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10 Tips and Tools for Bringing Your Business into 2019

Every year, small businesses need to look back and determine what worked for their business and what strategies may need to be adjusted for the coming year. But these adjustments don’t need to be reserved for January 1. If you want to get a head start on preparing your business for 2019, check out these tips, insights and resources from members of the online small business community. By now, you’ve probably learned that Google is shutting down Google+ next year. Though the popularity of this platform burned out fairly quickly, its loss could still impact some marketing factors for local businesses. Learn more about how to adjust your strategy in this Bright Local post by Jamie Pitman.

Spotlight

BlueVine

BlueVine allows small businesses to get paid immediately on their outstanding invoices. With BlueVine, companies can free up their cash for paying expenses and growing their business. The company is backed by leading venture capital firms, and based in Redwood City, CA.

OTHER ARTICLES
Technology

Bridging B2B Gaps: MyTradeZone's Innovative Approach to Business Networking

Article | July 18, 2023

Become a member of MyTradeZone.com and build your permanent online booth showcasing your company profile, products, and services at the always-open networking event – it only takes minutes – the site is free to join. While social media demonstrates its prowess as a potent instrument for establishing connections with prospective clients and bolstering lead generation within the B2B sector, one vital challenge remains - the absence of a dedicated platform exclusively tailored for B2B enterprises. MyTradeZone has emerged as a guiding light within this domain, presenting a comprehensive solution customized to cater to the needs of B2B professionals and leaders. MyTradeZone's intelligent B2B search engine is your gateway to connect with other businesses to promote your products and services and to source products and services from suppliers. According to Forbes, 91% of small businesses used social media as a way of connecting with their market in 2021. A Gartner report also revealed that approximately 40% of B2B buyers use social media to help inform their purchasing decisions. Meanwhile, around 84% of C-level and VP-level buyers are influenced by social media when purchasing, according to International Data Group. However, despite the variegated benefits of social media, B2B players face significant hurdles when they lack a unified platform to conduct their operations. They lack a trade and social networking site for businesses. Without such a platform, they struggle to access the benefits that come with it, including: Difficulty in reaching niche audiences of professionals and businesses. Limited access to industry-specific products and services with insights and content. Struggles in fostering networking connections that actually count. Inability to personalize business content for improved and direct engagement. Challenges in utilizing specialized tools for effective lead generation. Concerns regarding data privacy and security. Dealing with overcrowded and chaotic digital spaces. Struggles in achieving measurable returns on investment directly aligned with business goals. Cost-effectively promoting their products & services, and generating leads. Taking advantage of emerging AI technology to do smart match-making. Furthermore, the costs and limitations of physical events exacerbate these challenges, such as: Participating in multiple physical trade shows and events at different locations is costly and often not feasible. This leads to missed opportunities for companies to reach potential prospects effectively. Networking opportunities at physical events are limited to the event's duration. The lack of a B2B creator ecosystem with monetization tools compounds these challenges. To address these challenges, B2B marketers often seek alternative approaches, such as an extensive exploration of various social media channels to reach and engage their target audience. Unfortunately, these efforts frequently fall short of achieving their desired results. In such a scenario, imagine the ease and convenience of having an innovative all-in-one solution readily available! MyTradeZone has emerged as a beacon in this space, offering a comprehensive solution tailored to B2B professionals. Here’s why it stands out: Targeted B2B Networking and Lead Generation MyTradeZone addresses the primary challenge of reaching a precise audience in the B2B sector. With its tailored approach, businesses can engage directly with other professionals, bypassing the clutter typically found on generic social media platforms. This precision in networking leads to more effective lead generation and relationship building. A Social Network Dedicated to Business One of the platform's strengths is its ability to provide users with access to social networking and collaboration tools specialized for B2B networking. Customizable and Intelligent Matchmaking The platform's AI-driven algorithms offer intelligent matchmaking and recommendations, aligning businesses with potential clients and partners who share similar interests and needs. This results in highly efficient and relevant connections. Monetization Opportunities for Creators MyTradeZone recognizes the importance of content creation in the B2B space. It empowers creators to monetize their work through peer-to-peer payments, creating a vibrant ecosystem for sharing valuable industry knowledge. Event and Trade Show Integration For trade associations and event organizers, MyTradeZone presents a unique opportunity to enhance their offerings. By integrating their events and trade shows into the platform, they can offer additional value to members and sponsors, extending networking opportunities beyond the limitations of physical event dates. Enhanced Data Privacy and Security In a world where data privacy and security are paramount, MyTradeZone places a strong emphasis on protecting its users' information. This commitment to security builds trust and credibility among its users. It enables users to exercise control over their privacy settings, allowing them to determine both the content that is displayed and the audience with whom it is shared. User-Friendly Interface and Tools The platform is designed with user-friendliness in mind. Businesses can easily establish a permanent profile, engage in discussions, manage groups, and utilize various tools for content sharing and collaboration. Provides a Unique Platform for Advertisers and Marketers MyTradeZone’s B2B search engine offers highly targeted – and – cost-effective advertisements to both buyers and sellers. Also, it provides a highly targeted audience with measurable metrics. Visionary Leadership Under the guidance of CEO and Chairman, Bachir Kassir, MyTradeZone leverages his extensive experience in the software and B2B industry to provide a platform that truly understands and meets the needs of its users. MyTradeZone.com also offers paid premium plans. You can see the details at https://mytradezone.com/pricing. For example, you can upgrade your listing from a free to Business Essential plan, and you can automatically have up to 10 keyword phrases of your choice where you company appear on the top of a search results. This alone worth trying the premium edition. MyTradeZone offers more than just a B2B social network; it provides a holistic solution for businesses looking to master the intricacies of the digital realm. With its focused approach, innovative features, and commitment to user experience, it stands as an indispensable tool for any B2B professional looking to make a mark in today's competitive environment. For additional inquiries, reach out to contact@mytradezone.com. Meanwhile, to stay updated on future platform improvements and promotions, connect with us at MyTradeZone.com. Scan the QR for more details.

