The new indoor basketball set has adjustable rim and backboard to enable the most creative trick shots.

Wayne Brothers Companies, a prominent construction firm based in Davidson, NC, has proudly announced its sponsorship of local PGA Tour golfer Will Gordon, highlighting their commitment to local talent and community engagement.

The International Lawyers Network (ILN) proudly announces the release of an updated version of its collaborative paper, further exploring the intricacies of employee entitlement to paid leave. With the addition of three new jurisdictions - Germany, India, and Scotland - this comprehensive guide equips businesses with essential insights for navigating diverse paid leave policies around the globe.

The Italian flag will be raised at the Navy Pier in Chicago 20-21 October for the debut of Vinitaly USA. This is the first Italian wine trade fair format in the United States organized by Veronafiere and Fiere Italiane with the support of ITA, the Italian Trade Agency.

Inventionland® Education has introduced Bright Ideaz™ light panels to enhance classroom environments quickly, affordably, and creatively. These LED dry-erase panels, often integrated into Inventionland's Innovation Labs®, are designed to make classrooms visually stimulating and foster an inspiring atmosphere for students and teachers.

Five of the nation's most innovative early-career cancer researchers receive Hopper-Belmont Inspiration Award

Power Admin's PA Server Monitor software includes user-friendly features that allow the operator to track the temperature data of a particular computer or network.

Train companies are set to face a review over how they prosecute and enforce rail fare evasion after reports of disproportionate action taken against passengers.

Korzystając z zainfekowanych telefonów, przestępcy rozsyłają wiadomości SMS z informacją o konieczności podjęcia działań wraz z linkiem do złośliwej strony. Jeśli użytkownik zgodzi sie na pobranie i zainstalowanie aplikacji to po uzyskaniu odpowiednich uprawnień przejmuje ona kontrolę nad urządzeniem i wykradać dane z telefonu.

Przestępcy wykorzystują kilka metod propagowania oszustwa oraz zachęcania potencjalnej ofiary do podania poufnych danych związanych z portalem Facebook. Konta te też są wykorzystywane do wyłudzania środków finansowych od osób będących w kręgu znajomych przejętego konta.

Głównym celem tego oszustwa jest zachęcenie potencjalnej ofiary do podania danych logowania do swojego konta bankowości internetowej, aby następnie wyłudzić przechowywane pieniądze.

Zespół CERT Polska zaobserwował nowy wariant oszustwa, w którym przestępcy wykorzystują wizerunek Ministerstwa Finansów. Celem tego oszustwa jest zachęcenie potencjalnej ofiary do udostępnienia swoich danych uwierzytelniających do bankowości internetowej.

Ostrzegamy - szkodliwe oprogramowanie z rodziny Hydra ponownie aktywne. Jako cel obiera dane logowania do aplikacji bankowych na systemach Android.

Ostrzegamy - fałszywe reklamy w serwisie Google Search wykorzystywane do propagacji szkodliwego oprogramowania.

Ostrzegamy przed kampanią phishingową ukierunkowaną na klientów serwisu Netflix. Celem przestępców jest wyłudzenie danych dostępowych do konta oraz poufnych informacji związanych z kartą płatniczą.

Jednym z najczęstszych zagrożeń dla internautów, obserwowanych przez nasz zespół, pozostaje phishing. Pozornie nieszkodliwe maile, często wzywające do pilnego działania, mogą prowadzić do fałszywych witryn wyłudzających dane.

W ostatnich tygodniach zespół CERT Polska obserwuje wzmożoną kampanię ataków z użyciem szkodliwego oprogramowania Balada Injector, które infekuje strony oparte na WordPressie korzystając z podatności w niektórych popularnych wtyczkach.

CERT Polska obserwuje złośliwą kampanię e-mail prowadzoną przez grupę APT28 przeciwko polskim instytucjom rządowym.

Are franchises small, independent businesses or should they be considered part of a much larger company?

The question is at the heart of two upcoming legal cases. The outcomes could affect profits and change how franchisees hire, fire, manage and pay workers.

complete article

More mature companies are expected to benefit, while smaller companies--in particular startups, which typically seek far less money--may not see as many gains, because they usually do not need to raise $20 million.

complete article

Established businesses have one obvious advantage over their younger counterparts: Deep pockets.

