Should You Get an IRS Identity Protection PIN?
An Identity Protection PIN (IP PIN) is a six-digit number assigned to eligible taxpayers by the IRS to help prevent the misuse of their Social Security number by ID thieves to file fraudulent federal income tax returns. The IP PIN aids IRS in verifying a taxpayer’s identity and accepting only valid returns via electronic filing […]
5 questions to ask about your marketing efforts
For many small to midsize businesses, spending money on marketing calls for a leap of faith that the benefits will outweigh the costs. Much of the planning process tends to focus on the initial expenses incurred rather than how to measure return on investment. Here are five questions to ask yourself and your leadership team […]
Compass Real Estate: A Bold Industry Leader Every Step of the Way
If you’ve never heard the name Robert Reffkin before, you’d be forgiven — but you’re almost certainly familiar with his work. Reffkin was raised the child of a single mother, herself an Israeli immigrant. It was from her that he learned the beginnings of what would eventually become his now-famous entrepreneurial spirit. At one point […]
The Art of Running a Successful Family Business: Breaking Things Down
At its core, a family business is exactly what it sounds like: a company or other enterprise owned, operated, and actively managed by at least two people from the same family. This can be a parent and their kids, two siblings, or some other configuration — it doesn’t actually matter, as the management is made […]
Oatly: A Shining Example of What an Entrepreneur Can Accomplish
According to one recent study, plant-based foods are now available in about 53% of households in the United States. Roughly 35% of Americans say that they’ve consumed some type of plant-based food in the last year, and of that number, 90% say that would happily do so in the future. All told, searches on engines like Google […]
Protect your company from cyberattacks by adopting zero trust
Some organizations struggle to prevent cyberattacks because they rely on cybersecurity tools and techniques that protect only their perimeter. Perpetrators who make it past a single line of defense (such as with a username and password) can gain unfettered access to the company’s network. They can then use ransomware to block access to data or […]
Expanding succession planning beyond ownership
Business owners are regularly urged to create and update their succession plans. And rightfully so — in the event of an ownership change, a solid succession plan can help prevent conflicts and preserve the legacy you’ve spent years or decades building. But if you want to take your succession plan to the next level, consider […]
Get serious about your strategic planning meetings
Most business owners would likely agree that strategic planning is important. Yet many companies rarely engage in active measures to gather and discuss strategy. Sometimes strategic planning is tacked on to a meeting about something else; other times it occurs only at the annual company retreat when employees may feel out of their element and […]
Prevent conflicts of interest from costing your business
Without trust between you and your employees, your business probably wouldn’t be very successful. Delegating responsibility, sharing ideas, working as a team — all require a certain level of trust. However, too much trust can lead to occupational fraud and conflicts of interest. To maintain the proper balance, establish a policy that outlines your disclosure […]
Are you liable for fraudulent credit and debit card charges?
Credit and debit card fraud was already a big problem when COVID-19 hit. Although how much payment card fraud increased in 2020 depends on the source, most experts agree that, like most types of fraud, it flourished during the pandemic. COVID-19-related prevention and treatment scams and increased online shopping likely contributed to this rise. If […]
