Business

Cybersecurity has simply blown up in the last 5-10 years, and that says something about the state of internet security. There wouldn’t be so many wildly successful cybersecurity firms if it weren’t for the thousands of breaches that pop up all over the internet.

If you’re a business owner, you likely have many accounts on the internet and files stored in the cloud. Ecommerce business owners have even more to worry about because they accept credit cards. No matter what type of business you operate, you should know what the business security landscape looks like for 2020.

1. Every 39 seconds, there’s a hacker attack.

This means that one in three Americans experiences a cyber attack each year. Most of the time, these hacking attempts are successful because users don’t use secure passwords. Hackers might hack your information for many reasons, but monetization is the most prevalent.

2. Half of all cyber attacks target small businesses.

Don’t operate under the false assumption that hackers won’t touch your business because it’s small and you don’t have much to steal. Hackers love small businesses because they often operate with significantly fewer security layers than larger companies.

3. A data breach can take 6 months or more to detect.

If you’re not paying close attention, you might not know that you’ve been attacked, and a lot of businesses don’t. By the time it’s discovered, it’s often too late to do anything, and many companies lose their ability to continue operating.

4. More than 60 percent of businesses that experience an attack shut down within 6 months.

Some of this has to do with the financial aspect–it’s extremely expensive to handle the aftermath of a cyber attack. Businesses might also close their doors because their reputation has gone down the drain or they discovered the cyber attack so late that they couldn’t undo any damage.

5. Three industries are attacked more often than others.

No industry is immune from cyber attacks, but the three industries that have problems more than others are government, retail, and technology. These companies tend to use fewer layers of protection, making them easy targets to hack.

6. The cost of cybersecurity is to exceed $6 trillion by the end of the year.

2020 will be a record year for cybersecurity spending. This sum accounts for the businesses that pay for both security against cyber attacks as well as steps they take to mitigate it.

7. Almost all cybersecurity breaches are caused by human error.

That’s right. More than 95 percent of breaches occur because a human being made a mistake. They might have ignored security protocol or used the same password for everything. It could also be as simple as someone sharing a piece of confidential information with a neighbor.

This statistic is perhaps the most important because it underscores the importance of training employees each year on the risks of security attacks.

 

The task of managing your accounts is difficult enough if you are doing it for yourself – what more if you have to do it for your business? And managing business accounts is not a joke, as anyone will confirm, especially since you also have to make sure that you are raking in a profit at the same time. Even small business owners who are just starting need to stay on top of their accounts and financial records, and they need all the help they can get. Fortunately, this is where you have the option of hiring an accountant. But how can you really know if your small business needs an accountant? Here’s how you can find out.

• Assess your business and your role in it

The first step in determining whether or not an accountant can really help you with your small business is to assess your business – and this also comes with assessing what your role is in it. For example, are you self-employed? Then your bookkeeping and accounting needs may be relatively simple. If you are operating as a sole trader, your bookkeeping and accounting needs may not be that difficult, either, since you basically just have to keep a record of your incoming and outgoing expenses. But you also have to inform HMRC that you are a sole trader, and this comes with paying your taxes and NI (National Insurance) and making sure you pay them on time. You also have to do a self-assessment on your taxes every year.

But if you are a limited company, you have to file your accounts at the tax office and Companies House, and your accounts should include both a loss and profit account as well as a balance sheet. If you aren’t sure how to come up with these, then an accountant is worth considering as well.

And even if you decide that you can do your accounts on your own, have you considered the time you would be wasting if you had to do it all yourself? It takes a lot of time and effort, which you could very well spend doing other things to grow your business. If you have to prepare your accounts and take note of everything as well as make sure your deadlines are met, you won’t be as efficient, so it is worth thinking about having an accountant do all these things for you.

• Determine your peace of mind

Aside from thinking of the above, you also have to think about your peace of mind, as the expert accountants from www.gsmaccountants.co.uk attest. What is it worth? Even while you think you can take care of your accounting and bookkeeping tasks yourself, do you believe that you could avoid making mistakes and be sure that everything is done properly and correctly? Bear in mind that incorrectly filled forms can cost you in fines and penalties, and if you are late, you will be faced with even more fines and penalties too.

