Igloo Software: Cloud Collaboration That Scales With Businesses

Igloo Software: Cloud Collaboration That Scales With Businesses
Work Is Easier When You’re Motivated
Doing Business As (DBA) Filing: Sole Proprietorship
Take Advantage of Pinterest’s “Buying Intent”
Facebook Woos Small Biz, Merchants Reluctant

Posted: 23 Oct 2012 01:00 PM PDT

It's no secret that cloud computing and mobile technology have changed the way modern workplaces operate. But with so many cloud-based collaboration tools available, businesses can have a hard time choosing the solution that works best for their company's needs, current size, and growth potential.

Igloo Software is a cloud-based collaboration tool that prides itself on adapting and scaling with businesses as they grow and change needs. The company also has a number of improvements changes and additions in the works, including stronger integration options with email providers, social task management, and secure instant messaging.

The company has already enacted a number of features that could be helpful for small business users, including drag and drop sharing, document reviews and approvals, editorial workflows, permission settings, and more.

Andrew Dixon, Igloo's Senior Vice President of mMarketing and Operations, says:

"For any small business owner, it is inevitable that operations are limited – so they need a versatile tool that will scale with them as their business grows. With Igloo being 100% cloud based, employees of a small business will have the advantage of being able to access work anytime, and anywhere."

This isn't a brand new concept. Both startups and large companies like Google have give businesses plenty of options to collaborate in the cloud. But Dixon said that Igloo's platform is different because it caters specifically to business users and it can be customized to fit the needs of a particular team. He also said that this type of technology can completely change the way workplaces operate, and make accomplishing tasks and collaborating much easier for employees and business owners alike:

"The virtualization of work is redefining the concept of the office. We are no longer tethered to our desk, nor do we need to be in order to be productive. For many, work is no longer a place we go to, it's just a thing we do. New forms of connection (i.e. mobile devices) and delivery (i.e. cloud computing) are enabling us to choose where we work and how we spend our day."

Igloo was originally launched in 2004 by a think tank called the Centre for International Governance Innovation, under an initiative to bring great ideas together in one virtual location, in order to share research and ideas pertaining to global governance issues. The company spun out of CIGI in 2008 and has been growing at a rate of 85% per year since 2009.

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Work Is Easier When You’re Motivated

Posted: 23 Oct 2012 11:00 AM PDT

Inspiration feels like catching a genie in a bottle — elusive and sometimes unreal. But when you tap into it for yourself, then you find a new kind of motivation. In an inspired state, every impossible question has an answer. You were probably inspired when you started your business. And if you've inherited something that you never wanted, then it's time to discover the parts of the business that set you on fire — so to speak.

motivation

You Get Inspired

In fact, the first way to inspire your team is to inspire yourself. People are drawn to passion and focus. Your drive and excitement will drive and excite your team. Of course, it's their job to do what you paid them to do, but inspired people can and will do more. Plus, inspiration does wonders for the attitude.

But if you find yourself uninspired, it usually comes down to doing the wrong work, doing the right work the wrong way or a downtime deficit. If you find your team uninspired, it could be the concerns above or a communication issue on your end.

What Hat Are You Wearing?

Doing the wrong work feels like you're trying to wear somebody's hat that's two sizes too big or small. When it's too small, no matter how many times you pull and yank it, that tiny hat just won't stay. When it's too big, it swallows you up.

It's like the boss trying to be her own secretary, that hat will eventually become too small for an idea person. The owner needs to be free to strategize, network, build teams, discover the latest industry changes so that they steer the company in the right direction.

Likewise employees have to wear the right hat too. Trying to turn your secretary into the vice president — under a different name — without proper training or a demonstration of core ability can quickly burn him out. There's no emotional or financial reward in doing a job that swallows you up. You don't get the chance to master or excel at it. And success is a major player when it comes to abiding inspiration.

How Do You Do What You Do?

Doing the right work isn't enough. You have to do it the right way. There's tracking your finances and then there's tracking your finances a smarter way. There's communicating with your team in the field, and then there's having a communication system that works fast and efficiently.

If you are constantly overwhelmed, if your team is constantly overwhelmed, then it's time for a systems audit. Doing things inefficiently causes you to hire more people than you need. No matter how many people you hire to help you juggle, an inefficient system will eventually break. Instead of waiting for the break, let's update. It's about finding the right tools for your company, as well as the right training for using and setting up those tools.

