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What's On Your Menu? #KTT

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this is what was on the menu for the last episode.... it isn't legible on camera, so a lot of it is inside jokes of the crews

I had the opportunity yesterday to participate along @chrisbrogan and @joesorge on their weekly show Kitchen Table talks on thepulsenetwork.com. If you run a small business it might not be a bad idea to tune in at 2pm Est. every tuesday.

[blackbirdpie url=”http://twitter.com/#!/chrisbrogan/status/24908195327643648″]

The menu referring to the list of services or products you provide your clients. With my business I have been tailoring and tweaking my services to what my customer’s needs are. A few days ago I went ahead and launched my website with a New Logo try to give it a fresh look. I am currently working on what I need to offer my clients and migrating my website I did bring some service descriptions I want to edit others that I deleted.

Overall I have to admit I created services and then went after the clients I guess I had to look for the clients and find what pain or burden I could take off their hands before I structured my products.

I think @webby2001 really nailed it in the head when he clarified the question @chrisbrogan had asked me with the following tweet.

[blackbirdpie url=”http://twitter.com/#!/webby2001/status/24909853902249985″]

This really helped me understand how I need to tweak my menu.

Do you think of your clients problems and pain points when creating a menu?

I really want to thank @chrisbrogan and @joesorge for giving me the opportunity to interact with them.

5 Reasons To Have Your Own Business Email Address

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Photo by _Superbeast_
I have always been against using third party free email account for business purposes.
Not only are there many security concerns ( I will leave the details for another Blog Post) it is really not practical.
On multiple occasions I have seen how a small business owner has been stopped on his tracks just because their gmail (or other 3rd party) email account cannot be accessed.
I usually send friendly reminders to my clients when I see them sending a message via there personal.

Sometimes when I am emailing via my blackberry I have (on more occasions than I would like to admit) sent an email from my gmail account.

When we establish a customer’s online presence either by developing a website or helping them with there social media strategy we make sure to move them into a domain controlled email.

 

 

Once I make a suggestion to quit using third party free email accounts I usually get interrogated.

 

Here are 5 main business reasons why we think you should not be using a third party free email account for your main business email account:

1. Unprofessional – It makes you look unprofessional and not to say cheap. You can buy a domain for no less than $15.00 dollars (one year registration) and even if you don’t build your website most domain registrars will grant you an complimentary email account which you can use.

2. Disconnection from Clients & Rest of the World – If you are account is compromised or blocked by a third party free service provider  it can take hours, days, or weeks for you to  regain access to your account. I know Google has improved greatly and it might take a few hours, but can you afford being disconnected from email and your clients for a few hours.

3. Risk of Impersonators – If your customers or providers are use to seeing a third party email not linked to your domain anyone easily can create an email that is similar to your current email and establish contact with your business stakeholders and close contacts.

4. Missing out on Marketing Opportunity – Every time you hand your business card or share your email you give that person a direct link to your website. Most people will have the curiosity and browse over your website.

5. Limited Control on Your Privacy – Protecting customer information is more important than what most people would think. We would you sacrifice your customer information or much less your own. Using these third party free email apps you are restricted to there use and privacy policy and so is the information you share with your stakeholders.

There are many options when it comes to  creating your own business email accounts without missing out on the all the benefits. If you have any questions feel free to leave a comment below.

7 Week Plan to Safeguard Your Small Business Assets

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As I travel from one business to another, I am aware of opportunities to create awareness about safeguarding IT Assets and Information.

I want to share a few situations in which I bumped into a small business that exposed itself to a possible information theft attack and IT Assets being stolen.

Scenario 1:  A few months ago I went into a Computer Shop with a peer who is also in the IT Security Field and we noticed that a USB Drive was connected to a computer facing the public. After interviewing the clerk and asking her what that USB was used for, she explained that it held customer information and administrative documents. I have been to that computer shop in many occasions and know for a fact that it would have been extremely easy to remove the USB drive and walk out the door.  I requested the clerk to remove the USB and keep store in a safe place. She replied that it was fine where it was. The clerk was not too happy that I found a flaw or probably did not understand my free advice and changed her attitude into a negative one quickly. I took no further action, left the location and decided not to return again.

Scenario 2: I had to get an X-Ray on my foot and went to a radiologist. I took my laptop for the wait to keep myself up-to date on emails and other tasks that I needed to complete for the project I was about to start. As I sat down in the Radiologist’s waiting room, I realized that their Wi-Fi network was unsecured. I got a bit curious and attempted to log-in into their router which I found was also using the default password for that brand. I spoke to the manager and owner of the office and let her know that her network was open. She replied saying that she did not have the time to set up a password or had the knowledge to do so. I explained possible consequences but she was in such a hurry that she might not have listened to half of what I said. Since I needed my X-rays quickly before I left on my trip, I told her that I could take care of securing her router and she finally agreed and would not charge her. A few minutes later I was waiting to assist her in securing her network and the admin replied that it was going to be too much of a burden for her to walk me over to where the router was located. They were going to have someone come in and do it at another time. I was amazed at her reply and once again my free advice had been rejected.

These two scenarios are good examples regarding how lack of awareness with staff and management can cause future problems that can add to be of extraordinary cost from a monetary and reputational standpoint.  In the first scenario this store is directed towards IT oriented customers. How would they feel if they knew their personal information was at an arm’reach of any possible identity thief? In the second scenario I am sure that if I would have kept browsing I would have found critical patient information.

My recommendation is for a small business to conduct a security assessment at a scale that is cost effective and reasonable to mitigate any risks related to information security. The easiest solution for any small business owner is to have a Seven Week Plan to make your business healthier. I read an article with the same title “The Seven-Week Get Healthy Plan for Small Business” by one of my fellow ISSA Members, Greg Playle. 

I am going to summarize his plan week by week and if you need more detail please feel free to email me or download the complete article written by Greg Playle.

If you read this article and need help at any of the previous tasks please feel free to contact us.
We can probably assist you in creating and implementing a safeguarding your critical assets strategy.
I found the article very useful and I have been able to implement this plan in less time and customized at some clients.
However, in the case that the small business owner decides to implement the plan himself it would be great to follow the recommended time span  it is also a way of not impacting the business operations significantly.