Snapchat Hacked: Names and Phone Numbers of 4.6 Million Users Posted |  |
- Snapchat Hacked: Names and Phone Numbers of 4.6 Million Users Posted
- Goodbye AllThingsD; Welcome ReCode.Net
- Starting a Business in 2014? Here Is Your Startup Checklist
- 3 Examples of The Mobile Lending Trend: CUNA, Kabbage and Prosper
- Top Franchise Trends For 2014
| Snapchat Hacked: Names and Phone Numbers of 4.6 Million Users Posted Posted: 02 Jan 2014 04:30 PM PST
Users of the rapidly growing photo sharing social app called Snapchat got some potentially bad news — and now the company has responded. It’s estimated the names and phone numbers of about 4.6 million Snapchat members were published online by anonymous hackers at a site that’s since been taken down (although some information is still available via leaked databases). If you are a Snapchat user and aren’t sure whether you’ve been affected, visit this site first. It was set up by a security group very close to the Snapchat problem. Only users within certain area codes in the United States were affected by the breach, according to the site. You may remember Snapchat as the social startup that recently turned down a cool $3 billion from Facebook, which wanted to acquire the company. You may also remember that Snapchat specializes in a type of photo sharing in which temporary photos and brief messages are shared on the network for up to 10 seconds and then deleted. (The site actually notifies the sender if another user has made a copy of the message.) Also important is that messages are shared only with the connections you specifically designate – not to the entire world. So with such an emphasis on allowing users to control with whom they are sharing messages, you would think that user privacy should have been a top priority. However, it turns out that Snapchat was apparently warned twice about a vulnerability in its system and did not do enough to address the vulnerabilities. In fact, Snapchat was reportedly contacted as early as August by an Australia-based company called Gibson Security, The Daily Caller reports. Gibson set up the site mentioned above for members to determine whether or not their accounts have been breached. Then, last week Snapchat acknowledged the security group had posted a private communication detailing a specific method hackers could use to obtain private user information, but downplayed the problem. On its official blog, Snapchat explained:
Yet, hackers apparently used a variation of the exact tactic spelled out by Gibson to successfully obtain user information from the site. Hackers who claimed responsibility for yesterday’s breach insisted they were trying to expose Snapchat’s security issues for everyone’s good. They told the Verge:
Snapchat today responded by emphasizing that the information released was limited to redacted phone numbers and usernames, not “snaps” (i.e., pictures shared). It also said that the vulnerability is related to the optional “Find Friends” feature and noted:
Image via SnapChat The post Snapchat Hacked: Names and Phone Numbers of 4.6 Million Users Posted appeared first on Small Business Trends. |
| Goodbye AllThingsD; Welcome ReCode.Net Posted: 02 Jan 2014 01:57 PM PST
AllThingsD has been on our list of “must read” sites for a long time. With a new year, AllthingsD is no longer. Tech guru Walt Mossberg and journalist Kara Swisher have a new gig now, in 2014, called ReCode.net. The new site logo is a bit confusing in that it is “Re/code.” If you go to recode.com (as most might assume) you will end up somewhere else. If you attempt to put the slash mark in the URL, you’ll really get confused. It’s easier to think of it merely as Recode.net so that you end up at the right site. AllThingsD was once part of the Wall Street Journal network online. You could be sure to find the latest technology news there, especially news affecting large publicly-traded companies. Today, however, if you go to AllThingsD.com, you’ll be redirected to the Technology section of the Wall Street Journal. The change is not unexpected. Mossberg and Swisher announced back in September that they would be leaving the Wall Street Journal at the end of 2013. Their new site is owned by Swisher and Mossberg’s holding company Revere Digital LLC. According to a report on CNBC, “The new enterprise is being launched with minority investments from the NBC Universal News Group and Windsor Media, an investment firm run by Terry Semel, the former chief of Yahoo and Warner Brothers.” ReCode.net also has a separate content partnership with NBCUniversal News Group for tech coverage — apparently the goal there is to get more video coverage. So what happens to the big AllThingsD tech conference every year that featured such big names as Bill Gates? It will still go on, but will be called the ’Code’ conference. As Mossberg explains in the video interview below, previously AllThingsD was a product of Dow Jones (owner of the Wall Street Journal). Now, their site will be independently owned by them. They are still going to cover breaking news and give fair analysis of technology news, adds Swisher, who is Co-CEO of the new company along with Mossberg. The post Goodbye AllThingsD; Welcome ReCode.Net appeared first on Small Business Trends. |
