Small Business Saturday #ShopSmall - Ramon’s Tour of North Jersey Small Businesses

Below is a short video I put together of my experience with Small Business Saturday this year. While so many small businesses celebrated in a big way this year, I found many business owners NOT leveraging #shopsmall.

It’s tempting to blame THEM - the business owners, but  I can only blame myself.

I should have done MORE to help my LOCAL community (pizza shop, barber shop, Chinese food, convenience store and some others) benefit from and leverage Small Business Saturday.

Check out the video below or here.



Small Business Saturday #ShopSmall - Ramon’s Tour of North Jersey Small Businesses

Below is a short video I put together of my experience with Small Business Saturday this year. While so many small businesses celebrated in a big way this year, I found many business owners NOT leveraging #shopsmall.

It’s tempting to blame THEM - the business owners, but  I can only blame myself.

I should have done MORE to help my LOCAL community (pizza shop, barber shop, Chinese food, convenience store and some others) benefit from and leverage Small Business Saturday.

Check out the video below or here.



Events, Awards and Contests Not to Miss

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

2014 BIG Innovation Awards2014 BIG Innovation Awards
December 06, 2013, Online

The BIG Innovation Awards recognize organizations and people who bring new ideas to life. Whether that idea is big or small, these ideas change the way we experience the world. We recognize every innovation that our judges deem worthy!
Hashtag: #bigawards

Small Biz Big Things Denver - With Chris BroganSmall Biz Big Things Denver - With Chris Brogan
December 10, 2013, Denver, CO

Denver small business owners get a huge dose of practical marketing insight. Sponsor: Infusionsoft.

Chris Brogan, online marketing celebrity, keynotes, along with Zack Mangum, Ramon Ray and Travis Campbell.

Hashtag: #smallbizbigthings
Discount Code
early25 (25% off - must register by Nov. 30)

Dell World 2013Dell World 2013
December 11, 2013, Austin, TX

Dell World is Dell’s annual tech conference. This year it features a keynote address by Michael Dell, CEO of Dell, and one by Elon Musk, co-founder of PayPal. Entertainment by CAMP FREDDY.

Small Business Trends will be there!

Hashtag: #Dellworld

WordStream’s $25,000 Marketing Makeover
December 15, 2013, Online

Win $25,000 in pay-per-click advertising budget for 2014, plus marketing tools from WordStream and Constant Contact. Grade and get paid today! Hashtag: #25KforPPC

Affiliate Management Days San Francisco 2014Affiliate Management Days San Francisco 2014
March 19, 2014, San Francisco, CA

AM Days is the must attend event for affiliate managers who are responsible for their company’s affiliate marketing strategy, management and operations. Whether you have an existing affiliate program or you are creating a new initiative, AMDays offers you valuable insight into how other online retailers are successfully implementing and managing their affiliate programs. Topics include: Affiliate program set up; Affiliate recruitment techniques; Affiliate marketing fraud; M-commerce; and much more.
Hashtag: #AMDays

ICON14 by InfusionsoftICON14 by Infusionsoft
April 23, 2014, Phoenix, AZ

#ICON14 is the eighth annual conference for small business, hosted by Infusionsoft (previously called Infusioncon). Over 3,000 attendees expected. Confirmed speakers include Seth Godin, JJ Ramberg and Peter Shankman.

Hashtag: #ICON14
Discount Code
smallbiztrends (Get an extra $100 off)

More Events

More Contests

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



Events, Awards and Contests Not to Miss

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

2014 BIG Innovation Awards2014 BIG Innovation Awards
December 06, 2013, Online

The BIG Innovation Awards recognize organizations and people who bring new ideas to life. Whether that idea is big or small, these ideas change the way we experience the world. We recognize every innovation that our judges deem worthy!
Hashtag: #bigawards

Small Biz Big Things Denver - With Chris BroganSmall Biz Big Things Denver - With Chris Brogan
December 10, 2013, Denver, CO

Denver small business owners get a huge dose of practical marketing insight. Sponsor: Infusionsoft.

Chris Brogan, online marketing celebrity, keynotes, along with Zack Mangum, Ramon Ray and Travis Campbell.

Hashtag: #smallbizbigthings
Discount Code
early25 (25% off - must register by Nov. 30)

Dell World 2013Dell World 2013
December 11, 2013, Austin, TX

Dell World is Dell’s annual tech conference. This year it features a keynote address by Michael Dell, CEO of Dell, and one by Elon Musk, co-founder of PayPal. Entertainment by CAMP FREDDY.

Small Business Trends will be there!

Hashtag: #Dellworld

WordStream’s $25,000 Marketing Makeover
December 15, 2013, Online

Win $25,000 in pay-per-click advertising budget for 2014, plus marketing tools from WordStream and Constant Contact. Grade and get paid today! Hashtag: #25KforPPC

Affiliate Management Days San Francisco 2014Affiliate Management Days San Francisco 2014
March 19, 2014, San Francisco, CA

AM Days is the must attend event for affiliate managers who are responsible for their company’s affiliate marketing strategy, management and operations. Whether you have an existing affiliate program or you are creating a new initiative, AMDays offers you valuable insight into how other online retailers are successfully implementing and managing their affiliate programs. Topics include: Affiliate program set up; Affiliate recruitment techniques; Affiliate marketing fraud; M-commerce; and much more.
Hashtag: #AMDays

ICON14 by InfusionsoftICON14 by Infusionsoft
April 23, 2014, Phoenix, AZ

#ICON14 is the eighth annual conference for small business, hosted by Infusionsoft (previously called Infusioncon). Over 3,000 attendees expected. Confirmed speakers include Seth Godin, JJ Ramberg and Peter Shankman.

Hashtag: #ICON14
Discount Code
smallbiztrends (Get an extra $100 off)

More Events

More Contests

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



Holiday Postage, Mobile Engagement and WordPress Websites

It’s time for  our weekly community news and information roundup with the latest news and articles from sites we follow on the Web. You can help gather news about new websites or online tools or suggest articles you think we should feature here.

Holiday Postage a Good Investment (Fletcher Prince)

If you were planning to send your holiday greetings out by email, don’t do it. Marketing consultant Mary Fletcher Jones says your clients would much rather have a traditional card.

Holiday Interaction’s Gone Mobile (iBlogZone)

On the other hand, in some ways interactions between businesses and customers have gone super high tech. See this infographic shared by Francisco Perez about how mobile is changing the engagement between consumers and brands.

Why WordPress is the Right Choice for Websites (Outside Raleigh)

The debate rages on as far as blog platforms go. But Web marketing and SEO expert Eric Erickson now insists WordPress is the best choice, not just for your blog, but for your Website, too.

Employees and Your Brand (Visible Logic Inc)

While you’re busy fiddling with your Web presence and marketing campaign, don’t forget your employees are also building your brand. Here’s a discussion from the BizSugar community with Emily Brackett.

Bringing on a New Team Member (Luxr)

One way to make sure employees are in tune with your business’s brand is to get them acclimated to the company culture from the beginning. Here’s another discussion from the BizSugar community about the major challenges involved.

