Did you know that Microsoft Word is costing you money? Well, not just money but more importantly it’s costing you time. Google Documents, on the other hand can save you both. A few pros; you don’t have to re-name a document after certain changes or hand documents around. Google Docs also has automatic upgrades and web-based auto tracking functions. Believe me, I love Microsoft Office, too but you can’t hold on forever!

Tired of having all of your company’s contacts through your e-mail? This is time-consuming and leads your colleagues and employees on frantic searches. There is a software called Salesforce to save the day! It does cost some per month, but if this is a big problem $5-$25 won’t be an issue. Salesforce keeps all of your data accessible by any employee, from anywhere.

If you’re still logging onto your social media clients separately, you might as well be living in the Middle Ages. You have Tweetdeck and Hootsuite for that, of course. Besides you never know who can access your accounts from a web browser. Security is a risk these days, so be smart!

Tired of keeping receipts and tracking mileage? It’s a hassle and can lead to undesirable headaches if lost. Try the mobile app ProOnGo. This app is relatively cheap and tracks all of your information for your employer, taxes, or personal records.

Do you find yourself in your car, dodging other cars trying to answer phone calls, e-mails and text messages? In these stressful days where it’s hard to make money, but easy to work everywhere your phone is your lifeline, until it isn’t. Automobiles and technology used to not mix. Even Oprah said not to text while driving and this is one thing we can agree upon. Your solution: Got2bWireless the Voice. It’s a weird name but it makes up for it with style and ease on your life. Very user friendly, you can do something as easy as set your Bluetooth to answer phone calls to answering e-mails. You can pretty much control everything on your car or phone from this little, $90 device. Voice recognition is still in beta phases overall so you may need to spend a little time learning how to work that. But, answering and ending a phone call then answering 20 e-mails on your commute? Priceless.

Technology is changing everyday and it’s hard to not be overwhelmed by all of the gadgets and information out there. You have to step up your game and become familiar with the most basic of products to learn the complicated ones. The web is your best source for finding which products will help your small business to strive. The key is to keep informed. Even a few minutes a day searching tech advances will open a world of technology that you didn’t know was out there. In almost all cases someone else has done the work for you, all you need to do is go find it!

In that great search for knowledge, I will help explain what an LLC can help you do for your small business. An LLC is a Limited Liability Company. This means you combine the limited owner liability of a corporation with the tax ease of and help of a partnership. If you own an LLC, you are a Member. That sounds fun, huh? A Member can be an individual or company, depending on who are what owns the small business.

Now that you know what an LLC is, aren’t you wondering how you will get taxed as a Member? Of course you are. Simply enough, your business would not be taxed. You and each Member will get taxed based on incomes individually. Although this seems easy enough, there are many annual forms that need to be filled out correctly. That’s another lesson for you, Mr. or Ms. Small Business Owner; you have to get your paperwork in!

Another benefit is that you do not have personal liability for a debt. Pretty sweet, huh? Also, as an LLC, you will not have to have shareholder meetings, but will have to keep records for annual state reports.  You don’t have to have an operating agreement, so your operation is like a partnership, without federal regulations.

Not everything is an advantage with high taxes and fees in some states and lack of group medical insurance. But there are some things that help, like multiple owners and ability to split loss or profit with the business. If you want to start your business as an LLC, get your paperwork done and keep your inspiration! What you’re going to do is not easy, but after all of the steps you’ve taken in the few minutes to read this shows you’ve got the nerve. Now, all you have to do is keep it. Bonne chance, my friend and remember step number 3. You can never stop learning how to improve your small business and fulfill your dreams!

HOW CES 2012 IS THE KEY

The question could be asked, what if there wasn’t an app for that? Thankfully, in 2012, that is not an issue. People are pumping out smartphone applications like the steel industry pumped out weapons in the 1940′s; and as in the same era, it will change the world forever. It will change, more importantly, your small business and how you conduct it. We have done other posts about mobile applications, but as the years go on the applications change, increase and become more of a daily utility. Want some more to play with? That’s why we are here. Some of these are paid and some are free, but all will only increase your business productivity. So, without further ado, away we go!!

