Author: knjohn

5 Mistakes Entrepreneurs Make When Selecting A Location (part 2 of 2)| Lydia Mehit

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downloadA third mistake entrepreneurs make is falling in love with a particular location.  “That historic Victorian is great.  It will be the perfect frame for my antique clothing business.”

Looking at the space itself, what will it take to make the improvements you would need?  Does the building need repairs?  Is it up to code?  Is the existing lighting, heating and cooling sufficient or will you need electrical or plumbing work?  Is the ventilation adequate for your needs?  How much will it cost to ready the location for your business?

Money spent to prepare the property is money you won’t have to run your business.  Set a budget for yourself, before you start looking, and stick with it.  If the estimated improvements to the property exceed your budget, keep looking.

Continue reading “5 Mistakes Entrepreneurs Make When Selecting A Location (part 2 of 2)| Lydia Mehit” →

Reports of people dressed as clowns raise concerns in Waukesha | Jsonline

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CaptureReports of people dressed as clowns in Waukesha near Carroll University in recent weeks have left some uneasy.

Earlier this month, police got a report of person dressed as a clown in the area of E. Main St. and N. Hartwell Ave., which is near Carroll University. Officials confirmed the person was a 15-year-old boy who is developmentally delayed.

Waukesha Police Sgt. Jerry Habanek said the teen likes to watch the reactions people have when he’s dressed as a clown. Police have been in communication with the teen and his family.

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The 10 Commandments of Marketing from Seth Godin | Page19

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Seth Godin is a household name around the world. His books—on everything from how ideas spread to the post-industrial revolution—have been translated into 35 languages. But you might first have heard of him on his blog, which you can find by simply typing “seth” into Google.

Let’s run that back: you can find Seth Godin’s blog just by typing “seth” into Google, meaning his, of the millions of pages out there, is the first thing to come up in one of the world’s most powerful search engines. Logical conclusion: this guy obviously knows a thing or two about marketing.

But why go with two when you can have 10?

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Tax Scams are Once Again on the Rise | Small Biz Trends

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Tax scammers are again at work and your small businesses could be vulnerable just like other consumers. Authorities insist calls from scammers claiming to be with the Internal Revenue Service are on the rise around the country.

Just in case you are not aware of this tax scam, it works on fear and intimidation by the criminals. They call their victims and leave a menacing message on voice mail stating you have a warrant for your arrest because of a tax violation. When you call the number to find out what it is all about, the ruse continues to play out until they talk you into sending them money.

Here’s what you need to protect your business and yourself.

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5 Mistakes Entrepreneurs Make When Selecting A Location (part 1 of 2) | Lydia Mehit

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downloadLocation, location, location, that is the mantra that you always hear.  Your location is a critical part of your retail business success, so you must choose wisely.  But, how do you choose the right location?

One common mistake is to select the least expensive place available to keep overhead costs low.  Containing costs is important, but remember, no amount of advertising dollars will make up for a bad location.  If people can’t find your business, they can’t spend their money with you and this will be even more expensive for you in the end.  Think of it this way.  What you don’t spend on rent you will spend in advertising.
A second mistake is using a retail location for offices and storing inventory.  Retail space is expensive and the vast majority of the space should be used to display your merchandise, not house your bookkeeper.  Put your back office staff in a different, less expensive location.

Continue reading “5 Mistakes Entrepreneurs Make When Selecting A Location (part 1 of 2) | Lydia Mehit” →

Not one Paris attacker has been identified as a Syrian refugee | Mashable

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In the wake of the Paris attacks, politicians in the United States and Europe are claiming that the movement of refugees and migrants across Europe’s borders made it possible for Islamic State (ISIS) militants to infiltrate the continent.

In response, Europe is tightening its borders, and the refugee crisis has become an unlikely subject in next year’s U.S. election. So far, Donald Trump has questioned whether Syrian refugees seeking asylum in America were part of a “Trojan Horse” plot and Gov. Chris Christie has suggested that even 5-year-old Syrian orphans should be kept out of the U.S. There have also been calls to discriminate among refugees according to religion.

But while investigators are still unravelling the plot, one fact is clear at this point: Not one Paris attacker has been identified as a refugee.

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25 Inexpensive Secret Santa Gift Ideas for Co-Workers | Business News Daily

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The holiday season is upon us, and that means it’s time to start preparing for the office holiday party. Maybe you’re just looking to spread a little holiday cheer, or maybe your office throws a big Secret Santa gift exchange every year — either way, shopping for your co-workers is not always easy.

If you’re not sure what to get your co-workers this year, don’t worry. Here are 25 fun, unique and totally work-appropriate gifts that your co-workers will love. And the best part? Every item on this list is $20 or less.

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Messaging App Telegram Shuts Down 78 ISIS Propaganda Channels | Forbes

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It’s been less than two months since the messaging app Telegram launched a new feature called Channels that allowed anyone to broadcast messages to thousands of people in a similar fashion to Twitter. Within that short time frame, it appears that dozens of Channels were created by supporters of ISIS to spread the group’s propaganda to thousands of users.

Supporters of ISIS have used Telegram to publish official statements, claiming responsibility for the Paris attacks for instance, and to communicate with one another. Founder Pavel Durov created Telegram in 2013 so that he could communicate with friends and colleagues without interference from the Kremlin; the app prides itself on a heavily encrypted network that keeps all communication private.  The company says on its FAQ page that its network is more secure than mass market messaging apps like WhatsApp and LINE.

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NASA Wants to Make a C-3PO to Help Colonize Mars, But That May Not Be a Super Idea | WIRED

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WHAT IS YOUR favorite space robot? How about stalwart Opportunity, still doing Martian science 11 years after its mission was supposed to end? Canadarm2 is another strong candidate: The 58-foot-long, seven-jointed robot put the International Space Station together, grappling from module to module like a slo-mo ninja warrior. Or maybe you’re more of a humanoid C-3PO fan. In that case, there’s the R5, a bipedal droid from NASA that can do all the repetitive and dangerous things that humans are too busy, bored, or susceptible to radiation to perform. Well, in theory.

Fact is, humanoid robots aren’t quite there yet. Not on Earth (witness the follies from the last DARPA Robotics Challenge), not in space. The world’s best bipedal robots have trouble doing things like opening doors, climbing out of jeeps, and walking in straight lines. That’s something NASA would like to fix, so it’s given a pair of R5s—along with $500,000 each—to two US universities with awesome robotics teams.

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