Top Stories: Twitter Reset in Error, Windows Version Rumored Free

Top Stories: Twitter Reset in Error, Windows Version Rumored Free
Are You Complying with the Law on Call Recording Notification?
When Do I Need to Register My Business In Another State?
Getting New Hires Up to Speed Takes Longer Than You Think
Remembering the Days of Good Old Regular Data
MasterCard Releases MasterPass Mobile Payment App

Posted: 07 Mar 2014 02:30 PM PST

reading in bed

You put in plenty of time on your business. The Small Business Trends editorial team gives you the news you need to make your business better. Take a minute to read our top stories this week. It’s a good investment of your time.

Social Media

Twitter reset was an epic fail. Nowadays, plenty of people are worried about having their information hacked online. So when thousands of Twitter users, including small business owners, got emails from Twitter saying their accounts had been compromised, it probably freaked them out. That is, until they found out it was just a simple system error.

Twitter redesign ignites passion. It’s a passionate debate online. And it’s not just over proposed changes to Twitter’s iconic logo. The possible new look of the site is being hotly debated, too. It’s not certain if the rumored changes being debated will become reality. But following the discussion is a story in itself.

There’s voice coming to WhatsApp. The only question is what the form of this voice service will be. There’s also a question of whether it will cost more. (WhatsApp is paid for by user fees, not advertising.) If it allows true voice calling, it may be a serious competitor to Skype.

Software

The thought of a free Windows 8.1 is exciting. Our story on the possibility that Microsoft is considering a free slimmed down version of its software has proved that much. But we don’t know whether it will ever happen. The question is whether the free version would really meet the small business community’s needs or be worth the savings.

PNC has a tool to manage your cash flow. Imagine watching the money flow in and out of your business while it’s happening. How much easier it might be to see where to cut — or even where you should be making more! PNC Bank has introduced a tool it says will give you this kind of overview.

There’s more malware on Google Play than ever. Here’s our story telling you about the risks. Though Google is removing some of it, they are by no means removing all of it. And the fact that many instances have been detected in gaming and entertainment apps should not make small business owners feel any more comfortable.

So, who has the coolest job? Would it be a software developer or an architect? Yes, it’s the software developer. But the interesting thing about this top jobs list is how many of the positions can be filled by small business people.

Policy

U.S. Rep. Sam Graves wants more small business contracting. At least, he wants more at the federal level. Of course, the federal government has trouble hitting its mark for the percentage of federal contracts that are supposed to be awarded to small businesses now. But the point of the legislation proposed by Rep. Graves is that the current required quota is too low.

Obamacare will increase insurance for healthier workers. If your small business — a tech startup, let’s say — has younger, healthier workers, it used to be good news. Your insurance rates would likely be cheaper. But that’s not the case anymore, says Scott Shane, Professor of Entrepreneurial Studies at Case Western Reserve University.

Services

Verizon unleashes roll over data. It’s a brave new world of unlimited calling and text. But hold on. Not everything’s free. Now data is the most valuable commodity to companies like Verizon. So the deals will be based on how much you get and for how long.

This link will unsubscribe people from your marketing list. Gmail has made what appear to be some business unfriendly moves recently. That’s especially true if you happen to be an email marketer. It’s certainly not the intention of legitimate email marketers to bother anyone, so one way to look at this new Gmail feature is that it might cut down on spam accusations.

These analytics tools will enhance your business. From Google Analytics to Clicky and Crazy Egg, there are many analytics options out there. Many offer different features. But all have benefits you should consider. When choosing your analytics tools, look at which ones are best at getting the information your business needs.

Startups

This mompreneur tackled a problem with curly hair. Rikki Mor’s been known to call herself a reluctant entrepreneur. That’s because she started out, not to create a product, but to solve the problem of her daughters’ curly hair. Still, the determination she showed developing a prototype for her Knot Genie and finding an overseas manufacturer reveals true entrepreneurial grit.

