SYMPOSIA, More Events Aim to Help Businesses in 2017

Now that 2016 is coming to a close, it’s time for business owners to turn their attention to the year ahead. And there are plenty of great business events that could help entrepreneurs and professionals make necessary changes going forward.

In January, for instance, the SYMPOSIA Conference is a two-day event for women entrepreneurs. You can gain inspiration and lessons from successful women across different fields.

And in the Spring, EntreLeadership 1-Day and Secret Knock also offer their own benefits to entrepreneurs across a variety of industries.

You can learn more about each of those events in the Featured Events section. And then check out even more events to add to your 2017 calendar in the list below.

To see a full list or to submit your own event, contest or award listing, visit the Small Business Events Calendar.

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Featured Events, Contests and Awards

SYMPOSIA Conference for Women Entrepreneurs
January 27, 2017, San Francisco, California

Skyrocket your business with two days of inspiration and lessons learned from 7 powerful women entrepreneurs who have found the courage to follow their dreams and build 7+ figure businesses with perseverance, determination and grit! #symposia2017

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EntreLeadership 1-Day
April 11, 2017, Los Angeles, California

Grow yourself, your team & your profits! At EntreLeadership 1-Day, you will learn the six essentials of business: leadership, people, money, time, team, and higher calling. Dave Ramsey will be joined by business experts Chris Hogan & Christy Wright.
Discount Code
SMALLBIZ10 ($10 off)

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Secret Knock
May 22, 2017, Los Angeles, California

Secret Knock is going to be the single greatest event for the top entrepreneurs and action-takers in the world to connect, share ideas, and help take each other to the next level. Each of the attendees have believed in themselves enough to get to where they are, and they are not stopping now. Secure your application for one of the few spots left at the Secret Knock.

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More Events

• Your Key to Entrepreneurship: Buying a Franchise
  January 5, 2017, San Francisco, Calif.
• The Product Group January 2017
  January 5, 2017, New York, N.Y.
• Boston: Build A Career You Love
  January 5, 2017, Boston, Mass.
• Startup Institute New York: Build a Career You Love
  January 10, 2017, New York, N.Y.
• SEO Bootcamp
  January 11, 2017, Dallas, Texas
• Business Lunch, Learn & Networking Event (Elmsford, NY)
  January 12, 2017, Elmsford , N.Y.
• Hit The Ground Running in 2017: Business Networking For Professional Success
  January 17, 2017, Online
• Business Networking For Professional Success
  January 17, 2017, New York, N.Y.
• Small Business Expo 2017 – Dallas
  January 18, 2017, Dallas, Texas
• East Meets West
  January 19, 2017, Honolulu, Hawai’i
• Startup Institute New York: Build a Career You Love
  January 24, 2017, New York, N.Y.
• Boston: Build A Career You Love
  January 26, 2017, Boston, Mass.
• DisruptHR New York January 2017
  January 26, 2017, New York, N.Y.
• Chief Customer Officer USA 2017
  January 30, 2017, Miami, Fla.
• Legalweek, The Experience
  January 31, 2017, New York, N.Y.
• Fireside Chat w/ Angela and Ethan Stowell, Founders (Ethan Stowell Restaurants)
  January 31, 2017, Seattle, Wash.
• Webinar on How to Document Employee Discussions and Why that is Important
  February 7, 2017, Online
• Your Organization’s Culture: If You Don’t Get It Right, Nothing Else Matters
  February 8, 2017, Online
• Impact Investing
  February 15, 2017, New York, N.Y.
• Talk Presents ENGAGE: The LA Digital Storytelling Conference
  February 15, 2017, Culver City, Calif.

More Contests

• VetSmallBiz Growth Challenge
  March 3, 2017, Atlanta , Ga.
• Small Business Expo 2017 – Houston
  October 19, 2017, Online

This weekly listing of small business events, contests and awards is provided as a community service by Small Business Trends and SmallBizTechnology.

This article, "SYMPOSIA, More Events Aim to Help Businesses in 2017" was first published on Small Business Trends

These 8 Business Apps Are Going to Crush It In 2017

(This post originally appeared on the Huffington Post)

Of course, there are a ton of cool, slick, fun and potentially great applications for businesses. But this list is about a select few that are ready to explode this coming year. In a very good way. They’ve all been around for a while. They all have a strong customer base and growing communities. And they’re all positioned for huge growth, particular among small- and medium-sized companies.