| Starting a Business in 2014? Here Is Your Startup Checklist Posted: 02 Jan 2014 11:15 AM PST
Each year, the number of new businesses spikes in January as the start of a new year seems like the most natural time to begin a new venture. Whether you're just starting out or are a seasoned entrepreneur, run through this startup checklist to better understand the steps needed to make your business legit. 1. Make Sure Your Business Name is LegalYou dreamed up the perfect name for your new company, but is it legally available for you to use? Before you get too far with your branding and order your signage, you've got to make sure that your business name isn't conflicting with an existing business. Name conflicts are actually one of the primary reasons why many LLC/corporation/DBA applications are rejected by the state or county processing office. Fortunately, running a name search isn't complex process and you don't need a lawyer to help you. Perform a trademark search to check the availability of any name in the U.S. By checking to make sure your name is available early on, you'll have peace of mind knowing that you won't find yourself at the wrong end of a trademark dispute sometime down the road. 2. Pick Your Business StructureUnless you specifically create a formal business structure with the state, then you're operating as a sole proprietor by default (if you're a single owner). While the sole proprietorship may be the right choice for certain situations due to its simplicity, you should consider this move carefully. With a sole prop or general partnership, there's no separation between the business and business owner. This can keep things simple, but if a business is sued or can't pay its bills/debts, the business owner(s) are personally on the line. When you create a formal business structure with the state, you are separating yourself from the business. Popular structures include the Limited Liability Company (LLC) and Corporation (either S or C Corporation). A little research will help you determine which structure is right for your situation. For example, the LLC is great for people who want liability protection (i.e. to protect their personal assets if their business is ever sued) but don't want a lot of paperwork or administrative formality. The C Corporation is better for companies who plan to go public or get VC financing. You can also take the self quiz to determine the best business structure for your business. It’s fast. 3. Register Your Business NameIf you decide to form an LLC or corporation, that will automatically register your business name and you can skip over this step. But if you're not quite ready for a formal business structure and stay a sole prop, then you'll need to register your business name by filing a Doing Business As (DBA), also known as the Fictitious Business Name. This step lets the public know who's behind a company, ensures that you're legally able to operate your business under that name, as well as stops anyone else from using your business name in your state. Keep in mind that while a "Doing Business As" application protects your name in your state, it doesn't stop anyone from using the same name in the other 49 states. You can, however, file for trademark protection to protect your name and brand in all 50 states. 4. Apply For a Federal Tax ID Number or Employer Identification Number (EIN)The IRS tracks your company's transactions via a Tax ID number. Think of it as a social security number for businesses. If you're operating as an LLC or corporation, your business is required to have a Tax ID number and you'll also need one to open your business bank account. If you are a sole proprietor, you're not obligated legally to get a Tax ID number, but it's smart practice. With a Tax ID number, you won't have to give out your personal security number to every client or vendor you work with. Read how to apply for an EIN at the IRS website. 5. Apply For Any Necessary PermitsDepending on what kind of business you have and where you live, you may need to get business licenses from the state, county, or town. Examples include: zoning permit, sales tax license, permit from the health department, professional licenses, or a general business operation license. Keep in mind that a tattoo artist, daycare center, or restaurant will be more tightly regulated than a copywriter or business consultant. You can read more about business licenses and permits here. If you are not sure about business licenses that may be required, check out our free tool called the "Business License Compliance Package." You can find out all the licensing requirements and applications for your particular business in the state and county where you are conducting your business. 