Twitter Prepares for IPO, Yelp Files Suit and Instagram Grows

If you missed any of the fast paced action in the world of business this week, don’t worry. As always, the Small Business Trends editorial team is hard at work. We bring you the news you need to run your business with added insight. Here are the top stories relevant to small business this week.

Enjoy!

Social Media

The Twitter IPO is coming. Twitter recently purchased a new advertising platform. The site remains a marketing powerhouse. And the company’s plan to go public shows just how valuable that marketing machine could be.

Yelp sues law firm over reviews. If you’ve been tempted to write a fake review on your business’s Yelp page, you’d better think twice. Yelp is taking a law firm to court for allegedly doing the same. The company says it’s a breach of contract. Anita Campbell has more.

Instagram is getting bigger and bigger. The network got its start by letting people share photos with artsy filter effects. Now, it’s reached 150 million users a month. Your business probably can’t afford to ignore this channel any longer â€" especially if you have a very “visual” business.

Man spends $1,000 to complain on Twitter. A businessman spent more than $1,000 on promoted tweets. He used them to complain about customer service on a commercial airline. The story is instructive. Customers will even pay to have their say when something goes wrong.

Google News

Google opens a community for Adwords Express. The ad network for local businesses was designed to be as easy to use as possible. It just got even easier. Now there’s a community where you can ask all of your most important questions.

Get authorship with your Google Plus sign in. This is only available for material published on WordPress and TypePad so far. But chances are strong other platforms will be added soon. And it’s another good reason to sign up for Google Plus.

Tech

Dell prepares a new Windows tablet. The company is reintroducing its Venue series with an 8-inch tablet running Windows 8.1. The device showed up at a recent San Francisco event. Reports indicate it will be formally announced Oct. 2.

Microsoft will unveil two new tablets Monday Sept. 23, 2013. The Surface 2 will replace the Surface RT and the Surface Pro 2 will replace the Surface Pro. Microsoft cut prices on the original devices earlier this year due to poor sales. Still, the company is expected to price the Surface 2 starting at $499 and the Surface Pro 2 is expected to be $899.

And rumor has it Nokia has a tablet, too. The smartphone maker set to be acquired by Microsoft may be introducing the device at an event in late October. Little is known about the anticipated 10.1-inch machine except what has been guessed at from leaked photos on the Internet.

Reading News Photo via Shutterstock

The “Don’t Wait To Fix It” Guide Helps You Get Your Small Business Expense Reporting Under Control

Second to salaries, business expenses are the second most controllable cost a business faces, yet many are not doing enough to control these costs. Even the best run businesses have room for improvement! Knowing this, the folks at Concur have taken their more than 20 years of expense management experience and created an easy to use guide, “Don’t Wait To Fix It”, dedicated solely to helping run smarter businesses from a critical pint of cash flow - expense reporting.

This new guide offers a visual playbook full of insights, tips and self-assessments that help a small business take a good hard look at their expense reporting systems and learn what can be done to fix them.  While expense reporting may seem like a tiny, insignificant part of your business operation, by choosing to fix the process and streamline it, a company can improve:

• Operational efficiency
• Revenue growth
• Compliance
• Cost containment
• Fraud to risk
• Visibility

There are five steps to follow in the guide that will help you create a more efficient and effective expense reporting process, and they begin with deciding to fix it. While no one will ever ask you to fix the process, as a small business owner you should be one that takes action automatically to improve your business. This is certainly a guide that will help!

The “Don’t Wait to Fix It” Guide is available for free download. Check it out and evaluate if your business could improve it’s processes and follow the steps to greater efficiency and cost savings!

The “Don’t Wait To Fix It” Guide Helps You Get Your Small Business Expense Reporting Under Control

Second to salaries, business expenses are the second most controllable cost a business faces, yet many are not doing enough to control these costs. Even the best run businesses have room for improvement! Knowing this, the folks at Concur have taken their more than 20 years of expense management experience and created an easy to use guide, “Don’t Wait To Fix It”, dedicated solely to helping run smarter businesses from a critical pint of cash flow - expense reporting.

This new guide offers a visual playbook full of insights, tips and self-assessments that help a small business take a good hard look at their expense reporting systems and learn what can be done to fix them.  While expense reporting may seem like a tiny, insignificant part of your business operation, by choosing to fix the process and streamline it, a company can improve:

• Operational efficiency
• Revenue growth
• Compliance
• Cost containment
• Fraud to risk
• Visibility

There are five steps to follow in the guide that will help you create a more efficient and effective expense reporting process, and they begin with deciding to fix it. While no one will ever ask you to fix the process, as a small business owner you should be one that takes action automatically to improve your business. This is certainly a guide that will help!

