Route 422 Business Advisor

From the Editor's desk at Route 422 Business Advisor — Relevant news and information of interest to business owners and operators along the Route 422, Route 100 and Route 30 corridors in Southeastern Pennsylvania. Please visit www.422bizmag.com

 

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Change: Ability to Say What You Think II

In a stunning development Big Tech, which monitors every word posted on their site, now gives "hate speech” waivers. So, it is now okay to advocate death for the President of the Russian Federation. I believe that giving the so-called "hate speech" a waiver invalidates the entire theme of "hate speech” as we know it. The modified definition would condemn "hate speech” but allows it if Big Tech says it is okay.

Recognizing Spatial Separation Resulting in Racial Segregation

There is a spatial separation of minorities in Chester County. Minorities are not evenly distributed throughout the county. The information in this column is from a National Institute of Health (NIH) study which was published and later interpreted in a book by Massey and Denton in 1993. I gleaned the information from that book.

Three Tips for Better Video Conferencing: How to Look Like a Pro

Sitting in front of a webcam for hours a week is now normal (both for business meetings and personal calls, like virtually celebrating someone’s birthday). Making a good impression during a video call is important, which means figuring out how to appear presentable on your colleagues’ laptop screens, and learning the importance of camera angles, a good internet connection, and clear, understandable audio.

Want to master video conferencing? Here are our three tips to help you video call like the professional you are:

Change — The Isolation Blues

Life in America has changed for a while. Now we know how people encountering the black death (Plague) felt.  When in school, we were all freaked out about learning about the Plague; the teacher said to us, "now it is not a problem we have antibiotics." Time is a cure-all, both in memory and in science. 

Change in Habits

Change has hit the world.  The Coronavirus has everyone in hiding. There has been a necessary change in the way we live our lives. All of the challenges and reactions around the virus are certainly dominating the news.  The body counts, and the local effort will no doubt dominate the headlines for the near future, as no sports, no concerts or entertainment events will be happening. 

Recognizing a Cyberattack: Save Your Data by Looking for These Signs

It may not have hit the headlines like the Coronavirus or election season, but the United Nations recently suffered a major security breach. A vulnerability in their system — caused by a failure to patch a known problem! — was exploited by hackers to hit a variety of targets world-wide. What does the fact that the UN is lagging behind on necessary cybersecurity precautions mean for the rest of us?

The Gold Whistle Award

In August of 1963 I entered the Freshman Class at Lock Haven State College to pursue a degree in Health and Physical Education. At Freshman orientation, we were made aware of a prestigious award that was presented each year to the outstanding Male and Female graduating Physical Education Major. This award was based on academic achievement, participation in sports, clubs and extracurricular activities and finally a vote of faculty members and the other PE Majors. It was like the Academy Awards of Physical Education and a lofty goal to culminate four years of a College Education.

Lead Like a GOOSE

There have to be thousands of resources out there on the topic of Leadership. I have accumulated a library of my own and have used them frequently over my 50 years of being in business. However, about 15 years ago my wife and I were browsing through an antique store and I found an old picture frame with a picture of a gaggle of geese flying in formation. Under the picture was an interesting story about why geese fly in formation and I couldn’t help not to see a correlation between their story and a very important, but sometimes overlooked, role of a great leader — Sharing Responsibility.

A Few “Take Homes” After 50 Years in Business

If someone had of asked me 50 years ago, “Why are you going into business for yourself and what do you expect to get out of it?”, I probably would have responded, “ Because I want to be my own boss and I want to control my future.” Fifty years later, I can honestly say, my journey was far more than being my own boss, and the future turned out totally different than I expected. Actually, What I have learned about myself and, what the real meaning of being a “boss” was, totally changed my life.

Change in the Way Americans Interpret the Past

Change is random. One might say that one random event leads to another. Recently something happened that gave me pause, as the Philadelphia Flyers removed the statue of Kate Smith as part of an effort to respond to people outraged that she sang a song in 1931 which had racist lyrics. 

What Does an Exceptional Leader Look Like?

