With talk about gas prices, and the economy slump, people have forgotten about the immigration crack-down and its impact on small businesses owners as they grapple to comply, particularly those that specialize in diversity recruitment. What can small business owners do to protect themselves from federal penalties as they recruit and hire new talent and not be accused of racial discrimination? Can your readers be spared from lawsuits from both sides of the table?
A small group of South Carolina entrepreneurs serve as a perfect case study of the small business transformation in the U.S. in the face of immigration crack-downs at the state and federal levels. We are looking to tell their story and shed light on the realities that these entrepreneurs, and others around the nation, are facing in our changing times.
Sincerely,
N. Perez
Alexandria, VA
I wanted to give you a heads-up on the move update noncompliance issue proposed by the USPS that will go into effect on Nov. 23rd of this year. The penalty is pretty hefty and could affect businesses who are hanging on in this tight economy. If there are mail pieces that are deemed noncompliant, then the entire mailing is noncompliant. As a result, the mailer could be subject to a 7 cent per mail piece penalty for every mail piece across the mailing, not just on the undeliverable-as-addressed (UAA) pieces.
The USPS is committed to reducing UAA mail by 50% by 2010. To help reduce UAA mail and the estimated $2 billion it costs the USPS annually, the Postal Service ™ has expanded the Move Update standard to include all Standard Mail® in addition to First-Class Mail®; shorten the minimum frequency of change-of-address processing from 185 to 95 days prior to the date of mailing to be eligible for automation and presort discount rates.
For additional information on the new Move Update requirements, your readers can download Melissa Data’s complimentary whitepaper at www.melissadata.com/stopUAA.
Best,
S. Starr
Ladera Ranch, CA
I felt your Minorities and Women in Business readers would be very interested in learning about the work the Manufacturing Alliance and Project Success are doing. During these challenging economic times the Atlanta based Manufacturing Alliance is working to support the forgotten small to medium size southeastern manufacturers who aren’t on the governments “stimulus package” radar screen, but provide the overwhelming majority of manufacturing jobs in the southeastern United States.
The Manufacturing Alliance is a consortium of Gold Certified Microsoft Partners that employ a deep understanding of the needs and nuances of the small to medium sized manufacturers in the Southeast. While your readers may not know much about Project Success Incorporated (PSI) or project management in general, PSI is a sleeping giant in one of the hottest disciplines in business, industry, government and everyday life – project management.
More importantly, amid these unprecedented economic times, there has never been a more critical time for corporations to effectively plan, manage and close out their projects. While training budgets are being cut to the bone, manufacturing corporations cannot allow their corporate or divisional projects to fail!
The Project Success Method is a unique, proven and fire-tested methodology which has been used by Fortune 500 companies for over 25 years. It will now allow small or medium sized companies, groups or managers to learn and develop consistency in the way they plan, schedule, manage, control and close out projects on time, per spec and within budget— in as little as 3 to 5 days.
Thanks for your time.
Sincerely,
W. Urban
Atlanta, GA
After reading my latest issue of MWIB, I just had to write to say how helpful the financial information, especially the article on the bank, was. Our company was experiencing tremendous growth and we had begun planning for expansion. Then, the financial market went south. Without any warning, the bank we had been doing business with for years suddenly froze our credit. Since we had never had a problem with the bank before I was sure there was some sort of mix-up. However, when I went to the bank to meet with our banker I was told that their action was a result of what the bank was going through and that there was nothing to be done.
This created a major hardship for us. We were unable to make payroll so our only recourse was to layoff our entire staff. While I do not attribute racism to every negative experience, when I talked to other minority owners who were going through the same thing I began to think that the bank’s decision was based on more than the economic situation.
After reading the article on Torrey Pines Bank [“It’s About Relationships,” June/July issue], I decided to contact our banker again to see what our options were. I am happy to share with you that we have found investors who are interested in our company and things are looking better. I always find useful information in your magazine but this time it truly was a lifesaver.
Thank you!
Name Withheld by Request
Chicago, IL
Does your audience know what others are saying about them on the Internet? Sue Scheff was an everyday person who found out the hard way that slander awaited her in cyberspace. Her business, her reputation, her livelihood were decimated. She took out a second mortgage, fought back, and won an $11.3M case – a landmark Internet defamation case.
Don’t let the same thing happen to your audience. As co-author Scheff says, “Internet defamation is an equal opportunity offender. It does not discriminate on the basis of your profession, sex, color, religion, or anything else. NO ONE is immune.” Internet hacks make the headlines daily. People like Erin Andrews, Bill O’Reilly, Ellen DeGeneres, and Oprah have access to attorneys and crisis management teams, but everyday people like Scheff can be completely ruined by an Internet attack.
Some people think they are safer if they avoid Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, MySpace and other social networking sites – Wrong. Your readers should know that if they want to protect themselves online, the worst thing they can do is remain uninvolved.
Thank you,
J. Bucher
Round Rock, TX