Also, an accountant is not just there to take care of your financial records – they can also help you by giving you advice on what you can do to expand when you’re considering taking out a business loan, when you are audited, and more. Your accountant can even help you save on your expenses and outgoings by coming up with ways through which you can leverage your tax allowances.

At the end of the day, accountants can do a lot for you and your business; they can guide you and give you highly-useful advice, and they can also be your best partner as your business grows.

 

It might seem to you like the gig economy is everywhere these days. But you might not necessarily know how to use that to your advantage. That’s why it’s good to think of how the modern financial world is operating through the lens of the entrepreneur. If you’ve never studied entrepreneurial techniques and you don’t understand how it connects with the gig economy as it stands, then keep reading to find out a few different ways to benefit from the progress the world has made in this direction.

Entrepreneurs can create opportunities for themselves in several ways, but here are three that might make the most sense to you. First of all, you can use money to make money. Whenever you leverage the idea of purchasing something later against buying something now, there’s an opportunity for profit.

Second, everything that you can analyze will help you make money. If you are the best at analyzing some aspect of some industry, that gives you an immediate competitive advantage. Third, figure out how to utilize your passion wisely, and the gig economy is ripe for the picking.

Use Money To Make MoneyFemp

Using money to make money is a great way to expand your financial portfolio. One way to do this would be to participate in an ATM program. You rent the equipment for cost, and you reap the benefits of your effort and energy. Another way to use money to make money would be through stock market analysis and trading, so this is a direction that many financial analysts go.

There are many different ways to loan money to get profits back on your investment as well, so it’s up to you to research the ones that make the most sense.

Analysis Is Your Best Friend

The more you know about a topic, the higher your ability to make money on it conceptually. For example, if you learn how to analyze advertising, you can make passive income by having a website with automated promotions. It takes some setup and some tech-savvy, but once you have things rolling, you’ll find that you enjoy the idea of making money while you sleep. Very little maintenance is required in most cases, which means that your legitimate, long-term income has nowhere to go but up.

Utilize Your Passion Wisely

In the gig economy, your passion can be your best money making opportunity, as well. For example, if you like driving and talking to people, you can sign up for Uber or another ridesharing service. You like being on the road anyway, so why not make money doing it? Once you get the essential infrastructure in place, you can make driving a car your full-time career, or you can participate in it on the side. Both aspects of the gig economy concerning part or full-time employment can give you more options than with other jobs.

 

Just because you have an excellent product or service doesn’t mean you can necessarily be competitive in a specific market. It takes more than that. It takes amazing promotions. And not everybody is great at advertising themselves. If it feels like you fit in this category, though, there are several things that you can do to ensure that you stay ahead of anyone who is competing with you for the same market share.

Three ideas, in particular, come to mind when it comes to digital niche promotions. First, you need to get your search engine optimization right. Without that, you’ll have no presence on the Internet. Second, learn about every single potential social media platform. A little learning goes a long way concerning this style of advertising. And third, use all of your available analytics.

Daily or weekly reports about different amounts of traffic can give you a whole lot of information about what your next decisions should be when it comes to promoting yourself.

Get Your SEO Right

Especially in highly competitive markets, you need to get your search engine optimization completed in the best way possible. Many times this means hiring a consultant who specializes in such things. For example, as a lawyer, you would contact a search engine optimization specialist that works with law firms. If you didn’t know that such things existed, then even doing a small amount of research will show you that niche SEO contracting companies are both very prevalent and very successful.

Learn Social Platforms

When you learn to use social media for business, it opens up a whole new world of opportunity for you. In the digital domain, social media is King. If you don’t know how to advertise on Facebook or through places like Twitter or Instagram, you’re missing out on huge audiences. Especially if you are targeting a specific niche with your product or your service, social media targeting is the single most effective way to get your message in front of precisely the right people who want to hear it.

Use Your Analytics

Finally, use all of the tools that you have available to read and analyze data. If you can, use Google analytics when it comes to traffic to your website. There are free versions and paid versions of a lot of different analysis software packages, so find one that meets your requirements and learn to use it as deeply as possible.

If the only difference between you and a competitor is how well you use analytical data, then that is a tremendous competitive advantage. If you have never looked at analytics before today, make this your top priority, and you will immediately see a return on your investment of energy into the matter.

 

If you’re set to attend a networking event, you probably feel a degree of excitement… but also another of trepidation. It’s a golden opportunity to meet new people and forge new business contacts, but that’s exactly why you don’t want to mess it up.

