1. FINANCE
A few years ago, I helped a family member who was trying to get approval in one of the SBA programs –OMG, talk about frustrating! And this is from someone who is used to working on financial deals! “Document-intensive”,“ time-consuming” and “cumbersome” didn't fully describe the experience! Well, it seems that things have changed for the better for the smallest of the small business owners - you know the ones (like me) who require loans of less than $150,000. As Ty Kiisel describes, the SBA’s collaboration with SmartBiz has reduced the months-long loan application process to less than 30 minutes. Yes, you read that right! Not only that, you also get instant pre-approval with funds released about 5 days after you apply. Of course the regular SBA qualification criteria apply but if you need a relatively small loan now, hop to it! The horror days are over!
2. SOCIAL MEDIA
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As I confessed on this weeks “Wildcard Wednesday” post, I am a total novice when it comes to social media. Though I can go weeks without logging into my personal facebook page, that is not an option when it comes to my business. So the problems I encountered this week (not knowing how to reference and tag people in Instagram or how to use hashtags in Twitter), cannot continue. So, thank you Matthew Toren for pointing out and addressing the most common mistakes people small business owners make on Twitter. Did you know that you should use trending hasthtags in your tweets to ensure maximum visibility? Did you know that the way you use the @ sign could be limiting your reach? Those are only two of his five tips!
Also, did you hear that starting today, there is Microsoft Office for Ipads?
3. MARKETING
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Ok, one more confession: I am essentially a PC and android lady. But with my brother, it’s Apple all the way. So I’ve had to listen to him lionize Steve Jobs for years and yes, it does get tired after a while. So, why did I willingly invite Kyle Russell’s insight on Mr. Job into my life? Well, because it seems that under Mr. Job’s tenure at Apple "branding" and "marketing" were off-limit words. Huh?! I have to read numerous business articles each day and it seems as if half of them revolves around these two words. But now we hear that, Steve Jobs, one of the biggest visionaries of the 20th to 21st thought that these concepts were useless? Why? Well, like me you will have to read the piece to find out. Let me just say, it is mind blowing!
4. EMPLOYEES
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Earlier this week we discussed the crackdown by New York State attorney general on employers who violate the rights of low wage employees. Believe me, I have worked at government agencies that handle labor related issues: doing things like not paying overtime for non-exempt employees who work over 40 hours, or docking exempt employees paychecks for perceived infractions will eventually land you on the wrong end of a complaint at one of these agencies – and that’s only if you are lucky. Suzanne Lucas discusses 6 illegal activities you should avoid if you want to stay on the right side of the law.
5. PLAYING THE ODDS & BELIEVING IN YOUR VISION!
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Like most people, I love a good feel good story. Think classics like Rudy & Rocky - stories about people believing in themselves and achieving their dreams despite overwhelming odds. Come on admit it, they always leave you thinking, “yeah! I can do that too!” Hollie Slade’s profile of Kavita Shukla is this kind of story. Here’s a Harvard grad who was discouraged from her vision by her professors. But instead of buying into their views, she bought some lawn chairs at Ikea and went directly to the nearest farmers market to personally peddle her invention. And what is this product? Something that saves you money, helps you eat better and contributes to saving the planet. Can you guess now?
