Weatherholt and Associates - Small Business Authority » Risk

January 2012 – Getting Down to Business eNewsletter

Amanda Cullen — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 22:04:57 +0000

January’s Getting Down to Business® eNewsletter has a full line-up of great articles. Start with Dave Weatherholt’s insightful economic summary – “Milk Toast Economy.” Learn about the “Common Network Cold” from Tim White, “The Risk of Serving” by Chris Pobieglo and “Yelp for Small Business” from Amanda Cullen. Finally, Dave gives us a civics lesson with “Caucus vs. Primary.”

Read the newsletter: Getting Down to Business® eNewsletter – January 2012

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Mitigating the Risk of Employee Theft

Christopher Pobieglo — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 16:00:53 +0000

Employee theft is certainly a sensitive issue. But it’s also a necessary one for all businesses to address… before it happens. In this month’s article, Mitigating the Risk of Employee Theft, I paint a grim but realistic picture:

“For small business owners, employee theft can be a fatal blow and put an end to their business. For larger corporations, it can have an equally undesirable outcome. In Alaska alone, we saw several prolific cases of embezzlement and employee theft this year, each case involving employees who embezzled corporate funds.”

But there are ways to mitigate this risk. Read my article to learn more.

Read the article: Mitigating the Risk of Employee Theft

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Computer Back-Ups: The Avoidable Business Risk, Part 2

Tim White — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 16:00:33 +0000

In my first article in my computer back-up series, I encouraged businesses to take their back-up strategy seriously. In this month’s article, Computer Back-Ups: The Avoidable Business Risk, Part 2, I continue:

“Now that your backup procedures are second nature, what steps are you taking to verify that the data is recoverable and usable? Creating a backup of your data is only the halfway mark. There are other steps that must to be followed to ensure that, in the event of a catastrophe, you do not lose data.”

Read the article: Computer Back-Ups: The Avoidable Business Risk, Part 2

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December 2011 – Getting Down to Business® eNewsletter

Amanda Cullen — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 18:03:50 +0000

December’s Getting Down to Business® eNewsletter wraps up the year with some great articles – including marketing planning for 2012 from Amanda Cullen and economic news from David Weatherholt. Christopher Pobieglo advises on the sensitive subject of employee theft, while Tim White continues his series on computer back-ups.

Read the newsletter: Getting Down to Business® eNewsletter

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Go With the Flow… Cash Flow, That Is

David Weatherholt — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 16:00:56 +0000

As the year comes to a close, business owner’s minds turn to… cash flow. Use my article and included downloads to manage your cash flow and keep it positive!

Read the article: Go With the Flow

Get the Downloads

Projected Statement of Cash Flow (Adobe PDF)

Monthly Cash Flow Status (Microsoft Excel)

Business Risk Management is sponsored by Business Insurance Associates, Inc.

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Go With the Flow

David Weatherholt — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 16:00:17 +0000

Crowd Funding Brings Unease

The House approved a bill that would let companies sell equities online. Senator Scott Brown (R., Mass.) introduced a similar measure. Listen as Dave discusses the overwhelmingly positive potential of this legislation. And read the complete article on the Wall Street Journal.

Cash Flow

If your business is on a calendar year, then you are approaching the end of this year. Have you been tracking your performance numbers or are you afraid to look? If you have spent most of this year looking for cash, then chances are that you have not been very profitable. Listen as Dave discusses cash management tools that work.

Download these tools here:

Projected Statement of Cash Flow (Adobe PDF)

Monthly Cash Flow Status (Microsoft Excel)

Tech Talk

What if your point-of-sale system went down during peak sales on “Black Friday”? How much would that cost your business? Tim White, our technology guru, discusses the inevitable but avoidable business risk– backing up your IT system. Visit Tim at www.akcb.com.

Listen or download below:

Go With the Flow

Tech Talk: Computer Back-Ups

Tim White — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 16:00:23 +0000

Computer back-ups are the avoidable business risk, as I write in this month’s Tech Talk article. Even if your backups are spread across multiple external hard drives, your valuable data isn’t truly secure.

Read the article: Computer Back-Ups

Tech Talk is sponsored by ACB Solutions.

