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Laven Insurance - SOUTH BEND

February News       In This Issue * Data Loss Insurance * 12 Ways to Save on Insurance Premiums * Business Insurance Policy Considerations Dear Valued Clients: As this winter plays cat and mouse with us, it calls to mind how life can be unpredictable. In this issue we are highlighting a new area of insurance covering data loss. In addition, we believe you, our customer, prefers to be educated about your policy choices and ways you can address the cost of your premiums. We have added items about business coverage to consider as well as some issues which could affect your personal insurance coverage costs. We wish you the best this year as winter melts into spring. Linda (Laven) Bernth   Data Loss & Protecting Against It     Data breaches from hack attacks are becoming more and more common and are closely followed by data that's lost while physically in transit.   81% of data hacking or losses included social security numbers and/or credit card information.   Attacks against companies are growing bigger and bolder and their targets are smaller, less technically savvy and easier. They're hacking smaller employers and their employees. Closing these holes is proving very difficult, but companies keep fighting. Problem is, security problems that originate with humans usually don't have easy technical solutions.     Nothing can replace personal vigilance.   In this potentially hazardous data environment, Laven Insurance is offering an outstanding data protection policies from several reputable and experienced companies.   Call us at 574.291.5510 to learn how you can inexpensively cover your vital data in case your technological items are breached or lost.       Business Insurance   Time and again when reviewing a business clients' current insurance coverage it is discovered that they have misconceptions about their existing coverage and even serious gaps in coverage.     Sometimes a business might expose itself to new risks (like selling online) and doesn't realize it should talk to their agent about the change in business.        Hopefully, as our client, you're a business owner reading this confident in your coverage. If you're not certain, or perhaps are just searching for answers, Laven has a list of business insurance coverages every business owner should seriously consider.     If you find you don't need some of these coverages now, there's a good chance you may in the future as your business grows. And as always, please keep in mind the coverage suggestions are a good starting point, but, depending on your business, you may need additional insurance coverage not mentioned here.      Not sure if you have the exact right coverage? Call us at 574.291.5510, we'll be happy to help.       A Dozen Ways to Save on Your Insurance   1. Check the policy carefully for correct information. Zip codes, ages and location addresses can affect your rate.   2. Are you getting the additional age discount for senior adults?   3. Check deductibles. Higher deductibles result in savings.   4. Stop paying for coverage you do not need. Jewelry to safety deposit box, old car off collision coverage, etc.   5. Are you a non-drinker?   6. Are you a non-smoker?   7. Have you been consistent with one insurance company, or do you switch every few years? Companies give loyalty discounts.   8. Install an alarm system in your home and car.    9. If you have a small claim, pay it yourself and save your insurance bigger ones.   10. Combine your house and car policies for the extra discounts.   11. Pay annually or quarterly rather than monthly.   12. Talk to your Laven agent at 574.291.5510.