Once you’ve decided exactly what you want to achieve at the event, such as securing a new job lead or even just reconnecting with friends, you should prepare yourself carefully to help prevent from drifting into aimless wandering at the event proper.

Dress in confidence-boosting and memorable attire

If nerves are setting in, now’s an especially good time to don that suit or those shoes that you only recently bought but have felt enthusiastic about wearing. However, make sure your clothing looks professional but not drab; businesslike but still capable of lingering in the memory.

That way, if you impress someone with your networking and they want to meet back up with you as the event is about to finish, they will be able to find you again more easily, Cosmopolitan points out.

Bring plenty of business cards in a card case

Think of a networking event and you probably already picture people handing out business cards to all and sundry, but you can’t expect your own cards to impress if they haven’t been carefully designed and printed – or, obviously, you run out of them too early.

Thankfully, buying a printer from a company like Duplo International lets you print those cards yourself in an attempt to reduce the chances of a botched print job. Also, heed The Muse‘s advice that you bring more cards than you anticipate needing – and bring them in a professional card case.

Huddle like a penguin near a cluster of people

Approaching people you don’t know in any situation, let alone at a slick networking expo, can easily feel awkward and cumbersome. However, you can help draw more attention to yourself if you wait on the outskirts of a gathered group of people and wait for a convenient moment to pounce.

That moment could come when someone in the group brings up a subject where you have a truly interesting point to make. Now, this leaves the question of how you should introduce yourself…

Introduce yourself in a friendly, to-the-point way

This means making eye contact, smiling, revealing your first and last name and what you do, and shaking the other person’s hand briefly but firmly. Once you’ve caught their name, use it twice as you converse with them, as you will consequentially come across as more sincere and interested.

Avoid asking just “yes” or “no” questions

Yes, you want to get something out of the event, but so does the person you’re speaking to! For that reason, seek in-depth answers on matters such as how that person likes working for their company, what primary role and projects they have there, and how they got started in their industry. It’s like speed dating – and, sooner or later, you might find a match!

 

Having a consistent brand can be one of the hardest things for a business to do, especially if you’re still a young business or a small business. But in order for your business to grow and thrive in your market, you’ve got to make it easy for people to recognize you, your products, and your values.

To help you in accomplishing just this, here are three tips for creating a consistent business image online.

Be Committed To Consistency

Because being consistent can be very challenging, it’s likely going to take your organization being very committed to consistency for true consistency to be evident.

According to Ivan Widjaya, a contributor to Small Business Trends, some of the biggest and more well-known brands all over the world state that consistency with their branding and identity is one of the main reasons why they’re so successful and have been able to remain competitive in their markets for so long. So while you might not initially think that having a consistent business image or brand is something you should be concerned with, if you want to have long term success, your commitment to consistency should be key.

Especially when you’re thinking about things like how you represent yourself online or what information you have about your business on online directories or citations, being accurate and consistent are some of the most important qualities to have.

Create A Style Guide

To help make it easier for you to be consistent with your business image and online brand, Erika Montgomery, a contributor to Business2Commnuity.com, recommends that you create a style guide that everyone in your organization can study and refer back to when branding questions arise.

Within this style guide, try to include information on things like colors, fonts, language, and more. The more detailed you’re able to make your style guide, the more consistent your brand’s image will be regardless of how many different people may be representing your organization in various platforms or mediums.

Pay Attention To Both On-Line and Off-Line Branding

While you might be thinking more about how to be consistent with your business image online, you also need to think about how things that happen off-line will impact your entire brand.

According to Adrian Fisher, a contributor to Forbes.com, businesses that do the majority of their business offline still need to think about how they portray their brand and their business online because potential clients or prospects will still be looking for them online to learn more about their business. And if your brand isn’t consistent in both areas, you could confuse or dissuade people from working with you.

If you’re needing to be more consistent with your business or brand image, consider using the tips mentioned above to learn how you can better accomplish this goal.

 

It’s not surprising to see more and more people take the entrepreneurial road and go into business for themselves rather than serve as a mere employee for a company. After all, not only does it present far more lucrative opportunities, but it also gives us much more freedom in both our work schedule and where to steer the direction of the business.

