tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53786248179492067292024-03-13T20:47:05.047-07:00Small Business Big TechnologyBen Longhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14749972881651153110noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5378624817949206729.post-90957063123829621362013-11-24T09:32:00.001-08:002013-11-24T09:45:30.540-08:00Is "Flint" already up in flames?<p dir=ltr>Flint is a new company targeting small businesses. Their principles are the same as square. A mobile credit/debit card processing company that has low fees and is easy to set up. But buyer be warned. They claim to have a 1.95% fee. Which is lower than squares 2.75%.. but only for debit, credit fees are up to 2.95%. Plus, all transactions have a 10 cent fee. Which may not seam like much, but for any purchase under 30$ makes their fee up near 3%. Overall. Their rates are not all that good. Not to mention the costs. But they advertise as no card reader... but that to me is more of a pain. They require you to scan the card using your phones camera. Which not only throws in the question of security, but the actual process just seams clumsy. With Flint, they email receipts just like square, but Flint keeps your history, knows what you bought, and can email you ads...seams a bit intrusive to me. Overall, id describe Flint as a great attempt that was started 5 Years ago, but overall, they simply got beat. They don't have any standout features, and they didn't make it on the scene first meaning they really have no edge. In my opinion, id suggest either Square or even intuit. Don't fall for Flint's ads, do your homework, and decide which will be the best for you.<br>
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Ben Longhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14749972881651153110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5378624817949206729.post-230405714858344502013-11-19T09:41:00.001-08:002013-11-19T09:42:07.614-08:00"Retale" not another coupon app<p dir=ltr>This new app to hit both android and iPhone came st the perfect time. With business and shoppers a like prepping for black Friday, Retale has revolutionized the way we find our deals. No more need to go buy that thick paper with thousands of ads. With Retale, simply select your area, the stores you want to show. And instantly view their weekly ads. They could not have launched at a better time. And with all businesses turning to social and digital advertising and marketing, this app is sure to explode. So far. Only positive reviews coming in at over 4.5 stars. Check it out!<br><br></p>
<p dir=ltr>***update***<br>
NO Account <u>needed</u><br>
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Ben Longhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14749972881651153110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5378624817949206729.post-5492552061301297062013-11-18T11:06:00.003-08:002013-11-18T11:06:45.065-08:00Trends in BusinessHow do business's know what to do in years come? This is a complex question, with an even more complex answer, but simply put, they look at trends, and research how these trends can help them be more successful. I came across this article on Linkedin and although a bit long and wordy, it offers a great insight on what's to come from who will be buying, to what they will be buying, and everything in between. It is a great read, and I strongly suggest that you take a look.
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<a href="http://www.globaltrends.com/monthly-briefings/60-monthly-briefings/198-10-key-trends-to-watch-for-2014-trends-1-to-5#%21">10 Key Trends to Watch for 2014</a>Ben Longhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14749972881651153110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5378624817949206729.post-49841868885600140282013-11-06T14:06:00.001-08:002013-11-18T11:16:36.655-08:00Multitasking doesn't save time. <p dir=ltr>Although this isn't directly about small business and how technology can help,  it is a great read and I urge all business professionals and students to read. Inc.  Magazine is one of the top pieces of literature when it comes to business. While reading this article, I couldn't help but pass it along. It is a really good view on how technology Sometimes causes us to think we are being more productive, but actually slows us down. Take a look for yourself. </p>
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<a href="http://m.inc.com/?incid=47369">Multitasking </a>Ben Longhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14749972881651153110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5378624817949206729.post-54039847519230895392013-10-14T16:20:00.002-07:002013-10-14T16:20:51.879-07:00The "Square" Deal<a href="http://www.squareup.com/">Square</a> might just be the most helpful, best designed, smartest app that a small business can use. So for those of you who have no idea what Square is (try to get out more) I'll give you the run down. Square is a credit card processing company designed for small businesses, but can be used no matter what the application.