First, we will start out with some simple and fun. “mbPointer” is a way to use your iPhone as a pointer while conducting a PowerPoint presentation. Sounds ridiculous, but it is useful and your fellow colleagues and clients will be impressed with your tech savvy idea.

 ”Quickoffice” is a brilliant app that I, myself, have used many many times. It is used to edit a MS Word or Excel document on YOUR PHONE. Like I said, really brilliant.

 ”Clockin” is great for those who need to keep track of your clients’ projects and the amount of time (and in that respect, money) spent on them. Wonderful for those who work at home or on the go!!

 ”Air Display” is perhaps one of my favorites. This app allows you to use your iPad as another monitor for your computer. Sick of printing out hundreds of pages for that meeting? This app can help and increase your “green” ability which, along with technology know-how, is another impressive attribute.

Don’t have Siri to do your bidding? “Google Voice” is available for Android and iPhone users. Same concept, except it doesn’t talk back. To me, not having another woman tell me what to do is a blessing. You can send text messages, get visual voicemail and have access to many other awesome sidekick type uses.

 ”Tungle.me” allows you to sync your present calendar with a public one. This allows your clients to book appointments with you and you to suggest meeting times.

 ”Daylite Touch” is definitely more of a team application than just for one person. This allows you to combine tasks, calendars, projects, time lines and contacts for everyone to see.

Do you often participate in online meetings but need to share screens in real-time? “Fuze Meeting” lets you do this all while talking on the phone.

Since mobile payment has really taken off in the last year or so, it will truly only get bigger with apps like Google Wallet. Here are a few, in the meantime, to help you jump on the virtual money bandwagon:

“iSwipe“: Major credit card payments on your phone
“Square“: You have to use an iPhone or iPad and have a reader, but it works
“Cimbal“: Pay using a smartphone in stores, online or from person to person
“Venmo” Pay using an iPhone, Android or Blackberry
“Paypal” You have to have a Paypal account, but who doesn’t these days?

 ”Right Signature” is for the legal-minded and allows users to sign contracts, proposals and NDAs from your phone.

 ”Mobile Receipt” is something I like to call my little best friend. Since I have a fear of using bank logs, this is perfect for keeping track of what I spend my money on. This app lets you take HD pictures of receipts and email or text expense reports… HEAVEN!

All of these apps can help you in your business or personal life, keep up with technology. Come into 2012 with me… Come on! I promise it will only get better and be more fun to run your business on a day-to-day basis. These items can also be accessed from your home computer. I, myself, use Google Chrome which allows your home apps to be your “home page”. Now, get downloaded and remember, business can be fun too.

]]> http://nolavirtualsolutions.com/more-mobile-applications-january-2012/feed/ 0 http://nolavirtualsolutions.com/investing-in-the-future/ http://nolavirtualsolutions.com/investing-in-the-future/#comments Thu, 22 Dec 2011 17:37:43 +0000 admin http://nolavirtualsolutions.com/?p=66 Continue reading →]]> It has not been easy for small businesses. Keeping up with the times and staying “in the know” when it comes to technological advances has never been cheap without that corporate discount that seems to make life so much easier.  But, alas, times they are a-changin’. It seems we have finally reached that Tech Age where small businesses are revered instead of shunned. Yes big corporations like Wal-Mart or Google are still driving this bus, but small businesses are at least still on the ride.

It was recently released that MasterCard and Microsoft have merged into a “dream team for small businesses.” If you have no idea what that means, you are not alone. Let’s explain. In July ’11, Office 365 was introduced as a cloud-based initiative. For a low monthly price (only 6 dollars) a business of one individual up to 100,000 individuals can access THE CLOUD. To break this down into layman terms; anyone can access from any device emails, documents, files, contacts and calendars. From a virtual assistant to the owner of that mom-and-pop toy store down the street or the boutique just outside of the mall, who would consider this service too expensive or not worth it? Yes, incredible things can be done from mobile phones, but many rely on computers and real files and documents to maintain a business. Sharing just got easier and cheaper!

