The iPhone made its official debut t 10 years ago. The device that changed the landscape of the smartphone industry offers some unique business lessons and of course — tools for business.
And businesses using these tools got some good news recently too. Bills for data streaming on the phones are going down. The reason? Smartphone saturation. What an appropriate bit of news as the device that started it all celebrates its first decade. Read about these updates and more in this week’s Small Business Trends news and information roundup.
Mobile Technology
iPhone Celebrates 10th Anniversary, Shows Risks and Rewards of Creating a Whole New Product
This week 10 years ago, the original iPhone was released to the public. Now we know that the iPhone is a hugely successful and transforming product. But back then, Apple took a huge risk in creating something so different from what customers were used to. And the process for creating the product was far from easy.
Plunging Smartphone Bills Are Good News for Small Business Owners in Two Ways
U.S. cellular service costs are plunging. The consumer-price index for wireless phone service dropped 12.5 percent between May 2016 and May 2017, according to the Labor Department. That’s a pretty significant drop that could have an impact on consumers and businesses alike.
Economy
Half of All Small Businesses Fail by Year 5 – Here’s Why (INFOGRAPHIC)
Every business owner wants to succeed. But achieving success doesn’t come easy to most entrepreneurs. Fifty percent of small businesses, in fact, fail in their fifth year. This shocking revelation comes from new data presented by online insurance service provider, InsuranceQuotes.
Hear the Voice of Small Business in this Metlife #MetLifeSmallBiz Twitter Chat
Small business owners feel confident about their prospects, according to the latest Small Biz Index. The recent survey of 1,000 small business owners was conducted by MetLife (@Metlife) and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce between April 30 and April 21, 2017. According to the data gathered, 60.6 percent of small business owners said they have a positive outlook for their company.
Employment
35 Percent of Employees May Take Your Confidential Information
Employees leaving your organization might be putting your business at risk. That’s if they are like the 35 percent of employees who say it’s common to take company information with them when leaving a company. This startling revelation comes from a new study (PDF) by tech giant Dell (NASDAQ:DVMT). The research has provided several other interesting insights too.
New Fiverr Pro Service Offers Handpicked Freelancers for Small Business
Hiring professional freelancers for your next project just got easier. Israel-based freelance marketplace Fiverr has announced Fiverr Pro, “the newest high-end initiative of Fiverr’s global marketplace for talent,” the company says.
Finance
40 Percent of Small Businesses Have Had Cash Flow Issues Within the Last Year
Small businesses have a tough time managing money and payments, a study has found. According to research conducted by WePay, an online payment service provider, 41 percent of businesses report having experienced cash flow challenges. Sixteen percent say they have experienced payment fraud — just in the last year.
One in Six Small Business Owners Set to Get Good Credit Score News on July 1
On July 1 there will be significant changes to consumer credit scores as America’s three largest credit-reporting agencies (Equifax, Experian and TransUnion) will be dropping nearly all civil debts and some tax liens from their reports.
Banks, Other Lenders See Small Business Approval Rates Drop in May
May turned out to be a tough month for small businesses seeking funds. Loan approval rates at big banks, small banks, alternative lenders and credit unions declined, the latest Biz2Credit Small Business Lending Index has revealed.
Management
1 in 5 Small Business Owners Would Give up a Vacation Day Rather Than Their Smartphone
As summer kicks in, more small business owners and entrepreneurs are likely planning to pack up and go on a much deserved vacation. While conventional advice is to switch off the smartphone and step away from the office for that deserved break, a new study has found smartphones can actually help you relax while on vacation.
Marketing Tips
School Just Ended but Back to School Marketing Begins Now (INFOGRAPHIC)
Recent marketing insights from Bing reports students are planning their back to school purchases while still enjoying their summer break. So, when does back to school shopping begin? A look at search volume for back-to-school basics shows that it starts earlier than many small business marketers might have guessed.
Free eBook to Drive Summer Marketing for Local Businesses
There’s no denying it: Summer is here. To kick off the season, folks are uncovering their grills for the first time in eight or nine months and firing up some ‘shrimp on the barbie.’ A little corn on the cob, freshly-sliced watermelon and homemade cherry cobbler round out the all-American picnics taking place in backyards across the country.
Snapchat Introduces New Feature: Will it Help You with Marketing?
Snapchat (NYSE:SNAP) announced a new feature this week that could impact how your business markets to local consumers. Snap Map, as it’s called, is a location based service that shows Snapchat users where their friends are hanging out nearby.
BloomPro Offers Services to Independent Florists
Independent florists may be interested in a new offering from online floral marketplace BloomNation. The new service, called BloomPro, basically offers independent florists the option of having a dedicated floral commerce account manager at their disposal without having to hire one.
Retail Trends
Specialty Food Show Brings Some Unique Niches to the Forefront
The Summer Fancy Food Show takes place in New York this week, showcasing hundreds of specialty food makers with some really unique products. The Summer Fancy Food Show The Specialty Food Organization puts on the show each summer, along with one in California each winter.
Snap Poll: 76 Percent of In Store Shoppers Change Their Minds After Consulting Their Phones
An unscientific poll of a few dozen shoppers revealed that many consult their phones before they buy something. The poll — commissioned by Edgenet — was taken of 60 big-box store shoppers in Nashville between May 22 and June 5.
Small Biz Spotlight
Spotlight: Millennial Couple Brings Clean Juice to the Masses
Clean eating isn’t just about improving health. It can be an entire lifestyle shift. And for one couple, it even led to a great business opportunity. The founders of Clean Juice decided to start their business after seeing just how much of an impact clean eating made for them personally. Read about their journey and more in this week’s Small Business Spotlight.
Small Business Operations
How Will New Homeland Security Travel Requirements Impact Your Small Business? Be Prepared
The Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly this week announced enhanced security screening measures for all commercial flights to the United States.
Technology Trends
GoDaddy Introduces New Small Business Security Features
If you have a small business website, you know how dangerous malware and viruses can be. Open the wrong email and you can infect your entire network. It’s important to be protected against online attacks on your reputation too. Compounding the need for new security products is the evolution of malware.
What is Google Posts? If You Don’t Know, You’d Better Read This
There’s a new tool for establishing your digital presence on the web, but it isn’t available to your small business just yet. Google Posts lets your business create content on Google (NASDAQ:GOOGL), which can then be optimized to rank high in search results. When it was first launched in 2016, it was during the Presidential campaign, and it was intended for the candidates.
Could Robots Make Small Business Manufacturing a Reality?
Manufacturing offers opportunities often less known to small business owners. This is because these opportunities aren’t always viable for small businesses with limited resources. That could all be changing though, thanks to some high tech innovations
iPhone Photo via Shutterstock
This article, "In the News: iPhone Anniversary, Plunging Smartphone Bills and More" was first published on Small Business Trends
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