Leasing an Office Space that Works for You

If your business is starting to take up more room than your home office has to give, it’s time to think about moving your business out of your house. Taking the leap and leasing a commercial office space can be a frightening prospect. But if you ask the right questions and take the time to do your research, you’ll avoid the common pitfalls. 

BBB recommends considering the following when choosing a leasing space that’s right for your business:

What are your needs? Before you start your search, spend some time thinking about what you need in an office space. Don’t just consider how many employees you currently have; seriously consider your company’s growth and estimate how many employees you’ll gain over the course of a lease. The general rule for allotting space is 175 to 250 square feet of usable area per person.   Also consider the common areas such as break rooms, reception area, and conference rooms you and your employees will need. 

Get professional help. Finding the right commercial office space isn’t as easy as finding residential property.  Chances are you’ll need a realtor to navigate you through the process of finding that perfect office space.  Before you select your realtor, check out their free BBB Business Review. 

Location, Location, Location. The perfect location can often depend on what kind of business you run.  If you regularly expect clients in your office you’ll need a convenient, safe, location. Where is the competition located? 

Consider safety and accessibility—parking, public transportation—as well as the condition of the building and the neighborhood.  Will your employees be able to easily get to work?

Take a long hard look at the office space and assess the condition of the building. Office space is typically broken down into three categories, Class A, B, and C dependent on the location, age, condition, and amenities with Class A being considered the highest quality. Ask the landlord about recent improvements and upgrades as well as the condition of the AC and heating units.

Also, discuss with your landlord how much remodeling needs to be done to the office space and determine who will foot the bill. You’ll need to consider the basics such as new carpet, fixtures, and fresh paint as well as major interior renovations such as constructing new walls.

Review the lease carefully. It’s time to get out the glasses because you need to make sure you read all of the fine print of your lease.  If you need help deciphering the legalese of your lease, an attorney who specializes in lease agreements can help negotiate the terms. Don’t be shy about negotiating; this is a major investment and a big step for your company and you don’t want to get locked into a bad deal.

What other tips can you offer?

Important Tips for Businesses Regarding Checks

A BBB-accredited ad agency in San Antonio, TX recently discovered that bogus checks claiming to be from their company were being used in an over payment/money wiring scam. The checks looked very professional, with the company name and actual routing and account numbers.

People who answered work-at-home want ads on Craigslist were caught up in the scheme. One woman was asked to send out fake checks on behalf of the scammers and was paid by Western Union. When she noticed the Western Union payment was in someone else’s name, she called the real ad agency and asked, “Am I working for you?” The answer was “no.”

She had already sent out 200 bogus checks.

According to the ad agency, the scammers somehow intercepted a check that was sent to a client. They knew something was wrong when someone tried to cash it in another state. Scammers “washed” the check and used it as a template for numerous fake checks in the ad agency’s name.

Which brings up some important tips for businesses regarding checks:

• Monitor your accounts payable. Stop payment on the check and send out another one if too much time goes by and the check appears to be “lost.”
• Use tamper resistant checks. Checks with security features make it harder for crooks who may intercept them to counterfeit or alter them.
• Keep track of check orders. Notify your check supplier and bank if you order checks that don’t arrive in a reasonable amount of time.
• Keep checks secured. Keep reserve supplies of checks, deposit slips and other banking documents locked up and limit the number of people who can access them. 
• Keep your eye on the ball. Don’t leave checks or other bank records unattended while you serve customers. Someone might take them while you aren’t looking.

Beware of Facebook “Fan Page Verification” Scam

Do you have a Facebook page for your business? If so, beware! There’s a new phishing scam that is targeting admins and page owners, according to Hoax Slayer. 

The scam works like this; the user receives an email, which purports to be from Facebook Security, telling them about a new security feature for page owners called the “Fan Page Verification Program.” 

The email explains that to complete the process, the user must choose a 10-digit number that will be assigned as a security code. It threatens that if you do not choose a code, your page will suspended because it is “not considered safe for the wide audience.” 

The link provided at the end of the email brings the user to a fake “Fan Page Verification Program” website, where they are prompted to enter their Facebook login details and the 10-digit code.  However, this is nothing more than an attempt to steal Facebook account details.

If you receive an email like this, BBB recommends that you:

• Do not click any links in the email
• Delete the email
• Keep your virus software up-to-date

(Image courtesy of  http://www.hoax-slayer.com/fan-page-verification-scam.shtml)

Business Owners Guide to Seasonal Hiring

Summer is here and with it brings a multitude of teens, college students and many others looking for employment. Better Business Bureau reminds employers that hiring seasonal workers – regardless of age, involves following many of the laws and regulations that apply to full-time employees.

If you’re hiring seasonal employees, keep in mind:

• State child labor laws differ so it’s important to become familiar with what is allowed – and not allowed in regard to ages, restrictions and allowable types of work for youths and teens 9 and older. Check your state’s website fir specifics.
• Interns – paid or unpaid – should not be treated as replacement employees (even if just for a few months). Have specific tasks or activities designated just for them that would not ordinarily be done by a paid employee. Internships need to be for a specific length of time with no guarantee of a paid position later on.
• Be specific about the job, what it entails and how it should be performed. Don’t differentiate between seasonal and year-round employees, everyone should adhere to company policies and rules and everyone should have their own copy of the company handbook.

Provide safety training at the beginning of employment to ensure seasonal employees understand workplace risks and hazards and what to do if they’re injured on the job.

Seasonal and part-time employees are subject to the same tax withholding rules that apply to other employees.

What other tips can you offer about managing seasonal hires?