Create a market of your own. In a sense, that’s what Stoney deGeyter of Pole Position Marketing did when he first redesigned his dad’s business website. Soon deGeyter was advising other entrepreneurs about how to make their business websites show up better in search. Today, SEO is a big industry with many big players. What market could you help invent?

Other Trends

Brighter lights lead to stronger emotions. There are both positive and negative connotations to that, by the way. If your selling items that evoke emotion — flowers and engagement rings, for example — then turn up those lights. But bright lights aren’t necessarily conducive to good business decisions.

There’s not enough coffee to go around. When you hear this phrase at a dinner party or other get-together, it’ a cause for disappointment.When you hear it in connection to an actual shortage of coffee beans, it means something else. That shortage of beans is due to a bad growing season in Brazil, the world’s largest coffee producer. And the results will impact small roasters and cafes first.

Reading Photo via Shutterstock

Are You Complying with the Law on Call Recording Notification?

Posted: 07 Mar 2014 12:30 PM PST

call recording notification

If your business records incoming calls for any reason, federal and state laws require you to notify the incoming caller.

When your business does not follow these laws, it could be subject to large fines. In many states, fines are imposed per call in which the incoming caller is not notified that they’re being recorded.

There may be a lot of reasons why your business records its phone calls. Some may do it just to assure that their protocols are being followed. Other businesses like to have a permanent record. Either way, notifying incoming callers that they are being recorded is the law, writes Brian Gabriel, Chief Operations Officer for Sound Telecom. The company provides call center, answering and other services for business clients:

“If you record calls and do not have a compliance notification program in place, you are at huge risk of direct legal action. Failure to comply with current Federal and State regulations is taken seriously and it is enforced at many levels.”

In a recent report on the official Sound Telecom blog, Gabriel highlights a recent incident in which a business was hit with massive fines after a would-be customer called in and asked whether they were being recorded. When the person at that business answered that the call was, indeed being recorded, the caller simply said, ”Thank you,” and hung up the phone.

A few weeks after that call, the business received notice that it was being sued to the tune of $2,500 per call in which the business didn’t notify a caller they were being recorded.

These laws extend to call center operations, too. Your small business may rely on a third-party call center to handle a lot of phone traffic. If so, it’s important to ensure that that service is also compliant with the law.

Depending in which state your business operates, the law and severity of punishment for breaking the law could vary greatly. Gabriel notes that California has the strictest laws on the books regarding call recording. A recent wave of lawsuits have flooded state courts there.

Even if your business operates exclusively in a state that doesn’t require two-party notification of a phone call being recorded, be aware. These laws are always changing, Gabriel reports. So vigilance is important.

“In simplest terms, business owners ought to make it standard procedure to notify all callers at all times whenever they record calls no matter what. This is the strictest interpretation of the law.”

Customer Service Photo via Shutterstock

The post Are You Complying with the Law on Call Recording Notification? appeared first on Small Business Trends.

When Do I Need to Register My Business In Another State?

Posted: 07 Mar 2014 10:00 AM PST

business in another state

These days, it's easy for geographical lines to be blurred when it comes to your business. Countless small business owners work with virtual teams, partners, clients, and customers they've never actually met in person.

This new reality can make it even more confusing to know if you're conducting business in multiple states. Are you unknowingly running afoul of state law by operating without registering? Here, we'll break down all the details about when you need to register your business in another state and when you don't.

Foreign Qualification: Business in Another State

"Doing Business" in Another State

If your company is conducting business in any other states than the state where you incorporated (or formed an LLC), then you need to register your business in those new states. This is often called "foreign qualification."

So, what exactly constitutes "conducting business?” If a customer in Oklahoma buys your product or service, and you're based in Nevada, does that mean you are operating in Oklahoma? In this case, the answer is no.

