As a small business, you are uniquely positioned to be able to compete for above average margins, and this should be your focus.

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Interconnectivity is at the core of our digital universe, and with tech advancements, staying on top of trends is critical to career success. With 86 percent of U.S. adults1 18-29 owning a smartphone, most students, recent grads and longtime employees are seasoned in adopting new technologies.

Preparing for the future of automation and digital security can help jobseekers adapt to the future of tech. As you consider your career goals in todays digital world, there are four things to ask yourself.

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Small business owners might assume that their small size makes them immune to cyber threats. Cyber criminals, in other words, only go after the big, flashy opportunities, like the major cyber attack on Target in 2013, which compromised roughly 40 million credit and debit card accounts.

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Getting there starts with breaking down profit into its components and using six tools to move those pieces in the right direction.

Profit is revenue minus costs. But to boost profit, it helps to break it down further into gross profit -- price times quantity minus variable costs (e.g., costs that increase with each unit of product you sell) -- minus fixed costs (e.g., salaries, benefits, rent, and utilities).

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Experts from the nations 63 Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs) are more than happy to share their advice for starting and growing a business successfully. They work with entrepreneurs every day, providing free and low-cost consulting. Collectively, SBDCs help a new business launch every 31 minutes, and provide more than 1.3 million hours of consulting services to entrepreneurs annually.

To get you started, we’ve asked some of these advisors to share their best tips for new businesses.

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Thinking about launching a new business? Here is where to look to for high profit margins.

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Networking skills: sometimes it feels like you either have them or you do not. Putting yourself out there at social gatherings comes so naturally to a lot of folks, while others struggle when forced to strike up conversations with strangers.

Networking can be especially overwhelming for small business teams, who usually do not have a safety net of colleagues at networking events — or a big company name in their back pockets. Yet networking has clear benefits that can help your company and career. Not only does it expand your network of contacts, it introduces you to new opportunities, advice and opinions. Put in a little practice, and networking makes you more visible and even helps boost your self confidence.

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Amazon Business Prime Shipping is a paid annual membership program, which enables registered multi-user business customers to take advantage of unlimited fast and free shipping. The program is currently available for Amazon Business customers in the United States and Germany.
Small businesses are often faced with the challenge of sharing passwords for authorizing procurement and shipping tasks. With Business Prime Shipping everyone in a business account automatically gets Business Prime Shipping.

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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.

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Use a Content Scorecard to Publish Better Blog Posts
When it comes to creating blog content for your business, quality is just as important as quantity, if not more so. To make sure all of your posts are up to professional standards, use the content scorecard included in this Social Media Examiner post by Garrett Moon.

Choose the Right Keywords for Your Blog Niche
If you want readers to be able to organically find our blog content, you need to include some relevant keywords. Choosing those keywords can be a challenge, so check out the recent Abtech Blog post by Abasifreke Etop for some useful tips.

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The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) was signed into law by President Trump near the end of 2017 and it mostly took effect in 2018. While the TCJA impacts almost every single individual taxpayer to some degree, the changes also significantly impact corporations and small businesses. In some areas, the impact was purposeful and directed. However, in other ways, the TCJA will have both positive and negative secondary effects. One area that could see a secondary or unintended boost due to a new tax deduction (IRC § 199A) for pass through businesses is retirement plans with small business employers.

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In our age of political polarization, the right, left and center agree on one thing: Big business is wicked, and small business is noble.

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To-do lists should be an invaluable part of any small business owner's day-to-day productivity strategy. They do not just help you monitor your tasks, they help keep you motivated and on track. And they seem self-explanatory: Write down a task. Then do it. But, a to-do list can too easily take a wrong turn and become exhaustive and exhausting. Here are five quick tips to help you get the most from your to-do lists.

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Here are five things in technology that happened this past week and how they affect your business. Did you miss them?

1 — Googles secret to protect its employees from hacking is physical keys.

Google has announced a robust solution for phishing cyberattacks against its employees. The company says the adoption of physical Security Keys has stopped the attacks. Security Keys are small USB stick devices made by companies like YubiKey that function similar to two-factor authentication (2FA) methods its employees may already be using.

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Then, as the recovery progressed, taxes and regulations reemerged.   But over the last year, those two concerns have been displaced by the availability of qualified labor.  Finding qualified employees is always a concern in a growing economy and has certainly grown in importance in this expansion, even more prominent than in 2000, when the ratio of employment to the population hit a record high.

Assisting its rise to number one has been the decline in the concerns about taxes and the cost of regulatory compliance.  The sharp decline in concerns about taxes and regulatory compliance are most likely due to the policies of this administration.  Record levels of proposed regulations peaked in the last two years of the last administration but dropped to practically nothing early in this term.  Since then, many existing regulations and rules have been eliminated or scaled back.

