Improve Your Skills and Network at One of These Events

Welcome to our latest curated list of events, contests and awards for small businesses, solo entrepreneurs and growing companies. To see a full list or to submit your own event, contest or award listing, visit the Small Business Events Calendar.

Featured Events, Contests and Awards

Manta #SmallBizLove Photo ContestManta #SmallBizLove Photo Contest
August 31, 2013, Online

This contest highlights small businesses and helps them to show off their amazing products, services and happy customers all with a chance to win $10K. The contest is open this year to small business owners and their consumers.

At the end of the contest, one photo will be chosen as the $10K Grand Prize winner.

Hashtag: #SmallBizLove

Small Business Influencer Awards 2013
September 9, 2013, Online
Small Business Influencer Awards 2013

The 2013 Small Business Influencer Awards recognize the apps, organizations and people who have a strong impact on small businesses in North America. Now its 3rd year, the Awards are a coveted recognition for those who serve small businesses.  Check to see who’s already been nominated, and nominate yourself, or someone or some organization or app you admire.   No fee to enter.

Twitter hashtag: #SMBinfluencer.

NOMINATE

WomanCon 2013WomanCon 2013
September 25, 2013, New York, NY

This conference brings together amazing women entrepreneurs, both on and off the stage. Hear real behind-the-scenes stories of success including JJ Ramberg, Sarah Endline, Janine Popick, and Pamela O’Hara. Expert keynotes and panel discussions include: Getting Funding for Growth with Kay Koplovitz & Peggy Wallace, Turning Ideas into Companies with Yao Huang, 5 Strategies for a Stronger Brand with Julie Cottineau, and a journalist panel on Pitching the Media. SEATING IS LIMITED.
Discount Code
SBTRENDS ($50 off)

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This weekly listing of small business events, contests and awards is provided as a community service by Small Business Trends and SmallBizTechnology.




Catch Up With Our Latest Small Business News Recap

Mobile woman staying up to day

We understand running your business may take 40, 50 or 60 hours a week â€" and then some. To save your valuable time, the Small Business Trends editorial team has gathered this recap of key stories not to miss this week.

Acquisitions & Startups That Help Small Business

DocStoc acquires BestVendor. Docstoc’s acquisition of BestVendor this week for an undisclosed sum adds software recommendations to the other online business resources the company already offers. Check out the full range of services now available.

Tawki can change your approach to video. A startup plans to take a one-click approach to production. Tawki will create simple video from a single keyword. You can even customize with added clips, photos, music and voice-overs.

Cyberwars Continue

The New York Times was hacked. Or rather, the domain name was hacked and pointed to a hacker’s servers.  One of the world’s most famous brands was brought down with a crafty phishing ploy.  To safeguard your business website, read these 2 tips to make sure your employees avoid similar mistakes.

Taxes & Revenue

Uncle Sam thinks you’re holding out. The IRS has been sending notices to small businesses. The concern is over those reporting higher than average credit card sales.  But wait!  They’re reporting HIGHER sales â€" what’s wrong with that?  You’d think the IRS would be ecstatic. Well, the government suspects small businesses of under-reporting cash. But we point out an alternate explanation.

Number of businesses up - but revenue is down. Professor of Entrepreneurial Studies at Case Western Reserve University Scott Shane shares numbers suggesting the profitability of American businesses is down. We’ve got the details.

Patch website closures raise questions about online business model. Whether you’re creating a hyperlocal news site or a niche community, the issue is the same. Bringing in revenue is what will keep your business going. The question is whether online advertising or some other means is best.

Tools & Services

iWork is working in beta. At least for some people. Some are panning this as “too little too late” from Apple and a pale imitation of Google Drive and Microsoft’s SkyDrive storage services. But Apple is reported to be limiting the beta use due to overwhelming response.

Gather data for your business - there’s an app for that! Whether it’s information on a competitor or on how stores are displaying your product, there’s a now an app for gathering all this stuff. Field Agent lets you pay ordinary people to gather your business intelligence at a very low price.

Shutterstock and Facebook team up. The new arrangement allows advertisers on Facebook to use professional licensed photos from Shutterstock in their ads at no extra charge. Even better, you can source them from directly in the Facebook ad panel. Best of all for small business owners who want to see other entrepreneurs treated fairly, Shutterstock points out that the individual photographers will get paid a royalty when their images are used.  Yep, even if you get the image for “free,” you are supporting the photographer.

Have you ever considered a TV in your business?  Or maybe you already have television(s) in your workplace.  Television is not just an expense.  In many businesses (restaurants, bars, fitness centers) it can actually drive sales up, by attracting customers, and keeping them longer and buying more.  Oh, and as long as it’s strictly for business purposes, the monthly cable service likely qualifies as a tax deduction, says tax expert Barbara Weltman.  You may be able to expense or depreciate the cost of the hardware, too. We’ve got the low-down.

Management & Strategy

Wanted: workers with skills. A recent survey says one problem still dwarfs all others for small business owners when it comes to hiring and managing employees. And it isn’t how much time they’re spending on Facebook. Rieva Lesonsky explains what may be a surprising statistic.

Indian etailer focuses on a niche. To see success in India’s burgeoning eCommerce market, startup Kobster took a simple approach. Pick one niche market with definite growth potential, in this case office supplies. Sramana Mitra, founder of One Million by One Million, has more.

Mobile & Social Media

Budget friendly iPhone coming. Apple is planning a September 10 announcement. And industry sources indicate it could include news of a new cheaper model of the iconic smartphone. Photos that may show the new device are now online.

Take your hotspot with you. Staying connected with your business when traveling can be a trick. But no more with mobile hotspot Globalgig. TJ McCue has a review of the device for everyone.

Your Facebook post has a 5 hour shelf-life. Wisemetrics research says Facebook posts receive the majority of comments, shares, and likes within that first five hours. But there’s lots more data about timing â€" and how to post your updates at the optimal time, to get the most engagement.

Mobile woman photo, Shutterstock



What is Glogging? Well, You May Soon Be Doing It

google glasses

Google Glass is Google’s computer that looks vaguely like eyeglasses.  Although there are no lenses in Google Glass, they remind you of an eyeglass frame (see above). Glass is currently experimental. Plans are being made to launch Glass to the public in 2014 â€" but some say it could happen in late 2013.

While Google Glass puts the Internet and many computer and smartphone features right in front of your face, it also can help you enhance certain business and marketing practices. That’s where the practice of Glogging comes in.

What is Glogging?

Glogging is the act of blogging or vlogging (video blogging) using Google Glass as a camera.  Think Glass + blogging = glogging.

With traditional vlogging, bloggers might carrying around a video camera to document their experiences, speaking into it all the while. Viewers of vlogs can feel like they are in the room with the blogger. It’s like a documentary.

With glogging, you get an even more personalized perspective.  Viewers literally can see what the blogger sees.   They see it as if through the blogger’s eyes. After all, the camera lens in Google Glass is right next to the blogger’s eye, perched on his or her head like eyeglasses.

Glogging puts viewers not just into the room, but into the blogger’s shoes, as this perspective shows:

google glass taking video

Google Glasses Recording

How Does Glogging Work?

When someone has Google Glass on, using either a button or voice command, the user can take photos or shoot video.  A tiny screen image appears above the eye, showing what the camera lens sees.