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With cash becoming yesterdays method of payment, small businesses and local mom and pop shops are looking for an easy way to start handling credit and debit transactions, without loosing their profit on processing fees and sign up costs. This is where square excels. Square offers two options for businesses, one meant for small businesses and one for large. For small businesses, they offer a 0% fee per swipe and $275 per month which allows for transactions up to $400 and up to $250,000 a year, if they go over either of these limits, it is then 2.75% per swipe. For larger companies they offer no monthly charges and 2.75% fee per swipe which has no max purchase. When you sign up for an account, you receive card readers, which plug into Iphones, Ipads, Androids, and Blackberries. the great part about this app is that you can spread your account on different devices, and in different locations, making it the perfect solution for all sorts of types of businesses.
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I have used square in two different settings, one just selling apparel, and one in a rental shop with merchandise as well, and I must say, it is simple. The user interface is easy to handle and very streamline, it allows you to store favorite items, and set different categories, along with a manual enter option. There are even settings for tax and tips to accommodate service related businesses like your hairdresser. On square, you have the option to email receipt or have it sent to their phone by text. If you upgrade to the square register (cash register, iPad, and receipt printer) you can print your receipts, there is even a barcode attachment that you can get.
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In my eyes, Square has yet to emerge himself in the large scale corporation game, like Walmart, or best buy, but for small businesses or small chains, it is in my eyes one of the easiest to use, best credit card processing service there is. Its various plat-forms allow for salesman to make sales without a trip back to the office, or for the customer to not have to find an ATM and pay a 4$ fee when they are at the beach. All in all, I think Square is a must have for small businesses of all types, and is well worth the investment.
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<br><script src="http://player.ooyala.com/player.js?embedCode=tydW9uZTqaSTEw3Ug7jCCZ-M_Ctz-LSL&playerBrandingId=8a7a9c84ac2f4e8398ebe50c07eb2f9d&width=600&deepLinkEmbedCode=tydW9uZTqaSTEw3Ug7jCCZ-M_Ctz-LSL&height=360&thruParam_bloomberg-ui[popOutButtonVisible]=FALSE"></script>Ben Longhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14749972881651153110noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5378624817949206729.post-76653579551256190022013-09-15T09:07:00.000-07:002013-09-15T09:22:44.900-07:00Be part off a TeamI know what everyone in going to say, "Teamviewer wasn't even on that list, and definitely not one of the apps we requested more information about" so first off I will start by saying sorry guys. But after starting my sophomore year, I realized how great of a program this is. Now let me warn you, there are some skeptics out there and nasty posts abut how some people may be able to hack your computer and watch everything your doing. First off, welcome to the 21st century, this isn't new and second off, unless your writing top secret nuclear launch codes, or working on a high tech new app, does it really matter? I don't think any hacker cares who your talking too, or what your latest report is about.
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Now that all of that is behind us, lets dive into whAt the program is, and how it can help you. Teamviewer takes it a step beyond Dropbox when it comes to remote storage/access. With Teamviewer, you don't just upload your files and gain remote access, you literally have your home computer at the palm of your hands, on your laptop, smartphone, or work computer, across town, or halfway across the world. I know this blog is about how technology helps small business, and I'll get there, but first I am going to fill you in on how this program can help you, even if your not the next Shark Tank success story.
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For students: Your heading to class and you remember you forgot to print your paper, no big deal, your right at the library, you head in and go to print and then you realize you never saved it online if you use Team viewer it's not an issue at all. Log in and have access to your entire computer. Now I know what your thinking, that's a lot of what ifs. And to answer that, in my opinion, the best use. Your in a computer based class but don't like using PCs or Macs, not an issue, use Teamviewer and all of a sudden that PC at school is now your smooth MacBook Pro. Making your life, and the student next to you, a whole lot easier.
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For large businesses and schools: with Teamviewer, cross country presentations are simple, log in and everyone can view your computer, just make sure to select the broadcast option, not control. And for teachers, you can now get the attention of all your students, but what makes this program different? The ability to have control over any computer. Is an employee having trouble with entering data in LA? From NY you an control their computer and walk them through how to do certain tasks, instead of just verbal commands, they can see it being done, live, on their computer. Having an IT issue? Now your professionals can control a computer from across the country or school, and reconnect to that pesky printer, or locate those sneaky hidden files.
