Monthly Archives: February 2021

$1 Billion Class-Action Lawsuit Filed Against Texas Electric Company After ‘Catastrophic’ Bills | Forbes

Posted on February 25, 2021 by knjohn | Leave a comment

Houston-based electric company Griddy has been hit with a class-action lawsuit seeking “monetary relief of over $1 billion” after a rash of customers reported astronomically high energy bills after last week’s winter storm, even as millions in the state went without power during the height of the deep freeze

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Posted in News and Views

Tagged class action lawsuit, Griddy, Texas Electric Company

Bitcoin plunges 16% in 24 hours: Two people may be the reason why | Fast Company

Posted on February 25, 2021 by knjohn | Leave a comment

It’s been a rough 24 hours for bitcoin traders. The cryptocurrency has plunged 16% from its all-time high in just one day, falling from $58,000 on Sunday to just over $46,000 as of the time of this writing. So what happened? Two things. Or, rather, two people may be the reason why:

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Posted in News and Views

Tagged Bitcoin plunges, bitcoin traders, cryptocurrency

Understanding Paid, Earned, Owned and Shared Media | AllBusiness.com

Posted on February 24, 2021 by knjohn | Leave a comment

In the marketing world we have what we refer to as four types of media: paid, earned, owned, and shared.

If you’re in business—and have been for more than 10 years—it’s pretty certain you only ever had to worry about paid and earned media.

And then social media came along and created the opportunity for owned and shared media, which business leaders and communicators alike have scrambled to learn, understand, and incorporate.

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Posted in Tools and Information

Tagged Earned media, owned media, Paid media, shared media

Biden Changes PPP Loan Rules to Benefit the Smallest Small Businesses | Small Business Trends

Posted on February 24, 2021 by knjohn | Leave a comment

President Joe Biden announced Monday that he’s putting in place new rules for the PPP loan program that gives exclusive access to it to Main Street mom-and-pop businesses.

These smallest of small businesses, he said, haven’t gotten a fair shake at aid programs designed to help keep companies from going out of business during the pandemic.

“Small businesses are getting crushed,” Biden said. “Since the beginning of this pandemic, 400,000 small businesses have closed. Millions more are hanging by a thread.”

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Posted in Uncategorized

Tagged mom-and-pop businesses, PPP Loan, President Joe Biden, small businesses

You Did What?! The Ideal, First 5 Minutes of Every Consulting Meeting | Management Consulting Connection

Posted on February 23, 2021 by knjohn | Leave a comment

The initial few minutes of every client meeting present your consulting firm with a unique opportunity. Will you let it slip by unnoticed, or create a regular, business-building habit to maximize that time?

Let’s say that next Tuesday you’re scheduled to deliver a regular, periodic project update to your consulting firm’s client, Gridlock Enterprises. You’re joined for the half-hour Zoom meeting every month by Gridlock’s Chief Obstruction Officer, Philip A. Buster.

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Posted in Tools and Information

Tagged client meeting, consulting firm, Consulting Meeting

Small Business Guide to Security Cameras | business.com

Posted on February 23, 2021 by knjohn | Leave a comment

Security cameras can help protect businesses against internal and external threats.

Video surveillance offers several benefits to the everyday small business owner. Not only does it protect against outside break-ins and burglaries, but it also plays a critical role in sustaining your business and making it a safer place to work. The purchase of a few reliable surveillance cameras for your business security can yield a high return on investment.

“I think every business with a physical location should have security cameras, because robberies are always possible, even if the business owner is very careful about locking up,” said Gabe Turner, director of content for Security.org. “If a robbery does happen, any business owner would want to know as soon as possible so they can contact the police.”

Below, we’ll explain this security camera benefit alongside others while discussing how these cameras work and how to find the right one for you.

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Posted in Tools and Information

Tagged internal and external threats, robberies, Security Cameras

WhatsApp Accounts that Don’t Agree to Privacy Policy | Digital Trends

Posted on February 22, 2021 by knjohn | Leave a comment

WhatsApp recently announced it would be changing its privacy policy, in a move that has many users worried about how much of their data will be shared with WhatsApp’s parent company, Facebook. Now, the service has revealed what will happen to the accounts of users who don’t agree to the new policy by the May 15 deadline.

TechCrunch contacted WhatsApp for more details on what would happen to users’ accounts if they didn’t agree to the new privacy policy. It reports that WhatsApp will “slowly ask” its users to agree to the new privacy changes, warning that they need to do so to continue having full access to the app’s features. Users who decline to accept the new policy will be able to continue using the app for a few weeks, but only in a limited way. “For a short time, these users will be able to receive calls and notifications, but will not be able to read or send messages from the app,” the company told TechCrunch.

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Posted in News and Views

Tagged Facebook, Privacy Policy, WhatsApp

Ready To Expand Your Business? Read This First | The Startup Magazine

Posted on February 22, 2021 by knjohn | Leave a comment

It’s not always obvious when it’s time for your business to expand. If you’ve always been a team of one, two or three, you might feel hesitant to hire additional staff and perhaps even rent or buy a bigger commercial property.

Expanding too soon may result in a disappointing outcome if you find yourself paying more money for a bigger team or office while you see virtually no increase in sales. On the other hand, you might receive so much attention after your expansion that it’s impossible for you to keep up with the increasing demand, which might not affect you financially, but may harm your reputation.

If you think you might be ready to expand your business but you’re not completely sure, consider the following before taking action:

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Posted in Tools and Information

Tagged bigger team, Expand Your Business, increasing demand

Texas weather: Are frozen wind turbines to blame for power cuts? | BBC News

Posted on February 19, 2021 by knjohn | Leave a comment

As freezing temperatures grip the southern United States, there have been major power failures across Texas as increased demand for heating has overwhelmed the energy grid.

Supplies of both electricity and gas have been intermittent, with the authorities saying they need to “safely manage the balance of supply and demand on the grid” to avoid another major power cut.

Republican representatives and media commentators have blamed green energy policies, in particular the increased use of wind turbines.

“So it was all working great until the day it got cold outside,” Fox News’s Tucker Carlson said.

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Posted in News and Views

Tagged freezing temperatures, Texas weather, wind turbines

Relief for New SBA Loans Shortened to 3 Months | Inc.com

Posted on February 19, 2021 by knjohn | Leave a comment

The U.S. Small Business Administration said that new SBA borrowers between now and the end of September will get three months of payment relief–up to $9,000 per month–instead of six months. The move is due to budgetary constraints, according to the SBA announcement. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act allocated $3.5 billion for these payments, which the SBA believes will not cover six months of payments.