The idea of getting off the couch and closing the laptop is scary. When Facebook, twitter, instagram and email are cut off,- we feel cut off from the world; the same world that is right outside our front door, in our towns, schools, and local businesses. While social media tools are powerful, especially in marketing and public relations, it is important to note that the "Relationship" part of public relations is the most important. We need to develop relationships with people by actually being with people.

The American Institute of CPAs has hired Clar Rosso as VP of member learning and competency. Rosso most recently was the COO of the California Society of CPAs and the CalCPA Education Foundation. She will lead the Institute's publications, conferences and web events, and professional development teams and will working with groups in communications, marketing, strategy, people and innovation, and CPA2Biz. Read more...

Social media. Cloud computing. Gamification. SaaS. Social CRM. Virtualization. Mobile. Every year we hear of the latest technology issues facing small business owners like me. And now it's BYOD (Bring Your Own Device). Everywhere I read in the tech world it's BYOD.

The 2012 PCPS Succession Survey is out and provides us with data from almost 1,000 firms across the county on how they are dealing (or not) with succession. The survey also reveals a lot of information that we can use to help us navigate firms through the merger and acquisition waters. There is no question that M&A is hot. Take a look at any industry publication. It is unusual when they don't report a sizable deal daily. Read more...