Glass users can look at what is in front of them. Or they can glance up and to the right slightly, to see what is on the little screen (see below).

google glass video

Google Glass Video Screen Photo via Google

One useful feature of Google Glass is its integration with Google+, Google’s social network.

Images or video footage taken using Glass is automatically added to the user’s private Google+ photo section. You can then choose to share the media or post to other sites like Facebook and Twitter.  Or you can embed the images or video into a longer blog post.

Glogging can even be live. Instead of completing a video, uploading it to Google+, and then sharing it, you could launch an instant Google+ Hangout right from Glass. Then you can share what you’re seeing live, as and when you’re seeing it.

How Can You Use Glogging For Business?

Glogging could be used for product reviews and demos.  Rather than a traditional overview or demo, with glogging you can deliver something that feels more spontaneous and puts the viewer “right there” like Andy Ihnatko did with this demo of Nokia’s new Lumia 1020 camera. In his video, you can clearly see the screen and how the demonstrator is working each of the camera’s functions.

If your company is releasing a new mobile app, for example, you could use glogging to easily show off all of the features without ever taking the camera off the phone screen. If you were filming a more traditional vlog with the camera pointed at you, you might have to turn the phone screen toward you to press buttons within the app.  And then you might have to turn the phone back toward the camera to show off the next screen.  It would not seem nearly as “in the moment” as with glogging.

Glogging can also be used for things like tours, such as this one of Disneyland.  Imagine doing a walk-through of your manufacturing facility, for prospective clients.  Or you could hold conversations with industry experts at a trade show or event.  You could even use glogging to give interactive presentations.

You can add text captions to a video, also.  For instance, you can add screen notes, or add a message to convert those viewing it into social followers.

google glass video add text

Google Glass “Add Text” Feature Video Still

Using Glass instead of a traditional camera gives you the ability to use both hands at all times rather than using one or both holding a camera. Viewers can see directly from the point of view of the glogger.  

That way the person filming can easily point things out and narrate. Best of all, it can make users feel more like a part of the experience rather than just a bystander, as this kind of shot shows:

google glasss voice command

Google Glass Voice Command Screen Photo via Google

Google Glass is currently experimental, but could be publicly available as early as the end of this year (2013) or in 2014.  It is slated to cost $1,500.  However, some experts suggest that based on the price of components and other factors, the price will be much lower by the time Google Glass becomes widely available.

google glasses

Google Glass Photo via Google

So while Glass is not available today for everyday consumers, that will change.  And when Google Glass does become widely available â€" which could be  within a few months â€" it could be worth a look for small businesses.

Start thinking now about how you could use Google Glass videos in your business.

First Google Glass image above via Shutterstock. Others via Google.




“Promote Yourself” Holds Valuable Advice for Gen Y Job Seekers

gen y job seekersHas there ever been a time where a new generation was accepted into the world of work with open arms?

I’m not sure.  As I write this, I’m reflecting on Dan Schawbel’s latest book, Promote Yourself: The New Rules for Career Success and channeling Archie Bunker’s rants to his “Meathead” son-in-law about how useless the new generation is.

It seems that nothing much has changed from the 1970′s until today.

A Case of Unrequited Love

Check out these stats about the relationships between Gen Y workers and their managers that I pulled out of my review copy:

  • 59% of Gen Y workers view their managers positively and believe they can offer experience.  49% feel their managers can offer wisdom and 33% feel that they have a willingness to mentor.
  • These managers, however, have an overall negative view of their Gen Y employees. 51% say they have unrealistic compensation expectations.  47% feel they have a poor work ethic and 46% say they are easily distracted.

Overall, not what I’d call a workplace environment of mutual regard.  But you already knew that.  What you may not have known is that despite our 7% unemployment rate, there are over 3 million jobs that go unfilled due to a lack of unqualified workers.

This is a big issue and not one that Schawbel solves in Promote Yourself.  What he does, however, is offer the reader the unique skills and strategies  they’ll need to get ahead (and get a job) today and for the rest of their careers.

I think he says it best here, on page two of the book:

So here’s the situation. The economy sucks, which leaves a lot of people afraid to quit their jobs because they won’t be able to find a new one. Entrepreneurship isn’t easy and a traditional college education isn’t the guarantee of future success that it once was.  The good news is that there are a lot of other ways to take control of your career without quitting your job, striking out on your own or burning your diploma.

Promote Yourself is a Manifesto of the Modern Workplace

I’ve known Dan Schawbel for a few years and one of the things I love about him is that he truly embodies an ideal persona of the Gen Y workforce. (Hey Dan, if you’re reading this, don’t let it go to your head).  In all of his books, he’s taken on the task of being the bridge to the generation gap.  What I’m trying to say is that Dan is especially skilled in speaking to both the young and the experienced audience in a way that helps them understand each other and work together.

Promote Yourself is a great example of exactly this.  Schawbel’s Gen Y Workplace Expectation Study is the foundation of this book.  It’s a result of Schawbel’s interviews with 79 employees from 69 global companies across a variety of industries that included Mariott, NBC, Universal, Dreamworks, GE, Cisco and many more.

Based on the results, he’s summarized the following 14 rules of today’s work environment and how to promote yourself by following them:

  1. Your job description is just the beginning.
  2. Your job is temporary.
  3. You’re going to need a lot of skills you probably don’t have right now.
  4. Your reputation is the single greatest asset you have.
  5. Your personal life is now public.
  6. You need to build a positive presence in new media.
  7. You’ll need to work with people from different generations.
  8. Your boss’s career comes first.
  9. The one with the most connections wins.
  10. Remember the rule of one.
  11. You are the future.
  12. Entrepreneurship is for everyone not just business owners.
  13. Hours are out, accomplishments are in.
  14. Your career is in your hands, not your employer’s.

This gives you the foundation for the entire book.  There are eleven chapters in the book and while they don’t share the names of the fourteen points, you’ll see the each chapter addresses these new rules and gives readers a lot of specific advice on how to navigate the workplace economy.

How Did Dan Get So Smart?

I met Dan when he was writing the Personal Branding Blog, a Forbes Magazine “Top Web Site for Your Career.”  He also published Personal Branding Magazine, for which I was a contributor.  So I’ve been watching him a long time.

Since then, he’s become the Managing Partner of Millennial Branding, a Gen Y research and consulting firm. He’s the author of Me 2.0 and has been featured in every business media property you can think of: Forbes, NBC, Time Warner and the rest of them.  Dan was also named to the Inc. Magazine 30 Under 30 list in 2010 and several other awards for young influencers too numerous to mention here.

The bottom line is that Dan has become the spokesperson for the Gen Y cohort and has built quite the career out of knowing, understanding and advising our next generation of leaders.

It’s Not Just for Gen Y

You might think this book is written for the Gen Y job seeker, and you would be right.  But I see this book as a valuable read for any small business owner.  Whether you are hiring full time employees or even freelancers or contractors, Promote Yourself will give you valuable insight into Gen Y workers.




Four Ways Your Twitter Presence Helps Your Business

Twitter is so much more than “follower count”, although it is an important measure of success. What’s more important, however, is the engagement (activity) of your followers on Twitter and how much your Tweets cause them to like you more and in the END buy from you. Yes - we are in businesses and making a sales - when all is said and done - is all that matters.

