Yes, I also like working on the affiliate business sites, reading weird books and generally being a pain in the ass to 'Know-It-All' people with just enough education to have the common sense of a dead rat. But hey, that's me--------------
Couple of very good sources for you that I hope you can use. Nothing for sale, yet. If you haven't purchased anything by now - you're probably reading for the resources! Works for me.
Let's get to it...........
1. Small Business School
I didn't know this was shown on PBS until I started digging into the site. It's now funded by the NYT, which helps make this site ongoing with great information. You can watch and listen to insights of people who have achieved against great odds, and I mean some of the odds against quite a few would have probably made me quit! Even in the face of failure, they were determined to succeed - I like that kind of spirit. The ones on the site come from over 300 episodes and if you have ever felt that it's too hard and doubting yourself, take a minute today to watch at least one short episode. It may change your life, certainly your business.
2. OSHA
Some of you are operating small garages, day care centers, adult care, auto detailing and other types of ventures with fewer than 10 employees. Yes, I still consider you a solo entrepreneur because if stuff hits the fan - your face is the only one everyone will look to for answers.
OSHA has really strict reporting guidelines for most small businesses and if you have employees it's best you find out if you are in compliance because one slip, even if you didn't know about it, can shut you down for good. Why I'm recommending you take a look is because they also offer third-party training for entrepreneurs. Get help in developing programs that establish safety and health programs that make a better fit for your small venture.
3. Anti Phishing
Ok, the lunatics are running the asylum again and this is a wrinkle that has tech support at quite a few hosting companies up all night and yes, it can affect your business. Here's why:
These schemes use 'spoofed' e-mails to lead consumers to counterfeit websites designed to trick them into giving out financial data such as credit card numbers, account user names, passwords and social security numbers. If you sell online, this is your early warning system.
The danger with these sites is the way they operate. Either they frame your website inside their sites or make their website design exactly like your own. Your customers may not notice the difference, which means when they order - instead of ordering from Sweet Granny dot com, they are entering information in Street Cranny dot com.
I make light of the names, but it's a reality banks, credit unions and one large retailer have been hit with. The holidays coming, you need to know how to protect your business and customers as much as possible. Most of the solutions aren't expensive to put in place, you may know enough to do them yourself. But do something you will, now or later.
When, not if, your customers or subscribers tell you they got a weird email from you that you know you didn't send, there are places online you can refer them for help. The best attack is to forward the email to Report Phishing with bcc: to the Federal Trade Commission at FTC. Let your subscribers and customers know to always include the entire original email with its original header information intact, that way it can be traced back to the original sender.
If you as the merchant find that your site has been compromised this way, don't just hope it goes away. Get pissed off, then notify The Internet Crime Complaint Center of the FBI by filing a complaint on their website, ICCC-FBI and do it as soon as you learn about it - don't wait to see how bad the damage is. That's a very deep rabbit hole, avoid it if you can.
That's it for today and I leave you with this
"Reality leaves a lot to the imagination." ~ John Lennon
