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Chamber U - Business Tips
Article Archives
Handling Customer Complaints: Turning Dissatisfaction Into Revenue
By Giovanni Coratolo
Regardless of how great your product or service is, customers from time to time will complain. Customer complaints range from the strange to the petty. How you address these concerns will either repair a business relationship and guarantee future revenue or summarily end any possibility of further business. In today's competitive world, it is imperative that you and your staff are thoroughly prepared to deal with unhappy customers when they come calling. Here are some suggestions:
Understand Fully the Customer's Concern—Part of the resolution process is demonstrating that you fully understand the costumer's concern. This requires you to listen intently and then restate the problem in your own words to ensure that you and the customer are on the same page.
Don't Be Judgmental—Do not comment on whether you feel the customer is right or wrong. Don't make the legitimacy of the complaint the issue.
Be Professional—No matter how intense a customer may become, it is up to you to be courteous and in control. It is extremely important to eliminate emotion, sarcasm, and other visceral reactions from the discussion.
Solicit the Customer's Solution—Often, the customer will have explained how to resolve the matter. If the customer is vague, ask what it will take to make him or her happy before you offer alternatives.
Provide a Quick Resolution—Resolve problems quickly and painlessly in favor of the customer. The longer the problem takes to resolve, the more difficult the resolution will be. Ensure that you and your staff are trained to resolve problems.
Follow Through—Make sure that you implement your plan immediately.
Close—Thank the customer for his or her business, and ask if there is anything more that you can do.
Resolving complaints is an opportunity for you to reestablish the good will of your organization with valued customers. In many cases, dissatisfied customers are reluctant to or don't take the time to complain—they just don't come back. You want to make it easy for unhappy customers to voice their discontent. With your competitors ready to go the extra mile, it is important to know what your customers are thinking.
Use customer complaints to better understand your business from the eyes of the consumer. Having periodic staff meetings may further your insight into your policies and operations and elevate your organization's proficiency at handling complaints.
When dealing with customer satisfaction, remember the rule of 10: Unhappy customers tell 10 others about their experience.
Business Facilities Outside the Home
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If you are just starting out in business, and you're selecting your first business facility, spend some time to consider what you need from your facility. This process will require a lot of cold, hard planning, as well as some measure of dreaming. (If you didn't have at least a little bit of the dreamer in you, you probably wouldn't be an entrepreneur!)
But if you have been in business for some time (possibly working out of your home) and are now considering moving to a new facility, you may have a good idea about what you need. In this case, you may be ready to decide how to choose the right facility.
Finally, maybe you have a clear picture of your facility needs and have identified one or more potential sites for your business. The next question is often: should you rent or buy? Because important, and complex, tax and cash management issues are tied up in this rent or buy question, many small business owners rely heavily on the advice of their accountant or attorney when making this decision. You may also wish to do so. But even if you do, you should be aware that the decision on the rent or buy question will, down the road, influence other business decisions that go beyond tax and cash management issues.
Tips for Effectively Managing Credit
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Being smart about credit can help your business grow and prosper. The following are some useful reminders on effectively using and managing credit in your business:
Keep Good Records
Never Mix Personal and Business Expenses
Don’t Overextend
Budget Carefully
Monitor Rates
Always Make Payments on Time
Visit www.business.usecreditwisely.com for more information on how to use credit wisely.
Information in this article was provided by CitiBusiness® Credit Cards
Prevention Is Paramount: Addressing Employee Theft
By Giovanni Coratolo, U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Director of Small Business Policy
Many small business owners view their employees as members of their own family. This paternalistic view, however, carries a potential risk—what if your employees are stealing from you? Small businesses are especially vulnerable to employee theft because they generally do not have the resources to oversee staff behavior as do large organizations.
Employee theft is a multibillion-dollar problem affecting businesses of all sizes. According to the 2002 National Retail Security Survey, employee theft costs the retail sector alone more than $15 billion annually. What's more, the report indicates that it's on the rise.
