You’re online. You’ve setup a great e-commerce site. And you want to sell more of your products overseas. Maybe it’s to China where there could be “half a billion” opportunities. Or Europe. Or South America. Financing options, led by the Export-Import Bank and others like HSBC are plentiful. The U.S. Government and the Small Business administration have both developed comprehensive sites with tons of resources to help businesses, big and small, to export their products to overseas customers. In other words, there are plenty of resources available to help you. …read more
Bentley Christie runs a small farm in his suburban Canadian backyard. But unlike most backyard farmers, he doesn’t raise chickens, nor does he plant fruits and vegetables. Instead, he harvests crops of wriggling red worms.
To hear Christie tell it, a worm farm is a pretty ideal small business. It doesn’t require much space because a pound of worms — about a thousand creepy-crawlies — needs only a square foot of surface area. They live in bins that are easy to make at home, and they’re relatively self-sufficient, too, since they eat food scraps and don’t need to be cleaned up after.
Christie sells many of his worms for fishing bait, animal feed and natural fertilizer, but an increasing number are purchased by people who use them at home for composting kitchen garbage.
Christie’s interest in vermicomposting started as a “kooky” hobby, he says, back when he worked at an environmental consulting firm where red worms were being used for lab testing. He noticed one day that his colleague kept some of the worms in a bin under the desk to compost her lunch scraps.
“Seeing how they were converting her lunch scraps into beautiful black gold won me over in an instant,” he remembers. “She ended up sending me with a bunch of worms that same day.”
More Worms, Less Waste
In 2010, Americans produced almost 4.5 pounds of waste per person per day. Worms can help reduce the amount of that waste ending up in landfills by eating garbage such as food scraps, tea bags and even your junk mail, and converting it into rich fertilizer for your garden.
For beginners, Christie suggests starting off with just a pound of worms so that you can see how quickly they eat (they also tend to multiply very quickly, so it’s safer to start off small). If kept in an optimal environment, worms can devour up to half of their weight in a day.
For those who might feel a bit squeamish about keeping worms in their basements or yards, Christie is quick to reassure that worms don’t attract pests — especially when kept indoors. And as long as the compost doesn’t overflow the bin, it doesn’t smell either. And don’t worry about escapees taking up residence in your bedroom. “They are designed to live in a moist environment, not a typical human dwelling,” he says. “If they do escape, they dry up and die.”
Rob Dumouchel set up his first worm bin a month ago and hasn’t had any trouble. “Give them somewhere dark and moist to live, add something good to eat, and they take care of everything else from there,” he says. He had a few escapees the first night, but he chalks that up to not setting up the container correctly. So far, his crawlies
CHICAGO — Torrential downpours across a broad swath of the U.S. Midwest this week are easing the worst drought in more than 50 years, flooding streams, snarling river transportation, stalling corn plantings — and changing the outlook for the American farm economy in 2013.
The Army Corps of Engineers is closing locks along a 150-mile stretch of the Mississippi River from roughly Davenport in Iowa to Hannibal, Mo. Barge traffic was backing up Thursday, as water levels were too high for barges to take on grain.
The Mississippi and other major rivers are expected to begin cresting Sunday — and likely will run over levies in some areas. That is a sharp reversal from as recently as January, when low water levels disrupted the main water thoroughfares that bring grain from the nation’s breadbasket to the world’s markets.
“These rains are really helping bring most areas out of drought status. And the rain encompasses all of the western Corn Belt that was previously dry,” said Don Keeney, meteorologist for MDA Weather Services, a widely followed commercial forecasting firm.
If the drought is ending, it would represent a sea change for the farm economy, where expectations for another dry summer had been baked in. Continued rainy weather could further delay spring plantings, cause a sharp fall in the price of farm commodities, and lower the cost of everything from hog feed to cereal ingredients.
Lower feed prices would help livestock and dairy producers, but soft grain prices could cut into farmers’ incomes and perhaps even cause farmland values to retreat from recent record highs.
