You’re running a small business, and while keeping all of your business services in-house can be convenient, it may be best to outsource occasionally. For example, you want to create an online video for your YouTube campaign. Sure, Steve may be handy with his new video camera, but he’s better at closing the deal on your sales team. So it doesn’t make much sense to have him as your video developer too.

Today, we’d like to give you a few of our tips to help create a partnership between you and another vendor that will last for years to come.

Get On the Same Page
Before you start work with a vendor or service provider, you’ll want to make sure you both have the same end goal and shared vision. If you are not clear upfront, then things can go awry very fast.

Set Up Guidelines
This is when you’ll want to lay out any parameters with the project at hand. Such parameters may include financial payment, timing of delivery, or overall budget. Both parties should be in agreement with all of the parameters before any work takes place.

Handle Disagreements Effectively
You’re likely to come across some disagreements throughout your partnership, but to make your partnership last over time, it’s important to properly handle any disagreements effectively. This also means addressing any issues early on. Don’t let bad feelings compile and simmer over time. Be upfront about disagreements and let each party know that they are welcome to approach the other when an issue needs to be addressed.

Understand Their Culture
Culture is very important to the survival and success of every small business, but not every business shares the same culture. It’s what makes them unique. When partnering with another business, you’ll want to have a good grasp of their culture. Are they laid back? Do they work from home, during odd hours? Do they email or do they prefer talking on the phone? All of this will help you better communicate during any projects and help make the process easier.

Building a solid partnership does not happen over night. It takes time to build and nurture, but if done right, a business partnership with another local business can be very helpful in the success of your business.

What experience do you have with partnering with other local businesses? Did it go well, or did it leave a sour taste in your mouth? 

Remember those Capital One identity theft commercials? They were pretty humorous, right? Unfortunately, when your identity becomes stolen, you won’t be smiling. Take it from us. Our business was recently the victim of identity fraud.

A few months ago, we first noticed an enormous amount of product was invoiced from one of our vendors. After further investigation, we realized it was a fraudulent order that was never authorized. Soon after, more fraudulent invoices from additional vendors came streaming into our accounting department. It was at this time we knew we had a problem.

In our case, a scammer obtained one of our credit applications, which was illegally authorized with our President’s signature. The scammer was then able to use the credit application to falsely represent themselves as Wasp, setting up fake reference accounts, faxes, and emails. Thankfully, our team quickly caught these fraudulent charges and was able to take action and contact the authorities.

It’s been a rough few months, but thanks to the help of the local authorities and implementation of additional safety precautions, we are confident that this issue has been resolved.

We were victim of identity theft, but there are a number of methods scammers can use to prey on your small business. Here are a few common scams to look out for.

1. Phishing Email
Each day, business owners are inundated with thousands of emails. When you’re scanning your inbox, you may come across an email soliciting you with information or may even be pretending to be a reputable company you’ve done business with in the past. Even if the email claims to be from a government agency, NEVER click on a link within the email. Always follow up by contacting the agency or business directly via phone or website.

2. Data Breach
Whether your employees are working from the office or the comforts of their homes, it’s important to keep your business data secure. Sensitive business data can seep into the wrong hands mistakenly through negligence, tricky hackers, or a disgruntled employee.

3. Directory Scam
One of the oldest scams that still plague small businesses today are directory scams. Scammers prey on small businesses and pretend to be an online directory or involved with the Yellow Pages. The business will provide sensitive information only to find out later they were billed for fake ads or listings in the Yellow Pages.

To better shed some light on the topic of corporate identity fraud, and help prevent your small business from becoming a victim to any number of scams, we’re providing you with six (6) tips to better protect your company’s identity.

1. Educate Employees
Employee education is key in preventing small business fraud. The more you can inform your employees of the warning signs of fraudulent activities, the better off your business will be in safe guarding against malicious attacks. Whether your employees handle management, finances, or accounting, here are a few essential red flags of fraud to look for.

2. Conduct a Thorough Background Check
Before hiring any new personnel, be sure your HR department conducts a comprehensive background check by confirming with references. But don’t just stop there, to ensure your new hire is trustworthy and credible, you’ll also want to run checks on past employment, criminal history, education certificates, and even credit history.