However, despite all of the advantages that it presents, not all start-ups achieve the desired success. In actuality, the vast majority of newly established companies usually fail within their first year. So, to avoid the collapse of your venture, here are some top tips that should help maximise your start-up’s chances for success.

• If you look after your finances, they will look after you

Let’s face it, number-crunching isn’t the most appealing or exciting part of running a business. However, it is arguably the most essential. After all, not only do our monetary resources determine our profit margins but also the growth and success of our companies too. As such, it’s crucial to keep a close eye on our finances. In this way, you will be aware of where your start-up stands financially. More importantly, it will provide insight into areas that you could potentially cut unnecessary costs too. And as a result, generate more revenue.

• Consider all potential investments before making any financial commitments

From the equipment that business operations require to systems like ERP software that can streamline your daily tasks and responsibilities, it’s a general rule of thumb to consider all potential investments before making any financial commitments. After all, spending your money on impulse won’t yield the desired returns. And by taking the time to explore every available avenue, not only are you much more likely to find what the company needs. But secure it without putting a sizeable dent in the bank.

• Keep an eye out for joint ventures

There’s a good reason why many start-ups and small businesses welcome joint ventures: not only do these collaborative opportunities help expose the parties involved to a broader audience. But it doesn’t require a substantial commitment of financial resources either. As such, so should you. In doing so, you will maximise the chances for success without the financial risks that would have otherwise been involved with a solo endeavour.

• Take advantage of the social media platform

It’s not hard to see why the majority of companies today continue to make their presence known through social media. After all, the platform is host to a seemingly endless well of potential clients and customers. More importantly, it’s a cost-effective marketing tool too. So, before you decide to invest in an expensive advertising campaign, try to generate awareness and exposure through social media. It will save you money.

Even with its relative accessibility, finding success for a start-up company is not an easy task, especially in highly competitive industries. But by keeping the abovementioned tips in mind, you’ll increase your chances of achieving the desired results for your business.

 

You worry about several aspects of your business. You want things to work out the way you wanted, so you invest in the right places. Given the amount you already spent, you might forget that security is also important. It’s another expense, but you can’t ignore it. These are some ways to help heighten security at work.

Install more security cameras

If your business is already growing, it’s not enough to have only one or two cameras. You have to install one in almost every corner. As long as you don’t violate privacy laws, you can place the security cameras. The goal is to prevent anyone from intruding. When potential criminals see that you have security cameras, it will scare them away. Even if they succeed in doing their plan, it will be easy to catch them.

Hire roving guards

You might have one security guard at the main entrance of the workplace. If you already have lots of employees and your clients are going in and out of the area, it’s not enough to have one security officer. You need several security guards to keep the place safe. You also want them to check the places where intruders could possibly break in. Even after work hours, you can count on them to keep the place safe.

Partner with the local police

You need to know that during severe incidents, you can count on the local police to respond right away. Whether it’s a terrorist attack, mass shooting, or dispute among employees, you want the officers to be there right away. You need to have a direct line to them to make it easy for any employee to contact them during an emergency.

Invest in security dogs

You may also partner with agencies to provide security dogs. They’re not threatening, and they are highly trained. They can move around the place to check if there’s anything suspicious. You can avert a potential crisis with the help of these smart dogs. They trained for years with their trainers so they can do the job well.

Invest more

You might be too busy focusing on various aspects of your business such as profit, and you forget security. Even if you have a lot of expenses to consider, you still have to find a way to invest in security. You want to ensure that everyone at work remains safe. You could end up with greater expenses if a terrible incident happens. Whether it’s a minor injury or a loss of life, you want to prevent it from happening.

You might recover from the actual damage, but your company’s reputation might suffer. Your lack of attention to security could get viewed in a negative light. People won’t trust your business anymore and partner with you for services. You can’t hire quality employees either because they think that you don’t care about the safety of the people working with you. Discuss your needs with Security Services Oxford now if you want to solve these security problems.

 

Marketing is absolutely essential when you run a small business, but you can run out of ideas quickly. You might be considering the same old ideas while wondering what you can do that will actually make a difference for your business. Here are five fun marketing ideas that are guaranteed to put your business on the map.

