EMPRESS OF BIZ! Biz Tips, Listen! Learn! Prosper! Anna Marie Gire Women's Yellow Pages

EMPRESS OF BIZ! Listen! Learn! Prosper! - Publishes of the Pittsburgh Yellow Pages...

Special guest on the Empress of biz, the publisher of the Greater Pittsburgh 20130-2014 Women's Yellow Pages, Anna Marie Gire. Join me as we discuss her new publication and the status of women business owners.
Did you know that women owned businesses generate   3. 1 Trillion dollars to the U. S.  Economy?
Tune in and listen to the GOOD News about  business.

EMPRESS OF BIZ! Biz Tips, Listen! Learn! Prosper! Anna Marie Gire Women's Yellow Pages

EMPRESS OF BIZ! Listen! Learn! Prosper! - Publishes of the Pittsburgh Yellow Pages...

Special guest on the Empress of biz, the publisher of the Greater Pittsburgh 20130-2014 Women's Yellow Pages, Anna Marie Gire. Join me as we discuss her new publication and the status of women business owners.
Did you know that women owned businesses generate   3. 1 Trillion dollars to the U. S.  Economy?
Tune in and listen to the GOOD News about  business.

How to prevent cyber crime

How secure are your small business assets from fraud, identity theft and cyber crime?

According to the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE), companies with less than 100 employees can lose approximately $155,000 as a result of fraud each year. Small businesses also have a higher fraud rate than larger companies and non-business owners. 

One of the most frequent sources of fraud is credit card abuse,  due to the fact that few business owners make the time to go through every line item on their bill.  They also are careless in mixing their business and mingle business and personal accounts.

Other sources of fraud stem from an overall lack of security across the business – such as inadequate network and computer security and a lack of background checks when hiring employees.

Don’t be a victim! Here are some tips you can take to better protect your business from some common forms of fraud and cyber crime.

Protect Your Credit Cards and Bank Accounts:

1,  Since this is a common area of fraud, this one goes at the top of the list. Start by separating your personal banking and credit cards from your business accounts – this will ensure fraudsters don’t get their hands on ALL your money. Separating your accounts will also make it easier to track your business expenses and report deductions on your tax return.

2.  Use your cards wisely. Don’t hand over your plastic or your card number to employees or 

companies with which you don’t have a familiar relationship. 

3.  Switch to online bill pay or make sure you store paper bills securely. 

4.  Use a secure mailbox for receiving and sending bills. If you don’t have one, deposit your mail directly at the post office

5.Lastly, be sure to check your online banking every day for suspicious activity.

Secure Your IT Infrastructure

6.  Every business owner should invest in a firewall as well as anti-virus, malware and spyware detection software. Backing-up is also a must and will make it a lot easier for you to continue working in the event of a cyber attack.

7.  Use a Dedicated Computer for Banking

This is a great idea from Forbes magazine’s 5 Ways Small Businesses Can Protect Against Cybercrime.  Use a dedicated computer for all your online financial transactions and, ideally, make sure it’s one that isn’t used for other online activity such as social media, email and web-surfing which can open up the machine to vulnerabilities. Avoid mobile banking if you can.

8.  Have a Password Policy

Another easy step you can take to protect your IT systems is to institute a password policy. 

• Make sure you and your employees change them regularly (every 60 to 90 days is good rule)
• Set rules that ensure passwords are complex (i.e. contain one upper case letter, one number and must be a minimum of eight characters)
• Use different passwords for different online and system accounts
• Use different banks for your accounts for personal and business accounts.

9.  Educate Your Staff

Employees are perhaps your biggest point of vulnerability when it comes to fraud, but they are also your first line of defense. Hold regular training sessions on basic security threats (online and off) and prevention measures – both for new hires and seasoned staff. Enforce the training by instituting policies that guide employees on the proper use and handling of company confidential information, including financial data, personnel and customer information.

