Generate Success

One of the recent innovations in computing is the commercial use of virtual servers or cloud computing as it is best known, allowing the use of a shared portal where it is possible to save, access and share files.

Other than allowing many users in a business for example, to access the same information, the cloud also benefits computer users by not hogging the machines running resources with un-required software.

One of the most resource hogging software applications of all is often the anti virus programme that is essential to any computer connecting to the internet.

So the latest product to be offered on the cloud should be of interest to us all – the cloud antivirus available from Panda will not only free up valuable resources over a conventionally installed software, it is also free to download!

It is surprising how many computer users are happy to connect to the internet without adequate protection. Using out dated anti virus products that are not valid for regular updates is about as good as having no protection at all, and really there is no argument as there are a selection of free products available that will at least offer basic protection.

Like other free antivirus products, the Panda free offering offers the minimum level of security required to surf the net and is upgradeable to the ‘Pro’ version for a small cost. Essentially in either form the malware database is updated on a regular basis ensuring that your machine is always protected against the latest virus threats.

Computer virus’s are nothing new, possibly the first publicly documented removal of a computer virus in the wild was performed by Bernd Fix in 1987.

However, Fred Cohen, who published one of the first academic papers on computer viruses in 1984 started to develop strategies for antivirus software in 1988 that were picked up and continued by later antivirus software developers such as Kapersky and McAfee.

Build A Brand In 30 Days with Simon Middleton

Simon Middleton is promoted as ‘the brand strategy expert’ in his new book, Build a Brand in 30 Days.

Brand is serious and important to your business: but it’s also very simple in its essence. Brand is about meaning. In short, your brand is the sum total of all the meanings that all your possible audiences carry around about you in their heads and in their hearts.

Build A Brand In 30 Days is divided appropriately into 30 days each with a clear exercise to follow.

I am always sceptical about self or business help books that attempt to sell you a concept on the basis that anyone who buys this book and follows these simple steps can reach their goal’.

Life isn’t as simple and straightforward as that.  If it were, anyone who put any effort or dedication into running a successful business would indeed be…. successful.

Branding is probably something that many small business owners overlook, believe is not approrirate to their business due to size or cost.  But theis book shows it is important and can ve applied for less money that is often perceived; and like all good business books, it helps you to focus on a strategy and a way of thinking.

Aimed at new enterprises, businesses struggling to stand-out from the crowd or in need of reinvention, Build A Brand In 30 Days shows you how to create, manage and communicate your brand profoundly and effectively, in just 30 days, by following 30 clear exercises.

In his introduction Simon Middleton states the reader can use Build A Brand In 30 Days to:

•    Educate yourself fast in the art of branding
•    Actually build a proper brand for your business or for any of its products or services
•    Build a brand for a charity or public sector organization
•    Build a brand for your team or department within a bigger organization
•    Build your own personal brand in order to enhance your career

What I like about Simon Middleton’s book is the way he has broken down the exercises into bite-size chunks, allowing the small business owner or would-be entrepreneur to see the wood from the trees; and by undertaking these 30 exercises, even if it takes longer than 30 days, the focus you will achieve with your company brand will for sure raise your company profile and help you onwards, towards business success.

Build A Brand In 30 Days shows you how to:

•    Establish your brand values and positioning
•    Get the all-important name right
•    Bring your brand to life
•    Turn your customers into your advocates
•    Manage your PR and use your marketing budget wisely
•    Inspire your staff to live the brand
•    Deal with problems when something goes wrong

One of the exercises explains how to create a ‘Personality‘ for your business that customers will respond to.  Reading some of the points also helps you to look at why you like other brands and  to apply that to your own brand.

Build A Brand In 30 Days is the ideal guide to branding for entrepreneurs, small and medium enterprises (SME’s). Published by Capstone, price £12.99.

There are many things to be contemplated when considering starting your own business, among the most obvious is how you will fund such a project.

Due to the current financial situation many who have found themselves out of work or on short time and unable to make ends meet are considering working for themselves.

These days many small businesses are started as a hobby or sideline while the owners are employed elsewhere, this gives the owner the opportunity to test the water and decide whether their idea is a viable proposition.