Abraham Lincoln once said, “The best way to predict your future is to create it.” In a Google search I found a Leader defined as “the person who leads or commands a group, organization, or country.” Abraham Lincoln predicted that our Nation had to abolish slavery in order for our Nation to truly be the “land of the free and the home of the brave,” and he led our Nation to that vision. This was a very bold and challenging undertaking in our Nation’s history. Through his Leadership skills, he helped create and shape the America we know today.

Wave of New Investment Accelerates Pottstown’s Revitalization Process

When the Third Annual Pottstown Investors Conference gets underway at The Hill School on April 12th, presenters and attendees will no doubt be encouraged by the veritable tsunami of recent investment along East High Street in the heart of the downtown, as evidenced by the sale of several dozen properties over the past few years, including seven transactions in the last seven months. And the good news is that multiple investors and investor groups are acquiring these properties for reasons that will ultimately bring enormous benefit to the borough and the downtown.

Your Biggest Security Threat!

By Scott Guinther, I.T. Shield, LLC

Member, Small Business Resource Association

Most business owners today know they need IT security to keep their businesses safe.  Antivirus/malware protection and firewalls are the basic security measures used by most businesses today. But with these necessary and valuable security measures, none of these can prevent the biggest threat to your company — Your People!

“Success Thinking”—It’s All About Attitude

As a small business owner, you’re not just “the boss.” You’re also the leader, the person employees, vendors, customers, and prospects look to for guidance, support, and confidence. And being a leader is easier than you think. It begins with a positive, “can-do” attitude that your business delivers what it promises, and can achieve any goal.

Managing Your Business Website: 7 Things to Consider

At Hureka Technologies, we have served over 50 businesses with new website designs and digital marketing services. Consequently, we understand the challenges business owners face while managing a website. Be it for just maintaining the online presence, or as a key driver in your business’s value delivery cycle, a website makes a huge difference, yet it’s astonishing that over 46 percent of small businesses in the U.S. still don’t have a fully operational website.

New Tax Savings for Your Business

There’s good news if you’ve purchased depreciable property for your business in 2018!

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), which has reduced taxes across the board, has several new mechanisms to reduce taxes paid by small businesses that will be applicable for the upcoming tax filing season.

One of these mechanisms is depreciation.

Businesses have always been able to deduct the cost of tangible property placed into service with their business, over the useful life of the property.

RISK MANAGEMENT Insurance Coverage Considerations

Risk management is an important aspect of the financial planning process. As a financial

advisor, it is essential to assess a person’s insurance coverage to determine areas of strength and

areas for improvement. Any person who is not adequately covered with life, disability, medical,

automobile, homeowners and any other appropriate insurance may have a serious risk

management problem. For retirees, an appropriate medicare supplemental plan and possibly a

long-term care policy should be in place.

The Changes in SEO Process in Last 10 Years

The ever-changing SEO landscape has put many well-known SEO experts out of business; making the space only for real marketers who understand customers and combine their SEO knowledge with effective marketing techniques.

But it was a gradual change. For a while, everybody thought Google would never be able to stop the spammy websites from manipulating search engine rankings. Black hat and grey hat techniques were rampant. One by one, algorithm updates were rolled out, changing the entire SEO process over the last decade.

Benefits and Challenges of AI-Enabled Recruitment Chatbots

As Hureka has successfully delivered AI-enabled recruitment bots, we have an animated discussion on the benefits and scope of these bots for a small business. In this article, we discuss the benefits and challenges of recruitment chatbots and how it can help a small business streamline its hiring process, make it more efficient and improve candidate experience.

Long-Term Care Planning — Why You Can't Afford to Ignore It

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Long-term care planning (or LTC planning for short) isn’t the most exciting topic. But most people can’t afford to ignore it in retirement. It’s the four-ton elephant in the room. "Long-term care is the unsolved problem for so many people," said AARP. Not only the fact that seven out of ten seniors will need some type of LTC, but there’s also the hefty price tag to consider.

What is Long-Term Care?

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