3.  Dispose Sensitive Documents Properly
Much like handling your personal identity, a business contains documents with sensitive financial and employee identification information. When disposing of such documents, be sure to use a paper shredder or storing them in a locked and secure container. Throwing out an old employee’s computer? Take the appropriate safeguards to wipe the internal hardrive of important documents before properly recycling or disposing of the device.

4. Make Changes to Important Documents
It’s important to properly dispose of sensitive business documents, but it is just as important to make changes to sensitive documents, especially if you fall victim to business fraud. In our case, it was encouraged that we remove any document with an authorized signature preprinted on it. In addition, Detective Kimberly Neal of the Plano Police Department recommended, “[changing] the format, font, color, and even the styling of all external documents.” Ultimately, the idea is to make it as difficult as possible for anyone to take or steal from your business.

5. Verify, Verify, Verify
The biggest lesson learned from our unfortunate run in with scammers was to verify everything. Always check where the credit application is being sent. Be sure to look for odd addresses and never ship to a home address. When working with outside vendors, it’s important to have them verify orders before they move forward with shipment.

6. Properly Manage Your Assets
According to a 2010 study from the ACFE (Association of Certified Fraud Examiners), 90% of occupational frauds stem from asset misappropriation, which is the abuse, misuse, or theft of office assets. One sub-category of asset misappropriation includes non-cash assets, such as inventory, intellectual property, supplies, and fixed assets. To better track your inventory and manage your business assets, we suggest tracking your assets with an automated asset management system.

To further educate you on small business fraud, we’ve provided a few shareable tips and facts. Just click the “share” link and you can do your part to raise awareness on small business fraud.

- On average, fraudulent scams will last 18 months before being detected – Share

- The average fraudulent loss for a small business is $150,000 – Share

- Avoid identity theft by removing all documents with anyone’s signature preprinted on them. – Share

- Never use your date of birth as a security measure, such as a password or pin code. – Share

Thanks to our friends at the Plano Police Department and here for the helpful information.

Small business fraud is not 100% preventable, but with careful attention to details, and implementing the appropriate safeguards, you can lower the risk of attack.

Have you or your business experienced identity fraud? What precautions or security measures did you implement afterwards?

Today we’d like to outline our top 5 small business productivity-inducing tech inventions.

1. The Internet

Probably seen as the greatest technological achievements in the modern era, the Internet has enabled businesses to work more efficiently than ever imagined. Businesses are now able to affordably build custom websites, enabling them to market their products and services to the masses. In addition to marketing on a large scale, the Internet is the driving force behind how we as business owners better communicate with one another.

2. The Transistor

You love keeping up with the latest small business tips and news with Buzz, right? Well, you’d better thank the transistor, because this post would not be available without it. The invention of the transistor, the tiny device used to amplify electronic signals in almost every piece of technology, is the brainchild behind many small business technologies used everyday. From the tablet and the smartphone you carry in your pocket to such tech giants like Google (Gmail anyone?), the digital world we live in would not be possible without this tiny, yet powerful device.

3. Cloud Storage

The notion of storing business data in the cloud is a bit hard to chew. However, this technology is continuing to propel small businesses forward, further increasing productivity on a daily basis. Need to get that report finished before tomorrow morning? Simply upload it to one of the many data storage services before leaving the office, and finish it later that evening, anywhere, anytime.

4. IEEE 802.16

What’s IEEE 802.16? Much like Wi-Fi, IEEE 802.16 can wirelessly transmit Internet access up to 30-miles with connection speeds similar to DSL. Introduced in 2002, this advancement has allowed businesses to access email, Internet, and other online communication services while on the go. No longer do you need to be tethered to your office to turn that to-do list into a to-done list.

5. The Barcode

While we’re accustomed to seeing barcodes everyday, most of us don’t give much thought to how barcodes work, or how they can increase productivity in our business.  The barcode is being used in nearly every type of industry to replace manual data entry. From asset tracking and inventory control to POS systems, the barcode can be applied to many applications for boosting office efficiency.

Well there you have it. We’ve listed our top 5 productivity-inducing inventions that have helped shape small businesses over time. What technological advancement tops your list? Drop us a comment below and let us know what has helped to improve your small business!