What can you do to prevent employee theft? Consider these commonsense measures:
Conduct Prejob Screening. For a nominal cost you can have a criminal background check and drug test conducted on prospective employees. Issues affecting an employee's honesty are more easily dealt with prior to employment.
Make Policies Clear. Whether you employ a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to stealing or some other code of conduct, your policies must be clear and consistent and included in your employee manual.
Do Not Exempt Management. Remember that you and your managers establish standards for your employees to follow. Set an example of the culture you want to prevail in the organization.
Maintain Good Inventory Procedures. Losses in inventory or supplies can cost a company dearly. Take physical counts of inventory regularly. Abnormal variances will signal problems before they balloon. Knowing the size of the problem will provide a basis for a measured solution.
Implement Internal Checks for All Financial Transactions. Bank statements, returns, deposits, cash-handling procedures, expense reports, vendor relations, and contractor agreements need to be reviewed by more than one person.
Make Theft Difficult. The old adage "theft is 90% opportunity and 10% intent" still holds true. Making it easy for your employees to take company assets invites even the most honest to do so.
Spot Audit Even the Most Trusted Employees. From time to time, reports surface in local papers telling the tale of the most unlikely candidates being convicted of embezzling thousands of dollars from a business. When asked, the owner generally says, "He or she was a great, long-term employee, always on time and concerned about making sure every detail was accounted for. I never thought I had to worry about that end of the business."
Remember, employees are an integral part of your business. Addressing issues of employee theft methodically and strategically helps ensure honest workers who focus their energies in productive ways. Conversely, neglecting this component of business can make you less competitive and, in extreme cases, result in bankruptcy.
Firewalls Protect Your Computer: Stop Hackers and Internet Attacks
By Jaime Sneider
A firewall should be your first line of defense against pernicious hackers trying to access your business’ private information. And compared to the cost of recovering lost data, it is an inexpensive and easy way for you to help protect your electronic infrastructure.
Simply put, a firewall is a system designed to prevent unauthorized access to a private computer or network. Once installed, all activity to and from your computer system and the outside world travels through it, providing a vital opportunity to monitor any suspicious activity. There are two major types of firewalls: software and hardware.
Hardware firewalls are separate pieces of equipment that sit between the Internet connection and the company’s computer network. The software on that equipment is the firewall that filters traffic. In addition to, or in place of, a hardware firewall, you can use a software firewall, which is software loaded onto each computer that screens traffic to and from that particular computer.
Any business that has an always-on connection to the Internet should seriously consider purchasing some kind of firewall. Small business firewall equipment can run as low as $150 and will help you to do the following:
Firewalls can also serve an important auditing function for computer administrators by cataloging Internet traffic. They can record information about break-in attempts that can help pinpoint a hacker’s geographic location and even perhaps identity. Just as many businesses employ security guards to protect their physical premises, they should use firewalls to safeguard their computer system and electronic information.
It may not be necessary to own a firewall if your business uses a dial-up line for Internet access and is connected for only short periods of time. In addition, if your computer network is never connected to the Internet or any other external network, a firewall is superfluous.
You should also keep in mind what firewalls cannot do. They are not a substitute for virus detection software, which should be installed regardless of other security measures. They cannot stop employees from putting sensitive information on a disk and leaving the office with it. And firewalls are not a one-stop solution for everything, but they will help quash certain threats to your business.
Letting Employees Use Your Vehicles
©uschamber.com
Do your employees use company vehicles, or perhaps your personal vehicles, while they are working for you? Are you considering having them do so? If so, or if you think this may fit into your future business plans, here is a six-step process that can help:
Save on Energy Costs at your Business
There are many ways to trim energy costs in your office. Computers, monitors and other equipment all use varying amounts of energy, depending on their features and how they are used. However, you can take steps to minimize your office's energy use. First, make sure you don't leave your computer on when you are not using it. Much of the energy associated with computers is wasted because PCs are often kept on when not in use.
