I continue to encounter small business clients who are reluctant to post their real contact information on their website. I always encourage them to post a physical address, a phone number, and an email address so that it is abundantly clear that they are proud of their business and stand behind it personally. If you are leery because it is a home-based business, then get a P.O. Box, a separate phone number, and an email address based on their website's domain name because an anonymous website contact form is just not enough. Otherwise, anyone, myself included, will assume that they are just as likely to be some ripoff artist based in eastern Europe or Nigeria. If you want someone to trust you with their money, then you better trust them first.
 A new generation of credit card readers simply plug into the headphone jack of a smartphone or tablet. These "free" readers avoid the $1000 or so hardware outlay associated with the usual specialized credit card readers and receipt printers. Text receipts are automatically sent to the customers' phone. Most provider software captures the customers' signature and even provides receipts for cash purchases.
The biggest benefit for many small businesses is that usually no credit check is required of the business or its owners. Square, Intuit, and PayPal were the main initial players, although Amazon recently entered the fray with a great limited-time rate offer. Now any mobile worker, e.g., flea markets and household services, can easily and affordably accept credit cards. As its name implies, toptenreviews.com provides assessments of a huge variety of tools and resources suitable for small businesses. Recent surveys include webhosting, accounting software, credit card processing, shopping cart software, and email marketing services. This is invariably the place to start when you need to develop a short-list of candidates worthy of further evaluation.
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AuthorI developed large-scale systems, both commercial and aerospace, for 40+ years. There were lessons learned, but the joy of successes more than offset a few pains. Hopefully, my experienced counsel will help yours be mostly fun. Archives
August 2016
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