If you haven’t been bombarded by sub-par résumés, you surely will now. The floodgates have been opened, as job-thirsty college graduates are free from being tethered to a textbook. So how do you and your small business handle this influx of résumés, and weed out only the best? Today, we’ve listed a few of our tips for what you should look for when recent grads come knocking.

1. Interview, Interview, Interview
We can’t stress enough how important multiple interviews are when finding the perfect job candidate. Not just for any qualified candidate, but especially those coming right out of school. We suggest bringing in a group of individuals you feel fit the job description, then invite back a handful of those you think deserve another round. Each interview session should be more focused on the job tasks at hand. Eventually, you’ll have it narrowed down to two or three all-star candidates.

2. Forget GPA
Sure, there’s no doubt a job candidate with an average GPA of 2.89 is likely less qualified than one averaging a 3.79. However, don’t rely solely on an individual’s academic achievements. It’s important to find those with passion. If a recent college graduate shows drive and enthusiasm for the position you are offering, then he or she will benefit you and your company far more than someone who had their head buried in a book for four or more years.

3. Do Your Research
A job candidate may list three references for you to contact, but it’s likely these were heavily biased. Why not do a bit of your own homework? Find out which classes the individual attended in school, and contact the appropriate professors. You’ll likely get an unbiased opinion of their work ethic and professional knowledge.

Have you had experience with hiring recent graduates in the past? What factors did you look for when making the hiring decision? Drop us a comment below and let us know!

Step 1: Conduct an Assessment

Just as you would with any other plan, you’ll need to first start with assessing your needs. What kind of budget do you have? Can you afford a few treadmills or weight benches? Also conduct a poll of your employees regarding their lifestyle. Such questions could include:

• Are you a smoker?
• Do you exercise regularly?
• What are other hereditary health risk factors?

All of these questions will help you identify and address the needs of your employees, and the type of wellness program you should implement.

Step 2: Develop the Plan

Once you’ve gathered your information, it’s time to create a plan that is best suited for your employees. Include activities that will address any current health issues, and include objectives/goals that should be met. Once the plan has been developed and put into action, employees will be providing feedback (positive and negative) along the way. For this, it’s important to keep the plan flexible. To give you a better idea of some activities you can implement, here are a few suggestions:

• Walking Club
• Company Golf Outing (encourage participants to walk, not ride)
• Provide discount access to a local gym
• Educate your employees on healthy eating
• Fitness Challenge (track weight-loss and award those who reach their goals)

Step 3: Take Action

Now that you’ve created a wellness plan, it’s time to take action. During this time track your progress and measure any successes or failures. You’re not likely to get it right the first time, but if you’re willing to adapt, your employees will be much more appreciative and willing to participate.

Your wellness program does not have to be complex. The idea is to encourage your employees to live a happy and healthy lifestyle. After all, those who are happy tend to be more productive, right?

Have you had experience implementing a wellness program into your small business? What activities did you incorporate? Was it successful? Let us know by dropping us a comment below.

Today’s guest post is brought to us by Andy Stewart, Security Services Manager at Fusion Alliance.

The world of technology is always evolving and as the technologies used by businesses evolve, so do the security treats and challenges surrounding that technology.

With high profile attacks by hacker-activist groups, the increasing monetization of cyber attacks by organized crime and increase industry regulations, it’s sometimes hard to keep up with everything going on in information security. However, computer security affects any SMB with a website, online database or computer.

For that reason, here are seven information security buzzwords every small business owner should know…

1. Cloud Security
Cloud security is a component of computer security which deals with the policies, technologies, and controls put into place to protect data, applications, and the associated infrastructure of cloud computing.

2. Bring-Your-Own-Device (BYOD)
Bring-Your-Own-Device is a term used to describe the phenomenon of employees using personal devices for work activities. This includes not only laptops, but smart phones and tables as well. BYOD often presents security problems for businesses, because the same measures used to secure company computers are often not taken to secure personal devices.

3. Botnets
A botenet (also known as a Zombie Army or Command-and-Control channel) is a group of compromised Internet-connected computers that allows a person or entity to remotely issue commands. Botnets can be used for malicious activities including: spreading viruses, spending spam and using DoS attacks to crash servers.