Also, if your computer has a power management feature, make sure that it is enabled so that it enters an energy-saving sleep mode when the computer is inactive. Sleeping equipment still uses some electricity, so always turn your equipment off when it is not being used for long periods of time. When you leave for the night or the weekend make sure that all copiers, computers and lights are turned off. Do not forget about the equipment that may be "hidden" in an out of the way room.
In general, use laptop computers where possible, as they consume 90 percent less energy than desktop computers. Ink-jet printers also consume 90 percent less energy than laser printers.
Switching to ENERGY STAR labeled office equipment can save a considerable amount of money for your business. ENERGY STAR products meet the Environmental Protection Agency's energy efficiency standards. These products enter a low-power sleep mode when not in use and awaken automatically when needed. They also generate less heat than conventional models, so upgrading to ENERGY STAR can lead to reduced cooling costs.
Another important consideration when looking for ways to improve energy efficiency is lighting. Any existing fluorescent fixtures should be retrofit with electronic ballasts and reduced wattage lamps. Electronic ballasts are the most efficient technology. Make sure that the diffuser and reflecting surfaces of the fixture are clean; clouded lenses can reduce the light output.
Occupancy sensors installed in private offices or low traffic areas will help save money by shutting the lights off when the area is unoccupied. You determine the amount of time before the lights will shut off and when you reenter the area the lights will come on automatically. Occupancy sensors work well in break rooms, copy rooms and restrooms, where people have a tendency to walk in and out without shutting the lights off.
Is Price an Issue?
"There is no more customer loyalty."
"The only thing that is important to my customers is price."
"I do quality work but my customers don't care!"
Does this sound like you? Are you constantly trying to get new customers because your old customers disappear? Do your customers complain about price? Is everyone trying to haggle with you?
How important is price in the overall scheme of business?
Remember the yellow dot at Wal-Mart. The thing flies around the store knocking down prices. Wal-Mart advertises all the time that they are low price. But is that the reason people shop there. Partly, but they also have everything that anyone could possibly want in one location. In fact, many items in the store can be bought cheaper elsewhere, if you want to do the shopping around. So convenience becomes a higher priority.
How about Staples? They recently did a survey of customers and price came up as the 14th most important factor in why people shopped there. Service, selection and convenience were far more important.
Take a real look at your own business. How important is price to your customers? Perhaps your perception is off. You have one person come in and complain about how they can get it cheaper some place else and you assume that all your customers feel that way. This is basic "squeaky wheel syndrome." The loud obnoxious person gets your attention and you make decisions based on that person. Most of the time this is a mistake.
A quick true story. My dad owned a supermarket for years. One customer was shopping and loudly proclaiming "I can get this at the Grand Union for 1 cent less." "I can get this at A&P (I'm showing my age) for 2 cents less." My dad finally had had enough of this and said "Then why don't you go to the #$%%^&* Grand Union." She left in a huff. Two weeks later she returned and never complained again. Why? Because Grand Union and A&P could not match his service or quality, and his line at the checkout was much shorter.
"Squeaky Wheel syndrome" might be one reason you think that price is the only factor people use. There is another possibility. What are you communicating to your customers? Are you telling your customers that price is most important factor in your business.
Do your advertisements emphasize price? Do you have big SALE signs all around your store or office? Do you dicker on the price when the customer shows any resistance? If so you should possibly rethink your actions.
Consider this. Trying to be the low cost provider is a ticket to bankruptcy. If price is all that you emphasize, then all someone else has to do is undercut your price and you lose. If you are in retail, you cannot compete with Wal-Mart when you purchase your product. Often they can sell it for less than you can buy it for and they still make a profit on it. Even if you can sell it for less than Wal-Mart, everyone thinks that Wal-Mart is cheaper and thus will shop there instead of your place.