Twitter commissioned a survey whose results indicates four key benefits your Twitter presence provides to your business:

  • Followers drive sales and recommendations
  • Followers feel an emotional connection to SMBs.
  • Followers want to be in the know and offer feedback.
  • Marketing with Twitter helps you reach more customers.

Check out Twitter’s full blog post on this here.

See their neat infographic below



Four Ways Your Twitter Presence Helps Your Business

Twitter is so much more than “follower count”, although it is an important measure of success. What’s more important, however, is the engagement (activity) of your followers on Twitter and how much your Tweets cause them to like you more and in the END buy from you. Yes - we are in businesses and making a sales - when all is said and done - is all that matters.

Twitter commissioned a survey whose results indicates four key benefits your Twitter presence provides to your business:

  • Followers drive sales and recommendations
  • Followers feel an emotional connection to SMBs.
  • Followers want to be in the know and offer feedback.
  • Marketing with Twitter helps you reach more customers.

Check out Twitter’s full blog post on this here.

See their neat infographic below



How to Handle a Public Relations Crisis

public relations crisis

Admit it: None of us are as graceful as we think we are. We’ve all “stepped in it” so-to-speak and sometimes, the results aren’t pretty. Whether we’re out for a run or walking within the confines of our home, we’ve all had a clumsy moment with unintended consequences. Likewise, no matter how appropriately you run your business, if you’ve been in business long enough, then you’re bound to receive publicity you don’t like.

Meet Nivia, the focus of today’s case study.

After releasing its “Re-Civilize Yourself” ad campaign, Nivia was criticized for undertones that many claimed were racist. The ad prominently featured a clean-shaven black man tossing away a head with an afro and facial hair, implying that he was throwing away his old-self to “Re-Civilize” himself.

Fortunately, Nivia has become a role model of how small businesses should handle a public relations crisis and negative PR situations, immediately apologizing through social media and other platforms. Nivia then removed the ad and suspended the campaign due to the widespread backlash.

If your business becomes the center of unwanted controversy and a public relations crisis, it’s important to know how to react.

Avoid Knee-Jerk Reactions

Whether warranted or unwarranted, it’s important to remain calm while handling any sort of controversy online. If your brand did nothing wrong, such as Cheerios in their recent “Just Checking” ad (seen below), then there’s no reason to withdraw any of your campaigns or apologize for a wrongdoing.

However, if there’s legitimate dicey-ness such as in the Nivia campaign, you’ll certainly want to react as quickly as possible without a knee-jerk reaction.

Remember, an inappropriate response can cause more damage.

It’s Sometimes Better to Say Nothing

Sometimes it’s better to stay quiet and avoid making the situation worse than to try and give a lengthy explanation and apology.

Just like avoiding a knee-jerk reaction, sometimes less is more. Especially when your brand is under heightened scrutiny.

Be Aware Moving Forward

When it comes to new marketing strategies and campaigns, sometimes we get so excited in the potential value that we forget to consider any potential pitfalls. Just as you might trip while walking because you weren’t paying attention, many controversies happen because marketers didn’t fully consider or understand the dynamics of a campaign.

Ultimately, the best way to handle controversy is to prevent it. But just as Cheerios learned, sometimes controversy is unwarranted and can come swiftly from various sects of the online community.

By handling a public relations crisis and controversy appropriately and gracefully, your brand will be able to establish itself as one of the most professional in its industry.

Angry Mob Photo via Shutterstock




Turn Prospects into Customers Fast by Using ‘Click-to-Call’ Tech Tool

Enticing a prospect to become a customer is a challenge that has plagued business leaders since we first recognized selling as the art it truly is.  With technology getting more sophisticated every day, you would think that converting that interested prospect over to your side would be easier than ever before.  Unfortunately, you are competing not just against other businesses in your industry, but also against the general influx of information that is given to that prospectâ€"even by your own company.  What you need to do to capture that prospect is cut through all the noise!

eVoice, the virtual phone system for small businesses, recently announced that it will launch its version of a Click-to-Call button that small business owners can put onto their websites, blog or emails.  eVoice is already known by many for its service of allowing business owners to set up a business phone line and forward it to any phone.  Adding the Click-to-Call service makes eVoice a kind of one-stop shop for phoning services, especially for small businesses.

“Most people may not want to pick up the phone or search for a phone number to dial,” says Keith Lorren, CEO of New York-based Keith Lorren Spices. “So the eVoice click to call feature makes it very comfortable and easy for a customer to reach us. They can click on that button on the website, it will route them right to our land lines, and they can talk to us and place an order directly.”

Many businesses using the Click-to-Call feature have reported an increase in prospect to customer conversions.  Comcast stated that when used with its mobile advertising, Click-to-Call has increased its click-through rates to more than 270%, and Esurance says that Click-to-Call features have improved the bottom-line of their marketing campaigns by about 25%.  Though the term Click-to-Call can be misleading (clicking on it typically is a request for the merchant to call the customer), businesses are experiencing an increase in sales when using the service on their websites or mobile ads.

The beauty of the system rests not only in the ability to speak to a prospect, but in also being able to track and analyze your calls.  Zingaya offers real time analytics that can be used to determine where your callers are coming from on the web, monitor and measure ROI, effectiveness of marketing campaigns, and sales conversions.  Zingaya plans go from free trial periods to $9.95 per month.  There are many other companies offering Click-to-Call including RingRevenue ($99 per month, after free trail), and BoldCall Express, with 100 minutes for $14.99 per month.  LivePerson provides both Click-to-Chat and Click-to-Call services and the cost of the software begins at $36 a month for subscriptions.

Click-to-Call gives businesses the opportunity to speak with prospects, answering questions and pointing to key features of products and services, while their interests are peaked.  Setting up and applying this tech tool is simple, profitable, and a strategic addition to your marketing arsenal in converting visitors to customers.



Not Everyone Has Twitter. But Everyone Has Text. ChattBack’s Service Helps With Mobile Customer Service

Imagsource AndyHanselman.com (found on Instant.ly)

Although we’d like to think that “everyone” has Twitter and uses Twitter on their phone - “everyone” does not.

Furthermore, wouldn’t it be great if you could easily enable your customers to txt you without worying that that the text was going public on the Internet or that you missed answering it?

ChattBack is service that lets your customers text to you and you can manage the incoming text by having it routed to other staff so it’s not tied to JUST YOUR PHONE.

Simple service, but big results for small business owners and their customers.

Often times customers just want to be heard - ChattBack helps you do that. Other times customers want to praise an employee, why not let them do that?

There are lots of customer service tools and options on the market - carefully decide what your GOAL is and which one works for you.



Clarity of Purpose: What’s Your Promise?

zappos

Does it live consistently across your company?

Clarity of purpose extends well beyond the boardrooms of beloved companies. It unleashes the organization’s imagination to make decisions guided by its promise. It’s no wonder that companies with clarity of purpose have the most loyal and engaged employees. The opportunity to deliver to a clear purpose elevates day-to-day tasks, giving work direction and joy.

Internet clothing and shoe retailer Zappos earns 75 percent of their daily orders from repeat customers. Clarity of purpose fuels its customer devotion. Zappos wants to be known as a service company that happens to sell shoes, handbags and an expanding array of products in the future. The lens through which the company makes decisions is service.

This clarity frees everyone there to live the “Golden Rule” in the way they work.

