In this age of speed and instant communication small businesses of all types regularly have the need to send large files such as digital images, audio, video, PDFs & more on a regular basis.

Many times when we send a large file we experience email bounce-backs or have no idea if the file successfully made it to the intended recipient. This then means we have to manually follow up to insure receipt and doing so cost time and money to the business. It would be a great help if this waste of time and effort could be eliminated.

Luckily there is a secure and convenient way to send, receive and track your digital content.

Our featured guest in this episode of Small Business Trends Radio is Ranjith Kumaran, Founder of YouSendIt. In this show you will learn how to avoid email bounce-backs and gain insight to a solution that can replace the use of FTP sites and help avoid overnight courier services for physical media like CD’s and DVD’s.

Here is a sampling of topics discussed during the show

• Digital, Audio and Video Content — is becoming increasingly popular on the Internet. And following that trend is the growth in the storage requirements and file size of audio and video files.

• Files Don’t Get to the Destination — A common problem with these larger files is that you may send digital content to clients, co-workers and other recipients that may not have the capability to retrieve it due to email system limitations. Using an online service such as YouSendIt can help remedy this problem.

• Send, Receive and Track — large, multiple files up to 2 GB each with YouSendIt. Send entire folders, create zip files, create a dropbox, use plugins and password protection, control access, expiration and more.

• Brand Your Large File Distribution — Small businesses can gain the benefits of incorporating their brand and messaging within the file distribution emails. You can send bigger files to more people and take advantage of long term file storage and improve your business efficiency.

• Plugins — YouSendIt also increases the efficiency for small business by making Pugins that integrate the online service into Outlook, Photoshop, PaperPort, and more. Now there’s no need to leave your normal desktop applications environment to send or receive files.

Learn more about the benefits of YouSendIt to small businesses and as a bonus hear some details on how Ranjith started the business in Silicon Valley, obtained venture capital and is planning for future growth.

To listen to Ranjith’s full interview, click the player below.

Listen Now:

 Eliminate the Hassles and Expenses of Sending Large Files [25:59m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Posted by Staci Wood | Comments (4) | Permalink

This week’s Podcast Review is about the Managing the Gray Podcast.

Description: C.C. Chapman, new media maven for hire, uses this marketing podcast to help business professionals and individuals stay up to date on what is happening in the world of new media, consumer generated content and no control Public Relations.

Comments: With great audio quality, professionally produced intro’s and a great audio voice, C.C. Chapman brings you engaging content delivered with polish and panish.

Sometimes solo and sometimes with a who’s who of new media guests, he covers a wide range of topics surrounding new media and sometimes the edge of today’s new lifestyle choices, freedom of thinking empowered by technology is a key tenent to his podcasts. Here is a sampling of some recent show titles:

- Calculated Risks and Taking Chances
- Is the Word Conversation Cliched?
- Google Look Out - Zoho Is Gunning For You
- 5000 Web Applications

I can almost guarantee that you will learn something new or be exposed to something interesting that will make you think, “I had no idea about that.”

Pluses: Great content, slickly produced and the eclectic mix of topics is incredible. The site is easy to navigate, has literally the entire show transcripts available in a blog post.

Easy subscription buttons for RSS and other subscription types. Almost instant play, nice website, clean and easy to operate. Archives by date and category as well.

Minuses: Not much to criticize with this Podcast. Maybe in-post audio player versus launching an external player would be helpful.

Recommendation: One of the best produced podcasts I have listened to. Give the Managing the Gray Podcast a try.

Posted by Steve Rucinski | Comments (2) | Permalink

Today, more than ever, people are wondering if they have what it takes to follow their dreams and become a successful entrepreneur.

Imagine what it would be like not to be forced into a cubicle every morning, or to hide behind the door of an office, or sit in traffic twice a day or to have the ability to earn your income while remaining at home with your family. But is everyone cut out for entrepreneurship?

Our featured guest in this episode of Small Business Trends Radio is Tim Knox, of the Tim Knox Show. Tim says, “Everything I Know About Business I Learned from my Mama.” That’s even the title of his new book. Tim can help you to determine if you have all of the personality traits that make for a successful entrepreneur.

