We found this article on inc.com

Looking For Good Interns? It Helps to Plan Ahead

A weekly look at the latest products and services designed to help you run a better business.

By: Tamara Schweitzer

---

Summer internship season is quickly approaching, but does your business know how to pick the best recruits and make the most of your internship program? Z University, an internship resource site for students and employers, has created a DVD designed to help employers develop effective internship programs.”Blueprint for Internship Success” illustrates the nine critical building blocks of a successful internship program, according to Z University research. One section of the video offers tips to employers on how to use interns to increase productivity, including projects that interns can perform for almost any business. According to a recent five-year study on student productivity by the Internship Institute, supervisors can gain up to 225 full work days of productivity by understanding how to manage interns properly.The video advises employers to start planning ahead by establishing relationships with universities in order to boost interest in their company. It also discusses interview techniques, the use of self-assessments, how to manage resources, and how to provide students with guidance and structure during their internships.”It’s so much more rewarding to manage and mentor students and much more profitable to dramatically increase productivity and to develop and test drive potential employees,” Matthew Zinman, president and founder of Z University, said in a statement. The DVD is available for download at: www.zuniversity.org/blueprint.asp.Social Networking for StartupsRaising start-up capital just got easier thanks to RaiseCapital.com, a new online community where budding entrepreneurs can showcase their ideas and capital needs.The site works by connecting entrepreneurs and investors through online social networking, allowing anyone seeking start-up funds to pitch their ideas to potential investors through text descriptions, photos, and streaming videos. Investors can then sift through business ads and evaluate them, with contact information for those that catch their interest available on the site.

The service is free to investors, who are allowed an unlimited number of contacts. RaiseCapital’s technology also allows investors to track every contact they have made, search for opportunities by zip code, receive industry e-mail alerts, and even create a list of companies they want to watch.

“RaiseCapital.com is a win-win situation for everyone involved,” Richard Singer, CEO of RaiseCapital.com, said in a statement. “For less than the price of a daily latte, entrepreneurs get quality exposure to find the capital they need.”

Securing Digital Assets

ZyXEL Communications, an Anaheim, Calif.-based broadband-networking firm, has launched a new data protection and sharing application designed especially for small businesses, the company announced this week.

Among other features, the NSA-2400 allows the Microsoft Business Server to backup company data without downtime, and has a storage capacity of two terabytes of data, the company said.

“The NSA-2400 is an affordable way for small businesses to secure and share their digital assets and further validates our commitment to all-in-one and easy-to-use solutions,” Munira Brooks, vice president of sales and marking at ZyXEL, said in a statement.

---

Copyright © 2007 Mansueto Ventures LLC. All rights reserved.
Inc.com, 7 World Trade Center, New York, NY 10007-2195.

Summertime and the Interns are easy. You can find them by the dozen; if you are a halfway decent business and you can offer college credit for the work they do for you. Corra is thinking of getting a few as well.

But as this article shows, finding good interns can be tricky. There are a lot of lazy kids out there, anymore than there are a lot of lazy anything. For every kid who wants to actually learn something, there are probably a hundred who want to breeze through on the way between breakfast and bedtime.

Of course some of what young people are bad at is merely kid’s stuff. They’ll grow out of it. Or maybe they won’t. We all know at least a few folks who are gray and wrinkling but with the emotional values of an unhealthy fourteen year old. But Corra digresses.

If you are hiring interns, run background checks, the same way you would do it for your regular job candidates. Hopefully, the background checks will come back clear, but some of you may be surprised by what you find. So run a criminal check, at least, and if they are driving for you, Corra strongly urges you run a Motor Vehicle Report. It’s an ounce of prevention and makes good sense, lest you have a bad seed, known today as an emotionally challenged personality, stealing from you, harassing employees of the opposite sex, or otherwise messing up your work place.

Check them out before you hire.

We found this article on Inc.com

This Week’s Economic Roundup

Small-business owners less confident in economy; gas prices continue to rise.

By: Angus Loten

---

As gas prices rise and concerns about the economy grow, small-business owners are cutting back on expansion and job creation plans. Here’s a look at this week’s economic developments and how they may affect your business.Owner Confidence Down
A weaker outlook on the economy had fewer small-business owners planning to expand in March, the National Federation of Independent Business reported Monday.Based on a national survey of its 600,000 members, the group’s small-business optimism index fell 0.9 points last month to 97.3, below its benchmark level of 100. About a quarter of the group’s members typically respond to the monthly surveys.Six out of 10 components of the index were down in March, including plans to increase employment, current inventory satisfaction, and the outlook on the economy.Fewer owners than in the previous survey said they expect the economy to improve, while more were anticipating weaker sales, the survey found.

Despite the downturn, the number of current job openings edged up.