An end to drought conditions would bring a burst in economic activity across the agriculture industry — from farmers in the fields to those operating grain elevators, processing companies and shippers.
“If in fact the drought is easing, and if we are migrating to a situation that might afford better yields, to my mind, for the full value chain, it’s a godsend,” said Bruce Scherr, chief executive of agribusiness analytics firm Informa Economics. “Another year like last year would be devastating.”
The 2012 drought brought corn production to only 10.8 billion bushels, a 6-year low, with yields reaching a 17-year low of 123.4 bushels an acre. The production losses added to the impact of rising exports to China and domestic demand for ethanol production to drive corn prices on the Chicago Board of Trade to an all-time high last August.
Farmers filed a record $11.8 billion in crop-insurance claims, according to Agriculture Department data. And farm income fell last year by 3 percent from a record set in 2011.
Transformation
“Isn’t it ironic that all winter we’ve been worried about dry soil, and all of that has changed in a period
SED International Holdings Appoints Derrek Hallock SVP and GM U.S. Commercial Division
LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– SED International Holdings, Inc. (NYSE MKT: SED), announced today that the Company has appointed Derrek P. Hallock as SVP and GM of the U.S. Commercial Division. The Commercial Division has responsibility to grow SED‘s business among the VAR, MSP and OEM communities. Mr. Hallock will be based in the company’s Atlanta area headquarters and will manage both the client sales and vendor management functions of the Commercial Division.
Last week SED announced that it is focusing its business on three areas: IT storage systems, small businessIT solutions and merchandized e-commerce fulfillment. A major focus among these areas is the small business solutions market served by ITVAR‘s and MSP‘s. “Derrek is the ideal candidate to grow SED‘s penetration of the Small Businessmarket in the U.S.,” said Bob O’Malley, President and CEO. “His experiences in supply chain management, VAR sales and Distributor Marketing Services are a perfect fit to our new focused strategy.”
Most recently Mr. Hallock was Tech Data’s Vice President of TDAgency, with direct responsibility for managing a $60 million full service marketing and advertising agency. TDAgency creates channel enabled marketing programs that bridge the demand connection between IT manufacturers and channel client objectives. Prior to TDAgency, Mr. Hallock had responsibility for Tech Data’s SMB VAR Sales managing operations in the U.S., Canada and Costa Rica. He has also held management positions at CompuCom Systems, Dixie Aerospace and American Airlines.
“I am delighted to be joining the SED International team and returning to a leadership role in the Small BusinessIT marketplace,” said Derrek Hallock. “Small Businesses across the U.S. have the same appetite for technology as large enterprises. With the right support from SED and our channel partners, they have the ability to implement leading IT solutions much faster. SED‘s strategy to leverage cloud services, storage applications and demand for mobile solutions will enable our clients to achieve profitable growth and further penetrate the SMB marketplace.”
ABOUT SED INTERNATIONAL HOLDINGS, INC.
Founded in 1980, SED International Holdings, Inc. is a multinational, preferred distributor of leading computer technology, consumer electronics, small appliances, housewares, and personal care products. The company also offers custom-tailored supply chain management services ideally suited to meet the priorities and distribution requirements of the e-commerce, Business-to-Business and Business-to-Consumer markets. Headquartered near Atlanta, Georgia with business operations in California; Florida; Georgia; New Jersey; Texas; Bogota, Colombia and Buenos …read more
Regions Bank Demonstrates Increased Commitment to Small Business with New ‘Biz Forward’ Program
BIRMINGHAM, Ala.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Throughout the month of April, Regions Bank (NYS: RF) is focusing on small businesses and the important role they play in our communities and our economy through Regions’ new “Biz Forward” program.
“We know that small businesses create nearly 70 percent of the new jobs in our economy, and in my over 20 years working with small businesses I’ve seen first-hand the vital contributions they make in communities where we live and work, and the challenges they face to grow and maintain their companies,” said Joe DiNicolantonio, head of Regions’ new Business and Community Banking division. “Through this initiative we’re stepping up our efforts to give small business customers the recognition they deserve and the support they need to grow and prosper.”