Your company should look at these seriously, if only because so many others are already doing so. Full disclosure: some of these applications are made by companies that are clients of The Marks Group. How can they not be?

Insightly CRM

Every business should have a customer relationship management system. A good CRM application ensures that nothing falls through the cracks, everyone is on the same page and you are building a database of good information that can be used for communication, sales and customer service for future years. There are many great, affordable CRM systems available. My company sells a few. We don’t sell Insightly (our plate is already full), but I like it a lot. It’s inexpensive. Scalable. Easy to use. The companies I know that use it love it, and Insightly sees a large, unserved market of small companies who need what they sell. If implemented properly, Insightly will ensure that you and your employees are in close contact with everyone that’s important for your business.

Xero

Here’s a fact: your accounting system will be cloud-based within the next few years. Many people enjoy the online version of QuickBooks, and I can’t blame them. But Xero (and a few others) is giving QuickBooks a run for the money. It’s fast, inexpensive, easy to set up, mobile-ready and full of accounting features. Plus, it integrates with dozens of third party products — from payment to billing to customer service to CRM to reporting — that turn this application into the foundation for your entire business platform. Xero has been growing significantly since it launched in the U.S. a few years ago and is already a powerhouse in New Zealand, Australia and the U.K. I predict a big year for this application.

Gusto

Human Resources management applications are booming, and if your company has more than five people, you’re going to want to consider this to be a key technology for your business. Gusto automates the hiring process with all the forms you need (including custom ones you build), enables employees to self-enroll in benefit plans, manages contractors, handles paid time off and administers health insurance…oh, and it does your payroll — all in a very user-friendly format. Like the other categories, there is plenty of competition, but Gusto is popular, powerful and growing.

Entryless

Remember those days when someone would send you a scanned invoice and you would save it on your computer because there wasn’t much else you could do with it? That’s all changed. Popular accounts payable automation applications like Entryless can now, using Optical Character Recognition technology, read and extract any data on a scanned invoice that’s emailed to you, port it over to a format for you to review and approve and then automatically bring it into your accounting system or pay it online. Entryless cuts overhead, eliminates people processing and reduces data entry problems. My prediction is that most companies will be using technology like this within the next few years.

Facebook Live

Live streaming is not just fun and games anymore. Facebook is investing billions in its video platform, and thousands of businesses are jumping on the train. With Facebook Live, you can broadcast, to the world, all sorts of content that will help promote your business. Provide training. Offer certification. Demonstrate products. Interview an executive. Show an event. You can do this live or record something in advance, edit it and stream it later. The video will always be there on your Facebook page, so it’ll help attract fans. And you can take that same video to use on other platforms, like YouTube. Have a video content plan for 2017 and, if you’re active on Facebook, deliver it there.

Carbonite

For a while, I was mostly ambivalent about backup software. Until ransomware came along. Now this type of malware is predicted to be our biggest security challenge of 2017. Ransomware not only infects everything on your network (and in the cloud), but also locks up all your files and requires a ransom paid in e-currency (i.e. bitcoin) to unlock it. An infection can bring your business to a standstill for days or longer. I’m recommending that our clients get Carbonite and set it up to do online backups for every device throughout the day. That way, if a ransomware infection happens and your files get locked, you can just restore the last good backup and get back to work. It’s a very good antidote to a very big security issue.

Microsoft Office 365

If you’re like 99 percent of my clients, you’re probably using 20 percent of Office 365. That’s kind of crazy, isn’t it — considering that you own this amazing application and are barely using it. This year, my company is getting re-trained on Office 365, and I strongly recommend you do the same. The new features and applications in this suite — Teams, Delve, Skype, Bookings, Business Intelligence, Outlook Customer Manager, Sway, etc. — are quickly pulling Office 365 way ahead of its competitors and creating a fully integrated, cloud and mobile platform that is providing everything a business needs to run. And more is on the way: bots, artificial intelligence, developer tools, automation, reporting. It’s all part of Microsoft’s plan to provide fast, mobile and productive applications to its customers, and my prediction is this plan will succeed mightily.

