combine solutions to offer secure access to Apple devices

HID Global has launched a solution for government agencies to secure iOS devices with access to sensitive data.

Combining its ActivClient Mobile Software Development Kit (SDK) for iOS with the Tactivo iPhone and the Tactivo iPad sleeves from Precise Biometrics, the companies claimed it enables government agencies to use their Common Access Card (CAC) or Personal Identity Verification (PIV) cards to secure communications and access to sensitive information by encrypting it through standard Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) encryption methods.

According to the company, the ActivClient Mobile SDK for iOS enables application developers and government entities to deliver two-factor authentication, signature and decryption technologies for all iOS devices.

Thomas Marschall, president and CEO of Precise Biometrics, said: “Our solution with HID Global takes a pragmatic approach to the problem, ensuring that the CAC and PIV cards already in use can now secure the mobile devices government employees are already using.”

Precise Biometrics said its Tactivo Smart Card and Fingerprint Reader enable multi-factor authentication on iPad and iPhone, supporting US government credentials including PIV, PIV-I, CAC and TWIC, as well as the Precise Match-on-Card credentials used in many national IDs.

Julian Lovelock, vice president of product marketing, identity assurance at HID Global, said: “It is incredibly important for us to bridge the gap from the cards in use today to the mobile devices of the future.

“As the market shifts from workstations to smartphones and tablets, there is an increased use of these devices to access corporate emails and resources. By incorporating our iOS SDK with sleeves such as those from Precise Biometrics, we ensure a smooth transition for government agencies and their employees.”

Second man pleads guilty to Sony Pictures hacking in 2011

Another person has admitted the hacking of Sony Pictures last year.

Purported LulzSec member Raynaldo Rivera, 20, was charged in August with impairing a protected computer and conspiracy charges. In admitting his guilt, he joins Cody Kretsinger, who also pleaded guilty for the Sony Pictures hijack. Kretsinger is scheduled to be sentenced on 25th October.

The attack on Sony Pictures in June 2011 saw more than one million users' personal information compromised, including passwords, email addresses, home addresses, dates of birth and all Sony opt-in data associated with their accounts. At the time, LulzSec claimed it made away with 3.5 million music coupon codes.

Rivera faced up to 15 years in prison, but with the guilty plea, he is expected to receive a shorter term when he is sentenced, scheduled for March 2013, according to reports.

Authorities said Rivera joined Kretsinger in exploiting a common SQL injection vulnerability to gain access to internal Sony networks and websites, as part of a week-long attack lasting from 27th May to 2nd June 2011.

Rivera, whose online aliases are ‘neuron', ‘royal' and ‘wildicv', allegedly employed a proxy server to hide his IP address. It was unclear how authorities hunted him down, but it's certainly possible LulzSec leader-turned-FBI informant Hector Monsegur, aka ‘Sabu', may have helped.

A report by Fox News from March 2012 claimed that the arrests were largely made based on evidence gathered by Monsegur, with sources saying he has been secretly working for the US government for months as a cooperating witness.

Monsegur pleaded guilty on 15th  August 2011 in a US District Court to 12 counts of computer hacking conspiracies and other crimes, including the hacking of Fox Broadcasting Company, Sony Pictures Entertainment and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). Charges have also been made over the attacks on Fine Gael, a political party in Ireland, and on security firms HBGary and its affiliate HBGary Federal and Stratfor.

It was announced this year that Monsegur had been given a six-month reprieve from sentencing due to his continued cooperation with law enforcement.

GCHQ set to recruit part-time experts

GCHQ is to recruit part-time computer experts to protect Britain from the growing threat of hi-tech attacks.

According to a report by the Evening Standard, ministers are considering taking on employees to work a day or so per week at GCHQ to improve cyber defences. The report also stated that any concerns about sensitive information leaking out from the spy centre because of the dual job arrangements could be addressed.

It was predicted that hundreds of experts could be taken on and nicknamed them ‘iPlod' special constables. However a GCHQ spokesman said that the move was "purely speculative", but GCHQ was "constantly examining new ways to harness and attract the talents of the cyber security specialists we need".

Mark Brown, director of information security at Ernst & Young, said: “The move to use private sector capability to help the public sector overcome existing skills shortages and tackle cyber security risks is welcome. Closer collaboration between the two sectors is key to protecting the UK against increasing cyber criminal threats.”

NHS trust reports loss of laptops and desktop computers

Lanarkshire NHS has admitted to a catalogue of losses of IT and medical equipment.

A Freedom of Information request by the Wishaw Press found that six computers and a hard drive had gone missing from NHS Lanarkshire buildings since 2008.