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November 2010 – Getting Down to Business® eNewsletter

Amanda Cullen — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 20:06:34 +0000

November’s Getting Down to Business® eNewsletter brings the latest economic news, marketing tips and technology advice. Our panel of authors are David Weatherholt, with his “800-Pound Gorilla” and “Go With the Flow articles, Tim White with “Computer Back-Ups: The Avoidable Business Risk” and Amanda Cullen who answers “Should I be on Twitter?”

Read the newsletter: Getting Down to Business® eNewsletter

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Surety Bond Overview

Christopher Pobieglo — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 15:00:52 +0000

What do you know about surety bonds? If you’re a small business owner, you probably don’t know enough! Read my “Surety Bond Overview” to learn about the two basic types of surety bonds and when you might need them.

Read the article: “Surety Bond Overview”

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Hospitality in Anchorage

David Weatherholt — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 15:00:33 +0000

SMALL-BUSINESS CONFIDENCE SEES MODEST GAIN: THE START OF A TREND, OR A BLIP?

Small-business optimism gained 0.8 points in September, according to the National Federation of Independent Business’ (NFIB’s) latest Index, ending a six-month decline. Read complete article here.

2011 Summer Tourism Update

Listen as Julie Saupe, CEO and President of Anchorage Convention & Visitors Bureau (ACVB) returns for her 5^th visit to Getting Down to Business®. Julie covers a lot of ground including the just completed 2011 Summer Visitor Season.

Business Risk Management

Listen as Chris Pobieglo, President of Business Insurance Associates, Inc and business insurance expert, explains surety bonding. Today he discusses bonding for the construction industry. Listen and learn a lot.

Listen or download below:

Hospitality in Anchorage

Crowd Funding – What do you think?

Amanda Cullen — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 18:52:59 +0000

On Saturday’s “Getting Down to Business,” we’re talking crowd funding. It’s a pretty controversial topic, as this Wall Street Journal article shows. But we want to know what you think. Is crowd funding a good idea… or a bad one?

Comment on the post to let us know why you answered as you did.

October 2010 – Getting Down to Business® eNewsletter

Amanda Cullen — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 16:35:52 +0000

Welcome to the first issue of the Getting Down to Business® eNewsletter.

We’re pleased to announce our new contributors whose articles you won’t want to miss this month. Christopher S. Pobieglo, CRIS and President of Business Insurance Associates, Inc., provides expert advice concerning business risk management. Tim White is Chief Technology Officer of ACB Solutions and brings us Tech Talk each month.

And, as always, David Weatherholt gives his take on recent economic news with his nine key indicators. Amanda Cullen is back with Marketing Matters.

Don’t miss these great business articles! Read the newsletter here: Getting Down to Business® eNewsletter.

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Simon & Seaforts Unwrapped

David Weatherholt — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 19:09:26 +0000

Small Business Confidence Takes Huge Hit

Listen to the highlights of the NFIB’s monthly Optimism Index. This index dropped dramatically in August– find out why. Or read complete article: “Small Business Confidence Takes Huge Hit.”

Simon & Seaforts: The Restaurant Business

After over 30 years in Anchorage, Simon & Seaforts is one of the city’s oldest and best restaurants. Listen as Robert Kilby gives us a behind the scenes look a successful restaurant. This is a great show about a super business.

Business Risk Management

Do you know what a “surety bond” is used for? Listen as business insurance expert Chris Pobielgo talks more about this important insurance product. Chris is president of Business Insurance Associates.

Listen or download below:

Simon & Seaforts Unwrapped

Economic News Summary: Psychology vs. Economic Reality

David Weatherholt — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 15:00:34 +0000

Here’s how I start my latest roundup of economic news, sponsored by Business Insurance Associates, Inc.:

“Can we think our economy into a recession? While it is true that psychology does have an impact on economic conditions, its impact would not be this dramatic or sustained. The reality: We live in challenging times, which is reflected in these economic indicators. Speculation is that we are headed for a “double-dip recession,” and while we can debate what a double dip might look like, the European and U.S. economies are trending down. The “50 State Leading Economic Index” consistently predicts a recession every time it falls below zero. The chart below shows the index racing to zero. Note this chart only reflects June economic data and does not include July’s poor economic numbers or market volatility.”