PayPal

Getting paid is getting more complicated. Many companies have to worry about taking various credit cards and accepting mobile payment services. No one is dominating the field, and no one really knows which service — Apple Pay, Google, Samsung — will ultimately become the most popular. But there’s one way to simplify it all. PayPal is positioned for both online and brick-and-mortar payments. It works with credit cards and mobile payment services. It’s easy to set up at a very similar cost. It integrates with its own point of sale software applications as well as many others. It’s secure, safe and fast. I’m predicting that many businesses will find themselves migrating to this platform if only for its ease and the reduced complexity it offers.

10 Ways to Improve Your Online Marketing Game in 2017

If you plan to run a business in 2017, you need an online marketing strategy. And if you plan to up your online marketing game in the new year, you might be able to benefit from some advice from members of our small business community. Here are some of their top tips for upping your online marketing game in 2017.

Create Awesome Headlines That Convert

When creating content for the new year, you need to make sure you have strong headlines. Those headlines can draw people’s attention and help you ultimately gain more customers. Here, Hassan Ud-deen shares tips on creating headlines that convert on the Hardenbrook blog.

Get Customers to Trust Your Ecommerce Store

If you sell products online, then garnering trust between your business and potential customers is a must. If you’re looking for your store to gain some traction, take a look at this post on Getentrepreneurial.com by Megha Parikh.

Promote Affiliate Offers on Facebook

Affiliate offers can be a great way to increase the income for your business. And Facebook can be a great platform to promote those offers. In this post on the No Passive Income blog, Erik Emanuelli points out a few methods you can use to promote affiliate offers on Facebook. And BizSugar members comment on the post too.

Use This B2B Marketing Strategy That Works

When marketing to business customers, your strategies might vary from businesses that market to consumers. But there’s one simple strategy that you can use to increase your sales, as outlined in this post by Stefan Schulz on the Orpical Group blog.

Maximize Results for Your Products Using Technology

Technology can help you innovate and come up with new offerings. But it can also help you market and maximize results for those products. This Techlofy post by Nitesh Mishra includes some tips for using technology to make the most of your products.

Stop Trying to Innovate With Your Content

While content marketing can be a great strategy for all different types of businesses, some go about it the wrong way. In this Content Marketing Institute post, Marcia Riefer Johnston explains why you should stop trying to innovate with your content. And the BizSugar community also shares thoughts on the post.

Read More and Become an Expert Blogger in 30 Days

If you want to use blogging to market your business in 2017, then you need to become an expert blogger. And one of the best ways to improve your writing is to read more. This Process Street post by Ben Mulholland explains how you can accomplish that in just 30 days.

Generate More Comments to Your Blog Posts

Blogging is a great way to increase engagement between your business and customers. But if you can’t start conversations, then it isn’t likely to do your business much good. In this post, Ann Smarty of MyBlogU shares some tips for generating more blog comments.

Use These Resources to Up Your Webinar Marketing Mojo

Webinars can be another great resource for small businesses looking to gain traction online. And there are plenty of resources you can use to up your webinar game, like the ones listed in this Resonance Content Marketing post and podcast by Rachel Parker. You can also see commentary on the post over on BizSugar.

Drive More Repeat Visitors Through SEO

Repeat visitors are necessary for any business hoping to be successful online. And you can ensure some of that repeat business through the tips in a post about SEO by Neil Patel.

If you’d like to suggest your favorite small business content to be considered for an upcoming community roundup, please send your news tips to: sbtips@gmail.com.

Plan 2017 Photo via Shutterstock

This article, "10 Ways to Improve Your Online Marketing Game in 2017" was first published on Small Business Trends

Could Business Meetings of the Future Be in Virtual Reality?

A new offering from virtual reality company Oculus, now owned by Facebook, could have interesting implications for small businesses. Oculus Rooms and Parties are new features for Gear VR users. They’ll also be available on Oculus Rift devices in 2017.

Parties are essentially group voice calls that take place in virtual reality. You can add up to three friends to a party and chat over VR. And Oculus Rooms are private virtual spaces that you and your friends can spend time in.