What can you do? Try differentiating yourself in some other way. Service is the first one to come to mind.
Have you ever gone into those huge "cheaper" stores? Spend twenty minutes looking for what you want and then try to find someone who can help you. And God forbid if you have a technical question. You will have no problem out servicing Wal-Mart or any of the big boys.
In small business you have to know your stuff to survive. You need to be able to find what the customer wants quickly and, more important, you need to be able to translate what the customer says into what the customer wants. Try asking the question "Do you have a doohickey that will let me put a wire over a beam and then up a wall" at a warehouse store. Then try at your local hardware store.
The key to success in small business is service. If you provide stellar service, you can charge higher prices. However, you need to define service from the customer's point of view not your own. You may feel that the brake job you do is the best in the world. The customer will feel that every mechanic should do the same great job. They might define quality as the ride you gave them to work or the call you made to them before you did the work. They might define quality as how quickly you answered the phone or that the coffee was fresh not two hours old. It's the customer's definition of quality that counts.
I know many plumbers and electricians. They all do a great technical job. The successful ones have a couple of things in common, they all return phone calls and live up to their promises. The successful ones charge more than the average ones. That is how they differentiate themselves.
So when that difficult customer wants you to cut your price, your response should be "You can get it cheaper elsewhere but here is why you will get a better value here." Then show them why your service, guarantee, after sale response etc will make their life easier.
So is price the most important factor in small business. NO. Find a way to make yourself the premier provider of your service or product and charge accordingly.
Low Cost Marketing and Design Tips
At this time of year, every organization, large or small, needs to reassess their business plan for the upcoming year. You will notice a lot of your budget goes towards marketing and communication. Below are ten tips on keeping your firms marketing materials effective, but keeping costs low. Tips focus on Target Audiences, plus Design and Printing. These ten ideas will help you keep your budget on track and your sales generation high.
Think of your Target Audience:
Design and Printing Ideas
As you can tell from these varied tips, there isn't one way to save a lot on your budget. The old adage says, "You need to spend money to make money". That doesn't mean you shouldn't plan wisely for each marketing piece and how it fits your overall plan. You can save a little bit in a lot of areas that will add up to a lot for your overall budget.
Picking the Right Password: Don’t Have a False Sense of Security
Choosing a password is tricky business. On the one hand, it has to be something that’s easy to remember. On the other hand, it can’t be obvious to everyone who knows you. If you’re not the only one using business computers, make sure that your employees realize the need for strong passwords when they are hired. After all, protecting your computer system requires cooperation from everyone on your team. One poorly chosen password can render the entire computer network susceptible to attack.
Below is a list of important tips to keep in mind when selecting a password:
A well-designed computer system can prompt employees to follow these tips. During orientation, employees should be told to always change default passwords and initial access passwords. Also, consider talking to your system administrator about requiring strong passwords by automatically testing passwords opted by employees against certain criteria. Further, passwords can be set to expire after a certain length of time, requiring you and your employees to change them routinely.
Recycling Your Obsolete Computers: Say Goodbye—Legally—to Old Equipment
Out with the old, in with the new. It’s no problem if you’re talking about the New Year—but it could be a problem if you’re talking about replacing your old computers.
The average life of a computer is three years—suggesting that more than 300 million personal computers will need to be recycled over the next four years, according to a National Safety Council study. A large number of those computers are collecting dust in closets and basements. Others are sent to landfills, while some are donated to schools and nonprofit groups or sold for parts.
With the number of computers in use increasing each year, disposing of old ones properly is becoming a pressing concern for businesses. Under Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) guidelines, disposal of business computers can be regulated under “hazardous waste” rules, while home computers are exempt. In fact, the business that generates the waste is responsible for it, especially since computers contain parts such as cathode ray tubes, mercury, and lead that are considered hazardous materials under EPA guidelines. Even with federal guidelines in place, laws vary widely from state to state.
