Instagram’s New Terms Could Impact Your Business

Instagram’s New Terms Could Impact Your Business
Employers Say Wellness Programs Work
The Best Time to Incorporate a Business
Busiest Day for Submitting Expense Reports in U.S. is December 19

Posted: 19 Dec 2012 01:00 PM PST

Photo sharing app Instagram's new terms of use have a lot of users worried because of a new provision that states Instagram can sell photos to businesses or other third parties without permission from the user.

The terms state that shared photos can be used:

". . .in connection with paid or sponsored content or promotions, without any compensation to you."

Theoretically, this means that if you upload a photo of, say, your dog, Instagram could sell it to a pet food company for them to use in advertising materials. And this could be done without you ever being notified or compensated.

But just because Facebook, which completed its purchase of Instagram three months ago, can sell images to companies doesn't mean that it's necessarily setting up a stock photo service where advertisers can buy these images from Facebook without any money going to the people who actually took the photos.

More likely, the updated policy means that Instagram may intend to use your content as part of its own advertising or in conjunction with Facebook's advertising products.

So what does this mean for your business?

If you use Instagram for promotional purposes, then you shouldn't upload any content that you wouldn't want distributed to other companies for advertising or similar purposes.

However, Instagram already reserved some rights over shared photos under a "limited license," and the new terms maintain that users still retain ownership of their images. But users that are worried about images being distributed within sponsored content on Instagram, Facebook, or other channels may want to explore other photo sharing options.

The new terms of use become effective January 16, 2013 and there is no way for users to opt out of the new provisions aside from deleting their accounts altogether before the January deadline.

There are several third party sites such as Instaport and Copygram that allow Instagram users to save all their photos from the site so that they can have access to them if they choose to delete their accounts.

The post Instagram’s New Terms Could Impact Your Business appeared first on Small Business Trends.

Employers Say Wellness Programs Work

Posted: 19 Dec 2012 11:00 AM PST

Are you worried about the rising cost of health insurance for yourself and your employees?

You're probably not alone, and concerns about cost may be one reason why nearly all (87 percent) of business executives nationwide believe workplace wellness programs are beneficial for their companies.

The study The State of Workplace Wellness in America, conducted by the Alliance for a Healthier Minnesota, polled business leaders nationwide and in six states to find out what they thought of workplace wellness programs and what challenges they faced in implementing them.

Three-fourths of respondents said community-based networks of business leaders would be useful resources to learn about workplace wellness initiatives and share information and ideas. Said Tom Mason, president of the organization, in announcing the results:

"Employers are realizing that wellness initiatives represent a solid business strategy with myriad benefits."

What are the benefits of a wellness program?

Some 84 percent say such programs led to lower healthcare costs. Ninety-six percent say they help employees enjoy healthier lifestyles, 84 percent say they boost productivity, 78 percent say they lower absenteeism rates and 58 percent say they reduce workers' compensation claims.

More than half (55 percent) of employers in the survey already have workplace wellness programs in place. While improving employee health is the top goal (cited by 92 percent), reducing healthcare costs was the second most important goal (cited by 85 percent). The major health issues employers say their employees are struggling with are obesity (5 percent), stress (51 percent) and lack of exercise (51 percent).

Speaking of goals, even employers who had programs in place were struggling to measure ROI from the programs, with just 42 percent actually doing so.

Among those who hadn't implemented worksite wellness programs, cost (65 percent), concerns about getting enough participants (59 percent), and lack of time (54 percent) were the main reasons for not doing so.

Are you without a wellness plan?

I bet the reasons for not doing so cited above ring pretty true. Here are steps you can take to get past these obstacles and get a wellness initiative going:

Lead the Way

As the business owner, you need to commit to the importance of wellness in the workplace. Model the behavior you want to see by taking breaks, working out and eating healthy foods and snacks. A "do as I say, not as I do" approach won't work for wellness.

Designate a Leader

Put someone at your company in charge of leading the wellness plan implementation. Give them a budget and time frame to work with, and have them find out what employees are interested in, what your insurance offers and what's realistic.

Make it Relevant

The best wellness programs are customized to fit your company culture and employees' needs. If your company is staffed by 20-something beach Frisbee players, gym memberships or standing desks might be in order. If most of your team are 40-something moms, stress and weight loss might be their big issues.

Involve Your Insurance Company

Many health insurance plans now offer a wellness program or reduced rates on wellness options such as massage, yoga classes, gym memberships and more. Contact your insurance provider to see what's available to you. Even having someone come out to talk to your team about ways to improve wellness is a good way to encourage it

The post Employers Say Wellness Programs Work appeared first on Small Business Trends.

The Best Time to Incorporate a Business

Posted: 19 Dec 2012 08:00 AM PST

incorporate a business Have you been thinking about starting a business or incorporating a business or an existing sole proprietorship?

If so, you might be wondering what's the best time to incorporate or form an LLC. Should you try to squeeze it in before the end of the year or wait until next year?