Are you cut from entrepreneurial cloth? Here are some questions to begin asking yourself:

• Are you prepared to take a leap of faith without a safety net? – If you fear taking risks or facing the possibility that the business might fail, you might reconsider.

• Are you prepared to put in long hours and possibly work 6-7 days a week? — This is a harsh reality when developing a business; vacations, weekends, holidays and sick days do not exist when you’re the person running the company.

• Are you a leader? — Or do you need to be told what to do? You won’t be able to walk into the office and have your daily duties arranged for you. You must know what needs to be done and have the ability to see that it gets done without someone else keeping it top-of-mind for you.

• Are your personal relationships strong? — Are they strong enough to endure hours apart? The impact of starting and running a business puts pressure on the entrepreneur and their family. Support from your spouse, children, friends and extended family is of the utmost importance.

• Can you handle rejection? – The ability to continue moving toward your goals even after a setback is crucial. Spending precious time licking your wounds will only have a negative effect on your business and cause costly delays in your progress.

Tim asks the above questions and presents many more to consider before taking the “entrepreneurial plunge.” If you’ve asked yourself, “Do I have what it takes to be an entrepreneur?” you can help yourself to answer that question by clicking the player below and listening to Tim’s full interview.

And then comment and let us know - did you find that you have what it takes?

Listen Now:

 Are You a Natural Entrepreneur – Take the Test [26:28m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Posted by Staci Wood | Comments (3) | Permalink

This week’s Podcast Review is about the Good Manager Podcast.

Description: 25-35 minute podcasts, done primarily in monologue all aimed toward helping develop better managers. No fancy production, no music or commercials, just first person experiences of both good and bad management.

Comments: Most of the content is not very current from a calendar aspect, however it is very applicable to all managers. Management skills and abilities know no time boundaries. What is interesting is how each show is based on a recent personal experience. Here is a sampling of some show titles:

- Labor Costs as Measurement
- Management and Motivation
- Empowerment and Fun
- Short Term vs Long Term Thinking
- It’s the Managers Fault

One of the most interesting samples of management stupidity is how the author was recently fired. It may be the most mishandled firing I have ever heard of.

Pluses: I like the instant play of the audio, I like the first person stories that are used as management examples, both good and bad. The website is simple and basic, RSS subscriptions are easily available, search and monthly archives are available.

At times the honesty in the content is downright painful to listen to. You can feel the emotion in the voice.

Minuses: I could not find the authors name. I love the content but the verbal fillers are exhausting to the listener. (Uhhs, umms, etc.) Just a little practice would make this an superb, excellent show.

Recommendation: If you want to be a better manager give The Good Manager a listen.

Posted by Steve Rucinski | Comments (3) | Permalink

Some service providers and vendors have made progress on what it takes to market and sell to the 26 million small businesses in the United States. It’s a time of changing trends.

Our featured guest in this episode of Small Business Trends Radio is Steve King, a Research Affiliate at the Institute for the Future. Steve is also the project leader for the Intuit - IFTF Future of Small Business project and has over 25 years of industry and consulting experience including having lived and worked abroad. Steve’s blog is SmallBizLabs.com.

Here’s a sampling from the show:

• Demographic trends are changing. — Not that long ago it was only middle-aged men who met our perceived definition of small business owner. Now, women, immigrants, baby boomers and even teens are forming new businesses at a growing rate. There is no longer one set of demographics and vendor marketing should reflect the changing nature of the small business customer.

• Partnering between large and small businesses is occurring more frequently. — Large companies such as Google are now partnering with small and mid-size firms, whereas a year or two ago, they were partnering strictly with larger firms. By partnering with smaller niche players, Google can now provide technology and services to these niche markets, with the small business partner receiving a percentage of the profits from those sales. These new partnerships differ from the traditional relationship dynamics between large and small businesses, which were either competitors or vendor/purchaser.

• Large corporations without an obvious connection to small businesses are partnering to find new sources of product innovation. — Proctor & Gamble is an example of a company that is finding new sources of innovation by partnering with smaller firms. For instance, fifty percent of their product innovation is coming from outside, through licensing. This presents an opportunity for smaller businesses, that can now find markets through the power of Proctor & Gamble. If you want shelf space at Walmart - as a small business it’s very difficult. But show up with Proctor & Gamble branding - and it’s much easier.