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Small Business Trends

5 Tax-Related Resolutions for Smarter Small Business Accounting in 2020

Article | May 29, 2023

Accountants working with small businesses often play the role of business advisors, especially when it comes to educating their clients about tax regulations and reducing their tax bill by taking all legitimate factors into account. We’ve gathered four tips that accounting professionals can use as a check-list to give to their small and mid-size business owner clients looking to make better financial decisions this year.

Read More
SMALL BUSINESS ADVICE, BUSINESS STRATEGY

7 BIGGEST ENTREPRENEURIAL MISTAKES

Article | July 20, 2023

This is the first post in a seven-part-series detailing the biggest entrepreneurial mistakes business owners make. The series will run over the next few weeks so check back to learn more. These are the 7 Biggest Mistakes I have seen entrepreneurs and companies make that can devalue their Intellectual Property (“IP”) portfolio, damage their brand, or sink a deal. If you are considering turning your idea into a business, read this carefully first. There are other mistakes you can make, but these are the deal-breakers. Any one of these can cost you big bucks, credibility in the eyes of investors and potential partners, and ultimately lead to evaporation of the value of your idea.

Read More

How to Report Revenue on a Small-Business Credit Card Application

Article | February 10, 2020

When filling out the “revenue” portion of a small-business credit card application, you want to make your small business or side hustle look its very best without stretching the truth. But revenue can swing dramatically from year to year, and credit card applications often don’t spell out what you should or shouldn’t include when reporting it. So what counts as an honest, just-the-facts answer? Generally, in credit card applications, issuers want to know your verifiable gross revenue from the previous year.

