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Lisa Doyle

Our Favorite Things

For our May/June issue’s cover story, “Hot List 2008,” we covered 100 of the must-know items for small businesses in America today. Inspired by the topic, we surveyed ABC employees to find out what some of their personal favorite things are!

Tags: favorite things

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Posted: 5/28/2008 | Comments (3)

Charles M Cooper

Emergency Planning for Small Businesses

How prepared are you for some natural or man-made disaster? Now that we are well into the 2008 tornado season here in the U.S., that’s a question many small business owners should be asking themselves. Most people don’t have the first clue as to how to prepare their business for a disaster of any size, but have no fear. By taking the kinds of hazard that might be faced one at a time, we’ll show you how to plan for a disaster and get your company up and running again as quickly as possible.

Tags: tornado, fire, flood, disaster plan

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Posted: 5/27/2008 | Comments (0)

Charles M Cooper

Airline Customer Service: A New Morality Tale for Businesses Large and Small

Any good businessman understands one thing—if he understands nothing else—that customer service is vitally important to the continued survival of a company. In fact, ask any small business owner the secret of his success and the answer will usually have something to do with customer service. That is a lesson that the airlines seem to have forgotten.

Tags: airlines, customer service

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Posted: 5/23/2008 | Comments (1)

Charles M Cooper

LifeLock Founder Learns a Lesson in Marketing

Lessons that arise from marketing mistakes can have severe and often unforeseen consequences. LifeLock, the folks that promise you that your identity cannot be stolen while using their service, and their founder, are learning such a lesson.

Tags: marketing, lifelock

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Posted: 5/22/2008 | Comments (0)

Lynn

Money Saving Tips for Hitting the Road

In addition to small business owners that may have a small fleet of company vehicles, vacationers will soon feel the crunch at the gas pump this Memorial Day weekend. Here are some tips for minimizing the strain on your wallet.

Tags: gas, money, save, small business

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Posted: 5/21/2008 | Comments (22)

Dave Cosper

Free Webinar – Protect Your Business from Online Fraud

Do you process credit cards at your place of business? If so, what steps have you taken to safeguard your transaction data? If your answer begins with Norton and ends with Antivirus, you are probably like thousands of others who don’t know squat about the subject.

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Posted: 5/20/2008 | Comments (0)

Charles M Cooper

Great News on the Scam Front

We've had some great news today in the fight against the scam artists. May 19, 2008, saw 38 people in 5 countries indicted for a Romanian-based phishing scam that was part of a global crime ring. Read about the bust and the scam they were perpetrating.

Tags: email, scam, 419, nigerian

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Posted: 5/19/2008 | Comments (4)

Charles M Cooper

The Housing Crisis and Home Business

Given the number of American entrepreneurs who run their businesses from a home office, the current problems in the housing market could have a major impact on American small business. How big is the problem and what is the current crop of presidential hopefuls planning to do about it? We have some answers.

Tags: housing crisis

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Posted: 5/16/2008 | Comments (0)

Charles M Cooper

Does the Industry Really Want to End Computer Virus Attacks?

Antiviral solutions work in much the same way as medicinal vaccines: They only work on older, known viruses. However, the real hazard comes from the new, unknown viruses that are being released today. Where is the antiviral solution for these? Lucky for you, we found it. An idea so simple that with the dominance of traditional security solutions we had to ask, Does the industry really want to end computer virus attacks?

Tags: computer virus, internet

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Posted: 5/13/2008 | Comments (32)

Charles M Cooper

Going Lean: Increasing Productivity and Profits for SMB Manufacturers

Back in the ‘80s and ‘90s, going lean (also known as cutting the fat, downsizing, rightsizing, getting competitive and any number of other pathetic euphemisms) meant getting rid of that which companies claim are their most important resource: people. However, today, for small and medium sized business manufacturers, going lean means applying best practices and technology to increase productivity and profits without adding to your workforce.

Tags: going lean, downsizing

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Posted: 5/12/2008 | Comments (1)

Charles M Cooper

Who’s Responsible for IT Security Breaches?

In spite of all the nifty security technology protecting networks and individual computers, there is still a serious breach in most IT operations--the human factor. In fact, 60% of the data losses in 2006 were due to human error. Read further to learn how to protect yourself and your company.

Tags: it, security

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Posted: 5/9/2008 | Comments (0)

Charles M Cooper

Worker’s Compensation: Making it Work for Your Small Business

Worker's Compensation insurance can be complex and confusing for many small business owners. In fact, a sizable number of them are not really sure what they are paying for. Here are some the basic things you need to know--and questions you need to ask--to get the most out of Worker's Compensation for you and your employees.

Tags: workers compensation

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Posted: 5/7/2008 | Comments (0)

Lisa Doyle

The Employee Difference

Anyone who has ever set foot in a warehouse store knows that as soon as you walk in, you’re greeted by huge, plasma screen TVs, camera displays and computers. So one might assume that these businesses sell a ton of these products to every shopper, right? Well, maybe not.

Tags: employees

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Posted: 5/6/2008 | Comments (1)

Charles M Cooper

The More the Merrier: Affiliate Marketing

When you think about online marketing, what comes to mind? Search engine optimization or e-mail marketing are probably at the top of the list, but there is something else in the marketing arsenal that you may be overlooking: Affiliate marketing.

Tags: affiliate, internet

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Posted: 5/6/2008 | Comments (1)

Dave Cosper

Rebate Checks on the Way: Be Prepared

Rebate checks from the IRS are on their way. Are you prepared? Most retailers are eyeing these rebates as a way of boosting their sales, and many already have plans to offer special targeted sales to get shoppers to spend the cash at their stores.

Tags: rebate check, stimulis, irs

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Posted: 5/5/2008 | Comments (6)