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Custom handmade surf tumbled sea glass and tumbled stone designs, jewelry, hair clips and ornaments. #seaglass #tumbledstones #jewelry #handmade #homemade #dejavudesigns #smallbusiness #smallbiz #stonejewelry #seaglassjewelry

When Mandy Bass speaks to business leaders and professionals who want to improve sales, productivity, teamwork, customer satisfaction and profitability she consistently finds that they are working way too hard to achieve the results they seek. With that in mind, for the New Year she has compiled a list of seven small or low-cost things that could get small business owners, solopreneurs and sales professionals big results in 2019.

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Procrastination is an odd compulsion. Everyone has experienced it, but the underlying reasons can be tough to pin down.

After all, procrastination delays the very activities that bring people closer to their goals -- whether that is building a thriving business or stronger triceps. So why do not humans just sprint toward that brighter, fitter future?

The science.
Scientific studies of procrastination have spiked over the past 20 years. Researchers once considered the issue a basic time-management problem, but they now view it as a complex and highly individual phenomena.  

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Step 1: Set meaningful goals.
People do nott achieve goals unless the goals are meaningful to them. Sure, every seller has a quota for this year, but so what? If you want to maximize your motivation to achieve the goals, you must know why achieving it is important to you. To do that, go beyond your one-year quota-focused goal.

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Very few entrepreneurs have an accounting or finance background. Here are four tips to ensure your small business is achieving profitable growth.

Most small business owners start their own business because they have a passion for something, a new idea, want to be their own boss or are seeking more financial stability and/or earning potential. However, very few entrepreneurs have an accounting or finance background.

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Small businesses can be more vulnerable to cyberattacks than larger companies because they often do not have sophisticated and comprehensive systems to protect themselves from hackers, viruses, malware and whats called ransomware. And owners who are focused on customers and employees may not ensure that their defenses are up to date.

But there are things small businesses can do to improve cybersecurity.

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Ranking a business website higher enhances its chances of gaining a lead that could ultimately turn into a new business sale. To rank, a website higher needs quite a few steps and does not happen overnight. Let’s figure out the five most common and impactful professional SEO tips that a CEO insists upon.

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Statistics show that cybersecurity is a legitimate threat to small businesses, but small businesses don't always act on that knowledge. According to the 2018 Small Business Cybersecurity Report, 47% of small businesses experienced an attack in the past 12 months. Cybersecurity is a serious concern, yet the report shows only 52% of businesses have a cybersecurity strategy.

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When running a small business, there are a lot of things to focus on. Making sales, finding new customers and motivating your employees are among them; however, keeping your business secure from cyberattacks might take precedent over of all of them.

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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?

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The loyalty to the series clearly inspired a smart pitch, because it didn't take long for the Sharks to warm up to the idea. Plus, offering cold beers in customized Kanga coolers didn't hurt.

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The start of a new year provides the perfect opportunity for business owners to set new goals and find unique ways to improve their operations. There are plenty of different options for your 2020 resolutions, from shoring up your finances to organizing your online presence. Here are some suggestions and tips from members of the online small business community.

Grow Your Savings with Money New Mindset
If one of your resolutions for 2020 is to save more money for your business, you may need to shift your mindset. So how can you look at things a bit differently in the new year? Jamie T. Wiseman of Miss Millennia Magazine explores a handful of mindset shifts in this post.

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Many small businesses have shut their doors but the bills are still piling up. The Small Business Administration is launching a program to assist, but many lenders are voicing concerns about it, calling the S.B.A.s expectations unrealistic.

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Small businesses drive the economy and create the lions share of jobs in the private sector economy. However, right now they are struggling mightily. Although it is recommended that companies have at least six months’ worth of revenue in the bank to weather economic disruptions such as the coronavirus, the reality is that most small companies don’t have enough cash to operate more than a couple of weeks.

For the service industry: restaurants, nail salons, haircutters, landscapers, athletic trainers, and others, the loss of weekly revenue is devastating for the owners and staff of small businesses. Most service workers live paycheck to paycheck and cannot go very long without being paid. We have already seen an enormous spike in unemployment claims, ending an era when the economy has basically been at full employment.

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The customer acquisition process is a long journey. As any salesperson knows, there are many phases to this journey, and while the close might get all the glory, the most important part of the process may be all the way at the beginning: prospecting.

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The opportunities to answer questions for potential publication can come from various sources. Help a Reporter, known as HARO, matches journalists with sources for their stories. Quora allows users to answer any question posed by their community. And professional membership organizations offer business leaders the opportunity to share their insights in industry publications.