DownTime Deficit

Sometimes a lack of inspiration can be cured with the right vacation, a weekend sleeping instead of working, good laughter with great friends. You may find your best ideas and creatively solve your biggest challenges with a little down time.

In Creativity Happens When You Least Expect It, Psychology Professor Dr. Sian Bellock says,

"…what we think of as our optimal time of day, may not be optimal for everything. Recent research confirms this idea.In a paper published last December in the journal Thinking and Reasoning, psychologist Mareike Wieth and her colleagues found that when people have to solve “insight problems” that require a high degree of creativity, solvers are much more successful when they tackle these problems at the time of day in which they are least alert."

In other words, it's possible that your creativity works better off the clock. But if you never take a break, then you don't get a chance to live the rest of your life and make those crazy connections that just may solve your problems.

I get the best business ideas in the car on the way to drama rehearsal and in the middle of my workouts. I can kill an extra hour at the gym just trying to capture everything that seemed to effortlessly dance across my mind.

For long term inspiration that can last the life of a business, you need down time. And it needs to be consistent, fun and rejuvenating to you.

Speak The Language

Inarticulate passion is a problem. You have to understand the people you're working with, the place they are coming from and the language they use. You and your managers have to bridge the gap between the world that your employees live in and the world that you are trying to create.

Discover their passions. What do they love or enjoy doing? What do they hate? Once you know, then it's easier to frame your training and ideas in a context that they relate to. It's also easier to assign responsibilities that might excite them.

Besides, an inspired team member tells a better story and shoppers are driven by their personal experience and the stories they hear.

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Doing Business As (DBA) Filing: Sole Proprietorship

Posted: 23 Oct 2012 08:00 AM PDT

Choosing a business name is one of the first things you need to consider when you start a business. If you decide to incorporate a business as a corporation or LLC, you need to give your business legal entity a name. Even if you don't decide to incorporate, you should still give your business an official name by filing a "Doing Business As" (DBA) form to protect your rights, make it possible to get a business bank account and build your credibility with customers.

Doing Business As

What is a “Doing Business As” (DBA) Filing?

"Doing Business As" forms, or DBAs, are official business filings that provide notice to the public of the true owner of a business (in case the identity would not otherwise be known from the name of the business itself). DBAs are sometimes called Fictitious Business Names (FBNs), assumed business names or trade names. To help notify the public, many jurisdictions require that the FBN or DBA be published in the legal notices section of a newspaper meeting specific requirements over a specified time period.

Which types of businesses need to file a “Doing Business As” (DBA)?

A "Doing Business As" (DBA) must be filed anytime you are operating a business using a name that is different from your own name if you are a sole proprietor or general partnership, or that is different from your company name if you are operating your business through a corporation or a limited liability company.

For example, if Jane Doe is operating a cookbook store called "Jane Doe's Cookbooks," then she would not need to file a DBA. If Jane were calling her bookstore "Books for Cooks," then she would need to file a DBA because her business name is different from her actual name. If her company name was Books for Cooks, Inc. then she could use the "Books for Cooks" name without a separate DBA filing, since she has already incorporated the business under that name.

When do you need to file a “Doing Business As” (DBA)?

"Doing Business As" (DBA) should be filed before you start conducting business using the fictitious business name. Some jurisdictions allow you to file a DBA within a short time period of first using the name. However, since you usually need a DBA before you open a business bank account or use your business name in contracts, it is best to get the DBA done upfront.

Where do you need to file a “Doing Business As” (DBA) – at the state or county level?

Where the filing should be made depends on the state where you are conducting your business. DBAs are usually filed at the state or county level. In addition, some jurisdictions have a publication requirement – meaning that when you file your DBA, you need to give public notice by publishing an official announcement of your business name in an approved newspaper. For example, the requirement may be that the DBA be published once per week for a period of four weeks in a specific newspaper in the legal notices section. Of course, specific publication requirements vary, and there may be additional fees or costs involved with buying space in the newspaper.

How can a “Doing Business As” (DBA) filing help your business?