“Overall, the outlook didn’t change much in March — no soaring economy, but not recession,” William Dunkelberg, the group’s chief economist, said in a statement.

CEOs More Optimistic
By contrast, the nation’s chief executives were more optimistic about the economy over the first quarter, the Conference Board reported Monday.

In a survey of 100 business leaders nationwide, 24 percent said current business conditions were better or the same as the last quarter, while 37 percent said conditions in their specific markets improved, up from 23 percent in December, the New York-based private research group said.

The group’s quarterly CEO confidence index rose three points to 53, after hitting 50 in the closing months of 2006. “Business leaders do not expect conditions to worsen. But by the same token, they do not expect conditions to improve,” Lynn Franco, the group’s director of consumer research, said in a statement.

Meanwhile, employees were less confident in the job market, according to a separate report by Spherion on Monday. Out of 3,000 employees surveyed nationwide, just 17 percent said they felt the economy was gaining strength, down from 24 percent in February, the Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based recruiting firm said.

While 63 percent said they were confident in the future of their current employer, only 24 percent said they believed more jobs were available, the survey found.

“While the economy still looks relatively healthy, recent concerns about continued growth, coupled with rising energy prices and stock market volatility has certainly affected workers’ viewpoint on the economy,” Spherion CEO Roy Krause said in a statement.

Gas Prices, Demand Rising
Gas prices climbed by 9.5 cents last week to 280.2 cents a gallon, the tenth consecutive week of increases, the Energy Information Administration reported Wednesday.

Despite higher prices, demand has grown to an average 9.363 million barrels per day over the four weeks ending April 6, 2.5 percent above the same period last year and a record high for the month, the report said.

Jobless Claims Up
New claims for unemployment benefits surged by 19,000 to 342,000 last week, the sharpest gains in eight weeks, the Labor Department reported Thursday.

The gains were largely due to seasonal adjustment problems associated with the Easter holiday weekend, analysts said.

The largest increases in new claims were in Oregon, Missouri, and Alabama, while the largest decreases were in Michigan, New York, and California, the report said.

---

Copyright © 2007 Mansueto Ventures LLC. All rights reserved.
Inc.com, 7 World Trade Center, New York, NY 10007-2195.

Corra has heard talk that small business owners are somewhat less sanguine about the economy. Or at least they are concerned in ways the economy pertains to them. Since small business is still a large driving force in this country, there is an impact when its owners take a wait and see attitude.

But if you are the one hiring right now, that may not necessarily be a bad thing. Their job freezes gives you a wider, deeper pool of potential job candidates. Someone’s hesitation is someone else’s opportunity.

Needless to say, or the facts being what they are it does need to be repeated. When hiring, have a preemployment screening program in place. Check out every candidate. Run a criminal background check, and a Social Security Trace, along with an Education verification check. If they drive for you in any way, then be sure to run an Motor Vehicle Records (MVR) Report.

It’s important. You will find out if they are who they say they are. You will be wise and save money in the long run. As Corra says, check them out before you hire.

We found this on Inc.com

And One Way to Do Without

This international sales team is deskless and happy.
By: Stephanie Clifford

---

International offices demand pricey upkeep. Ambitious salespeople resent wasting time in offices. So why have offices at all? Christopher Ahlberg couldn’t see the logic. But neither was he enamored of relying solely on his network of distributors. Ahlberg’s company, Spotfire, produces sophisticated business analytics software that requires a dedicated sales force. His solution: Recruit reps in key markets who don’t need–or even want–offices to nest in.The Boston-area company has thus built a sales force of more than 45 people arrayed across 11 countries. For example, Steven Naarding manages some of Spotfire’s reps and accounts in Europe and the Middle East. He travels constantly but, when not on the road, he works from his home in the Netherlands. There, he exults, he faces none of “the typical distractions of a chat in the corridor” that can sap a rep’s productivity.

What prevents Spotfire from coming undone by this diffuseness is technology. In addition to Skype (NASDAQ:EBAY) phones and WebEx (NASDAQ:WEBX) videoconferencing software, Spotfire’s intranet–which far-flung employees access from home–allows sales staff to share information about the disparate operations of a single large customer. Someone covering GlaxoSmithKline (NYSE:GSK) in Philadelphia, for example, knows what’s going on in Tokyo.

When customers bring Spotfire into new markets, the company lines up local talent, often interviewing candidates at the airport. The Swedish-born Ahlberg looks for people who “like to work with customers and like the action of the field.

“And we prefer to see them out there, too,” he adds. Today, 40 percent of Spotfire’s revenue comes from international operations.

---

Copyright © 2007 Mansueto Ventures LLC. All rights reserved.
Inc.com, 7 World Trade Center, New York, NY 10007-2195.

