Topping the News This Week: Snapchat Hacked, Privacy Remains An Issue

Don’t miss any of the top stories or trends important to small business owners and entrepreneurs. The Small Business Trends editorial team has you covered with this roundup of our top news for the week:

Online Privacy

Snapchat gets hacked. It’s another privacy issue. The popular photo and message sharing site sees the personal information from about 4.6 million of its members exposed. The worst part is that the company was apparently warned ahead of time.

Privacy online revisited. Comedian Jack Vale plays a prank on random strangers by finding out how much he can learn about them just by looking at their social media accounts. Some may find this more disturbing than others. But check the tips on better online privacy.

Investment & Finance

Less regulation for VC investment sought. Hey, but don’t hold your breath. The Small Business Capital Access and Job Preservation Act H.R. 1105 did pass the U.S. House. But with resistance from the White House and other quarters, it may not get much further.

Examples of the mobile lending trend. A lender serving online sellers, a company supplying financial products to credit unions and a peer-to-peer lender are among many who have entered the mobile lending space. It will be interesting to see what this means for small business.

Tech Trends

HP Chromebook’s charger replaced. Concerns were raised last month about the charger overheating â€" and melting according to some complaints. But it seems sales of the device can now move forward with  a new charger.

These glasses want to beat Google. The company is called Athere Labs and, at last report, they had raised almost $83,000 out of a needed $100,000 to create two pairs of new smartglasses. They are the Athere One and the company’s “Developer Kit.” Both should be out later this year.

AllThingsD is no more. It’s truly the end of an era. The iconic tech news site is no more. Tech guru Walt Mossberg and journalist Kara Swisher move on to a new site called ReCode.net. Small Business Trends publisher Anita Campbell has more.

Green Business

This bed and breakfast is amongst America’s greenest. Kurt Kessner and Alline Anderson, owners of Milkweed Merchantile Eco Inn and Organic Cafe, have found there is a market for environmentally friendly business. Every small business owner can probably learn something from their story.

Employment & Entrepreneurship

The truth about self-employment. You may have heard about the rebounding economy. And employment is coming back as well. But that doesn’t include the one kind of employment probably most important to the health of entrepreneurship. Scott Shane has more.

Last Year’s Top Stories

Did you check out our top stories of 2013? On the eve of the new year, Anita Campbell took a moment and looked back at the stories most important to the small business community. We’d love to hear if you have any to add.

Top Trends for 2014

A checklist for startups in 2014. It’s another year and another opportunity to start a small business. Nellie Akalp gives you a checklist of what you’ll need to start your company this year.

Top franchise trends in the new year. Maybe you don’t want to start a business from scratch. That’s OK. Our franchise correspondent Joel Libava has a run down of the big franchise trends for 2014, too. Read on to learn more.

WordPress website trends for the new year. And finally if your business is online and your website uses the WordPress platform, you won’t want to miss this. It’s the top WordPress website trends you’ll need to know for the coming year. Megan Totka gives us the details.

Couple Reading News Photo Via Shutterstock



Start the New Year Right by Attending An Event, and Learn!

Why not start out the new year right?  Make it a point to build your skills and those of your team.  Attend an event and figure out how to accomplish more in your business â€" and do things better.  Below is our first list in 2014 of events, contests and awards for small businesses, solo entrepreneurs and growing companies.  Every item on this list is curated by the editorial team of Small Business Trends, for the highest quality and relevancy.

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

1 M by 1M Entrepreneur RoundtableMentoring Roundtable For Entrepreneurs
January 9, 2014, Online

If you are a serious entrepreneur, register to “pitch” and sell your business idea to Sramana Mitra, founder of 1M by 1M. Expect your pitch to be seen by a larger audience of potential customers, investors, media and entrepreneurs. You’ll gain straightforward feedback, advice on next steps, and she’ll answer any of your questions. Others can register to “attend” to watch, learn, and interact through the online chat. FREE.  Register here.


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 and Awards

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



“Overbooked” Serves as a Fascinating Guide to the Travel Industry

“Overbooked” Serves as a Fascinating Guide to the Travel Industry

Few books have put together an overview of the evolving travel business as solid as “Overbooked: The Global Business of Travel and Tourism” by Elizabeth Becker. Becker has written two previous nonfiction books: one on Vietnam (“America’s Vietnam War”) and one on Cambodia (“When the War Was Over”). While the travel industry seems a far …

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Summary

Sparks the imagination both of the travel enthusiast and of the entrepreneur seeking inspiration for or entrance into the travel industry.

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Few books have put together an overview of the evolving travel business as solid as “Overbooked: The Global Business of Travel and Tourism” by Elizabeth Becker.

