Five Ways to Deal with a Ripoff Report

It happens. Someone posts a rant about you or your business on Ripoff Report (ripoffreport.com). Maybe it’s riddled with inaccuracies. Or perhaps the person who posted the report isn’t even a client, but instead a competitor who trades in fake reviews, hoping to direct potential clients away from your business to their business.

Fraud alert

Whatever the case, the bottom line is that the scathing profile on Ripoff Report could be decimating your business.

Under these circumstances, what are your options? Our friends at Kelly / Warner Law offers the following:

Option #1: Snap Back (Hint: Not Always Recommended)

We didn’t say every option provided would be an advisable one!…

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Desk Phones Vs. Softphones – Which one is better?

Desk phones are going out of trend. In fact, most of the decision makers have already migrated to soft and VoIP phones according to recent Frost & Sullivan survey.

An Executive using VoIP

Softphones are more interactive, responsive and offer better productivity. It is hardly surprising why many firms in first world nations have switched to softphones and left PBX-based phone behind.

So what should you pick?

Here are some of points to consider before you make a decision.

Upfront Costs

A mid-grade, voice only desk phone costs nearly $100. Add video calling and other perks and the cost goes well beyond a hundred bucks.…

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Motivation through Gamification: The Path to Productivity?

For years, GTD (get-things-done) advocates, efficiency experts and HR professionals have searched far and wide for the best way to enhance productivity in the workplace. For a small business, it may not be that simple, especially when people are wearing several hats at the same time.

For any size enterprise, perhaps the best way to enhance productivity is to establish targets and find creative ways for people to reach these. Here is where gamification comes into play.

What is Gamification?

Gamification involves using games and psychology to encourage specific behaviors within the game’s target audience. Research indicates internal gamification can increase employee productivity by 40%.…

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Are You Ready for a Mortgage?

As a CEO, you’re used to making some big decisions. Every day, you’re responsible for securing the future of your business, and for helping it to thrive. However, sometimes the most momentous choices that you have to make affect your personal rather than your professional life.

Taking mortgage

The money that you earn from your enterprising endeavours won’t just sit in your bank: you’ll use it to support, improve, and attain the lifestyle that you want. When your enterprise is doing well, you might choose to upgrade your home, and this is where one of these big decisions rears its head.

The question: are you really ready to upgrade?…

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Why Covering Your Business Vehicles Is Important

No matter how good you think you are at fixing vehicles, you and your company will feel much safer having the right cover for all work vans and cars. For many small and new businesses it can be incredibly tempting to avoid the added expense of breakdown cover and any extras, especially when you feel confident fixing problems yourself.

Car insurance

However, this isn’t always the safest or cheapest option. Taking out breakdown cover and insurance for all your business vehicles will keep the business in a good position, especially in the event of any accidents.

Cost-effective Option

Breakdown cover is only really appreciated when your vehicle breaks down part way through a journey.…

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What You Need to Start a Business From Your Van

The global financial crisis may have seen many companies go out of business but it brought to life a lot of successful, inventive ones as well. Many budding entrepreneurs had to come up with unique ideas or services to start making money, while a lot went back to basics in attempts to turn a profit. One such idea is making use of existing resources to start a business, such as running a business out of your own van.

Cafe on a wheel

This has many advantages as you’re the boss so can choose working hours to suit your lifestyle and the money you make is even more rewarding.…

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Save Money Sourcing a Business Car

Having a smart, professional looking vehicle is important for most small businesses. Whether it’s just for visiting clients and potential investors, or a necessary asset for the running of your company (such as gardening and catering businesses), this can be one of the largest expenses.

Business vehicles

Many will spend hours scouring the internet for the cheapest used cars and vans available. This isn’t always the most cost-effective method for sourcing a vehicle for your business though. For new and small companies especially, paying for a new or used car upfront can be a struggle and result in losing money in the long run.…

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Five Businesses You Can Start Almost Immediately

Setting up a new business, whether as a solo venture or with a partner, is an exciting opportunity but it can take a lot of effort. Sourcing funds, creating a budget and just organising the general running will eat into a lot of time when you’re eager to get out there and start making money.

Hard working entrepreneur

There are a number of business options which don’t take as long to set up for those with an entrepreneurial itch. Many can be done from home and around another part-time job, with little set-up time or equipment required.

Child Minding

The go-to option for many teenagers looking to earn extra pocket money, babysitting or child minding is also a quick and (fairly) easy way to make money as an adult.…

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Smart Tax Strategies for Audit-Proofing Your Small Business

Going through an audit can be nerve-wracking and time-consuming. Most business owners would rather pull their own teeth out than deal with the IRS. Here’s how to survive the ordeal and avoid future audits in the future.

Small business tax woes

Outsource Your Accounting and Tax Work

If you want to avoid a lot of trouble with the IRS, pay someone else to deal with them for you. Outsourcing your tax and accounting work is one of the best moves a small business can make. Too many businesses mistakenly believe that they must do everything themselves.

In some ways, their entrepreneurial spirit “forces” them to “take on the world.”…

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The 3-Dimensional Roles of Exceptional CEOs

Being a successful small business owner is about delivering results consistently through your products/services to those you serve. It demands a high level of coordination and execution of several key activities.

Exceptional CEO

These activities cannot be handled successfully by only one person over a long period of time without creating an operational structure/system. Being small is no excuse for wanting to be a one-man army. Someday soon, you will no longer be able to do all the things you so easily do now as a result of age, so what will become of your business then?

By then, you’ll suddenly realize that all your I-can-do-it-all-by-myself attitude as a self-employed entrepreneur is counterproductive.…

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