Because the on-demand economy has created marketplaces forall types of products and services, it should come as no surprise (especially for users of SmallBusiness.com) that tech workers are participants in all facets of the on-demand space known as thegig economy. According to MarketPlace.org,it was once hard for small companies to find freelancers, especially workers overseas. But now because of a wave of on-demand economy companies like Upwork, Wonolo, and 99designs, even the smallest of small businessescan use an app to connect with freelancers.
As the operator ofRocketSpace, a co-working space for new tech companies, Duncan Loganhas seen these small businesses usegig workers formany different things: Set up offices, deliver food, design websites, handle marketing, PR. Logan has noticed that gig hiring follows a pattern. Small companies use lots of freelancers to get off the ground. As the businesses grow, they bring on more full-time people, partly because it looks good for investors. Then if the corporation hits it big, it goes back to outsourcing large chunks of its business.
The downside of outsourcing
Rutgers University professor Hal Salzman has a different name for on-demand gig workers: Outsourcing. And hes not impressed with the new branding.Outsourcing has become an unpopular word, Salzman said. Recasting it as the gig economy sounds much better. No matter what its call, Salzman is not a fan of outsourcing: The only thing new with these gig websites is that smaller and smaller companies can now cut worker pay and ship out jobs. Thats good for businesses, but bad for society, he told Marketplace.
Last year, we highlighted the activities of the Cash Mob of West Pasco County and how each month, they converge on a small business with cash-in-hand and an important purpose in mind: Shopping to support a community small business. Cash Mobs are spreading around the country, and we continue to love hearing about them. Especially this one that calls itself a "Love Mob."
Last Sunday, on Valentine's Day, 150 members of the First Baptist Church of Hillside, NJ, joined in the Cash Mob movement with a new twist: "A Love Mob." According to NJ.com's Marisa Iati, the parishioners braved bitter cold and descended on Fresh and Pretty Florist. As with other cash mobs, the participants each purchased items from the small business. On Sunday, the church members purchased enough to clear-out the florist's entire Valentine's Day inventory, generating $3,000 in revenues for Fresh and Pretty.
Queen King, owner of the florist since 1988, said it's hard for small businesses to survive in an era of big-box retailers and online sellers. The First Baptist Church told her in advance that it planned to support her business as part of the Love Mob, and King said she was overwhelmed to see the parishioners flood the store on Sunday. "Had it not been for them, I probably would have been eating some flower soup!" she joked.
Rev. Jones hugs Queen King, owner of Fresh and Pretty Florist.
Rev. Christopher Michael Jones, pastor of First Baptist Church, says that Love Mobs are an expression of church members' faith. The church's first Love Mob took place in January when parishioners spent $5,000 in two hours at a Hillside restaurant. In March, the church plans to rent out several Hillside hair salons and barber shops to provide free haircuts to 100 boys, 100 girls, 100 single mothers who are unemployed, and 100 fathers who are transitioning out of jail or who live in a halfway house.
According to the findings of new research released today (2/17/2016), about one-half of working adults will contemplate changing jobs this year. The 2016 Industry & Productivity Perspectives Report is from business operating software company, Bolste. The company commissioned the research firm YouGov to examine the attitude of 1,500 American working adults toward their work and workplace. The following are key findings from the report.
Which statement best describes your feelings about your current job?
42% | I am somewhat happy, motivated and stimulated by my job
25% | I am extremely happy, motivated and stimulated by my job
13% | I am indifferent to my job
9% | I am somewhat unhappy, and feel unmotivated, bored, and stifled by my job
7% | Don't know
4% | I am extremely unhappy, and feel unmotivated, bored and stifled by my job
Which do you feel your employer does not fully value?
(Select all that apply.)
21% | My ability to work independently
20% | My ideas
18% | My ability to manage projects or tasks
15% | An innovative working culture
15% | My creativity
14% | Collaboration among team members
Which describes the process your employer follows for bringing new employees into the company and their job?