Now for the merge we were talking about before. Where does MasterCard come in, you ask? A few days ago it was announced that a strategic move to increasing trust from small business owners was taking place. Microsoft has joined Office 365 to deliver not only technology but an easy payment system that only small businesses can take advantage of. MasterCard will give a 10% savings to small business cardholders when Office 365 is purchased through the MasterCard Easy Savings Program. (Terms and Conditions are provided here: easysavings.com)

Although this may sound like MasterCard propaganda, it is really just a way for me to communicate savings to you. Office 365 really can help your business and it’s cheap enough where I don’t feel like I am selling out my soul to big businesses looking for a cut of your profits. Ten percent off of six dollars a month? Not too shabby, in my opinion anyway. It’s not just about the savings, but it’s a legitimate, tangible way to get your small business on its’ path for the future. Check it out. Take advantage. You can thank me later.

One of the first reasons would be your TO-DO LIST as it ever expands. Yes it may not be represented by stacks of paper as it once was but today our to-do lists are measured in stressed-out hours in the day and how there are never enough of them. Your Virtual Assistant, in their digital knowledge, can run through your emails, tackle tedious data entry and even Google every little phrase or idea that comes into your head… and that is just the beginning.

I hate to be the one to say it and not to deflate your ego but your VA will KNOW MORE than you and their skills will only benefit your business. I’m not saying that you aren’t smart. You’re a small business owner, so give yourself some credit!! But, honestly, I doubt it was your dream to stay on the cusp of expanding technology. That is where your VA makes you look brilliant. Sending emails back and forth everyday and writing in your good ole date book were perfect for those first few years but you need to step your game up and that is utilizing your best resources; your Virtual Assistant’s experience. So, while your VA is managing tasks, you can manage your dream.

Ok, I’ll be the one to say what you already know. SAVING MONEY is good. I understand that is easy to say but difficult to execute. Virtual Assistants can help. While they can multi-task and have a great set of skills, they aren’t full-time employees. Although you are spending money  by outsourcing certain tasks, the time you save not doing data entry, bookkeeping or trivial emailing  yourself can be better spent with product improvement, business planning or even wooing potential clients in lunch business meetings.

Your VA knows how to NETWORK and knowing the right people is half of the battle. If your Virtual Assistant is good at what they do, you will have an abundance of contacts at your disposal. It is true that VAs started out networking and it is truly a tight-knit community. That means better people to do business with and if your VA doesn’t know how, they sure can find someone that does.

There are so many benefits to hiring a contractor, from tangible things like having their own equipment to having their own personal insurance that allows a VA to become an immediate asset. Whether you have been in the business owning game for a while or are a newbie like so many are today, having someone else to lean on in times like these is beyond beneficial. My point is that a small business does not have to be a one-person show. Hire a VA and tell me I’m wrong.

The Intuit 2020 Report is a look at 20 trends that will shape the next decade for small businesses in demographical, social, economic and technological standards. Although it was released in February 2011, many small businesses do not have the time or simply do not know where to look to gather this type of helpful information. For an in depth look at the report and how it was developed, www.intuit.com/2020 has all related reports and materials.  

Our fourth and final glimpse into our Intuit 2020 crystal ball will focus on Technological Trends for small businesses in the next decade. With a forever-expanding cloud and advanced gadgets, industries, communities and most of all your consumer’s lives are always changing. This means change for you.