Small Business Development Center - SOUTH BEND

February Newsletter           News OUR RESOURCES. YOUR SUCCESS. HOME  |  BLOG  |  CONTACT       IN THE ISSUE Director Greeting Product Spotlight Client Spotlight Partner Spotlight NEWS Communication Company "saluted" Feb. 7 - click here EVENTS Taking the Fear Out of Technology Series   Developing an Effective Internet Strategy Feb. 16, 2012   Essential Website Design Elements March 22, 2010   High ROI Online Marketing April 26   When: 11:30am - 1:00pm   Cost: $10     All upcoming workshops click here  ______________________     GREETINGS It's almost impossible to believe that it's February already.  It makes me think Spring is just around the corner--at least that's what I've chosen to believe so please don't tell me any differently.   When thinking about what I wanted to share in this newsletter, it occurred to me that I might want to go "back to the basics" and talk a bit about what we do here at the SBDC.  Some people believe we only serve those individuals who are trying to start a business.  We absolutely help those folks but did you know that 52% of the 334 clients we served in 2011 were existing businesses?  That's right and there were a variety of ways in which we offered assistance.  For example, almost 40% of those existing business owners wanted some help in managing their business.  It's tough to make things go day-in and day-out and we were there to offer support and counsel in any way we can!  We also helped owners budget, analyze financial statements, find new ways to market their business, and many took advantage of our ability to value businesses--some just to be better informed about their own business and others who were looking to buy or sell a business.    I've talked to you many times about the commercialization training we offer (Pre-Seed Workshop) and that continued in 2011 and is being planned for 2012.  I have a couple other things I want to share that are in the works but I'll save that for a little later.   Regards, Jan Fye Regional Director  PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT B2C Market Research Researching local market demographics can give your business insight on consumer buying behavior.  ESRI Business Analyst Online provides users the ability to access the same demographic profiles large corporations use when making marketing and site selection decisions.  Grow your business with an accurate view of your market.  Would you like to find new customers? Do you need help evaluating competitors? Are you searching for untapped markets? Do you need help analyzing your trade areas? Are you searching for a new location? Choose from more than 40 preformatted reports.  Define your study area from geographies such as block group, census tract, or zipcode.  Reports give you detailed information by household or other user-defined categories that you can visualize as charts or in a dynamic thematic map.    Contact us today to learn more about how you might best use this business tool!   CLIENT SPOTLIGHT   Featured on YouTube!   We worked very hard in 2011 to introduce you to many of our clients via video.  We set up a YouTube channel and hope you will check out these businesses--to learn more about what they do and how they used the SBDC services. One of our featured businesses is: Fruit Hills Winery and Orchard - David Muir Meet More SBDC Clients Our regional office is not the only one that offers these videos.  All of the SBDC's throughout the State are introducing their clients to you through our State website. Take a look!   Indiana Small Business Development Center   PARTNER SPOTLIGHT  Chamber of Commerce of St. Joseph County    You may be aware that we have a new host as we start 2012.  Jeff Rea, and his team at the Chamber of Commerce of St. Joseph County, have "adopted" the North Central ISBDC into the family.  The Chamber has taken on many of the local economic development responsibilities and the SBDC is a key component in the strategies being developed to grow our region.  Check out some of the great things going on at the Chamber.    Thanks to Jeff, and all our funders, for your support. 2012 Brown Bag Series Taking the Fear Out We are once again going to offer our Brown Bag Series this year.  You might remember we offered the "Taking the Fear Out of Technology" series last year and we are going to be running it again starting in February (take a look at the listing on the left and sign up soon).  As so many of you found this series helpful, we are adding to it going forward.  In January, we offered "Taking the Fear Out of Marketing" and featured a new direct mail service being offered by the USPS (if you haven't heard about Every Door Direct Mail be sure and give us a call and we'll tell you more).  In May, we are offering "Taking the Fear Out of Insurance," and will feature Molly Harbron helping us understand all the decisions that are involved for small businesses when considering risk management.  Later in the year, we are planning a "Taking the Fear Out of Numbers" and more "Taking the Fear Out of Marketing."  I hope you will watch our SBDC website calendar for all these dates, and others, and join us whenever you can! North Central Indiana Small Business Development Center   401 E Colfax Ave Suite 120 South Bend, IN 46617    P: 574-282-4350 TF: 866-508-7232    E: northcentral@isbdc.org