Read More
Technology

Navigating Small Business E-commerce in the Competitive Landscape

Article | July 18, 2023

Become a member of MyTradeZone.com and build your permanent online booth showcasing your company profile, products, and services at the always-open networking event – it only takes minutes – the site is free to join. While social media demonstrates its prowess as a potent instrument for establishing connections with prospective clients and bolstering lead generation within the B2B sector, one vital challenge remains - the absence of a dedicated platform exclusively tailored for B2B enterprises. MyTradeZone has emerged as a guiding light within this domain, presenting a comprehensive solution customized to cater to the needs of B2B professionals and leaders. MyTradeZone's intelligent B2B search engine is your gateway to connect with other businesses to promote your products and services and to source products and services from suppliers. According to Forbes, 91% of small businesses used social media as a way of connecting with their market in 2021. A Gartner report also revealed that approximately 40% of B2B buyers use social media to help inform their purchasing decisions. Meanwhile, around 84% of C-level and VP-level buyers are influenced by social media when purchasing, according to International Data Group. However, despite the variegated benefits of social media, B2B players face significant hurdles when they lack a unified platform to conduct their operations. They lack a trade and social networking site for businesses. Without such a platform, they struggle to access the benefits that come with it, including: Difficulty in reaching niche audiences of professionals and businesses. Limited access to industry-specific products and services with insights and content. Struggles in fostering networking connections that actually count. Inability to personalize business content for improved and direct engagement. Challenges in utilizing specialized tools for effective lead generation. Concerns regarding data privacy and security. Dealing with overcrowded and chaotic digital spaces. Struggles in achieving measurable returns on investment directly aligned with business goals. Cost-effectively promoting their products & services, and generating leads. Taking advantage of emerging AI technology to do smart match-making. Furthermore, the costs and limitations of physical events exacerbate these challenges, such as: Participating in multiple physical trade shows and events at different locations is costly and often not feasible. This leads to missed opportunities for companies to reach potential prospects effectively. Networking opportunities at physical events are limited to the event's duration. The lack of a B2B creator ecosystem with monetization tools compounds these challenges. To address these challenges, B2B marketers often seek alternative approaches, such as an extensive exploration of various social media channels to reach and engage their target audience. Unfortunately, these efforts frequently fall short of achieving their desired results. In such a scenario, imagine the ease and convenience of having an innovative all-in-one solution readily available! MyTradeZone has emerged as a beacon in this space, offering a comprehensive solution tailored to B2B professionals. Here’s why it stands out: Targeted B2B Networking and Lead Generation MyTradeZone addresses the primary challenge of reaching a precise audience in the B2B sector. With its tailored approach, businesses can engage directly with other professionals, bypassing the clutter typically found on generic social media platforms. This precision in networking leads to more effective lead generation and relationship building. A Social Network Dedicated to Business One of the platform's strengths is its ability to provide users with access to social networking and collaboration tools specialized for B2B networking. Customizable and Intelligent Matchmaking The platform's AI-driven algorithms offer intelligent matchmaking and recommendations, aligning businesses with potential clients and partners who share similar interests and needs. This results in highly efficient and relevant connections. Monetization Opportunities for Creators MyTradeZone recognizes the importance of content creation in the B2B space. It empowers creators to monetize their work through peer-to-peer payments, creating a vibrant ecosystem for sharing valuable industry knowledge. Event and Trade Show Integration For trade associations and event organizers, MyTradeZone presents a unique opportunity to enhance their offerings. By integrating their events and trade shows into the platform, they can offer additional value to members and sponsors, extending networking opportunities beyond the limitations of physical event dates. Enhanced Data Privacy and Security In a world where data privacy and security are paramount, MyTradeZone places a strong emphasis on protecting its users' information. This commitment to security builds trust and credibility among its users. It enables users to exercise control over their privacy settings, allowing them to determine both the content that is displayed and the audience with whom it is shared. User-Friendly Interface and Tools The platform is designed with user-friendliness in mind. Businesses can easily establish a permanent profile, engage in discussions, manage groups, and utilize various tools for content sharing and collaboration. Provides a Unique Platform for Advertisers and Marketers MyTradeZone’s B2B search engine offers highly targeted – and – cost-effective advertisements to both buyers and sellers. Also, it provides a highly targeted audience with measurable metrics. Visionary Leadership Under the guidance of CEO and Chairman, Bachir Kassir, MyTradeZone leverages his extensive experience in the software and B2B industry to provide a platform that truly understands and meets the needs of its users. MyTradeZone.com also offers paid premium plans. You can see the details at https://mytradezone.com/pricing. For example, you can upgrade your listing from a free to Business Essential plan, and you can automatically have up to 10 keyword phrases of your choice where you company appear on the top of a search results. This alone worth trying the premium edition. MyTradeZone offers more than just a B2B social network; it provides a holistic solution for businesses looking to master the intricacies of the digital realm. With its focused approach, innovative features, and commitment to user experience, it stands as an indispensable tool for any B2B professional looking to make a mark in today's competitive environment. For additional inquiries, reach out to contact@mytradezone.com. Meanwhile, to stay updated on future platform improvements and promotions, connect with us at MyTradeZone.com. Scan the QR for more details.

Read More
Small Business Trends

The Future of E-commerce: Trends and Innovations for SMBs

Article | May 29, 2023

Accountants working with small businesses often play the role of business advisors, especially when it comes to educating their clients about tax regulations and reducing their tax bill by taking all legitimate factors into account. We’ve gathered four tips that accounting professionals can use as a check-list to give to their small and mid-size business owner clients looking to make better financial decisions this year.

Read More
SMALL BUSINESS ADVICE, BUSINESS STRATEGY

Building a Resilient SMB E-commerce: Best Practices for 2023

Article | July 20, 2023

This is the first post in a seven-part-series detailing the biggest entrepreneurial mistakes business owners make. The series will run over the next few weeks so check back to learn more. These are the 7 Biggest Mistakes I have seen entrepreneurs and companies make that can devalue their Intellectual Property (“IP”) portfolio, damage their brand, or sink a deal. If you are considering turning your idea into a business, read this carefully first. There are other mistakes you can make, but these are the deal-breakers. Any one of these can cost you big bucks, credibility in the eyes of investors and potential partners, and ultimately lead to evaporation of the value of your idea.