(Select all that apply.)
33% | They make a big effort to help the new employee feel like part of the team
23% | Don't know
22% | They leave the new employee to figure things out on their own
21% | They provide a cookie-cutter-type manual to the new employee
14% | Lots of pointless meetings that don't achieve anything
13% | Lots of useful meetings that achieve a lot
12% | They make no effort to help the new employee feel like part of the team
Which statement best describes your job plans in 2016?
42% | I don't intend to change jobs
15% | I will look around at other jobs, but may not change jobs
Each year, in every state, many businesses pay more in unemployment insurance taxes than they should. According to Intuit Quickbooks, such businesses could likely reduce their rates if they had better unemployment-related documentation and were more diligent when contesting fraudulent or spurious unemployment benefit claims.
Controlling your unemployment insurance rates requires you to ...
Know your state's specific laws related to unemployment insurance
Keep meticulous documentation
Furthermore, even when you think you know how the process works, you might have still overlooked some small-yet-important details. Each state has very specific rules, and, according to QuickBooks, every claim should be looked at individually.
Where to find state resources and information related to unemployment insurance
States have varying requirements and specific approaches related to such issues as traveling employees, multi-branch companies and any other business that happens in multiple states. In some instances, there are other laws and services that can provide assistance for the unemployment insurance exceptions. You need to know what those are. Look carefully at each specific law to know which situations apply to your business.
To find information about you state's requirements, visit the
2. Click on the"Taxation" link on your state's page.
3. Click on the link to your state's
unemployment insurance agency (department, etc.).
Keep detailed documentation about each unemployment claim
When reviewing a benefits claim, your state unemployment insurance office relies on your documentation and understanding of the situation to determine eligibility. Therefore, if you do not report the type of information that your state is looking for, you may be charged for benefits.
Document warnings and discussions you have with every employee.
Document whether or not the employee notified you of changes in their health or personal life before leaving the company.
In order to make the process simple, reliable and consistent, you should have documentation from initial employment until the final separation for each and every employee.
Regular readers of SmallBusiness.com know we enjoy sharing stories from history that demonstrate that today's small businesses are the continuation of a tradition that stretches back to the beginning of recorded history. In the U.S., today is President's Day, a national holiday that honors those who have served in that office. At SmallBusiness.com, we use this day to point out some business accomplishments -- and failures -- of U.S. presidents, and the lessons those accomplishments and failures can teach all those who run a business.
Upon leaving the Presidency at age 65, George Washington started what would become in the following 2 years, the largest distillery in America. The video below is from Mount Vernon, where the distillery has now been re-constructed. (...)
There are only a few presidents who started businesses, and not all of those were successful. Here are some who tried and succeeded, others who tried and failed. Pictured below is Harry S. Truman (left) as a young man in the clothing store he and a business partner owned named Truman and Jacobson Haberdashery, located at 12th and Baltimore (104 West 12th) Kansas City, Missouri. The store was opened in l919 and it failed in 1921. (...)
Steve King, partner in Emergent Research and a regular contributor to SmallBusiness.com, worked on a recent study with Intuit that explores the changing face of the workforce in the era of the on-demand economy. That study and its findings, the On-Demand Workforce Report, covers the motivations, attitudes and demographics of those working within the on-demand economy that has been made possible by app-enabled marketplace platforms such as Uber, Upwork, Fiverr, etc. That earlier report is now being followed up with deeper-dives into the findings of its research. Once again, we thank Steve for sharing the following contribution to our on-going coverage of the changes in the ways people are developing new patterns of work and the ways business owners must adapt as the on-demand economy evolves.
Last week, Intuit released The Five Faces of the On-Demand Economy, an overview of some common profiles of on-demand economy workers. These profiles were developed using cluster analysis to group on-demand economy workers who share similar motivations and attitudes.