Over the last year we have seen an increase in the number of people who do not have the security of full or part time employment, who have what they think is a viable idea for a new business but are struggling to find finance while they test the water.

With the recent hike in gold prices we have even been asked by some of these budding entrepreneurs ‘Should I sell my gold to finance this business?’

Of course this is a question that only the person asking can answer, but for those with a ‘brilliant idea’ who have no other options we offer the following advice.

While gold has increased in value through the financial crisis companies that buy gold are in business to make a profit too. So do not expect to be offered the retail value of your gold collection or you will be disappointed.

The price that we, the public, pay for a piece of jewellery is probably three times the actual cost of the product itself, so if you paid £300 for a gold ring the real value of that ring is only £100.

Bear in mind also that the scrap value, which is what you are being paid, could be much less than the real cost of the item. This is not a rip off, simply how business works.

Also take into consideration that sentiment counts for nothing when trying to raise money and that wedding ring that your grandmother left you may have high sentimental value to you, but not to the buyer.

While we are on the subject of heirlooms always consider carefully before selling of items of sentimental value, it may come back to haunt you.

In our opinion if you really believe in the business that you want to create and selling your gold is the only way that you can get it off the ground, by all means go for it, but first take into consideration the points made in this post.

Entrepreneurs with small business accounts may often find themselves faced with a number of questions when they are dealing with their day-to-day finances. Sometimes this can be down to the terminology that is regularly used to refer to different market products and their regulations.

Quite often borrowing can throw up any number of these little pieces of jargon and it can be helpful to know well in advance of making any applications for a small business loan, credit card, overdraft or any other facility what these all mean and how they may impact you.

One of the terms most frequently applied to such business banking options is APR – and while many may have seen those three letters appear neatly next to any number of advertisements and at the bottom of many a financial form they may not have a full understanding of what they relate to.

The phrase APR stands for Annual Percentage Rate and is a tool that is used to calculate interest levels for all sorts of lending. It is also useful to small business account holders as it allows them to compare the cost of different loans. If the APR is high, then in most cases this means your repayments will be high. However, there may be other charges and fees that apply to the loan or credit card that are not included in the APR – but that does not mean it should be treated any less importantly.

So, entrepreneurs may think to themselves ‘well, that’s easy, all I have to do is grab the package with the lowest APR and I’ll be sorted’. But unfortunately, administration costs, legal fees and early repayment penalties are all things that should be taken into consideration. In addition, particularly low figures for the rate may not be available to you and may depend on how your credit history shapes up in the check the bank makes.

Those looking to take advantage of the various options available to them through Lloyds TSB business banking may at this point be wondering ’so what are the options available?’ and the answer is – plenty. The bank has base-rate linked loans that fluctuate in line with the figures set by the Bank of England, but fixed-rate options are available for amounts ranging up to £100,000 – meaning the applicant is well aware of what they will have to pay back and by when. In terms of plastic, the Lloyds TSB business credit card offers a typical APR of 18.2% variable and has an interest-free period of up to 45 days on new purchases if the user pays the balance in full and on time each month.

London Mayor Boris Johnson has given his endorsement to the Louis Vuitton Young Arts Project, a new partnership between the iconic fashion house and five of London’s leading cultural institutions.

The project will allow young people across the capital to gain invaluable experience within the arts and includes partnerships with London’s leading art galleries, Hayward Gallery, Royal Academy of Arts, South London Gallery, Tate Britain and Whitechapel Gallery.

The investment will facilitate a three year programme that will give young Londoners aged between 13 – 25 from across the city unique access to the museum directors and curators, artists and collectors who shape the British contemporary art scene.

Yesterday it was revealed that Twitter was hacked by a Turkish computer expert who posted details of a loophole that allowed users to ‘force’ others to follow them.

Worse still was the fact that as Twitter struggled to rectify the situation, it temporarily removed subscriber’s followers.  Celebrities found themselves in the traumatic position of being unpopular…at least for a while!

On the flip side, the bug enabled millions of people to force celebrities, such as Lady Gaga, to follow their tweets simply by typing “accept@ladygaga”.

