The Best Business Gift You've Received That Helped Improve Your Business

For some entrepreneurs, it was a book that transformed their sales team. For others, it was technology, like a Palm Pilot or CRM software. For others, it was attending a free seminar. Regardless of the gift, savvy entrepreneurs have turned an act of kindness into a productivity tool.
I recently asked a group of entrepreneurs from the St. Louis area to share their best gifts and how those gifts helped them in business. Click here to read their comments.
I'm interested to know what items were left off these lists. Now that we are in the heart of the gift-giving season, please share with me some of the inspirational gifts that helped transform your companies.

Computer Security Still An Important Issue

Worried about your computer security? You should be.
Don Barnes, of PeaceFrog Productions, LLC, a technology company, believes one of the most vital things for business owners to consider is off-site back-ups for their data. Statistically speaking, Barnes says, 90% of small businesses that lose their data to drive failures and don’t have redundant back-ups or off-site back-ups end up going out of business.
Data back-up and protection is imperative in today’s business market, no matter what business you’re in, states Barnes. “Make sure you’re backing up your data on at least a weekly basis, although I recommend doing it daily. It may seem like a hassle, but it’s nothing compared to what could happen if you lost your client database or the latest project data to a hard drive failure. As an IT buddy of mine is always saying, ‘It isn’t if you’re hard drive is going to fail—it’s when.”
For more computer security basics, read this article by David Young of Cytoclonal Pharmaceutics, Inc.

RSS Feeds: How Can They Help Your Business?

RSS feeds provide significant opportunities for businesses and organizations to create new revenue streams, interest and a collaborative environment for their organizations. Mark Ames, vice president of Millennium Communications Inc., a full-service public relations firm with offices in St. Louis and Springfield, Mo., says that with RSS feeds, your business can:
* Bypass email. RSS feeds are read by desktop software and delivered directly to your target when they turn on their computer.
* Syndicate your rich content directly to your target prospects who have subscribed to news feeds in your niche market.
* Brand yourself. Since RSS feeds allow your content to be circulated and syndicated, you can brand yourself as an expert to those who are most interested in your product or service.
* Increase traffic. RSS feeds can be submitted to RSS feed directories. These directories will list your site within 24 hours, which translates to more traffic to your site.
* Create private networks that cater specifically to your internal and external audiences. These networks may include wikis, blogs and/or podcasts.
For more information on RSS feeds, click here.