26% | The Side Giggers
Seeking financial stability by supplementing existing income
22% | The Business Builders
Primarily driven by the desire to be their own boss,
20% The Career Freelancers
Building a career through independent work
18% | The Substituters
Replacing a traditional job that is no longer available
14% | The Passionistas
Looking for the flexibility to do something they love
As Intuit's Alex Chriss points out in his article The Future of Work Doesn't Look Like You Think it Does, these groups are not fixed. "In meeting hundreds of our customers, I have come to appreciate that these profiles are fluid and there are often several motivations that influence people's decisions on how to own their own career." Chriss makes an excellent point. Much like the Pirate's Code , these faces should be seen "as a guideline more than actual rules".
All on-demand workers are NOT the same
The reason these groupings are important is to begin understanding how on-demand economy workers view their involvement, depending on their personal motivations for participating.
Work satisfaction: A good example of how different types of on-demand workers vary
Satisfaction is a good example. As the chart below shows, most "Substituters" are not sastified with on-demand work while the vast majority of Business Builders and Career Freelancers are.
Deadpool is completely self-aware, so the dude knows his movie is awesome. We don't have to reassure him. And now that the film earned $12.7 million on Thursday night, which The Hollywood Reporter reports is the biggest preview number ever for an R-rated film, it looks like we don't have to tell you either.
That being said, The Huffington Post recently chatted with "Deadpool" writers Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese ("Zombieland") about some of the movie's secrets, and here are some of the things even the Merc with a Mouth probably isn't aware of:
1. They did want Wolverine in the film.
"Deadpool" features a number of Wolverine/Hugh Jackman references, so we asked if they ever had thoughts of actually getting a cameo.
"Yeah, I mean we're always dreaming big, but the way it turned out we couldn't have been happier," says Wernick. "Hugh's seen the movie and loved the movie we've heard. Obviously, he and Ryan are very close friends, and who knows what happens in the future? We would love to bring Hugh and Wolverine into 'Deadpool's' universe, at least for a brief moment. That would be a dream come true."
He adds, "They were together in 'X Men Origins: Wolverine.' Not exactly as anyone had hoped [laugh], but we at some point may be able to fix that."
2. Deadpool could have a boyfriend in future movies.
"Only time will tell. I think the most important thing is we did try with this movie to honor Deadpool's pansexual nature in the comics. I think you only see hints of it in this first movie, but who knows what the future will hold? I just think we have to be open to everything and to honor the history of the character," says Reese.
3. No, Deadpool didn't leave the stove on.
During a big action sequence, Deadpool pauses and wonders if he left the stove on, but the question is never actually answered, so Reese set the record straight.
"No, because Blind Al [Deadpool's roommate] has the powers of perception that if he left it on, she would've felt the rise in heat in the apartment, so no," he says.
4. Deadpool kills an evil doctor in a deleted scene.
The Deadpool DVD isn't just going to be full of all the improvised lines that got cut. Reese tells us there's a "a big sequence of the movie" where Deadpool goes to Mexico to visit a cancer clinic and ends up killing the evil doctor who works there.
"That, we actually shot and didn't make the film, so you'll probably see that in the deleted scenes," says Reese.
5. There's a reason Deadpool keeps forgetting his guns.
As a creative solution for budget constraints, Reese tells us they just made Deadpool forget his guns.
"There was a massive gunfight in Act 3 that we didn't have the money for, so we invented the idea that Deadpool forgot his guns in order to address that," says Reese.
6. Iconic characters also had to be cut or melded into one.
Reese tells us many characters had to be combined based on the budget.
"There were three villains, Sluggo, Garrison Kane and Wire, who were melded into Angel Dust (Gina Carano), and then we had a bartender at Sister Margaret's Barnamed Patch who was melded into Weasel (T.J. Miller). So I think we had to consolidate more than anything," says Reese.
7. Liam Neeson is a terrible parent in "Taken."
During a sobering moment in the movie, Reynolds brings up how, after three "Taken" movies, you just have to wonder if Liam Neeson's character is a terrible parent. Well ... he is.
