Skype Can Work Well for Business
I don’t know about you, but I like easy, reliable and affordable services for my business. And when I can save a few bucks, that means more gets added to my bottom line. That’s one of the reasons I use Skype as my business phone service.
A lot of people think Skype is just this free service that anyone can use to connect via voice or video over the internet. It definitely is that, but it’s also much more. Skype is a full fledged VOIP phone service. You can actually get a phone number that people can call you on through your Skype service. I’ve been using the service as my main business phone since January, and other than one small blip, it’s been excellent.
So if you’re thinking about making a change, now might be a good time. I just got
Google’s Confusing Change on Reviews
Google has a new policy on reviews in Google Maps, and the policy could cause trouble for some business owners who may find Google’s own help pages confusing at best, if not somewhat contradictory.
Google’s New Reviews Policy
A couple weeks ago, Google announced an update to its policies on writing reviews. This is a set of guidelines that are directed to consumers who review businesses, but it has new implications for the business owners themselves. The new policy includes this line:
So, things like this offer from a dentist are a no-no:
Where It Gets Confusing
This is all fine and good, except elsewhere in Google’s help pages, Google specifically tells small/local business owners that they should “encourage customers to review or blog about your business. Google
All About Single Payment Annuities
Are you on the verge of retirement, without being in any secured mode of retirement payment? In that case you might be worried about the loss of your regular salary? Or you might have a very fluctuating job where you make an enormous profit at one point of time and nothing at another point of time. In that case, you could opt for a Single payment annuity. What exactly is a single payment annuity?
This is a scheme which allows you to make a single deposit to the insurance company. The company will provide you in return, a regular flow of income. The amount you get is based on a calculation involving the amount you pay and a calculation of your life expectancy.
The insurance company will accordingly invest in equities and the like. Of course people have different needs, for which there are different amounts and terms. Y
Small business owners answer questions about retirement
Who gets the money: the business or your retirement plan?
One of the greatest challenges for any growing small business is the fact that, kind of like a teenager, your business will always have its hand out for more money. Indeed, there will NEVER be a time when you won’t have real, bona fide, justified upgrades, maintenance and/or market opportunities to spend your money on.
If you actually have the retained earnings to consider putting back in the business, congratulations; that means you’re doing something right. But at some point you’re going to have to decide how to split that pot of money between investing in the business and investing in a non-business-related retirement plan.
We wanted to know how you were handling this decision and asked our NEWSLETTER subscribers and website visitors what they were doing about personal retirement. Here’s
WinWeb Launches Websites For eBay Shop Owners
WinWeb Launches Websites For eBay Shop Owners
WinWeb have created a range of Business Websites to promote your eBay Shop. Many people who have started selling products opt for an eBay shop to sell their products online. This makes sense for many reasons; the start up cost is minimal, many people are already comfortable with the eBay interface, the integration with PayPal offers security, and it is easy to be found in eBay searches.
However, when marketing your products online it is important to have a landing page for people to visit. Not only does this raise awareness of your brand online, but it also gives you the opportunity to direct potential customers to your own professional domain name before they then click through to your eBay shop to make their purchases.
Our iPad Review
The iPad is a huge success. According to the research firm iSupply, Apple will sell roughly 13 million iPads this year. Many of these are being used by small businesses.
Over the last few months we’ve interviewed a number of small businesses who use iPads. We also use iPads at Emergent Research.
The consensus view of the folks we talked to is the iPad is a great computing device for some applications, but is not for everyone. Also, the iPad has not fully replaced notebook computers for most of the people we interviewed.
The major advantages of the iPad are:
- It’s instant on and very fast
- It has a long battery life (most folks say they get 8-10 hours per charge)
- It’s light and easy to carry
- It’s very easy to use
- The touch screen interface makes web browsing quick and efficient
- The huge number of iPad applications
This combination of features makes it a great tool for web browsing and media consumption. It is also an excellent note taking device and email client. And the attractive screen and graphics makes it a useful demo tool.
The major disadvantages we heard are:
- Limited or no support for most office and business applications
- Limited storage and printer support
- Limited ability to import and export data
- Touch screen keyboard hard to use
- Lack of multitasking
These views match our experience using the iPad. Browsing is quick and easy and the iPad has replaced my notebook for use in meetings and local travel.
But on overnight trips or longer, I leave my iPad at home and take my notebook. I also rarely use the iPad while at my desk.
The reason is simple. While the iPad is great for consuming content, it is not a good for creating content. Nor does it fully support all my business application needs. Because of this, I still need my notebook.
We think the iPad is best for mobile workers focused on quick and easy access to email, social media, web browsing and simple business application use.
For people who are only occasionally mobile, work with large documents or spreadsheets, or need access to traditional business applications, a notebook is probably the better choice.
Another consideration is most of the iPad users we talked to continue to need and use their notebook. Adding another computing device is costly and can be confusing.
But most felt the iPad was worth it, and our return on our iPad investment has definitely been strongly positive.
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