17. I know you have heard of “the cloud”. It’s in commercials, on your computer, and mobile network… the cloud for most is something out-of-reach that you just don’t quite understand. Well, that’s why we are here! Check out Wikipedia’s explanation… Wikipedia: “Computing Cloud” (it comes with pictures!) and you will see that the cloud is just a way to describe a service instead of a product. Utilities that you can’t see, like everything from data storage (having all of your pictures on the internet instead of stored on your compute) to a virtual server. This cloud, that is now the phase du jour in the business world, will change the entire infrastructure of businesses, even small ones. It seems that technologies on this large scale are meant for corporations, but with lower virtual space costs, even small businesses can maintain a steady flow of revenue.

The Intuit Report states that this cloud will not only expand to create a greater virtual atmosphere for serves you use and provide, but that it will change businesses “four walls and a ceiling” mentality. No longer will cubicles be the standard but at-home and own-time structure will become the norm. When working with a company’s cloud, everything can be accessed from anywhere, including personal computers and even mobile devices. As you can see, business will never be the same.

18. Become proficient in data collection, management and analysis. It is imperative, as a small business owner, that data interpretation is a huge part of your training and own understanding. Virtual space is vast and with so much data available, discerning the important from the spam will be a talent that most businesses will need in order to stay relevant and keep a “competitive advantage”. Although in the future there is not data overload that is not to say there is minimal data allowed. There will be so many others that hire for this specific purpose that a small business must learn the ins and outs of data management.

19. Social and mobile networks and the way they change client’s decisions and risk assessments will show you how important they become. When merged, these technologies will have a great influence on those that influence you and your business. Most importantly, combined networks will help clients with those businesses’ values and competition.

20. Our lives and businesses are changing as we type. Gadgets and utilities are getting smarter every day and will continue to do so for the next decade. The technology business is a difficult one to maintain because as soon as you are the “new guy” you are the “old guy”. As a small business owner, now is your time. You do not have to pay what the corporations pay and then renovate your techniques a few years later. You can change with the tides of technology and an advantage like that is worth more than gold. Yes, the larger companies in most cases are helping develop the gadgets and their services that you use, but they are also footing most of the bill. By the time it comes across your desk, it is nearly void of bugs and minimized for greatest utilization.

As you saw in this series, the next decade will bring change. From what you use to how you use it and who it will be used for. To maintain ahead of the pack all you have to do is stay on top of the “new”. That isn’t hard. Information is everywhere. Just make it a priority to look and you are already in a better percentile than most businesses that see it as a waste of time. I’m sure all of those companies that did not accept credit cards until the last decade wish they could get that revenue back. Don’t stay stuck in the past. The future is here.

The Intuit 2020 Report is a look at 20 trends that will shape the next decade for small businesses in demographical, social, economic and technological standards. Although it was released in February 2011, many small businesses do not have the time or simply do not know where to look to gather this type of helpful information. For an in depth look at the report and how it was developed, www.intuit.com/2020 has all related reports and materials

Part three of our look into the 20 trends of the Intuit 2020 report focuses on a favorite in times of recession, economic trends. It is true that these difficult financial times will result in the next decade improving the economic business model to minimalist standards. Small businesses must change. The boom of the 90’s does not apply and although we have frequently discussed technology’s impervious status to fluctuating markets, things like employees and even materials, shipping and products themselves will inflate your current business model. So, let’s get this show on the road with the next decade’s economic trends for small businesses!!

10. Developing countries have a lot of people that reside in them. The keyword here is “developing” and all that that implies. Resources, exports and the like will be a big draw in a new financial market and will be taken advantage of. These new states that used to be third-world, will find themselves in a middle class situation. Small businesses cannot afford to overlook this “global middle class” and will find themselves marketing toward them. Things are not so cut-and-dry regionally anymore, as the U.S. is not a power house necessarily and is cutting the pie more thinly these days. Other countries want a piece too and, according to the report, they will get one in a big way.

