| Business news you can use from your Better Business Bureau® |  |
| Trends & Trust |  |  |
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| Customer Satisfaction & Marketing | | |
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- How to make your content meaningful
Customers will appreciate content that's easy to understand and helps them find solutions to problems, writes Monika Jansen. They also value content that's supported by data and provides actionable steps, she writes. NetworkSolutions.com
(2/7)     
- How to be a more virtuous leader
Good leaders need to be virtuous -- and that means embracing prudence, temperance and courage, writes Deborah Mills-Scofield. In decision-making, strive to be disciplined, balanced and reflective rather than simply jumping at every opportunity that comes along, Mills-Scofield writes. SmartBrief/SmartBlog on Leadership
(2/7)
- The power of "why"
You need to explain why your company does what it does if you want your employees to be truly engaged with their work, writes Bryan Burkhart, founder of H.Bloom. Burkhart is planning an internal "road show" during which he will discuss the company's values and goals for 2013. He also plans to give employees a theme for 2013 and allow them to ask questions. The New York Times (tiered subscription model)/You're the Boss blog
(2/7)
 | Most small business owners know the importance of managing credit effectively and that a "one size fits all" model won't work. Use Managing Credit - Made Simpler to find the right credit management model for your business and to help identify strategies to ensure you are on top of your business's financial condition. |
| Funding & Finance | | |
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- Where to look when you can't find a loan
Several programs may be able to help your company if you're having a hard time finding funding, Stephanie Faris writes. For example, the Small Business Administration's Microloan Program provides funds for furniture and equipment, while the Minority Business Development Agency offers financing for minority-owned companies. Intuit Small Business Blog
(2/8)
- IRS program can help you correctly classify workers
An IRS program offers a reprieve to business owners who have incorrectly classified their employees. Under the Voluntary Classification Settlement Program, eligible employers who come into compliance pay a portion of their tax liability and can avoid employment tax audits for previous years as well as penalties and interest. Generally, workers should be classified as employees instead of independent contractors if they provide the same service as your business, writes Bonnie Lee, the owner of Taxpertise. Fox Business Small Business Center
(2/8)
| BBB in the News | | |
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- Scammers use social media in phishing attempts
Some scammers are extracting personal information from social media profiles and using it to send their victims e-mails that appear to be from friends, writes Tyler Patton, regional director of the Permian Basin BBB in Texas. You can protect your privacy on social media by tweaking your security settings and being wary of friend requests that come from people you don't know, he writes. Odessa American (Texas)
(2/10)
| Editor's Note | | |
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BBB TrustBrief's last issue publishes Feb. 25
The last issue of BBB TrustBrief will publish on Feb. 25. For more information or if you have any questions, contact the BBB in your area or Chief Marketing Officer Susan P. Kearney.
| SmartQuote | | |
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 | The only man I know who behaves sensibly is my tailor; he takes my measurements anew each time he sees me. ... The rest go on with their old measurements and expect me to fit them."
--George Bernard Shaw,
Irish playwright
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| About BBB® |
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For 100 years, Better Business Bureau has been helping consumers find businesses,
brands and charities they can trust. In 2011, consumers turned to BBB more than 100 million times for
Business Reviews on more than 4 million companies and Charity Reports on 11,000 charities,
all available for free at
www.bbb.org.
The Council of Better Business Bureaus is the umbrella
organization for 115 local, independent BBBs across the United States and Canada, as well as
home to its national programs on dispute resolution and industry self-regulation.
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| | Recent BBB TrustBrief Issues:
- Friday, February 08, 2013
- Wednesday, February 06, 2013
- Monday, February 04, 2013
- Friday, February 01, 2013
- Wednesday, January 30, 2013
| | | Lead Editor: Julia Russell
Mailing Address:
SmartBrief, Inc.®, 555 11th ST NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20004 | |
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