These rooms can mimic places where you might spend time in the real world. So if you want to watch TV with friends who live far away, you can start a Party with those friends and then select a room and watch videos together or even play games.

Virtual Reality Conferencing

For now, the features are being marketed mainly to consumers. But for businesses with very small teams, these new features could potentially open the door for VR meetings. Of course, that would mean your whole team would need to be outfitted with Gear VR or Oculus Rift devices. But if you have a small team of remote workers, Parties and Rooms offer an interesting possibility for your team to communicate in a whole new way.

There are already plenty of options for holding remote meetings, from video chat platforms to actual conferencing programs. But not all of those other communication tools let you actually feel like you’re in the same room as people. So depending on the content of your meetings, virtual reality could potentially be a unique opportunity to update your team communication strategy.

And as the technology evolves, VR companies are likely to come out with more features and tools, maybe even some specifically aimed at helping businesses host meetings in VR.

Image: Oculus

This article, "Could Business Meetings of the Future Be in Virtual Reality?" was first published on Small Business Trends

Bigger Business Blueprint Bridges Gap Between Conceptual Innovation and Practice

Despite all of the “buzz” around innovation, it still remains an elusive quality that only a few companies (like Apple, Facebook and Google) have. For everybody else, the advice is some version of “do whatever Facebook or Google does”. While this might be helpful for some business owners, this advice isn’t a reliable path toward success. Your business can’t innovate like Facebook. It has to innovate like your business.

That’s where Bigger Business Blueprint: Modern Marketing, Innovation & Scalable Growth comes in. The book seeks to fill in the gap between innovation as a concept and as a practice.

What is Bigger Business Blueprint About?

Bigger Business Blueprint: Modern Marketing, Innovation & Scalable Growth was written for the express purpose of outlining a path toward strategic innovation. Innovation, as the book discusses, comes in two basic flavors, strategic or accidental. You either plan for it or you get lucky.

The issue is that most business owners chase strategic innovation while pursuing the opposite (innovation-by-luck). Both strategic innovation and innovation-by-luck look the same from an outsider’s perspective. From an insider’s perspective, it’s two totally different mindsets. As the author of Bigger Business Blueprint shares, business owners with a strategic innovation mindset are able to leverage their resources for maximum output. They don’t waste time trying to find innovation like a needle in the proverbial haystack. Instead, they build a strong business first and integrate innovation into the process.

The book digs even further into the traits of a strategically innovative business. In particular, he identifies the following characteristics:

• Automated: Comfortable with adapting technology for their purpose
• Measurement-oriented: Focused on tracking and learning from data
• Honest: Realistic and transparent about their current position
• Collaborative: Shares information instead of locking it away in silos
• Succession-focused: Has a plan for the continued operation of business

These traits separate businesses that chase the next trend from those that anticipate and leverage the future. To get to that point, business owners need to take a comprehensive and broad look at their business framework, something the book outlines in various sections. As readers go through these sections, they can start connecting the dots between their large-scale thinking plans and their day-to-day strategies.

Author Jason Palliser began in the loan and real estate industry. Palliser leveraged the skills gained from those industries to become a speaker, trainer, consultant and entrepreneur who loves sports and the occasional good prank.

What Was Best About Bigger Business Blueprint?

The best part of Bigger Business Blueprint is the book’s focus on going deeper into innovation as a process. Many books on innovation focus on it as some magical principle that can be translated from an innovative company (like Google) to another company. The author recognizes that innovation doesn’t work like that in reality. Palliser invites readers to look at their current processes and succession plans before they start innovation plans. This is a key step missing in innovation books for business owners and entrepreneurs.

What Could Have Been Done Differently?

Bigger Business Blueprint helps readers understand the gap between their current business setup and their future innovation potential. It doesn’t, however, avoid the “checklist syndrome” the author warned against in the beginning of the book. The “checklist syndrome” occurs when an author overwhelms the reader with too many options to get started. The author attempts to rectify the problem with a detailed outline in the book, but more information needs to be provided on turning this outline into a sustainable process for innovation.

Why Read Bigger Business Blueprint?