As part of this program, Regions will host a Biz Forward webinar series during the month of April covering practical business topics such as SBA lending, fraud prevention, and tips for women-owned businesses. The webinars are available free of charge to small business owners and are hosted by expert Regions bankers. For more information on the webinars or to register, visit regions.com/bizforward. Dates and topics include:
April 16, 11 a.m. CDT — Understanding and stopping fraud … before it happens
April 23, 11 a.m. CDT — What you should know about the SBA
April 25, 11 a.m. CDT — Some advice for women-owned businesses
Throughout the month and beyond, bankers throughout the 16 states Regions Bank serves will also recognize small businesses contributing to the economic health and wellbeing of their communities. As part of Biz Forward, Regions will be offering several opportunities to honor small businesses and for owners to get timely advice and guidance, including:
Visits from local Regions bankers to small business customers in their communities to say thank you and offer support.
Regions Bank Enhances Commitment to Small Business; Taps Veteran Banker Joe DiNicolantonio to Lead Business and Community Banking Line of Business
BIRMINGHAM, Ala.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Regions Bank has created a new Business and Community Banking line of business led by veteran banker Joe DiNicolantonio. The new division reports directly to John Owen, head of business lines and is dedicated to providing a full array of banking, lending, and advisory services to businesses with up to $20 million in sales.
Joe DiNicolantonio, head of Business and Community Banking, Regions Bank (Photo: Business Wire)
“Small businesses have unique challenges and rely on their bank to help them manage and grow their companies,” said Owen. “Joe brings a deep knowledge of both our community markets and small business capabilities to his new role and I’m excited that he will lead our efforts to serve more small businesses.”
Previously Regions managed business and community banking, including small business, as part of the company’s business services group. Establishing the Business and Community Banking division will allow Regions to increase its historically strong focus on serving small business customers through both branch and relationship-managed channels. John Asbury, head of Business Services, will now focus exclusively on Regions’ Commercial Banking, Treasury Management, Real Estate Banking, Business Capital, Specialized Industries and Capital Markets businesses and will continue to report to Owen.
DiNicolantonio joined Regions Bank in 1998 and has held a number of leadership roles in the retail and small business banking arena. Most recently he served as West Tennessee area president with oversight for the bank’s retail, commercial, middle market and small business banking activities throughout Memphis, Tenn. and surrounding communities. Prior to this, he held a number of retail and small business banking leadership roles in the bank’s Florida market. DiNicolantonio earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Finance from the University of Florida at Gainesville and a master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of South Florida at Tampa.
David May, who most recently served as West Tennessee Commercial Banking executive, will succeed Joe DiNicolantonio as West Tennessee area president. May joined Regions in 1992.
Lynetta Steed has been named director of Government and Institutional Banking for the East Region and will report to East Regional President Brett Couch. Steed joined Regions in 1992 and has provided leadership to the Business and Community Banking team since 2011.
try{document.getElementById(“fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-212316″).style.display=”none”;}catch(e){}State tax codes are packed with weird tax laws that subject consumers and businesses to taxes on everything from hot air balloon rides to sliced bagels. Now taxpayers in Washington state are protesting one such law through the healing power of dance.
The tax law in question was put on the books in the 1960s, and says that any business that offers customers the “opportunity” to dance will be subject to a tax. According to ABC News, many Washington businesses complain of arbitrary enforcement of the statute. The state legislature is considering a repeal.
So on Monday, taxpayers descended on the state Capitol in Olympia, Wash., to protest the law with various dance moves. ABC News reports that the flamenco, salsa, tango and conga line all made appearances during the spirited protest.
But Washington’s is hardly the only strange tax law on the books: Check out the slide show below for some truly odd revenue-generating statutes:
Social media is one of those things that small business owners know they need to do, but they are not quite sure how to find the time to do it. Here are the top ten tips for effective social media management: …read more Source: FULL ARTICLE at Forbes Latest
Everyone remembers that restaurant in their hometown — the family-run joint where the food was mouth-watering and the proprietors were on a first-name basis with all their regulars. Well, today is National Mom and Pop Business Owners Day, a day to celebrate small, family-run businesses like that, and the hard work and perseverance it takes to make them great.