List your business online

One of the simplest ways to get your business out there is putting it in the free white pages. Putting your business’s contact information in an online directory is a great way to make sure everyone has the ability to reach your business anytime. 97 percent of customers use the internet to find businesses, so if customers can’t easily find your business through a search, you will steadily lose business. Listing your company’s contact information digitally will ensure your business can always be found.

Promotional swag

You might be tempted to switch to entirely digital marketing, but your best plan is to combine digital and physical marketing. Promotional pens and other products are still very effective in bringing in customers. Consumers are much more likely to remember your brand if they’re given a physical product because they are interacting with it daily. People also just love free products, so giving away promotional materials is a perfect way to help your customers feel like they’re appreciated.

Customer referral program

Customer referrals are successful because people trust their friends’ and colleagues’ recommendations. The idea of social enrichment shows that referred customers are more likely to stay with your company because of the bond they have with the people who referred them. This bond creates a loyalty to your company, as well, so creating a customer referral program will help increase customer retention. Offering your current customers a small incentive for referring others will ultimately bring your business more customers and more profits.

Hold contests & giveaways

While this might initially seem counterintuitive, holding contests and giveaways are great strategies for promoting your business. Contests are relatively affordable for you, and if you can collect important data when customers sign up for the contests, the benefits will be huge. You can require participants to provide their email addresses and then you can add them to your email newsletter. This will increase the chances that participants will become regular customers. You can also ask participants to share their entry on social media platforms. This will help spread the word about your business, which is the goal of all this marketing in the first place.

Create a social media presence

Most likely, you’ve already created a few social media profiles for your business, but it’s important that you make a plan for engaging with these profiles. You want to make sure you’re actively posting and interacting with consumers on these platforms, as it will help spread the word about your business. Make sure you’re sharing engaging content that is target towards your ideal customer. You should post consistently and everything you post should be specifically about your business. Save your personal life for your own social media! Businesses’ social media need to clearly represent who they are and what they are promoting. If you’re unfamiliar with the best social media platforms to use, ask an employee to run your company’s social media or hire an expert. This type of marketing is becoming more and more important for small businesses, so you don’t want to neglect it.

Marketing can be fun and easy if you know what to do. Try any (or all!) of these five ideas and your business will be booming in no time.

 

Are you looking for your entry into trading in the stock market? Penny stocks are a great way to get started. Trading always comes with risks,  but the cost to play in penny stocks is perfect for new investors. Let’s get into what penny stocks are, and where to find the best penny stocks.

What are Penny Stocks?

 

Penny stocks, commonly referred to as “pink sheet stocks” are company shares that are traded for under $5 dollars. On average, penny stocks will be sold over-the-counter (OTC). They tend not to be traded in the Major exchanges, but every now and then when a penny stock is able to maintain a value of $1 to $5 a share, it just might get on the New York Stock Exchange.

Penny stocks are great as an affordable way to get involved in the stock market when you have a small amount of capital to invest. Penny stocks are perfect for people who want to practice in the stock market. Once you learn, you can make some pretty nice profit along the way.

How Do I Buy Penny Stocks?

Purchasing penny stocks can be done through your average stockbroker. The only difference is that penny stocks typically aren’t listed on NASDAQ and NYSE, penny stocks get listed on the Over-the-Counter Bulletin Board (OTCBB) or Pink Sheets.

The OTCBB is typically considered the safer avenue to go with when looking to buy penny stocks. The OTCBB has listing requirements that set a standard for what stocks can be traded. Pink Sheets is only a quotation publisher. They are not registered with the U.S, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). It’s important to note that because Pink Sheets are not registered with the SEC, it takes a bit more research to make a sound investment.

Are Penny Stocks Worth it?

They certainly are. Penny stocks are a really good way to learn the market. When you do your research and practice, you should start to see good returns on your investments. The more you practice and follow the market the better your chance of creating a nice nest egg for your future.

A great way to start practicing is by using a stock market simulator. You can start making trades in the real-world marketplace, without using your own capital. Using a simulator will help you get practice and will let you see first hand if you are making the proper investments. This practice is known commonly as Paper Trading, and can really help when you are new to the market.

Where can I Find the Best Penny Stocks? 

When looking for the best penny stocks, Raging Bull is a great website that helps with your research. They have a list of their projections of penny stocks, and plenty of training tools to help get you on your way to becoming a great trader. If you want to know where to find the best penny stocks, I suggest you check them out.