Becker has written two previous nonfiction books: one on Vietnam (“America’s Vietnam War”) and one on Cambodia (“When the War Was Over”). While the travel industry seems a far distance from war, this book is actually a good extension of the author’s background as a researcher.

In fact, the author spent five years preparing the material that eventually appears in “Overbooked.”

The resulting work gives an overview of an industry that serves an estimated one billion travelers a year. And since the travel industry attracts a fair number of entrepreneurs and small businesses, I picked up a review copy of the book via Netgalley and found it to be a solid read.  

It will spark the imagination both of the travel enthusiast and of the entrepreneur seeking inspiration and entrance into the industry.

See The World and How Its Countries Have Marketed Travel

The author divides the book into several segments including the rise of consumer tourism, and the impact on culture and the environment. For example, the opening chapter examines the history of the modern travel industry. Traditionally, travel had been seen as a frivolous pursuit.  But Becker examines how several factors over the years have contributed to its increasing popularity and demonstrated its economic value.

Specifically, Becker covers the start of the United Nations World Tourism Organization, which maintains industry stats. She also examines the influence of the book “Europe on $5 a Day” by American GI Arthur Frommer which promoted affordable travel options for the first time, noting:

“What Frommer had discovered was that tourism was becoming an industry and needed to be reduced to its parts for consumers â€" book a plane, find a hotel, eat some meals, go on a sightseeing tour â€" and he was more than happy to act as that go-between with his guidebooks, making a small fortune in the process.”

Becker presents her examples and case studies briefly enough to fit the busy entrepreneur, but with enough detail to provide a detailed economic overview. And this porridge-just-right approach is ideal for helping entrepreneurs interested in understanding the needs and dynamics of the market.

At the same time, Becker seasons her research with personal experience. The result is much more than mere regurgitation of facts. A must-read is the chapter on Cambodia titled “Getting It Wrong.”  It discusses the country’s missteps in developing tourism following the Vietnam War. Doing her research, Becker met Dith Pran, a local journalist who would later be a key figure highlighted in the movie “The Killing Field.” The book notes:

“When war broke out in 1970, these former tour guides, hotel clerks and drivers were hired immediately by foreign journalists who needed help translating the language and the country…For them, the temples at Angkor - one of the most elegant wonders of the world - symbolized their country at peace, at its best .… The zenith of their life as tour guides was the day in 1967 that Jacqueline Kennedy came to Angkor, ‘fulfilling a childhood dream.’”

More historical and economic context abound as Becker explains how tourism was seen after a United Nations peacekeeping mission intervened in 1993:

“The U.N. anointed a joint government that includes some brilliant officials, some incompetent officials, many corrupt officials, all working in an atmosphere of mistrust. They did agree on one matter - tourism would be essential to their recovery…. Cambodia’s timing couldn’t have been better. Tourism was gaining the respect of economists and development experts. Over the last two decades it has become the second-largest source of foreign exchange, after oil, for half of the world’s poorest nations.”

Some approaches to promote tourism were more successful than others.  Countries and cultures ranging from France to Dubai are explored. You’ll read about protecting culture within the Dubai chapter.  She also includes a fascinating history of the cruise industry.

Ecotourism:  Real or Just Marketing Talk?

A chapter on ecotourism is also extremely educational. Readers may not be aware of the part Costa Rica has played in development of the ecotourism industry. Becker uses her Costa Rican experience to highlight what should constitute responsible ecotourism, including provision of employment opportunities for locals and efforts to preserve the natural environment. You’ll read Becker’s observations about how small business is included in sustainability plans:

“Back on the ship the crew had organized a display of local handicrafts for sale in what they called the “global marketplace”. On sale were baskets handwoven from native grasses by indigenous women; jewelry crafted by local artists; and blouse and shifts sewn by nature seamstresses …. This was straight out of the how-to list for responsible ecotourism. The Company offers the means for local small entrepreneurs to develop and sell sustainable products that are based on the area’s nature, history, and culture.”

And then there are her points about the controversial practice of “greenwashing” for marketing.  Complexity arises when entities make claims without much to back them up.  For example, hotels can certify as green, yet overlook community involvement or habitat needs.  Becker writes how the tourism industry is “filled with confusing claims of environmental stewardship based on little more than changing towels less frequently and therefore saving water.”

The final segment of the book presents China as a new opportunity for the travel industry and the United States as a traditional marketplace.

This is one of the better books on the travel industry. Just as “Broke USA” highlights the pawn shop industry, “Overbooked” takes an in-depth look at travel. And it provides valuable details sure to make any business plan better. Read it to make your travel agency or travel-related business savvy about the travel industry, or to get background if you plan to enter the travel industry.



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