One decision Zappos acts on every day is helping customers find a pair of shoes, even a pair they don’t stock. Customer Loyalty Reps who take customer calls are encouraged to know competitors’ Web sites for one simple purpose: Service. If a customer calls Zappos for a shoe it doesn’t have, their Reps will search the Internet to help the customer find it. Customers are continuously amazed, delighted and dazzled by this act of genuine customer care.

Zappos’ clarity of purpose - that doing the right thing for the customer is ultimately the right thing for the business - transcends any short-term gain it might get by pushing the customer toward another shoe they have in stock.

Clarity for being a service business first gives Customer Loyalty Reps energy and a compass for decision making. And it gives them the joy of delivering Zappos’ version of the “Miracle on 34th Street.” You may remember that in the movie Miracle on 34th Street, a Macy’s-employed department store Santa joyfully sends customers to competitors when the store didn’t stock what they wanted, making Macy’s the “winner” of the Christmas season.

In this single, simple decision, Zappos wins over the hearts of customers. It is this type of gesture that makes customers love them. They are loved for being the kind of people who send a customer to the competition because it’s the right thing to do.

Every type of business prospers when clarity of purpose steers decision making.

People across your company live up to the promises you make. Customers become emotionally connected with you and want others to experience what you deliver. Their stories of your service, experience, and people become the folklore that defines you.

And customers become your sales force, telling your story to everyone they know, fueling your growth.

Image: Wikipedia




Clarity of Purpose: What’s Your Promise?

zappos

Does it live consistently across your company?

Clarity of purpose extends well beyond the boardrooms of beloved companies. It unleashes the organization’s imagination to make decisions guided by its promise. It’s no wonder that companies with clarity of purpose have the most loyal and engaged employees. The opportunity to deliver to a clear purpose elevates day-to-day tasks, giving work direction and joy.

Internet clothing and shoe retailer Zappos earns 75 percent of their daily orders from repeat customers. Clarity of purpose fuels its customer devotion. Zappos wants to be known as a service company that happens to sell shoes, handbags and an expanding array of products in the future. The lens through which the company makes decisions is service.

This clarity frees everyone there to live the “Golden Rule” in the way they work.

One decision Zappos acts on every day is helping customers find a pair of shoes, even a pair they don’t stock. Customer Loyalty Reps who take customer calls are encouraged to know competitors’ Web sites for one simple purpose: Service. If a customer calls Zappos for a shoe it doesn’t have, their Reps will search the Internet to help the customer find it. Customers are continuously amazed, delighted and dazzled by this act of genuine customer care.

Zappos’ clarity of purpose - that doing the right thing for the customer is ultimately the right thing for the business - transcends any short-term gain it might get by pushing the customer toward another shoe they have in stock.

Clarity for being a service business first gives Customer Loyalty Reps energy and a compass for decision making. And it gives them the joy of delivering Zappos’ version of the “Miracle on 34th Street.” You may remember that in the movie Miracle on 34th Street, a Macy’s-employed department store Santa joyfully sends customers to competitors when the store didn’t stock what they wanted, making Macy’s the “winner” of the Christmas season.

In this single, simple decision, Zappos wins over the hearts of customers. It is this type of gesture that makes customers love them. They are loved for being the kind of people who send a customer to the competition because it’s the right thing to do.

Every type of business prospers when clarity of purpose steers decision making.

People across your company live up to the promises you make. Customers become emotionally connected with you and want others to experience what you deliver. Their stories of your service, experience, and people become the folklore that defines you.

And customers become your sales force, telling your story to everyone they know, fueling your growth.

Image: Wikipedia




Not Everyone Has Twitter. But Everyone Has Text. ChattBack’s Service Helps With Mobile Customer Service

Imagsource AndyHanselman.com (found on Instant.ly)

Although we’d like to think that “everyone” has Twitter and uses Twitter on their phone - “everyone” does not.

Furthermore, wouldn’t it be great if you could easily enable your customers to txt you without worying that that the text was going public on the Internet or that you missed answering it?

ChattBack is service that lets your customers text to you and you can manage the incoming text by having it routed to other staff so it’s not tied to JUST YOUR PHONE.

Simple service, but big results for small business owners and their customers.

Often times customers just want to be heard - ChattBack helps you do that. Other times customers want to praise an employee, why not let them do that?

There are lots of customer service tools and options on the market - carefully decide what your GOAL is and which one works for you.



Things Aren’t Looking Good

things aren't looking good business cartoon

I saw a lot of movies this summer. For the most part, I enjoyed them all.

But unexpectedly, my favorite by far was not any of the various superhero reimaginings, sequels or prequels. It was Pacific Rim, where giant mechs fight giant monsters from below the sea.

POW! ROAR! PEW PEW! HEE-HEE! FUN!

So when I was drawing a new bar graph cartoon and the bars looked like tall buildings - adding in an angry kaiju just couldn’t be helped.




Things Aren’t Looking Good

things aren't looking good business cartoon

I saw a lot of movies this summer. For the most part, I enjoyed them all.

But unexpectedly, my favorite by far was not any of the various superhero reimaginings, sequels or prequels. It was Pacific Rim, where giant mechs fight giant monsters from below the sea.

POW! ROAR! PEW PEW! HEE-HEE! FUN!

So when I was drawing a new bar graph cartoon and the bars looked like tall buildings - adding in an angry kaiju just couldn’t be helped.




Facebook now documents requests for information it receives from governments

Facebook has released its first-ever transparency report this week, which highlights the number of times that governments across the world seek out member information on Facebook's more than a billion accounts. It is an undertaking that Google is well-known for maintaining since 2010, expanding its own along the way.

Known as the 'Global Government Requests Report', it covers the first six months of 2013 through to 30th June.

The United States easily leads the pack in terms of total requests. What is notable is that the US made between 11,000 and 12,000 of them involving between 20,000 and 21,000 Facebook users or accounts. That trumps the Indian government's second-highest number of requests, around 3,200.

It is also roughly 3,000 more requests than the US asked of Google in the first six months of 2012, which represented roughly 16,000 of Google's members.

Altogether, Facebook received more than 25,000 requests on roughly 38,000 of users or accounts from governments in approximately 70 countries. It released information to the US about 79 per cent of the time and, overall, user information was released on about 60 per cent of total requests.

“We have stringent processes in place to handle all government data requests,” Colin Stretch, Facebook general counsel, wrote in the report. “We believe this process protects the data of the people who use our service, and requires governments to meet a very high legal bar with each individual request in order to receive any information about any of our users.”

Subpoenas, court orders and search warrants are some of the things Facebook needs to release member information, Stretch said, explaining in the report that Facebook respects its users by poring over legal requests, fighting them to the best of its ability, and only releasing basic information, such as names, when mandatory.

Twitter also produces transparency reports, but receives far fewer requests. In the first half of 2013, Twitter reported having received 902 requests from the US on 1,319 users, with Twitter providing information on 67 per cent of requests.

Twitter has also attempted to resist requests, including one involving an Occupy Wall Street protester.



Customer lawsuit tied to Symantec source code hack dismissed

A judge in California has dismissed a customer lawsuit stemming from the 2006 theft of its security product source code from Symantec.

