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Four Ways To Spot Online Fraud

April 13, 2015
By Cindy Bates

globe and computerMany will recall 2014 as the year of the data breach. From individuals to major brands, it seemed that no one was immune to the threat of a cyber attack. While 2014 was particularly worrisome, these types of breaches have been on the rise in recent years and are predicted to be a continued threat.

Between 2013 and 2014, nearly half of all U.S. adults had their information hacked and an estimated 432 million accounts were breached. In 2012, 29 percent of small businesses were victims of a cyber attacks. According to a recent study cited by the U.S. House Small Business Subcommittee on Health and Technology, roughly 60 percent of small businesses close within six months of a cyber attack.

While the breaches making national headlines are often the result of sophisticated hacks, far greater and more common threats stem from much simpler causes including employee or contractor mistakes, lost or stolen hardware and procedural errors. Thankfully, there are ways to help protect yourself and your business, starting with learning how to identify potential symptoms of online fraud. Here are four easy-to-follow tips:  (more…)

Florida SBDC Client Gets 2015 Super Bowl Ad

April 8, 2015
Success Story: Florida

“SBDC is super beneficial for all small businesses to commit to as an advisory group, for organization, direction and leadership.”  – Estella Pyfrom, CEO/Founder, Estella’s Brilliant Bus

Impact of Working with SBDC: Microsoft paid $9 million for a 60-second Super Bowl ad, seen by 104 million viewers in February. The commercial showcased Estella Pyfrom and her invention, the Brilliant Bus, built to bridge the digital divide in low income neighborhoods. (more…)

It’s Time To Put Your Business On The Map

April 6, 2015
By Whitney Lemon

Google-On_The_Map-logoOver the past four years, thanks to the support of partners like America’s SBDC, the Get Your Business Online program has helped 325,000 businesses get a website.

This year, with a new program, “Let’s Put Our Cities on the Map,” we’re helping local businesses in every city update their information where customers are searching for them most – on Google Search and Maps.

Being on the map matters. Research shows that businesses with complete online business listings are 2x as likely to be considered ‘reputable. ’ 1 Yet, only 37 percent of businesses have claimed their listing on a search engine.2 Let’s Put Our Cities on the Map helps businesses reach local customers by updating their info on Google Search and Maps at no charge.  (more…)

How Could 64% Of Businesses Neglect This One Valuable Asset?!

April 2, 2015
By Mary Juetten

TraklightIf you’ve just opened a new business, this question perhaps hasn’t crossed your mind yet: Is IP part of your business’s foundation? In order to answer, you might wish to understand your intellectual property (IP) and how it factors into making any money. But before you do that, statistics tell us you probably aren’t paying enough attention to how important your IP is. Some small businesses do not fully comprehend the importance of what IP does for them and that is the crucial mistake they are making.

These statistics come from Small Business Trends presenting information gathered over the last four years. They point out that out of all major IP categories, most of them haven’t been protected enough through companies with less than 500 employees. Please keep in mind these were companies that deal with research and development where IP would be of central importance.

In the report from the National Science Foundation, we see concern toward smaller companies in how much financial potential they’re losing out on not paying attention to their IP. Some of the categories not being explored range from patents to trade secrets, with the latter being one of the most important (and unprotected or abused) areas of IP.  (more…)

Shatto Milk

March 30, 2015
Shatto Milk TruckSuccess Story: Missouri

Missouri, University of Central Missouri SBTDC
Darrell Brammer, SBTDC Counselor and Center Director
Shatto Milk Company, SBTDC client since 2013

“Darrell [our SBTDC counselor] is a real go-getter. He does everything he can to help us.” — Leroy Shatto, owner of Shatto Milk Co.

Impact of working with SBTDC: Increased sales of nearly $1 million; also helped secure a $250,000 USDA Rural Development grant for a manure digester. (Four hundred cows produce more than just milk.) Shatto wins prizes for its very high quality milk products nearly annually , including 1st at the World Dairy Exposition for root beer-flavored milk.

Read the whole story, and learn more about the Missouri SBTDC and the Shatto Milk Company.