The “Don’t Wait to Fix It” Guide is available for free download. Check it out and evaluate if your business could improve it’s processes and follow the steps to greater efficiency and cost savings!

4 Big Hairy Audacious Goals For Better Social Media

Social media can be an important tool for small businesses and a way to spread their message about their products and services. But to use social media effectively, you must first understand the rules for success. Social media triumphs depend on so many factors. But there are some “big hairy audacious goals” you can set for yourself.

They do require extra effort - but they will make your social media campaigns shine.

These aren’t quick fixes. But they will move you from a mediocre social presence with few followers and little interaction, to a vibrant network of engaged connections ready to spread your message.

Take the Time to Build a Network

We’re talking a lot of time. For example, author, speaker and networker Chris Brogan has been blogging since 1998 and involved in digital media for 13 years. A look at Brogan’s bio gives an idea of the time he has spent networking with others.

It also gives you a list of his other accomplishments including being the NY Times bestselling author of The Impact Equation and other books, publisher of Owner Magazine, CEO and President at Human Business Works and more.

His social media followers on sites like Twitter and Google Plus are diverse and represent networks that clearly took time and effort to build.

Look for Ways to Make a Difference

UK blogger Sarah Arrow doesn’t just have a strong following on social sites like Twitter. Through her website Sarkemedia.com, Arrow offers advice and services that help others use social media, blogging and even Kindle book promotions to attract more clients.

But Arrow also demonstrates she’s not only about business as head blogger on the women’s business site Birds on the Blog. The site promotes not just the opinions of its guest bloggers, but also efforts to raise the funds for the schooling of two young children in Uganda.

Shine a Light On Others

Don’t make your social media efforts all about you. Try to take some time to shine the light on others.

Here’s a tip: Pick a few people from your followers and connections and highlight them. Share and promote content they’ve shared or just give a shout out.

Leverage trends like Follow Friday on Twitter to send shout outs to those you appreciate - just because.

Be More Social, Have a Conversation

Though your aim when using social media may be marketing your product or promoting your brand, a far better approach is to view social media for what it is.

Listen to the conversations others are having. Answer their questions if you can. Take part in brainstorming sessions when others are seeking ideas. Ask questions of your own. Build connections and trust.

Connecting and showing interest in others on social media will help you build a stronger and more effective network and will help you more effectively spread your message when the time is right.

Gorilla Photo via Shutterstock

Is Mobile POS Making Cash Registers A Thing of the Past?

At one time, the checkout process was fairly straightforward. Any retailer intending to accept payment from a customer was required to purchase a point of sale system. But the cash register concept is evolving as technology shifts, with businesses learning that they can put point of sale (POS) systems in place using equipment they already own.

Mobile POS systems are rapidly taking over the market, with 28 percent of American retailers planning to implement the technology by the end of this year, according to IHL Group. These systems are offering businesses more flexibility than ever before, changing the industry in a way not seen before.

But there are pros and cons to mobile POS systems, as retailers are learning. Before making the switch, it’s important that businesses learn as much as possible about these systems to determine whether they fit their own unique set of needs.

Pros of Mobile POS

• Easy deployment. Many retailers have found that mobile POS hardware has an easy, quick setup that they can handle themselves. Mobile POS systems usually include an iPad with a card reader, a cash drawer, and a receipt printer. The iPad works as a terminal, utilizing software developed specifically for that business’s industry. A food truck would have a different POS setup than a fashion retailer, for instance. This software is the major factor that differentiates one POS solution from another.
• Shorter lines. After Nordstrom implemented mobile POS systems, the company saw a 15.3 percent increase in sales. Both the average selling price and the number of items sold saw a boost between 2010 and 2011-the year POS was implemented. Nordstrom followed retailers like Apple in allowing sales staff to roam the sales floor with mobile devices that could not only check customers out, but access the company’s inventory to locate items that could be shipped to the store. As a result, if a customer finds an item he or she likes but the store doesn’t have that customer’s size, Nordstrom can order the item online. Companies who use mobile POS devices can also help prevent shopping cart abandonment by allowing shoppers to skip the lines.
• Flexibility. Using only the card reader and iPad, staff now has the flexibility to move throughout the store and beyond. A store having a sidewalk sale, for instance, could arm employees with a tablet to allow them to process sales directly on the sidewalk. Receipts can be e-mailed to customers once the transaction is complete. Portability also means mobile POS systems can be taken on the road, allowing retailers to process sales at conferences and trade shows or local fairs and festivals.