US district court Judge Jon Tigar, sitting in San Francisco, dismissed the case because the plaintiff, Texas resident Kathleen Haskins, failed to demonstrate that the product she purchased was among those impacted by the breach, according to court documents. The dismissal was made following a motion filed by Symantec.

It wasn't until January 2012 that California-based Symantec confirmed that hackers had accessed a portion of its source code in 2006, which impacted versions of four products released that year: Norton AntiVirus Corporate Edition, Norton Internet Security, Norton SystemWorks and pcAnywhere.

In April, Haskins filed a lawsuit on behalf of herself and other affected Symantec customers who didn't receive a “fully functional” product.

Tigar ruled last Friday however, that the product mentioned in her complaint, Norton AntiVirus, was different than those determined to be compromised. He also found that she didn't adequately explain the relationship between it and the impacted products.

“[The] plaintiff cannot assert standing on her own behalf without clearly alleging that the product she purchased was among those that form the basis of her claim,” the order dismissing the suit said. “[The] plaintiff has not demonstrated her standing to bring this action, and the complaint must be dismissed.”

Tigar said that Haskins can file an amended complaint within 21 days of the order, if it contains additional facts absent in the current one.

Symantec declined to comment on the ruling to SCMagazine.com.



Explore the New Twitter Features for Smartphone Users

new twitter features smartphone

Many of us may skip our meals, but never forget to keep ourselves on top of social media - be it Facebook or Twitter.  As you know, Twitter is one such platform that plays an important role in facilitating conversations, sharing your thoughts and delivering news and information. Therefore, Twitter performs updates, modifications and adds new Twitter features every now and then designed to make your tweeting experience more enjoyable.

If you are one of the fans who use this powerful medium via your Smartphone, then there is indeed great news for you with the recent Twitter announcement of an update for its iOS and Android apps.  Twitter has added multiple new Twitter features such as photo galleries and a completely new form of two way authentication. Not only this, Twitter has made an effort to improve its list as well as search management.

But before you download the latest version from the Google Play and Apple’s App store, stay ahead of this recent update.

Today’s Twitter for Android and iOS allows you to enroll in login verification and also supports login requests directly from your mobile applications. There has been a growing complaint against twitter accounts being compromised by a breach of password data on the Web or through email phishing schemes. To address this problem, Twitter introduced a new security feature to effectively protect your Twitter account.

How is the Login Verification Approach Formed?

Once you login to your Twitter account, there is a security check to ensure that it is really you attempting to login. Next you will be asked to verify your email address and phone number. You have to go through these following steps to get into your account:

  • Login to your account setting page.
  • Choose “require a verification code when I sign in.”
  • Click on the link to “add a phone” and then follow the instruction.
  • Once you enroll in login verification, you will be prompted to enter a six-digit code that is sent to your phone via an SMS.

Don’t worry; your existing application will work with this new login verification. You may wonder, “What if I login to my Twitter account on other apps and devices?” Yes, it is possible by visiting your application page to create a temporary password to log in and authorize that application.

Instead of just relying on a password, login verification keeps your account secured. However, even if it assures tight security, you must ensure that the following factors are properly checked:

  • Use login verification.
  • Use a strong password.
  • Be careful of suspicious links.
  • Make sure the operating system is up-to-date.

What are the Advantages of this Approach?

Added Context:

You can see browser details and location in the app, once a login request is made.

Extensive Support Internationally:

Login verification via SMS is mainly available through supported mobile carriers across the globe. All that’s required is Twitter’s supported apps and an Internet connection to enroll in login verification.

No Need of a Phone Number:

You can avoid giving your phone number by using in-application approvals and push messaging. This is especially required when you create multiple Twitter accounts but only have one phone number.

No Worries, When You Lose Your Phone:

If you lose your phone, the backup code in the apps can be written down in a secured place to access your Twitter account.

How are the New Search Engine and List Management Approaches Formed?

Twitter’s improved search engine is more in line with Google Universal Search. Coupled with displaying tweets and people, the new search also includes videos, social context and photos. From now on, when you start searching for something, the results will be widely classified into three segments:

  • Photos
  • Social Context
  • People

Searches will auto-fill, providing the context of how you are connected to certain people on your account. It will also feature photos in an Instagram-like type of gallery. It enables you to view all the pictures a person has posted to Twitter. You can also request to “view more photos” which provides a gallery view of images.

The list has been successfully managed to enable you to create a new list, edit the existing lists, add or remove members or manage titles and descriptions.

It is quite interesting to see how Twitter is taking the time to put more effort into evolving its new Twitter features. While it has focused on iOS and Android, we hope that it brings the same functionality in the app to all devices.

Blue Bird Photo via Shutterstock




IRS Claims Small Businesses Underreporting Cash Payments

underreporting cash

If you’ve been receiving more credit card payments in your small business lately, you may soon be getting a notice from the Internal Revenue Service.

Media reports suggest the IRS has sent out 20,000 of these 1099-K notices since fall 2012 mostly to small businesses.

Form 1099-K is the return on which small businesses must report “payment card and third party network transactions” including credit card payments.

The official IRS website explains the reason for the 1099-K notice this way:

You received one or more of these letters and notices because you may have underreported your gross receipts. This is based on your tax return and Form(s) 1099-K, Payment/Merchant Cards and Third Party Network Transactions that show an unusually high portion of receipts from card payments and other Form 1099-K reportable transactions.

Specifically, the IRS is targeting businesses whose ratio of credit card to cash seems unusual for their industry, a CNN report suggests. The agency seems to believe these higher than average credit card reportings mean businesses are underreporting cash receipts.

Trends Show Credit Card Payments Increasing

It’s certainly important for small businesses to accurately report their earnings and pay their fair share. But it’s also possible a simpler explanation exists for high credit card receipts.

Customers in the U.S. are increasingly choosing plastic to make their purchases and small businesses here are eager to accommodate.

According to recent data, point of sale cash payments are expected to decline to just 23 percent by 2017. Over the same period, credit card purchases are expected to climb to 33 percent. They were only 29 percent of point of sales purchases in 2011.

What’s more, 68 percent of consumers between ages 18 and 33 will only shop at businesses that accept multiple forms of payment including credit cards. So this trend is likely to continue.

Tips for Dealing with an IRS Notice

If you receive a notice from the IRS about your 1099-K reporting, don’t panic.

1.) Your income tax return should already include the earnings reported on your 1099-K as part of your business’s gross receipts. So the IRS recommends checking all your tax records to determine whether the agency’s assessment is correct.

2.) The IRS also suggests you talk with your tax professional if necessary for some assistance and to decide how to proceed.

Hiding Cash Photo via Shutterstock




Which Types of Tech Buyer Are You? Your Type Could Determine Your Success.

Last week, Infusionsoft, all in one sales and marketing CRM software for small businesses released survey data which showed that there are four types of technology buyers in the world of small business. Depending on what type YOU are could determine your success (or not) in leveraging technology.

I find there are many business owners who are SMART but know nothing about technology and need a lot of help in how to run a successful business - you need to educate yourself.

Other business owners, are pretty business savvy but they don’t know much about technology. You must also educate yourself, not be afraid of technology and be will to see how much more productive it can make your business.

Infusionsoft’s study found that there are Strivers, Customizers, Maximizers and Supporters. Infusionsoft’s blog post reads

Strivers
Strivers struggle with sales and marketing concepts and are reaching for solutions that will help them both develop a strategy for success and implement the solution with confidence. To be successful, Strivers need education on the sales and marketing strategies that will work best for their businesses as well as help selecting and implementing new technologies. 