Why Credibility Matters (Squirrel Business Hub)

Of course, you want to be professional and build respect for your brand with your online presence. But Kylie Harker and Tracey Stoll want you to know there’s an even more compelling and immediate reason to create credibility.

Figure Out Your Cash Flow (Go Forth Institute)

As important as worrying about making sales may be, so is figuring out how to manage the money once it gets into your business. Cash flow is the lifeblood of your company. Here’s how to figure out whether or not you’re managing it well.

Tools to Manage Your Community (SocialMediaData.com)

As with cash flow and Web presence, you must also manage your community. Adam Post, founder of the Bright Age Digital Creative Agency, shares some tools that may help.

Figure Out Your Portal Problem (Vera Claritas)

You’ve created a solution for a problem your customers don’t even know they have. The challenge is to show them that they have this problem in the first place. Fortunately, there is a simple approach.

Free Trials May Not Be The Answer (M4B Marketing)

Susan Oakes has this great take on marketing as a way to find the right customers. The trick, she says, is choosing the right way to reach them.

Reading Photo via Shutterstock



Business Intelligence is the Icing on the Cake for a Local Bakery

Most businesses collect information on their customers. But many may be unaware of how valuable that information can be. Using the data effectively can be the key to identifying your best customers and figuring out how to serve them better. It can also be the key to growing your business by increasing sales or cutting unnecessary costs.

Here’s what happened in the case of Butter Lane, a specialty bakery with a focus on cupcakes and locations in the East Village, New York City and Park Slope in Brooklyn.

Co-Owner Pam Nelson says the company has always collected information on its customers and had a fairly large customer database. But that database was used primarily just to send out email blasts in the past. At the time, no practical option existed for separating out Butter Lane’s best customers for special attention or more customized marketing.

Also the company has participated in three Small Business Saturdays so far. But Nelson says the company has so far also had no way of telling how many repeat customers were gained as a result. Thus, there has been no way to determine whether any extra investment associated with participation is getting a good return â€" until now, that is.

Gain More Insight Into Your Customers

Over the last year, Butter Lane has made a change. The company has been using a business intelligence application from Swipely to gather data on its customers. And they will use this data in a very different way. Swipely integrates with point of sales technology used by established retailers, restaurants, bars, salons and similar businesses.

The company says it tracks credit card numbers to sort out first time from repeat customers. ”And that’s a big deal for us, just in general,” said Nelson in a recent phone interview with Small Business Trends.

The new tracking allows Butter Lane to figure out what special events, offers, or other marketing efforts result in greater earnings and in increased numbers of return customers.

Today, Small Business Saturday, Butter Lane is launching a new loyalty program in an effort to use customer data to gain even more insight and grow its business at the same time. Customers entering either of the bakery’s locations today will be prompted to sign up for the program by text or on an in-store iPad. Butter Lane will then be able to track customers by name every time they make a credit card purchase.

butter lane bakery

Customers will get cash back rewards the more they spend. Nelson says customers may also receive those rewards in the form of free products like cupcakes or other goodies.

So Butter Lane has found an easy way to reward its best customers automatically and perhaps encourage them to keep coming back.

What Customer Data Tells You

But that’s not the only thing Butter Lane can do with the enhanced data the company will be collecting. Matthew Oley, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Swipely, says data collected on customers can be used to learn many things about a business.

For example, by collecting data on your customers through loyalty programs, you can discover what products or services they prefer and which customers tend to spend above a certain threshold. You can use this information to segment your customer list and target specific customers with offers most suitable to them.

By importing outside data you can determine whether other factors like weather conditions or even social media campaigns or mentions have an impact on your business. You can even use that social media data to track your average Yelp score or keep up with the latest social media mentions about your company.

It’s also possible to import social media data for some of your major competitors to compare with your own. Track the amount of business during a slow time of day to figure out whether it makes sense to stay open that extra hour. Or experiment to see whether expanding your hours boosts revenue or number of return customers â€" or both.

Bottom line: The more you know about your customers the better. So figure out how to collect and utilize that data in the way most effective for you.

Images: Butter Lane Bakery



Smooth Failing: Being Inspired by Others’ Spectacular Failures

Smooth Failing: Being Inspired by Others’ Spectacular Failures

“Highly successful people make mistakes all the time.  Some failures are big, some even bigger, but none need result in the end of your dreams to succeed.” So writes Barbara Weltman in her latest book, “Smooth Failing: Top industry leaders share their secrets for turning Pain into Profit.”   Weltman - an attorney, tax expert, small business …

Content

Usefulness

Freshness

86

Summary

Uplifting and useful advice based on successful entrepreneurs who failed spectacularly. Enthralling stories!

86

“Highly successful people make mistakes all the time.  Some failures are big, some even bigger, but none need result in the end of your dreams to succeed.”

So writes Barbara Weltman in her latest book, “Smooth Failing: Top industry leaders share their secrets for turning Pain into Profit.”   Weltman - an attorney, tax expert, small business expert and author â€" is well-known as the author of the J.K. Lasser’s Small Business Taxes books and guides.  She’s also the author of several “how to” books on small business topics, including The Idiot’s Guide to Starting a Home Based Business.

Smooth Failing is a departure from that type of book.  Weltman (@BarbaraWeltman on Twitter) tackles a subject that most of us who are entrepreneurs have lived through:  failure and how to get past it.

Smooth Failing is a book of  case studies and lessons.  It covers the failures of successful entrepreneurs - and some of the failures are so over the top that they could have been ripped right from the pages of a thriller novel.   Yet they are real.

Money laundering. Lies and cover ups. Cyber blackmail.  Software logic bombs that surreptitiously delete software code. A stock market crash. A business partner with inoperable cancer.

This book has it all!

Entrepreneurs Candidly Share Failures

In interviews with 10 successful business owners and entrepreneurs, Weltman manages to wheedle out stunning admissions of failure, such as as lying to a client. Yes, that’s one of the stories.  It comes from New York Times contributor Gene Marks who told the story of how he lied to cover up some shoddy performance of his company’s proprietary software.  He regretted lying and eventually the software became obsolete.  That happened years ago.  The lying made him physically sick, and he learned an important lesson that changed the way he did business.

And then there’s the story of the FBI showing up at one entrepreneur’s doorstep.  John Jantsch of Duct Tape Marketing was stunned.  One of his then-clients was accused of money laundering.  Jantsch, of course, never had a clue about what his client was doing.  However, he had to spend time preparing for and testifying in front a grand jury that ended up indicting the client. Jantsch himself was promptly cleared.  But that experience helped propel him to radically change his business focus.

Or what about the entrepreneur who, desperate to get his new business off the ground, offered a sales rep the ability to earn 50% equity in the company in exchange for meeting certain sales targets.  The sales rep was hell bent on meeting those targets â€" so much so that he nearly drove the business into the ground.  That’s the story told by Tim Berry, founder of Palo Alto Software.