Questions to ask to see if you need to file a foreign qualification for a state:

Does your LLC or corporation have a physical presence in the state (i.e. office, restaurant, or retail store)?
Do you often conduct in-person meetings with clients in the state?
Does a significant portion of your company's revenue come from the state?
Do any of your employees work in the state? Do you pay state payroll taxes?
Did you apply for a business license in the state?

If you answered yes to any of these, your business may need to file a foreign qualification in that state.

Examples of Foreign Qualifications

Here are some examples of common situations when you need to foreign qualify and when you don't.

1) Let's say you operate a restaurant in North Carolina and want to expand into South Carolina. You'll need to file a foreign qualification in South Carolina.

2) You incorporated your business in Nevada, but you are physically located in California. You need to foreign qualify in California.

3) You live in Massachusetts and your business partner lives in California. The company is incorporated in Massachusetts, but lately your partner has been bringing in the bulk of your company's clients and meeting with them in California. You need to foreign qualify the business in California.

4) You are a freelancer who formed an LLC for your business in Florida. You perform the majority of your work online, and have clients all over the country. In this case, you don't need to file a foreign qualification, since you're not frequently physically meeting in another state. Just because you are bringing in revenue from customers in other states doesn't mean you are transacting business there according to the law.

If you have any questions about whether or not your business needs to foreign qualify, you should check with your attorney or accountant.

How to Foreign Qualify

If you have determined that you need to register your business in another state, you will need to submit an application with that state's Secretary of State office. In some states, this is called a Certificate of Authority, in others it's the Statement & Designation by a Foreign Corporation.

You can contact the Secretary of State's office yourself or have the service that incorporated your company handle the filing for you.

The paperwork itself is relatively straightforward, but keep in mind that some states will require you to have a certificate of good standing from the state where your LLC/corporation is registered. That means you will need to be up to date on your state taxes and filings.

The Bottom Line

If you are legally required to foreign qualify, make sure you follow through on this obligation. Otherwise, you will end up paying fines, interest, and back taxes for any time when you were not properly registered.

In addition, you lose the ability to sue in a state where you are not foreign qualified (and you should be). So don't overlook this legal requirement. It could end up costing you much more in the long run.

Map Photo via Shutterstock

The post When Do I Need to Register My Business In Another State? appeared first on Small Business Trends.

Getting New Hires Up to Speed Takes Longer Than You Think

Posted: 07 Mar 2014 07:30 AM PST

getting new hires up to speed

Do you think your small business does a great job of getting new hires off on the right foot because you provide two or three weeks of intensive training and supervision?

That's a good start, but it may not be enough to create a dedicated, loyal and engaged employee.

According to “Support, Undermining, and Newcomer Socialization: Fitting in During the First 90 Days,” a long-term study published in the Academy of Management Journal, positive and negative interactions with co-workers and bosses during the first 90 days of employment have lasting effects on a new hire's attitude and performance long after the 90 days are up.

Below is some of what the research found, and what it means to your business.

Getting New Hires Up to Speed

The study followed 264 new employees over 90 days and found that high levels of support from supervisors and co-workers led to new employees who had more positive attitudes toward their jobs, felt more integrated with their co-workers and worked harder.

In contrast, employees who had negative experiences with co-workers and supervisors in the first 90 days were more likely to feel "left out" of their peer group, which led them to perform poorly, call in sick to work or not show up at all.

During the 90-day time period, support from co-workers and supervisors declined significantly after the first few weeks. Even supervisors who paid a lot of attention to new employees during their first weeks typically slacked off after that, either due to job pressures or helping other, newer employees onboard.

As support from supervisors dwindled, so did new employees' positivity about their jobs. The good news – an uptick in support from their bosses was all it took to get the new employees feeling positive again.

A new employee's relationship with the boss is especially important. The study reports when supervisors undermined new hires, it led to a much higher likelihood the employee would leave the job.