Instead of sending old computers to landfills, businesses often donate them to nonprofit organizations, low-income individuals, and schools. There’s incentive to do so. Since 1998, the 21st Century Classrooms Act for Private Technology Investment allows companies that donate used computers to KĐ12 schools to deduct their full purchase costs from their adjusted gross incomes. The act applies to computers that are less than two years old.
Donating computers—while a worthy cause—delays the issue of disposal. That’s why companies specializing in recycling old computer parts have sprung up throughout the country. Microchips and circuit boards can be reused, some of the precious metals can be harvested and resold, and plastic casings may be ground up for future use.
Computer manufacturers are getting into the recycling habit as well by hosting special “Take Back” programs to accept old computers. Most programs require users to ship the computers at their cost and pay a small fee for the process.
Recycling computer parts isn’t without risk, however. Hard drives that aren’t cleaned properly could contain sensitive bits of information, such as personal or financial information. In fact, financial institutions are required by law to safeguard sensitive information from its creation to its deletion.
That’s why EPA warns, “to minimize potential liability, businesses must use due diligence to ensure ... computers are disposed of properly.
Does Your Business Need an Estate Plan?
by Maura Capriccio, AXA Advisors, LLC
For more information, please contact Maura Capriccio at 978-692-1554 or email maura.capriccio@axa-advisors.com.
AXA Advisors, LLC does not provide legal or tax advice. Please consult your tax or legal advisor regarding your individual situation.
Maura Capriccio offers securities through AXA Advisors, LLC(memberNAS,SIPC) 1290 Avenue of the Americas, New York,NY 212-314-4600 an doffers annuity and insurance products through an insurance brokerage affiliate ,AXA Network, LLC and its subsidiaries.
For most business owners, their most valuable asset is their business. But too many business owners fail to have an estate plan that includes their business. Knowing how your business assets will eventually be passed on can provide you with a sense of security for your family.
Some businesses can be sold-but you need to have an idea of its worth in order to include the value in your estate plan. Some businesses can be passed on to others-employees, partners or family members. In such cases, there needs to be a way to liquidate your share for the benefit of you and your heirs. Another aspect of business estate planning is to protect the business from a principal's untimely death or disability, so that it can continue to operate and provide income until a successor is in place.
The main goals of creating an estate plan for your business are:
Before deciding on estate planning strategies, it is useful to consider the type of business you have. Different types of business organizations are treated differently for estate planning purposes.
Types of Business Organizations
A general partnership is formed when two or more people begin a profit-making activity with or without a formal agreement. A general partnership, like a sole proprietorship, does not shield the individual partners from the liabilities of the partnership. Upon the death of one partner, the business is typically dissolved.
A limited partnership is formed using specific statutory guidelines. Although tax implications are similar to a general partnership, there are differences. A limited partner is inactive in the business and has limited liability, up to the amount of their investment. A general partner exercises broad management functions and is personally liable on behalf of the partnership.
Corporations are separate legal entities, distinct from the people who own their stock. For instance, if a shareholder decides to dispose of stock or dies, the corporation continues to function independently. This is different from a partnership which is dissolved upon the death of one of the owners. In addition, company stock is regarded as an asset, since shares that are owned by the deceased are included in their estate.
A Limited Liability Corporation (LLC) combines some of the features of a partnership and a corporation. A LLC will continue to operate even upon the death of an owner.
No matter what type of company you have ownership in, it is important to understand the related estate tax consequences and to plan accordingly. A little planning today could go a long way in helping alleviate future tax problems for you and your estate, and asset distribution headaches for your heirs and partners. Creating a proper estate plan requires careful planning and input from trained legal, tax and financial professionals
Fight Phishing: Don't Get Hooked by Fake E-Mail
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Online financial transactions are becoming more commonplace every day. Unfortunately, incidents of online fraud are as well. Committing online fraud using forged e-mails has become so rampant that it has spawned its own term-phishing.
