Small Business CURRENTS

4 days ago | smallbusinesscurrents.com | Maria Valdez Haubrich

For small businesses, success is no longer just about “location, location, location.” In a shifting economic landscape, the key to long-term growth lies in building a loyal customer base—one that returns, spends more, and becomes a source of lasting revenue. But how do businesses persuade customers to buy when inflation and interest rates are causing economic anxiety? A February McKinsey survey reports that consumers plan to “decrease spending across many discretionary categories.

5 days ago | smallbusinesscurrents.com | Maria Valdez Haubrich

Remember the coffee shop Central Perk on Friends? Or the bar Cheers? Both these TV iconic locations were more than just places to eat and drink. They were where people regularly gathered, making and deepening human connections. This was the original purpose of restaurants, coffee shops, and bars, and they served that purpose for hundreds of years. And then COVID-19 disrupted not just the industry but consumer behaviors, as well.

5 days ago | smallbusinesscurrents.com | Maria Valdez Haubrich

When you see a cyberattack in the news, chances are it impacted a major company that easily has the funds to cover the costs and then some. What the headlines fail to cover are the variety of businesses, both big and small, that fall victim to these covert attacks. In an era where technology is ever evolving, it is critical for businesses to keep pace and stay up to date with their cybersecurity awareness and training.

1 week ago | smallbusinesscurrents.com | Maria Valdez Haubrich

Exceptional customer experiences are not a luxury—they’re an expectation. For small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), delivering standout, personalized experiences has always been a strength. However, lean teams and limited resources can make it challenging to scale excellence without introducing added complexity. The great news is that an extraordinary crop of tools has emerged recently that can serve as force multipliers for smaller organizations with limited funds and personnel.

1 week ago | smallbusinesscurrents.com | Maria Valdez Haubrich

Data theft is a primary objective of cyberattacks. Hackers target sensitive data—social security numbers, passwords that access bank accounts, hospital records—with plans to either steal or encrypt it to obtain a ransom. However, the goal is usually different when artificial intelligence models are targeted. Rather than theft, hackers are typically focused on poisoning, which involves injecting false or biased data to compromise the performance of the AI model.