Steve provided many useful insights into the changing world of small businesses and how it impacts the marketplace. To hear them, click the player below.

Listen Now:

 What Small Business Owners Want [29:50m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Posted by Staci Wood | Comments (5) | Permalink

This week’s Podcast Review is about the MBA Working Girl Podcast

Description: MBA Working Girl Podcast serves up concise info that combines business school theory with real-world business practice in order to make you an improved modern professional.

Comments: With good production values of excellent sound, energized and appropriate music and great content Laura Adams is hitting her Podcast mission on the mark.

All of the shows I tested were monologues by Laura but I found them about ten minutes in length and easy to absorb. She always starts off with an effective subject description and then moves into very prescriptive suggestions. Here is a sampling of her show topics:

- Communicate in the Language of the People
- Only the Educated are Free
- To Settle or Not to Settle
- No Passengers on Planer Earth
- Perception is Everything

In all today there are over 30 shows for the show listeners to enjoy. RSS feed in in the top navigation bar, email subscription is available along with search and monthly organized archives along with instant play. The website is basic and functional.

Pluses: I like the quick prescriptive content in the Podcasts, the instant play and the fairly extensive show notes provided for each show.

Minuses: I wish there was an ‘About’ page to learn more about the author and the content organized by categories would be nice to have as well.

Recommendation: If you want to ramp up your business smarts on a wide range of issues from an MBA type of perspective then you should check out the MBA Working Girl Podcast

Posted by Steve Rucinski | Comments (3) | Permalink

A manager may be far removed from the day to day activities - but the employee is working hands on. If you are a manager and are out of touch with what your employees are doing, posses unrealistic expectations, or simply don’t treat your employees with respect, they may conclude that you are “clueless.” Because it’s the employee who is on the front lines dealing with unhappy customers, difficult technology and problem solving. And these issues are far more prevalent in an office than one might immediately conclude.

Our featured guest in this episode of Small Business Trends Radio is Wayne Hurlbert, an online business commentator at BlogBusinessWorld. With a sense of humor and a tad of sarcasm, Wayne spells out the issues and occurrences that may make a manager look “clueless” in the office.

Are you a “clueless” manager?

• Are you clueless with Employees? — Clueless managers exhibit poor hiring skills that may be based on appearance and a good conversation during the interview — not abilities. And, most likely, the staff will realize it before the manager does. To continue to be clueless upon hiring do you: 1.) Provide no training whatsoever and simply show your new employees their desks? 2.) Micro-manage them to death and correct their work standing over their shoulders? 3.) Show an inability to delegate responsibilities and feel you should have yourself cloned because no one can do it as well as you can?

• Are you clueless with customers? — Clueless managers know what’s best for their customer. A clueless manager is a manager that TELLS the customer what they want - rather than LISTENING to what it is that they actually DO want. As a manager, do you: 1.) Shove products and services at customers? 2.) Alienate customers by providing no customer service and provide no training to the staff to do so either? 3.) Shift blame rather than acknowledging policies in place don’t apply and aren’t helpful.

• Are you clueless regarding internal operations? — There are so many ways to mess up here -where to begin? Do you: 1.) Have no concept of expenses or cost of goods and forget obvious expenses? 2.) Fail to include expenses in calculations? 3.) Foolishly cut costs on customer service or elsewhere to save $.03 by doing so?

• Clueless about the Internet? — A clueless manager believes that the Internet is a fad that will soon die and that there’s little to no value to it. Do you: 1.) Refuse to take advantage of all the opportunities it offers? 2.) Design a hard to navigate site, burying your products in it forcing visitors through 80 pages to buy something? 3.) Consider blogs and social networking sites useless teenage fads?

The above questions deliver a dose of sarcasm - but the stark reality is that the issues exist. Not only do they exist, they are prevalent. And good managers will recognize their own strengths and weaknesses. Clueless managers feel they have none. If you can answer “yes” to any of these questions, you can help your staff perform their jobs, create trust, and build relationships with them by listening to Wayne’s humorous approach to clueless management.

Need a reality check? Click the player below to listen to the full interview of Wayne Hurlbert, an online business commentator at BlogBusinessWorld.

Listen Now:

 How to Avoid Being a Clueless Manager [28:47m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Posted by Staci Wood | Comments (5) | Permalink