Cons of Mobile POS

• Connection issues. Anyone who has ever used technology to connect to the Internet knows interruptions can happen. Whether due to a temporary outage or problems with the router or modem connecting the business wirelessly, when a business relies on a failproof wireless or 4G connection, even the shortest outage can mean a loss of business.
• Security. The top concern of any retailer is security. As credit cards are being processed on a daily basis, businesses are primarily interested in the safety of customer data. Customers are concerned, as well, as they still deal with the transition from fixed POS systems to card readers attached to mobile devices. Some are reluctant to allow someone to swipe a card through a reader that isn’t set up as part of a traditional cash register-type system, especially if that reader is being used away from a traditional storefront, as happens at conferences. Businesses have to work through these early trust issues to help build consumer confidence.
• Disorganization. While having sales personnel drifting through the store, bearing mobile devices with card readers, might work on an average business day, when customer levels peak, a traditional line still works best. At this point, businesses might wish they’d invested in more stationary POS systems. For best results, small businesses should have enough POS systems to handle the busiest days of the year, with several additional mobile devices for use on average days.

If your small business is considering opting for a mobile POS solution, there are several highly-rated systems available. If you’re solely interested in implementing mobile payments, a card reader like Square or PayPal Here may do the trick. But if you need a full POS system, an iPad-based solution is most likely what you need. ShopKeep POS includes inventory and reporting capabilities, while Silver Point of Sale adds on marketing and customer engagement. With so many options available, small businesses have the luxury to find the best option at the lowest price available.

Businesses are beginning to realize that mobile POS isn’t perfect. But the technology is revolutionizing the industry, with more businesses than ever choosing to make the switch. As the technology becomes more prevalent, solutions providers will inevitably find ways to address businesses’ concerns once and for all.

Is Mobile POS Making Cash Registers A Thing of the Past?

At one time, the checkout process was fairly straightforward. Any retailer intending to accept payment from a customer was required to purchase a point of sale system. But the cash register concept is evolving as technology shifts, with businesses learning that they can put point of sale (POS) systems in place using equipment they already own.

Mobile POS systems are rapidly taking over the market, with 28 percent of American retailers planning to implement the technology by the end of this year, according to IHL Group. These systems are offering businesses more flexibility than ever before, changing the industry in a way not seen before.

But there are pros and cons to mobile POS systems, as retailers are learning. Before making the switch, it’s important that businesses learn as much as possible about these systems to determine whether they fit their own unique set of needs.

Pros of Mobile POS

• Easy deployment. Many retailers have found that mobile POS hardware has an easy, quick setup that they can handle themselves. Mobile POS systems usually include an iPad with a card reader, a cash drawer, and a receipt printer. The iPad works as a terminal, utilizing software developed specifically for that business’s industry. A food truck would have a different POS setup than a fashion retailer, for instance. This software is the major factor that differentiates one POS solution from another.
• Shorter lines. After Nordstrom implemented mobile POS systems, the company saw a 15.3 percent increase in sales. Both the average selling price and the number of items sold saw a boost between 2010 and 2011-the year POS was implemented. Nordstrom followed retailers like Apple in allowing sales staff to roam the sales floor with mobile devices that could not only check customers out, but access the company’s inventory to locate items that could be shipped to the store. As a result, if a customer finds an item he or she likes but the store doesn’t have that customer’s size, Nordstrom can order the item online. Companies who use mobile POS devices can also help prevent shopping cart abandonment by allowing shoppers to skip the lines.
• Flexibility. Using only the card reader and iPad, staff now has the flexibility to move throughout the store and beyond. A store having a sidewalk sale, for instance, could arm employees with a tablet to allow them to process sales directly on the sidewalk. Receipts can be e-mailed to customers once the transaction is complete. Portability also means mobile POS systems can be taken on the road, allowing retailers to process sales at conferences and trade shows or local fairs and festivals.