6. Brush up on Employer LawsIf you are planning on hiring an employee for your business, you need to clearly understand your legal obligations as an employer, including payroll and withholding taxes, unemployment insurance, anti-discrimination laws, OSHA regulations, workers' compensation, and wage/hour requirements. If this is your first time hiring an employee, it might be wise to speak with an employment law professional or consultant to fully understand all the legal intricacies. The new calendar year is an ideal time to turn your dreams into reality by becoming your own boss and starting a new business. But in the excitement of your new venture, don't forget to get your legal foundation squared away. And if you've been running a business for years without thinking about these things, now's the time to catch up! These activities are fundamental to your business' long-term health and to the security of your finances. We hope this startup checklist gets you on the right path. Here’s to a prosperous and productive 2014! Legal checklist photo via Shutterstock The post Starting a Business in 2014? Here Is Your Startup Checklist appeared first on Small Business Trends. |
| 3 Examples of The Mobile Lending Trend: CUNA, Kabbage and Prosper Posted: 02 Jan 2014 08:35 AM PST
Small business lending is increasingly going mobile – and we predict you can expect to see more about the mobile lending trend in 2014. Three companies are addressing it in different ways. Let’s take a quick look at each: Kabbage, an Atlanta-based company specializing in loans for online sellers and home-based businesses, has iPhone and Android apps. Small businesses can apply for funds on mobile devices, and access their accounts via their iPhone or Android devices, as well. Sarah Eyres is co-owner of Cephalopod Yarns, a Baltimore-based yarn store. When a shipment was delayed, she needed to buy 200 pounds of yarn to get her through the Holiday shopping season. And she used $3,500 from Kabbage to do it. The loan was approved in just seven minutes, Eyres said. She told The Washington Post:
CUNA Mutual Group, a Madison, Wis. insurance company that supplies financial products and services to many credit unions, also offers a mobile version of its Loanliner.com system that credit unions can extend to their members. Peer to peer lending is also converging with mobile. There’s already been speculation that peer to peer lending will gain ground compared to traditional bank loans as a viable option for small business funding. So it probably makes sense that peer-to-peer lenders like Prosper.com have already have mobile lending, too. Prosper.com’s app lets investors select business listings they would like to lend to and even lets them transfer the funds from a mobile device. One thing to remember: the apps don’t necessarily allow you to do everything using a mobile device. Each app and its functionality will be different. Of course, the apps don’t necessarily make it any easier to qualify for a loan. It only makes it faster for those who are approved. Finally, remember the security issues that have abounded with mobile technology. So be aware of the information these apps request from you when applying. It may have an impact on which lending apps you’re willing to try. Image via Kabbage The post 3 Examples of The Mobile Lending Trend: CUNA, Kabbage and Prosper appeared first on Small Business Trends. |
| Posted: 02 Jan 2014 05:00 AM PST
What's the future hold for franchising in 2014? What sectors should you keep your eye on? If you're looking into becoming the owner of a franchise, it's important to be a trend-watcher. It's important to find out what today's franchisors are up to. In this, my sixth annual top franchise trends article, I'm going to let you in on the top franchise trends for 2014 that are taking shape in the franchise industry. All of them are worth watching and some of them might be right up your alley. So let's see what franchising has in store for 2014. Franchise Trends for 2014 Headed Your WayMore and more franchise opportunities are starting to appear that are highly specialized. These opportunities feature products and services that are hyper-focused on specific niches. Some examples include: The Interface Financial Group (IFG) IFG franchisees are in the business of helping companies improve their cash-flow by using a form of short-term borrowing called invoice discounting. Invoice discounting allows a business to draw down a percentage of their outstanding sales invoices, so they can have immediate cash flow. Revenue for franchisees comes from the fees they charge businesses that wish to implement this highly specialized solution to improving cash flow. Pest extermination as a business has been around a long time. Our view on bugs hasn't changed during this time; they must be eliminated. Mosquito Squad is different because they only focus on outdoor pests like mosquitos and ticks. Franchisees have two market opportunities: homes and businesses. Let's focus on the business opportunities:
