Keeping your eye on E-security

It's never funny when you get an email message that you may have been phished or that a spam email you've been sent could contain a virus. But for small business owners, it's akin to being slapped in the face with a dead fish. All you can think about is the information you have on your computer that's vital to your business: the customer lists, the tax stuff, the orders. Disaster.

As I write in The Small Business Success Guide, a national survey by the Australian Institute of Crimonology found that computer security breaches affected 13 per cent of Australian small businesses in 2007. The most common incidents involved viruses and malicious code attacks (known as worms) and in 40 per cent of cases computer hardware or software was corrupted. The average cost to small business was $360. Medium-sized businesses were hit with damage averaging $2757.

The way to thwart damaging online activities is to be vigilant with everything your business does online, including finances and external orders.

I list a heap of strategies to help you out in my book, such as installing firewalls, updating antivirus software, securing all your payments, and changing passwords to make them more complicated (so cyber crims have a harder time cracking your code).

But there are two more e-security essentials that you can instill in your business today:
* Back up, back up, back up: If you don't back up your computer system every day, you really are asking for trouble. It takes a few minutes, but it will save you months of headaches. And keep all back up files in a different spot to your computer. Take them home if you have an external office.
* Never open suspect emails: It's a good idea to independently check out any link you're sent (even on Twitter). And never give out your name or password, regardless of which friend has supposedly "sent" you the link. If you're wondering whether an email is suspect, go to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission's SCAMwatch site for more information or to report it.

Be aware and reduce your e-security risks.

You owe it to your business.

Margie

The big deal about business plans?

Most people start their small businesses without a formal business plan. They know what they want to achieve, so why write it down? Even many long-standing business owners boast about doing well without ever having put a plan down on paper.

However, surely running a business is no different to any other adventure in life? If you check a roadmap to make sure you know where you're going on holidays, and that it's the quickest route, why not do the same in your business?

It's also worth thinking forward to the day you'll want to sell your business. Even the keenest purchaser will want to know they're getting a good buy. If you have all your business thoughts written down, it will help them see how easily they could replicate what you do.

Much of the small business denial over business plans is in the perceived formality of it all. But it doesn't have to be a stitched up thesis. It could be a document that simply lists your business goals for the next 12 months, and how you think you'll achieve them.

I list a few handy online business plan templates in The Small Business Success Guide, plus I give you a "Writing a Business Plan" template in my book (on sale at bookstores and online now). Think of it as a living, breathing reflection of your business. Review it regularly so that you don't suddenly find yourself dodging falling coconuts when a storm (new competitors, rising costs etc) whips through your entrepreneurial paradise.

Remember, the majority of small businesses don't plan to fail, they just fail to plan.

Don't be one of them!

Margie