The SMB NOW Blog

Planning

If you live in Cincinnati Vote no on Issue ONE!

May 4, 2010 by admin Leave a Comment

Yes, yes, it all sounds so good and it cites the old and really true principle that in order to make money you have to spend money-all correct! But one interesting and disturbing fact remains-south west Ohio particularly the Cincinnati area lags very far behind in awards for this program. Don’t believe me? Take a look at this publication issued by the state of Ohio:

http://ohiothirdfrontier.com/Documents/RecentPublications/Third_Frontier_Annual_Report2009.pdf

Let me direct your attention to page 22 where the distribution by county is laid out in pie chart form. The Cincinnati area is woefully under represented in this important area. Frankly we should all get on the phone with our local state representative and he or she needs a good chewing out session. Aren’t these people supposed to work in our best interests? Frankly from these results it seems that either they are lazy or inept-neither is acceptable for a public servant!

Here is where you can contact your state representative to register your angst:

http://www.house.state.oh.us/index.php?option=com_displaymembers

I emailed mine today letting him know I am demanding a few more wins in this area or I will work to find someone who can bring back some dollars to our area, I implore you to do the same.

As for Issue 1, I can’t vote for it because of the funding inequity by county, and the simple fact that it addresses nothing for millions of Ohioans from ages 25-65 who remain unemployed or underemployed.

As for the driving point of this blog, I think we all need to make some chamber of commerce meetings and town hall events as small business people. The state swears up and down that taxes will not increase, and I am sure we all believe that one, right?

As for me, I can say with a lot of heart –Show me some money!!!


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Tagged: Buy Local, employemnt, Entrepreneurship, Planning, Save Your Small Business

The business Outlook: It’s Starting to Look Better

March 21, 2010 by admin Leave a Comment
The business Outlook: It’s Starting to Look Better

Sorry to spoil President Obama’s parade but the most important issue for average Americans is not healthcare. It is very important but it not number one. Number one is the American economy and more importantly job stability. Can you find or keep a job? Some of the economic news is depressing. American’s still aren’t spending much money on durable goods, and soaring credit card debt is the proverbial other shoe to drop on the economy.

It’s not all gloom and doom however. An important but little known index is rising and that it is good news-the index is the Baltic Dry Index. What this index does is measure how much it would cost to ship basic raw materials and the Baltic just hit a two month high according to transportationweekly.com. This is especially good news since it measures what might be in pipeline for the future to affect other indexes like the PMI (Purchasing Managers’ Index) which measures new orders, inventory, supplier deliveries, and production levels amongst other things.

So is it time to go out and invest in growth stocks or buy a new sports car? I wouldn’t go that far, but it might be all right to go ahead and send your kids to camp. Before orders can be produced, and people brought on to work those orders, someone in purchasing has to buy the raw materials to start the process, and nothing is final until the product ships. Well, good news, basic raw materials are shipping and its time to look at some of the other reports with a little more optimism!


Looking for a GeoVison Security Camera System to help secure your small or medium business? Call www.CameraSecurityNow.com today at 877-422-1907 for a free phone consultation. Ask about the new Hybrid DVR/NVR surveillance solutions.

Tagged: Business tips, credit cards, economic recovery, economy, Planning

Protecting Your SMB From the Swine Flu

October 29, 2009 by Sarah Leave a Comment

Protecting Your SMB From the Swine Flu
It’s getting to be flu season but this year there is more than just the regular flu to worry about; there’s also H1N1 (or the Swine Flu). According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), a flu pandemic can leave a business without 40% of its workforce – something many SMBs can’t afford to have happen. And with the potential for H1N1 outbreaks on top of that, federal and health care officials are urging business owners to be prepared this winter. That means preparing for operating with an unusually small number of staff.

“All businesses should be prepared for the upcoming flu season. They should have a pandemic plan that has the flexibility to adapt to various scenarios from fairly mild to severe,” Dr. John Halpin of the Center for Disease Control said in an interview with Newsday.com.

One of the first things a business can do to prevent a flu outbreak is focus on prevention. Advise sick employees to stay home and insist they not return to work until at least 24 hours after having a fever. Some business owners may even want to encourage their employees to get a flu vaccine. And as is good practice any time of year, encourage your employees to wash their hands often, and cover their mouths when they cough or sneeze. A lot of prevention comes down to just plain common sense.

But even the most preventative measures may not work and for this reason, business owners should have a plan in place for keeping things running smoothly when a large percentage of employees are sick at the same time. Make sure employees are cross-trained to handle various positions within your company. Keep the number of an employment agency handy, in case you need temporary workers.

And of course, there’s always the possibility you or your managing staff could become ill. In that case, documenting general operating procedures is a must, along with keeping a list of important contact information for anyone who might be taking over operating procedures. Make sure you have someone who is knowledgeable and whom you can trust to oversee your business in the event that you do sick. And one of the most important things you can do is to be flexible.

Should your company become affected and become part of a flu pandemic, there are a few things to remember. First of all, have your plan handy and refer to it. If possible, enable your employees to telecommute or work remotely. Make sure you sanitize any affected areas and something many business owners may not think about it letting an employee bring their child to work in the event schools are closed.

A little planning and flexibility can go a long way when it comes to a flu pandemic and taking the time out to make a plan can save your business thousands of dollars.

Tagged: Disaster Preparedness, Flu, H1N1, Health, Planning, Swine Flu

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