Corra thinks virtual sales teams can be a good idea. Corra realizes employees can goof off enough in the office environment, yet alone when they are working remotely. Let’s face it, you don’t want to be paid for people who aren’t working. You certainly don’t want to be paying untrustworthy employees who are peddling your sensitive information to the highest bidder.

So check them out. Thoroughly. Make sure you run a criminal background check, a credit check, a social security trace and an MVR Report on your sales people. These searches when combined will tell you more than the searches individually. You will able to see behavior patterns that may be personal but can certainly have a negative effect on an employees professional performance.

Don’t mess around with it. As Corra says, check them out before you hire.

We saw this on Inc.com

Gone Global

Why expanding overseas is your ticket to new markets, new ideas, and a world of adventure.

By: Leigh Buchanan

---

Foreign markets are like children’s shoes: They offer plenty of room to grow. According to the Office of the United States Trade Representative, 95 percent of the world’s consumers reside outside the United States. Some of those people have holes in their lives the exact size and shape of your product.Entrepreneurs are getting the message. In a survey of 449 CEOs conducted by Inc. and Amar Bhidé, a professor at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Business, 58 percent of those doing business overseas reported that foreign demand for their product was growing. Furthermore, just 12 percent of the stay-at-homes blamed their hesitation on a lack of demand. Anecdotally, a surprisingly large number of CEOs interviewed for this package–selling everything from trash-compacting equipment to toothbrushes to public relations–have been making money overseas for a decade or more. Perhaps the question facing businesses pondering globalization should not be “Why?” but rather “Why not?”

Certainly our respondents offered plenty of reasonable why-nots: language and cultural barriers, the complexity of running a global organization, difficulty finding the right partners, and–most commonly–an overfull plate at home. But most of those are reasons why not now. By contrast, the reasons to at least start sussing out a global strategy reflect long-term realities:

Because it’s where your customers are, or will be. The aforementioned 95 percent (six-plus billion) of consumers living outside the United States are a toothsome prospect. That’s virtually all new business–and what’s more, business whose brand loyalties are likely still in play. Business-to-business firms may feel the more immediate imperative. Small and midsize companies are launching operations overseas and large corporations are already there. If the client you serve in Venice Beach gives you his or her business in Venice as well, you can use that account to pilot-fish your way into a new market.

Because the other guy is doing it. If you’re not up to serving your globalizing clients, someone else will be. Burgeoning entrepreneurial cultures in many countries are spawning businesses that can offer your customers invaluable local insight and contacts. Such competitors often charge less. Then, foot in the door, they may persuade your customers–many of which are winnowing supply chains–that they can also do the job in the United States. Fight them there, so you don’t have to fight them here.

Because you’re wired. The Internet famously gave Yao Ming-size footprints to Willie Shoemaker-size companies. In the ’90s, many small businesses went global unintentionally as nascent search engines directed foreign customers to their websites. Now businesses use low-cost tools such as Skype (NASDAQ:EBAY) and WebEx (NASDAQ:WEBX) to assemble coherent virtual enterprises using the best talent around the world. Global commerce predates e-commerce, yet arguably the former has become a subset of the latter.

Because it’s what entrepreneurs do. To wax deductive: Globalizing is risky. Entrepreneurs embrace risk. Therefore entrepreneurs embrace globalization. Of course there’s risk and then there’s risk, with the latter including such potential spoilers as an unfamiliar language, an alien business landscape, untested partners, and political volatility. Still, the chance to try new things in new places is like a jumper cable to the entrepreneurial engine. Several company owners we spoke with described running their international efforts as the most exciting aspect of doing business, not just for themselves but for employees as well.

On the pages that follow, you’ll read about the spectrum of opportunities and obstacles facing global-minded entrepreneurs. Like the Internet fledglings of a decade ago, these company owners are working out the rules as they go, drawing lessons from failures and successes alike. They see the scale of battle growing, and they are girding for it. A single country cannot contain their ambitions.

The world really is your oyster. Whether it produces pearls or just grit is up to you.

---

Copyright © 2007 Mansueto Ventures LLC. All rights reserved.
Inc.com, 7 World Trade Center, New York, NY 10007-2195.

Corra is well aware of the opportunities in the global market. As this excellent article alludes in its analogy of global markets being like children’s shoes, you can not only grow your core business but may find other channels worth exploring when you go global.

Of course, for this venture you need the right team, the right crew, if you will, to help set sail over the rough seas and storm waters that may lay ahead. You need an experienced sales team that knows its way around the international marketplace. Some of your candidates may well be foreign candidates who are familiar with regions you wish to explore.
Corra recommends running international searches on your foreign candidates. We offer international criminal searches, as well as education and employment verification. They may cost more than the equivalent criminal and education searches we conduct for domestic candidates, but it may well be worth the investment.

As Corra says, check them out before you hire.