And imagine being Peter Justen, formerly the CEO of MyBizHomepage, and now the CEO of business dashboard product Five Plus.  When he learned his Chief Technology Officer was planning to start a competing business,  Justen terminated him.  However, his former employee had planted “logic bombs” in the company’s software product.  Logic bombs are pieces of code that launch on certain activities, and delete code or data, or make it unusable. In short, the former executive â€" someone Justen had thought was a friend â€" sabotaged the product.  Justen literally had to start over, and build a new product from scratch.  But that was only the beginning.  The former executive launched a defamation attack against Justen and his family, hacked into their email and social accounts, and attempted to blackmail Justen.  It turns out that the executive lived off the grid and managed to hide his tracks in order not to be found by authorities.  Phew!

After stories like those, my own story â€" which is also included in the book â€" sounds positively boring.  My story is about having too many irons in the fire. I drifted along and lost focus on my goals.  Once I got my goal mojo back, and brought in some help, the business leapt forward.  In my case the CTO was the hero, not the villain. Yeah, I know … not nearly as exciting as grand juries and logic bombs.

What I liked best about this book is the way Weltman manages to distill each case study down into a few lessons.  That is harder than it sounds, and I’ll tell you why.  I can remember back almost a year ago when the author contacted me. We arranged a lengthy phone interview about my experiences.  In the book everything is laid out cogently.  The lessons are succinctly summarized.

You might get the impression that I was super articulate that day, and delivered everything on a silver platter to Barbara Weltman.  Nope.  I rambled.  I just started talking without necessarily identifying my own lessons or even what I was going to talk about.  The story took shape and the lessons emerged only after probing questions from the author.  That’s what a skillful interviewer can do.

Innovative Publishing Approach

The book is published by Indigo River Publishing. On its website it describes itself as a “modern and progressive publishing house and we believe in a more dynamic and entrepreneurial approach to the building and marketing of our books.”

The book is published in two editions.  One is a standarded edition containing only the 10 lessons currently in there now.

But here’s the innovative part:  the other editions is called a “Living Edition.”  This means that additional case studies and lessons will be added.  And entrepreneurs can request to be considered to be included in the book.  Those why buy the Living Edition (which is electronic) will have access to the additional entrepreneurs added later.

Why Get This Book

(1) The stories are enthralling and not just about business, but about life and human nature.

(2) You may know one or more of the entrepreneurs profiled.  Many of them are active online and in social media.  I don’t know about you, but often it’s hard for me to relate to the one-in-a-billion success of someone like Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook.  I find little that is relevant to apply to my own business, because the scale is so different.  But I can relate to the experiences of a John Jantsch of Duct Tape Marketing or a Norm Brodsky.

(3) It is useful. The lessons are encapsulated at the end of each chapter.

(4) But the best reason to read Smooth Failing, in my opinion, is that ultimately the book is  positive and uplifting about not giving up. You must adapt and reboot your business.  When you are feeling like nothing is going right â€" and you will feel that way at some point in your entrepreneurial journey â€" it may be the motivational shot in the arm you need.



Week In Review: Small Business Saturday, Twitter Experiments and More

It’s time again for our week in review. Here are the top stories important to your small business this week from the Small Business Trends editorial team.

Holidays

Small suppliers benefit from turkey shortage. Butterball, one of the nation’s largest producers, was short of big fresh birds this year. Not to worry though. Small farmers came to the rescue…and are smiling ear to ear.

Parking free in 42 communities on Small Business Saturday. Free parking is intended to further encourage customers to shop at local small businesses. Check out the post for a full list of participating communities.

Social Media

Twitter experimented briefly with new messaging program. For about a month, Twitter gave users the option of letting followers direct message them â€" even if they aren’t following them back. It doesn’t seem the feature has made the cut.

LinkedIn rolls out Showcase Pages. It could be helpful if you happen to have a few niche products and services and need to target slightly different audiences with each. Here’s a basic overview.

Business Basics

Square eliminates flat rates. It’s a big blow to small businesses who use the pocket-sized credit card reader to avoid fees on a major credit card merchant account. The flat fee has been a major incentive for many small businesses to try the service.

Italy’s oldest family business seeks foreign customers. For centuries, the Pontifical Marinelli Foundry has served mainly one large local client, the Vatican. But tough economic times have forced this local bell maker to look at increasing exports.

Tech

Acer introduces two ultrabooks. These devices are new to the U.S. market and are aimed directly at business users. They have plenty of featured but don’t expect a bargain price.

Policy

Raising the minimum wage. The Affordable Care Act raised many concerns â€" now seemingly confirmed â€" in the small business community. But another policy on the horizon may be easily as dangerous. And that danger may not be only to the businesses themselves. Scott Shane has more.

Another Obamacare Website delay. Yes, there’s another delay related to the Obamacare website. And this one affects small business with 50 employees or less. Small Business Trends CEO Anita Campbell has more.

Reading Photo via Shutterstock



Acer Introduces Two Ultrabooks Aimed At Business Users

Acer TravelMate X313

Acer has introduced two ultrabooks for the first time in the U.S. market aimed specifically for business users on the go. But, don’t expect to get either of these devices at a bargain price.

First, the Acer TravelMate P645 features:

  • A 14-inch display with HD resolution.
  • A lightweight thin design just 3.31 pounds and .81 inches thick.
  • Longer battery life for up to 8 hours of enhanced productivity.
  • Enhanced capabilities that let you review documents, compare spreadsheets and create multimedia with greater responsiveness and speed.
  • Premium security features including Acer Recovery Management and ProShield Manager which let you protect your data.

In a prepared announcement on the device’s release in the North American market, Michael O’Beirne, senior director of commercial product marketing at Acer America explained:

“Business never ends for our customers, many of whom have global teams that run 24Ã-7, so they need a notebook PC that will keep them at their most effective whether in the office or on the road.”

A second device, the Acer TravelMate X313 (pictured above), can function either as an ultrabook or tablet, the company says. Here is a brief overview from Notebook Italia:

This machine is designed to be even more lightweight and mobile, says Acer. The device’s specs say it is 1.74 pounds and .39 inches thick.

Other features include:

  • Cradle expansion enabling it to function as a desktop PC.
  • An 11.6-inch display with touchscreen capability allowing it to function in tablet mode.
  • A 6-hour battery life allowing it to be used by members of a mobile workforce.
  • Versions of Acer’s Recovery Management and ProShield manager for data security, like on the TravelMate P645.

A recent company announcement on this device says the company expects it to be used for Web browsing, checking email, scheduling appointments and more, all in a commercial business setting.

Unlike, other low cost consumer devices which might also work for business applications, Acer is clearly targeting these two devices for business use.

But since both start at a premium $949, they won’t likely appeal to all small business users.

Image: Acer



How Well Do You Know Your Online Shoppers?

If you ask eCommerce merchants how much they know about their customers, how well they know online shoppers, you may get a general reply. Many may only be able to describe their customers based on demographics of gender, age and level of income.

So do they really understand why, when, where and how their customers make their purchases?