Cons of Mobile POS

• Connection issues. Anyone who has ever used technology to connect to the Internet knows interruptions can happen. Whether due to a temporary outage or problems with the router or modem connecting the business wirelessly, when a business relies on a failproof wireless or 4G connection, even the shortest outage can mean a loss of business.
• Security. The top concern of any retailer is security. As credit cards are being processed on a daily basis, businesses are primarily interested in the safety of customer data. Customers are concerned, as well, as they still deal with the transition from fixed POS systems to card readers attached to mobile devices. Some are reluctant to allow someone to swipe a card through a reader that isn’t set up as part of a traditional cash register-type system, especially if that reader is being used away from a traditional storefront, as happens at conferences. Businesses have to work through these early trust issues to help build consumer confidence.
• Disorganization. While having sales personnel drifting through the store, bearing mobile devices with card readers, might work on an average business day, when customer levels peak, a traditional line still works best. At this point, businesses might wish they’d invested in more stationary POS systems. For best results, small businesses should have enough POS systems to handle the busiest days of the year, with several additional mobile devices for use on average days.

If your small business is considering opting for a mobile POS solution, there are several highly-rated systems available. If you’re solely interested in implementing mobile payments, a card reader like Square or PayPal Here may do the trick. But if you need a full POS system, an iPad-based solution is most likely what you need. ShopKeep POS includes inventory and reporting capabilities, while Silver Point of Sale adds on marketing and customer engagement. With so many options available, small businesses have the luxury to find the best option at the lowest price available.

Businesses are beginning to realize that mobile POS isn’t perfect. But the technology is revolutionizing the industry, with more businesses than ever choosing to make the switch. As the technology becomes more prevalent, solutions providers will inevitably find ways to address businesses’ concerns once and for all.

NowFloats Helps Small Businesses With First Step into the Online World

It is an undeniable fact that the Internet is one of the most cost-effective enablers for reaching a broader and much more diverse audience. However, only 5% of the 47 million small and medium businesses in India have a Web presence. And one of them, NowFloats, hopes to increase the online presence of Indian small businesses by making it simpler to create websites.

And the good news for most small businesses is - it just takes a couple of SMSs (short message services).

Not all small businesses in India have a website or Internet connection, but all of them have a mobile connection. It is this pervasive technology that NowFloats will be using to bridge the gap and help businesses use the Internet for increasing their bottom line.

There are about 900 million mobile users in India and the rapid growth of mobile and wireless connections is seeing increasing adoption of the Internet. The number of web users in India reached 176 million in 2012.

Web and mobile users are increasingly depending on the Internet and services like JustDial to search for services, businesses or deals relevant to their location. NowFloats provides location-tagged websites which make it easier for people to find businesses or deals relevant to their location. It also offers a mobile app for Android and Windows smartphones that enables users to discover businesses or get deals based on their location.

Businesses can even use SMS to update their website and NowFloat’s patent pending technology ensures that these messages rank higher on the search results of popular search engines. The company maintains that a website will be created within 13 minutes of receiving a couple of SMSs. This innovative service has been adopted by more than 2,000 small businesses.

Brand Loyalty

NowFloats also helps businesses connect with their customers and increase brand loyalty. For customers subscribing to a business and the news update service, all messages that the business sends to update their website can also be sent directly to their customers.

NowFloats, based in Hyderabad, India, was co-founded by Jasminder Singh Gulati, Ronak Kumar Samantaray, Nitin Jain, and Neeraj Sabharwal. While Jasminder, Ronak, and Nitin were ex-Microsoft colleagues, Neeraj was associated as the creative/advertising person for many campaigns at Microsoft. Jasminder and Nitin met Ronak at a TEDx conference and since they were all working on similar problems, they got together. Within two months, Neeraj joined them as the Chief Experience Officer.

The initial focus for NowFloats was to build an application for finding all establishments such as deals, events etc relevant to a location. The app would also have ‘floats’ or thoughts about a location that a user could share. However, the main challenge they encountered was that the basic information about establishments required for making such an application work was hardly available and highly unstructured. To fill this gap, the founders undertook a new mission to enable all businesses to create and update their website - through mobile and SMS, without a computer.

There are quite a few companies that help small businesses create websites in a self-service mode, including Google and GoDaddy. Companies like BuildBazaar, Shopify and Shopnix help create eCommerce stores. However, having a computer is a basic requirement with these platforms, a compulsion that NowFloats aims to eliminate.

All Small Businesses Can Have a Small Business Website

NowFloats hopes to make the process of website creating and updating so simple and accessible that all small businesses would be able to have a Web presence. A Web presence is the first step that a business needs to take before it sets up an eCommerce store or sees any of the other advantages like broader customer base, broader, cheaper advertising reach and higher revenue that web-enabled businesses typically enjoy.

NowFloats has recently raised its first round of funding from Mumbai Angels, Blume Ventures and a few individual investors. It has also been selected by the Israel Foreign Ministry and TiE Delhi as the Indian entry for a startup global competition, “Start Tel Aviv Competition” in Israel in October this year.