11. Starting a new small business used to be a rich-or-ruin venture. Not anymore! Minimalist business models and modest start-up cost will greatly reduce the personal cost of starting up and even running a new small business. A big part of this is cheap technology. One example is an iPad with a credit card swiper that allows even the artist on the street to accept Visa and MasterCard. Another or an add-on would be the rage nowadays, and that is simply starting your business online with no need for a rented space or unneeded employees. This is what I mean by minimal. During a recession, cutting the fat will mean a lot of new things. Methods of every aspect of the business world will change and become smaller and easier, from the way we order to the manufacturing and even the delivery of the product. This new model is not a bad thing and can even end up better for you, the business owner. 

12. Is “being green” really just a trend? Not according to the report it’s not. It will become a “competitive requirement to reduce your carbon footprint” as the owner of a small business. Regulations and taxes will surely help you in this endeavor. As the economy bounces back, resources will be strained and prices will increase. There will be more population, pollution and an overall lack of supplies. “Being green” isn’t just the new thing, it’s the only thing.

13. Another smart trend, and one that we all have been feeling the pressure of for the last few decades, is the trend of health and wellness. Not only being and feeling healthy, but the way it will affect your financial model. In short, health and wellness will be the largest economic industry in the world. Seniors are not stopping anytime soon and increases in other chronic illnesses from pollution, will send the health and wellness field up, up and away. Yes, high-tech procedures and equipment do not come cheap, but when these uses are expanded, they will be. A large part of this is due to a health-conscious society. It’s like the exercise boom of the 80’s, multiplied by a hundred!!

14. It is strange, but I do like the term “flexible workforce”. That is what the next trend focuses on. The lack of the normal work hours and pay will develop into a contingent force, such as free-lancers. This does flow with the previous trends we have discussed, such as a lack of institutional insurance and retirement packages. No 9 to 5 here, minimalism ensues with more efficient workers, pay and hours.

15. Originality among small businesses is a game-changer. This will be the trend, also, for the next decade. Consumers will demand it. Unique products and services will be in-demand, but more importantly, easier to deliver. With the help of the internet and social networks and reduce-cost tools, these “niche markets” will find their way into everyone’s lives. New ideas have always helped small businesses, but now it will direct them in a way that is different from every business model since the beginning of the industrial age. Far from the assembly lines and mass-production of factories, minimalism (I know, that word again!) will really make its impact in the production phase.

16. Large corporate giants will eat mid-size businesses. It’s a fact that you see every day in your “financial” section of the paper. Google just bought Motorola and AT&T is trying to buy T-Mobile. These acquisitions will not change overnight and the fatties will keep getting fatter. According to this trend, though, the winner is you. Small businesses will flourish. With “niche” products and services to cheap start-up costs, small businesses win out, hands down. The “mid-size” company’s business model doesn’t work anymore. In the next decade, the costs will be too high and the demand too small for a mid-size business with mass production of products and services. The same could be said for large corporations, but the difference is the different products and services that they offer. It’s like comparing a local restaurant chain to Johnson & Johnson, which sells over 200 different brands. It’s a completely different monster, but, not one that you will be worried about. While they are busy with billion dollar mergers, small businesses will be more than happy with original ideas, cheaper methods and (hopefully!) larger profits.

Except for the business model, I do not thing so much will change in the next ten years. Big businesses will stay big and small businesses are already seeing so much change. The things that do not stay the same will not be big BOOM! changes, but simple day-to-day differences that you will not notice right away. But that is how life works. I hope reading this article will give you the heads up that your business needs to what? STAY ON TOP OF THE GAME!!!

Part four, and the final part of this series, will delve into one of our favorite subjects on this blog… Technological trends of the next decade!! I won’t give too much away, but as you might suspect in this minimalist future, technology rules.

The Intuit 2020 Report is a look at 20 trends that will shape the next decade for small businesses in demographical, social, economic and technological standards. Although it was released in February 2011, many small businesses do not have the time or simply do not know where to look to gather this type of helpful information. For an in depth look at the report and how it was developed, www.intuit.com/2020 has all related reports and materials. 