Read More

How to Report Revenue on a Small-Business Credit Card Application

Article | February 10, 2020

When filling out the “revenue” portion of a small-business credit card application, you want to make your small business or side hustle look its very best without stretching the truth. But revenue can swing dramatically from year to year, and credit card applications often don’t spell out what you should or shouldn’t include when reporting it. So what counts as an honest, just-the-facts answer? Generally, in credit card applications, issuers want to know your verifiable gross revenue from the previous year.

Read More
MORE ARTICLES

Spotlight

BlueVine

BlueVine allows small businesses to get paid immediately on their outstanding invoices. With BlueVine, companies can free up their cash for paying expenses and growing their business. The company is backed by leading venture capital firms, and based in Redwood City, CA.

Related News

MARKETING AND NETWORKING, SMALL BUSINESS TRENDS

MyTradeZone.com Joins Certified Trade Mission to Hong Kong to Explore Business Expansion Opportunities in Asia

MyTradeZone | November 28, 2023

MyTradeZone.com, a trade and Social Networking for businesses, is pleased to announce its upcoming visit to Hong Kong from December 4th to 8th, 2023. Bachir Kassir, founder of MyTradeZone, will join a delegation of American companies to Hong Kong as part of a U.S. Department of Commerce Certified Trade Mission organized by IBS Global Consulting with the support of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council and the U.S. Commercial Service. The delegation, comprising a diverse group of American companies, aims to foster cross-border partnerships, explore export opportunities, and deepen economic ties between the United States and Hong Kong. The visit to Hong Kong presents an exciting opportunity for MyTradeZone.com to expand its global reach, tap into new markets, and establish key connections with Hong Kong's dynamic business community and trade associations. With Hong Kong's strategic location as a gateway to the Asia-Pacific region, robust financial services sector, and reputation as a major international trade hub, this visit holds immense promise for American enterprises looking to navigate the Asian market. Led by Tonya McNeal-Weary, Managing Director at IBS Global Consulting, the delegation will engage in a series of high-level meetings, networking events, and industry-specific forums during the five-day visit. These activities are designed to facilitate mutually beneficial partnerships between U.S. and Hong Kong businesses across various sectors. [MyTradeZone.com] is a disruptive business networking platform, and is like an always open trade show: • Businesses: Add company profile page. Showcase products & services. Network locally and around the world • Event Organizers, Trade Associations, & Networking Groups: Provide value-added offering to members & sponsors in a public or private setting • Creators & Group owners: Monetize your creations via peer-to-peer payment enablement • Advertisers and Marketers: MyTradeZone's B2B search engine offers highly targeted and cost-effective advertisements to both buyers and sellers • Business Professionals: Grow your professional network, chat, connect, follow, takes notes, share and collaborate As an official member of the delegation, MyTradeZone will have the opportunity to gain firsthand insights into Hong Kong's business landscape, explore regulatory frameworks, exchange best practices, and forge lasting relationships with key stakeholders. Additionally, the itinerary includes tailored site visits to cutting-edge facilities and industrial parks, showcasing Hong Kong's commitment to innovation and entrepreneurship. The visit to Hong Kong aims to enhance trade cooperation and seeks to highlight the enduring friendship between the United States and Hong Kong. As both economies continue to recover from the challenges posed by the global pandemic, this visit becomes even more crucial in reinvigorating trade ties and promoting long-term economic growth. About MyTradeZone.com MyTradeZone is a social networking platform for businesses. We are working on the next thing to disrupt business networking. MyTradeZone is a forward-thinking B2B media technology company reshaping how businesses connect and network. MyTradeZone's B2B search engine offers highly targeted and cost-effective advertisements to both buyers and sellers. MyTradeZone is also a perfect companion offering to trade show organizers and networking groups offering value added benefits to both members and sponsors.