4. Typosquatting
Typosquatting occurs when a person or entity registers multiple domain names similar to a legitimate origination’s website, with the goal of tricking visitors who have mistyped that web address. In some cases, these sites are also designed to look very similar to the legitimate site. As a result, visitors may share information with the scam site without even realizing.

5. Clickjacking
Clickjacking is a malicious script used to redirect Internet users to a destination other than what they see displayed or issue a command other than what they’ve intended. The danger of clickjacking is that it can cause users to reveal confidential information or even allow an outside entity to take over that computer.

6. Hacktivism
Popularized by groups such as Anoymous and LulzSec, hacktivism is the act of using technology to gain unauthorized access to data in order to support a specific cause.

7. Defense-in-Depth
Defense-in-depth is a term used to describe a series of security countermeasures that protect an organization’s information assets. Examples of security countermeasures include: security policies, firewalls and antivirus software.

What security concerns are you facing in 2012? What measures have you taken to secure your company’s data?

About the Author:

Andy Stewart heads the Security Services disciplines at Fusion Alliance, a company that specializes in technology-enabled business solutions. To learn more about Fusion Alliance, please visit: http://FusionAlliance.com

Before your precious data gets into the wrong hands, we’ve provided a few simple precautions to further secure your employees’ mobile devices.

1. Determine Who Needs Access

Everybody in your small business should not automatically receive access to everything on the network. Scan the departments and employees to verify who and who does not need remote access. From there, delegate the appropriate access capabilities to those individuals.

2. Enforce Keypad Securities

This is especially important for protecting against lost or stolen mobile devices. If your employees are traveling frequently for business, there’s a chance they may mistakenly leave their phone or tablet somewhere in an airport, train station, or taxi. Sensitive data such as emails, contacts, and meeting notes could potentially be at risk. To ensure this doesn’t happen, make it a priority for all employees protect their mobile device with a secure login.

3. Provide Proper Training

Sometimes employees know how to send a text, post a message to Facebook, or download an app, but securing their device is completely foreign to them. While we’ve outlined a few areas, it’s best to provide your employees with the proper security training.

Mobile devices do not need to be a curse for your IT department and small business. By embracing this trend, you’re sure to keep your employees happy. Just remember to evaluate each employee’s needs and take the appropriate action to secure their mobile devices.

Have you encountered problems with your employees’ mobile devices? Share your experience with us below!

This invisible, yet glorious notion of storing and sharing business data has grown immensely and can be a bit overwhelming. You’re likely asking yourself, “Which service is best for me and my small business?” Well, you’re in luck. There are a number of paid and free services at your disposal. Today, we’ve outlined which options are best suited for you and your small business.

Freebies:

It’s important to remember that you are getting what you pay for. Often times free services will limit you in file upload size. While they may offer 2 or 3GB in storage, you may be limited to uploading files that are under 1GB. Below are a few of our favorite free services.

WeTransfer (2GB limit)

WeTransfer keeps things simple. Have a video you need to share with a client or maybe a PowerPoint Presentation? With WeTransfer, you simply choose the file you would like to send or share, enter the client’s email address, compose a short message, and the file is instantly transferred straight to their inbox. Not sure if it was received? WeTransfer has you covered. In addition to receiving your an email notification that the file was sent, you’ll receive notification as soon as the file has been downloaded.

File Dropper (5GB limit)

Similar to WeTransfer, File Dropper ups the ante by allowing up to a 5GB data transfer limit with no registration necessary. Once the file(s) have been sent, File Dropper sends a URL that links directly to the file, as well as html code to insert into your website or blog.

Google Docs (1-20MB upload limit / 1GB of storage)

Google Documents is a great way to quickly and efficiently share information with clients and co-workers. You’re allowed up to 1GB of free storage space, but files converted to Google Documents’ format cannot be larger than 2MB. Generally, Word documents and Excel spreadsheets are common formats for upload. This service also allows for the creation of presentations, which can be up to 10MB – or 200 slides!

Paid Services:

Paid services often go the extra mile and offer you bonus options. Such options could include file encryption, FTP access, 2GB+ file uploads, or no-expiration dates for file storage. Below we’ve highlighted a few of our favorite paid data transfer/storage options.

Streamfile (2GB via web, 30GB via FTP)

At a mere $5 per month, Streamfile handles uploads up to 2GB through its web-based service and a whopping 30GB to those transferring data through its FTP application. With the paid version, you’ll not be susceptible to advertisements, and all of your files are safely transferred with a 256-bit encryption.