Fortunately, what todays small business lacks in budget can be made up for with strategy and a few carefully chosen tools. Here are six smart marketing ideas gleaned from my experience running a company that teaches small firms how to compete with big ones.

complete article

If there is one clear trend that has emerged as we compiled the 2015 Brilliant 100, it is that everyone—especially young adults—wants to keep tabs on everything.

complete article

One of the most intimidating things entrepreneurs face is the fact that some of their competitors are massive multi-billion dollar corporations. Everyone knows the story of David and Goliath; occasionally the underdog wins.  But in the real world, the giant wins a lot (if not most) of the time.

This was a reality I faced when I started GMM Nonstick Coatings in 2007, a manufacturer of nonstick coatings for cookware, bakeware and appliances. We were a true startup: no employees, clients or products.  

complete article

One thing is for certain in business these days — nothing ever stays the same, and my annual list of the top emerging trends in small business certainly bears this out. This year, while yes, we see some of the same old stalwarts (like social media, but even that is changing, see below) a few new, surprising entries make it onto the list. For instance, the top trend for the upcoming year, while right before our eyes, is a fairly recent phenomenon and we will get to that next week.

complete article

These companies are making major strides--and major revenue gains. Check out the fastest growing businesses in the U.S.

complete article

On the lists 10th anniversary, we asked the founders of 25 of the 142 remarkable companies that have earned a spot on the Inc. 500/5000 list 10 times or more to reveal how they have sustained and managed hypergrowth. What follows is a sampling of their sage advice

complete article

Last summer, Square began offering loans to non-Square merchants with the help of a restaurant software partner called Upserve. Now, the payments and financial services company has created a formal partnership program with the long-term goal of reaching millions more.
Square Capital is launching the partnership platform with BigCommerce, an e-commerce software company that is letting Square make loan offers to its tens of thousands of small business clients.

Square is also extending loan offers to restaurants that work with its own delivery service, Caviar, but which do not already process payments through Square.

Taken together, these new partnerships give Jack Dorseys company a way to jumpstart further expansion of its lending program, which has already extended $1.8 billion in funds to more than 140,000 businesses since its launch three-plus years ago.

complete article

Recently, I was asked to take over an existing project. And, like most people, my first inclination was to feel completely intimidated and overwhelmed.

This assignment -- along with its longstanding processes and its related team members -- was all brand new to me. And, if that wasn't enough to have me breathing into a paper bag, managing this project also required me to branch out and exercise some skills that I had previously left untapped.

My chest gets tight at the very thought. Can you relate? Being asked to take on a new work endeavor is a great thing (hey, you must be doing something right!). But, it can also plant plenty of seeds of self-doubt.

Fortunately, this recent experience opened my eyes to some better, more productive things you can do when you're tasked with a new project -- aside from just panicking.

complete article

Intrepid entrepreneurs find a way to make their own success before they have the money. One way they do this is by acting as if they already have it, or the success that comes with it. While this idea sounds like fake it till you make it, it is actually rooted in fundamental concepts about consumption, perception, and scaling.

Here are some ways you can appear stronger, more successful and better funded than you might actually be.

complete article

Digital marketing for small shops like local bakeries, grocers and regional accountants is growing into big business.

Those small-and-medium-sized businesses (SMB) are increasingly turning to growing outside firms to handle their digital outreach, according to industry sources. Among their goals is to become more social media-savvy: for instance, drawing a Facebook user on their phone clicking on a business page into a local shop.

Several digital marketing startups focused on smaller companies are looking to capitalize on the opportunity, and they are hungry for venture capital to fund their efforts.

complete article

There are a lot of ways to build fast-growth companies. Just consider this year's Inc. 5000 list. The annual ranking of the fastest-growing private companies in America includes everything from canned wine producers and freight movers to kayak makers and truck bumper manufacturers.

The six companies below, though, take the cake when it comes to innovative business models. Whether it's reinventing hospital garb or hosting mind-blowing vacations, these startups all have one thing in common: They have tapped into something their customers really  wanted.

complete article

Whether you are a small business owner, a consumer, or the CEO of a big corporation, you likely know that small companies are a pretty big part of the economy. This year, show your support for small enterprises by participating in Small Business Saturday® (SBS).

My accounting and payroll software company, Patriot Software, is an advocate of Small Business Saturday. And personally, I am a major supporter of small businesses. I know how much time, dedication, money, and hard work entrepreneurs pour into their small companies.

complete article

Now, I do not want to burst any happy bubbles for those of you who are already treading the traditional pathway, but that traditional narrative no longer makes much sense, because over the past two decades, big corporations, big academia, and big corporatist government have rigged the business world so that the longer you wait to start your own company, the less likely you are to be successful.