Read More

TECHNOLOGY

Trellix Achieves AWS Small and Medium Business Competency

Business Wire | January 29, 2024

Trellix, the cybersecurity company delivering the future of extended detection and response (XDR), today announced it has achieved the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Small and Medium Business Competency, recognizing the company as an AWS Partner with a unique focus on small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). Achieving the AWS Small and Medium Business Competency differentiates Trellix as an AWS Partner, demonstrating proficiency and proven success in helping SMBs solve their business and technical problems. Trellix is equipped to handle these challenges with solutions designed around customers’ unique needs in mind, including consideration for SMB’s typical deployment models, level of IT capabilities and financing preferences, and local and industry requirements. “Trellix is proud to achieve the AWS Small and Medium Business Competency,” said Jason Andrew, Chief Revenue Officer, Trellix. “Our team is dedicated to helping businesses of all sizes achieve their goals, and our combined offerings with AWS empower SMBs with the agility, support, and innovation needed to do so.” AWS is enabling scalable, flexible, and cost-effective solutions from startups to global enterprises. To support the seamless integration and deployment of these solutions, the AWS Competency Program helps customers identify AWS Partners with deep industry experience and expertise. Along with an extensive partner ecosystem, Trellix accelerates technology innovation through machine learning and automation to empower businesses to build cyber resilience and stay ahead of the evolving threat landscape. The AI-powered Trellix XDR Platform’s open architecture and broad set of native security controls integrates with over 500 third-party tools to create multi-vector, multi-vendor event correlation and context, enabling faster detection, investigation, and remediation of threats. “We partnered with Trellix to explore new ways to automate investigations,” says Chuck Lerch, CXO Head of Cybersecurity, Cyberuptive. “In this groundbreaking work, we combined the Trellix XDR Platform’s rich data and investigative playbooks with large language models (LLMs) running on AWS to make comprehensive assessments of alerts. The results provide useful insights, demonstrating the value of focusing on security research instead of how to run an LLM at scale.” About Trellix Trellix is a global company redefining the future of cybersecurity and soulful work. The company’s open and native extended detection and response (XDR) platform helps organizations confronted by today’s most advanced threats gain confidence in the protection and resilience of their operations. Trellix, along with an extensive partner ecosystem, accelerates technology innovation through machine learning and automation to empower over 40,000 business and government customers with living security.

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TECHNOLOGY

Alibaba.com Introduces New AI-Powered Feature at CES to Boost Efficiency and Growth for SMEs and Entrepreneurs in 2024

PR Newswire | January 10, 2024

Alibaba.com, a leading platform for global business-to-business (B2B) e-commerce and part of Alibaba International Digital Commerce Group (AIDC), will launch its latest Smart Assistant features powered by artificial intelligence (AI) at CES in Las Vegas, NV from January 9-12, 2024. The Smart Assistant, an AI-powered global sourcing tool, caters to both newcomers and seasoned entrepreneurs in the dynamic world of global commerce. As a one-stop B2B sourcing platform, Alibaba.com remains committed to delivering innovative solutions to help buyers and suppliers streamline operations to more efficiently reach their goals and continue to grow. The Smart Assistant updates unveiled at CES will help business owners adeptly enhance their supply chain and solve complex sourcing needs and challenges as they seek to stand out in today's competitive marketplace. "Today's small businesses face a variety of headwinds, but with the right technology and support, they can feel confident that they will overcome obstacles and help their business thrive, which is why we're expanding the features of our new Smart Assistant tool to better serve today's entrepreneurs," said Chris Lu, General Manager at Alibaba.com North America. "With advances in AI, we are ushering in the next generation of sourcing and empowering small businesses to succeed with our Smart Assistant at their side." The Smart Assistant: Shaping the Future of Sourcing Alibaba.com developed the Smart Assistant as an AI-powered, intuitive personal guide to sourcing that helps small business owners discover new opportunities, stay up-to-date on trends, seamlessly track orders and more in a single, efficient touchpoint. First announced at CES and coming soon to the Alibaba.com Smart Assistant is the Instant Help feature, which leverages an AI-powered chatbot to answer basic inquiries and offer real-time insights and resources, regardless of time zones or language barriers. The Instant Help feature provides buyers with essential knowledge and industry insights about a variety of verticals and product types, as well as offer tips to elevate their communications with suppliers. It will help ensure small businesses can increase efficiency, purchase smart and keep up with trends by leveraging AI to increase competitive advantages. Since their launch in September 2023, the first two features of the Smart Assistant – Upgraded Image Search and Smart Request for Quotation (RFQ) – have already provided significant benefit to entrepreneurs using the Alibaba.com desktop platform. Based on Alibaba.com's internal study since September 2023, buyers using the Upgraded Image Search have seen a 28% higher deal closing rate than those only using traditional text search. Buyers who used the Smart RFQ tool saw 29% more quotes from suppliers, while suppliers saw a 21% increase in buyer responses to quotes as compared to the original RFQ process. "Developed from buyer-supplier feedback and embedded with profound industry knowledge, we are excited to demonstrate how the Smart Assistant rapidly and accurately produces product requests and images aligning with buyer needs," Lu said. "Smart Assistant helps buyers embrace their creativity, improve the efficiency of matching buyers and sellers, while making sourcing more accessible for all." Alibaba.com will provide a showcase of Smart Assistant features at their booth on Wednesday, January 10, 2024 at 11:00 AM PT, hosted by smart sourcing expert Stella Shenshen. The Alibaba.com booth is located at the Las Vegas Convention Center's Tech East in the AI and Robotics section in North Hall's Grand Lobby on level 1, Booth 9017. Visitors to the booth will also have the opportunity to network and connect with 20 top-rated suppliers in-person, personally experiencing the ways Alibaba.com offers buyers advanced sourcing solutions and AI-powered tools to take their business to the next level. Tech and AI Power the Future of Businesses, E-commerce and Sourcing In addition to announcing new Smart Assistant features at CES, Alibaba.com leadership will discuss the evolution of e-commerce and sourcing, as well as how sourcing has been influenced and improved by AI and other technological innovations. Going "Entreprenuts" to Support Small Business Innovation To complement its presence at CES, Alibaba.com is also debuting a new campaign celebrating entrepreneurial spirit and innovation. The Entreprenuts campaign highlights how entrepreneurs are willing to bet big, as well as maintain persistence and boundless creativity, against daunting odds. In other words, they can go a little "entreprenuts" to achieve their dreams and create new products – just like the products showcased each year at CES. Throughout the Entreprenuts campaign, which will run from January 8 through February 8, 2024, Alibaba.com will encourage buyers to share stories of their craziest entrepreneurial moments, utilizing the most "nuts'' stories in a video highlight to showcase what it means to be an Entreprenut. Buyers can also earn their Entreprenut badge and profile by answering a questionnaire that will determine their unique Entreprenut characteristic. At the end of each quiz, buyers will be provided with exclusive tools and services to help them achieve their goals as they kickstart 2024. "This campaign demonstrates Alibaba.com's continued support of small and medium-sized businesses in the United States and helping them realize their entrepreneurial dreams and push beyond what others might believe possible," said Rah Mahtani, Head of Marketing for North America at Alibaba.com. "As buyers share their experiences, Alibaba.com will offer innovative new resources and products to help these 'Entreprenuts' succeed on their journey." The campaign debuts at a key crossroads for small business owners. The US has seen a surge in the number of newly registered businesses, which hit record highs in both 2021 (5.4 million) and 2022 (5.1 million). Sadly, 20% of these new businesses face failure within the first two years, and a staggering 45% of startups do not surpass the five-year mark due to challenges such as market volatility, supply chain disruption, shifting consumer demands, and inventory management. This makes the tools and capabilities Alibaba.com offers, which are designed to help entrepreneurs level up their sourcing and supply chain operations in the increasingly competitive small business arena, more valuable than ever. About Alibaba.com Launched in 1999, Alibaba.com is a leading platform for global business-to-business (B2B) e-commerce that serves buyers and suppliers from over 200 countries and regions around the world. It is engaged in services covering all aspects of commerce, including providing businesses with tools that help them reach a global audience for their products and helping buyers discover products, find suppliers and place orders online fast and efficiently. Alibaba.com is part of Alibaba International Digital Commerce Group.