The buying process is getting more complicated. People have hundreds of online places to purchase products that meet their needs. They may shop online, from home, from the grocery store or their Android phones, iPhone or Smartphones.

So how can a consumer be best understood?

Besides knowing their demographics, you can also benefit from other personal data such as:

  • Interests/hobbies
  • Daily activities
  • Political affiliation

All of this information can be inferred through personal interaction. Acquiring this data is harder to achieve but there are databases that will allow you to target individuals based on the above mentioned criteria. These details aid in promoting the products that interest them easily.

What Do Customers Need to Know?

It is important that your customer know the ins and outs of a product:

  • What do the products look like?
  • How do they function?
  • What sizes and colors are available?
  • How much does it cost?
  • Does it carry a discount?
  • Is there a warranty?
  • What is the procedure to purchase the product?

Online shoppers are gradually demanding more from retailers. They want more information at the start of the online experience, more options during checkout and delivery and more channels for interrelating with their favorite retailers. Free shipping, social and mobile access and simple return processes are evaluated among the most imperative needs for today’s online shoppers.

Customers look into different sources such as blogs, articles and websites to check for product details. So make sure that you understand how to answer these questions in an effective manner to meet your customer’s queries.

Use the three C’s:

  • Choice
  • Channels
  • Convenience

Retailers can actually win shoppers over by providing a positive and consistent Omni channel experience. From social media platforms to mobile apps , today’s consumer expect and value services that work together across the whole shopping continuum from pre-purchase to post-purchase.

How Do Customers Learn About Products?

Today, product research is done in living rooms, offices, hospitals, coffee shops - anywhere and everywhere. Most importantly, products are compared among different websites and product reviews from other consumers.

Retailers need to understand the customer’s research strategies. Multiple factors can influence their research process:

  • Research can be conducted by looking at the product’s picture or reading the description.
  • Checking other brands and alternative products.
  • An event can trigger interest in the product.
  • Product reviews given by others.
  • Discounts and sales.
  • Instinctive buying.

Remember, the most crucial psychology behind their product research is that customers often make a purchase decision only after evaluating the products’ real value. They narrow their selection and then shop for price.

Where Do Customers Inquire About Products?

It has been found that approximately 86% of consumers go online to research products. However, the majority of consumers are becoming increasingly sophisticated at multi-channel shopping. Therefore, retailers need to better align their business operating models with consumer expectations and sophistication.

Globally, research shows that 20% make their purchase direct online, 3% make their purchases via social networks and the remaining balance from other sources such as television shopping networks, mobile, Web , laptop, smartphones, Xboxes and physical stores. They also read trade publications, Facebook posts, check comparison shopping engines and their network of friends on Twitter.

Is it possible for every eCommerce merchant to be in all of these places? In many cases, it may not be practical. So the best thing to do is to identify where your customers are going to seek information while they move through their purchasing cycle. And then ensure that you are seen and present in those places and that your messages and content are mobile-friendly.

Shopping Photo via Shutterstock



Former Paypal Managers Servicing Mid-Size Business Data Management Needs

The advent of cloud computing has enabled many small businesses to take off. However, as small businesses grow, their data management needs multiply. While there are many open-source DevOps tools that small businesses could use for data management, such tools are often found inefficient while handling larger datasets.

This gap in the existing DevOps tools is what led former DevOps Manager at Paypal, Kenneth Jiang, and former Product Manager at Paypal, Gülin Yilmaz, to set up OpsViz.

Kenneth, who has more than 17 years experience in back-end systems engineering is the venture’s CTO. While Gülin, an MS in engineering from Stanford Univesity and an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business, is the CEO. Gulin has diverse experience - in product management at Paypal and through her successful entrepreneurial ventures, CoachMe and Awardly.

Gülin firmly believes that for a product to be successful, it should be validated by the end users. It was but natural that she discussed OpsViz’s initial product idea with hundreds of potential customers before launching it. These discussions led to the discovery of a larger need for automation in data infrastructure management.

Mid-size companies were saddled with not just the problem of inefficient opensource DevOps tools but also inefficient processes to monitor data management operations. On the other hand, traditional comprehensive enterprise solutions were quite expensive and disruptive to the client environment.

OpsViz therefore focused on developing affordable solutions for these challenges. With its flexible back-end and connectors to commonly used open-source tools, OpsViz ‘snaps in’ the architecture of its customers to ‘collect and clean’ the infrastructure data and analyze it.

By providing SaaS information management, OpsViz serves as a Single Source of Truth (SSOT) for customer systems. By enabling automation of cumbersome and routine tasks, OpsViz can eliminate unnecessary time and energy spent by IT operations teams of mid-sized businesses. It also helps IT teams analyze historical data and determine patterns to eliminate outages.

OpsViz also provides a robust and usable mobile platform that enables system admin and operations managers to have an accurate picture of the data infrastructure systems at any time and from any place.

The initial focus for OpsViz is the underserved mid-market companies that typically have 100-5,000 physical servers. As a result of the validation of the product and business by the end user segment, OpsViz can draw upon a confident customer base. Since their launch in early 2013, OpsViz has one paying customer, Wikia. Ten other companies have expressed interest in becoming beta customers. It is also in early negotiations with a Fortune 100 company.

OpsViz’s next plans to scale up by integrating with successful open-source tools such as Puppet and Chef and differentiate with its superior user experience. It positions itself against monitoring tools like Nagios by providing complete and accurate information.

OpsViz is set to bootstrap till it reaches the $1 million revenue mark. It currently reaches out to potential customers through direct sales using tools like Alexa rankings, LinkedIn, and data.com. The company has recently hired an engineer and also works with some part-time UX experts.

OpsViz plans to enter the enterprise market once it has gained a strong foothold in the mid-market. It intends to differentiate itself by providing an affordable and extensible platform for smart data center operations. Its long-term vision is to provide collective intelligence and best practices on infrastructure management by applying data analytics to infrastructure operations.



Want to Win at Sales? Just Be a Gopher!

win at sales cartoon

One of the things that drives me nuts most in the business world is this glut of acronyms. Okay, some make sense. But there’s an awful lot of blatantly manufactured acronyms out there (I’m looking at you, self-help business books) that just make me insane.

I see a lot of stuff like, ”To win at sales you need to be a G.O.P.H.E.R.!”

  • G - Go get ‘em!
  • O - Only give your best!
  • P - Partner with people who can help!
  • H - Help people who need it!
  • E - Early to bed, early to rise…
  • R - Ready to succeed?! GO!

So animals are not your thing? How about C.O.F.F.E.E.:

  • C - Come to work!
  • O - Offer your expertise!
  • F - Free yourself from negative thoughts!
  • F - Focus on the task at hand!
  • E - Examine your goals!
  • E - Everything is awesome! Be positive!

Honestly, I could do this all day. Thankfully, we cartoonists get to poke fun at this sort of thing, both as a profession and a form of therapy.

Okay, now who’s ready to get some COFFEE for their GOPHER?



Do You Believe Customers are an Asset or a Cost Center?

zanes cycles2

We’re going to explore one example closely by looking at how Zane’s Cycles grows - because they know and respect the lifetime value of their customers.

