Give Your Business a Data-Protection Reboot

http://www.businessweek.com/smallbiz/tips/archives/2010/02/give_your_busin.html

Gerhard Eschelbeck
Business Week
February 18, 2010

A good article in Business Week about the need for IT security for small businesses.  In our experience, many small businesses started out with in-office servers that they built themselves and manage with the help of a local desktop support tech.  We developed our cloud-based solutions specifically for these small businesses, so they can take advantage of Enterprise-class security and availability, without the hassle and worry of handling security on their own, all at affordable rates.

DENVER, CO (MARCH 5, 2010) – Insight is proud to announce the official launch of its Referral Partner and Affiliate Marketing Programs, in support of the talented professionals who contribute to Insight’s success. Recognizing the value of referrals from trusted advisors to the small business community, Insight developed these programs to solidify its relationships with key partners and provide a framework that allows for the development of strategic marketing opportunities.

Insight’s Referral Partner program provides a structured, long-term revenue-sharing relationship for companies and individuals who assist their clients and colleagues by referring them to Insight’s full suite of solutions. Revenue sharing provides the opportunity for referral partners to benefit directly from their strong business relationships, while encouraging continued involvement of Insight’s partners and clients. “Our strategic partners refer Insight to their colleagues because they recognize the strength of our services and the added value that we provide to small businesses,” said Ron Olsen, President of Insight. “The Referral Partner Program is our way of sharing our good fortune with those who help us grow,” continued Olsen.

Understanding that certain strategic partners can benefit from integrated sales and marketing relationships, Insight developed the Affiliate Marketing Program to provide support for co-branded marketing opportunities to the small business community. “Our goal is to provide a one-stop shop for resources needed by small businesses and start-up companies. By expanding Insight’s relationships with other quality service providers and creating complete operational packages for small businesses, Insight provides increased value to our clients and partners,” noted Olsen.

With strong interest in the Referral Partner and Affiliate Marketing Programs from existing clients and colleagues, these initiatives are off to a promising start in 2010. By enlisting the support of their business partners, Insight continues to expand into the small business market by providing low-cost, high-impact finance and technology services to emerging businesses.

About Insight Professional Services, LLC

Founded in April 2009, Insight Professional Services provides small business owners and consultants with a full suite of professional services and technology tools to streamline their back office operations, allowing owners to focus more time on generating revenues and growing their businesses. With more than 50 years of professional experience helping businesses increase their effectiveness and reduce their overall costs, the Insight team assembled a robust set of virtual solutions for managing the financial and technical operations of their clients. By combining the best solutions available from proven leaders in the small business space, with a powerful and reliable IT infrastructure in a state-of-the-art data center and time-tested operational practices, Insight provides an affordable offering unmatched in the marketplace. Insight is privately owned and operated. For more information, visit http://www.InsightProfessionalServices.com.

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Putting a Face to a Name: The Art of Motivating Employees

http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article.cfm?articleid=2436

Knowledge@Wharton
February 17, 2010

Some interesting research and findings from Adam Grant, a Wharton Management professor.  Employees who feel connected to the people who their employer serves are happier and more productive, particularly if they meet face-to-face with the people who benefit from their work.  In every job, there is an “end user” of the work that is performed.  So whether it’s a client, the recipient of donor funds or Bob in the warehouse benefiting from your efficiency, having a purpose makes employees happier and has a positive impact on the bottom line.

Making Referrals As a Job Creation Engine

http://www.ducttapemarketing.com/blog/2010/02/25/making-referrals-as-a-job-creation-engine/

John Jantsch
Duct Tape Marketing
February 25, 2010

Our friends as at Duct Tape Marketing are issuing a challenge to see if we can log 1,000 referrals to small businesses the week of March 8th. Great timing for the challenge, as Insight is just releasing the details of its Referral Partner Program and invites all of its Facebook fans to check it out and get signed up. We want to share our financial success with the people that help to get us there!

Small Business Gets Tech Savvy: Nearly 30% plan to implement SaaS solutions in 2010

Todd Thibodeaux
IndustryWeek
February 12, 2010

The Help Is Free, and It’s a Click Away

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/09/business/smallbusiness/09toolkit.html?_r=2&ref=smallbusiness

Paul B. Brown
New York Times
December 9, 2009

A great article full of valuable links to additional resources. I’ve often said that the problem isn’t that there’s no information available out there, it is simply that there is too much information to be able to accurately and quickly track it all down. This article summarizes a lot of valuable resources to help narrow down your search.

And always, if you simply need some help or don’t want to have to do this all yourself, just give us a call and Insight be happy to help.

A handful of years ago, I went to work for a long-time friend of mine and as we were hashing out the details such as pay, vacation and working situations, he said to me, “This will be new for me, as I am not normally friends with the people that work for me.”  And as our working relationship developed, I made sure that whenever possible we kept the office environment “professional,” even as we enjoyed vacations and spending time together outside the office.

What was odd for me was that I couldn’t think of a time, then or now, when I worked anywhere that I wasn’t friends with my co-workers or the people working directly for me.  And not surprisingly, a recent article/survey points to this as a factor in workplace stress:  http://www.hreonline.com/HRE/story.jsp?storyId=309307271&topic=Main

As the article points out, having friends or friendly relationships with the people around you in the office gives you the ability to bounce ideas off of each other in a non-threatening environment and to feel connected to others when things are at their most challenging. I would add to this that I believe that these friendships also enable co-workers to be more candid about their true opinions on work topics, as you can take the “personal attack” potential out of the equation and provide a more fertile ground for true collaboration.