Filing a "Doing Business As" (DBA) will help keep you in compliance with the law, and makes it possible to open bank accounts and receive payments in the name of your business. Most banks will not allow you to open an account without receiving a copy of your filed DBA.

For those business owners who have decided not to incorporate or form a limited liability company, filing a DBA allows them the freedom to use a business name that helps market the products and services of the business and to create a professional business identity separate from their personal identity.

Is a “Doing Business As” (DBA) the same thing as a trademark?

No. A DBA gives you certain benefits, but it does not protect your use of your business name from others. For that, you would need to seek separate trademark protection.

Can I use "Inc." "Co." or "LLC" in my “Doing Business As” (DBA) filing?

No. One of the few limitations on which types of business names you can choose with a DBA filing is that you cannot use a name that contains words or abbreviations that would make it sound like it is a corporate entity. This means you cannot use Corporation (or Co.), Incorporated (or Inc.), or LLC in your DBA name.

This limitation is to prevent businesses from using DBAs to create a misimpression about the ownership structure or corporate status of the business. In some jurisdictions, you must do a name search to make sure your name is not already being used. In other places, no such search is required (and someone else may be using the exact same name).

If your name is important to the business, we recommend that you conduct a business name search and search for existing trademarks prior to filing a DBA. CorpNet offers a free business name search that you can use to make sure that your chosen business name is available for your use, to avoid any complications or disputes with other businesses.

How can CorpNet help you file a “Doing Business As” (DBA)?

Since exact filing and publication requirements vary from state to state and county to county, you may wish to have CorpNet handle your DBA filing, including checking to see if the name you want to use is already in use (where that is a requirement to making a filing), filling out the forms based on information that you provide, filing the form, and publishing the name in the right newspaper for the right length of time (where required).

Once you give us the necessary information, we prepare the DBA documents for you. If the appropriate jurisdiction for your filing requires a name search, we will do that for you. After you sign the DBA forms, we file them and, for those states with a publication requirement, we work directly with the newspapers to meet that requirement on your behalf. Using CorpNet can save you both time and money with service that is fast, reliable and affordable. And remember, our services are backed by a 100% satisfaction guarantee. We make everything easy for you so that you can focus on what you do best – running your business!

Talk to CorpNet today about how we can help you with your DBA forms and other business filings – contact us for a free business consultation.

Naming your business doesn’t have to be time-consuming or complicated. You can get all the help you need to make your business “official” and protect your legal rights by filing a DBA form to give your business a name.

Filing Papers Photo via Shutterstock

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Take Advantage of Pinterest’s “Buying Intent”

Posted: 23 Oct 2012 05:00 AM PDT

Last week Cynthia Boris pointed me to some new social site research which found that while Facebook may come with the larger user base, Pinterest offers something even more valuable to marketers – users looking to buy. For small business owners, that's the kind of social media finding we want to hear!

Marketing Pilgrim reported on a Bizrate Insight survey which asked consumers to list the reasons they use certain social media sites and compared the results. The most recent survey centered on Facebook and Pinterest. Here's what users had to say:

The study found that 69 percent of consumers who have visited Pinterest found an item they either purchased or wanted to purchase, compared to only 40 percent for Facebook. Perhaps even more noteworthy is 70 percent of consumers said they use Pinterest for inspiration about things to buy, 67 percent use it to keep track of things they like, and another 67 percent said they use it to keep up with trends related to interests they like.

Facebook may be the preferred site to connect with friends, but Pinterest is about users expressing themselves through the products they love. I know I often scout my friends' Pinterest boards to figure out what to get them for special occasions. Pinterest gives us a way to keep track of the items we're interested in. It's like a scrapbook for the products we want for ourselves.

Another interesting stat from the survey revealed that Pinterest users are more likely to be Creators of content, than Participants of that content. On Facebook users spend more time interacting with the promotional activities of the brand, but on Pinterest it's the users who are creating the content and those brand associations. Even if you're not currently using Pinterest, your audience may be using it for you.

As a marketer, we want to take advantage of the strong buying intent found on Pinterest. If you know that consumers are using Pinterest as their brand scrapbook, you want to get in there. So how should you get started?

First, check out our earlier Small Business Pinterest Starter Guide to advice, best practices, and helpful starting pints. But then do some competitive intelligence to understand what is being shared on Pinterest and what works/doesn't. Familiarizing yourself with the lay of the land is your first real stop to uncovering the opportunity that exists.