"I mean the worst, right?" says Wernick, "Isn't he the worst parent? He was definitely. You know, I don't even let my kids play with toy guns, and this guy is wielding machine guns around his children, so I would say he's definitely not parent of the year."
8. If Deadpool saw Professor X, he would actually see both James McAvoy and Patrick Stewart.
One of the most meta moments has Deadpool wondering if it'll be James McAvoy or Patrick Stewart when he sees Professor X. (Both actors play the character in the "X-Men" movies.) But if Wernick had his way, it'd be the pair of them together.
"My God, I mean, I love them both. Can we get them both? Can we have it be a dream sequence where they're both in?" says Wernick.
9. If an avocado had sex with an older avocado, it wouldn't look like Deadpool.
In the best line from the trailer, T.J. Miller describes Deadpool's scarred face as the result of two avocados having sex. But that somehow doesn't seem very accurate. So what would it really look like?
"Like ... guacamole," laughs Reese.
10. Ryan Reynolds' "X-Men" joke was totally true.
Deadpool jokes in the movie that he only sees two X-Men because the studio couldn't afford more. Wernick laughs, "That's actually true, so, yes, we always had to keep budget in mind."
11. But more "X-Men" are on the way in the sequel.
Though the writers say the stories about "Deadpool 2" being greenlit are "unconfirmed" as of now, they admit you could probably expect Deadpool's "X-Force" collaborator Cable to be included. Plus, "at least one more [X-Men character] pops up along the way," according to Reese.
"Deadpool" is in theaters now.
Also on HuffPost:
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Sears Holdings, corporate parent of Big Box Retailers 1.0 giants Sears and Kmart, is in the process of closing hundreds of its stores. However, the company only releases specific store closing information to local news outlets, according to the Consumerist.com, If you are a local retailer near a Sears or Kmart, here's a helpful resource from Consumerist.com. They are updating their list based on what they learn from tracking local news reports. If you know of a closure not on the list, let Consumerist.com know. Here are the closings for the next couple of months.
If you're struggling and trying hard to hold onto a dream, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden provides the kind of inspiration it takes to reach audacious goals over seemingly impossible odds. But that's the type of inspiration it takes to lead NASA toward the goal of having a manned mission to Mars. And, at many times along your small business journey, Bolden also provides the kind of inspiration that can help you make it to your next goal.
As a teenager, Bolden overcame racism to receive an appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy in 1964. He went on to serve in the Marine Corps as an aviator, flying more than 100 combat missions in North and South Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. Bolden later became a NASA astronaut and traveled aboard the space shuttle on four missions. After his last space flight, he returned to the Marine Corps and achieved the rank of major general. Then in 2009, he was appointed the 12th Administrator of NASA.
Today, Administrator Bolden is inspiring NASA, the U.S. and the world, to dream big with manned missions to Mars.
"If you're not afraid of failure, things are going to work."
- NASA Administrator Charles Bolden
If, in the struggles you face running a small business, you think it's time to throw in the towel, you may be correct. Failing at one thing is not the same as being a failure. But before you decide to give up on a dream you believe is challenging, but still attainable, listen to this inspiring interview with Bolden that aired on NPR's Morning Edition today (2/9/2016).
Instagram, the Facebook-owned photo-sharing social network, has become a popular business marketing platform. Like other platforms that have expanded their consumer-oriented networks into an advertising and relationship-marketing tool for businesses, Instagram needed to add a means to manage multiple Instagram accounts without the confusing process of logging in and out--and realizing you've posted a company photo to the account you have for your college buddies.
Instagram announced yesterday (2/8/2016) that users can now link together up to 5 Instagram accounts and quickly switch between them without having to log out and log back in. (The feature is included on version 7.15 for iOS and Android, available in the App Store and the Google Play Store.)
