Safeguard Your Gmail From A Hacking Attack

Just today I heard about yet another business colleague who had her gmail account hacked. And in the process the thieves obtained information about her major business site (the one that makes her a living) and stole it from her.

This — or something similar could happen to you.

Your first line of defense is ALWAYS your password. I know it’s a pain to create hard to crack passwords and to change them on a regular basis, but there are bad guys out there whose only purpose in life is to do us harm.

To make it easier to manage, use a password tool like Roboform. I’ve been using it for a few years and it has been a life saver. You can get started with it for free (and the paid version is only $10). Well worth saving your business don’t you think?

You can get Roboform by clicking here.

Also, if you are using gmail as a mail provider, there are two things you need to do right now to minimize your risk.

  1. Set a secondary access email address in case you are ever locked out of your account.
  2. Set up two step verification. You can get an SMS sent to your phone if someone tries to log in to your account.

To do both of these, you’ll need to go into your account settings. Click on your email address in the upper right hand corner of the page (while you are logged into gmail) and select account. A box will pop up and you will need to click on account.

On the account overview page you will have an option to set up your alternate email address and two step verification. Setting up these two items will provide you with an additional layer of protection should anyone try to hack your account. Here are the directions from Google.

It’s a bit of a pain and two step needs to be set up for all of your devices (once), but it will help you sleep better at night.

Do it now while you are thinking about it. It will only take a few minutes.

And remember, your “hard to crack” password is your first line of defense. Change it now to something that’s random and tough.

P.S. Don’t forget to check out Roboform. Your business may depend on it. You can get it here.

 

 

 

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3 Business Trip Tips for Small Business Owners

As the owner of a small business, you probably don’t feel as though you have time to take business trips.

Depending on your line of business, however, not traveling could cost you the acquisition of clients that are outside of your geographic area, which could mean less revenue in the end. If you’ve planned a business trip, but are worried about how it’s going to affect your productivity and your ability to run your business, read on.

Here are three tips to help you take the trip without the worry.

1. Bring Your Job With You

Just because you’ll be out of town for a few days doesn’t mean that you can’t get anything done besides attending business meetings. So, bring your laptop and be ready to work throughout your trip when you have free time. If your days are booked up with business meetings, you may need to work in the evenings from your hotel room. You shouldn’t treat your business trip as a vacation and abandon your daily responsibilities. If you do, you’ll just end up with a lot of stress once you get back from your trip.

2. Trust Your Employees

When you’re not in the office, there are things you realistically just won’t be able to do. So, delegate some responsibilities to your employees to make up for your absence. If you think that in order to do something right, you have to do it yourself, you’re going to have to change your mindset.

3. Eliminate Stress While Traveling

Consider how you can make things easier for yourself while traveling. Read hotel reviews before you make reservations to help ensure you’ll be comfortable staying in a particular hotel. And consider taking a jet charter instead of a plane to your destination. Taking a jet charter means you don’t have to wait in lines at the airport or travel on a cramped, loud plane. It can improve your mood and save you time.

So, lose the stress, stay productive, and enjoy your business trip!

This guest post is by Logan Baker, a guest blogger on the subjects of small business management, business travel, and private jet charters.

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Credit Card Processing Tips for Small Businesses

As a small business owner it can be difficult to compete with large competitors, especially when it comes to overhead costs. Whether it is office space or shipping fees, the smaller you are the more per unit you generally have to pay. The good news for small businesses is that when it comes to credit card processing there are a few tips that can score you a contract about as good as the big guys get.

Find a Reputable Company

First and foremost, you must find a company that is known for treating their merchants well. Simply signing up with the next sales representative that walks in your place of business will ensure you are not getting the most ethical company. You can accomplish this by doing online research and reading things like the Better Business Bureau.

Demand Interchange Pass-Through

Interchange pass-through is a type of fee structure which the largest companies in the world pay. It is a type of wholesale pricing system that ensures the best rates for each card processed is passed on to the merchant. Very few processors will offer this up front, since the total fees and commissions are reduced, and some may even try and act like it is a bad way to set up an account. If a sales rep tries to move away from interchange pass-through, move on to the next company.

Negotiate Every Fee in the Agreement

The typical merchant account agreement will be littered with additional fees. They can range in title from PCI compliance to statement fee. The unfortunate part is that many sales agents have the authorization to make fees up as an additional way to pad their commission. Since most merchants are unaware of this, they simply sign the contract and pay the additional fees. The best idea is to challenge every fee individually, and attempt to negotiate it down or completely out of the contract.

Get Quotes from Multiple Companies

Every company is different and each sales rep will write up a contract in their own way. It is important to have multiple quotes so it is easier to compare the different features and costs. Many sales agents have tremendous flexibility over the contract terms and fees, and they would rather get a sale with a reduced commission than no sale at all. It is important to gather all the information from each company before agreeing to a single contract.

This guest post is by Eric Stauffer, who is part of a credit card processing watchdog group that reviews companies and products like PayPal Here. They also help small businesses negotiate the best payment processing contracts possible.

Like the image in this post? We got it at BigStockPhoto.com

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