Circa Arts Gallery - South Bend

February Newsletter

Abilita - GRANGER

What Would You Do If You Lost Your Smartphone?       www.abilita.com www.abilitablog.com   Volume 8 Number 1 January 2012   The smartphone may well be the defining device of our generation - a convenient compact repository for important and sometimes critical or proprietary information.  So what would you do if your Smartphone phone were lost or stolen? The following article by Mark Price, an Abilita colleague of mine, will help you to plan proactively to minimize risks and to respond appropriately should you find yourself in this situation. Frank Smith fsmith@abilita.com (574) 273-1218   Having trouble viewing this?  Please click here to view it in your web browser. What Would You Do if You Lost Your Smartphone? By Mark Price The smartphone may well be the defining device of our generation. A truly lightweight and portable computer that lets you surf the web, video conference with your friends, email, play songs, store your vital data and more. Blackberries, iPhones, Androids and assorted others give users a vast array of options with which to confront the digital world. With a single handheld device we can manage a number of tasks it took an entire office to accomplish -- welcome to the future.   But with that availability and popularity comes the usual concerns of vulnerability. As often as we use our smartphones, we don't pay attention often enough to the huge amount of information we put into these devices. There's the obvious information - our contact lists, calendars, notes about important meetings, email and more. But we often forget the peripheral yet vital data that sometimes gets saved: passwords to our bank accounts, apps that record data. Have you ever used a GPS navigation program on your smartphone? Many of them save favorite locations, which would make it fairly easy for a determined thief to find his way to your home.   So what can you do to protect yourself if your smartphone is lost or stolen?   The most important steps you can take can be taken before you ever lose the device. Make sure to password protect your smartphone with a strong combination. Many users rely on something simple like the "four corners" of swipe keypads, or 1-2-3-4, or some simple variation. To make the password any kind of real deterrent, pick something less predictable yet still easy for you to remember: like an important date, or a more irregular geometric shape.   In addition, you can choose to set up your phone so that the device will lock down or even wipe all data on the phone after several failed password attempts. This is a good way to prevent your data from being taken advantage of, but it also carries the risk that you may lose your data for good if you have not backed it up.   So what do you do if you lose your smartphone? First take the obvious step of contacting your carrier.  Secondly check with friends and family; see if it's been left anywhere; call the phone and see if it rings in case you left it by the couch. There is every chance that the only thing that has happened is that you simply misplaced it and it's in the care of either a very good friend or a very determined portion of your sofa. As valuable as these devices are, it must be said we often don't treat them with the respect such an expensive investment truly deserves.   But what if worse comes to worst and the phone isn't in Uncle Julius's passenger seat and has been really lost or stolen?   Many smartphones are issued by employers for work related purposes. If this is the case, your company will probably have a standard procedure for how to use and secure data on your phone -- and if they don't, you should suggest that they implement one. These procedures will probably encompass three areas.   First, there will be general usage procedures, often referred to as device-level security. When you come right down to it, smart phones are really just very compact computers integrated into a cellular phone. This means they are becoming vulnerable to malware just like a standard computer -- your company should have a preferred anti-malware option, as well as safe-use procedures such as periodic check-ins and synching your phone with the company network to receive standard periodic updates.   Second, there should be a strong focus on network security. Since phones will be synching with and often accessing a company network, network vulnerability can make every phone connected to the network just as vulnerable. Both you and regular network users will have standard network procedures and programs to use to maintain network security and integrity, and you should be familiar with these.   Finally, your company should make you familiar with the remote locate, remote lock, and remote delete features of your phone, which we will go into a bit more below. If it becomes clear or strongly apparent your phone has been stolen, do not hesitate to use this option.  Consider asking your IT organization if they periodically review smartphone inventories and security measures.   Smartphones come with a GPS feature standard. Usually you can access a "find my phone" feature through your account, and determine where your phone is. In addition to this option, particularly for iPhones, there is a "remote wipe" option. If you locate your phone and find that it is somewhere you do not recognize, such as a part of town you never go to, this may be an option you wish to consider exercising. Unfortunately, you may lose access to the data and there is little chance you will recover the phone in this case -- but your data will no longer be available to scammers or thieves.   Next, you need to get to your computer and change your passwords. Change your passwords to everything -- your online banking sites, investing sites, email accounts, Skype and other VOIP accounts, anything you can think of. A favorite trick of identity thieves and scammers is to hijack email and Facebook accounts to send out viruses and spam in order to pull money out of people's hands. It can't be stressed enough, if it has a password and it's something you can access online, change it immediately. Even if you have wiped your phone remotely, there is always the chance that your data had already been compromised.   The most important thing to do when you have misplaced your phone is to remain calm. If losing it would cause you to panic, then before it's lost it might be a good idea to write down a list of steps to follow in the event you do misplace it or suspect it has been stolen; and carry this list with you. A smartphone is an expensive investment and we do put a lot of sensitive information on them, but that investment can be managed just like any other with a little forethought and planning.  Never underestimate the importance of an effective phone security and back-up plan.

