Autonomous cars have proven their usability and, to a lesser degree, their reliability in real world tests already.  There are still a few bugs that need to be ironed out, but by and large the consensus is that these cars could help save lives on the roadways of the world by preventing intoxicated drivers from controlling the vehicle, and keeping collisions from happening. I’m actually so impressed with these cars, that I actually passed out. Someone had to wave some Hot Sauce Planet under my nose to wake me up! Check out the infographic for more:

Humans communicate through stories, for one thing.  The parts of the stories arrive in bits and pieces through discussions, brainstorming sessions, and other activities aimed at getting the communication flowing.  With good story telling in communication, the innovation necessary for a successful team endeavor often follows, and that is ultimately at the heart of a venture’s success.  By studying the infographic by Ronald Brown you can get a better overview of the Big Picture that will help you identify the key players on your teams, and inspire them to the greatness they are capable of.

Let’s take a look at this infographic about sales:  Dallas, San Antonio, and Chicago are the three best cities for sales jobs right now.  Two of those are in Texas, did you notice?  Although we’re not sure why that is, we’ll leave the speculation to you, our readers.  What are the industries experiencing the largest growth in sales numbers right now?  Leading is the financial sector that includes securities and lending.  Next is advertising, which incorporates a marketing mix and represents several industries by other names that all fit under that tarp.  Here is an infographic that can break it all down for you.

The story ended well, however, with Apple realizing they needed Jobs back if they hoped for the company to have a chance to compete with Microsoft, IBM, and other competitors of that decade.  It would take someone with extraordinary vision and charisma to save Apple, and Jobs’ perfectionist streak was needed.

Here is an excellent infographic tribute to the man who saved Apple and brought us the greatest innovations of the digital age.  Click to enlarge:

During the time period between July 24 and Aug. 23, Intuit noticed that small business employment crept slowly up 0.18%, seeming to be an annual growth rate of 2.2%. And yet, hours worked during the period dropped or really dived down to 0.3% to an average of 108 hours at the same time compensation declined another 0.08% to an average monthly pay of $2,649.  Many people are working for hourly wages that place them below the poverty level.  For example:  a single parent earning $13 per hour in Moore County, NC, is not earning a “living wage” according to government calculators.

http://www.livingwage.geog.psu.edu/counties/37125

Even though in August a few small businesses did open up a certain number of jobs, they are paying less for the work their employees do.  Many people are doing the work that is normally assigned to more than one position as hiring is stymied.  In September, the national unemployment rate rose again, as it did in North Carolina.

1) Label everything!  Before you unplug the first cord, go ahead and get some masking tape or other labels that won’t come off easy and put your mark or initials on each and everything that comes from your equipment or desk.  You will need to label your laptop or Mac or PC tower, your monitors, cables, external storage devices, desk fans, pen holder cup, file stacker, and filing cabinet so that, during the move (even if it will only be a few feet away) no one will permanently misplace your items.  This may seem like common sense, but many people omit this crucial step and live to regret it.

2)  Clean, clean, clean.  That’s right:  you work hard every day.  There is little time to do something as routine as taking some appropriate cleaning supplies and giving your desk a thorough once over.  Doing this now will keep your desk nice and clean for some time to come, and could even become a healthy habit for those who are unaccustomed to doing so.  Cleaning out drawers that may have accumulated old bits and pieces of small garbage is a good way to make a fresh start in anticipation of your new workspace.

3)  Do not lift heavy items by yourself, no matter how tempted you may be to do so!  That is for the movers who are professionally trained.

With these tips in mind, moving day will be easier than you might have thought.

Compromised accounts, phishing attacks, and malware infections are growing problems. Some people have reported cases where spam or other unidentified messages were sent to people on their lists of contacts.  Some have received messages in which they were told that their accounts would be locked down unless they gave out their usernames and passwords — but Google never asks for such information.  Never give out your login details to anyone pretending to officially represent Google, because the company does not do that, ever.

If you have concerns about your business’s email accounts or a master account that you believe has been compromised in some manner, take the following steps to help secure your company’s sensitive information and email data.
If you can still sign into your Gmail account, and you suspect your account has been compromised, go in and check all of the following settings as soon as possible, and make the recommended fixes:

1.  Check for malware and viruses. Using the anti-virus software on your PC (be sure it is a trustworthy brand) scan your entire hard disk for traces of malicious code. If any is detected, remove it immediately.  You need to do this before you change your Gmail password, because if malware is what stole your password to begin with, and you don’t remove it first, the same malware will steal your new password, too.

2. At the bottom of your inbox, you will see a place that will show you the latest activity in your account by clicking “details”.  If you see more than one location listed there, click on Details and have it log out of any other open sessions.

