Protecting Your SMB From the Swine Flu

It's getting to be flu season but this year there is more than just the regular flu to worry about; there's also H1N1 (or the Swine Flu). According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), a flu pandemic can leave a business without 40% of its workforce - something many SMBs can't afford to have happen. And with the potential for H1N1 outbreaks on top of that, federal and health care officials are urging business owners to be prepared this winter. That means preparing for operating with an unusually small number of staff.

"All businesses should be prepared for the upcoming flu season. They should have a pandemic plan that has the flexibility to adapt to various scenarios from fairly mild to severe," Dr. John Halpin of the Center for Disease Control said in an interview with Newsday.com.

One of the first things a business can do to prevent a flu outbreak is focus on prevention. Advise sick employees to stay home and insist they not return to work until at least 24 hours after having a fever. Some business owners may even want to encourage their employees to get a flu vaccine. And as is good practice any time of year, encourage your employees to wash their hands often, and cover their mouths when they cough or sneeze. A lot of prevention comes down to just plain common sense.

But even the most preventative measures may not work and for this reason, business owners should have a plan in place for keeping things running smoothly when a large percentage of employees are sick at the same time. Make sure employees are cross-trained to handle various positions within your company. Keep the number of an employment agency handy, in case you need temporary workers.

And of course, there's always the possibility you or your managing staff could become ill. In that case, documenting general operating procedures is a must, along with keeping a list of important contact information for anyone who might be taking over operating procedures. Make sure you have someone who is knowledgeable and whom you can trust to oversee your business in the event that you do sick. And one of the most important things you can do is to be flexible.

Should your company become affected and become part of a flu pandemic, there are a few things to remember. First of all, have your plan handy and refer to it. If possible, enable your employees to telecommute or work remotely. Make sure you sanitize any affected areas and something many business owners may not think about it letting an employee bring their child to work in the event schools are closed.

A little planning and flexibility can go a long way when it comes to a flu pandemic and taking the time out to make a plan can save your business thousands of dollars.

TD Bank Tops Small Business Satisfaction

According to a summer study done by J.D. Power and Associates, TD Bank ranks as the top national bank for small business satisfaction. Of over 7,200 nationwide small businesses with an income of $100,000 - $10 million, TD Bank scored highest on a 1,000 point scale. TD Bank scored a 740. This is the third consecutive year the bank has ranked at Number One. The businesses surveyed indicated that they are more satisfied with a bank when a manager is dedicated to their account, understands their business, and is a thorough communicator with the business owner.

“The highest-ranking banks perform well in customer service and relationship management with their small business customers, particularly the in-branch experience,” said director of banking services at J.D. Power and Associates, Michael Beird. The average score for other banks was about 696. BB&T and Huntington National Bank tied for the number two spot with 725 points.

TD Bank is based out of Portland, Maine and Cherry Hill, New Jersey, and offers banking, insurance, brokerage and investment banking in Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Virginia and Washington D.C.

KnowEm: helping SMB stake claims in the social media world.

KnowEm is a new site designed to help small and large businesses stake their claim in the social media world. The site offers ways for your brand to have a place on various social media websites and offers a way for you to track and manage your brand on numerous sites in one central location.

You can check the availability of user names and branded key words on 330 different sites for free. KnowEm also offers a few different services for companies, fees range from $49 a month for KnowEm to keep watch for any newly launched social media sites and automatically stake your claim on that site. For $349 KnowEm will insert relevant profile information into the top 150 social media sites for you.

With new social media sites popping up all the time and more large and small businesses creating an online presence, KnowEm seems to be the way to easily manage all the sites in one spot. The site can easily be used to make sure your brand is consistent across the internet so your customers can easily find you and your business. And the fees are worth it and could made a huge difference in how your company is seen online.

Huntsville, Alabama Named Top City To Launch SMBs

Huntsville, Alabama has been named the top medium-sized city in which to start a small business by Fortune Small Business Magazine. The magazine's November 2009 issue contains a "Best Places to Launch" feature and rounding out the top ten cities are Lafayette, Louisiana; Omaha, Nebraska; Clarksville, Tennessee; Peoria, Illinois; Lexington, Kentucky; Killeen, Texas; Des Moines, Iowa; Baton Rouge, Louisiana; and Lincoln, Nebraska.

According to the magazine, Huntsville's beautiful surroundings and low cost of living are just a few of the benefits the city has to offer, as well as less competition (the city is dominated by government contractors instead of venture capitalists). Huntsville is located in northern Alabama and its metro area has a population of 395,645. The city was once known for its cotton and railroad industries but in the mid-1900's, it became known as "Rocket City" as it became an important city for developing space technology. Home to NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, the U.S. Army's Aviation and Missile Command, and Cummings Research Park, it remains a huge influence on the country's aerospace and military technology with a thriving engineering community. The magazine calls it a "breeding ground for tech entrepreneurs."

Jerry Gabig, the CEO of Q-Track Corporation, said of his own experience starting a business in the city, "The cost of living and running a business is also relatively cheap here. My property tax is about a third of what I used to pay in Massachusetts. State gas taxes are relatively low, and the cost of electricity is below the national average. Land is also cheap, which makes it easy to expand."

Huntsville Chamber of Commerce CEO and president, Brian Hilson, told the Huntsville Times that a number of national publications have had their eye on the city for years. He says it's the result of the city's successful image marketing. "Our story is more credible when someone else says it."

The rankings were based on a study done by Fortune Small Business along with the Kauffman Foundation (the world's largest foundation devoted to entrepreneurship). The study showed which cities scored highest based on per capita income, hourly wages, work force quality, crime rates, taxes, and foreclosures. The entire article can be found at Money.CNN.com.

Dell Lowers SMB Registration Threshold Deal

Computer manufacturer Dell has announced that it will be lowering the threshold for its SMB partner deal registration from $50,000 to $15,000, effective immediately. Dell says it wants to better protect those solution providers and expand the number of products and services that can now be registered. In the past, only EqualLogic products and opportunities could be registered below $50,000, but the changes are no open to all Dell products and services.

Paul Shaffer, director of U.S. marketing and operations for Dell's global commercial channels, said in a statement, "We see this as a great opportunity in the SMB space. We heard from our partners that doing $50,000 in sales was a lot for customers to be buying. We hope that lowering the threshold to $15,000 will create more opportunities for channel partners."

Many Dell resellers are already excited about the change, claiming it will make the company easier to work with. As a matter of fact, the changes come from feedback given to Dell from many solution providers, along with watching the positive response to Dell's European channel program's dropping its own threshold from $50,000 to $25,000.

Dell is also seeing a high number of registration approvals - 85% - and has already started adding more staff to help deal with what they hope will be a much higher demand in the future.

Before announcing the decision, Dell tested the program with a small number of pre-certified partners and say they were pleased with the results of the soft launch.

This is just the latest of several moves made by Dell in an effort to improve both locally and abroad. "We are committed to continuing to respond to the needs of our partners globally, as our decision to lower deal registration for our partners who serve SMBs in the U.S. and EMEA proves," Vice President and General Manager of Dell Global Commercial Channels Greg Davis said in a statement.