With only one retail location, Zane’s Cycles of Connecticut is one of the three largest bike shops in the United States. They sell $15 million each year in bicycles, and bike supplies, with a relationship grounded in customer trust.

For example, on any given day you might see a $6,000 bike go out the door for a test drive without any one of Zane’s folks asking to collect the customer’s identification or any type of collateral. “Do you want my license?” is often asked by the customer. The response is always, “Nope, just have a good ride.”

Zane’s makes this decision because they want potential customers to know that in this world there’s a store that trusts them, and it’s Zane’s. Made as a decision to embrace customers, this decision also sends a strong message to Zane’s staff. Owner Chris Zane says:

“This is not about protecting ourselves. We’re in the people business, not the thing business. This decision helps our staff understand and act on that key difference.”

It gives customers confidence and a lasting impression that they have found a place where they’ll want to do business.

Each Customer’s Lifetime Value is $12,500

Zane’s won’t risk that. Zane’s Cycles decided to act on its belief that the majority of customers do what’s right. Chris Zane says:

“We calculate the lifetime value of every customer at $12,500. Why start out that customer relationship by questioning their integrity? We choose to believe our customers.”

New Zane’s employees often suggest that they protect the business by taking customers’ keys or wallets when they test drive a bicycle. Chris Zane firmly says “no” to this suggestion. This is when employees and customers realize Zane’s is a service business, not a product business. And it sets the tone for how they interact with people. It frees them to do the right thing.

Trust Is Reciprocated: Zane’s Loses Only Five Bikes a Year

Customers feel trusted by Zane’s and that trust is returned to Zane’s. Of the 4,000 bikes they sell each year, only about 5 are stolen during test drives. For Zane’s it’s just not worth having the whole attitude of the company change because of the attitudes of five dishonest people.

Zane’s believes customers are good. That attitude frees Zane’s to grow. They have achieved an average annual growth rate of 23 percent since opening in 1981. Why not take a page from Zane’s, and take a hard look at your policies?

Change or eliminate any that exist to “protect” you from your customers and ask yourself:

  • Do you know the value of your customers? Does everyone in your company?
  • Does how you value customers guide decision making?
  • Are you investing in customers or managing costs?
  • How would you rate your intent and ability to understand the value of customers and invest in them?
  • Do your decisions on how you value customers earn you “beloved” status today?

Take a hard look at your policies. What one thing can you change or eliminate that “nickels and dimes” your customers, especially your best customers?

Image: Zane’s Cycles



Are You Overwhelmed with Tasks. Here’s Four Ways To Help with Task Management

According to the enterprise work management survey conducted by AtTask, which looked at the underlying reasons that workers miss deadlines, need to work overtime and/or lose confidence and morale for the companies they work for, nearly three in five workers - approximately 60 percent - are either completely overwhelmed or barely meeting their deadlines.

There’s a few things I do to boost productivity:

  • A task management tool, like AtTask or Asana is a MUST to ensure you can manage the many “to do’s” on your to do list.
  • Maximizing your calendar is also critical. I ensure that not only do I enter information in my calendar but I review it the week before to ensure I’m on track that week and can plan out the coming week.
  • Simple things like disciplining myself to charge all my gadgets is a big productivity booster. Nothing unproductive like having a notebook computer with 20 minutes of charge left!
  • Scheduling time for “busy work” is always important. Not only do I use my calendar to keep appointments, but I also use it to make appointments that are just “me time”.

Here’s an AtTaks infographic on “work”



5 Things that Make Your WordPress Site Run Slow and How to Fix Them

A slow loading website can hurt your small business by turning away visitors who expect fast load times and smooth online experiences, and harming your reputation. If your site runs slow and you’re running WordPress, there are plenty of things that could be slowing you down. Below are five common reasons for sluggish performance on ...

The post 5 Things that Make Your WordPress Site Run Slow and How to Fix Them appeared first on Small Business Trends.



Are You Overwhelmed with Tasks. Here’s Four Ways To Help with Task Management

According to the enterprise work management survey conducted by AtTask, which looked at the underlying reasons that workers miss deadlines, need to work overtime and/or lose confidence and morale for the companies they work for, nearly three in five workers - approximately 60 percent - are either completely overwhelmed or barely meeting their deadlines.

There’s a few things I do to boost productivity:

  • A task management tool, like AtTask or Asana is a MUST to ensure you can manage the many “to do’s” on your to do list.
  • Maximizing your calendar is also critical. I ensure that not only do I enter information in my calendar but I review it the week before to ensure I’m on track that week and can plan out the coming week.
  • Simple things like disciplining myself to charge all my gadgets is a big productivity booster. Nothing unproductive like having a notebook computer with 20 minutes of charge left!
  • Scheduling time for “busy work” is always important. Not only do I use my calendar to keep appointments, but I also use it to make appointments that are just “me time”.

Here’s an AtTaks infographic on “work”



Without Inventory You Have No Sales. Here’s 5 Tips To Better Manage Your Inventory.

Knowing what products you have available to sell and other inventory management concerns is one of the MOST important aspects of running a retail business. Without products you can’t make money.

Raad Mobrem CEO of online inventory Lettuce has some tips to help.

  1. Every product in your catalog should have a unique identifier known as a SKU number (also known as Stock Keeping Unit). Even for products that are almost identical, but vary in terms of size, color, style, or anything else, they should have their own SKU number. Many systems that work with inventory (either your customers systems or your own) work through SKU numbers and it has become an industry standard. It is a very simple way to look up and account for different products.
  2. Have a smart system for creating SKU numbers. For example, don’t assign a pair of large grey jeans a SKU number 423430403. Instead use some sort of systematic approach to naming. For example, a pair of large grey jeans should be called J-1000-G-L. The J stands for Jeans, the 1000 is a safe number convention (in case you add thousands of different kinds of jeans), the G stands for the grey, and the L stands for Large. So if we had the same pair of jeans in black and small, it would be called J-1000-B-S. It will make your life and your wholesale customers lives much easier because it’s easier to look up.
  3. Use barcodes that represent UPC numbers (also known as a Universal Product Code). These barcodes allow for other businesses that work with you to easily scan inventory into their systems (if they have a barcode system). When you are dealing with larger customers, they are getting thousands of purchase orders delivered and they are also shipping out thousands of orders every day, thus they need a very fast and simple method for what comes and goes through their distribution center. Barcodes helps solve this challenge effectively. In addition, the UPC number is a true unique identifier because another vendor works with your customer may have a SKU number that is identical to yours. The UPC code originates from one company (GS1) and they maintains a database of all products, so they will never give out the same code to different companies.
  4. Doing a quarterly audit of your inventory. Count through your entire warehouse and make sure that your numbers match with the numbers in the system. You have to account for number discrepancies (0.1%-10%) in inventory due to human error and these audits helps your business have a much better understanding of your true inventory count. The worst thing you can do is get an order, accept it based on the numbers in your system, and then not be able to fulfill it because you physically do not have those products in stock. Audits help eliminate these scenarios.
  5. Use a cloud based software dedicated to inventory and order management. With a system that helps you keep track of your inventory and your orders, you will have a much easier time managing your business and not doing manual tasks. Many businesses use excel or don’t even use anything at all and just wing it. Excel is great, but it is also very manual and easy to make human error. And not having a system at all is like driving a car with your left hand covering your eyes…an accident waiting to happen. Be smart and use software to manage your business so that you can focus on things that you enjoy, such as new products or growth.