How to add and switch between multiple Instagram accounts
(Photo: Mike Cheung and Paula Chang, the husband-wife team who created Tinkering Monkey in Oakland, California)
"New Year Goodness," as they are saying today in China. On the Chinese calendar, today (2/8/2016) is the first day of the Year of the Monkey. This made us think of our favorite businesses with a monkey in its name.
If you're asked to quickly name a business with the word "monkey" in it, there's always Survey Monkey. But at SmallBusiness.com, there is a "monkey business" we think about every day: Tinkering Monkey of Oakland, California.
That's because we see their work on the wall of our office every time we step off the elevator. Tinkering Monkey worked with us in creating office signage for the customer media and content company Hammock Inc. (Hammock.com), the folks behind SmallBusiness.com. They not only impressed us with their "maker" skills--the husband-and-wife team behind Tinkering Monkey also impressed us with their savvy marketing skills. We were so impressed with Mike Cheung and Paula Chang, we featured them in a SmallBusiness.com article on how great their website and other digital marketing is.
Here are more businesses from around the United States with names just right for the Year of the Monkey.
Distributor of sporting goods including ice hockey skates, athletic socks, hockey guards, hockey cages, goals, helmets, sticks, blades, equipment bags, sports apparel and undergarments.
At 30 years old, Mike Brown put his life savings on the line and moved back home to live with his mother. Why? So he could afford to follow his dream of starting a business.
Five years later, millions of voters in the QuickBooks "Small Business, Big Game" competition chose his company from the 15,000 small businesses that entered. And Death Wish Coffee became the smallest business ever to have a Super Bowl ad.
(Photo: Mike Brown, owner of Death Wish Coffee, winner of Small Business, Big Game | via: Intuit QuickBooks)
Perhaps the biggest winner of Super Bowl 50 won't be the Broncos or the Panthers. It may be Mike Brown's 12-person small business, Death Wish Coffee, purveyors of the world's strongest coffee. (And when they say, "world's strongest coffee," they mean it.)
Sometime during the game's third quarter, 100 million Super Bowl viewers will see a 30-second commercial for Mike's small business, the winner of this year's Intuit QuickBooks contest called Small Business, Big Game. More than 15,000 small businesses entered the competition for the chance to have a commercial promoting their business created and aired at QuickBooks' expense.
Not including the media coverage the commercial and the Death Wish Coffee story has garnered, the value of the air-time and production of the commercial has been estimated to be more than $6 million. (To get a sense of the production quality of the commercial, Oscar winner Claudio Miranda (Life of Pi) was the cinematographer).
In addition to the commercial, the competition's winning small business owner received some superstar mentoring from celebrity-entrepreneur Bill Rancic, the first winner of The Apprentice. (Rancic has worked with Quickbooks on the entire Small Business, Big Game project.)
About 48 hours before the game, SmallBusiness.com founder Rex Hammock spoke with Bill and Mike about the experience of becoming--at least for one very super night--the most famous small business in America.
On the experience of having fame and business success occur simultaneously
(Photo: Bill Rancic, left, winner of the first season of The Apprentice, assisted QuickBooks in the Small Business, Big Game project, including mentoring Mike on the game-changing challenges he'd face following winning the contest. | via: Intuit QuickBooks)
SmallBusiness.com | Mike, this has to be a surreal experience you're going through. Are you having an "out-of-body" thing?
Mike | Yes, definitely. Every morning when I wake up, I say, "Thank you God, this is actually real." It's been like a dream, it really has.
SmallBusiness.com | Bill, you are one of the first people who many of us can recall seeing become both a business success and celebrity at the same time--on one of earliest reality game shows I can recall. You were the first winner of The Apprentice and in the process, became somewhat of a rockstar. What kind of advice have you been giving Mike about handling the celebrity part of what he's already going through, but is about blast off even more?
Bill | I don't know if Mike needs much advice. He's got a good head on his shoulders. He's well grounded. Most importantly, he has surrounded himself with great people. Lots of of times when you are thrust into the spotlight quickly, you aren't prepared for the opportunists you instantly attract. Mike is not the guy who is going to fall prey to those. He understands the opportunity that's been handed him. He's worked hard for it.