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For small businesses: let's face it, we all love word, excel and PowerPoint, and quite frankly, quick notes on our phones doesn't quite make the cut. Sure you can use docs if your a big google fan ( like myself) but other need word to be able to function. Now with Teamviewer, you have every program and file that your home computer has, but on the go. No mobile condensed version, full function because it doesn't have to fit on your 16 gig iPhone, along with your 8000 songs and 2 thousand pictures. It's your computer, your basically just using your phones touch pad as a mouse and keyboard. So besides having a desktop at the palm of your hands, you can now stream your computer to your business partner and work on the same logo in photoshop together, no more emailing back and forth. And sense you can have multiple people using the computer. It limits the amount of devices you need to buy programs for. All in all, Teamviewer has nailed ever aspect of remote computing.
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<a href="http://www.teamviewer.com/en/index.aspx">Teamviewer</a>
Ben Longhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14749972881651153110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5378624817949206729.post-2901266986446257422013-09-07T19:02:00.000-07:002013-09-07T19:03:22.791-07:0025 Best Apps for Small BusinessesHey everyone, here is a great read that I just came across while looking up some of the best apps for Small Businesses. I'm planning on featuring 5 of these Apps in some up coming posts so make sure to stay tuned to learn what my perspective is, and hey if its popular enough, I'll write a post featuring the top 25 Apps in my eyes for successful small businesses. Remember to follow, subscribe, comment, and share. Let me know what Five you want to know more about.
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<br> Read more <a href="http://www.nerdwallet.com/blog/small-business/2013/05/14/25-apps-small-business-owners/">Here
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Ben Longhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14749972881651153110noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5378624817949206729.post-14656837614981570612013-09-06T17:53:00.000-07:002013-09-06T17:58:22.517-07:00Up In The Clouds"The Cloud" has a whole new meaning lately with dozens of new websites, apps, and companies developing a way to store files remotely, and it is key for small businesses. The ability to store remotely is priceless to Small and Large businesses, but especially small businesses because of the low cost. Large companies can afford to have their own server(s) to store files locally and remotely in an integrated system, but those systems are not cheap, and for a small business, are simply out of the question. So for those readers who are a little less tech savvy, I will explain what the cloud is, for those of you who get this concept, feel free to skip down to the next paragraph. So what is The Cloud? Nope, not those white fluffy things in the sky that are condensed water vapor, but the idea is the same. The cloud is a remote storage place for all of your files, pictures, videos, and documents that you and your business ever use or create. There are tons of different sites like Dropbox, Google's Drive, Skydrive, Rackspace, Justcloud, the list is endless, just like the possibilities. The great part about these are you can set it up so your whole computer is backed up, certain folders are synced daily, or you can simply add file by file to keep your personal and business files separated.
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So how does this help a small business so much that I am writing a blog post about it? The answer to that is that these services allow businesses to collaborate better then ever before. Before cloud storage, in order to share contracts, marketing reports, and investor teasers, small business owners dreaded attaching these to emails and praying that the "file to large" error message would not show up. Even if they could attach it and send it, more times than not, somewhere along the line, these files got reformatted, lost a page, or some sort of other error that quite frankly made it more of a hassle than snail mail. So what do these storage sites do for you? it gives you a place to keep as few, or as many files and folders as you want. Create a marketing analysis at your home office and upload it to Dropbox, with a username and a password, you can access your files anywhere in the world, on devices from PC's, Macs, Iphones, Ipads, androids, you name it, you can probably retrieve your files. No more need to travel with that little USB drive that your constantly worrying you will lose or break, and there goes everything. No more need of transferring your files to your external hard drive, simply upload it and all your files are backed up. That business trip to Las Vegas just became a lot more fun didn't it? But what if I told you that you could skip the whole trip, instead of traveling to LA to meet with your investor and go over pages and pages of contracts, you can allow him to read the document by using Dropbox, make changes, and re upload it so you can review it. Once everything is good by both parties, a simple Skype call is all that stands between you and a signed contract (check back for a post on video conferencing). Saving thousands on plane tickets and hotel costs. Another great part about the cloud is the ability for small business owners to hire people across the country for their marketing or sales teams. This decreases cost because it basically eliminates the need for office space, or for company computers, and sense you pay for what you need, you no longer have to purchase triple the amount of storage because it was all they offered. Pay for what you use, its that simple. Productivity will also be at an all time high, no more need to train people how to use a Mac after being a PC owner of 10 years, or vice versa. These storage servers allow people to use what ever type of device and operating system they chose, without any formatting errors. All in all, the cloud literally can save, and make small businesses succeed in today's technological boom.