Guest Blog: IT Problems? Virtual Desktops May Be the Answer [Infographic]

One major challenge most growing businesses face is keeping pace with IT expansion. As more workstations, servers, and devices are needed, infrastructure expenses and management costs may balloon out of control.

The key to IT flexibility is simplification, and one way to achieve this is by implementing virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI). This technology allows you to shift your business away from a device-centered workspace (where your employees are tied to one machine to do their work) to a user-centered one (where employees can see and access the same digital environment regardless of the machine they’re using). 

Here’s a look at how virtual desktops work and how they may work for you:

VDI Technology

The VDI concept is fairly easy to understand—rather than having a workstation or device with a native 

operating system and applications, these things, along with user preferences, and files are stored remotely on a server. When users log in to any PC, tablet, or other device, they see the same “virtual machine” regardless of where they’re working from. 

You may have used virtual desktops at a library, university, or other organization that handles a large number of users. No matter which computer you use at a VDI-enabled institution, you have access to the same operating system, applications, and files.

How It Can Help Small Businesses

VDI tackles a number of common small business IT problems:

• Management complexity – Rather than having to take the time to update and patch each computer individually, IT managers can push changes through all at once.
• Bring your own device – Employees can log in to the device they choose without losing access to important files and programs.
• Mobile productivity – Virtual desktops make it easier for employees to work at home or on the go.
• Security – Data is easier to secure since it is centralized. You won’t need to worry if employees lose a laptop, for instance, since no information was ever directly stored on that machine.
• Disaster recovery – VDI can help your company get up-and-running again quickly after an emergency since employees still have access to their workstation environments and files.
• Infrastructure costs – Virtual, or “thin,” clients are generally less expensive to purchase and maintain than full workstations.

Companies that have implemented VDI report the following results:

• 11% reduction in desktop support spending
• 20% reduction in time spent on routine maintenance
• 23% reduction in desktop downtime
• 73% reduction in average recovery time

Cautions

Virtual desktop infrastructure is not right for every small business. There are some upfront costs to this  technology, and you may not see an immediate return on investment. Where most companies see a benefit is in reduced administration time and costs.

Are you using VDI or a similar technology in your small business? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Matt Smith works for Dell, a BBB Accredited Business since 1989, and has a passion for learning and writing about technology. Outside of work he enjoys entrepreneurship, being with his family, and the outdoors.

Building a Facebook Page That Works to Your Business' Benefit

Social media has become a dominating force in the eyes of today’s consumer. From YouTube to Facebook, consumers are turning to social media sites now more than ever to get more deeply connected to a business.

A Facebook page can serve as an eye catching way to lure in potential customers – if used correctly. Making sure that your website is up-to-date and fresh is the first step to having a solid, successful Facebook page. Don’t make the mistake of having your Facebook page serve as your only online presence. An eye catching Facebook page is a great way to complement your business’ website.

BBB recommends the following to small businesses that are looking to grow their Facebook presence:

Keep your page fresh, lively and interactive. When posting to Facebook make sure to keep your audience in mind. What would they like to know and what do they need to know? Are you offering any special deals, rewards or promotions? All comments should be kept positive and sincere. Consider polling your audience with a question of the day or week to keep them engaged and feeling valued. 

A picture (and video) is worth a thousand words. Make sure to keep the communication light and avoid talking at your audience. Try mixing it up by adding pictures and videos with fun,telling captions to reel in your audience. 

Spread the love. By becoming fans and “liking” your business partners, vendors and sponsors, you can not only grow your own constituency, but gain more eyes on your work. 

Share the wealth of knowledge. Informative postings that are in-line with your business are a great way to show your followers that you are up-to-date and keeping with the trends of the industry. 

Spring Cleaning? What to Keep and What to Shred

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) says it can’t tell you when it is safe to throw away financial documents, but they do say to keep the information as long as the IRS can assess you additional taxes. Right now, that is approximately seven years. Laws change. Always check with your CPA for the latest laws.

Here are some guidelines:

Credit card statements:
Credit card statements with no tax or other long-term significance can be discarded after one year; remaining statements should be kept for up to seven years. If a consumer receives a detailed annual statement, they should keep it and shred the corresponding monthly statements.

Bank account statements:
Check with your financial institution to determine how far back they keep statements available to you.

Canceled checks:
If purchases are tax related, keep canceled checks seven years. If they are related to your house purchase, renovations, or big items that you purchased, keep them indefinitely. Canceled checks that support tax returns, such as charitable contributions or tax payments, should be held for at least seven years. By the way, banks are required to keep copies of checks for seven years.

Deposit, ATM, credit card, and debit card receipts:
Consumers should save credit, debit, and ATM receipts until the transaction appears on their statement and they have verified that the information is accurate. If it is for a big item and it has a warranty, save the receipt at least until the warranty is up. You might want to save it longer for insurance and/or IRS reasons, if there is a disaster.

Credit card contracts and other loan agreements:
Credit card contracts and loan agreements should be kept for as long as the account is active in case the consumer has a dispute with their lender over the terms of the contract.

Documentation of a purchase or sale of stocks, bonds, and other investments:
Investors should retain documentation of a purchase or sale for as long as they own the investment and then seven years beyond that time. Monthly retirement and monthly investment account statements can be shredded annually after being reconciled with the year-end statement.

Paycheck stubs:
Paycheck stubs can be shredded yearly after the income has been reconciled with a W-2 or other tax forms.

Utility or monthly bills:
Monthly bills should be shredded the year after being received by the consumer. This way, if it’s a power bill, for example, consumers can compare this month’s bill to last year’s bill for any major changes before shredding it.

Electronic Records:
Make sure you back up your data. Technology is always changing. Make sure you are using a method that allows the information to be retrieved.