Because of this, young entrepreneurs (Mil

complete article

Surprising new research from NYU and the Wharton School shows that entrepreneurs who start a business on their own are likelier to succeed than those who do so with one or more partners.

That's pretty much the opposite of what most aspiring founders would guess. After all, you can't be good at everything. You might be a marketing expert but not know how to manage cash flow. Or you might good at building great products but bad at setting prices for them. So you team up with someone who's strong in the areas where you're weak, and you start the business together.

This reasoning seems logical, and it is how most people--even experts--see entrepreneurship. In fact, it is such an ingrained belief that VCs and other investors routinely choose to fund companies founded by teams rather than those with a solo founder.

complete article

By now, you have probably heard of 23andMe, the biotech juggernaut that is revolutionized the DNA-testing industry. Though the company has its fair share of critics, one thing is for sure: 23andMe has experienced tremendous growth, claiming more than 10 million worldwide customers as of this writing.  A lesser-known fact is how much its employees love working there. In fact, it was named among Glassdoors Best Places to Work for 2019.

complete article

Adaptability, hustle and momentum are everything, especially in todays competitive, ever-changing technological environment. If only your employees would spend fewer hours on social media and more time perfecting their individual crafts, your business would easily outpace less efficient competitors, allowing you to live the entrepreneurial dream you’ve always wanted.

But how can you instill a greater sense of urgency without making everyone miserable at work?

complete article

The daughter of two entrepreneurs who immigrated to the U.S. during the Iranian Revolution, Falon Fatemi became known as Google's youngest-ever hire at the age of 19. After leaving Google, she founded her own AI company, Node — and secured famed investor Mark Cuban as a backer. Node aims to use deep learning to analyze relationships between people and companies, then pinpoint how clients can leverage those relationships into sales, marketing and recruiting opportunities. In this episode of How Success Happens, Fatemi spoke with Entrepreneur about landing a job in big tech, AI and data policies and how to give a top-quality pitch.

complete article

- Forty-three percent of cyberattacks are aimed at small businesses, but only 14% are prepared to defend themselves, according to Accenture.
- These incidents now cost small businesses $200,000 on average, reveals insurance carrier Hiscox, with 60% of them going out of business within six months of being victimized.
- More than half of all small businesses suffered a breach within the last year.
- Today it’s critical for small businesses to adopt strategies for fighting cyberthreats.

complete article

As companies like Amazon, Walmart, and Target begin to dazzle us with the growing possibility of same-day delivery, it’s becoming harder for small businesses to compete in ways that provide the same speedy delivery without relying on high-emission forms of commercial storage or transportation options like renting space in large warehouses and air delivery.

That is all now changing thanks to an organization called Ohi—a US-based warehousing and delivery service that allows small businesses to offer speedy, sustainable delivery options.

Complete Article

GetMyBoat, is a startup that calls itself the Airbnb of Boats. This app lets interested people rent boats in many different countries. Small Business Trends contacted Val Streif, marketing manager for GetMyBoat, to find out what makes this enterprise successful.

complete article

For small businesses, resources can be tight. Especially right now.
Limited budgets can present challenges for how businesses raise awareness, acquire customers, and generate revenue.

In fact, 39% of small business owners agree that a limited budget is a major roadblock in growing their businesses.

However, there are plenty of low-cost, high-yielding marketing hacks that can help you reach your customers.
Get featured in press by responding to journalists and podcasters
Personalize cold outreach campaigns
Correct Existing Mentions of Your Brand
Add videos to your landing page
Repurpose old blog content

Understand the Challenges Your Customers Are Facing
Before you can market during any period, you need to be able to solve a problem for your customers. During a pandemic, the problem you are solving may change. So you have to be able to communicate that. Part of this is just understanding the current climate. It is probably safe to say that many small business customers are hurting financially. Some may also be in a hurry to receive specific types of items. By understanding your market and staying up-to-date on news in your industry, you should be well versed on the basic challenges that might impact your strategy or talking points. However, Perkin also recommends surveying customers however possible so you can quantify how many of them are struggling in specific areas. Once you know the problems your customers are facing, you can work backward to create your marketing communication strategy.

