| Howard tech firm preps for rollout of server software
A move by businesses to better manage their information technology resources by synchronizing groups of servers to act as one is driving growth for a Howard County software startup led by a former top executive with pioneering tech firm USinternetworking. Fortisphere is gearing up for mass distribution of its software -- part of a growing category called "life cycle management" in IT circles -- after landing $10 million in venture capital. The Glenwood company will use the money to expand development and marketing of its software as it moves toward mass distribution in the first quarter of 2008, Fortisphere CEO Michael Harper said. The company is working on a software package called Virtual Essentials that is being tested by a small group of initial clients, meaning it isn't yet taking in significant revenue, Harper said.
• Business Bookmarking Business Tips: How To NoT Make It A Hard Sell
Business bookmarking and media sites have become very popular lately, and this is something that a lot of businesses are taking advantage of, because they can be used to reach large groups of people with various interests for a small fraction of the cost. Business bookmarking sites basically allow you to store and share your bookmarks online.
This enables you to access your bookmarks from any computer at any time. They're used for promoting as well,because there are a ton of people who are interested in what your favorite sites are. This innovative way of doing Internet marketing lets you double, or even triple, your number of visitors. Make Your Online Business An Easy Sell Getting a higher volume of traffic, and earning profits through business bookmarking can be a relatively easy task.
MSU Small Business Development Center offers seminars
The Missouri State University Small Business Development Center will present the following seminars in December.
� E-Commerce and Internet Marketing: Best Practices
Time: Dec. 6, from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Where: Glass Hall
Cost: $109 per person
� �How to Write a Business Plan - the Path to Success
Time: Dec. 5 and Dec. 6, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. both evenings.
Where: Glass Hall
Cost: $129 per person and $99 for a second person from the same business.
To register for the classes, call 836-5685 or visit www.sbdc.missouristate.edu. .
Council to retread revisions to contract preference program
Beaufort County Council members hope that requiring better documentation of county-hired contractors' subcontracting practices will help more taxpayer dollars find their way to small and minority-owned businesses. The proposed changes come in response to claims that some prime contractors doing business with the county often exclude small and minority-owned businesses from their subcontracts. County-hired contractors already are required to solicit and document subcontract bids from small and minority businesses, though there's no system to track changes made after a contract is signed. If the County Council approves the changes to its small and minority-owned business program, prime contractors would have to send monthly reports to the county documenting their spending with all subcontractors during the life of the contract.
Owners hope new shops will boost business in McMinn
SWEETWATER, Tenn. -- A seven-mile stretch of U.S. Highway 11 between Niota, Tenn., in McMinn County and Sweetwater, Tenn., in Monroe County is mainly farms and rural homes, not a hot spot for retail businesses. But travelers in the area have been speculating on who was building a line of shops called Spring Creek Crossing along the highway not far from Sweetwater. Local welder and fabricating shop owner Jack Stiner saw the area as ripe for a shopping center, one that would harken back to a time of locally owned stores where people knew each other and could shop in a friendly, hometown atmosphere. An avid antiques collector, Mr. Stiner knew what type of items interested people who like to browse in collector shops, and he decided to follow his dream.
Uganda: Interview - Barclays Bank Focuses On Retail Customers
Barclays Bank has hit the road running following its acquisition of Nile Bank. It has expanded by several branches and ATMs. The Barclays' Group Vice Chairman Gary Hoffman gives Fredrick Masiga the bigger picture Over the last few years Barclays Bank has moved into retail banking probably finding a new niche for business. Can we say it is a global trend for the bank or is it only for this market? .
Which states love small business?
Entrepreneurs, zip up your parkas and head for the plains! South Dakota once again leads the list of U.S. states with the best tax and regulatory climate for small business, according to the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council's latest ranking. .
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