In Part two of our glimpse at the Intuit 2020 Report, the focus steers away from Demographics and the effect the changes of them in the next decade will have on your small business, and steers us toward Social Trends for the next 10 years. Social Trends are important to your business so you will know what your consumer and client needs before they do. Staying ahead of the game is what it is all about and social trends are a big way for you to change your business accordingly. It may be small changes that increase revenue and overall benefits to your success. One through five of this series was geared toward demographics so, with the report guiding us, we start off with number six.

In this part of the Report, it is stated that technology will transform communities. I am sure you are not only seeing it out of your window right now, but it is inside your own home. Your blackberry, your laptop, your tablet, your TV… technology has taken over our lives. I’m not saying it’s a bad thing, it is just so mundane to our everyday existence that we don’t necessarily notice how every aspect of our lives is consumed with microchips. It already affects whole communities, but in the next decade as technology becomes cheaper and easier to access, the social trends will start to depend on it even more.

6. Social networks will leave your aunt’s status update behind, and converge as a whole new medium. Politics and economics will depend on social networks to reach the people. These reaches will ultimately be used to make decisions on a civic level. Seems a lot to put onto your Aunt Milly, right? Think of the people that could be touched and the votes that could be encountered once Facebook goes political… It’s only a matter of time. It is true that more people spend time paying attention to their “farms” on Facebook than attending politically driven parties. To use social media for important decisions affecting our communities seems like the best way to go.

7. People will invest their time in their own locales as a way to tie family into their work. “Local economic development” will create new ties to the community. Yes, in demographics we discussed the urban trend increasing, but that was not to say impersonal trends were increasing also. It seems, according to the report, that personal is the new black. Since urban trends are the wave of the future, it seems there are no more dreams of making it to the “big city”. Little Martha Anne will just have to focus on her own community and make it bigger and better to fit her liking.

8. In the next decade what we knew was coming will arrive. Many have been feeling the heat for years but finally the government will take off its gloves and let us go by ourselves into this world. No longer will social support systems carry us, but things like healthcare and retirement will be our own burden. Growing up I was always told that I was paying social security now out of my own paychecks (I’ve been earning a paycheck since I was 15) but would never see it come to fruition. This is happening now, my friends. All of those years of hard work and my generation will never see a dime of social security. Seniors are living longer, doing more. Retirees a.k.a. Baby Boomers are sucking up all of our security. But, we knew it was coming. Just as New Orleanians have been joking for decades about the “big one” that turned out to be Katrina, my generation has been joking about social security. It’s like a pretty little myth we always read at bedtime. All of this just means that we will have to figure out our own retirement and insurance issues. We may be “shouldering the risk” but it is a risk we don’t have a choice but to take. I’ve been beefing up my 401K, I hope you have too!!

9. This next trend is really interesting. It states that consumers are becoming all-to-aware of the products and services that infiltrate their lives. Soon, customers will be seeking you out, instead of the other way around. This is a great thing for most. If you produce a quality product, there is no reason this should hurt your small business. It’s just another trend to become familiar with. When the balance does shift from your hands to your clients’, then quality will outweigh quantity. I hope you have been doing your homework because it seems your consumers have.

These social trends may seem small on paper, but in the next decade (out in the real world) they will change everything. It will be small and big changes and you may not even notice them until one day you read this article again and that AHA! moment will hit you. But social change is always expected, day to day and decade to decade. It is nothing to fear. As a small business owner you must stay ahead of your clients and consumers no matter what product or service you offer. Ahead of the game is mantra on this blog, but it is imperative if you don’t want to become the next MySpace of small businesses.

Part Three of the Intuit 2020 series will focus on a favorite in recession times, Economic Trends. Yay! Stay tuned…

The Intuit 2020 Report is a look at 20 trends that will shape the next decade for small businesses in demographical, social, economic and technological standards. Although it was released in February 2011, many small businesses do not have the time or simply do not know where to look to gather this type of helpful information. For an in depth look at the report and how it was developed, www.intuit.com/2020 has all related reports and materials.  