The opportunities to add your own insights are out there. But why would you, as a business owner, devote your time to answering these questions? What are the benefits?

Here are five ways that answering questions online can help promote your business.

Connections
Search engine optimization (SEO)
Brand
Website traffic
PR opportunities

Entrepreneurs have seized the opportunity to start new companies in a wide variety of industries during the Covid-19 pandemic. While not all of these ventures will be successful, businesses that help alleviate some of the new challenges created by the pandemic are poised for long-term growth. Here are three industries that hold promising opportunities for entrepreneurs looking to start new businesses.

1. Contactless Tech
2. Telehealth
3. Education Tech

While telecom carriers are continuing to expand coverage areas and add cellular towers, most cell phone users still experience dropped calls and spotty coverage at times.

Many external factors and things out of your control can inhibit cell phone reception. Fully understanding the variety of factors that can cause poor cell signal may assist you in knowing how to improve a poor cell phone signal.

The following can all impact the strength of a cell signal:
How to Improve Cell Phone Signal

1. A question that delves into past experiences within working cultures and extrapolates where future environments may/may not align. For example: Creating the right culture is important for our company. Can you share details on a time you were in a toxic work environment, and how did management handle the situation? Describe when you were in a wonderful work environment and what management did correctly.

2. Deciphering how the candidates prefer to be managed as a key to ensuring management-style alignment. For example: Taking guidance from leaders is a critical part of any working arrangement. Describe how you like to be managed and how would you describe the ideal leader for your personality style?

3. Understanding motivations and expectations for long-term engagement. For example: We believe in long-term retention, and so we are cautious on the type of candidate we onboard. If you were going to commit to helping build this company long-term, what would it take for you to be happy and motivated?

4. Perspectives on their self-awareness of personal growth objectives and needs. For example: We all have challenges we are working to overcome. If you had to assess your challenges, where would be areas that you would focus to develop and look for support to improve?


5. Communication competence and tolerance for different interaction styles. For example: We all have different communication and coordination styles. What is the method you most effectively consolidate new information to inform your work, and what is your preferred communication style to align with your leadership and stakeholders?

News of the vaccine also raises questions for business owners: Can you require employees to be vaccinated, and if so, how do you go about it?

Employment lawyers and HR professionals say that policies regarding the flu vaccine are a good place to start. Many states mandate that hospital workers and other health care professionals, as well as school children and preschoolers in daycare, get flu shots and other vaccines. But it's not required for most professions. Generally, employers can require a flu vaccination, but an employee may be entitled to an exemption if he or she has a particular disability that needs to be accommodated, or a sincerely-held religious objection to taking the vaccine, says Michael Schmidt, a New York-based employment lawyer for Cozen O'Connor.

In both cases, the employer may have to pay for the vaccine or reasonable accommodation. If you refuse to make accommodations for an anti-vaxxer, it's possible to face a claim for violating the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Civil Rights Act, or the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's whistleblower protection program. Most of the time, Schmidt says, the advice is for employers to encourage employees to get a flu shot rather than try to create a policy that demands it. However, he notes, many would argue that the Covid-19 situation is far more threatening than the flu is at this point, meaning a vaccine may be more crucial to the overall health of a workplace.

Google has beta-launched a program for small businesses (SMBs) to help them become better marketers on Google. Called Small Business Advisors (SBA), the program offers 50-minute individualized consulting sessions on a range of products from Google My Business to Ads and Analytics to YouTube.

No enterprises or agencies. Google told me in an email that the program is is open to small businesses in the United States with an active Google account.  Large businesses, marketing and SEO agencies are not eligible to participate. The cost is $39.99 per session. There’s no fee through the end of 2020.

Small business does not appear to be defined, so theoretically companies with up to 100 employees or even 499 employees (the U.S. Small Business Administration definition). As a practical matter, the program will likely be utilized by very small businesses with relatively few employees. Suspended accounts are not eligible to book an appointment and must get reinstated before gaining access to the program.

Whether your cell phone has a broken screen, is no longer the latest technology, or you are simply itching for the latest cell phone model, it is important that you take appropriate care in disposing of your old cell phone.

Retain and Protect Your Data
Cell phones are a treasure trove of information; think of the panic that strikes each time you mistakenly misplace your cell phone. The information contained in our cell phones is meaningful and it is important that you backup any data on the phone that you wish to retain. The data you backup would include: any music, photos, messages etc...  If you are moving to a new cell phone you can often transfer the data you wish to retain to the new cell device.

Protect Your Personal Information
Cell phones often contain sensitive personal data, including passwords, bank information, payment methods, messages, contacts, videos, account numbers and much more. After transferring the data to a new device, information is still retained on your original cell phone.  Providing this type of sensitive information to strangers could put you at risk for identity theft, other other types of fraud, or simply leave you very uncomfortable.