Success with CRM Consulting - CASSOPOLIS

January 2012 Success with CRM enews       Welcome to the January 2012 issue of Success with CRM eNews.   In This Issue Make Your Business Development System More Social 3 Ways the Latest SalesLogix Mobile Will Increase User Adoption 5 Questions to Strengthen Your 2012 Marketing Plan Not Henry Ford's Automation Important How-To: Sage ACT! 2012 Service Pack Download   What's New on Website Customer Retention - Plugging the Leaky Pool Cloud Deployment  Integrated Electronic Marketing Mobile for Smart Phones and Mobile Devices Better Decisions with CRM Advanced Analytics Business Process Management and Workflow Top 3 Favorites of Readers Better Decisions with Sage ACT! 2012 7 Ideas for Excellent Customer Service with Smart Tasks Quickbooks Integration with ACT! - It's a Home Run! Quick Links Success with CRM Consulting, Inc. Executive Summary of Business Success with CRM Articles Michiana Premier CRM SalesLogix User Community ACT! User Community The Alternative Board (TAB) Sage SalesLogix CRM New iPhone with SalesLogix Try Sage SalesLogix FREE! Interactive Tours of World-Class CRM for Small and Medium Business. Get Updated Automatically Sign Up For Free Updates Each Week In Your E-mail Here! Call us for ways to stay connected with your customers! 269.445.3001 Make Your Business Development System More Social What’s an “egosystem”? You’d better know, because each of your customers has one, and you need to respect it if you want to engage with them. Customer-centric business development requires you to follow these six rules of engagement. 3 Ways the Latest SalesLogix Mobile Will Increase User Adoption Successful implementation of a CRM system depends on how well it’s adopted by team members who actually use it. The easier, faster and more valuable you make it for these end users, the greater your business relationship development results. Your mobile CRM just got easier with these recent updates to the SalesLogix mobile platform. 5 Questions to Strengthen Your 2012 Marketing Plan Effective marketing drives our business -- and yours. What are you doing now to make your 2012 marketing even more successful than 2011? To strengthen this year’s marketing plan, Dan Kraus of Leading Results says you need to ask yourself these five key questions. Not Henry Ford's Automation From the factory floor to business processes, automation is about organizing repetitive tasks. From CRM to BPM – or Business Process Management – when you collect and organize data, you can automate many tasks to ensure that customers keep having great experiences with your business. What does this look like? Answers here. Important How-To: Sage ACT! 2012 Service Pack Download Sage has released its first major service pack since SAGE ACT! 2012 debuted in September. It includes new features and support/fixes for reported issues. You can find instructions for downloading it here. Your Success Leads to Our Success Our mission is to help entrepreneurial minded people experience a more rewarding business and life by creating strategies to grow their business relationships and implement a CRM System that becomes a business growth asset. Please take one minute and sign up to automatically get our weekly Business Success with CRM articles delivered in your email --> Click here to STAY connected! For an Executive Summary of key "Business Success with CRM" topics visit this link. All the Best for Success, Dick Wooden, Founder/President Success with CRM Consulting, Inc. Cell: 574.206.5612 Office: 269.445.3001   Success with CRM Consulting, Inc. 62417 Crooked Creek Rd   Cassopolis MI 49031 U.S.A.

Sorg Jewelers - ELKHART

Garnet - January Birthstone   Since today’s best consumer is also an educated consumer, we’d like to give you several facts about garnet, the birthstone of January, so you are better prepared to purchase garnet jewelry for that special someone’s birthday.  Consumers most often think of garnet as a red stone – and it is. However, not all garnets are red. They are available in many colors and each has its own name and typical color such as these listed below.  Almandite – usually a dark reddish orange or orangey red Demantoid – light to vivid yellowish green Hessonite – light to medium orange to yellow orange Malaya – light to dark pinkish to reddish orange Pyrope – usually a dark red to purplish red Rhodolite – light to dark purplish red or reddish purple Spessarite – light to dark yellowish orange to reddish orange Tsavorite – medium to vivid slightly yellowish green   Now that you’ve learned a bit about garnet, you’ll be able to make the best possible buying decision. Come visit Sorg Jewelers, CR 17 Elkhart and downtown Goshen, and let us help you choose a garnet that symbolizes your love.

Circa Arts Gallery - South Bend

January Newsletter

Goshen Buick GMC Hyundai - GOSHEN

Dzung Nguyen receives prestigious award!   GOSHEN — When Dzung Nguyen heads to Detroit next month, it won’t just be to visit the North American International Auto Show. Nguyen, owner of Goshen Buick GMC Hyundai, will be honored as “Asian Dealer of the Year” at the 16th Annual Urban Wheel Awards. “For the car guys it’s a pretty big deal,” Nguyen said. “This is quite an honor.” The awards presentation will happen Jan. 8 before the opening of the auto show. Nguyen and his wife will walk down the green carpet that afternoon before the award show. Nguyen is one of three dealers up for overall “Dealer of the Year.” It’s down to him, Thomas Moorehead of Virginia, who’ll be named “African-American Dealer of the Year,” and Bob Zamora of California, the “Hispanic Dealer of the Year.” “Representing the automobile industry through reputable, successful and consumer-driven businesses is extremely important to the multicultural market,” said Randi Payton, president of Decisive Media, which puts on the event. “We are honored to recognize Thomas Moorehead, Dzung Nguyen, Bob Zamora and their respective dealership teams for setting a high standard of excellence in serving the automotive industry and the multicultural market,” Payton said in a written announcement. Nguyen said in the 11 years since he’s had the local dealership, “we do our thing. We try to take care of our customers, take care of our employees, be involved in our community and ultimately to make a profit.” The dealership has received various automotive and regional awards and was named small business of the month by the Goshen Chamber of Commerce in July. Nguyen is actively involved in the Goshen Chamber.

Zolman Tire - MISHAWAKA

We Will Match ANY Tire Deal from ANY Local Tire Dealer... PERIOD! Consistently Changing for Professional and Personal Growth for Better Customer Service. . .

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