Farcical though the story was, it did highlight three major concerns that users should be mindful of:

1. While this attack was relatively harmless, the attacker could have directed users to a page full of drive-by downloads and exploits

2. Social networks are inherently viral, they multiply all by themselves.  Just last week AVG discovered a variety of Facebook apps that were spreading via Friend lists to install adware

3. The web is the current attack surface of choice.  You should be running some type of dedicated webscanning programme to help guard against harmful links.

So, how can users protect themselves against these types of hacks?

Limit what you say
It’s easy to tweet about where you are and what you’re doing, but do you think about who is listening? What might seem like a harmless comment initially could be used to piece together a picture of your whereabouts and plans! Unless your tweets are protected, they are going to be out in the public domain. Fraudsters can use this information in many ways!

Be careful what you click on
Be suspicious about links that you are sent and that are posted. Many people use URL shortners on Twitter so it is often very difficult to check what you are clicking on. AVG Linkscanner can help check suspicious links, but remember if in doubt, don’t click!

Be vigilant
Watch out for suspicious activity in your tweet stream and inbox. If you start receiving strange messages or your friends are being unusually spammy, it might be worth double checking their account hasn’t been compromised.

Think before you tweet
Remember the whole world can see what you write and even though tweets can be deleted, they are still searchable. Don’t tweet when you’re drunk/angry/emotional, while it is funny thinking about it the consequences are often not as amusing. Additionally, by including ‘hash tags’ increase the search for your chosen term so spend time considering exactly who will be searching for your tweets.

Don’t be too trusting
You can never be sure the stranger you ‘networked’ with via Twitter is who they say they are. Don’t be easily befriended by strangers on Twitter who may not have your best interests at heart.

Check third party applications
There are hundreds of applications out there for Twitter, before signing up to one of these check they are safe. You can do this by looking for mentions of the tools on trusted sites. Remember that the apps generally require your password and log in details so be extra cautious on sharing this information.

The same basic rules that apply to other social networking sites can also be applied to Twitter, so don’t forget the following too

Password information
Use different passwords, or even better still, set up separate email accounts for your social networks, that way if you stop your account you can easily delete the email account too. Be mindful of where you are sending your updates and the types of security questions you set.

Signing in
Check your browser settings on your computer, so that your information is not stored for anyone else to see if you are on a shared computer!

Watch out for phishing attacks
As Twitter gets more popular the likeliness of phishing attacks grows. Be aware of attempts to get users to give up their login and passwords by tricking them with fake tweets and direct messages.

Being mobile
Be mindful about who might have access to your mobile phone. If you have a Twitter application, make sure you log out once you’re finished with it.

For more information on how to protect yourself online, visit: www.avg.com
Roger Thompson is Chief Research Officer for AVG

As the mountain of ash from the Icelandic volcano subsides and air traffic begins to get back to some sort of normality, it is impossible to put a figure on how much the natural phenomenon has cost the people of the UK.

Holiday makers and business people alike were stranded around the world waiting for the ash to clear the sky-ways of Northern Europe before they could embark on their journey home.

The television news programmes appeared to be revelling in the grief of stranded passengers as they turned up at various air and sea ports to report on the latest situation.

Many travellers were willing to pay extortionate amounts to get themselves closer to home, while others simply had no choice but to sit and wait for the skies to clear.

While insurance companies and the UK Government argued about who was to blame and where compensation should be paid, it was reassuring that the UK’s largest credit card provider responded by announcing that it would re-imburse card holders with any charges they had incurred when withdrawing emergency cash abroad during the disruption.

While these charges may be minimal in the scheme of things it is none the less commendable given how sceptical of the financial institutions we have become during the credit crisis.

The financial institutions really need to show that they are helping out their customers in these difficult times and while others are withdrawing their zero percent transfer offers on credit cards, MBNA still offer this service along with other low APR credit card offers.

Re-imbursing charges incurred while drawing cash to cope with the volcanic disruption may appear a token gesture, but it is also a good business move, helping restore a little faith in an industry that has dragged us all through the mire during the financial crisis. It may well be worth remembering next time you apply for the best credit card deals that MBNA at least did something for their customers while others chose to blame everyone else.

