It’s been a busy and challenging week for small business owners across the country so this is a great opportunity to recap the week that was in the latest edition of This Week in Small Business.
We’re taking a look at some of the best articles published this week on Small Business Trends. This week, I am joined by fellow Delaware Blue Hen, analyst and co-founder of SMB Group, Laurie McCabe.
Job Market Tightening
Right off the top, we look at the recent LinkedIn Workforce Report. With the economy riding a positive wave, there are plenty of jobs available across the country. However, as we’ve learned, that presents unique challenges for growing small businesses in the bustling economy.
“You’ve got to get a lot more creative,” Laurie tells me. “That may mean hiring more freelancers to fill in when you can … if you can hire someone remotely.”
We then looked at a recent infographic released by the freelance marketplace site Fiverr. They used their Pro Seller users as the mold for what makes a great freelancer. And Laurie says it’s important for said great freelancer to “build their own brand.”
“Shameless self-promotion,” she says. “It is uncomfortable, but you have to do that. You have to make sure the skills you have and the evidence you have for those skills, you’re putting out there in a way that people look at it right away and say ‘Yeah, this person can do that job‘.”
Finally, we look at bad bosses. Laurie somewhat disagrees with the article’s gold medal definition of a bad boss and actually believes an overly critical boss is the worst.
“When someone is at you when you do something, that can be really defeating,” she says.
Check out our whole conversation in the video above. And for the rest of the big headlines this week at Small Business Trends, check out our roundup below.
Employment
Administrative Support, Customer Service and Sales Top Most Popular Jobs at Small Businesses
Small businesses may not be adding jobs at the rate bigger companies are right now. But they are growing and adding new jobs to the economy. What jobs are getting filled at America’s small businesses, however? To find out, leading jobs site Indeed.com looked at the job categories with the most clicks over the last three months.
Management
53% of Small Business Owners Worry Over Cost of Healthcare, Survey Says.
A recent survey of America’s small business owners suggests more than half or 53% count the cost of providing healthcare insurance for their employees as a key concern. Worried About the Cost of Small Business Health Insurance Healthcare costs eat up a huge chunk of the small business operation budget.
Social Media
Facebook Level Up Program Expands to Help Small Game Development Businesses
Six months after Facebook (NASDAQ: FB) launched its gaming creator program, the company announced it is being expanded to give emerging gaming creators a place where they can be discovered. The Level Up Program will help gamers with getting started, getting discovered and eventually start making money.
Startup
ZenSpace Provides Pop-Up Smart Offices for Business Meetings in Busy Locales
ZenSpace supplies on-demand meeting rooms small business owners can book through an app to meet colleagues and clients in otherwise noisy environments like airports. Small Business Trends spoke with Mayank Agrawal, CEO and founder of the company.
Technology Trends
71% of Millennial Small Business Owners Use Tech to Keep Employees Safe
When it comes to safety and the many regulations companies have to abide by, it can be challenging, especially for small businesses. The Nationwide fourth annual Business Owner Survey, reveals 71% of millennial small business owners are using connected technology to keep their employees safe.
New LG Q Stylus Smartphone Provides Small Businesses with a Budget Alternative to Samsung
When it comes to smartphones with a stylus, there is one standard bearer, and it is the Samsung Galaxy Note. The new LG Q Stylus is a midrange smartphone equipped with premium features doesn’t try to compete directly with the Note but still delivers the features at a more affordable price point. The Q Stylus is going to be available in three different configurations.
Recon Sentinel Seeks to Protect Your Home Office from Attacks at the Router
The FBI recently warned home and office routers and network devices were the targets of foreign cyber actors. This news comes just as Cigent Technology announced the launch of a product it calls Recon Sentinel designed to be plugged into a router to add endpoint security for Small Office and Home Office users.
The New ASUS ZenBook Pro May be Perfect – if Somewhat Costly – for Creative Businesses
The new ScreenPad feature on the ZenBook Pro has essentially placed another screen where the touchpad is supposed to be, one-upping Apple’s TouchBar with many more features. And this could be perfect for small businesses in the creative field. 2018 ZenBook Pro Series Asus announced its new ZenBook Pro series along with other more affordable laptops at Computex 2018.