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MARKETING AND NETWORKING, SMALL BUSINESS TRENDS

MyTradeZone.com Joins Certified Trade Mission to Hong Kong to Explore Business Expansion Opportunities in Asia

MyTradeZone | November 28, 2023

MyTradeZone.com, a trade and Social Networking for businesses, is pleased to announce its upcoming visit to Hong Kong from December 4th to 8th, 2023. Bachir Kassir, founder of MyTradeZone, will join a delegation of American companies to Hong Kong as part of a U.S. Department of Commerce Certified Trade Mission organized by IBS Global Consulting with the support of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council and the U.S. Commercial Service. The delegation, comprising a diverse group of American companies, aims to foster cross-border partnerships, explore export opportunities, and deepen economic ties between the United States and Hong Kong. The visit to Hong Kong presents an exciting opportunity for MyTradeZone.com to expand its global reach, tap into new markets, and establish key connections with Hong Kong's dynamic business community and trade associations. With Hong Kong's strategic location as a gateway to the Asia-Pacific region, robust financial services sector, and reputation as a major international trade hub, this visit holds immense promise for American enterprises looking to navigate the Asian market. Led by Tonya McNeal-Weary, Managing Director at IBS Global Consulting, the delegation will engage in a series of high-level meetings, networking events, and industry-specific forums during the five-day visit. These activities are designed to facilitate mutually beneficial partnerships between U.S. and Hong Kong businesses across various sectors. [MyTradeZone.com] is a disruptive business networking platform, and is like an always open trade show: • Businesses: Add company profile page. Showcase products & services. Network locally and around the world • Event Organizers, Trade Associations, & Networking Groups: Provide value-added offering to members & sponsors in a public or private setting • Creators & Group owners: Monetize your creations via peer-to-peer payment enablement • Advertisers and Marketers: MyTradeZone's B2B search engine offers highly targeted and cost-effective advertisements to both buyers and sellers • Business Professionals: Grow your professional network, chat, connect, follow, takes notes, share and collaborate As an official member of the delegation, MyTradeZone will have the opportunity to gain firsthand insights into Hong Kong's business landscape, explore regulatory frameworks, exchange best practices, and forge lasting relationships with key stakeholders. Additionally, the itinerary includes tailored site visits to cutting-edge facilities and industrial parks, showcasing Hong Kong's commitment to innovation and entrepreneurship. The visit to Hong Kong aims to enhance trade cooperation and seeks to highlight the enduring friendship between the United States and Hong Kong. As both economies continue to recover from the challenges posed by the global pandemic, this visit becomes even more crucial in reinvigorating trade ties and promoting long-term economic growth. About MyTradeZone.com MyTradeZone is a social networking platform for businesses. We are working on the next thing to disrupt business networking. MyTradeZone is a forward-thinking B2B media technology company reshaping how businesses connect and network. MyTradeZone's B2B search engine offers highly targeted and cost-effective advertisements to both buyers and sellers. MyTradeZone is also a perfect companion offering to trade show organizers and networking groups offering value added benefits to both members and sponsors.

