When I first read the headline ‘New Legislation Would Make Banning Negative Yelp Reviews Illegal’, my initial thought was, “really the government doesn't have better things to do with its time?” But I was wrong. This is a law that some of us may not like, but it provides enormous protections for those of us who are committed to provide our customers with the best product or service possible.
Posts filed under Upcoming Laws
Get Prepared: The Minimum Wage Will Be Going Up
Currently, the federal minimum wage is $7.25 but congress is facing relentless pressure to increase it to $10.10. According to Jeremy Quittner, “Somewhere between 40 percent and 60 percent of business owners favor increasing the minimum wage, according to various surveys… [however many] small business groups such as the National Federation of Independent Business and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce are vocal opponents…”. As a result of their lobbying efforts, a recent “bill to raise the minimum wage to $10.10 failed in the Senate.” However, though these small business groups were successful with Congress, just look at the recent trends from around the country:
Will The Next Silicon Valley Be In Canada?
For U.S. citizens like you and me, we take our freedom to change jobs or start our business for granted. However, for many smart, entrepreneurial minds out there, these are not options that are available. And according to Sara Ashley O'Brien this is all because of the very restrictive approach that the the U.S. has adopted a toward awarding visas. Compare this attitude with that of our neighbors to the North.
Your Smartphone or Your Data: Which Will You Choose?
So, after 3 years with my old Samsung, it was time to upgrade to a new smartphone. While I was in the process of setting up my new phone, I came across the ubiquitous "Kill Switch". When I first wrote about this feature, I thought it was the perfection solution for those of us who fear the prospect of the personal information on our smartphones falling into the wrong hands. But, for the first time, I was being asked to decide whether or not I wanted to opt-in to this feature - which, as my phone describes:
Can We Prevent Spam AND Improve Email Marketing?
No doubt about it, spamming is a big problem! The offensive subject lines and email, the risk of spyware and malware… not to mention the fact that one errant click could give a hacker complete access to (and control of) your computer and everything you do on the internet. I’m probably being hyperbolic here but in my mind, spamming is a plague that must be purged!
Ok Entrepreneurs, Time To Meet Your Future Investors!
It is almost impossible to read a small business magazine or blog these days without finding an article about perfecting your pitch to investors. Heck, there is even a reality show about it! But who are these investors and why do so many entrepreneurs have to rely on them if they want to start or expand their business?
Why The Govt. Intrusion Into How You Schedule YOUR Employees?
Many of you were probably like me in that you had to work at least part-time while you were in college. At that time, I was lucky enough to have employees how were more than willing to create schedules that would work around my academic needs. Now, I understand that not all managers are as accommodating. Heck, nothing irritates me more than seeing retail workers having to work on Thanksgiving because companies believe that getting a jump on Black Friday sales more important than having their employees spend time with family.
Your Religion Can Help Your Business Bypass Certain Laws
So by now, many of you have heard about the Supreme Court’s decision in Hobby Lobby wherein the court ruled that forcing a closely held company to provide birth control to women (as required under Obamacare) is a "substantial burden" on the religious liberty of the organization. As I always encourage you to do here, let’s put politics and personal views aside. That being said, were you aware that companies were guaranteed access to religious freedom under the First Amendment the U.S. Constitution? Yeah, me neither.
Is Your Smartphone Really Enabling Hackers and Stalkers?
As small business owners, we can't even contemplate living without our smartphones. That is why it was easy for me to believe an infographic that showed about a third of you would pay up to $1000 to retrieve your phones if they are lost or stolen. But do you know that the features on your smartphones are making it easier for people to hack your private information and stalk you? We already know you can't live without our smartphone, so what is being done to protect you and your privacy? continue reading...
Court Orders Google To "Forget" You
Seeing that just about everything is on the internet these days, this “right to be forgotten” may seem like a god-send to those who want to retain a modicum of privacy in their lives. But, before we rush to adopt similar rules here in the U.S., we have to ask ourselves if we really want to give Google and the other search engines even more control over our lives. In many instances, especially for small business owners and entrepreneurs, having a web presence is everything! Plus, shouldn’t we be concerned about having information scrubbed of all negativity? After all, how can we make an informed decision about anything if we are only seeing “one side of the coin”? continue reading...
Are New FDA E-Cig Regulations Enough To Halt A “Mad Men” Type Revival of Smoking?
Some people are now worried about the growing popularity of e-cigs. Though there has been a vast increase in the number of e-cig related poisonings reported over the past few years, the percentage of high school students who admit to trying this product has doubled. Seeing that the vast majority of e-cig manufacturers add “fruit and candy-type flavorings” to their product, there is concern that we are going back to the “Joe Camel” era of targeting minors for nicotine addiction. continue reading...
Move Over Ganjapreneurs: A New Type of Legalized Vice Is Here
This product apparently will be “a game changer not just for college students trying to get drunk cheap, but also for retailers and lawmakers.” So, why does this have to do with Jan. 18th’s SNL? Well, in that episode there was an especially funny skit about how the ‘ganjapreneurs’ were making money hand over fist after weed legalization in Colorado. So, of course, after reading this article I started thinking about what enterprising entrepreneurs could do to make money off this this new form of legalized vice. Now, I don’t have a creative mind so I cannot think of anything specific. However can you? continue reading...
Remotely Control Access to Data on Your Your Smartphone At ALL Times...
The kill switch would “allow you to lock down your phone if it gets stolen, rendering it inoperable.” It would also allow you to remotely wipe all data from the phone and prevent unauthorized factory reset. continue reading...