Venues like the ones I just listed take pest-control seriously and they'll pay for specialized services like the ones Mosquito Squad franchisees provide. Brain Balance Achievement Centers Brain Balance Achievement Centers offer programs that focus on the underlying issues resulting in most of the behavioral, developmental, and learning disorders that plague so many children today. The co-founder and creator of the special programs offered by these centers is Dr. Robert Melillo. He's a researcher and the author of several bestselling books including “Disconnected Kids and Reconnected Kids.” His latest book is titled “Autism.” Franchisees try to help children with:
No healthcare experience is necessary to become an owner. This franchisor is looking for people that have the desire to make a difference in the lives of children and their families. Other niche franchise opportunities that may be worth a look in 2014 include:
Franchise Trends In FoodA comprehensive article on the top franchise trends wouldn't be complete without mentioning some of things taking place in franchising's most visible sector, food franchises. One of the things I've been watching is the trend towards self-serve. Franchisors in the frozen dessert segment are the ones that have really been focusing on self-serve, especially frozen yogurt franchises. The Fuzzy Peach is a young franchisor out of the Wilmington, North Carolina area, offers a rotating array of toppings that customers add to their favorite frozen yogurt selections. The end product is then weighed and charged accordingly. Menchie's is another self-serve frozen yogurt franchise that lets customers create their own frozen desserts using fresh toppings and fresh yogurt that comes from "Happy California cows that live in nice weather year-round." Several other franchises in the frozen yogurt sector offer self-serve including, FroyoWorld, CherryBerry Self Service Yogurt Bar, YoGo Factory, Yogurtland, and Zinga! The newest segment in self-serve food franchising combines vending machines with healthy snacks. Vending machines have always been self-serve. It's just that they've never really offered a lot of healthy choices for consumers to purchase…until now. Headquartered in sunny San Diego, Fresh Healthy Vending has 200+ franchisees servicing over 2,300 vending machines. One of the niches they're concentrating on is military bases, where there are always hungry men and women that need to stay in tip-top shape. Human Healthy Vending claims to be "a socially responsible franchisor of healthy vending machine and micromarket franchise businesses." Their offerings include vending machines specializing in coffee, and a large selection of machines offering fresh fruit and even locally sourced products. There's also an option to add a 23-inch LCD video monitor to the vending machines to stream ads for additional revenue opportunities. There are also a few business opportunities - which differ from franchise opportunities – being offered in the vending machine space including Grow Vending, Healthier4You Vending, and Naturals2Go. Tech Trends In FranchisingIt's all about mobile for 2014. The importance of mobile technology in franchising can't be overstated. Today's franchisees need to have access to their businesses when they're not on-site. They need to have the power to make decisions while they're on the go…decisions that can affect the profitability of their franchises. Franchisors need to make sure that their corporate websites are optimized for mobile viewing, so their future clients, customers and prospective franchisees will stay engaged long enough to get information and take action. Ramon Ray, a community member of Small Business Trends, and a small business technology expert, told me this about the importance of mobile technology:
Today's busy consumers are using their mobile devices for everything from online shopping to surfing locally for places to eat. They're also using the Click to Call feature that more and more mobile business websites are featuring. Franchisors need to make sure that their franchisees can capitalize on every opportunity that's increasingly coming from people using mobile devices. Franchisors that are investing in mobile technology today…the kind that their franchisees can use to become more productive and more profitable, are making a wise long-term business choice. Here are some other examples of how some franchisors are using mobile technology: McDonald's is testing out a smartphone app that scans a unique QR code when customers visit a location and activates a virtual "scratch card" that reveals prizes like free food or discounts. Franchisees of Zoom Room, a dog-training franchise, can use an iPad to do things like check dogs in for their training classes, bill and take pictures of their "clients." Some fast food chains are investing in Point of Sale (POS) systems that can accept payments from their customers’ mobile devices. This trend will gain momentum in 2014. Little Caesar's Pizza encourages website visitors to download branded ringtones to their smartphones in the hopes that Little Caesar's will remain top of mind when it's pizza time. Great Clips, a hair care franchise with over 3,400 locations, offers online check in for clients that would prefer not to wait for a stylist once they arrive at their local salon. Mobile technology use will continue to grow in 2014, and