Learn How to Communicate with New Customers
In fact, you may need to pivot all or part of your business strategy in order to stay afloat during the pandemic. For example, Marran pointed out a UPS client that previously sold pet costumes, but has recently shifted into manufacturing face masks and PPE. This is likely to be a temporary change. But they still need to shift their marketing and communication strategy toward hospitals and B2B customers, rather than focusing on the consumers they normally serve.

The pandemic is revealing to small businesses just how versatile they are. So: A home-decor company, a skirt designer, and a business that makes boots for horses all realize they can craft face masks. A manufacturer of pet supplements and a hot sauce company join myriad craft distilleries in production of hand sanitizers.

The task of disinfecting workplaces tainted by or vulnerable to coronavirus also has attracted a variety of unexpected entrants. At AK Wet Works, the partners set out at once to reengineer their dustless blasters to produce a cold vapor fog that can sterilize 20,000 square feet an hour. In 100 hours, they produced a working model and began converting all 10 of their machines.

Seeking validation for their plan, the founders reached out to FQE, a local chemical company with an EPA-approved coronavirus disinfectant, to create a blend for them. Thinking their idea might have legs outside the Houston-area market, they next approached MMLJ, the original blaster manufacturer, which agreed to mass-produce the modified parts and market them to its large client base. MMLJ is paying a royalty to AK Wet Works, Bland says.

One of the primary appeals of the contemporary small business, in my opinion, is the family-centric culture that comes from a close-knit team. While in modern America, many may feel swallowed by corporations, the notoriety of the small business proves that people still find value in the intimate workplace.

Every industry across the globe has felt the staggering impacts of Covid-19, but small businesses were put under specific strain. Based on what I've seen, however, they have proved their undeniable resilience.

As a proud member of a small business myself, I have felt the social deprivation of working from home firsthand. Similar to my own experience, members of thousands of other small businesses who have worked alongside each other for lifetimes have had to adjust to maintaining an office culture from the comfort (or discomfort) of their home. While online interactions can never compare to the in-person experience, many small businesses, like my own, found that being apart actually meant working closer together than ever before.

Ankur Jains investment firm, Kairos, is funding training sessions and job placement for 10,000 workers.

Ninety-six percent of new entrepreneurs say the pandemic is motivating or giving them the motivation they needed to start their own business. This positive statistic comes from Azlo, a banking platform for small business owners, freelancers, and entrepreneurs.

In mid-March 2020, Azlo witnessed an uptick in new accounts opening. Wanting to understand the reasons behind the boost in business, Azlo conducted a survey. ‘The COVID Economy’ report interviewed 1,000 of Azlos newest customers across the United States.

Working from home has accelerated innovative team-building trends. How to make traits like agility, collaboration, and candor a permanent part of our management process.

The future of work arrived out of nowhere, on the back of a once-in-a-century pandemic. Team dynamics got challenged as members dealt with illness, trauma, and crisis. We've all been forced to rapidly and radically adapt to new working norms. The Ferrazzi Greenlight Research Institute has spent more than 15 years studying high-performing teams, but I've never seen entrepreneurs rise to the occasion as they have this year. When the crisis subsides, the temptation will be to turn back that progress and retreat into old behaviors.

Here is something good that has come out of the pandemic. Because people have had fewer buying opportunities, the countrys personal savings rate is the highest it’s been in 30 years. Retail sales have continued to grow and consumer confidence is at a six-month high.

But the biggest impact on the sales of smaller retailers has been online. According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, online sales have increased more than 44% compared with the previous year and, as more shutdowns, quarantines and other disruptions potentially loom, many expect this trend to continue. Small retailers in this area know this, and many have been investing heavily in e-commerce to succeed this holiday season.

Recovery is slow: In fact, more than half (56%) have experienced a slower recovery than expected after shelter-in-place orders began to expire, with nearly half of small business owners fearing they may need to shutter their business within six months if pandemic restrictions are not lifted or if shelter-in-place orders resume in the near-term.
    
Survival requires adaptability: Yet despite fear of survival, owners are demonstrating resiliency and adaptability, with about a third (30%) creating products/services to meet new needs and half (50%) of those with an online presence increasing their digital footprint to meet the moment. And, they’re looking for help in making those changes – nearly 70 percent of female and 60 percent of male small business owners say they need one-to-one small business advice.

They depend on their community: While small businesses continue to be important facets of communities, many small business owners have noted changes in their customers and worry that people will not be able to afford doing business with them. However, half of small business owners believe that there seems to be a renewed interest in shopping locally in their area.

1. Focus on the positive
2. Hit the reset button
3. Never give up
4. Network