Most importantly, he's grateful.
When something like this happened to me 13 years ago, I was always very grateful for what was given to me. I never, never took it for granted. I was given an opportunity of a lifetime and I seized it. Mike is being given the same kind of opportunity of a lifetime this Sunday--and he knows it.
In the days leading up to the Super Bowl, the Death Wish Coffee crew took to the streets of San Francisco to build on the excitement the commercial has generated for the product.
On how a small business prepares for the orders that will pour in after a commercial on the Super Bowl
SmallBusiness.com | Mike, one of the most compelling parts of your story is that Death Wish Coffee will be the smallest business to ever have a Super Bowl ad. You have 12 employees now. How do you go from that to meeting the demand of the orders you'll get Sunday.
Mike | A year ago today, we were a six person company. When the competion started, we were a nine-person business and now we're a 12-person business. The people on our team are amazing--I don't just hire anyone. At one point we counted, and each one of us had the responsibilities for 20 jobs.
They've been working sun-up to sun-down to make sure we do a good job. And we're working with some vendors, all small businesses surrounding us, who are also working around the clock. We have two local roasters who are also working with us to make sure we have enough coffee to go on Monday.
(Photo: The smallest business ever to have a commercial on the Super Bowl, this staff photo was taken a few months ago. The company now has 12 employees and several a network of supportive vendors. Oh, and another thing. Their product is helpful when working long hours. | via: DeathWishCoffee.com)
On why the voters found Death Wish Coffee such a compelling business to support in the contest
SmallBusiness.com | Bill, all three of the finalists--and before that, the ten finalists--were great examples of small businesses at their best. But they were also very different versions of successful small businesses. What was it about Mike's company and story that appealed to the millions of people who voted for Death Wish Coffee in the Small Business, Big Game contest?
Bill | There is so much about Mike and Death Wish Coffee that resonates and connects with people on several levels. When he decided to start a business, he had no income from a trust fund or any fancy pedigree. He is a guy who put his life savings on the line and moved back home with his mother at the age of 30 so he could afford to start a business.
He built his business one order at a time, the old-fashioned way. And I think people really connected with that. That's the American dream: You can have an idea and if you work your tail off and make the commitment, you can do it. Mike is a living testament of that. That's what connected with people. They loved the idea. They loved the concept. But they also fell in love with the story and Mike's ambition and work ethic.
How listening to customers helped Mike 'pivot' to success
(Mike says, "I wasn't that great at owning a coffee shop," but he learned how to succeed by listening to customers from behind the counter. | via: DeathWishCoffee.com)
SmallBusiness.com | Mike, you've said the idea for Death Wish Coffee came from what you learned by listening to the customers of your coffee shop. They would say, "give me your strongest cup of coffee." But ironically, you've said you weren't that great at running the shop, which was your original business idea. In the startup world, they would call that "pivoting." Your success seems to hinge on your willingness to be flexible enough to view the conversations you have with customers as a roadmap to better opportunities.
Mike | One of the best parts of having my coffee shop--and not doing that great at it and not having much money to hire anyone--was that I had to do pretty much everything. That meant I was behind the counter all the time and I got to know the community--and be a part of the community. They became my friends. And every day they came to the shop early in the morning and we would visit. They would tell me what they wanted and I tried to deliver on it. So when they would say, "give me the strongest coffee you've got," I started trying to do it.
On gratitude
(Video: While it may not have the production value of a Super Bowl ad, this thank you video has the heart of a small business and captures the reality of what the 12 employees behind the Death Wish Coffee brand are all about. Via: Death Wish Coffee, YouTube.)
On the importance of a commercial that not only promotes Death Wish Coffee, but celebrates small businesses in general
SmallBusiness.com | Bill, you've been around lots of small business owners who have found ways to succeed. Mike's is a great story, but the greatest thing about it is that it represents the stories of millions of others.