Phishing works by using authentic looking but fraudulent, or "spoofed," e-mails that appear to come from legitimate sources. By asking you to reply with details such as your bank account, PIN, or Social Security number, or username and password, to your online accounts, phishers try to get you to reveal sensitive personal information.
Increasingly, phishing involves e-mails that, instead of asking you to send information, include a link to a copycat Web site that mimics every detail of the entity that the messages are pretending to represent. The e-mails then instruct you to click on the link and log in to "your account" on this fraudulent Web site in order to "update" or "verify" information. In reality, the phishers capture that data and then use it to log in to your real account and drain it dry, or to steal your identity.
One way to protect yourself from being exploited by these attacks is not to click on links or attachments in e-mails that ask you to provide any type of information about, or access to, any of your accounts.
If you're unsure whether an e-mail is genuine, type in the Web address of the site you want directly into your browser's address bar. Do not copy the URL included in the suspect e-mail-use a search engine to find the correct address if you're not sure what it is. Beyond protecting yourself from phishing scams, if you use e-mail to communicate with your customers-especially if you conduct any type of online commerce-you also need to take steps to protect them. Make sure that you never ask your clients to send account information via e-mail and tell them that's your policy.
Electronic communications are still a great way to keep in touch with your customers- just remember to avoid putting them in a situation where they have to wonder if an e-mail that comes from you is real or fake.
E-mail is extremely easy to forge, and today no responsible institution relies on it to gather or verify personal or account information. Recognizing that fact can help you-and your customers-separate legitimate e-mails from fraudulent ones and keep everyone safe from being hooked by phishers.
Protect Customer Information: Data Security Should Be Standard
By Ricardo Harvin
On June 1, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued a new rule under the existing Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act of 2003 (FACTA) that requires businesses--small and large--and individuals to dispose of sensitive information derived from consumer reports. Under the new FACTA Disposal Rule, if you use consumer reports--including customer credit reports, employee background checks, or tenant histories--you are now obligated to dispose of this information using methods that are deemed “reasonable and appropriate.”
This new rule is intended to help protect consumer data and prevent identity theft, and it applies to the disposal of both paper and electronic information. However, the rule neither contains provisions for how consumer report information should be stored nor places restrictions on how long it should be kept.
Even if you don’t use consumer report information and your records aren’t specifically covered under the rule, now is a good time to review how you handle all the customer--and employee--data you gather.
Practices to Follow
Make sure you limit access to information only to those people in your company who need it and only for the period of time required. Nonemployees should never have unsupervised access to your customer or employee records.
Despite the real threat of theft by outsiders, in most cases when company information is stolen, it involves either someone working for the victimized company or a nonemployee who has access to areas where that data is stored.
If you store your information electronically, at a minimum, you should use strong passwords to lock your files. Your passwords should include both numbers and letters--but not words that can be found in a dictionary. For maximum security, you should also use a strong encryption program to turn the information in your files into code that can’t be deciphered without the correct key.
While the new FTC rule tells you how to dispose of consumer report information, protecting your company’s data each step of the way should be an everyday part of how you do business.
And if you don’t think that protecting consumer information needs to be a standard part of doing business, just think of all the places that have your credit card and other financial data--don’t you want them to handle your information with the same amount of care?
Selecting the Right Accountant
By Stan Harrell, Senior Vice President, CFO, U.S. Chamber of Commerce
Picking an accountant can be as important as picking a partner. Your accountant will know all your financial secrets and will represent you and your business on major transactions.
Accountants come in all shapes and sizes. Some of them never do taxes. Some are bookkeepers with no formal training. Many are CPAs, but you don't have to be a CPA to be good with taxes. Some are authorized to work directly with the IRS and to file electronically. And some of them aren't boring!
So how do you choose an accountant? It helps to follow these steps:
Get recommendations from your business peers and advisors. Reputation really does matter. A reputable accountant with experience in your type and size of business is key to success.
