Technology is giving small businesses advantages previously only enjoyed by big companies. This week, a lot of companies serving small businesses released new tools to help companies like yours bridge the tech gap.
QuickBooks released a new platform for accountants to manage small businesses. Salesforce and Salesfloor each have new products out to help with turning browsers into customers. And Wix has a new logo tool to boost your marketing efforts.
There’s all this and plenty more happening this week. Check out all the headlines in this week’s small business news and information roundup.
Management
QuickBooks Accountant Apps Provision Small Businesses and their Financial Advisors
The new release of QuickBooks Accountant Apps Program from Intuit (NASDAQ: INTU) gives accountants a platform for making top-rated apps available for their customers. QuickBooks Accountant Apps Program Accountants can now provision, purchase and manage apps recommended by accounting professionals and fully compatible with the QuickBooks suite of products.
Marketing Tips
Wix Now Has a Logo Maker for Small Businesses
The new Wix (NASDAQ: WIX) Logo Maker gives small businesses the ability to create a free logo to boost their marketing efforts. Thousands of small businesses rely on Wix and its DIY website building platform to create their site. With the Wix Logo Maker, you will be able to create a logo designed by you to fit your brand and customizable to be displayed across different platforms.
The New PicMonkey Focuses on Selling to Small Business Brands
PicMonkey has announced a new visual communication platform looking to address the space between Adobe and Canva. The missing middle is an addressable emerging market worth $5 billion potentially serving both personal and professional customers including individuals, small to medium businesses and social media teams.
Retail Trends
Holiday Returns by Customers are at 28%, Survey Says
The 2017 holiday season saw 28 percent of the gifts people purchased returned, at a value of $90 billion. The new infographic, report and survey by RedStag Fulfillment and Optro not only looks at the return rates of gifts, but how they impact businesses.
Paysafe and Verifone Offer Mobile POS to Restaurants and Small Retailers
A new partnership between Verifone (NYSE: PAY) and Paysafe will provide quick service for restaurants and small and medium-sized businesses across the United States with innovative payment solutions. Paysafe is a global provider of payment solutions while Verifone specializes in connecting payment devices to the cloud.
Sales
New Salesforce Essentials Gives Small Businesses Enterprise Level Tools
Salesforce (NYSE: CRM) just announced the release of Essentials providing small businesses for the first time with a variety of apps for what the company calls the number one global CRM platform. Sales Cloud Essentials and Service Cloud Essentials are the first Salesforce Essential apps available.
SALESmanago Offers Entrepreneurs One of Its Marketing Tools for Free
SALESmanago is giving a single marketing automation tool free to young entrepreneurs and startups in all industries. The offer from SALESmanago is invaluable for individuals and companies just starting their entrepreneurial journey. And with digital presence now a key component for business success, using digital channels for your marketing is critical.
Economy
Small Businesses Add 68,000 Jobs in February
With 10,000 more jobs than January, the ADP Small Business Report shows private sector small business employment increased by 68,000 jobs in February. February 2018 ADP Small Business Report The ADP (NASDAQ:ADP) report is stressing the importance of small businesses in contributing to the overall economy of the country.
Employment
March Madness Will Draw Your Employees’ Focus from Work, Surveys Says
The madness has begun. And if you have millennial employees, there’s a good chance the NCAA men’s basketball tournament will distract them. Employee Productivity During March Madness You’re likely to see the famed basketball tournament brackets floating around your office.
Small Biz Spotlight
Spotlight: How One Company Aims to Go from Selling Socks to Changing the World
Some businesses start with a major change or innovation. Others start with something small — like a sock. The Cause International is an example of the latter. But though the idea started small, the team still hopes it can make a big impact. The clothing company puts a major focus on giving back to communities around the world, from Chicago to Guatemala.
Small Business Loans
Government Says Most Poultry Farms Are NOT Small Businesses, Can’t Get SBA Loans
An evaluation made by the Small Business Administration’s Office of Inspector General regarding loans made to poultry farmers and growers concluded most do not meet regulatory and SBA requirements for eligibility.
US Chamber of Commerce Backs New Bill to Help Main Street Businesses
The US Chamber of Commerce sent a “key vote” letter to the Senate in support of S.2155, the Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act. The bill looks to provide community banks with regulatory relief after the blanket implementation of financial regulations following the 2008 financial crisis.
Small Business Operations
BlueJeans Updates Meetings Platform, Can Your Small Business Team Benefit?
BlueJeans has redesigned and updated its meeting platform with a new user experience to better serve the collaborative workforce of today — including your small business team. The latest BlueJeans desktop app was developed and then tested with thousands of users to make sure it delivered with the new features.
Social Media
The New YouTube Studio Offers More Insight for Your Small Business Channel
The new YouTube Studio is finally here. YouTube Studio is Out of Beta YouTube Studio features a new dashboard and three new metrics to help you gauge the popularity of your videos uploaded to the site. The tools help you manage your videos and all the other activity on your channels. These updates were launched in beta a little while ago.
Taxes
Cracking the Code on the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act: How It Will Impact Your Business
Normally at this time of year, individuals and small business owners are solely focused on their 2017 taxes. But with the passage of the sweeping tax overhaul, this is no ordinary year. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act takes affect starting with your 2018 return and beyond, but the changes are so significant, it’s important to understand the bill and how it will impact your small business.
Lawyers and Law Firms Not Seeing the Benefits of Federal Tax Cuts
Law firms aren’t jumping for joy in the same way many other small businesses are because of the recent passage of a new tax bill. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act includes plenty of deductions and changes that could benefit small businesses in various industries. But it also imposes some new limits on deductions that may be especially relevant for law firms.
Technology Trends
Kradle Launches Small Business Management Software
Kradle announces a new software package designed to help small and medium-sized businesses in any industry manage their operations. The company touts its product as a self-managed software allowing businesses to achieve their competitive potential.
Microsoft iOS Camera App Turns Business Cards into Contacts
The Microsoft Pix camera app for your iPhone now has a business-friendly feature. The app lets you scan the business card of a contact you’ve just met. It takes the information on that business card and then updates your Contact data for that person. The app also scours LinkedIn to find the new business contact’s profile so the two of you can connect.
Only 20% of Tech Jobs are Held by Women, How About at Your Business? (INFOGRAPHIC)
After a long slump, the tech industry appears to be finally back in business. Surprisingly, however, that has not brought cheer for women techies. Women in Technology Statistics According to data compiled by virtual event solutions company, Evia, women make up less than 20 percent of U.S. tech jobs, even though they make up more than half of the U.S. workforce.
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