There may be small businesses that believe social media or marketing will be the answer to some of their financial woes, when in fact, having a quality product that consumers want and need may be the answer to all of our problems. Marketing and social media can help a business promote their products and services, but they cannot sell them. Knowing how to use social media, and knowing what to expect from their use is crucial to any small business owner. Follow the links below for more information about Ohio small business news.
By Dan O’Brien
Police Officer Invents ‘Bolo Stick’ to Protect Schools.
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio — The device is remarkably simple: a steel bracket and anchor pin that affixes to the base of a door, preventing an intruder from opening or forcing that door open.
What’s even more remarkable is that no one else has thought of it until now.
“I’ve been a police officer for 28 years, I’m an instructor at the police academy,” says William Barna, inventor and owner of the Bolo Stick, a security tool that he is marketing to local schools and hopes to sell across the country. The name of the product is derived from a common police term, “Bolo,” short for “be on the lookout.”
Over the last several years, Barna, a resident of Howland, became interested in how school systems responded to security threats, such as a potential gunman in the building. All followed the “Alice” plan, an acronym for alert, lockdown, inform, counter and evacuate. “They would shut the doors, lock them, shut the lights and pile desks and chairs in front of the door to make it harder for an intruder to come in.”
Should Ohio’s minimum wage be increased to $10.10?
CLEVELAND, Ohio – The low-wage workers’ movement, which successfully lobbied last year for minimum wage hikes throughout the country, could rally to increase Ohio’s minimum wage to $10.10.
Last week, state Sen. Kenny Yuko, Democrat of Richmond Heights, introduced Senate Bill 25 that would give minimum wage workers in Ohio a $2-an-hour raise in January 2016. The state’s minimum wage is currently $8.10.
Artheta Peters of Cleveland, who earns the current minimum wage after 13 years as a home health care worker, said she is underpaid for providing one-on-one care to the sick and elderly. She is among the home health care workers who demonstrated locally last year as part of the national fast-food workers’ strikes. Peters and her fellow home health care workers rallied, not only in solidarity with fast-food workers, but also to demand a $15 minimum wage in their field.
Beware Of Small Business Wire Transfer Scam
Late last week, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) issued a wire transfer scam alert for all small businesses in the United States. According to the FBI alert, between October 2013 and December 2014 a total of 1,198 complaints from U.S.- based companies were received dealing with wire transfer scams. Losses from these incidents totaled more than $179 million. The FBI also reports that the scams can follow a Ransomware incident, and may involve a fraudster contacting a vendor and requesting a change of payment to an alternate fraudster-controlled bank account.
How To Mitigate This Type of Scam
If you’re a small business owner, you may be at risk for this kind of scam. The FBI recommends the following mitigation steps for these types of scams:
- Keep all of your anti-virus software up-to-date.
- Educate your workforce about security best practices.
- Be sure that any changes to payments via electronic transfer are verified with an employee of the bank and at a phone number that you utilize for assistance.
