Small Business Trends is now on Facebook and we’d like to invite you to join our community where we encourage you to post links to news and events, upload and share your photos and videos and participate in group discussions.

It’s an open group so come join us, introduce yourself and say hello by posting on our “Wall” and use the “Post a link” feature to post a link to your site or a site you’d like to share with us.

Posted by Staci Wood | Comments (4) | Permalink

If you’re a contractor or skilled tradesman, chances are that an employee, or yourself, has left a job site and left expensive tools behind. Or maybe you’ve left for the job site and have left behind tools needed that day.

Well, Ford Motor Company and DeWALT have some good news for you. They are bringing new meaning to the term “remote office” by recently announcing a set of high-tech features for 2009 Ford F series trucks and E series vans called Ford Work Solutions, including an onboard computer and tool tracking.

Our featured guest in this Episode of The Small Business Trends Radio is Bill Frykman, Product Manager at Ford Work Solutions and Chris Allen, Vice President of Security Products Group at DeWALT. And they are here to discuss the many features that they’ve developed to assist small business owners.

Topics include:

• Who can make use of this technology? — Skilled tradesman such as contractors, painters, landscapers, plumbers, lawn care providers and many more running similar small businesses.

• How does it work? — Safety first. For starters, once you hit the road moving, the in-dash computer functions are disabled so that drivers cannot be distracted while driving. In order to use the technology, the vehicle must be at a stand still. Features include hands free phone functionality, Internet access, GPS technology, remote fleet/vehicle monitoring and performance monitoring just to name a few.

• How do the tools work? — Track tools included in your truck hrough radio frequency identification (RFID) tags. You can buy any number of RFID tags you like. Place them on your tools, register them and then associate the necessary tools to your logged jobs. The system will scan the vehicle upon start up and let you know which ones are missing and which ones are present. These tags also have personal uses. Register and tag camping items, fishing items and the like!

Click the red and yellow player below to listen to the full interview.

Listen Now:

 Ford & Dewalt Contractor Control Centers: Smart Trucks [28:10m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Posted by Staci Wood | Comments (4) | Permalink

The Small Business Summit 2008 - many would say this is the most happening small biz event around. Some big names will be there and there’s plenty to learn along with some exciting new products and services to help you run your business.

So who can we expect to see, what can we expect to learn and what’s new at this year’s Small Business Summit?

Our featured guests in this Special Episode of The Small Business Trends Radio are Marian Banker and Ramon Ray, co-founders of the Small Business Summit 2008 - where the “who’s who” of the small business community will be.

Here’s some information to start with:

• When and Where? — What better place than in the middle of Time’s Square, New York City, at the Crowne Plaza on Monday, February 11th from 8AM EST until 5PM EST.

• Why should I attend this event? — The entire event is geared towards small business and was created by small business for small business. The sponsors, speakers, attendees - everyone - is in the industry of small business and there is also an abundance of networking opportunities at the summit.

The theme for this year’s summit is: Reinvention and Technology. Marian and Ramon share the event’s agenda and some of the faces you can expect to see at this year’s summit. Google and Dell will be in attendance and Marian says be sure to come early - there’s a big surprise at the beginning of the summit!

Would you like to find out more? Click the red and yellow player below to get the complete sneak peek.

Listen Now:

 Small Business Summit to Rock New York [30:04m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Posted by Staci Wood | Comments (3) | Permalink