Without Inventory You Have No Sales. Here’s 5 Tips To Better Manage Your Inventory.

Knowing what products you have available to sell and other inventory management concerns is one of the MOST important aspects of running a retail business. Without products you can’t make money.

Raad Mobrem CEO of online inventory Lettuce has some tips to help.

  1. Every product in your catalog should have a unique identifier known as a SKU number (also known as Stock Keeping Unit). Even for products that are almost identical, but vary in terms of size, color, style, or anything else, they should have their own SKU number. Many systems that work with inventory (either your customers systems or your own) work through SKU numbers and it has become an industry standard. It is a very simple way to look up and account for different products.
  2. Have a smart system for creating SKU numbers. For example, don’t assign a pair of large grey jeans a SKU number 423430403. Instead use some sort of systematic approach to naming. For example, a pair of large grey jeans should be called J-1000-G-L. The J stands for Jeans, the 1000 is a safe number convention (in case you add thousands of different kinds of jeans), the G stands for the grey, and the L stands for Large. So if we had the same pair of jeans in black and small, it would be called J-1000-B-S. It will make your life and your wholesale customers lives much easier because it’s easier to look up.
  3. Use barcodes that represent UPC numbers (also known as a Universal Product Code). These barcodes allow for other businesses that work with you to easily scan inventory into their systems (if they have a barcode system). When you are dealing with larger customers, they are getting thousands of purchase orders delivered and they are also shipping out thousands of orders every day, thus they need a very fast and simple method for what comes and goes through their distribution center. Barcodes helps solve this challenge effectively. In addition, the UPC number is a true unique identifier because another vendor works with your customer may have a SKU number that is identical to yours. The UPC code originates from one company (GS1) and they maintains a database of all products, so they will never give out the same code to different companies.
  4. Doing a quarterly audit of your inventory. Count through your entire warehouse and make sure that your numbers match with the numbers in the system. You have to account for number discrepancies (0.1%-10%) in inventory due to human error and these audits helps your business have a much better understanding of your true inventory count. The worst thing you can do is get an order, accept it based on the numbers in your system, and then not be able to fulfill it because you physically do not have those products in stock. Audits help eliminate these scenarios.
  5. Use a cloud based software dedicated to inventory and order management. With a system that helps you keep track of your inventory and your orders, you will have a much easier time managing your business and not doing manual tasks. Many businesses use excel or don’t even use anything at all and just wing it. Excel is great, but it is also very manual and easy to make human error. And not having a system at all is like driving a car with your left hand covering your eyes…an accident waiting to happen. Be smart and use software to manage your business so that you can focus on things that you enjoy, such as new products or growth.


How Video Helped Dropbox Get 75,000 Subscribers in 24 Hours

With $257.2 million in funding and a $4-billion valuation in 2011, Dropbox’s Drew Houston had one of the hottest startups in the game.

How did he get there?

According to Houston:

“There were a couple of important inflection points.”

The first occurred after Dropbox released a demo video that captured Y Combinator’s attention and helped Dropbox secure an invitation to the exclusive startup program. Milestone two occurred when Dropbox released another video on Digg a year later during its private beta launch. In that video, Houston says his team layered “easter eggs… aimed at the Digg audience” into the otherwise mainstream presentation.

The creativity worked. Within 24-hours they “had 75,000 people signup for the wait-list.” They were expecting 15,000, max. Clearly, those creative videos were instrumental in Dropbox’s success.

If you look at the research associated with online video you’ll understand why they decided to do a couple. According to Comscore, people who view a Web video are 64% more likely to purchase than those who don’t. If the video is kick-ass, that number is probably even higher.

Another bit of research (PDF) says that 59% of senior executives prefer to watch video instead of reading text, and 80% are watching more online video today than they were a year ago. The trend is clear. Yet, amazingly, most websites still have no video. And, the ones that do often have video that’s not up to professional standards.

In “2 Types of Video to Build Your Business,” I share a couple types of Web video that companies, like Dropbox, are using. They are:

  • 1) Animated, explainer videos.
  • 2) High-concept, creative web commercials.

Depending on your business or product, one might be a better fit than the other.

Most importantly, if you don’t have professional quality video content on your site to help tell your message or product benefit, now is a good time to think about getting some.

Video Photo via Shutterstock



4 Trade Show Tactics For Small Business Success

Trade shows aren’t the least expensive way to market your small business, but they are one of the most powerful if leveraged correctly. Trade shows allow you to reach and speak to people who you might never get the opportunity to do business with otherwise. Planning ahead using a few simple trade show tactics is the key to a successful trade show marketing appearance.

Create A Clear Goal for the Trade Show

Some small businesses make the mistake of assuming that simply appearing at the trade show is enough to spark interest in their products and a desire to do business with the company.

However, every time you attend a trade show you need a clear goal in mind for what you hope to accomplish. Examples of clearly defined goals include:

  • To gauge customer response to a new product or service.
  • To promote brand recognition.
  • To drive traffic to your website.
  • To build new leads.
  • To educate consumers about new product or services.

Once the goal is clearly defined, you can craft a booth, presentation and literature to achieve this goal.

Create A Powerful Image for Your Booth and Presentation

Never underestimate the “wow” factor at a trade show. You only have about 30 seconds to capture your audience’s attention, so make those first few seconds count. Tools for introducing the “wow” factor into your trade show appearance include:

  • A colorful, well-designed booth.
  • Knowledgeable booth staff who can easily engage people in conversation.
  • Working models of your unique product or service.
  • Audio and/or video to capture attention across a busy venue.
  • Literature and/or product samples for potential customers to take home and remember you by.

Build ways to garner attention at the event, as well as stick in attendees’ minds afterwards. Part of this is color coordinating your booth artwork with the literature or samples you hand out, so the attendee recognizes your logo and name later on.

Promote Your Appearance at the Trade Show Well Ahead of Time

Radio ads, TV ads, billboards, and social media are all excellent ways to get the word out ahead of the trade show that you’ll be there. But don’t just promote your appearance, give people a good reasons to come to the trade show and make the effort to stop by your booth.

Offer prizes, hold contests, give social media users a booth check-in option, and offer special presentations throughout the event via your social media outposts.

People are more likely to come if there’s a reward involved.

Choose A Heavy Traffic Event Over A Small Niche Trade Show

Some small businesses think that a small niche trade show is better for them to get noticed than a huge, more generalized show, such as a home and garden event or ladies’ show.

However, those larger events get much more traffic, which means more exposure for you than you could generate at a small event with fewer attendants. Even if you attend an event where most people are outside your niche, you never know how meeting, greeting, and networking can pay off in the long run.

