Benay Informer 12/16/2021

As the New Year approaches, we all make new resolutions. FM Magazine shares the 2021 top leadership tips we should take with us as we enter 2022

With so much uncertainty and fast-paced change in the workplace and business landscape, it can be hard to focus on developing your leadership skills. That's why FM magazine gathered all of the best leadership advice articles published over the past year. Read more.

Small Business Resources

Opportunities for small businesses and lines of credit

Now renamed Kabbage from American Express, the financial technology company is offering eligible small businesses lines of credit of $1,000 to $150,000. Earlier this year, Kabbage started offering checking accounts for businesses as its first product launch under its new ownership. Read more.

Four investment strategies for black women from a 26-year-old investor who built a $1 million stock portfolio

At the time, she had a small portfolio that she started in 2016 that was flourishing, yet she didn’t pay much attention to it. She gambled and invested in Tesla in late 2019 when shares were $65 to $70 each. She started gradually investing $4,000, growing into six-figure gains as the Tesla shares were $1,000 each. Read more.

Alibaba.com announces 50 small businesses receiving US$10,000 grants

Alibaba.com, one of the world’s largest B2B ecommerce marketplaces and a business unit of Alibaba Group, today announced the 50 entrepreneurs each receiving $10,000 grants from the first-ever Alibaba.com Grants Program. A total of $500,000 in grant support will fuel new participants in the Entrepreneur Economy. Recipients were selected from a pool of more than 12,000 applicants who submitted their product idea or go-to-market strategy for consideration by Alibaba.com’s panel of expert judges. Read more.

The 5 tips to start your startup and attract investors

The needs of the market, mixed with the possibility that technology gives, allow us to think of many possibilities to devise solutions for people. Basically two principles are fulfilled in this entrepreneurship game: desirability (the market wants your solution) and feasibility (which is fulfilled when the defined solution is possible to implement both at a technical and operational level). Read more.

Best business startup ideas for 2022

For those who have an entrepreneurial spirit but are currently short on ideas, there are several simple but effective options you could consider. Particularly good for people who don’t want to invest a great deal of money right at the start, these five business startup ideas will help you get the ball rolling. Remember: there’s always the option to expand in the future. Read more.

5 tips on how to successfully pitch your business idea to investors

So you want to start a business and need help funding it? Let me help. After you decide on your business concept, if you don't have the money to get your business off the ground, you will need to pitch your idea to potential investors. This may seem like an unnerving task but don't worry! Here are five tips to share on how to successfully pitch your business idea to your potential investors. Read more.

Leadership and Management

4 new IT leadership habits for the new year

The new year offers a natural time to set new goals and build strong leadership habits that can help you achieve everything on your priority list for the year ahead. It’s also a good time to take a hard look at practices that are no longer serving you. Read more.

Writing helps business leaders think clearly

Business leaders will benefit from writing more. Oral communication, text messages and terse emails have a place in communications, but writing out an article offers strong benefits—not just to the readers but to the writer as well. The benefits include clearer thinking, eliminating errors and ensuring accurate communication. Read more.

11 tips to improve business writing

If you are a business writer, the articles you compose should be highly professional – high quality is essential as most financial writings are published on serious platforms and journals. Therefore, as a business writer, you must always be looking for ways to improve your writing. Below are 11 tips you can follow to improve your business writing. Read more.

How to boost mobile app engagement (5 Expert Tips)

Are you thinking about starting a mobile app for your business? Have you already created an app but having trouble sparking user engagement? If so, you’re not alone. There are now over 7 billion mobile users worldwide, and business owners have noticed. Read more.

What is purposeful leadership and why it matters

Purposeful leadership may sound nebulous, but when we witness a leader who understands and lives their unique purpose, we clearly see the positive impact. Read more.

Technology in Finance and Management

Tech and finance salaries improved by up to 20% this calendar year

In accordance to the report, tech roles knowledgeable some of the most substantial wage increases in 2021, accounting for 10 of the major 20 wage will increase in the last 12 months.

Accounting and finance roles, as perfectly as design and home roles, just about every accounted for five of the remaining top 20 positions. Read more.

Emerging technologies for CPAs to watch

It's hard to predict how tech will change the world. In 1999, as you waited for hours for a song to download on Napster over a dial-up internet connection, the idea of streaming your favorite TV shows and movies online would have seemed impossible. Likewise, CPAs wouldn't dream of sending a large financial report over email with that same slow internet, let alone trust their important data to a "cloud." Yet according to a 2018 Sage report (download required), 67% of accountants reported preferring cloud accounting. Read more.

Protect your business in 2022 with these cybersecurity strategies

If your business handles a great amount of customer and employee data, is protecting sensitive information (such as intellectual property and trade secrets) or relies on digital systems that control counterparts in the real world, the time to implement robust cybersecurity measures was yesterday. Read more.

Corporate Finance and Accounting

Multi-currency business bank accounts

A multi-currency business bank account can make life much simpler in many scenarios - for example, if you trade products overseas, have international staff, contractors or suppliers, or work regularly with international clients. It allows you to hold money and make and receive payments in several currencies all within one account. Read more.

4 tips to avoid bankruptcy while running a startup

Pressure to succeed and be profitable can put a strain on any new business. Regardless of your level of knowledge of corporate finance, there are a few key questions and resources you should keep in mind. Here are seven steps you can take to begin the financial preparation process. Read more.

Finance and accounting outsourcing (FAO) market share, 2021 recent trends

Global Finance and Accounting Outsourcing (FAO) Market research is an intelligence report with meticulous efforts undertaken to study the right and valuable information. The data which has been looked upon is done considering both, the existing top players and the upcoming competitors. Business strategies of the key players and the new entering market industries are studied in detail. Read more.

Returning to Normal

Companies rethink return-to-office plans amid omicron cases

Companies of all sizes are rethinking their plans to send workers back to the office as the new omicron variant adds another layer of uncertainty. Alphabet's Google and the nation's second largest automaker Ford Motor Co. are among those once again delaying their return-to-office plans, while other businesses whose employees have already returned are considering adding extra precautions like requiring masks. Read more.

Health and wellness are encouraging a return to the office

People are returning to the office. In fact, Chuck Schreiber, CEO and co-founder at KBS, says that it isn’t a question of “if there will be a return,” but rather how office spaces will evolve once people do. One way that offices are already changing is in health and wellness amenities. Features like corporate gardens, outdoor areas and water features became incredibly popular during the pandemic, and it is helping to get employees comfortable with the return. Read more.