The NHS trust confirmed that the laptops were fully encrypted and an exercise had taken place to remove all information from hard drives and desktop computers to store it on central servers, as they were not encrypted. In addition, the IT systems do not allow users to store anything to the computer's hard drive.

NHS Lanarkshire said: “We have robust procedures in place governing the loss of any data or equipment lost or stolen. All incidents must be reported so that a full investigation can take place.”

Stephen Midgley, global marketing vice president at Absolute Software, said: “Whilst NHS Lanarkshire are emphatic that patient confidentiality has not been breached, with these laptops in unknown hands the data they contain could be vulnerable despite encryption.

“Whilst the health board has undertaken measures to mitigate the risk of data loss, they cannot pretend that encryption is uncrackable. Despite safeguards preventing users from saving documents to the hard drive, many users cache passwords that could well provide access to the server via VPN. Remote data wiping is an area of security that has been neglected here and without remote governance the NHS will have no way of knowing whether its procedures were enough.”

A recent report by the Information Commissioner's Office on audit outcomes within the NHS found that 67 per cent fell within the reasonable assurance range, while one high assurance rating was awarded, indicating a year-on-year improvement in the assurance ratings awarded.

It also said that within the NHS, there were good information governance frameworks in place and clear management strategies for information governance and data protection, as well as training programmes, information governance strategies and incident security management policies in place.

Louise Byers, head of good practice at the ICO, said: “While the NHS and central government departments we've audited generally have good information governance and training practices in place, they need to do more to keep people's data secure. Local government authorities also need to improve how they record where personal information is held and who has access to it.

“The results of these reports show why we have requested an extension to our compulsory audit powers to cover the NHS and local government sectors. Organisations in these areas will be handling sensitive information, often relating to the care of vulnerable people. It is important that we have the powers available to us to help these sectors improve.”

Our Latest List of Small Business Contests and Awards

Looking for a small business contest or competition?  Check out our hand-picked list . Check it out!

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vFlyer Build the Best Website Contest
Enter by November 1, 2012

Entrants must create their sites using vFlyer Sites. The first phase of voting will take place on Facebook to select the ten finalists, and then three guest judges will select the winners. Websites will be judged on their effectiveness, ease of use and overall look and feel.

The Grand Prize winner will receive $2,500, and the first and second runner-ups will receive $500 and $250, respectively. All entrants will receive a service credit on vFlyer's website service.

Mobile Apps '12 Contest
Enter by November 4, 2012

Do you have a great idea (or maybe a prototype) of a great new mobile app? The next Concept To Company event, which looks to spur Utah startups, is focused on new mobile applications, with a prizes of $45,000. Concept To Company has been running a series of competitions which awards both cash and services to aspiring startups, to help small businesses in Utah get off the ground.

Dell $100M Innovators Credit Fund
Ongoing

Dell has launched a $100 million Innovators Credit Fund, with the purpose of helping entrepreneurs “maximize potential for innovation, speed to market and job creation.” The credit fund will offer both funding and technology resources with IT support, depending on what each start-up needs.

To be eligible, you must have already received some angel funding or venture capital before you can apply. Start-ups can get up to 10% of its current funding or up to $150,000 with limited credit terms. See website for details and application.

The Big Reboot
Multiple Contests & Entry Dates

Toshiba, Intel and Staples have teamed up to help small businesses share their stories and win thousands of dollars in new technology. Throughout 2012, they will award $10,000 technology makeovers to American businesses and free Intel-powered Ultrabooks to the people who support them.

Categories include Powering Knowledge, Powering Innovation, Powering Service, Powering Products, and Powering Good. See website for details and entry guidelines.

MillerCoors Urban Entrepreneurs Series
Enter by October 26, 2012

The 2012-2013 MillerCoors Urban Entrepreneurs Series (MUES) business plan competition is now open and accepting entries.

Since 1999, MillerCoors has invested more than $1.7 million in the dreams of entrepreneurs. This year brings new opportunities for entrepreneurs like you. Enter your business plan for a chance to vie for a $50,000 business grant and potentially become a MillerCoors supplier.

 

StartupNation Home-Based 100 Competition
Enter by October 31, 2012

The fifth annual StartupNation Home-Based 100 Competition is now open and accepting entries. The Competition is a ranking of outstanding home businesses and the amazing people behind them. With more than 18 million home-based businesses in the United States, StartupNation's competition is aimed at celebrating the most successful businesses in this important segment of the market. Entries are accepted until the end of October. The 100 winners will be published in mid-December 2012. Winners can receive priceless exposure in the media and be positioned to take their business to the next level.