The company is also working with large enterprises interested in acquiring large numbers of small business customers - mobile carriers and mobile handset vendors, for example - as possible channel partners.

NowFloats now has a big job ahead - getting 47 million Indian small businesses online.

Businessman Photo via Shutterstock

Two Simple Ways To Boost Productivity With Your Web Browser (Google Chrome)

Last week, I did two things that have made my use of Google Chrome  so much better.

I ensured I was properly synchronizing my book marks, apps and other settings across all the Chrome browsers I use. You can read more about this here .

Second, your browser can remember lots of the information you use when you input forms. Over time this information gets outdated and messy. I spent some time cleaning up this information. So now, when I enter information into a form, only current and relevant information shows up.

I’ve found doing these two things has given me a productivity boost. Maybe not as productive as Jason Womack but I’m trying.

Great Employees Make a Difference! Dairy Queen Manager Makes National Headlines By Doing What’s Right

Employees are the representation of your company and while finding good employees is easy enough to do, finding GREAT employees can be a bit of a harder task. A great employee has that special mix of intelligence, strong work ethic, good morale compass, resilience and ‘roll-up your sleeves’ attitude. A great employee is the one makes your business shine and unknowingly encourages all others to work harder. Nineteen year old Joey Prusak, an employee at a Minnesota Dairy Queen is a great employee.

If you haven’t heard the story, Joey, a five year employee and manager at a Minnesota Dairy Queen, recently made national headlines by simply doing what was right. After helping a blind customer who frequents the restaurant at the counter, he noticed that the gentleman dropped a $20 dollar bill onto the floor when fumbling to put the money into his pocket. An older woman, described as being in her 50′s or 60′s,  who was standing behind the man picked up the bill, but much to Joey’s amazement, instead of returning it to the blind man, the woman put the money into her purse. When she walked up to the counter to be served, Joey asked her to return the $20 bill to the gentleman, but she looked at him as if she didn’t know what he was talking about. Joey asked the woman a second time to return the money, and she refused, stating that it was her money that she dropped.

Then Joey did something that makes him a great employee. He told the woman, “I’m not going to serve you if you are going to be disrespectful as you are stealing someones money like that”. The woman allegedly became outraged and disorderly, but Joey remained calm and told her again, “if you aren’t going to return the money, then you need to leave right now.” The woman stormed out of the store, with the $20 bill in her purse.

Now here’s what makes Joey a great employee, and an even better human being. After the woman left the store, Joey approached the blind man, took a $20 bill out of his own wallet, and said, “Sir, on behalf of Dairy Queen I would like to give you the $20 that you happened to drop on the ground as you walked away from the counter.” When asked by a local reporter why he did that, he simply said, “It was the right thing to do”.

A customer who was in the store and witnessed this whole event sent an email to the store owner outlining the event and offered praise for Joey’s actions stating, “I was shocked by the generosity that your employee had, taking his own money out of his own wallet to give to the customer because some other lady decided to steal something that wasn’t hers.” The email goes on to say, “So, from a customer of your store and a customer of DQ, I would proudly like to say that Joey has forever sealed my fate as a life long customer of the Mainstreet Dairy Queen. Thank you for your outstanding customer service and for an even better experience.” This email was posted on the DQ wall and appeared on Reddit, and has since gone viral.

(Image source: Reddit)

Joey said that his bosses reaction to the whole event is one that he will remember forever. “He wrote me a note and put it in and envelope and goes, ‘You’re the type of man I’m proud to know’. That meant a lot to me.”

This is a great feel-good story and what makes it more interesting is that situations like this happen every day at brick and mortar businesses everywhere. As a business owner or manager, you might want to step back and evaluate how your employee’s would handle the same situation. Do you empower them to handle it in the same manner. If so, do they know that? Customer service begins at the ownership level and filters down from there. As an owner, you set the processes and procedures and the attitude of your business and that is what your employees will deliver to your customers.

So what do you think? How would your employees and customer service stack up?

Two Simple Ways To Boost Productivity With Your Web Browser (Google Chrome)

Last week, I did two things that have made my use of Google Chrome  so much better.

I ensured I was properly synchronizing my book marks, apps and other settings across all the Chrome browsers I use. You can read more about this here .

Second, your browser can remember lots of the information you use when you input forms. Over time this information gets outdated and messy. I spent some time cleaning up this information. So now, when I enter information into a form, only current and relevant information shows up.