Read More

TECHNOLOGY

Trellix Achieves AWS Small and Medium Business Competency

Business Wire | January 29, 2024

Trellix, the cybersecurity company delivering the future of extended detection and response (XDR), today announced it has achieved the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Small and Medium Business Competency, recognizing the company as an AWS Partner with a unique focus on small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). Achieving the AWS Small and Medium Business Competency differentiates Trellix as an AWS Partner, demonstrating proficiency and proven success in helping SMBs solve their business and technical problems. Trellix is equipped to handle these challenges with solutions designed around customers’ unique needs in mind, including consideration for SMB’s typical deployment models, level of IT capabilities and financing preferences, and local and industry requirements. “Trellix is proud to achieve the AWS Small and Medium Business Competency,” said Jason Andrew, Chief Revenue Officer, Trellix. “Our team is dedicated to helping businesses of all sizes achieve their goals, and our combined offerings with AWS empower SMBs with the agility, support, and innovation needed to do so.” AWS is enabling scalable, flexible, and cost-effective solutions from startups to global enterprises. To support the seamless integration and deployment of these solutions, the AWS Competency Program helps customers identify AWS Partners with deep industry experience and expertise. Along with an extensive partner ecosystem, Trellix accelerates technology innovation through machine learning and automation to empower businesses to build cyber resilience and stay ahead of the evolving threat landscape. The AI-powered Trellix XDR Platform’s open architecture and broad set of native security controls integrates with over 500 third-party tools to create multi-vector, multi-vendor event correlation and context, enabling faster detection, investigation, and remediation of threats. “We partnered with Trellix to explore new ways to automate investigations,” says Chuck Lerch, CXO Head of Cybersecurity, Cyberuptive. “In this groundbreaking work, we combined the Trellix XDR Platform’s rich data and investigative playbooks with large language models (LLMs) running on AWS to make comprehensive assessments of alerts. The results provide useful insights, demonstrating the value of focusing on security research instead of how to run an LLM at scale.” About Trellix Trellix is a global company redefining the future of cybersecurity and soulful work. The company’s open and native extended detection and response (XDR) platform helps organizations confronted by today’s most advanced threats gain confidence in the protection and resilience of their operations. Trellix, along with an extensive partner ecosystem, accelerates technology innovation through machine learning and automation to empower over 40,000 business and government customers with living security.

Read More

TECHNOLOGY

Alibaba.com Introduces New AI-Powered Feature at CES to Boost Efficiency and Growth for SMEs and Entrepreneurs in 2024