3. After checking these, change your password and be sure that you inspect your signature and vacation settings, and even forwarding settings.  Often a hacked account will have had these changed to something the user is unaware of.

This will help your business to keep secure.

Once you understand what you are hoping for in your bank, narrow your comparisons down from a worldwide perspective to a more regional and local one, and think of specialization. You will be looking for banks that specialize in just what you need. After finding these, call them and request very specific information;  ask about additional services, fee structures, and various interest rates.

Before you meet with the bankers, be familiar with the information you have gathered about each one, and go in to your meetings with a list of questions and minimal criteria you will accept for selecting that bank. If it involves free online banking, let the bank manager know you are firm on that.  If having someone available once a month or so to counsel with you is more important than a fee here or there, also let them know this from the start.

Once you have settled with a bank that works for your business, make sure you still check out competition periodically. You should always take time to re-evaluate your business’s financial needs, since every time your bank changes something about its service, this will have an impact on your business.  Bumping up a loan interest rate, for example, or adding on a periodic finance charge amounts to a higher cost of doing business over time.

Banking does not have to be excessively stressful, even for small business, but if it is, you might consider some natural relaxation techniques, such as the use of herbal incense, the drinking of a caffeine free herbal tea, and listening to soft nature sounds like rain or a babbling brook.  So relax, set your priorities, and get your small business banking game plan organized.  You will be sure to stay on top.

The big players in social networking, Twitter and Facebook, are essential marketing tools for businesses in this day and age.  There’s just no getting around the fact that people are social animals living in a highly technological world where communication is instantaneous and effective.  People like instant feedback.  Social networking gives them what they want.  It can also be a matter of personal prestige to follow, like, and connect with brands consumers perceive reflect something about their own personalities and lifestyles.  Although Microsoft and Apple Inc. certainly don’t rely on social networking for brand identity, (they were around a long time before social networking, and will likely be around long after whatever replaces it in the future) these two giants of technology are great examples of how consumers use social networking to project something about how they want the world to see them.  Let me explain:

Remember the old Mac and PC ads that were retired about two years ago?  That was powerful marketing at work.  It was also before the height of the online social networking wave, yet called effectively upon the psychology that is behind the social networks.  It played up two of the most recognizable stereotypes known to man:  the PC Guy, and the Mac Guy.  Actually, we could say PC or Mac user instead of guy and we’d have the same basic thing — two very different individuals with different outlooks on life:  yet only one suitable platform, allegedly for both.  In the mind of the person watching the commercials, a battlefield was set up and a war waging before they even realized what was happening.  The subconscious question:  Am I a Mac, or a PC?  Which one is cooler?  Which one is better?  Sexier?  More creative?  More fun?  More laid back?  More like what I want people to think I am?

Social media for lesser known businesses, like yours and mine, can still be used to help build and seal brand awareness and identity.  You just have to figure out what it is you want people to think about your company, or rather, what you think they want to think about your company, and how that makes them look to, well, everyone else.

Let us know what you think using our secure form submission!

It has possibly never been more important for a business to have a reliable answering service in place.  We live in a world where people expect instant access to products and services – and yet, many small to medium sized businesses do not have adequate staff for handling after hours calls, or calls on weekends and holidays.  These businesses run the risk of losing customers to larger corporate-level competitors who do have the manpower to answer the calls off hours.  To avoid this, outsourcing for answering services is not merely a nice idea – but an essential one.

Here is a scenario to consider:  a small company with only 40 employees is selling satellite television services.  The small call center is only staffed Monday through Friday between the hours of 7 am and 9 pm.  What happens from 9pm until the following morning at 7am?  The company is guaranteed to lose valuable customers who are impatient and need to secure services immediately;  be assured they will seek what they need elsewhere.

This impatience mentality may at first appear to be a disadvantage, but in reality, it is a useful tool in the arsenal of a skilled businessman with solid footing in Web 2.0;  he knows that the world of digital communications, social networking, and global outsourcing for support services will keep him ahead of the game.  He can successfully capitalize on consumer impatience if he makes his company visible and accessibly at all times, but every means the customer may use to make contact.

With the right professional answering service, the small business owner can compete with Fortune 500 companies who never miss a call, or an order.  A good answering service provider will have highly scalable plans in place to help you not only answer calls and take messages – but also to put customers through to what they are really after:  your product or service.  An answering service can customize your parameters by putting trained associates at your disposal who can accept the calls you and your full time employees are not present to handle.  This transforms useless time off into profitable, relationship building time for your company and your clients.

When screening answering services, look for the following signs of high quality:

• Free trial offer
• Explicit pricing information available upon request
• Dun & Bradstreet registration credential
• Packages with everything from low volume plans to complete call centers
• Large number of clients

With the right answering service behind your business, and a keen sense of the role of Web 2.0 level communications, your business will never have to experience real downtime again.