Bigger Business Blueprint urges readers to think about innovation from the ground-level. If you, as a business leader or manager, are tired of reading about the magical innovation of Google without a road map, this book provides it along with the major road stops along the way. Many of these road stops may be familiar, but Palliser shows how these road stops connect to the broader goal of innovation. The author then goes on to show how business succession can be incorporated into innovation as well, a topic often missing from other innovation books.

This article, "Bigger Business Blueprint Bridges Gap Between Conceptual Innovation and Practice" was first published on Small Business Trends

City news: Opec, Legal & General, Britvic and Greene King

OIL prices soared by over 8 per cent yesterday as Opec agreed to reduce output for the first time since 2008 to clear a global glut.

Why you probably won’t invest in the next unicorn

Value creation in enterprise tech is often driven by a cohort of exits, while value creation in consumer tech is generally driven by large, individual exits — a phenomenon I recently dug into. What the data revealed is that there is of late a trend of larger consumer exits, such as Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp. If this trend continues, that’s very good news for… Read More

Feeling Taxed? What Expenses You Can Claim As a Business Owner

Death and taxes are inevitable. You cannot avoid paying taxes, but you can legally claim these deductions as a business owner to ease the burden.

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Meet the five startups vying for Best App at the 10th Annual Crunchies Awards

 2016 sucked, if we’re being honest with ourselves. But the year wasn’t a total waste. The world of tech offered up a few shining stars in 2016, and in the era of apps, five stand-outs were nominated as finalists for The Best App of 2016 award. As the show grows nigh, we thought it might be helpful to let you get to know some of these startups. So without any further ado, here are… Read More

City news: Jobs market, unions and Run-DMC

RAP group Run-DMC has filed a $50million lawsuit in New York accusing Wal-Mart, Amazon and other retailers of selling products that traded on the group’s name without permission.

Uru finds the best places to introduce ads in online videos

 New York City-based startup Uru is working on a new way for video publishers to make money. Imagine watching a normal-looking online video — except that on some of the surfaces (say, on the cabinet behind the stars of a cooking video), you’ll see logos or other art promoting a sponsor. Okay, that might actually sound a bit annoying, but Uru co-founder and CEO Bill Marino argued… Read More

Did You Know? Times Square New Year’s Eve Party Started As a Business Event (Watch)

When you think about New Year’s Eve, a few things likely come to mind. There’s the champagne, noisemakers, silly glasses — and of course, Times Square.

But that famous annual celebration didn’t actually start out as just a New Year’s party. In fact, it has a history that is steeped in the business world.

The party started in 1904. That’s the year that the New York Times moved its headquarters to that intersection of Broadway and Seventh Avenue — more commonly known as Times Square. In fact, the newspaper is what gave Times Square its current name. Before that, it was known as the Long Acre Square.

So when the Times moved its headquarters there, owner Adolph Ochs decided to throw a big party to introduce the building and ring in the new year. It was so popular that it caught on and they continued the party for years after.

A Good Example of the Benefits of Hosting a Business Event

Of course, today’s event isn’t directly related to the New York Times anymore. In fact, the building isn’t even home to the Times or any other business — except a Walgreens — today. But this little history lesson does demonstrate how powerful parties or events can be for businesses. Sometimes, they even take on a life of their own.

Times Square Photo via Shutterstock

This article, "Did You Know? Times Square New Year’s Eve Party Started As a Business Event (Watch)" was first published on Small Business Trends

New markets add ad to fizzing English wine exports

ENGLISH sparkling wine exports are fizzing, with several new markets added to the list of destinations in 2016, according to producers.

Facebook Launches Live Video Chat, Pinterest Introduces Trending Topics

Live chat and live video streaming are likely to be big parts of marketing and communication strategies for many businesses in 2016. And for businesses that plan on using those strategies, there are a few new tools to choose from.

Recently, Facebook announced a new group video chat feature. And for marketers who regularly use Pinterest, the image sharing platform released a list of 100 trending topics you may want to keep in mind. Learn about this and more in this week’s Small Business Trends news and information roundup.

Social Media

Facebook Messenger Introduces Group Video Chat — with Up to Six People at a Time

Back in September, Facebook (NASDAQ: FB) launched Messenger Instant Video to allow Facebook Messenger users to broadcast real-time video in Messenger text exchanges. Now the social networking giant has introduced Group Video Chat in Messenger, a real-time video option that has practical business applications.