Customizers
Customizers already have proven, systemized processes for sales and marketing in place, but are unsure of how to use technology to organize and automate their businesses. They are skeptical about using technology to automate the personal touch they’ve used to build their businesses but also recognize that their current manual processes won’t scale for growth.

Maximizers
Maximizers have already organized their business around technologies that help them automate their sales and marketing to be more efficient and get results. That said, they recognize the value of software and are continually looking for new solutions that can give them a competitive advantage. They are more likely than other groups to invest the time to research and implement new systems.

Supporters
More than any other group, Supporters are proud of their small business identity and actively support small business interests in their community. They prefer to purchase technology from vendors that demonstrate support for the small business community and connect with them as entrepreneurs.



Which Types of Tech Buyer Are You? Your Type Could Determine Your Success.

Last week, Infusionsoft, all in one sales and marketing CRM software for small businesses released survey data which showed that there are four types of technology buyers in the world of small business. Depending on what type YOU are could determine your success (or not) in leveraging technology.

I find there are many business owners who are SMART but know nothing about technology and need a lot of help in how to run a successful business - you need to educate yourself.

Other business owners, are pretty business savvy but they don’t know much about technology. You must also educate yourself, not be afraid of technology and be will to see how much more productive it can make your business.

Infusionsoft’s study found that there are Strivers, Customizers, Maximizers and Supporters. Infusionsoft’s blog post reads

Strivers
Strivers struggle with sales and marketing concepts and are reaching for solutions that will help them both develop a strategy for success and implement the solution with confidence. To be successful, Strivers need education on the sales and marketing strategies that will work best for their businesses as well as help selecting and implementing new technologies. 

Customizers
Customizers already have proven, systemized processes for sales and marketing in place, but are unsure of how to use technology to organize and automate their businesses. They are skeptical about using technology to automate the personal touch they’ve used to build their businesses but also recognize that their current manual processes won’t scale for growth.

Maximizers
Maximizers have already organized their business around technologies that help them automate their sales and marketing to be more efficient and get results. That said, they recognize the value of software and are continually looking for new solutions that can give them a competitive advantage. They are more likely than other groups to invest the time to research and implement new systems.

Supporters
More than any other group, Supporters are proud of their small business identity and actively support small business interests in their community. They prefer to purchase technology from vendors that demonstrate support for the small business community and connect with them as entrepreneurs.



How You Can Make App Store Optimization (ASO) Digestible

app store optimization

As the app ecosystem continues its breakneck pace of growth - something to expected to accelerate as Google Play will start begins to offer textbooks in the fall - businesses would be crazy not to consider the app store part of their marketing strategy.

However, as App Store Optimization (ASO) is still in its nascent stages, it’s important that marketers understand what they can and can’t control before devising a strategy to market their app. Additionally, those looking to break into the marketing field may want to consider this a skill worth picking up.

Factors That Influence App Purchases

Before launching an app and beginning to market it, it would behoove the developer to understand the market - and how people make their decisions. These factors, according to Nielsen’s, demonstrate the importance of ASO pretty clearly:

1.  App Store Search:  63% of consumers use this channel to find apps.

2.  Friends and family recommendations:  50% of consumers use this channel to find apps.

3.  Editor’s Picks and Top Lists:  34% of consumers use this channel to find apps.

However, many analysts predict that top lists will soon become a tool of marketers as more apps are developed which will diminish their value over time.

The Basics of App Store Optimization

ASO is still very new, as are the algorithms that control the rankings, so there will be many changes still to come and this will influence the ways companies can market their apps. In the appstore, marketers can really only control the appearance of the app’s page. These factors include:

1. App Title

A good name is important regardless of what you’re marketing, so it’s important to pick an app title that is short and punchy - something that people will remember. Additionally, it’s best to include a few keywords that describe what the app does. For example:  Zeebox - TV’s sidekick.

Be sure to avoid keyword stuffing as it is also important that the app title read in a natural manner.

2. Description

As Patrick Haig, Vice President of MobileDevHQ, an ASO company, says, app descriptions consist of two blurbs - one above the fold and posted one below the fold. What goes above the fold should be concise and to the point - 1-2 sentences that outline the primary use of the app.

Below the fold can be a lengthier discussion of how the app works and should include screenshots. Though it sounds petty, screenshots will be one of the most important part of your app page. They make the app tangible and easy to explain to the consumer.

Once again, always include screenshots of the app, this is extremely important.

3. Keywords

This is something that is only available to those on the Apple iOS ecosystem, Google Play only uses descriptions. This field is only 100 characters - so be sure to be very specific and choose your keywords wisely.

4. Logo

Customers are going to be drawn to what they think is most beautiful, so the more appealing your logo is, the most likely you are to succeed. Pick a bright color as it will catch a shopper’s eye and keep the size of the logo in mind. It will be a very small thumbnail most of the time, so too much detail will make it blurry and hard to see.

App Marketing

ASO will likely go through many change before there is a real system in place. In the meantime, a great way to market your app is to get it traditional SEO (search engine optimization) exposure and do things like press releases, reviews and build links to the page.

Additionally, be sure to listen to your customers. App ecosystems tend to be rife with reviews which are important influences for consumers. Be sure to respond to these concerns as a means to prevent bad reviews.

Launching an app can be a scary. However, as the mobile market continues to explode and app ecosystems continue to grow and improve, a well down launch is likely to be a profitable experience.

App Store Photo via Shutterstock




3 Reasons One Page Websites Work For Businesses - Video Interview with Eric Tarn, co-founder of OnePager

There are still so many business owners who do not have ANY websites. Eric Tarn, co-founder of simple website design company OnePager is out to change this. I challenged Eric, that with all the great do it yourself website services on the market - why do we need yet ANOTHER ONE?

In this video interview he says that even DIY services (Wix, Squarespace) are too complex.

Eric speaks about how websites, even a one page website, should be the foundation for all your online activity.

He also touches on local directories and why sometimes these do not work in favor of a local business owners website.

Check out our discussion below or here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxQpwr3uUCE



Facebook Posts Get Most Engagement in First Five Hours

facebook post engagement

That post you just left on Facebook won’t interest your followers for long. In fact, several studies suggest most engagement for your post occurs in the first 5 hours after you create it.

Engagement, by the way, at least as defined by Facebook, means actions likes, shares, clicks or comments taken by a user when he or she sees your post.

That’s an incredibly short time to get your audience’s attention. Let’s face it. Some may go much Read More

The post Facebook Posts Get Most Engagement in First Five Hours appeared first on Small Business Trends.



3 Reasons One Page Websites Work For Businesses - Video Interview with Eric Tarn, co-founder of OnePager

There are still so many business owners who do not have ANY websites. Eric Tarn, co-founder of simple website design company OnePager is out to change this. I challenged Eric, that with all the great do it yourself website services on the market - why do we need yet ANOTHER ONE?

In this video interview he says that even DIY services (Wix, Squarespace) are too complex.

Eric speaks about how websites, even a one page website, should be the foundation for all your online activity.

He also touches on local directories and why sometimes these do not work in favor of a local business owners website.