To start off, the Intuit report promises a renewed economy from the Great Recession that we have experienced recently. The best thing that this recession has brought is cheaper technology. With gasoline and food, technology has become one of those “elastic” products that cannot just be dismissed as easily as entertainment and expensive clothing. Yes, you may not go to the movies every weekend anymore or visit your favorite restaurant as often, but your cell phone bill is still $100. This type of dedication to technology will allow the growth of computing and mobile power.

After the recession, increased demand and growing concerns for the enviroment will create a new business model. It’s all about mininmalization in the future. Small businesses reduction paired with big business marketing will converge a new market. The “pop up” businesses that were started up for direct demands and certain ideas of 2010 will not go away any time soon.

As for the 20 trends promised in the report, they are both socially relevant as well as an eye-opener for small businesses like yours. 

In Part one, the report focuses on demographics. These are ages, genders and economic class that are not only important to the future and focus of your small business but these are people that will be clients and employees. Trends in gender and age vary from decade to decade but are an expanding part of social and economic change.

1. Your kids that can jump on your iPhone and navigate like a novice? That is a direct indication of the future. We are there now, with kids having tablets in school to replace even laptops. Things they are a-changin… Tech savvy kids will direct the small business market and will be hard to ignore. As they grow up, simple everyday tasks will be part of the tech growth that we are beginning to see now. As many small businesses do include children, their interests or well-being, this is something not to be simply dismissed. Your business will change, just as dot com businesses in the 90’s realized that teenagers had disposable income and reasons to be online chatting it up… trends geared toward younger generations do not simply disappear.

2. Senior citizens are not retiring. The baby boom generation is still kicking and is unlikely to stop anytime soon. Gray-haired or not, have you seen a 70-year-old lately? Not exactly the grandma with cookies version that we have become so used to. Now-a-days, grandmas are more likely to be taking kick-boxing classes and telling you that carbs are the devil. With this lack of retirement age, jobs must be able to keep up with the demand of having new working classes enter every year, with no one leaving. Seniors will continue on their current jobs, or even opt to start new careers. Also, with this extra income, businesses geared toward the baby boomers will not falter. They must be entertained as well, you know. This creates an even bigger consumer market and allows small businesses to have a broader range of employer and employee.

3. Women are, and will be, a force to be reckoned with in the next decade. Economically and socially, women are directing the future. Women in leadership roles are  ever-increasing and “according to analysis by Boozer & Company, 870 million global women who have not previously participated in the mainstream economy will gain employment or start their own businesses”. Yea, that is right… 870 MILLION? Wow. Those are not numbers your business can ignore, and we all knew women were smarter anyway (just kidding guys).

4. We have seen cultural differences become a part of pop culture, mainly due to the expansion of the World Wide Web. Everything from Gwen Stefani’s harajuku obsession to Madonna making kabbala trendy shows how important different cultures are to today’s social distortion and trends. This will not stop anytime soon. Japan will develop more technology. China will produce more products. But this interest in other culture’s traditions is a great way to stay on top of your business. Exotic ideas have always been an interest and focal point in society. Adding an exotic allure to your small business will be a way to show your clients your knowledge and acceptance of differences. Nothing is more attractive than that.

5. The next “trend” has been in the works for the last 300 years. Remember reading about the Industrial Revolution in high school? It is not over. Urban living will continue to curb economic growth into the next decade. “With about 60 percent of the global population living in cities and suburbs by 2020” the rural-driven economy is on the outs. This allows for shorter commutes and all-around city-driven small businesses. Mom and Pop stores may not be around for much longer but that doesn’t mean that small businesses will become extinct also. It’s a different model for the future, but that doesn’t mean it’s not better.

These demographic trends do not seem entirely surprising. They have been in the works for some time but are something to keep in mind as they affect you and your clients. Whether you own a boutique or are a virtual assistant, who has the money and who is directing where the money goes are the most important trends to keep your eye on. In next part of this series will focus on social trends and, again, how they affect you and your small business.