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If your interested in reading some more about this topic, check out <a href="http://ebonstorm.wordpress.com/2011/05/14/the-cloud-conversation-no-one-is-happy-having/">A Matter Of Scale</a>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://ebonstorm.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/cloudstration.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://ebonstorm.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/cloudstration.jpg" /></a></div>Ben Longhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14749972881651153110noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5378624817949206729.post-84069724270566529112013-09-04T08:55:00.000-07:002013-09-04T08:58:17.340-07:00Social Media Do's and Don'ts Social media is great for staying in touch with family when they move across country, friends when they leave for college, or start their new journey in life with their loved one, and just sharing memories via pictures or videos, but what other tools does social media hold? With the majority of people on Facebook, twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, Pintrest, LinkedIn, and more, what better place for a small business to do market research. In a matter of a couple hours, a company can create a page on Facebook or a similar social media site that describes what they do, what they sell, and gain an instant following. Of course the page wont have 10,000 "Likes" over night, but its a start. With this page they can create polls to find out what the consumers want in order to fit the needs of the current day, and future markets. Start up companies THRIVE on these sites because of many reasons, and to be honest, its quite simple.
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1. They are free
<br>2. They connect to the majority of consumers
<br>3. They have the ability to spread like wild fire
<br>4. Ability to run promotions and give a ways (people like free stuff)
<br>5. Share new products or services with pictures and videos
<br>6. Can answer any consumer questions directly with comments
<br>7. And did I mention it was 100% FREE
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So how exactly do small businesses use these free tools? I am going to use a local example from Plymouth, New Hampshire. A company called Poleish Sports founded by Bryan Biederman. The company makes the famous game of Poleish Horse Shoes, basically a game played with two ski poles, two beer bottles, and a Frisbee. The company started literally in his back yard as a college game that him and his friends played daily, and he thought "now wait a second, why don't they make these", and so production started in his garage. Being so close to Plymouth State University, and having a family general store in downtown, he was able to capture the audience of the locals, but how could he get out of Plymouth? The answer was simple: Facebook. He made a page describing what it was about and put up pictures and shared it with every friend and family member he had on Facebook, asking and begging them to share it. As the likes began to climb, he got more recognition. As a business owner, you post your page to various different other pages, "PSU SPRING FLING" or "Country Fest 2012" and so on... more people see it, more people "like", and more people "share". Social media sites wont help products like those 2:00am infomercials. They WILL NOT make a bad product popular and sell, what they WILL do, is make a great product get recognized, which is all it needs, the product or service will do the rest.
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As time went on, Poleish sports became more and more popular and people around the country started finding out about this trend, and wanted more. Using Facebook, Bryan could reach out to these people as to where to buy it locally, or where they could order it from online. He would upload instructional videos, pictures from trade shows, and others could post their fun pictures of the product in use. All this creates a sort of BUZZ around the product, and people like Buzz. If everyone else has this game at the cookout, the tailgate, or the beach, you want it too.
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Don't forget to check out this game by visiting his Facebook page, or his website!
<br> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Poleish-Sports/85448041707">Facebook</a>
<br><a href="http://poleish.com/">Website</a>
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In order to get customer appreciation, small business owners can create raffles or give a ways on Facebook. But the biggest thing in my eyes is customer interaction. A customer can comment on different aspects of the page, and the owner can simply write back, answering questions, giving information, or asking questions of their own. It makes it so the customer gets what they want, and the owner can learn what is needed. In the start up of a small company, these social media sites are crucial because they act as a basic website, that is free, easy to use, and packs a punch.
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The other side of social media however is advertisement, and I'm not talking about small scale. Once a company is large enough, they can afford Ad Space on Facebook. Some companies say its great and that increases sales by X%. But I hate it, first off, when I'm a site like Facebook or Youtube, I'm not there to watch advertisements, I understand why the sites do it, they need to make their money some how. But from the business side, I think its terrible. Okay Coke or Verizon, if you want to have an add sure, go ahead, it wont break your bank. But for a semi-small Company STOP first of all, think about how much money your about to spend, and what it will actually get you. As a user of these sites, I know first hand that any add that I visit is surly and accident, and will be closed as soon as possible. So when these sites say they will get you X amount of clicks, assume 5% of those are on purpose. When I look at small businesses, I like the fact that they don't dump big money into big advertisements because it means their product works without it. So at the end of the day. Unless your budget is 25 million a year for advertising. STAY AWAY. Bad idea, and frankly, a bad rep with your customers, don't look thirsty, look smart.