To help you gather this kind of competitive intel, I'd recommend using some of the tools my friend and colleague Mat Siltala recently shared during last week's Pubcon. They will all help you to learn about the conversation already happen so you can hop in smarter.
Below are some of the tools Mat shared.

PinAlerts: This is a popular tool that offers real-time alerts anytime someone pins content from your website. If you're looking to understand what kind of information does the best on Pinterest, whose engaging with your content, or just get a better sense of how you're already performing, this is a good place to get started. You can also enter in a competitor URL to get information about how they're doing and get additional ideas.
PinPuff: Will calculate your "pinfluence" to help you see your popularity, reach and influence on the social site. It also decides monetary value of your pins & traffic your pins generate.
Pinery: This tool will not only offer insight about how your content is doing on Pinterest, it also acts as a dashboard to organize the information for you, offers suggestions about who to follow, builds campaigns, and even allows you to schedule pins the same way you can schedule tweets or Facebook updates. [PinGraphy is another tool that offers scheduled pins.]

Lastly, if you just want to know which content of yours (or a competitor) has already been shared, type the following URL into your address bar, switching out yourwebsite.com for your actual site.

http:://pinterest.com/source/[yourwebsite.com]

This will give you a good baseline of where you stand because it will bring up all the content from your domain (or someone else’s domain) which has already been shared and commented on.

With 70 percent of consumers using Pinterest for purchase inspiration, that's a signal marketers want to know about. Are you using Pinterest? Do you have any plans to?

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Facebook Woos Small Biz, Merchants Reluctant

Posted: 23 Oct 2012 02:30 AM PDT

Facebook reaches out to small businesses as customers for its advertising services, but a recent study suggests this target group may remain reluctant to pay for advertising or any other promotional services from the social networking site. Here’s a look at where things stand with Facebook’s efforts to woo more small business advertising dollars and what other ways you can use the social media site to benefit your small business.

Facing Advertising Realities

Laying it on thick. This post looks at how Facebook has been “laying it one thick” in an effort to convince small businesses to advertise to its members. Note the site’s development of an interface created to nudge Facebook page owners to upgrade from regular to promoted posts. Facebook also upgraded its mobile page app to sell ads to business customers. Wired

Setting things in motion. One Facebook intern gives us a tour of the mobile advertising interface he helped create, the very first mobile advertising interface ever implemented on Facebook, he proudly reminds us. The effort was motivated in part by a desire to create advertising services to reach 600 million users now active on the social network’s mobile app every month. Facebook Engineering

Keeping it real. The trouble with all this is that, while businesses like using Facebook’s free features to promote their brands, they aren’t too keen on paying for anything extra. A recent e-mail survey of 3,434 member merchants of MerhantCircle.com suggested that while 68.7 percent favored using Facebook’s free platform to promote their businesses, only 6.6 percent said they used Facebook’s pay options. AllFacebook

How Do You “Like” It?

Building your fan base. Getting “likes” on your Facebook page as a way to promote your business isn’t a matter of luck or popularity alone. In fact, blogger Samuel Pustea insists there are a number of simple steps any online business owner can take to increase the number of “likes” their page receives. Here’s one approach for growing your fan base. Internet Dreams

Staying on schedule. But there may be an even simpler approach to improving your marketing results with Facebook. Just as with your business blog, establishing a posting schedule for Facebook will work wonders, says online marketing consultant Allison Semancik. Here are some benefits of establishing a Facebook posting schedule and some advice on how to create one. Idea Sprouts

Getting on the ball. If you haven’t got one yet, it’s time to start a Facebook page for your business today. Guest blogger Jennifer Koebele gives some examples of how to create content for your small business or brand, and looks at some of the obvious benefits too. Though maintaining a Facebook page for your business will take some time, the benefits outweigh the investment. Small Biz Diamonds

Setting up shop. You may have heard that Facebook and other social media are for marketing and building your brand, not for selling products. But guest blogger Debbie Dragon has these suggestions for setting up shop on the social networking giant using the Facebook Store App. Then follow these simple steps to start selling your products to Facebook users following you. Denise O’Berry

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