If small businesses plan and use smart strategies and trade show tactics to design the booth, produce quality literature and up the ante with audio or video, they can measure up to the big guys and come out on top.

Trade Show Display Photo via Shutterstock



3 Methods To Implement Effective and Value Priced CRM In Your Business.

CRM (Customer Relationship Management) is all about a system (the technology) and process you can use to gain better understanding of your customers and prospective customers and serve them better - just like Amazon.com does.

There’s several CRM solutions on the market and several ways to implement CRM.

Formstack, an awesome company for all things related to forms (and so much more), wrote a blog post about how to have CRM that was not as expensive as Hubspot, but just as (or even more) effective.

So this brings me to the 3 ways to implement effective and value priced CRM in your business.

ONE: Infusionsoft, my employer, is the leading CRM solution dedicated and focused on small businesses. From $200 - $400 a month, it’s all in one, online solution, is the gold standard for CRM (yeah - I’m biased, just a wee bit :) )

TWO: Formstack’s blog post is a treasure trove of integrated solutions (from The Small Business Web) helping you save money and use best of breed solutions to have CRM in your business.

THREE: Maybe a full CRM system is not for you, use the principles of Lifecycle Marketing (8 steps) in your business today. These 8 steps include:

  1. Identify your target customer
  2. Attract traffic
  3. Capture contact information
  4. Nurture your prospects
  5. Convert to sales
  6. Deliver and delight (customer service)
  7. Upsell
  8. Ask for referrals
Formstack provided us with some additional options to implement lean and effective marketing. They include:
1. Build out the process before buying. Be aware of the general workflow at your small business before researching software solutions. Identify which channels you want to use for customer engagement and find apps to meet those needs. (Ex: lead generation - contact form + CRM)
2. Find software that scales. It’s important to identify software that is robust enough to grow with your company. Bare bones software might be cheaper, but it won’t be as helpful in the long run.
3. Find software that integrates. Automated marketing is unobtainable without software that integrates with each other. When small businesses manually enter data into their web apps, there is an unnecessary drop in productivity. Save time and increase efficiency with integration.
4. Build on your apps as you build out your marketing team. Always continue to research integrated software solutions as your marketing needs grow. The value of scalable software is that it can easily be integrated with new apps or further developed to meet new marketing processes
So there you have three CRM solutions, pick the one that’s right for YOUR business.
CRM is an INVESTMENT In your business - which means you SPEND money TODAY to get MORE money back in the future.


3 Methods To Implement Effective and Value Priced CRM In Your Business.

CRM (Customer Relationship Management) is all about a system (the technology) and process you can use to gain better understanding of your customers and prospective customers and serve them better - just like Amazon.com does.

There’s several CRM solutions on the market and several ways to implement CRM.

Formstack, an awesome company for all things related to forms (and so much more), wrote a blog post about how to have CRM that was not as expensive as Hubspot, but just as (or even more) effective.

So this brings me to the 3 ways to implement effective and value priced CRM in your business.

ONE: Infusionsoft, my employer, is the leading CRM solution dedicated and focused on small businesses. From $200 - $400 a month, it’s all in one, online solution, is the gold standard for CRM (yeah - I’m biased, just a wee bit :) )

TWO: Formstack’s blog post is a treasure trove of integrated solutions (from The Small Business Web) helping you save money and use best of breed solutions to have CRM in your business.

THREE: Maybe a full CRM system is not for you, use the principles of Lifecycle Marketing (8 steps) in your business today. These 8 steps include:

  1. Identify your target customer
  2. Attract traffic
  3. Capture contact information
  4. Nurture your prospects
  5. Convert to sales
  6. Deliver and delight (customer service)
  7. Upsell
  8. Ask for referrals
Formstack provided us with some additional options to implement lean and effective marketing. They include:
1. Build out the process before buying. Be aware of the general workflow at your small business before researching software solutions. Identify which channels you want to use for customer engagement and find apps to meet those needs. (Ex: lead generation - contact form + CRM)
2. Find software that scales. It’s important to identify software that is robust enough to grow with your company. Bare bones software might be cheaper, but it won’t be as helpful in the long run.
3. Find software that integrates. Automated marketing is unobtainable without software that integrates with each other. When small businesses manually enter data into their web apps, there is an unnecessary drop in productivity. Save time and increase efficiency with integration.
4. Build on your apps as you build out your marketing team. Always continue to research integrated software solutions as your marketing needs grow. The value of scalable software is that it can easily be integrated with new apps or further developed to meet new marketing processes
So there you have three CRM solutions, pick the one that’s right for YOUR business.
CRM is an INVESTMENT In your business - which means you SPEND money TODAY to get MORE money back in the future.


Another Obamacare Website Delay, Affecting Small Businesses

On the eve of Thanksgiving, the Department of Health and Human Services announced another delay in the Affordable Care Act. This time the delay impacts small businesses with fewer than 50 full-time equivalent employees, and their ability to apply online for coverage using the SHOP exchange marketplace.  SHOP stands for “Small Business Health Options.”

Small businesses with fewer than 50 employees are not required to secure insurance for their employees.  Larger businesses do have a mandate, although that previously has been delayed one year.  But the whole goal of Obamacare was to make better insurance coverage more affordable for everyone.  Small businesses that want to take advantage of tax credits were supposed to be able to opt to use the SHOP exchanges to find affordable coverage for their employees.

What this delay means is that small businesses won’t be able to use the Federal website to apply for coverage through the SHOP exchange for their employees, if they do choose to offer coverage to their employees â€" and many do.  They will instead have to apply in writing, in person or through an insurance broker or agent.

Jason Millman, writing on Politico notes:

“The White House is trying to get the troubled enrollment website on track for individuals and families seeking coverage, which is a higher priority. It set this Saturday, Nov. 30, as a target date for getting HealthCare.gov working for the ‘vast majority’ of users.

The delay of the small business exchanges comes as little surprise, as the administration had said earlier this week it would offer alternative ways for small businesses to enroll. Still, it undercuts the White House message that it’s beginning to turn around the disastrous rollout of the health care law.”

Thomas Howell Jr. writing on the Washington Times adds:

“Its decision to delay Web enrollment through the Small Business Health Options Program, or SHOP, until November 2014 is yet another tweak to the Affordable Care Act’s tumultuous timeline.

‘The president bit off more than he can chew with this health care law, and small businesses are now forced to bear the consequences,’ House Speaker John A. Boehner, Ohio Republican, said.
The delay is rooted in the rampant Web glitches facing the federal portal, HealthCare.gov, which spoiled the October debut of the health exchanges and forced the administration to launch a 24-7 repair campaign.

On Wednesday the Department of Health and Human Services said the agency immediately is opening up direct enrollment in the SHOP program through agents, brokers and insurers in states that let the federal government run their exchange.

Businesses with fewer than 50 employees, which are not required to offer coverage under the Affordable Care Act, also can compare plans online starting Dec. 1, even if they have to rely on non-Internet applications to qualify for tax credits and gain coverage for employees, officials said.”