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The following graphic is from Intuit Websites, A great site with lots of information, I will be featuring one of their products a little later on in the month so stay tuned!!
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<a href="http://www.intuit.com/websites/small-business-social-media-infographic/"><img src="http://www.intuit.com/sbweb/common/images/websites/social-media-infographic/small-business-social-media.jpg?version=001" alt="How small businesses use social media - infographic" border="0" /></a><br />via: <a href="http://www.intuit.com/website-building-software/" target="_blank">Intuit Websites</a>\
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Dont forget to share this blog, you can subscribe by email on the sidebar to your right --> and share via your favorite social medias. Comment and let me know what you think.Ben Longhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14749972881651153110noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5378624817949206729.post-16213593151276014592013-09-03T19:41:00.001-07:002013-09-03T19:43:13.638-07:00Collaborative TechnologyA little video to explain how social media helps not only build companies, but get ideas for future concepts, A big role in what you will see 5 years down the road and the "newest and greatest".
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<iframe width="420" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/_okZqsP3ydM" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Ben Longhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14749972881651153110noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5378624817949206729.post-81853080863191527502013-09-03T19:17:00.002-07:002013-09-04T08:55:18.951-07:00How Technology Helps BusinessTechnology rules all, whether its politics, science, math, exploration, business, you name it, I bet it cant be done without technology. Yes I know what your thinking, "another blog about technology? come on, people get paid millions to write these". And you are exactly right, they do, and they are great, but what they lack is the view point of a teenager, who appreciates what technology is, and even more, what small business is. Throughout this blog you will see plenty of references to these big blogs because quite frankly, they are great and packed with information and resources that I don't have access to at this time, but it wont be some copy and paste job. It will serve as information, that I use in order to give you a younger view of what is to come, and why these small businesses, might just be the new big thing.
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So lets start off, today were going to look at how technology helps get a small business off the ground. Lets rewind right off the bat, to lets say, mid 1970's. AH-HA Joe has just come up with the greatest ideas ever, a portable and private radio that someone could listen too while out for a jog (its too hard not to use technology as an example too). What does he do though? He has no way of finding out if this idea is original or not, if people would use it, how much they would pay, how to go about making it, or how to start selling them. All because the internet is not around, and Joe is lazy and thinks, huh, probably cant be done anyway so he doesn't go after it. Fast forward to today. With a new idea, an entrepreneur has every resource at his or her fingertips on the world wide web. They can file for a patent with the government, get in touch with designers in china, video call an investor in LA, email and share documents with a marketer in NYC, all from their house in Plymouth New Hampshire. Once this has happened, He can use social media like Facebook, twitter, and Instagram to spread the word of this fantastic new Idea. Use multitudes of new credit card processing company's like Intuit business, and Square, to sell his product in stores, online, and now, even on the street, while still beating the others rates. All of a sudden, the calls are coming to him, and using video conference programs like Skype, Oovoo, and Fuzebox, he can have a virtual meeting with the Investors that are looking to hop on board. In order to stay connected, LinkedIn offers a new type of social media networking based strictly on business, no party pictures, or love gossip, just experience and money. No need to ask for references anymore, look at someones LinkedIn profile, find past jobs, and you now have access to hundreds of ex co-workers from boss's to their interns. With blogs, WordPress, and WIX, people can create a professional website to share their product in under a day, without breaking the bank. And once the company is big enough, it heads right back to those social media sites with one thing on its mind, more money through marketing and advertisements.
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So chances are you didn't learn anything new in this brief blog post, but I hope I grabbed your attention enough that you will subscribe, comment, share, or check back in the next couple of days when I look more in depth into some of these tools that are crucial technology in the formation and growth of small businesses. What will the first post be? Facebook? Skype? Square? Stay tuned.Ben Longhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14749972881651153110noreply@blogger.com3