But as we take a moment to recall those one-of-a-kind endeavors — the independent bookstores, the B&B’s, the diners — it’s also worth noting that some of America’s most popular brands started off as humble mom-and-pop shops.
Right there it is: $15,000 worth of a high-performing, over-equipped, super server that I bought way back in the dark ages of 2009. This server, named “Mongo”, was once remotely hosted at a $400 per month datacenter that could withstand earthquakes and direct missile strikes. Today this technological super computer is being used to host “fun hacks” by gap intelligence’s development team and sits under a pile of empty food boxes. …read more Source: FULL ARTICLE at Forbes Latest
Every March, Austin absorbs a massive influx of talented artists and entrepreneurs for the South By Southwest Conference & Festivals, aka SXSW. There, they get to network, bask in each others’ genius, and showcase their own work, while those of us who aren’t able to attend salivate in anticipation, waiting to see what “next big thing” will be revealed at the festival.
Sometimes, it really is the next big thing: In 2007, Twitter set up massive screens at the Austin Convention Center to encourage attendees to tweet about their experiences. The company won the conference’s Web Award (now known as Interactive Awards) in the blog category, and even though the company had been around since 2006, that SXSW proved its real coming-out party.
But how good is SXSW at reading the tech world tea leaves? We’ve looked at a few of its past award winners to see how they fared after their shining moments in Austin.
2012
Storify (Social Media): Thanks to the boom in social media, our thoughts and moments tend to be scattered across a multitude of sites: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and others. Storify helps you pull it all back together, weaving those threads into timelines with coherent narratives — in other words, your stories. And it works with input from large groups as well. Founder Xavier Damman says Storify has been used by the New York Times and the White House to document various events, and people have pooled the social input from friends and family to “storify” their weddings and birthdays. The site’s popularity has been growing rapidly, but there have been some privacy concerns as of late.
2011
Airbnb (Mobile Award): Airbnb connects travelers seeking cheap and convenient lodging, with ordinary folks who have some space they’d like to rent out temporarily. Although Airbnb had been around since 2008, the launch of its mobile app has made it faster and easier to use (and won it this award). The company has been associated with its share of scandals and rental disasters, but none have cut into its growing popularity.
2010
Aadvark (Community Award): This popular search engine connected users with a network of their friends and friends of friends to answer their questions. Google acquired the company around the time it won this accolade, but shut it down a year later. It may have seemed like a great idea at the time, but the evolution of social media rapidly made it fairly obsolete.
Gowalla (Mobile Award): One of the first location-based social media sites, Gowalla allowed users to “check in” wherever they were. The app was similar to Foursquare, which was also nominated in this category. Facebook acquired Gowalla in 2011, and then shut it down a year later. Meanwhile, Foursquare lived on, and has grown substantially. One can find celebrities like …read more Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance
When Rowley Mayo, 62, was downsized from his job as a finance executive in 2009, he wasn’t ready to stop working. But Mayo soon learned that companies weren’t lining up to hire workers in his age group, especially those accustomed to earning six-figure salaries.
Rather than accept early retirement, Mayo, who lives in Elk River, Minn., decided to start his own business. While researching opportunities, he consulted with a franchise broker who introduced him to Mr. Appliance, a home-service appliance-repair company with 148 locations in the U.S. After talking with franchise owners and company executives, he launched his franchise serving the Minneapolis suburbs in December 2010.
“I was looking for a business that was, as much as possible, recession-proof,” Mayo says. Because franchisors offer extensive hand-holding, franchisees don’t necessarily need expertise in the product or service they’ll be selling.
Mayo didn’t know anything about appliance repair, but he believed that his years of management experience would enable him to find employees with the necessary technical skills.