The announcement was made in a confusingly-titled blog post on the Department of Health and Human Services blog, called “A Direct New Path to SHOP Marketplace Coverage.”  It states:

“For small businesses in states with a SHOP Marketplace that’s run by the federal government, we are making changes to make sure that you can take advantage of SHOP coverage and the tax credit as soon as  possible. Specifically, for 2014, small employers will enroll their employees in coverage through an agent, broker, or insurer that offers a certified SHOP plan and has agreed to conduct enrollment according to HHS standards.”

While making it sound like it has become easier for small businesses to shop for health insurance coverage, in fact, your options are more limited.  Why?  Because you won’t be able to use the website to the extent anticipated.  Still, you can use brokers and file written applications.

Two well established groups representing small businesses, responded quickly.  The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) had this reaction, through its manager of legislative affairs, Kevin Kuhlman:

“This new delay announcement is a disappointment but not a surprise. Small businesses continue to be low on the priority list during the Obamacare implementation process. It probably matters little to people in Washington that the failure to get the small business exchanges online adds yet another onerous paperwork requirement for job creators. The continued delays add to uncertainty and contribute to the decision of many owners to take early renewals of their small-group plans.”

And the National Association for the Self-Employed (NASE) said this via Katie Vlietstra, Director of Government Affairs:

“Today’s announcement by the Obama Administration to further delay online enrollment of the federal small business exchange is just another blow to the new health care program. The Obama Administration continues to make it incredibly difficult for small businesses to adequately plan and prepare when they continue to move the goal post. We have provided the Administration with guidance and clear examples of how this type of decision will negatively impact us and yet, they continue to ignore the businesses that create the vast majority of jobs in the United States. We are disappointed to say the least; small business owners now have less than 45 days to scramble and find adequate health care coverage for them and their employees.”

So what should you do?  If you might want to qualify for the Small Business Health Care Tax Credit, talk to a qualified insurance broker. Don’t expect to go online and enroll your employees â€" at least not until a year from now, in November 2014.

If you don’t care about the tax credit or are happy with your current group plan, then the SHOP exchanges and website are irrelevant anyway.

Meanwhile, as of late Wednesday, hours after the announcement, the Healthcare.gov website still says you can apply online for the small business SHOP exchange (screenshot above).  Get more information at the HHS blog post.



Accounting is Moving Online to the Cloud. Are you ready? New Solution from Paychex

Intuit Quickbooks  and Sage Peachtree have accounting solutions for your business - that you install on your computer. However, these computer based software solutions are dinosaurs and not the best option for most businesses.

This is why you will see an increase in online accounting solutions for your business.

Paychex is the newest entrant  - see their solution here. They join Sage CRM, Xero, QuickBooks Online, Wave Accounting, Freshbooks, Outright and others in a variety of online accounting solutions for small business owners.

Many of these accounting solutions are similar - cash flow, reporting, etc. But what will be difference is the intuitiveness of their interfaces. Don’t look for “Free”. Look for a solution to help you grow your business.



Want To Pitch On Shark Tank? Michael Dell Invites You To Austin To Pitch Him. #DellWorld

Dell does two things very well - sells technology solutions and helps entrepreneurs.

At Dell World, in Austin, Texas (Dec 11 - 13), Michael Dell and other successful entrepreneurs will continue Dell’s journey to support entrepreneurs.

These initiatives include a startup pitch event (I’ll be covering the event live), an expansion of Dell’s Center for Entrepreneurs.

Follow my live coverage of Dell World through Twitter (@ramonray - #dellworld) and of course on Smallbiztechnology.com

Here’s an overview of Dell’s three initiatives

Opportunity for Startups to Pitch Michael Dell: Next week, Dell will be announcing the start of a week-long online contest for one lucky company to join six other startups for a Pitch Slam taking place at Dell World 2013. Dell’s founder and two other celebrity judges will make up the judging panel.

Dell Center for Entrepreneurs Program Goes Global: Just eighteen months ago, Dell launched a portfolio of initiatives all aimed to help empower, support and fuel the growth of innovation, via the entrepreneurs and small business owners in the US. As a result of the amount of success and impact these programs have made - both in the entrepreneurial community as well as internally, throughout the organization at Dell - the company will be launching the Dell Center for Entrepreneurs abroad, starting with the UK next week.

Launch of Center for Entrepreneurs Global Advisory Board: As part of global expansion, Dell will be appointing a Center for Entrepreneurs Advisory Board to serve as a collective voice for entrepreneurs worldwide, with members lending their strategic insight and opening up their global networks to Dell. We’ll be announcing the Board next week, which includes Forbes’ 2013 World’s Young Entrepreneur of Year.



Accounting is Moving Online to the Cloud. Are you ready? New Solution from Paychex

Intuit Quickbooks  and Sage Peachtree have accounting solutions for your business - that you install on your computer. However, these computer based software solutions are dinosaurs and not the best option for most businesses.

This is why you will see an increase in online accounting solutions for your business.

Paychex is the newest entrant  - see their solution here. They join Sage CRM, Xero, QuickBooks Online, Wave Accounting, Freshbooks, Outright and others in a variety of online accounting solutions for small business owners.

Many of these accounting solutions are similar - cash flow, reporting, etc. But what will be difference is the intuitiveness of their interfaces. Don’t look for “Free”. Look for a solution to help you grow your business.



Want To Pitch On Shark Tank? Michael Dell Invites You To Austin To Pitch Him. #DellWorld

Dell does two things very well - sells technology solutions and helps entrepreneurs.

At Dell World, in Austin, Texas (Dec 11 - 13), Michael Dell and other successful entrepreneurs will continue Dell’s journey to support entrepreneurs.

These initiatives include a startup pitch event (I’ll be covering the event live), an expansion of Dell’s Center for Entrepreneurs.

Follow my live coverage of Dell World through Twitter (@ramonray - #dellworld) and of course on Smallbiztechnology.com

Here’s an overview of Dell’s three initiatives

Opportunity for Startups to Pitch Michael Dell: Next week, Dell will be announcing the start of a week-long online contest for one lucky company to join six other startups for a Pitch Slam taking place at Dell World 2013. Dell’s founder and two other celebrity judges will make up the judging panel.

Dell Center for Entrepreneurs Program Goes Global: Just eighteen months ago, Dell launched a portfolio of initiatives all aimed to help empower, support and fuel the growth of innovation, via the entrepreneurs and small business owners in the US. As a result of the amount of success and impact these programs have made - both in the entrepreneurial community as well as internally, throughout the organization at Dell - the company will be launching the Dell Center for Entrepreneurs abroad, starting with the UK next week.

Launch of Center for Entrepreneurs Global Advisory Board: As part of global expansion, Dell will be appointing a Center for Entrepreneurs Advisory Board to serve as a collective voice for entrepreneurs worldwide, with members lending their strategic insight and opening up their global networks to Dell. We’ll be announcing the Board next week, which includes Forbes’ 2013 World’s Young Entrepreneur of Year.