Dropbox (50GB / 100GB)

You’re likely familiar with Dropbox. In fact, its free version is great if you’re planning on sharing and storing files less than 2GB. For those who are looking for a bit more, you can upgrade to the premium account for $10 or $20. The $10 option will give you 50GB. Doubling your monthly payment will also double your storage limits.

Gigasize (No limit)

At no upload limit and a monthly rate as low as $10, Gigasize is an absolute must on our list of file storage solutions for your small business. In addition, Gigasize throws in many of the handy features mention above, such as file encryption, and up to 1TB of online data storage.

Determining which route you should go is up to you and your small business’ needs. Many times a free service such as WeTransfer will be suffice, but know that there are low-cost options available if needed.

Are you currently using a file sharing service for your small business? Let us know which option you prefer in our comments below!

Today’s guest post is brought to us by Daniel Cassady.

Do you feel like your business is not being taken seriously? Often all it takes are a few small missteps on your part to make your business seem amateurish.

If you want to be in the ring with the heavyweights, you need to train like a heavy weight, and for small business owners, that has everything to do with branding and customer service.

Here are 7 tips to consider so you’re not giving off a rinky-dink vibe that may send customers away.

Website

Every business needs to have a website, no question about it. And while most businesses do, not everyone understands the need for that website to be professional, relevant, and speak to your intended audience. A landing page smeared haphazardly with text and photos doesn’t cut it anymore. Your site needs to be organized and easy to navigate with clearly visible logos in the same place on every page.

Blog

You do have a blog right? These days businesses are speaking to their customers through social media – especially blogs. Try to think of it this way, if your website is the all professional marketing machine, your blog is it’s little brother, more playful, but equally effective in attracting, and keeping business.

Your blog is the place where you will give your customers personal updates on new products, tips and how-to videos. It’s the place your customers will go to get in touch with each other and share stories about how amazing your company really is. Don’t have a blog? It’s time to get one.

Social Media

Do not ignore the validity of social media! Just like a blog, you need to be linked into social media sites to show prospective clients that you understand the importance of reaching customers how they want to be reached. There are a slew of sites to choose from these days, and I admit that it can be a headache trying to keep up with all the posting you may end up having to do. I suggest starting with the big two, Facebook and Twitter, and going from there.

Branding

Branding. Probably my least favorite buzzword of the last ten years. There’s no way around it. The fact is that businesses that have a strong brand identity are simply easier to recognize, and therefore easier to remember than businesses that don’t. Now, branding doesn’t have to be all that difficult. My advice is to spend the extra money to hire a professional illustrator or designer to create a logo for your business. Trust me, it will be money well spent. Once the logo is created, make sure it’s on every page of your website, blog and on your printed business cards (yes, you need printed business cards). Have your designer stick to one or two colors, and be sure to communicate throughout the design process.  That way, you don’t end up with a logo you don’t like.

Communication

Staying on top of your correspondence is incredibly important no matter what the size of your business. If a customer reaches out to you with a question and you delay the answer, there is a good chance that the customer will lose faith in your company and your product. The same goes for comments on your blog. Think about the last time you called the credit card company or the cable company. Not so much fun to be put on hold is it? A little courtesy goes a long way.

Newsletter

Not everyone has the time to check your website or blog for updates. Adding a newsletter to your marketing strategy is a great way to keep your customers “in the know.” Now, if you already have a newsletter, make sure you’re doing it right. Never buy an email list from someone else. Not only will it look unprofessional to start sending emails to people who haven’t asked for them, there is a good chance that you could get in trouble for spamming. Your best bet is to start your own list using the double opt in method. A simple Google search of the words “double opt in newsletter” will pull up any number of articles that show you the ways to build a strong email list.

Put Yourself In The Customers Shoes

Running a small business is hard work, there is no doubt about it. The best advice I can give to the small business owner is to turn the tables and imagine that you are the customer. Peruse your website, blog and social media profiles. Would you do business with your company?

About the Author:

Daniel Cassady is an experienced freelancer, guest blogger, and frequent contributor to a blog hosted by Benchmark Email, on the world’s global email marketing providers.