How to Dispose of Old Cell Phones; Protect Your Data and Privacy

Title: Symptoms of 12 Serious Diseases and Health Problems
Category: Diseases and Conditions
Created: 8/14/2006 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 5/16/2022 12:00:00 AM

Title: Alpha-Fetoprotein Blood Test
Category: Procedures and Tests
Created: 11/16/2001 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 5/26/2022 12:00:00 AM

Okay, I got home, sat down to check my favorite bloggers, news sites, and stuff, and found a problem. I...

A lot gets said about evaluating technical skills when building teams, but I find that to be relatively straightforward - what's trickier is understanding how a person prefers to work and so how much effort (i.e. change) will be needed for the team to gel once that person is added. Consequently, I spend a lot more time thinking about this than any specific skill a person might have.

It's as if each of us has a personality blood-type. Just as transfusing blood among individuals without taking account of their body chemistry can result in serious health issues, so too mixing otherwise competent individuals without regard to group chemistry can greatly reduce everyone's effectiveness. This is true, even if these same individuals would be very effective in different groups.

Like one's actual blood type, there are multiple factors involved, but I find three especially important. So, to run with the metaphor let's call them 'A' factor, 'B' factor and 'Rh' factor:

• A Factor: Knowledge Sensitivity: A person has this trait if I expect the effort needed for them to understand the Situational Context of the team will be a significant factor in the gelling process. Considerations include: current knowledge, learning preferences (online research, training, books, etc), learning-speed, learning-skill, open-mindedness and how (and how easily) they'll learn from their teammates.
• B Factor: Environmental Sensitivity [1]. This stuff matters to most everyone, but some are more sensitive to it than others. If it looks like it'll be a prominent part of the gelling process, they have this trait.
• AB: Person has both traits.
• O: Person has neither. I don't expect the person will require radical shifts in team cohesion to gel with the group (though they still may cause such shifts over time).
• Rh Factor (+ or -): Tendency toward taking social initiative[2]. This one's hard to define. To get a sense of what I mean, the next time you're in a casual group discussion (ideally of peers), note the people who tend to pick the topics of conversations, suggest lunch destinations and so on. These people have this trait. When work topics arise, they're the ones proposing new ideas and things that need focusing on in the first place. Incidentally, if you believe you have this trait, you might need to reign it in to get a sense of who else has it (and a good habit for you to develop regardless).

I see these factors as neither strengths nor weaknesses. Nor as (necessarily) fixed traits. A successful team may contain (or require) people exhibiting any combination of these traits. Adding people who learn quickly or who care a lot about how customers are acting toward the group or are passionate about their work environment [3] is just as important as having deeply experienced people who are agnostic to the details of the work environment. Even when people's quirks or lack of knowledge might seem to be burdensome, our work is a creative activity not a mechanical one. Taking the effort to incorporate people who have a particular genius or ability into my teams has paid off more often than it's been a liability.

It is also important to understand this is my thinking process after it becomes clear the person is a plausible fit for the team. That means they've already passed the no assholes rule, otherwise appear to have the skills the group needs and I believe will get along reasonably well with the rest of the team outside the context of the goal at hand.

Of course, I also consider many other non-skill traits to be important - e.g.: risk aversion; time flexibility; tolerance for ambiguity, tool/practice prejudices and social neediness are all relevant - but regardless of which ones dominate a particular gelling process, what I'm always after is a better understanding of how the person will complement the rest of the group. Most importantly, reflecting on why people work well together helps me to do my job better. Hope you find it useful for that too.

[1] More precisely: How sensitive the individual is to forces acting within or upon the group; this important topic will get a separate blog entry hopefully soon

[2] Leadership in the narrow sense of desire to influence direction of a group of people.

[3] Tool and process preferences is an entire - large - subcategory that can even be considered an entire trait all it's own. We do so love our tool and practice religions!

Title: Probiotics
Category: Health and Living
Created: 8/13/2007 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 4/14/2022 12:00:00 AM

(EMAILWIRE.COM, October 25, 2024 ) The global wheat protein market is expected to expand from $2.5 billion in 2023 to $3.2 billion by 2028, achieving a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.9%. This growth is driven by the rising popularity of meat-free diets, increasing obesity rates leading to...

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(EMAILWIRE.COM, November 08, 2024 ) The global quantum communication market size is projected to grow from USD 0.74 billion in 2024 to USD 5.54 billion by 2030 at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 39.6% during the forecast period. Download PDF Brochure@ https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=143942501&utm_source=emailwire.com&utm_medium=paidpr&utm_campaign=quantum-communication-market Increasing...