Below are three tips for determining when is the best time to incorporate your business:

If You Have Liability Concerns, Incorporate Right Away

If your business is involved in an industry or activities with a lot of liability, then you should incorporate or form an LLC as soon as possible in order to separate your personal finances from your business.

In this case, there's no reason to wait and expose yourself to anymore liability than you need to.

If You’ll Gain Significant Tax Benefits From Incorporating, Do It ASAP

If your tax advisor has told you that you can significantly lower your taxes by incorporating, you will want to get your incorporation paperwork in as quickly as possible.

Of course, bear in mind that your corporation’s ‘start date’ is not retroactive. Any tax benefits you might receive from incorporating begin on the date you incorporate. This means you'll typically have to file two business income tax returns for the year:

First, for the months that you operated as a sole proprietor (or whatever your previous entity may have been).
Next, another tax filing for the months after you incorporated.

If You’re Looking to Simplify Your Paperwork, Incorporate on January 1st

For small business owners that don't have significant liability concerns, January 1 is the most logical start date since it eases the paperwork burden. You can start fresh in the new year as a corporation or LLC. Additionally, you don't have to worry about reporting taxes as two different entities during the year.

Because of this, January is the busiest time of the year for processing incorporation applications at many Secretary of State offices. In some cases, it can take up to 40-60 days to bring a Corporation or LLC into existence after you submit your filing documents with the state office.

If you're using a document filing service, you can also look into something called a "delayed filing" that lets you complete your paperwork now and then delay your actual incorporation date until next year. This lets you effectively choose the date of incorporation and your application will be fast tracked to the front of the line in January.

Takeaway

If you have a pressing need to incorporate or form an LLC (i.e. you have liability concerns or will get significant tax benefits), then you should form your business entity as soon as possible.

However, if there isn't a specific sense of urgency, look to incorporate in January and give your business a fresh start in the new year.

Benefits of Incorporating Photo via Shutterstock

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Busiest Day for Submitting Expense Reports in U.S. is December 19

Posted: 19 Dec 2012 02:30 AM PST

A great product or service may be the starting point for your business, but productivity and efficiency are critical for making it a success in the long run. Problems in workflow can cost money and can eventually sabotage your efforts. Here’s how the most successful companies large and small can run into difficulties and how products and strategies aimed at improving productivity and efficiency can literally save a business, no matter what the size.

So Much to Do

So little time. Today, December 19, is the busiest day of the year in U.S. businesses for submitting expense reports. It’s an issue that could cost companies a potential $2 billion in waste, according to Concur, a provider of integrated travel and expense management tools. There are many ways proper management of workflow can help your business thrive. Aim for better productivity and watch profitability climb. Yahoo! Finance

A better way. Fortunately there are some great tips out there for getting through days like this in your business. Check out this guest post from Andrew Presti, general manager at Presti & Naegele, a New York-based accounting firm, who shares some great tips for getting your staff through this busy time of year. Share some examples below of how you help your team through the tough times. We’d love to hear! Concur.com

Like a Machine

Plans for productivity. The key to more efficiency and better productivity in a small to medium sized business or even for a part-time entrepreneur or solopreneur lies in creating a plan that will allow you to utilize your time and resources effectively. It is also important to have the discipline to follow that plan in day to day operations. Here productivity enthusiast and entrepreneur Timo Kiander interviews L.J. Earnest, owner of the Simple Productivity Blog, about her efforts as a part-time entrepreneur balancing her online business with a full-time job. Productive Superdad

Priority picks. While creating a plan to improve productivity is important, just as critical is the ability to prioritize tasks. Time is money, as the old saying goes, and it’s important to conserve the time you need to operate your business effectively. That means saying “no” to some projects, explains small business owner Paul Cox. It all begins with understanding the value of your time. SpinLessPlates

Better Tech

Tools make the difference. As important as it is to improve the productivity of your employees, the right tools can also improve efficiency. One example is TurbineHQ, a software application that gets rid of excessive paperwork and gathers all the information needed to run your business into one place, making it easier to track. Imagine the increased productivity in your business if you eliminated paperwork. Check out Stephanie Watson’s review to figure out whether this tool lives up to its reputation. GetApp Learning Center

Through a scanner brightly. Converting all that paperwork your business relies upon does not require special software, however. In fact, a simple scanner will do the trick. Ramon Ray gives us a video review of one of the easiest to use of these devices, showing you how to digitize all those important papers that hold crucial information imperative to your company’s survival. Smallbiz Technology

How to Excel. You don’t need to be high tech to improve your business efficiency. For example, even Microsoft Excel, perhaps a bit old-school to many high tech entrepreneurs, has excellent capabilities that help you look at your business’s productivity and efficiency in a whole new way. The key is to bring the right expertise to each tool, says sales trainer Neal Shorney. Learn the ins and outs of all your tools so you can use them effectively to create the business you want to run. Tweak Your Business

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