Verizon and Mastercard are bringing 5G to the world of e-commerce to be on the cutting edge of tech solutions in the world of business, retail, and beyond.  Qualifying smartphones will allow business owners to streamline the payment process and simplify their customer experience. Retail transactions will become faster, more streamlined and hassle-free through the reduction of hardware requirements.  The Mastercard Bill Pay Exchange will make paying bills a paperless ordeal while protecting businesses against fraud and identifying any other potential problems at the high speed of 5G ..read more

Lenovo recently launched their “Evolve Small” campaign to help small business owners attempting to make a comeback after devastating losses following the COVID-19 pandemic.  The campaign is focused on assisting businesses who need it the most. They are dedicating $1 million in grant funding and support to Black, Indigenous, and People of Color-owned (BIPOC) small businesses. Additionally, Lenovo is partnering with the NFL’s Carolina Panthers to award 10 small businesses with technology upgrades plus providing one small business with a $100,000 advertising sponsorship.  Lastly, Lenovo ..read more

It’s no secret that staying connected to customers, employees, vendors, and everyone in our business world has not been easy over the past 12 months. However, some companies are doing all that they can to make life (and business) easier for their customers. One example is Zoho. I love the way Zoho responded to the pandemic by creating a suite of their services to help customers, and their employees work remotely (ironically, their product is called “Remotely”). Zoho Projects is another product that has recently gone through significant changes to help Zoho customers run better companies from a ..read more

  In our latest Small Business Spotlight, Brian Moran spoke with Nieves Chanthasoto, Founder and CEO of Ledger Lanes, LLC about her experiences as a new business owner after working for 25 years for financial companies in New York City. We also picked her brain on what business owners should do with their financial plans in 2021. This is a must-watch for every business owners struggling with their company’s financials. Resources Instagram – Ledger Lanes Twitter – Ledger Lanes LinkedIn – Nieves Chanthasoto Website – Ledger Lanes The post Small Business Spotlight – Le ..read more

As people around our country prepare for what is sure to be the oddest Thanksgiving on record, small business retailers are going over their game plans for the holidays to make sure they haven’t missed anything. Let’s set the scene for what is coming up this weekend and in the next month for small business owners. There are: Two days before Black Friday and what is historically the kickoff to the holiday shopping season 37 Days Left in the Year 28 days between Black Friday and Christmas 4 shopping weekends before Christmas. How are small businesses feeling today? Most are VERY anxious. Nearl ..read more

Small Business Advice and Insights Small business, as we know it, is at a crossroads. Technological advances are happening faster than ever. In 2021, over 25 billion items will be connected through technology (Internet of Things). Freelance or gig workers, mostly Millennials, will make up 40% of the workforce, and we still don’t know when the pandemic will finally be over! There are too many professional prognosticators trying to predict what life and business will be like in the future. Will automated robots instruct driverless cars to pick up packages dropped off by drones in remote areas fo ..read more

Board of Advisers If you are planning to launch a new business, or if you recently started one, here is the best possible piece of advice I can give you: Don’t try and do it all on your own! Starting and managing a business is hard enough—there are potholes and pitfalls everywhere! If you make a few bad decisions early on in your business, you might suddenly find yourself between a rock and a hard place—with very little room to fix what you broke. How do you avoid making costly errors and mistakes early in your life as an entrepreneur? Form a board of advisers—people who have walked the same p ..read more

11 Ways to Better Protect Your Business from Hackers On a recent Small Business Edge podcast, I interviewed Paul Paray, an attorney who provides privacy and data breach counsel for firms after data incidents. We discussed the real threats to cybersecurity today, and steps business owners can take to protect themselves today. Paul gave several cringe-worthy examples of businesses that were hacked as well as excellent advice on ways for business owners to protect themselves from such ordeals. In addition to the podcast, Paul provides 11 more ways for business owners to protect themselves from ex ..read more

This week I received phone calls from two Millenials I mentor who were both frustrated and looking for some coaching or some commiserating. I am not really sure which. Their frustrations were identical, with both individuals highly emoting their unhappiness with their perceived lack of leadership with their immediate supervisors. Both calls took me back twenty years, to my own observations on crisis leadership after the 9/11 attack. Going Back in Time Watching the news coverage of the attack from the Concierge Lounge at the San Diego Marriott, my first reaction was to call home to assure that ..read more

Gyms across the country have been forced to close, like all other non-essential businesses, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, gym owners are left with unpaid dues, rent and equipment lease payments to make, and no one walking through their doors. Many gym trainers and instructors have taken to their social media accounts and email newsletters to supply daily motivation through virtual workouts, positive reinforcement messages, and suspension of monthly payments. Powerhouse Gyms in Mahwah and South Hackensack, New Jersey, owned and operated by Erik Santiago, have created the hashtag #p ..read more