Check out our discussion below or here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxQpwr3uUCE



Beyond Hot Chicks: GoDaddy Is Going Beyond Domain Names To Service Your Small Business

For several years, we’ve come to know GoDaddy as doing two things very well: a) selling cheap domain names and b) advertising those domain names through scantly clad women. The strategy looks like it’s paid off.

However, there has been an audience turned off by GoDaddy’s advertising as well. Godaddy is a new company - from what I can tell.

I’m impressed to see that over the past several years (maybe it’s been months) GoDaddy has toned down and even done away with its racy advertising and has been more focused on events, advertising its awesome products and services and investing in services to help small businesses succeed.

It recently announced the purchase of Locu, a San Francisco-based company that helps local merchants ‘get found’ online. Competing in some ways with Yext, Yodle and ReachLocal, Locu ensures your company’s local listing is right on a variety of locally focused web sites.

I’m happy to see GoDaddy continue to provide a staggering tool kit of powerful online services for small business owners.

From domain names, to web hosting, to web site creation, GoDaddy offers a complete suite of small business offerings.

Competing head to head with GoDaddy is Yahoo, Webs.com, Network Solutions, Intuit, Google (to some degree) and others.



Beyond Hot Chicks: GoDaddy Is Going Beyond Domain Names To Service Your Small Business

For several years, we’ve come to know GoDaddy as doing two things very well: a) selling cheap domain names and b) advertising those domain names through scantly clad women. The strategy looks like it’s paid off.

However, there has been an audience turned off by GoDaddy’s advertising as well. Godaddy is a new company - from what I can tell.

I’m impressed to see that over the past several years (maybe it’s been months) GoDaddy has toned down and even done away with its racy advertising and has been more focused on events, advertising its awesome products and services and investing in services to help small businesses succeed.

It recently announced the purchase of Locu, a San Francisco-based company that helps local merchants ‘get found’ online. Competing in some ways with Yext, Yodle and ReachLocal, Locu ensures your company’s local listing is right on a variety of locally focused web sites.

I’m happy to see GoDaddy continue to provide a staggering tool kit of powerful online services for small business owners.

From domain names, to web hosting, to web site creation, GoDaddy offers a complete suite of small business offerings.

Competing head to head with GoDaddy is Yahoo, Webs.com, Network Solutions, Intuit, Google (to some degree) and others.



11 Tips for Avoiding Startup Legal Battles

legal battles

When starting a new business, planning for potential legal issues is essential. The last thing you need to be focusing on is damage control, particularly if you have a brilliant, game-changing idea that could be a thriving business otherwise.

To find out how to make sure your crazy startup idea isn’t going to get you into hot water, we asked members of the Young Entrepreneur Council, an invitation-only organization comprised of the country’s most promising young entrepreneurs, the following:

“What’s one valuable tip you’d give an entrepreneur with a disruptive technology/service to prepare for legal problems down the road? “

Here’s what YEC community members had to say:

1. Consult With an Attorney

“Entrepreneurs should consider consulting with an intellectual property attorney while they are developing their products to avoid potential legal disputes. By doing so, they can possibly navigate around intellectual property battles instead of having to fight them.” ~ Doug Bend, Bend Law Group, PC

2. Build an Army of Engaged Users

“If you’re small, the existing institutions will fight you on their turf with lawyers and lobbyists. The easiest way to disrupt entrenched interests, such as unions and trade associations, is to bring the battle out into the open. Acquire and engage a passionate user base, and it will take on the old industries for you.” ~ Neil Thanedar, LabDoor

3. Put Together a Legal Team

“Get a high-quality legal team in place. Traditional industries are fighting back hard against new innovations, and if you don’t legally prepare in advance, you might struggle before you ever make it out of the starting blocks.” ~ Andrew Schrage, Money Crashers Personal Finance

4. Don’t Over Plan Around Legal

“Disrupting old industries is inevitably going to cause some type of legal or regulatory challenges. You can’t avoid it, and you can’t plan around it. But don’t let the future threats of legal issues prevent you from building your company at the start. If you build something awesome, then you’ll have a reason to fight, but start with the building something awesome first.” ~ Eric Koester, DCI

5. Invest in Legal Support

“If you’re going to disrupt the status quo, it’s critical to know your rights, legal precedence and regulations that you may need to fight. Don’t go into this blind â€" even if you have legal training. Focus on the growth of your business, and hire a legal team that can research and fight for you. “ ~ Kelly Azevedo, She’s Got Systems

6. Invest in Liability Insurance

“Although it may not keep you out of court in our litigious society, a general business liability insurance policy may mitigate your exposure when you end up there. Even though most people know that insurance can protect them from personal injury and property damage claims, it can also cover claims of false or misleading advertising for startups, including libel, slander and copyright infringement.” ~ Peter Minton, Minton Law Group, P.C.

7. Include Board Members

“If you know you are gearing up for a fight, I would look to include board members who are either lawyers or have been closely associated with other companies that have had similar legal situations.” ~ Sam Saxton, Salter Spiral Stair and Mylen Stairs

8. Use Patent Lawyers to Protect Technology

“Disruptive technology from a small company attracts attention from larger companies with confidence in their legal budgets. Expect patent infringement and appeals to your patents as larger companies try to outlast your legal resources. Choose a patent attorney who is well versed in every legal protection possible and will apply for every patent you need before the technology is publicly known.” ~ Jay Wu, A Forever Recovery

9. Hide Under the Radar and Make Allies

“Incumbent companies will do whatever it takes to protect their market shares and interests to the point where they’ll find ways to sue you just to throw a wrench in your wheel. It’s best to stay below the radar while you’re getting your business in order, gathering funding, etc. During that time, look for large strategic partners that might benefit from your entry, and get them on your side. “ ~ Andy Karuza, brandbuddee

10. Be Prepared

“All entrepreneurs should assume that they will encounter some sort of legal issues once they start showing success. To combat these legal issues, start preparing immediately. Before you launch, you should perform your due diligence and create a list of all foreseeable legal situations. Review these with your lawyers to develop strategies to defend against or prevent these issues. “ ~ Kevin Tighe II, WeBRAND

11. Build a Relationship With Your Lawyer Now

“Begin building a great relationship with your lawyer before the legal issues arise. You need to be comfortable with their communication styles, confident that they won’t run up the clock unnecessarily and assured they understand that ultimately they are the advisors, and you call the shots. “ ~ Michael Simpson, DJZ

Legal Concept Photo via Shutterstock




11 Tips for Avoiding Startup Legal Battles

legal battles

When starting a new business, planning for potential legal issues is essential. The last thing you need to be focusing on is damage control, particularly if you have a brilliant, game-changing idea that could be a thriving business otherwise.