Where it gets tricky is when you are friends with those that report directly to you, and you are responsible for making sure that their job performance is excellent and that you are displaying impartiality when it comes time to providing employee reviews and determining promotion opportunities.

One of my partners, Ash, once told a mutual friend and co-worker of ours who had recently joined the company, “Ron is a great guy and a great friend.  But just know that business is business, and if you screw up, he will call you out on it and you shouldn’t count on your friendship to save you. But, he’ll probably buy you a beer when it is all over.”  A very accurate assessment. Much like I want to see those around me thrive and succeed, and will go out of my way to help make that happen, I also expect that those around me will want to see me succeed and do everything that they can to make me successful. If you have these symbiotic relationships, built on mutual respect and friendship, then you are bound to be more successful than trying to go at it alone.

In the end, I try to surround myself with people that have a similar work ethic and a similar desire to succeed professionally in both my personal and professional lives, so it stands to reason that overlap will exist and I welcome it.

Tips for Negotiating With a Potential Landlord

http://www.openforum.com/idea-hub/topics/managing/article/tips-for-negotiating-with-a-potential-landlord-thursday-bram

Thursday Bram
American Express OPEN Forum
February 10, 2010

Perhaps the biggest points to note in Bram’s tips for negotiating space are that there are many ways to negotiate that have nothing to do with price but can still provide you with value, and to have an attorney (or an experienced commercial broker) assist you with the negotiations and review of the lease agreement. Going it alone can, at best, leave some money on the table and at its worst, obligate you to expensive provisions on the back end of the lease that you don’t realize at the time of signing. Consult the experts. Always.

DENVER, CO (February 15, 2010) – Insight Professional Services announces the roll-out of its affordable full-service accounting solution for small businesses. From virtual accounting models to accounting professionals who work in your office, Insight reduces costs and provides meaningful results. By combining CFO-level expertise and oversight, standardized procedures and reporting with trained accountants and bookkeepers, Insight’s clients receive big-company benefits at small-company prices.

Insight’s virtual accounting system with a personal touch reduces costs for business owners, while providing electronic document storage for anytime access to records and eliminating paper clutter. By utilizing enterprise-level systems on a secure state-of-the-art data center to store financial data and source documents, clients gain 24/7 accessibility and reliability. Using standard processes and reporting systems to spread costs across a large number of small businesses, Insight offers truly affordable, yet effective, solutions for business owners.

“Many business owners know the importance of timely and accurate billing, collections and record-keeping but don’t feel as though they can afford the resources to get it done right,” said Ron Olsen, President of Insight. “If it doesn’t take much time and they do it themselves, then there is an inexpensive alternative. And if it does take a lot of time or it isn’t getting done, then it takes away from a business’s ability to generate revenue and grow, or worse, makes collecting for the work already completed more costly or impossible,” continued Olsen.

For those businesses that require regular on-site accounting, Insight deploys a dedicated on-site professional who provides hands-on assistance that many business owners appreciate. Using the same standard procedures and targeted reporting capabilities developed for the virtual accounting model, Insight minimizes costs while providing maximum service. “Some clients feel more secure with someone working in their office at the same time every week. It gives them a regular point of contact and allows them to set an efficient schedule that works best for their time,” commented Olsen.

Insight is proud to announce the official launch of its accounting services, as part of a complete back office support system for small businesses. From financial operations such as time and expense tracking, billing, collections and full-charge bookkeeping, to reliable virtual office solutions that minimize capital investment and offer greater accessibility, Insight takes the worry out of managing a business.

About Insight Professional Services, LLC

Founded in April 2009, Insight Professional Services provides small business owners and consultants with a full suite of professional services and technology tools to streamline their back office operations, allowing owners to focus more time on generating revenues and growing their businesses. With more than 50 years of professional experience helping businesses increase their effectiveness and reduce their overall costs, the Insight team assembled a robust set of virtual solutions for managing the financial and technical operations of their clients. By combining the best solutions available from proven leaders in the small business space, with a powerful and reliable IT infrastructure in a state-of-the-art data center and time-tested operational practices, Insight provides an affordable offering unmatched in the marketplace. Insight is privately owned and operated. For more information visit http://www.InsightProfessionalServices.com.

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Turning purchase orders into cash

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/31/business/smallbusiness/31order.html?pagewanted=1&ref=smallbusiness

Andrew Martin
New York Times
January 30, 2010

With so much talk about the credit squeeze on small businesses, this article (albeit long) is an interesting insight into a financing vehicle not normally considered, but potentially very valuable. Purchase order financing is available on a “per transaction” basis for companies that secure large purchase orders but do not have the near-term capital to fund the build or acquisition of the goods necessary to satisfy the purchase order. Many companies have been in this boat before (I’ve worked with a few) where they have access to a profitable transaction but not the cash necessary to make it all happen. These purchase order financing groups, while relatively expensive, can help cover these short-term financing needs, where traditional banks dare not tread.