But co-workers are important, too, as both positive and negative interactions with them played a strong role in new hires' feelings about their work. (One of my friends bitterly remembers the day 25 years ago when she asked if she could eat lunch with two co-workers on her first day at work, only to be met with blank stares and complete silence.)

What Do These Findings Mean to Your Business?

Think Beyond the First Two Weeks

Ninety days is often the "probationary period" for a new hire, so make sure you pay the same attention to integrating a new employee into the company during the whole 90 days as you do during the first few weeks. Don't assume the new employee is doing great just because he or she seems to be learning the job duties.

You or the employee's direct supervisor should check in regularly to assess both performance and social fit within the company.

Focus on Supervisors

Supervisors are key to new hires' satisfaction (or dissatisfaction) with a company. Impress on supervisors the importance of working closely with new hires during the first 90 days.

As a small business, you probably don't have tons of new hires coming on board, so it may be feasible to lessen the supervisor's workload during this crucial period to give him or her more time to spend with the new hire.

Enlist Co-Workers as a Support System

Traditionally, a co-worker's engagement with a new employee might be limited to taking the person out to lunch on the first day, showing him where the restroom and kitchen are, or training her on the computer system.

Go beyond these traditional limited roles and make engaging with new employees a part of co-workers' jobs. Clearly share your expectations for the type of support and assistance co-workers should provide and work with their supervisors to make sure they are delivering.

By putting in a little extra work for three months, you can end up with an employee who's loyal, reliable and excels at his or her job for decades to come. Isn't that worth the effort?

Welcome Photo via Shutterstock

The post Getting New Hires Up to Speed Takes Longer Than You Think appeared first on Small Business Trends.

Remembering the Days of Good Old Regular Data

Posted: 07 Mar 2014 05:00 AM PST

big data cartoon

I like data.

I use Google Analytics and Crazy Egg on my site to see how people use it. I track subscribers a few different ways in Recurly, I track tweets and retweets in Buffer, and between QuickBooks and Numbers, I have a good idea where my money goes.

Like I said, I like data. But even for a small company like mine, that’s a lot. So when you hear about larger companies leveraging Big Data and governments spying via metadata, it can feel like we’re drowning in data. Hence this metadata/Big Data cartoon.

I know it’s passé – but I miss the days when just watching your “hits” was data enough.

The post Remembering the Days of Good Old Regular Data appeared first on Small Business Trends.

MasterCard Releases MasterPass Mobile Payment App

Posted: 07 Mar 2014 02:30 AM PST

masterpass mastercard

MasterCard says its MasterPass In-App Payments feature will allow customers to make all mobile payments from one app.

In an official release, the company says the new product is a response to demand. The company says research shows revenues from mobile apps and in-app payments will reach $46 billion by the year 2016. Other sources suggest that about $90 billion in sales will be conducted via mobile payments by 2017.

MasterCard also notes that the average smartphone user has 26 apps downloaded on their device. Rather than having to load and store your payment information into multiple apps, the new app would allow you to make mobile payments from just one place. For MasterPass users, this may make mobile payments potentially more convenient and secure.

For small businesses that are looking for a way to take advantage of mobile payments, there could be at least two clear benefits. First, using a single mobile payment app should make mobile business payments easier. Second, especially for small retail businesses, it should make it easier to accept mobile payments from customers by working through a single payment system.

The release further explains:

“Apps with MasterPass embedded in them enable consumers to complete a purchase with as few as one click or touch on their favorite connected device without leaving the app environment. The optimized checkout process creates a seamless shopping experience, supported by the highest levels of security and cryptology.”

The new app is currently in beta for merchants, so an invitation is required to get started. The company says that the new feature will be widely available to app developers and merchants in the second quarter of this year.

Venture Beat reports that some companies are already using MasterPass’ mobile app, including Forbes Digital Commerce, Fat Zebra, MLB Advanced Media, NoQ, Starbucks Australia and Shaw Theatres Singapore. Meanwhile, MasterPass is already available as a browser add-on.

Image: MasterPass

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