Celebrate Small Business Saturday
Posted: November 29, 2013
In the flurry of Black Friday ads promoting sales at national chain stores, it’s easy to forget about your local small business community. And that’s too bad since small business gives a big boost to the economy. The Small Business Administration reports that small businesses accounted for 64 percent of new jobs created between 1993 and 2011. Shopping at a small business also pumps two... Read Article
Is Your Business Data Secure?
Posted: November 25, 2013
The personal information of customers, employees and/or tenants entrusted to you is critical to the day-to-day functioning of your business. So have you ever considered what would happen if this business data was lost, stolen or accidentally released? Whether it’s a misplaced computer, an improperly shredded document or a hacked database, business data can easily become exposed. If it does, a business data breach could... Read Article
5 Tips for Curbing Employee Theft at Restaurants
Posted: November 11, 2013
While we’d like to think that our employees are honest, that’s just not always the case. Some employees will pilfer food, alcohol or other items from restaurants while others will go for cold hard cash. In one extreme case of employee theft, federal authorities said, “Pancake houses were turned into crime dens.” Federal authorities indicted 18 people in Ohio last year in a series of... Read Article
Erie Insurance and Rebuilding Together Create Safe Homes in Richmond and Roanoke
Posted: November 11, 2013
(l.-r.) ERIE Vice President and Claims Manager Greg Green, Inside Claims Rep Jacob Sansbury and Agent Rob Heare install a door for Rebuilding Together Richmond. The sounds of hammers, buzz saws and power drills filled four homes in Richmond and Roanoke, Virginia recently, as Employee, Agent and Customer volunteers from Erie Insurance teamed up with the Rebuilding Together organization to make home repairs, safety modifications... Read Article
As a Small Business Owner: The Risks–and Rewards–of Being Your Brand
Posted: November 8, 2013
My husband, a small business owner, and I met with a lawyer recently about our last will and testament. The lawyer, an acquaintance of ours, asked: “What’s the business worth?” Brian gave a seven-figure number – three times his tech business’ yearly revenue. “And would that be the same if you weren’t there?” asked the attorney. Pause. “No, definitely not,” replied Brian. It was then... Read Article