To find out how to make sure your crazy startup idea isn’t going to get you into hot water, we asked members of the Young Entrepreneur Council, an invitation-only organization comprised of the country’s most promising young entrepreneurs, the following:

“What’s one valuable tip you’d give an entrepreneur with a disruptive technology/service to prepare for legal problems down the road? “

Here’s what YEC community members had to say:

1. Consult With an Attorney

“Entrepreneurs should consider consulting with an intellectual property attorney while they are developing their products to avoid potential legal disputes. By doing so, they can possibly navigate around intellectual property battles instead of having to fight them.” ~ Doug Bend, Bend Law Group, PC

2. Build an Army of Engaged Users

“If you’re small, the existing institutions will fight you on their turf with lawyers and lobbyists. The easiest way to disrupt entrenched interests, such as unions and trade associations, is to bring the battle out into the open. Acquire and engage a passionate user base, and it will take on the old industries for you.” ~ Neil Thanedar, LabDoor

3. Put Together a Legal Team

“Get a high-quality legal team in place. Traditional industries are fighting back hard against new innovations, and if you don’t legally prepare in advance, you might struggle before you ever make it out of the starting blocks.” ~ Andrew Schrage, Money Crashers Personal Finance

4. Don’t Over Plan Around Legal

“Disrupting old industries is inevitably going to cause some type of legal or regulatory challenges. You can’t avoid it, and you can’t plan around it. But don’t let the future threats of legal issues prevent you from building your company at the start. If you build something awesome, then you’ll have a reason to fight, but start with the building something awesome first.” ~ Eric Koester, DCI

5. Invest in Legal Support

“If you’re going to disrupt the status quo, it’s critical to know your rights, legal precedence and regulations that you may need to fight. Don’t go into this blind â€" even if you have legal training. Focus on the growth of your business, and hire a legal team that can research and fight for you. “ ~ Kelly Azevedo, She’s Got Systems

6. Invest in Liability Insurance

“Although it may not keep you out of court in our litigious society, a general business liability insurance policy may mitigate your exposure when you end up there. Even though most people know that insurance can protect them from personal injury and property damage claims, it can also cover claims of false or misleading advertising for startups, including libel, slander and copyright infringement.” ~ Peter Minton, Minton Law Group, P.C.

7. Include Board Members

“If you know you are gearing up for a fight, I would look to include board members who are either lawyers or have been closely associated with other companies that have had similar legal situations.” ~ Sam Saxton, Salter Spiral Stair and Mylen Stairs

8. Use Patent Lawyers to Protect Technology

“Disruptive technology from a small company attracts attention from larger companies with confidence in their legal budgets. Expect patent infringement and appeals to your patents as larger companies try to outlast your legal resources. Choose a patent attorney who is well versed in every legal protection possible and will apply for every patent you need before the technology is publicly known.” ~ Jay Wu, A Forever Recovery

9. Hide Under the Radar and Make Allies

“Incumbent companies will do whatever it takes to protect their market shares and interests to the point where they’ll find ways to sue you just to throw a wrench in your wheel. It’s best to stay below the radar while you’re getting your business in order, gathering funding, etc. During that time, look for large strategic partners that might benefit from your entry, and get them on your side. “ ~ Andy Karuza, brandbuddee

10. Be Prepared

“All entrepreneurs should assume that they will encounter some sort of legal issues once they start showing success. To combat these legal issues, start preparing immediately. Before you launch, you should perform your due diligence and create a list of all foreseeable legal situations. Review these with your lawyers to develop strategies to defend against or prevent these issues. “ ~ Kevin Tighe II, WeBRAND

11. Build a Relationship With Your Lawyer Now

“Begin building a great relationship with your lawyer before the legal issues arise. You need to be comfortable with their communication styles, confident that they won’t run up the clock unnecessarily and assured they understand that ultimately they are the advisors, and you call the shots. “ ~ Michael Simpson, DJZ

Legal Concept Photo via Shutterstock




Phishing email grants hackers access to DNS records of major websites

Interest in a major summit attended by the world's economic and political leaders is being manipulated to further the schemes of an accomplished cyber espionage group, researchers warn.

Security firm Rapid7 discovered an intensifying phishing campaign being carried out by APT12, the collective believed to be backed by China's People's Liberation Army, which carried out months-long breach on The New York Times earlier this year.

According to Claudio Guarnieri, a researcher at FireEye, who blogged about the campaign on Monday, a “swarm” of malicious emails themed around the 2013 G20 Summit in Russia, due to commence next Thursday, indicates that the group is still actively targeting organisations for intellectual property and other sensitive data.

This year, G20 Summit leaders are convening in St. Petersburg, Russia, for the eighth summit since G20's formation.

After analysing several reports on VirusTotal, Guarnieri found that the mounting interest in the summit appears to present itself as the perfect opportunity for hackers aiming to gain a foothold in organisations.

In the blog post, he dissected three phishing attacks where hackers distributed malware using weaponised zip files. The malware consisted of backdoor Trojans capable of logging victims' keystrokes and downloading additional, and more sophisticated, malware on compromised machines.

According to the blog post, a Canadian user reported a suspicious file to VirusTotal on 31st May, which was meant to look like a PDF detailing agenda notes for the G20 Summit. On 16th August, a user in France also reported another spurious zip file, which was designed to appear like informational materials about the forum. Also, last week, an individual in Hungary made note of a similar executable being sent to their organisation.

In some cases, malicious attachments contained in the phishing emails copied word-for-word the real materials and press releases being distributed to groups about the event.

Based on the activity, Guarnieri concluded that the adversary behind the attacks was APT12, primarily because instructions dispatched to the malware were sent from the same IP address that FireEye also linked to APT12 activity two weeks ago.

No vulnerabilities were leveraged in any of the G20-themed ruses, according to Rapid7's research.



Phishing email grants hackers access to DNS records of major websites

"Media is going down..." The Syrian Electronic Army (SEA) tweeted on Tuesday, as the pro-Assad hacker collective announced domains belonging to The New York Times, Huffington Post UK and Twitter were compromised. It appears the hackers were able to change registry information and modify the DNS records for the companies, according to Whois records.

Security researchers studying the attack believe it was directed at Melbourne IT, an Australian web and email hosting company that provides services for the media sites, in addition to other big-name companies such as Microsoft and Yahoo.

HD Moore, chief research officer at vulnerability management company Rapid7 and chief architect of the Metasploit framework, told SCMagazine on Tuesday that Melbourne IT is the "one common factor" that ties all of these sites together.

There are a couple of ways the attackers could have compromised Melbourne IT's servers to pull off the DNS hacks, Moore said, but it's most likely they registered their own domain with the registrar and "found a way to reset passwords or jump over and take over other accounts".

The ability to redirect the domains to any site of their choosing is just one of the things Moore said an attacker could do with these kinds of privileges, so he recommended that people "don't use [Melbourne IT] sites for a couple of hours" and await direction from officials as more information becomes available.

Christina Thiry, a spokeswoman at Twitter, emailed SCMagazine.com on Tuesday and said that the company was investigating the incident.

The company is now confirming the incident was malicious in nature, according to a statement posted online.

A New York Times spokesperson did not immediately respond to SCMagazine.com for comment, but a story posted on the Times website indicates that Melbourne IT has been affected and acknowledges that SEA is taking responsibility for the attack.

Melbourne IT is an Australia-based domain name registrar that also offers a host of services, including website design, hosting, email, cloud computing and online marketing, according to its website. Founded in 1996, the company has six locations throughout Australia, New Zealand and the US and earned more than $170 million in revenue last year. Melbourne IT's customer base consists of more than 400,000 clients.

Representatives at Melbourne IT and Huffington Post UK did not immediately respond to SCMagazine.com for comment.

Everything started coming to a head some point after 4pm EST, when users who visited the Times site saw a message that read, "Hacked by SEA". The website seemed to be back up before long, but has been experiencing sporadic downtime.



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