I’ve found doing these two things has given me a productivity boost. Maybe not as productive as Jason Womack but I’m trying.

Great Employees Make a Difference! Dairy Queen Manager Makes National Headlines By Doing What’s Right

Employees are the representation of your company and while finding good employees is easy enough to do, finding GREAT employees can be a bit of a harder task. A great employee has that special mix of intelligence, strong work ethic, good morale compass, resilience and ‘roll-up your sleeves’ attitude. A great employee is the one makes your business shine and unknowingly encourages all others to work harder. Nineteen year old Joey Prusak, an employee at a Minnesota Dairy Queen is a great employee.

If you haven’t heard the story, Joey, a five year employee and manager at a Minnesota Dairy Queen, recently made national headlines by simply doing what was right. After helping a blind customer who frequents the restaurant at the counter, he noticed that the gentleman dropped a $20 dollar bill onto the floor when fumbling to put the money into his pocket. An older woman, described as being in her 50′s or 60′s,  who was standing behind the man picked up the bill, but much to Joey’s amazement, instead of returning it to the blind man, the woman put the money into her purse. When she walked up to the counter to be served, Joey asked her to return the $20 bill to the gentleman, but she looked at him as if she didn’t know what he was talking about. Joey asked the woman a second time to return the money, and she refused, stating that it was her money that she dropped.

Then Joey did something that makes him a great employee. He told the woman, “I’m not going to serve you if you are going to be disrespectful as you are stealing someones money like that”. The woman allegedly became outraged and disorderly, but Joey remained calm and told her again, “if you aren’t going to return the money, then you need to leave right now.” The woman stormed out of the store, with the $20 bill in her purse.

Now here’s what makes Joey a great employee, and an even better human being. After the woman left the store, Joey approached the blind man, took a $20 bill out of his own wallet, and said, “Sir, on behalf of Dairy Queen I would like to give you the $20 that you happened to drop on the ground as you walked away from the counter.” When asked by a local reporter why he did that, he simply said, “It was the right thing to do”.

A customer who was in the store and witnessed this whole event sent an email to the store owner outlining the event and offered praise for Joey’s actions stating, “I was shocked by the generosity that your employee had, taking his own money out of his own wallet to give to the customer because some other lady decided to steal something that wasn’t hers.” The email goes on to say, “So, from a customer of your store and a customer of DQ, I would proudly like to say that Joey has forever sealed my fate as a life long customer of the Mainstreet Dairy Queen. Thank you for your outstanding customer service and for an even better experience.” This email was posted on the DQ wall and appeared on Reddit, and has since gone viral.

(Image source: Reddit)

Joey said that his bosses reaction to the whole event is one that he will remember forever. “He wrote me a note and put it in and envelope and goes, ‘You’re the type of man I’m proud to know’. That meant a lot to me.”

This is a great feel-good story and what makes it more interesting is that situations like this happen every day at brick and mortar businesses everywhere. As a business owner or manager, you might want to step back and evaluate how your employee’s would handle the same situation. Do you empower them to handle it in the same manner. If so, do they know that? Customer service begins at the ownership level and filters down from there. As an owner, you set the processes and procedures and the attitude of your business and that is what your employees will deliver to your customers.

So what do you think? How would your employees and customer service stack up?

Note to Self: Don’t Highlight Low Sales (Cartoon)

My kids love toys that glow in the dark. But because I love bright light and normally keep all the windows wide open and the lamps on, if they want to enjoy some glow-in-the-dark fun, we need to all crowd into the one tiny windowless bathroom in the basement and close the door.

Normally all goes well, except for the one time I made the glow-in-the-dark toy jump at the kids while using my deepest spooky voice. Then you’ve got little people screaming and trying to run in a tiny dark bathroom where the adult is trying to get out of the way - but is actually just blocking the door and hoping that no one gets hurt and tells Mom what happened.

Sometimes glow-in-the-dark just makes things worse.

Note to Self: Don’t Highlight Low Sales (Cartoon)

My kids love toys that glow in the dark. But because I love bright light and normally keep all the windows wide open and the lamps on, if they want to enjoy some glow-in-the-dark fun, we need to all crowd into the one tiny windowless bathroom in the basement and close the door.

Normally all goes well, except for the one time I made the glow-in-the-dark toy jump at the kids while using my deepest spooky voice. Then you’ve got little people screaming and trying to run in a tiny dark bathroom where the adult is trying to get out of the way - but is actually just blocking the door and hoping that no one gets hurt and tells Mom what happened.

Sometimes glow-in-the-dark just makes things worse.