franchisors need to continue finding ways to utilize it for maximum benefit. Loud FranchiseesThey're starting to get louder. They're starting to have more impact… more clout. "They" are the franchisees. They're the ones who have put their own money on the line in order to be in business for themselves. And some of them are starting to have real impact. Some of them are starting to change things in franchising. For example, several franchisees of McDonald's decided that they're not going to take it anymore. This past summer a group of them banded together and formally complained to corporate about the increasing fees that McDonald's charges them and their shrinking profits. There was also what I'll call, "franchisee feedback" concerning the Dollar Menu, and the lack of profit because of it. Well, someone at corporate listened, because the Dollar Menu is no more. McDonald's franchise owners are a powerful bunch. They're some of most elite in franchising. They have an amazing and very powerful brand (and system) behind them. And, even though their profit margins aren't what they used to be, they really do have a pretty good thing going. They want (for the most part) to stay in business. As opposed to the next group – because they're out of business. Loud Ex-FranchiseesDisgruntled ex-franchisees (or soon to be ex-franchisees) are some of most vocal around. For the most part, these franchisees aren't looking for change. They're looking to recoup their losses. A few of them even focus on preventing others from losing their money. You can thank the invention of the Internet and the still-growing popularity of social media for the ease with which dissatisfied franchisees can voice their feelings. A couple of websites immediately come to mind when it comes to learning which franchisors are getting heat from their franchisees. Rip-Off Report I've personally used information from this consumer protection website to assist my clients with their franchise research. A gentleman by the name of Ed Magedson started the Ripoff Report website more than 10 years ago. His stated goal:
Ripoff Report is a no-holds-barred website that prides itself on honoring free speech. Type "franchise" in the search box and you'll find information on all sorts of things related to franchising. Everything from supposed faulty heat pumps that were sold and installed by heating and air conditioning franchisees and/or their employees to fitness franchises that possibly went out of business and aren't refunding membership dues are listed. You'll also find complaints from franchisees that have supposedly lost their money on specific franchise opportunities. And, once in a while, there will be a complaint about a franchise broker or franchise consultant who supposedly sold an unsuspecting franchise business buyer a franchise that turned out to be not as described. If you're going to use a website like Ripoff Report as part of your research on a franchise, you have to be willing to do a deeper dig into what you've found. See if you can find out more about the people or companies mentioned in the complaint by typing the name into a search engine and seeing what comes up. Also make sure you mention what you found to your franchise sales rep and to the franchisees that you're contacting as part of your due diligence. That way you can hear both sides of the story. UnhappyFranchisee.com I've known Sean Kelly, the proprietor of UnhappyFranchisee.com, for several years. He's hilarious and can write with the best of them. He's been in franchising longer than me and has heard his share of stories about franchise concepts that didn't quite make the grade. That's probably one of the reasons he launched his website a few years ago. His other reason? Like me, he wants to make sure that today's would-be franchise owners have all the information – the bad and the good – about the opportunities they're thinking of investing in. Fact: Most people who are looking at franchise ownership are doing so for the first time, so there are bound to be mistakes made. But, sometimes the mistakes seem to be made by the franchisor. The Unhappy Franchisee website has several examples. And, as an added bonus, the comment area of the site features ex-franchisees of some of the franchise concepts that have been reported on sharing their true-life stories. Franchising, like any industry, includes great companies, average companies and lousy companies. The trick is to find the ones that excel in their niches. Make sure that your research includes conversations with current franchisees. They're the ones who have already taken the risk. They're the ones who are working in their businesses every day. They're the ones with the answers. There are plenty of good franchise opportunities for you to check out in 2014. I only scratched the surface with these franchise trends for 2014. It's up to you to find one that you feel offers the best chance of success. Franchise Photo via Shutterstock The post Top Franchise Trends For 2014 appeared first on Small Business Trends. |
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