Determine what services you want your accountant to provide. The range of services accountants offer varies widely and includes bookkeeping; advice on major transactions; income taxes; financial planning; and representation before banks, the IRS, and other agencies.
Research the candidates. Call the candidates. Was their telephone demeanor professional? Ask for brochures and firm profiles. How long did it take to receive the information you requested? Is the material clear, compelling, and well written? Does the information show that the candidates are experienced in the areas you need? Finally, do they come across like people you would want to represent you?
Meet the candidates. Call and set up an hour-long appointment with at least three candidates. Any accountant seeking to earn your business will agree to meet you free of charge. Here are some of the questions for which you need answers:
Finally, get three references and call them. If there are no references, move on. When making your final decision, choose someone with whom you feel a personal chemistry.
Tax Consequences of Buying a Vehicle
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Once you've made the decision that you need a vehicle for your business, our first recommendation is that you try to conserve your capital by converting a vehicle you already own to partial or full-time use in your business.
Remember this: vehicles generally depreciate in value and are poor investments in and of themselves. If you are the owner of a new business, whatever capital you have should be put into the things that will most directly generate revenue - and that usually won't include a new car.
At some point, nearly every business owner will have to consider purchasing, leasing, or otherwise obtaining a vehicle. Before you purchase a vehicle, becoming familiar with the following tax matters may help you save money:
U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Director of Small Business Policy
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It is important to keep track of what you owe for credit cards, bank loans, mortgages, and other debt. Good records help ensure that you don’t take on more debt than you can safely afford to repay.
Separate business and personal expenses by getting a credit card and credit lines that are for business purposes only.
Keep careful tabs on your debt, especially credit card debt, to make sure that your debt-to-asset and debt-to-cash ratios stay within manageable levels.
Sensible use of credit requires accurate budgeting. As your level of indebtedness increases, your monthly payments will increase as well. Proper budgeting lets you anticipate levels of indebtedness and plan your monthly payments.
Be careful to select credit cards, loans, and other debt facilities for your business that offer advantageous interest rates.
Late payments, besides damaging your credit rating, can put you in default on some types of loans. This, in turn, can cause your cost of borrowing to soar.
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©uschamber.com
By Jennifer Pederson, Littleton Electric Light & Water
By Thomas Arrison, CPA
By Lisa Schipelliti-Marble, Rose & Marble Design
©uschamber.com
For each computer and account you use, you should have a unique password. Therefore, if one password is cracked, the entire system will not be compromised. Also, don’t use your login name.
You should not write down your password or share it with anyone. If you need to write it down, store the paper in a secure location such as a locked file cabinet, not under your keyboard where anyone can find it.
Do not use dictionary words, common names, and birthdays. Consider using a combination of letters, both uppercase and lowercase; numbers; and punctuation marks. Otherwise your system will be vulnerable to programs designed by hackers that can automate entry of every word in the dictionary.
Reversing, capitalizing, or doubling a piece of easily identifiable personal information may sound like a clever plan, but it’s all too common. As a result, it won’t trip up anyone dead set on penetrating your computer system.
Password lengths can vary, but the longer the better. Construct the password using a pattern so that you can remember it without having to write it down to jog your memory.
by Andrea Hofelich
©uschamber.com
Sole proprietorship. The simplest business organization is a sole proprietorship - one individual owns and controls the entire business. A sole proprietorship is not a separate entity; therefore, any debts, liabilities or losses of the business are the personal liabilities of the owner. Alternately, any income generated passes directly to the owner who is responsible for paying state and federal income taxes. If a business is a sole proprietorship, it passes into the owner's estate upon death. All business property and effects will pass through the estate; any debts become debts of the estate and income becomes an asset of the estate.
©uschamber.com
©uschamber.com
For every business owner, there comes a time when the old vehicle will no longer suffice. Or, perhaps this is the year that you need a special purpose vehicle such as a delivery truck or van.
Save Money