When I started building websites back in 1996 part of the process was to teach small business owners that having a company website was the way ahead and not just the latest fad.

At the same time I was fortunate in that my position was in a marketing and not a design department.  That way, I got to learn how to websites needed to work as a promotional tool rather than look pretty.

So when internet marketing became a buzzword, I was already there!

With the growth and importance of web-based search engines such as Google came a whole new discipline - SEO (search engine optimisation).

Search Engine Optimisation is crucial to every business success

Once you have a professional-looking design and the functionality is working correctly, you need to constantly market your business online.  Keep regularly updating your website and business blog. Fresh content keeps both the search engines and potential customers interested and aware of your products and services.

SEO (Search Engine Optimisation)
An ongoing SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) program is vital.  Don’t think a one-off ‘makeover’ is going to be enough.  The search engines are looking for your website and blog to continually add relevant, authoritative and good quality in-bound links.

Furthermore, once you start to receive high ranking for popular keywords, your competitors will also be attempting to leapfrog you in the rankings.

There is plenty of help at hand as search engine marketing is big business in 2010 and so it is crucial to setup a good ongoing working relationship with an SEO company you can trust.

Every small business needs to have a good working relationship with a printer they can rely on and trust.  I have met several good quality printers that take care of all my business and personal printing needs through the business network groups I attend here in the UK.  This is a good way to meet face-to-face, and over a period of several weeks or months you can build up a personal rapport and trust with specific individuals.

But depending where your business is based face-to-face meetings are not always possible, and with more and more business being conducted over the internet, it makes perfect sense to look further afield for discount printing and other services now readily available on the World Wide Web.

Of course, it isn’t cost always going to be cost-effective to use online services from abroad for small digital print runs such as business cards.  But for any large orders it may well surprise you how much money can be saved by comparing online services to your local, convenient, and in some cases overpriced printers.

Furthermore, more and more print companies are now offering other services.  CD and DVD jewel cases, direct mail services, and the very popular vinyl banners for exhibition stands, as well as the more obvious calendars, postcards, leaflets, posters and graphic design services.

So before you place your next order with a local business consider whether online services as far away as the United States or China could help you generate success by saving you time and money.

In the past, building up a social network for your business required you to acquire a list of contacts and over time liaise with them and build up a rapport by keeping in regular contact with them. The growth of the internet hasn’t lessened the importance of social networks, but it has made it much easier for you to develop your own social network at a much greater pace and manage it more efficiently. The recent boom experienced by social networks is not just limited to pure social use either, as they can be honed and tailored to meet your needs as a business.

The social network software that is available online has meant that however comfortable you are using the internet and the products that are found there, you can still take advantage of the benefits that are on offer. Whether you have the confidence to create the ideal network for yourself all on your own, or you could do with a helping hand every step of the way and wouldn’t dare to create anything online all on your own, you will find that the services that are available will give you the correct level of assistance that you require.

If you are a seasoned developer then you can choose to go it alone and select the DIY method, where you can set up your network and have it running smoothly and efficiently and the way you want it to. Once you have had a look at the benefits that are on offer and the simplicity that is part and parcel of creating and setting up your own network, you can choose your own web address and get cracking right away.

There is always help on hand in the form of a help desk that is open to answer your questions right around the clock, whilst the video tutorial library can be accessed before you start so that you can get an idea of what work is required from you. If you are still left feeling out of your depth then you can decide to get some assistance setting the network up, or you can go even further and get the five star treatment, where the network is designed for you.

If you feel that you need help setting up a business social network then plenty is available, as an expert can work with you to setup, design and launch your social network. If you don’t have the time to spare setting up a social network or would just like the task completed for you, then you can take advantage of the concierge service where all the work is done for you for a small fee.

Whatever level of assistance you require the choice is up to you, but whichever path you take you will still end up with the same result. A slick looking, ultra professional social network will be the result of the personal support given and consequently you will have a unique and fully customised social network, where you can draw in and build your network of business clients.