9.  Consider Employee Background Checks

One of the first steps to preventing fraudulent employee behavior is to make the right hiring decision. Basic pre-employment background checks is necessary business practice for any employer, especially for those  who will be handling cash, high-value merchandise, or have access to sensitive customer or financial data.

10.  Insure Your Business

Fraud and cyber crime does happen; however, you can still seek to cover your damages by purchasing an insurance policy that protects you against any losses that you may incur from crime or fraud. 

Make sure you know  what your bank is willing to do to help you out if your credit card or business account is compromised.

Information from www.sba.gov and recommendations of clients of S. I. Busienss Associates.

Monday Biz Tip :) Good morning...the start of a new week. Let's see how we can make our week soar. How about doing the following:

1. Call your best customer and check to see how everything is going. And if everything is going well...ask for a referral.   If there is  a problem FIX IT IMMEDIATELY.

2. Call your suppliers and see if there are any special deals that may help you cut costs.

3. Just finished a job for a customer...make sure you send a thank you...if it is a big job...send more than a card.

4. Make an appointment with your Insurance agent and review your policies...better now than when a problem hits and you are not covered or under covered.

5. Surprise the people you work for and give them notice for their good work. 
Remember... You get more with sugar than vinegar.

6.  Ask your employees what can be done to build business.  Get them involved,  reward them and thank them for their efforts

7. FIRST IMPRESSIONS COUNT!  Take a walk outside and come back and look at your place of business...is it inviting? Attractive?  Is the coffee fresh?  

8. MAKE YOUR LIST OF WHAT YOU WANT TO ACCOMPLISH THIS WEEK...AND PUT IT ON THE WALL WHERE YOU AND EVERYONE CAN SEE IT.  

9.  Check your attitude...is it working for you or against you?

10.   THINK and ACT POSITIVE.  The glass is BEING FILLED...  NOT emptied. 

S. I. Business Associates has been guiding small business to success since 1975.  Let us help you achieve success.  Call JoAnn at 412-440-6969.  

Empress of Biz, Biz Tips DEMOGRAPHICS... Whose your custOmer...FREE INFO

Demographics...The Who, What,  Where, What,  When & How of your Market.  You can have the best product/service in the world...but if there is NOT ENOUGH CUSTOMERS to buy your product at the RIGHT PRICE you  will go broke.  Below is information on FREE information you can use to start answering the 5 W's & H of your market.  Best example of your tax dollars at work!

1. 
   
2. 

   S. I. Business Associates

   about an hour ago near Pittsburgh

   Saturday biz Tip #2: Are you thinking of starting or expanding your business?  Then you MUSTknow your potential customer, where she is, income , age, etc. This information is called Demographics. Below is an overview of where you can find the stat's on your potential customer. This info is FREE...and Reliable and extremely helpful.
   Information is from the SBA.gov site...check it out..a good resource.  www.sba.gov
   
   Demographics are the characteristics of a human population. This information is often used by small business owners to conduct research into where opportunities exist within their market and in developing appropriate business and marketing strategies to target customers. Use the statistical resources below to help you find out more about the U.S. population and uncover information that can be used in your business research efforts.
   
   American FactFinder
   Provides access to a wealth of population, housing, economic and geographic data from the U.S. Census Bureau.
   State and County Quick Facts
   Provides frequently requested Census Bureau information at the national, state, county and city levels.
   Current Population Statistics
   Shares information gathered in a monthly survey of about 50,000 households conducted by the Bureau of the Census for the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
   Labor Demographics
   Makes data that has been collected by BLS available for specific demographic categories including sex, age, race and ethnic origin.
   Social Security Fact Sheets for Demographic Groups
   Offers fact sheets for all demographic groups including women and young people.
   U.S. Census Bureau Quick Facts
   Gives access to facts about people, business and geography

   
   

   This is a great use of your tax dollars..information that you can use to answer to your marketing questions!

Empress of Biz, Biz Tips; Pricing...thinking Like a business owner? Or a consumer?

