I love that Gen Z always finds a way to make things fun.
3 security steps every small business needs to take right now
Business accounts can be hacked as easily as personal accounts. Imagine all your hard work being held at ransom by a hacker or your data falling into the hands of someone who can sell it to the competition.
You need to secure your business as best you can, and here are three crucial tips to get started. This tip is brought to you by our sponsor, NetSuite.
1. Don’t let everyone see everything
Access to information is critical for any business. The right people need access to your records, client files, financials and everything else you need to run your company. But not everyone needs to see everything. Does the new guy need to see the accounts receivable file? Nope.
If you keep files in a cloud storage system, regularly check who has access to what. Restrict files on a need-to-know basis.
The same goes for software. You don’t want your employees accessing more than they should. NetSuite lets you set different access levels so only those who need to see certain things can access them.
2. Do a password check
We’ve warned you about using the same login credentials for multiple accounts. This is important for your personal accounts — and even more so for your business.
If you use the same credentials for multiple accounts, a bad actor needs only to crack one password, and they’ll have access to everything. And you could be in BIG trouble if one of your accounts is breached.
There are a few essential password tips to keep your accounts secure:
- A password manager stores and generates login information for all your devices and accounts. These programs can be installed as software or accessed through a website, browser extension or the cloud. Tap or click here for more information on these useful tools.
- Avoid using a common word as the basis of a password. Go bigger and use a sentence. But don’t just write out a sentence; change it to make it harder to crack. For example, take the phrase “Cubs won the World Series in 2016” and abbreviate it to “cwtwsi2016.” Substitute some characters and cases, and you’ll have “cwTw$i2016.”
- For even more security, go with a full passphrase. In this example, you can use cUb$W1nW0rLd$3r13$1NzOI6. Now, that’d be tough to crack! It’s also challenging to remember, so don’t go more complicated than you can keep track of.
Tap or click here for 10 ways to secure your accounts with strong passwords.
Fix your website! 4 ways to get more people to your site using SEO
A savvy business owner knows the value of website optimization. In today’s cutthroat digital marketplace, an SEO-friendly website with solid keyword research, meta tags, good page speed and backlinks helps you stand out. If you want to know how to improve search engine rankings for small business websites, you’ve come to the right place.
Have a Yelp page? Businesses that display their hours, phone number, website and a photo on Yelp get 7.6 times more pageviews per month. Dang. Log in and make sure yours is up to date!
🚨 Heads-up, small businesses: Hackers are breaking into WordPress-based websites and installing fake plugins packed with harmful code. When visitors come to your site, they might see a pop-up telling them to update their browser … but it’s actually info-stealing malware. They’re getting in with stolen credentials, so change yours now.
Small-biz tip: Don't overlook this digital danger
Are you the type of business owner who forgets about ex-employees as soon as they’re gone? Failing to remove former employees’ access to your systems and data could lead to security breaches. Don’t let poor offboarding practices be the weak link in your cybersecurity chain.
5 hidden fees costing your small business money
Starting your own business can be exciting, but it often comes with a rocky road ahead. Those rocks will cut into your wallet through several expenses. Miscalculating the daily costs of running a company can hurt you in the long run.
Want to make money podcasting?
Trying to start a podcast? Kim chats with the guy who started the very first podcast about podcasts. Now he’s helping creators grow their shows and make money.
Attn., business owners: Do this! Verify your business with Apple, and your logo will now pop up in the iPhone’s Phone, Mail, Maps and Wallet apps. Start by signing into Apple’s Business Connect page with your Apple account. Add your company info, register for the service, and you’re good to go.
Facebook ad tip for small-biz owners: Use Engagement Custom Audiences to target people who’ve already interacted with your content (e.g., someone who has liked one of your posts or watched a video). This cuts the cost of getting a qualified lead. Love that! To get started, go to Ads Manager > Audiences > Create a custom audience.
Personalize your biz emails: Instead of sending a one-size-fits-all marketing blast to your customers, try segmenting your audience to send the right message to the right person. Most email service providers let you set up multiple lists. MailChimp, Constant Contact and all the other big ones do. Smart!
Small-biz tip: Getting the right domain is an important part of settling on your business name. Check for a site name across different top-level domains (think .com, .net. and .biz), and see how much they cost at iwantmyname.com.
Free advertising: I heard from a reader who runs a nonprofit and wants to get the word out. That led me to Google Ad Grants. Qualifying nonprofits get up to $10,000 a month in free search ads. More info here.
Small business owners: Simplify your life with one financial tool that does it all
Are your finances as organized as you’d like them to be? Come on, be honest. For most business owners, the answer is a reluctant no.
As your company grows, you will have more expenses, contractors, KPIs and hands managing it all. If your communication happens through email, over the phone, in messages, and via spreadsheets, you will hit a wall sooner or later.
Principle of least privilege: Business owners, ask your IT folks if your accounts are set up this way. It means users and systems only get access to what they need to get their tasks done. It’s a simple way to keep your info safe.
Check your business’s Google Maps listing: Malicious competitors are using the “Suggest an edit” feature to change the location of a business’s pin on Google Maps. You probably wouldn’t know if this happened to you; Google doesn’t notify anyone. Duh.
🗺️ “Sofa King: Our prices are Sofa King low!” I’ll never forget when I saw that on a sign in Los Angeles. Own a biz? There’s a better way to get someone’s attention! Google Maps just added a bunch of options to make it simpler to get your business noticed and verified. Just upload a utility bill, a picture of your storefront or insurance documents. Follow the step-by-step instructions here.
Small-biz smarts: When you have contracts with different companies and vendors, you’ll never remember those dates. Create a shared work calendar that gives everyone who needs it notice when a contract is renewing. Pro tip: Build in time in case you have a 30- or 90-day out.
Want to grow your small biz on social? Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts are now better than TikTok (paywall link) for growing your audience. In 2023, brands spent 700% more on YouTube Shorts creator partnerships than the year before. Gotta go where the money is!
Have a Yelp page? Businesses that include their hours, phone number, website and a photo on Yelp get 7.6 times more pageviews per month. Dang. Log in and make sure yours is up to date!