Top 100 Trending Topics for Pinterest Marketers Heading Into 2017

Pinterest has revealed trends it predicts will dominate in 2017. The third annual Pinterest 100 report (PDF) narrows down the top trends in 10 key categories the image sharing social network expects to be hot in the new year.

How to Use the New Instagram Live

In the last few weeks, Instagram announced it was adding a live feature to its now popular Instagram stories — and it has. Live videos are already popping up on Instagram! The new feature allows users to stream real-time videos via Instagram Stories. But unlike Facebook Live and Periscope, Instagram Live videos aren’t hosted on the platform.

Snapchat Could Use Augmented Reality to Differentiate From Facebook, Instagram (Watch)

How do you compete with huge brands like Facebook and Instagram? Well, if you’re Snapchat, you acquire new technology startups. Snap Inc., the company that owns Snapchat, just acquired Cimagine, an augmented reality firm based in Israel. Right now, Cimagine mainly makes tools for home retailers and manufacturers.

Economy

Will Fed Rate Hike Mean Easier Access to Small Business Loans?

The Federal Reserve raised its benchmark interest rate Wednesday for only the second time since the 2008 recession, citing falling unemployment and low inflation as key factors in its decision. According to Fed Chairwoman Janet L. Yellen, the country has seen sustained economic growth over the past few years.

Minimum Wage Going Up in Many Communities: Is Your Business Affected?

Two significant events are set to take place in New York City on New Year’s Eve. One will be, as always, the ball drop in Times Square. The other is that minimum wage workers will be among the first across the country to receive a new mandated pay hike in 2017.

Marketing Tips

More Millennials Living With Parents And What This Means for Your Business (Watch)

A lot of young adults are still living with their parents. In fact, data released by real estate tracker Trulia indicates that nearly 40 percent of 18-to-34-year-olds lived with a parent or other family member in 2015. That’s the highest percentage since the Great Depression came to a close in 1940. Of course, there are several factors that contribute to this.

These Were the Best Viral Campaigns of 2016

As 2016 comes to a close, it’s a great time to look back on all the different marketing campaigns of the past year. Some were more effective than others at getting consumers’ attention. And there’s a lot you can potentially learn from looking at those viral marketing campaigns. Here are some of the most popular ones from 2016.

Retail Trends

Mall Fights: Yet Another Reason For Customers to Shop Online

Massive brawls broke out at malls across the country a day after Christmas. Police say almost all of the brawls were initiated by juveniles. Some were minor scuffles at food courts. Others were violent clashes that led to mass evacuations.

Small Biz Spotlight

Spotlight: Kanbanize Helps Businesses Measure Success

Small business owners are required to wear many different hats. But managing every single process and looking at all the analytics and results to make sure your business runs as efficiently as possible can be incredibly time consuming. That’s where process management tools like Kanbanize come in.

Technology Trends

Take That Amazon! 7-Eleven Drone Delivery Has Already Started in the U.S.

Move over Amazon! 7-Eleven, the iconic chain of convenience stores with locations throughout the United States and Canada, has already completed more than 70 routine commercial drone deliveries in the U.S. And all this while mega-online retailer Amazon, which first floated the idea in a big way, remains mired in regulatory red tape and forced to test its deliveries overseas.

Wow! Self-Making Bed Shows an Example of a Real-World Market Need

If necessity is the mother of invention, Kickstarter is its playpen. SMARTDUVET: the self-making bed, is a campaign that launched on Kickstarter and has already surpassed its $30,000 (Canadian) goal by almost $11,000 as of this posting. If there is one thing Kickstarter has highlighted is, there is a market for almost every imaginable idea.

Here’s a First for Apple – But Not a Good One (Watch)

If you think that one bad customer review can be bad for business, just think about how much a negative review from a trusted authority like Consumer Reports would hurt. Unfortunately for Apple, the tech giant is about to find out. For the first time ever, Consumer Reports decided not to recommend the new line of Macbook Pros over battery life concerns.

Image: Facebook

This article, "Facebook Launches Live Video Chat, Pinterest Introduces Trending Topics" was first published on Small Business Trends