In addition, Mayo says, the $27,000 franchise fee was a bargain compared with the cost of buying the sophisticated technology needed to start an appliance-repair business from scratch. “It would cost you a fortune to duplicate what you get in a box from Mr. Appliance,” he says.
For wannabe entrepreneurs, franchises offer a proven business model, says Joel Libava, a franchise consultant and author of “Become a Franchise Owner!” “You can get into business really fast,” he says. “In a good system, mistakes have been made, kinks have been ironed out.”
A typical franchise agreement gives you the right to use a franchise’s name and business system for a specified period of time, which can run anywhere from five to 20 years. You may receive training, help in finding a location, management advice and ongoing support. Many franchisors also provide national advertising and marketing.
Buying an established business model doesn’t come cheap. Start-up costs, which include the franchise fee, inventory, insurance and equipment, range from less than $25,000 to more than $1 million. In addition, Libava says, most franchisors require franchisees to have a net worth of at least $350,000, of which $50,000 to $60,000 must be in cash.
Some well-known companies have much higher thresholds. Jiffy Lube, for example, requires franchisees to have a net worth of $450,000, of which $150,000 must be in cash. In addition, you’ll probably have to fork over a percentage of your monthly gross revenue. The average royalty fee is 6.7 percent, according to Franchise Direct, an online directory of franchises for sale.
The bottom line, then, is that you assume most of the losses if the business flops, but you’ll be required to share the rewards if it succeeds. For that reason, you shouldn’t …read more Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance
Bankers have been telling me the strangest thing: credit standards for business are easing. Not by a whole lot, but they are definitely coming down. I’ve heard it enough, though, that the trend is clear. That leaves small business owners and corporate CFOs asking, “What do I do in a world of easier credit?” or possibly “Where can I get some?” …read more Source: FULL ARTICLE at Forbes Latest
California Bank & Trust wins 13 national and regional Greenwich Excellence Awards in Small Business and Middle-Market Banking categories (Photo: Business Wire)
The Greenwich Excellence Awards evaluate more than 750 banks to identify industry leaders. The Awards are based on more than 30,000 market research interviews with business banking executives and middle market executives at companies nationwide. They recognize the country’s top firms for exceptional quality, client experience, sales leadership and overall excellence. CB&T has won top honors since 2009.
“We are honored to receive 13 Greenwich Awards,” says Steve Borg, Senior Vice President, Corporate Marketing Director of California Bank & Trust. “This recognition tells us that our continued effort to provide excellent customer service and support does not go unnoticed. We strive to understand and to meet the needs of our customers every day. It’s rewarding to be recognized by Greenwich Associates for accomplishments in so many areas of our business.”
Greenwich Associates is a leading global financial services research and consulting firm for investment banks, commercial banks and asset managers. The annual Excellence Awards are highly regarded in the financial services industry as an acknowledgment of quality client services and overall strength among leading banks.
California Bank & Trust, as part of Zions Bancorporation, received awards in the following categories:
The war between Google and Microsoft is heating up. Each tech giant offers a productivity suite serving the essentials for serious work online: word processing, spreadsheets, email, and calendars. Should you ally with Google Apps for Business, or root for Microsoft’s Office 365 for Small Business?
My experience with both brands’ productivity tools reflects the workflows many small businesses face. In 2007, with staff scattered across several countries, my editorial company started using Google Apps for Business. It offered email, plus shared text documents and spreadsheets all under our company domain name and logo. Meanwhile, on the desktop, we used Microsoft Word and Excel, particularly for complex documents that we shared with clients.
If we were starting over today, we would seriously consider Microsoft’s Office 365 for Small Business. For years Microsoft wasn’t putting significant functionality online, but next week’s release of Office 365 Small Business Premium is a big step forward.
Google and Microsoft each allow personal and business use of their online platform, as well as simultaneous logins to multiple accounts in different browser tabs. Beyond that, however, their platforms differ greatly in usability, functionality, and mobile support. Read on to discover the standout features and surprising weak points of each.
