News & Resources

Top Small Business Trends (Part II)

By: Steven StraussOne of the best things about being in business today (or worst, I suppose, depending upon your point of view) is that it is always changing; not only do you need to be …

January 2, 2014

Data security

Article courtesy of SBAM Approved Partner VeracityThe recent data breach at Target stores, where credit and debit card data for about 40 million customers was accessed, has banks and processors reemphasizing the all-important aspect of …

December 30, 2013

Steven Strauss – Top Trends for 2014 (Part 1)

By Steven StraussMerry Christmas, happy holidays, Happy New Year, and all other appropriate greetings and huzzahs! It is that time of year when no one is working except your intrepid small business columnist. And it …

December 20, 2013

Hot tech trends for small business! Today on Business Next

Tony Merlo, owner of SmarterPhones.net and a member of SBAM’s Leadership Council, talks about the results of Black Friday online sales, the Coin credit card storage device, the Bitcoin cyber currency, Amazon’s drone delivery service, …

November 13, 2013

What does the iPad Air and other new tech gadgets mean to your small business? Advice today on Business Next.

Tech expert Tony Merlo, owner of SmarterPhones.net, has an update on the iPad Air, the Galaxy Gear watch, Chromebooks and augmented reality.Listen Wednesday at 10-11 a.m. ET (replay at 3 p.m., 8 p.m. and 1 …

November 7, 2013

Intrapreneurship

By Steven StraussQuestion: I was wondering if you had any tips on how our business could be more entrepreneurial? We have been around for a long time, have about 25 employees, and so we are …

October 14, 2013

How the latest developments in the tech world affect your small business! An update today on Business Next

A small business tech update with Tony Merlo, the owner of SmaterPhones.net. Michael Rogers talks with Tony about the new iPhone 5s, ios7, the HTC One smartphone, the sale of Blackberry, texting zones and email …

September 6, 2013

Get ready for augmented reality in your small business tech world. Updated today on Business Next

Tune in today at 10am (repeats at 3pm and 8pm) on the Michigan Business Network.Michael Rogers talks with tech expert Tony Merlo, owner of smarterphones.net, for an update on the latest tech developments including new …

September 5, 2013

How to protect against tax identity theft

Article courtesy of SBAM Approved Partner AdvanceHRTax identity theft is a growing epidemic. Congress put the IRS Deputy Commissioner on the hot seat this summer -- and ultimately gave the tax agency a failing grade …

August 14, 2013

Reduce the chance employees will stress you out on social media

Employees' use of social media can create a lot of headaches for employers, or worse. It doesn't have to be that way. While you can't block every social media post that can potentially give your …

August 1, 2013

Protecting point-of-sale equipment vital to safeguarding data

Article courtesy of SBAM Approved Partner Midwest Transaction Group/Veracity.Question: I have heard a lot in the news lately about data breaches at businesses just like mine. How can I help protect myself and my customers?Answer: …

July 26, 2013

What vacation? Will you be working during your vacation?

Article courtesy of SBAM Approved Partner ASEBy George BrownAs you have sent out your emails in the past few weeks, chances are you have gotten a good number of kickbacks stating, “I will be out …

June 28, 2013

Is your business PCI compliant?

By Anne Heraghty, Midwest Transaction GroupTechnology in the payments industry continues to evolve at break-neck speed. As advances are made, so are ways to attack data bases that can cause serious breaches, wreaking havoc for …

June 10, 2013

How to get your employees to protect company data on their mobile devices. Advice today on Business Next!

Tune in at 10am (repeats at 3pm and 8pm) on the Michigan Business Network!Michael Rogers talks with Steve Barone, President and CEO of Troy, Mich.-based Creative Breakthroughs, Inc. (CBI), an industry leader in IT advisory …

June 5, 2013

Use new mobile tech to boost your small business success. Today on Business Next

Tune in today at 10am (repeats at 3pm and 8pm) on the Michigan Business Network.Tony Merlo, owner of Smarterphones.net, provides an overview of mobile phone technology and tablets and how these tools can be deployed …

May 22, 2013

The final stage of emergency and disaster planning: recovery

Article courtesy of SBAM Approved Partner ASEBy Michael J. BurnsDisasters come in many forms. The only thing they have in common is their surprise nature. Last month’s bombings in Boston and explosion in West, Texas …

April 24, 2013

Free Google events next week

Google will be hosting three free "Michigan, Get Your Business Online" events next week in St. Joseph, Grand Rapids and Midland – following up on the previous "Get Your Business Online" events Google hosted (and …

April 2, 2013

It’s not big brother. It’s only sensor technology.

Article courtesy of SBAM Approved Partner ASEBy George Brown Now that Yahoo has all their employees back in the office, Melissa Mayer must be wondering how she can improve their productivity even more. Her challenge …