Bill | And that's the reason QuickBooks wanted to do Small Business, Big Game. They wanted to shine a light on small business, to celebrate what small business does for country's economy, and the economies of each community where they are found.
The Death Wish Coffee commercial that will appear during the Super Bowl
It's important that every business, large or small, have a blog on its website. It's where visitors look first to see if anyone is at home on the site. Unfortunately, too many companies — even large ones — have blogs that have gone months without an update. (We think anything less than once a month has people worried you've had some type of Donner Party tragedy.)
One complaint about updating a blog we hear regularly from those who run small businesses is this:
"I can't think of what to write about."
Here is a list of topics and ideas for you to refer to next time you need to update your blog, but don't know what to say.
News
Announcements | Updates | Alerts | Recognition
Ideas | Welcome new staff, announce new products you are carrying or service you are offering, professional awards, sponsorships you've provided to a local cause. Things you hear at conferences or trade shows. News that ties your business into the events of your home town. Anything that might answer the question, "what's new at your business?"
But beware | Don't use your blog as a place to post press releases. If you fall into this trap, your blog will be as boring as, well, a series of press releases. That said, whenever you issue a press release, make sure to add it to your blog at the same time you release it through any other channel.
Instruction
How-tos | Tutorials | Resource Curation
The best way to retain customers is to teach them how to most effectively use your product or service to succeed at what they were trying to accomplish when they purchased your product or service. Often, you don't even have to create the how-tos or turoials yourself. By finding and directing users to materials created by product manufactures, trade media and product mavens, you have added greatly to the value of your product by helping the customer solve the problem that led them to purchase your product in the first place.
Features
Interviews | Profile | Cases
We know of a small business manager who posts a brief and witty profile of an employee on the employee's first employment anniversary. Each profile is standard, making it easy to write. But the standard questions always open up an employee's mind and they typically end up sharing a funny or poignant post.
Insight
Commentary | Opinion | Response
If you've heard the term, "thought leader," and wondered how to be one, part of the price of admission is (as we've explained previously) to have interesting ideas and share them as many ways as possible. Starting with sharing them on your company blog is a great way to begin.
Multimedia
Video | Audio | Photography | Explanatory Graphics
Some of the best posts on a company blog have the fewest words. Photos of customers, new products, and home-town activities are a must. Check out our guide to marketing with photography for more ideas.
Photo: In 2004, in a tradition stretching to the beginning of the New Hampshire Primary, then candidate John Kerry campaigns at MaryAnn's Diner in Derry, NH. | via: ThinkStock
If you've ever flown into or out of Manchester, New Hampshire, you may have seen a poster that welcomes the media and candidates visiting the state in anticipation of the next presidential election cycle. In New Hampshire, however, the next presidential cycle begins the day after the previous one ends.
To win the New Hampshire Primary, a candidate can't just jet-in a few weeks before the primary. They must start years in advance and kiss every baby in the Granite State.
Oh, and candidates must "eat local" at lots-and-lots of diners. (Bill Clinton was legendary in this department, often taking time to go back to the kitchen and visit with the cooks.)
Last October, ABC Reporter Brad Mielke developed an "the ultimate New Hampshire Diner Tour" of five restaurants, across the state, that a candidate could visit in one day. Here are his picks (and a bonus one from us):
Lindy's in Keene | Est. 1961
(Google Maps)
Lindy's owners insist that candidates don't stand a chance of winning the presidency if they don't pay a visit. (LindysDiner.com)
MaryAnn's in Derry | Est. 1989
(Google Maps)
It's probably not a good sign that when Mielke developed his list, the candidates who had already visited MaryAnn's were Rand Paul, Lindsey Graham and Chris Christie, two of whom have suspended their campaigns and another who's at the bottom of the polls.
