Five Things To Know This Week:
1) App Overload
2) Time to Upgrade to Wi-Fi 6?
3) 15 Budget-Friendly Tools for Freelancers
4) Most Small Business-Friendly Best Cities
5) Resource of the Week: Collective
Hello Small Business Edge Readers,
5 days until Christmas! As we finish the business year on a resilient note, let us remember to be grateful for the opportunity to do what we love to do every day. Some days are certainly better than others, but I couldn’t imagine doing anything else.
Ginger Siegel, the North America Small Business Lead at Mastercard, feels the same way about her job. I recently interviewed Ginger on the Small Business Edge podcast, and she gave wonderful examples of Mastercard’s work to change small business owners’ lives. Thank you, Ginger—and everyone else working to support the small business economy. It is with your support that we will thrive in 2023!
Brian
App Overload
Are you and your team suffering from app overload? A new study by Forrester and workplace software development firm Airtable reported by WorkLife reveal that employees waste nearly one-third of their workweek trying to find the right information due, in part, to a “preponderance of tech tools,” which can lead to employee disengagement.
A different study from OnePoll reports that American workers say they use 11 different apps and platforms in their day-to-day work and, on average, search for documents or other information 35 times per week, which WorkLife says “adds up to nearly a full workday of potentially wasted time every week.”
Learn more about app overload.
Time to Upgrade to Wi-Fi 6?
Wi-Fi 6 (otherwise known as 802.11ax) brings faster throughput speeds, better battery life, and less bandwidth congestion than what you get with Wi-Fi 5. And today, you can find many routers that “harness Wi-Fi 6’s powerful wireless networking potential.”
But how do you choose the one that’s best for you? PC Mag explains what you need to know and says that if your current router is more than three years old, it’s time to upgrade.
Read more from PC Mag about Wi-Fi 6 and why it may be time to upgrade.
15 Budget-Friendly Tools for Freelancers
Whether you’re launching a new freelance business in 2023 or growing the one you have, freelancers are primarily reliant on technology to help them operate.
MUO (Make Use Of) notes that while you need tech tools to successfully run your business, you don’t need to break the bank to get them.
The (mostly free) tools covered help you track your time (critical for most freelancers), manage your social media, and design graphics (and so much more).
Learn more about 15 budget-friendly tools for freelancers.
Most Small Business-Friendly Best Cities
Thumbtack recently released results for its 2022 Small Business Friendliness Survey, an annual report ranking the best cities and states for entrepreneurs.
Delaware, the only state to earn an “A,” was the top-ranking small business-friendly state, followed by Idaho (“B+”) and Arkansas (“B-“).
Most cities weren’t very small-business friendly, with 70% getting failing grades. The most small business-friendly cities were three cities: Boise, ID (“A-”), Orlando, FL (“B+”), and Providence, RI (“B”).
Read more about the most small business-friendly cities and states.
Resource of the Week: Innovative Ideas for Surviving a Recession eBook
Want a free copy of this brand new eBook from Barbara Weltman, a top small business expert on taxes and more? Barbara is offering the eBook as a thank you for subscribing (also free) to her daily Idea of the Day[r] and Big Ideas for Small Business[r].
The eBook explains what a recession is and how small business owners can minimize the impact of this economic occurrence on their companies. It is packed with ideas and resources to help you manage challenges and succeed.
Click here to visit Barbara’s website and subscribe to her daily newsletter. You will get great ideas and useful information every day!
Click here to listen to my podcast with Ginger.
