Just over a month ago, the FAA announced that all drone owners would be required to register their devices. Now, it has released information about the number of drones registered in the first month. This news and more, including a new cloud software and website building tool, is included below in this week’s Small Business Trends news and information roundup.
Technology Trends
Day of the Drones? FAA Says 300,000 Registered in First Month
One month after the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced its new rule requiring drones to be registered, the number of drones registered is nearly 300,000. Owners who registered in the first month received a refund for the $5 application fee. “I am pleased the public responded to our call to register,” said U.S.
Sage 50 Now In a Cloud Version Called Sage 50c
Starting today, Sage Software will be replacing its Sage 50 accounting software (formerly Peachtree) with a new offering, Sage 50c. The “c” in Sage 50c stands for “cloud” and it’s easy to see why: users of the new Sage 50c will be able to store their accounting data in, and share their accounting data via, the cloud.
Adobe Launches New Website Building Tool
Adobe has launched a website building tool to design customized websites right from within the company’s Creative Cloud Suite. Called Portfolio, Adobe’s latest offering makes it possible to build personalized websites in minutes, and competes with website building services such as Wix and Squarespace.
Why Analytics Are the Hot Topic at This Small Business Conference
Are you ready? Infusionsoft is building towards its March 2-4, 2016, ICON conference in Phoenix, Arizona. For ten years, Infusionsoft has been hosting ICON conferences specifically designed to inform and assist small businesses. The aim is to make use of software and technologies which can improve small business results. But this year analytics is a particular focus.
How Safe Are New York Public WiFi Hubs?
When was the last time you used a public phone? That is a question most of us will have to scratch our head to answer, because it has been that long ago. Which is why the move by New York City to replace 7,500 public payphones with WiFi hubs makes a lot of sense.
Mobile Technology
Microsoft Doubles Storage on Surface Book, Surface Pro to 1 Terabayte
When Microsoft unveiled the Surface Pro 4 and Surface Book in October 2015, the company also announced they would be available in an ultra-high-end configuration. This includes the Skylake CoreI7 processor, 16GB of RAM and enough storage to meet almost any demand, 1TB.
Foursquare Adds Travel Recommendations Feature
Your small business has a new reason to be listed — or a reason for updating your listing — on Foursquare. The social geo-location site has introduced a new feature called Foursquare Trip Tips. It’s a Foursquare and Foursquare user-curated guide for upcoming trips you log into the site.
Cortana Now Prompts You to Remember Email Promises
How many times have you sent an email to a client promising to finish a project only to have three other projects pile up and put it right out of your mind? But now, Microsoft digital assistant Cortana helps you to remember email promises you’ve made by scanning your emails and prompting you to set reminders.
Crowdfunded Jolla Tablet Calls it Quits, Issues Refunds
Jolla Tablet was once a crowdfunded marvel. Now, it’s turned into a nightmare for the Finnish company behind it and a letdown for a lot of its Indiegogo supporters. Jolla Tablet had raised $380,000 in just over two hours. At the end of 2015, the company said that only some of its first-day backers on its Indiegogo campaign would ultimately receive a tablet.
New Universal LG White Card for Credit Card Processing Coming Soon?
LG is reportedly developing a universal credit card to go with LG Pay, its new mobile payment system. A report by ETNews says that the card will be called LG Pay White Card and like the failed Coin or the new Plastc, the White Card will be able to store several debit, credit and rewards cards.
Employment
New York Restaurants Eliminate Tips to Offset Wage Hike
Restaurant owners, staff and customers have long questioned the culture of tipping, but like any entrenched cultural practice, it has proven difficult to change. Now, prompted by a slew of new minimum wage legislation in major U.S. cities, an increasing number of restaurateurs are experimenting with a no tipping policy as a way to manage rising labor costs.
Lyft Settles its Employee Misclassification Lawsuit, but Uber’s Still Pending
Lyft, the ride-sharing company, agreed this week to pay $12.25 million to settle the Lyft employee misclassification lawsuit that was filed in 2013. The lawsuit was filed to compel Lyft to reclassify its drivers as employees just like other on-demand companies like Shyp, Instacart and Luxe Valet have.
Green Business
Is Sub Metering Your Water a Good Idea for Your Small Business?
Smart electric meters have proven the Internet of Things (IoT) is valid, but now water meters are also getting smarter as submetering systems get installed around the country. Submetering has been around for several decades. The concept is the basis for individual meters for electricity.
Hot Dang! Meatless Grain Burger Invented at Kitchen Table
Some of the best inventions were created by accident. And that was also the case for Martha Pincoffs when she created Hot Dang and its now somewhat famous meatless veggie grain burger. Pincoffs never intended to start a business or to invent a new type of food. She was actually just taking part in an experiment.
Local Marketing
5miles May Challenge Craigslist as the New Online Classified
5miles, the Dallas and Beijing-based challenger to Wallapop and Craiglist has secured $30 million in new investment as it celebrates its first year in business this month.
Marketing Tips
Mobile Search Ads Are Outpacing Paid Search, Adobe Report Says
Paid search engine marketing (SEM) is losing its growth momentum to mobile advertising, according to Adobe Digital Index’s new “Q4 2015 Digital Advertising Report.” Among other things, the report notes global growth of paid search is down 75 percent year-over-year, “which can be partially attributed to advertisers’ new willingness to spend on mobile search.
Retail Trends
Are Comparison Apps Making Competitive Pricing More Imperative?
Today’s consumers are becoming more and more connected and well-informed. Businesses looking to tap into the buying processes of these connected consumers means being able to provide helpful information just when these consumers are looking for products that they want to purchase.
Small Biz Spotlight
Spotlight: Boxy POS Plans to Disrupt the Restaurant Industry
Running a restaurant means needing so many different systems to manage all of the different aspects of your business. But a new solution, Boxy POS, plans to disrupt the industry by offering a point of sale system that’s easy to use and can help bring restaurants into the 21st Century.
Social Media
14 Factors Contribute to Viral Success, Study Finds
Getting your content to go viral can provide a huge boost to your business. Unfortunately, there’s no surefire way for you to ensure viral success. However, recent findings from BuzzSumo suggest that there are several factors that can contribute to whether or not a post has a good chance of reaching that coveted viral status.
Business Users Trial New Facebook Live Streaming Video – We Have Examples
Since Facebook announced its new live streaming feature last year, and then opened it up to all users in December, the feature hasn’t exactly caught fire as some expected it would. But Facebook Live does have some potential benefits for business users. And a few business users have been able to try out the new feature and use it to interact with their networks.
Tag Photos #ThisIsRetail, Get Your Business Featured on Instagram
Trying to promote a retail store on social media? The process can be tricky. But luckily, there are some promotions and contests that can make it a bit easier to get the word out about your retail business. The National Retail Federation hosts one such contest.
Taxes
Top 20 Tax Deductions for Small Business
On Wall Street, there’s a saying that past performance is no guarantee of future results. When it comes to taxes, however, past performance is a great indicator of the types of deductions that businesses typically take each year. Last winter the IRS released data on Schedule C filers.
Drone Photo via Shutterstock
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