Red Arrow Diner in Manchester | Est. 1922
(Google Maps)
New Hampshire's most ubiquitous campaign stop might seem a little cramped, but the Red Arrow has been welcoming White House hopefuls for decades. As a 24-hour joint, it's the only diner on this list keeping longer hours than the candidates.
Puritan Backroom in Manchester | Est. 1938
(Google Maps)
The Pappas family has been in the restaurant business since 1917, after moving from Greece to open a small ice cream stand. Co-owner Chris Pappas serves on the state's executive council, and even though he's endorsed Hillary Clinton, any hungry candidate is welcome to campaign there.
Presidential contenders don't visit Tilt'n Diner for the scenery; they visit because it's a convenient stop on the way to vacation-friendly Lake Winnipesaukee.
SmallBusiness.com Bonus Pick: The Airport Diner in Manchester
(From Rex Hammock, SmallBusiness.com) As a frequent visitor to Manchester, I've had a couple of flights cancel and had to find a hotel and place to eat near the airport. As the Airport Diner is adjacent to a Holiday Inn Express, my expectations weren't high. However, I'm happy to report that even a quick in-and-out visit to Manchester can include a great diner experience.
Back in the Middle Ages when the concept of one having a last name (or surname) was being developed, names were commonly based on a person's occupation, hometown or something they were known for: John the baker, Sam the carpenter, Ivan the terrible, William the conquerer, etc. But as professions have evolved from the simple, such as carpenter or miller, to the more complex, such as flight attendant or software analyst, the whole name-connected-to-career thing has come unglued.
There's a word for people who have names that sync-up with their business: Aptronym
Some people have names that sound extremely appropriate for their occupation. There's even a word for it: aptronym (or aptonym). Maybe the name and work connections are just coincidences, but it's common enough for psychologist Carl Jung to include the phenomenon with his interest of a wide range of similarities dubbed "synchronicity" almost a century ago.
Whether coincidence or destiny, some users of SmallBusiness.com love finding people who have perfect names for their occupations. If you know of others, send them to us at: Tips@SmallBusiness.com
The New York Times reports that sophisticated scams using thousands of fake Google listings, are conning thousands of customers and driving them away from legitimate local locksmiths. Called "lead gens" (lead generators), the con-artists use Google My Business to create listings that appear to be local locksmiths, but the "local" phone number is routed to a boiler-room call center—often out of state, sometimes in a different country. It is a classic bait-and-switch con that has quietly become an epidemic in America and is among the fastest-growing sources of consumer complaints, according to the Consumer Federation of America.
How the locksmith lead gen scam works
The potential victim is locked out of their car or home.
They search “locksmith” on Google.
Up pops a list of names, the most promising of which appear beneath the paid ads, in space reserved for local service companies.
The victim assumes Google's algorithms have found the locksmiths who are local and have earned good customer reviews.
But the list includes locksmiths that are not locksmiths at all.
The victim calls what they think is a local locksmith, but the call is routed to a boiler-room call center in other city or even off-shore.
The call center quotes an estimated price in the range of $35-$90.
The scam operation keeps a group of poorly trained subcontractors on call.
Details are forwarded, usually via text, to one of those subcontractors.
Once the subcontractor is on site, they demand 3–4 times the estimate, claiming the work was more complicated than expected.
Most consumers simply pay up, in part because they are eager to get into their homes or cars.
Lead gen scams are spreading to other services
According to the New York Times, similar scams are spreading to garage door repair, carpet cleaning, moving and home security. Basically, they surface in any business where consumers need someone in the vicinity to swing by and clean, fix, relocate or install something.
Google's response to the scam is sub-par
“Google has been subpar on this,” Danny Sullivan, a founding editor of the website Search Engine Land, told the New York Times. “When problems arise, they kind of deal with them as they pop up, but they don’t correct systemic flaws that are out there.”
Addressing the problem is critical as Google is still an essential source of revenue for many different types of local business. According to local search expert Mike Blumenthal and frequent contributor to SmallBusiness.com, 85 percent of all local search traffic reaches local businesses through Google.
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