The Small Business Challenge
Enter by October 31, 2012

The Small Business Challenge is a way for companies to compete for up to $50,000 in cash & prizes, while creating new jobs in the USA. Starting September 1st, you can register, nominate or vote for your favorite small business & help create new jobs in America.

Eligible Small Businesses can compete for $25k prize value (1st Place), $15k prize value (2nd Place), and $10k prize value (3rd Place) to help create new jobs in America.

FedEx Small Business Grant Contest
Enter by November 24, 2012

Grow your business with a small business grant of up to $25,000.
Entering is simple. Click the contest registration button below and submit your business story and photo by November 17. Once your application is approved, you can vote for yourself once a day â€" and get all your friends, customers, and associates to vote as well â€" through November 24.
Winners will be chosen from the top 100 companies in the contest based on how compelling your story is and how many votes you can get for your business. So tell us your story today, and you could walk away with up to $25,000 to invest in your business.

The Dough to Grow Award
Enter by November 30, 2012

The recession has claimed thousands of small businesses in recent years. Valpak plans to do its part in fueling local business growth with the Dough to Grow Award.

The winner will receive $10,000 to help grow their business. Entrants do not need to be Valpak customers to nominate their business.

Infusionsoft Battle of the Apps
Enter by December 31, 2012

Do you have a great idea for an Infusionsoft App, integration or plug-in that will enhance the Infusionsoft user experience? Then you have a shot at being crowned the Kick Apps Champion in the Battle of the Apps 2013. First prize is $10,000. See website for details.

Shopify Build-A-Business Competition
Enter by December 31, 2012

Shopify has teamed up with four world-class entrepreneurs to
help you build a million-dollar business in just months. Come up with a product to sell, open your online store and pick a mentor. The Shopify community and your mentor will give you great advice and guidance along the way. At the end of the competition, the four stores that sell the most over a two month period will each win a $50,000 investment from their mentor.

The list of awards and competitions is brought to you by Small Business Trends and Smallbiztechnology.com.

To find more small business events, contests and awards, visit our Small Business Events Calendar.
If you are putting on a small business contest, award or competition, and want to get the word out to the community, please submit it through our Small Business Event and Contests Form (it's free).

Please note: The descriptions provided here are for convenience only and are NOT the official rules. ALWAYS read official rules carefully at the site holding the competition, contest or award.

Use Financing To Solve Your Cash Flow Problem

Let's be honest about cash-flow for your business.  It's not always something to brag about.  We all hear people say cash-flow is king [and it is].  After all, without it you basically have a hobby rather than a business.  Or if you have cash-flow but it's not good then that probably means your expenses are greater than your revenues.

But if cash-flow is king, then are we prepared for the times when our cash-flow isn't so awesome?

Before we dive in let's see if we can agree on something.  Financing is always a means to an end.  In other words, nobody gets a loan for no reason and for no purpose.  We use it to buy properties, equipment, and for working capital among other things.  If we had the cash reserves that Apple has then we probably wouldn't be trying to figure out how to get an SBA loan or how to get a working capital line of credit. At its best we use financing as a tool to start, build, and grow our businesses and at its worst we use it to stay afloat when times are tough.

Below are four key ingredients that will not only have you prepared for slow times and unexpected cash-flow crisis, but they will also help you be prepared to obtain your financing in the future as your business grows and has additional financing needs to support that growth:

When Possible, Get Your Financing “Before” You Need It

It may sound counter-intuitive, but it's simple. You can't get a real estate loan or equipment financing “before” you need it. However, you can [and should] get your working capital line or lines of credit before you need them.

If you're like most people you're familiar with the loan process because you've probably bought homes and cars and got loans to pay them off over time. If you're obtaining a loan then you'll normally want to wait until you “need” the funding because loans require you to make monthly payments regardless of what the money is being used for. Whereas a line of credit has no monthly payments until you draw on the funds and begin using them. There's a big difference between loans and lines of credit.

Be Sure You Understand The Options That YOU Can Employ

We all have different options based on things like our industry, geographic location, collateral, business seasoning, personal and business credit, etc. Do you know what you can and can't do? This is important or you'll make one of two mistakes. You'll either get the wrong type of financing or your confusion will lead to fear and paralysis.

Doing nothing is worse than making the wrong decision because there's no action when you do nothing. Action at least means you're moving and you can change course or learn from mistakes but never getting into the game and making decisions is a crime punishable by you never reaching your goals and dreams. Learn your options and take advantage of them.