One of the major obstacles we face in growing our businesses is learning HOW to ACCURATELY PRICE our product or service to make a PROFIT! 

There are several factors involved in making our pricing decisions. Some factors are logical and some are not. Today I want to talk about internal barrier that many small business owners have, especially women.

Trained as consumers from childhood on, we forget that we are business owners and we have to set our prices accordingly. When we set a price. we may secretly think" that's too much too charge and the PROFIT is too HIGH" and we 'lower the the price. 

The selling price of the product has to take into consideration, not only the costs of product, (labor, material, transportation,etc) but the costs of running the business and a profit. Without PROFIT the business does not grow and thrive. 

Another factor to consider is how women are use to sacrificing themselves and putting others needs first. This often leads to the owner taking a low salary or none at all. I ask my clients if you had to pay someone to do all that you do in the business how much would that be? Usually they laugh and reply, "a good deal more than I pay myself". 

Low balling your salary does NOT give an accurate cost of running your business. It does result in two negative results:

First, it does not SAVE money  It often creates personal cash flow problems. Which in turns creates problems with creditors and family members. 

Second,  it does not give an accurate picture of what it costs to run the business. And that leads to low ball pricing which leads to no profits and builds stress on the business

It is time to put a "true value" on your contribution to the business and give yourself a raise that is reasonable.   If you raise your salary  $1,000 a month that translates roughly into $5.00 an hour based on a 200 hour work month. And I know most of you work at least 260 hours a month. 

Remember you are a business owner, not a consumer. and its time to put yourself into the equation of success. 
Best wishes for a successful and growing business.
JoAnn R. ForresterS.I. Business Associates
412-440-6969

EMPRESS OF BIZ! Interviews Ralph Watson, community advocate, elected offical and Classic events host

EMPRESS OF BIZ! Listen! Learn! Prosper! - Live & Recorded Episodes:

From 1977 until 1987, The Honorable Ralph P. Watson was the youngest elected official (African-American or White) in both Allegheny County and the State of Pennsylvania. He remains the youngest elected official in Wilkinsburg history and the first African-American Democrat elected to the Wilkinsburg School Board. Having been elected to his first public office at  the age of nineteen this Elder Statesman has served the residents of the Borough of Wilkinsburg as an elected official within both governing policy-making boards to include the Wilkinsburg Borough Council. through 2006, he was an elected member of the Wilkinsburg Democratic Committee and remains the youngest former Vice-President of the committee.

 

     While remaining close to politics, Watson continues serve on community development boards and that focus on economic/business development he is currently a Commissioner serving on the Wilkinsburg Planning Commission. Passionate about economic/business development he has developed CLASSIC EVENTS! a public relations, marketing, business support group hosting a variety of community-based networking events that connect entrepreneurs to community stakeholders and elected officials.

 

     Watson will host two CLASSIC EVENTS!  during the month of May that are free and open to the public. On May 16, 2013 a BUSINESS/POLITICAL Networking Mixer will begin at 5:30 pm will be held at The Union Project 801 N. Negley Avenue Pittsburgh Pa., 15206. All political candidates asking for your vote  in the upcoming Primary election are encouraged to come to this meet/greet forum and answer questions from our audience. 

 

     On May 24, 2013 CLASSIC EVENTS! presents the next installment entitled: "Ladies  who Network" this event begins at 5:30 pm and will be held at Hosanna House 807 Wallace Avenue in Wilkinsburg and will recognize several outstanding ladies who have made significant contributions to our region to include:

*Darieth Chisholm, *Lynne Hayes-Freeland, *JoAnn Forrester, *Cecelia Jenkins, *Michelle Goodman-Jones, *Marimba Milliones, *Joanne Quinn-Smith and *Maryellen Sullivan.

 

     While both events are free and open to the public, vendor and ad-book space are available to entrepreneurs that would like to promote/showcase any product, organization, service or business. For further inquiry contact 412-723-2414 or e-mail: yourclassicevent@gmail.com.

 

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