Use Home Security Strategies to Protect Your Office

If you are an American homeowner, you have probably given a lot of thought to how to keep your family safe inside of your house. You have put up a fence, installed a home security system, and you make sure to lock your doors and close your windows at night and when you leave the house. But unless you work for a bank, you may not be quite as vigilant about these security measures when you are at the office. When you work with a number of people, even when it is your own business, this environment creates a false sense of security. It seems like no one would be able to try something like a robbery because there are simply too many people in the office: too many variables, too many moving parts to control over the course of the crime. But, just like with home security issues, all it takes is one psychopath or drugged-up meth addict to try something, and all of the sudden your office is facing financial damages from the loss of property, and emotional damages from the loss of a sense of safety and security after the event is over. Not worth it.

The moral of the story is that you need to start planning for the potential for events like this to occur, so that you are not taken by surprise. What's more, in additional to the cash-based incentives for people to commit crimes in offices - there is often a lot of electronic equipment lying around, not to mention cash boxes, and the smart phones and wallets of every single employee in the building - businesses these days face additional risks. Office shootings by disgruntled employees are rare, but they are not unheard of. This is the kind of thing that an office manager or a business owner really should plan for.

So how does one go about protecting the workplace? It is easier than you think, luckily. The general idea is that you want to safeguard the office like you would the home. The first step is to get an alarm system set up. Often, the same companies that will install your home alarm will do the office one, too. There might be different features that are specifically aimed at the office environment, however, like individualizing pass codes so that multiple people can activate and deactivate the alarm as the situation requires. You can also have video cameras installed, a fact that you might want to post outside and inside of the building on warning signs. If your office is big enough, you could even consider hiring a security guard to monitor them in real time, so that if a shady character enters the premises, you will not be taken by surprise.

Another home security tip that comes in handy when it comes to protecting your business is to have a specific plan should an emergency occur. By having a protocol, specified to individual risks like robbery versus shooting, etc., if the unfortunate event occurs, people will have steps to follow and there will be less room for hysterical panic.

Internet Marketing for Small Business

Successful small business internet marketing requires search engine optimization, or SEO. SEO is a buzzword that has grown with the internet era. Twenty years ago no one cared about SEO. Now, if you have a website and want to do small business internet marketing, SEO is a huge consideration to a successful internet presence. There are now many companies that specialize in SEO.

What exactly is SEO? SEO is the art of getting your website to appear on the first page of search results...preferably the first listing. Search engines include Google, Yahoo, Bing and Ask, among others. When someone types some words into the search field, the "engine" will bring back several results it considers relevant. Many factors come into play to determine results. Search engines keep their "algorithms" top secret. Why? So that SEO experts can't outwit them! Companies such as Google want to be able to control their users' results and provide relevant websites that meet their users' needs (rather than sites that have "tricked" the algorithm into listing them on the first page).

Before you do internet marketing for your business, you need to be aware that SEO for a local business is very different from SEO for an internet or national business. A "local" business is one that has four walls and a roof (what is known as a "bricks and mortar" business) and is generally not a chain (although it could be a franchise that is responsible for its own marketing).

When you are doing internet marketing for your local business, your goal is to attract customers within your geographical area. In fact, to do local small business internet marketing, you don't really even need a website (although it helps). Why? Because there are many local search directories! These directories are like on-line yellow pages - only in real time. And most, if not all of them, allow you to list your business in them for free! Usually you can enter more than just your business name, address and phone number. You can list your business hours, a website or blog link (if you have one), general information about your business; some even let you upload pictures!

And trust me, these local search directories will almost always outrank your business website in the search engines (meaning, they will be listed first, before your website, in the search results).

If you want to successfully list your locally-based business on the internet, the local search directories are a must. With correct small business internet marketing, you will be at the top of the search engine listings via the local search directories. And if your business has the most relevant and up-to-date information entered into the directory, new customers will select your business over other, less informative listings. 

How To Save Thousands By Legally Investing Offshore

One way you can avoid some South Africa tax is to deposit or invest some of your money in a place where no taxes are imposed on it - in a place where the South African Treasury can't impose one cent's worth of tax on it.

But you must remember to declare information when required to do so by the law. Offshore financial investments are not the 'secret' havens they used to be. South Africa already has tax treaties with large number countries - offshore centres included. Be aware these treaties allow for the free sharing of information between the South African authorities and the offshore haven concerned.

The easiest way to invest offshore is to make deposits in offshore bank accounts. But first however you must decide which offshore jurisdiction to invest in. You should bear in mind that not all banking havens will be suitable for you, safe or secure. Many are exceptional, others not so good. If you put your money in the wrong country, it could later on prove to be costly.

How to select the top jurisdiction:

#1 - Location, location, location

You should ask yourself these questions: is getting the haven a problem? Will you need to queue at the embassy for a visa every time you want to visit? Remember to give some consideration to time differences. Can you manage your financial affairs efficiently if it's midnight in your haven during business hours at home?

#2 - Do you speak the lingo?

Effective financial management depends on smooth-running, fluent communication. Do the bankers and brokers speak your home language? If you instructions are misunderstood it could cost you dearly and be badly executed as a result of language barriers.

#3 - How about the legal system?

You should satisfy yourself that the offshore centre has good local laws and legal practices that provide adequate protection of your funds and investor rights. Are the laws of the offshore centre based on English common law, which is used as a source in Sa mercantile law? Is the court system effective? Are banking services and investment brokers registered with regulatory organisations that uphold professional standards and procedures?

#4 - Is your haven financially stable?

A haven's confidence in its liquidity can be judged - at least to some degree - by it's willingness to put in place solid depositor protection. Find out from financial institutions in the haven whether or not depositor protection exists - in the event of a bank failure, the secret is to ask, ask, ask.

Arnold Jvr is an article writer. Potchefstrooom is a city in South Africa. Not only does this author specialize on certain topics, you can also check out the latest business website Potchefstroom and Potchefstroom Accommodation