The full article includes graphs and analysis of key economic indicators.

Read the full article– Economic News Summary: Psychology vs. Economic Reality

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You Have Been Selected

David Weatherholt — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 15:07:45 +0000

Have you ever been audited by the Internal Revenue Service? Being selected for an audit is a nagging fear of every small business owner. “You Have Been Selected” is part one in my series of how to come out ahead (or at least not behind!) in an audit. I detail my recent experience with the IRS, how to get prepared and what to expect. It’s a must-read for any small business owner.

Read the article: You Have Been Selected

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Economic Confidence Down

David Weatherholt — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 15:00:55 +0000

How do you feel about the economic outlook? If you feel confused, uncertain, and just plain less confident, then you are not alone. In fact, “Gallup’s Economic Confidence Index” for the week ending March 27, 2011 was down sharply to a -33– a 22% drop from the same period in 2010. In a single month, the grade on the economy dropped a whole point, going from a C+ in February to a D+ in March. The number and size of the chaotic local and world events, i.e. state and federal budget problems, unrest in the Middle East, Japan’s earthquake, tsunami and nuclear reactor problems, lead to rising consumer prices and an overall economic downturn. While we are not technically in an economic downturn, we are teetering on the brink again.

Read the complete article, complete with key economic indicator graphs: Economic Confidence Down

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Economic News: The Uncertain, Jobless Recovery

David Weatherholt — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 17:00:38 +0000

In January’s Business/News & Views®, I wrote about this uncertain, jobless recovery:

The recession is over, but it doesn’t feel like we are moving economically. Looking at the indicators, we can make the mental leap that economically life is improving. But it simply doesn’t feel right. Unusually uncertain (or more aptly, “politically uncertain”) accurately describes our economic prospects. Consumer spending increased over the holiday season; the manufacturing sector experienced a hiring gain– the first in over ten years, and companies are sitting on lots of cash. Overall, the glacial pace of economic growth is much better than a decline, and it is safe to say we are poised for economic growth. Yet overall unemployment remains stubbornly high, and government debt and the threat of higher taxes creates lots of uncertainty. My overall grade for January: C (December was a C).

For my full analysis and graphs of leading economic indicators, read the full article: The Uncertain, Jobless Recovery

Protect Yourself with a Strong Password

David Weatherholt — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 16:00:30 +0000

In the latest issue of Business/News & Views, I found a very helpful article for creating a hack-proof password. The article explains the need for a strong password:

Hackers and other online criminals are getting more sophisticated every day. Having strong passwords for your accounts has never been more important. While it is not practical to use a random series of letters and numbers, there is an easy way to create a similarly strong password that is still fairly easy to remember.

In addition, I’ve included advice for how to tell a forged email from a real one- something I’ve found invaluable for avoiding viruses and scams.

Read the full article: Protect Yourself with a Strong Password

August 2010 Economic News Summary

David Weatherholt — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 16:00:28 +0000

Good News & Bad News

In August’s Business/News & Views, I provided my monthly economic news summary. The good news is that the US economy is getting stronger. As you look through these indicators you will see improvements in most of them– indicating the normal economic healing process is taking place. We have made tremendous strides economically in the past year with a slow but steady improvement. The bad news: the severity of this recession combined with the glacial pace of recovery means there is still a lot of economic pain; all are wary, and recovery is a long way off. There is simply not a lot of optimism. Most look to the fall elections, hoping it will ease some of the political uncertainty producing these “unusually uncertain” times.

My overall grade for August: D+ (July was a C).

To read my full analysis and see the relevant graphs, read the full August 2010 Economic News Summary article.

Minimizing Business Risk

Amanda Cullen — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 14:23:10 +0000

Dave Weatherholt introduces the topic of “business risk.” He explains there are many aspects to risk, and not all of it is bad (he gives the example of Fire Island Rustic Bakeshop not having enough bread to sell to its many customers). Dave gives small businesses tools and concepts to help them deal with and minimize business risk. Todd Clark, founder and president of DenaliTEK, started his new IT update segment in this “Getting Down to Business” podcast.