PR Newswire | January 10, 2024

Alibaba.com, a leading platform for global business-to-business (B2B) e-commerce and part of Alibaba International Digital Commerce Group (AIDC), will launch its latest Smart Assistant features powered by artificial intelligence (AI) at CES in Las Vegas, NV from January 9-12, 2024. The Smart Assistant, an AI-powered global sourcing tool, caters to both newcomers and seasoned entrepreneurs in the dynamic world of global commerce. As a one-stop B2B sourcing platform, Alibaba.com remains committed to delivering innovative solutions to help buyers and suppliers streamline operations to more efficiently reach their goals and continue to grow. The Smart Assistant updates unveiled at CES will help business owners adeptly enhance their supply chain and solve complex sourcing needs and challenges as they seek to stand out in today's competitive marketplace. "Today's small businesses face a variety of headwinds, but with the right technology and support, they can feel confident that they will overcome obstacles and help their business thrive, which is why we're expanding the features of our new Smart Assistant tool to better serve today's entrepreneurs," said Chris Lu, General Manager at Alibaba.com North America. "With advances in AI, we are ushering in the next generation of sourcing and empowering small businesses to succeed with our Smart Assistant at their side." The Smart Assistant: Shaping the Future of Sourcing Alibaba.com developed the Smart Assistant as an AI-powered, intuitive personal guide to sourcing that helps small business owners discover new opportunities, stay up-to-date on trends, seamlessly track orders and more in a single, efficient touchpoint. First announced at CES and coming soon to the Alibaba.com Smart Assistant is the Instant Help feature, which leverages an AI-powered chatbot to answer basic inquiries and offer real-time insights and resources, regardless of time zones or language barriers. The Instant Help feature provides buyers with essential knowledge and industry insights about a variety of verticals and product types, as well as offer tips to elevate their communications with suppliers. It will help ensure small businesses can increase efficiency, purchase smart and keep up with trends by leveraging AI to increase competitive advantages. Since their launch in September 2023, the first two features of the Smart Assistant – Upgraded Image Search and Smart Request for Quotation (RFQ) – have already provided significant benefit to entrepreneurs using the Alibaba.com desktop platform. Based on Alibaba.com's internal study since September 2023, buyers using the Upgraded Image Search have seen a 28% higher deal closing rate than those only using traditional text search. Buyers who used the Smart RFQ tool saw 29% more quotes from suppliers, while suppliers saw a 21% increase in buyer responses to quotes as compared to the original RFQ process. "Developed from buyer-supplier feedback and embedded with profound industry knowledge, we are excited to demonstrate how the Smart Assistant rapidly and accurately produces product requests and images aligning with buyer needs," Lu said. "Smart Assistant helps buyers embrace their creativity, improve the efficiency of matching buyers and sellers, while making sourcing more accessible for all." Alibaba.com will provide a showcase of Smart Assistant features at their booth on Wednesday, January 10, 2024 at 11:00 AM PT, hosted by smart sourcing expert Stella Shenshen. The Alibaba.com booth is located at the Las Vegas Convention Center's Tech East in the AI and Robotics section in North Hall's Grand Lobby on level 1, Booth 9017. Visitors to the booth will also have the opportunity to network and connect with 20 top-rated suppliers in-person, personally experiencing the ways Alibaba.com offers buyers advanced sourcing solutions and AI-powered tools to take their business to the next level. Tech and AI Power the Future of Businesses, E-commerce and Sourcing In addition to announcing new Smart Assistant features at CES, Alibaba.com leadership will discuss the evolution of e-commerce and sourcing, as well as how sourcing has been influenced and improved by AI and other technological innovations. Going "Entreprenuts" to Support Small Business Innovation To complement its presence at CES, Alibaba.com is also debuting a new campaign celebrating entrepreneurial spirit and innovation. The Entreprenuts campaign highlights how entrepreneurs are willing to bet big, as well as maintain persistence and boundless creativity, against daunting odds. In other words, they can go a little "entreprenuts" to achieve their dreams and create new products – just like the products showcased each year at CES. Throughout the Entreprenuts campaign, which will run from January 8 through February 8, 2024, Alibaba.com will encourage buyers to share stories of their craziest entrepreneurial moments, utilizing the most "nuts'' stories in a video highlight to showcase what it means to be an Entreprenut. Buyers can also earn their Entreprenut badge and profile by answering a questionnaire that will determine their unique Entreprenut characteristic. At the end of each quiz, buyers will be provided with exclusive tools and services to help them achieve their goals as they kickstart 2024. "This campaign demonstrates Alibaba.com's continued support of small and medium-sized businesses in the United States and helping them realize their entrepreneurial dreams and push beyond what others might believe possible," said Rah Mahtani, Head of Marketing for North America at Alibaba.com. "As buyers share their experiences, Alibaba.com will offer innovative new resources and products to help these 'Entreprenuts' succeed on their journey." The campaign debuts at a key crossroads for small business owners. The US has seen a surge in the number of newly registered businesses, which hit record highs in both 2021 (5.4 million) and 2022 (5.1 million). Sadly, 20% of these new businesses face failure within the first two years, and a staggering 45% of startups do not surpass the five-year mark due to challenges such as market volatility, supply chain disruption, shifting consumer demands, and inventory management. This makes the tools and capabilities Alibaba.com offers, which are designed to help entrepreneurs level up their sourcing and supply chain operations in the increasingly competitive small business arena, more valuable than ever. About Alibaba.com Launched in 1999, Alibaba.com is a leading platform for global business-to-business (B2B) e-commerce that serves buyers and suppliers from over 200 countries and regions around the world. It is engaged in services covering all aspects of commerce, including providing businesses with tools that help them reach a global audience for their products and helping buyers discover products, find suppliers and place orders online fast and efficiently. Alibaba.com is part of Alibaba International Digital Commerce Group.

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