Use Your Credit Cards The Right Way

This may seem odd but it's one of those things that nobody really talks about. Statistically, according to NFIB, 79% of small business owners use credit cards (PDF). Meredith Whitney says that 82% of small business owners use credit cards as a “vital part” of their overall funding strategy.

The problem is that most small business owners use credit cards the wrong way. That means they don't separate their personal and business credit with their credit cards, they hurt their personal credit profiles and FICO scores, and they limit their ability to obtain additional financing in the future.  Credit cards are definitely a tool to help with some cash-flow issues but you'll obviously have to cover that additional debt service in the future if you use it today to get out of a cash-flow crunch.  I've done it, as have many others, but do it responsibly.

Protect, Preserve And Build Your Personal And Business Credit

We all know that credit is important for mortgages, car loans, business loans, and many other areas of our lives but, what are you doing to either preserve it or improve it? Are you treating your credit as an asset and protecting and preserving it? Do you know “how” to do that?

Monitoring your credit, cleaning up errors, and not over-utilizing your credit cards (the ones that show up on your personal credit report) are all ways to start treating your personal credit as an asset. Business credit is a different animal and will likely require a strategic build.

Business credit doesn't “just happen” the same way your personal credit does.  It's usually a process of strategically acquiring a series of vendor lines of credit for things like office supplies, computers, gas, etc. It takes time and the rewards rarely come quickly but you'll be glad you did it if you stick with it.

We recently bought a new phone system and, because of our good business credit, I didn't have to personally guarantee the loan and they only looked at our business credit in order for us to get approved â€" they did not review my personal credit as part of their underwriting process.

Businesses have cash-flow cycles â€" and it's not just the “seasonal” businesses. It comes with the territory and especially as you are building the organization. Use some of these strategies to be prepared to deal with that slow month (or more). It's never fun to deal with the curve balls that running a business throws at us but if you do these things and execute them properly you'll set yourself up to hit the curve balls and stay in the game rather than striking out.

If cash-flow is king, what are you going to do about managing the tough times when the cash-flow is slow?

Key to Solution Photo via Shutterstock

Wal-Mart Battles Online Rivals with E-Commerce

We've written previously about Wal-Mart's efforts to keep online competitor Amazon at bay by discontinuing sales of the Kindle e-reader. Now it seems the world's biggest retailer is taking things to the next level with an attempt to ratchet up its e-commerce presence. All businesses must, from time to time, head into new markets either to compete or simply to increase the number of customers they serve. Here's a look at how businesses move outside their comfort zones to succeed and grow.

Cyber Super Stores

By the numbers. Moving confidently into the digital age, Wal-Mart outlined its e-commerce strategy recently by projecting profits of $9 billion in online sales by 2014. The retailer also plans to use Facebook to drive increased sales, including letting 22 million Facebook fans vote on toys they think Wal-Mart should temporarily discount. The Wall Street Journal

Out-Amazoning Amazon. Wal-Mart also goes head to head with its chief online rival Amazon this holiday season. The retailer recently announced a plan to introduce same-day delivery in select cities for orders placed online, a response to a similar same-day delivery service launched by Amazon. The move could be a sign of the retailers aggressive foray into a new market. Time Business

Far and Wide

The new kid in town. Of course, you don't have to be Wal-Mart to venture into new markets and find new customers. Sometimes all it takes is recognizing the opportunities just outside your front door. For local businesses, one simple approach is to target new homeowners in your community or new people in your town or market, says blogger and entrepreneur Ashley Neal. Celebrate Atlanta

Around the world. When it comes to finding new customers, of course, the reverse is also true. Just as your business might find new customers around the corner, you may also find them around the world, says startup expert Martin Zwilling. The Internet and other technological advances enable the smallest startup to operate globally. Consider targeting customers for your products and services no matter where they might be. Startup Professionals Musings

Brand New Bag

How sweet it is. Exploring new business opportunities is another important step toward finding new customers and new markets. Consider investing in a hot franchise, for example. The important thing, says franchise expert Joel Libava, is to identify a new business model that adequately fits your needs. The Franchise King

Turn the channel. Finding new markets sometimes requires developing new ways to communicate with your customers. Every channel is different, explains entrepreneur Simon Gabay in this post about BizSugar.com, a sister site to Small Business Trends. Gabay explains the approaches any business owner must take when exploring a new way to reach audiences or customers. The Adhere Agency

Higher education. Businesses of all kinds must also educate customers about what they offer and why it's important. The education must be a process, not a single event, explains business coach Dave Brock. Customers don't come to you over night, especially if your products or services are new to them. You must educate your audience about your business's value. Partners in Excellence