Future of Small Business

DECEMBER 2018 | FUTUREOFBUSINESSANDTECH.COM

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Future of Small Business

Lauren Conrad and Hannah Skvarla on how their nonprofit, The Little Market, supports female artisans around the world

LEARN how the Wahlberg brothers navigated the service industry and started the Wahlburgers franchise

DISCOVER how former NFL player Dhani Jones transitioned into life as a successful entrepreneur

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Celebrating and Fighting for Women in the Business Community It has been said time and time again that 2018 is the year for women. For the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO), the quest for equality is at the root of our very existence.

Before the passing of the Equal Credit Opportunity Act of 1974, there was no way a woman could even apply for credit, much less get her own credit card. Credit in her own name was out of a woman’s reach, and the doors to the business community were closed. Two years later, NAWBO had set up a national network of chapters serving women nationwide.

One of the most notable pieces of legislation that celebrates the advocacy of women is H.R. 5050, the Women’s Business Ownership Act. This act ensured women could finally get a business loan without a male co-signer, and women-owned C-corporations now counted as part of the census.

As a government contractor, I am all too aware of the struggle to achieve the goal of awarding 5 percent of all federal contracting dollars to women-owned small businesses. This goal, set by Congress in 1994, has only been reached once in 2015.

According to a 2015 Brookings Institution study, women hold only 18.8 percent of all patents, and a 2016 study from the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation reveals minorities make up to just 8-13 percent of innovators. For this reason, NAWBO is supporting the passage of the SUCCESS Act, which addresses underrepresentation in the patent process and identifies best practices to close the gaps in patent rates for women and other underrepresented groups.

As 2018 comes to a close, we must advocate for change and push policy across the finish line to truly reap the rewards.

Molly Gimmel, Co-founder and CEO, Design to Delivery Inc.; Chair, NAWBO

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Small Businesses Must Utilize Online Tools to Stay Relevant Just like other small businesses, app developers are collaborating to stay relevant and find ways to provide solutions to their customers. Small startups must invest in these new technologies in order to stay ahead.

Online tools help level the playing field and allow those with talent, passion and a bit of luck a chance to win a place at the table. However, large businesses have deep pockets and better access to big data and artificial intelligence, which makes it harder for startups and small ventures to keep up.

Utilizing online tools Small businesses need secure pointof-sale (POS) systems. Today, these systems are more than just a solution to handle cash and credit card transactions. There are optional apps for managing employee shifts and time cards, tracking customer loyalty, connecting with accounting software, analyzing sales data and even options to beta test new app solutions under development. Likewise, there are suites of products to help with time management and connectivity.

These suites have great potential.

To unlock that potential small-busi-

Julie Shields Interim Executive Director, USASBE

ness owners need to invest in the time to set them up for optimal results. It is no different than training a new employee — they don’t know how the business works on day one, so you show them the ropes and keep an eye on them to make sure they don’t flounder.

Keeping cost in mind Like an employee, the suites are going to cost money. Prioritize what

your business needs to be competitive, and perhaps prioritize automating as much as possible with various suites of products.

The next five years will include many changes as AI solutions become viable in the small-business sector. Start digitizing now to make the transition smoother. Use suites of products and invest in the time it takes to make them work for you and your customers. n

Publisher Alexandra Devine Business Developer Abe Freedberg Managing Director Luciana Olson Designers Chris Espino, Tiffany Pryor, Xiaoli Zhang Copy Editor Lauren Hogan Director of Sales Shannon Ruggiero Director of Business Development Jourdan Snyder Director of Product Faye Godfrey Lead Editor Mina Fanous Production Mananger Josh Rosman Production & Social Media Coordinator Bria Mastroianni Cover Photo Courtesey of The Little Market All photos are credited to Getty Images unless otherwise credited. This section was created by Mediaplanet and did not involve USA Today.

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Your Company Is Never Too Small for Security: Robert Herjavec

What information is the typical hacker looking to obtain from a small business?

Robert Herjavec is one of North America’s most recognizable business leaders, as well as one of the “Sharks” on ABC’s Emmy-winning “Shark Tank” and CEO of Herjavec Group, a global IT security firm.

How would you respond to a small business owner who thinks their company is “too small” for a cybersecurity strategy?

There is no such thing as being “too small” for security. Hackers target organizations of all sizes and are usually banking on the fact that small businesses are leaving a door unlocked somewhere.

Businesses really need to think of cybersecurity like physical security. Would you go home leaving the front door of your business unlocked? You apply security to catch and deter intruders by locking doors and windows, having alarm systems in place and building emergency plans.

Why wouldn’t you want to have the same resources to protect your digital assets?

With most of your important data being stored on internal networks or in the cloud, not having a cybersecurity strategy can leave you open to a breach or targeted cyber attack.

Over the course of 2018, the real driver of cybersecurity strategy in business has been compliance. Small businesses have been instilling security practices not because they want to, but because they are required to. As governments across many countries have introduced regulations, one of the most noteworthy being the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), we have watched how the protection of personal data has affected the way companies are forced to implement cybersecurity strategies.

Why is it important for small business owners to be their own risk managers?

Small business owners are jacks-of-alltrades in most instances. They manage sales, marketing and accounting. As such, they have to think of ways to protect their organizations. The crown jewels of their companies are likely online, and they have an obligation to protect the personal and

infects computers and restricts access to files, often threatening permanent data destruction unless a ransom is paid — has reached epidemic proportions globally.

And small businesses are not excluded.

Your employees need to be aware of cyber risks in order to help you prevent a phishing or ransomware attack. You’ve got to have basic security controls in place, and you’ve got to be diligent. Know where your assets are and who has access to them, and follow basic cyber-hygiene principles of patching updates as soon as they’re available for any web-based resources or security technologies.

financial information of their customers, as well as adhere to industry or regional compliance requirements. I don’t expect small-business owners to know what to do about their data or asset protection. You can’t know everything, but you can start with the basics of perimeter protection and engage a third party to ensure you’re processing payments and customer data correctly. Then as you scale, your security posture will mature with your business.

What are the potential consequences for a small business that gets hacked?

Over the last number of years, we have seen debilitating security breaches against large enterprises, resulting in tarnished reputations, diminished brand trust and loss of profit. It is no different for small businesses. The hit could cripple your business. At Herjavec Group, we have seen how Ransomware — a malware that

There are multiple reasons for an attack — exploiting data, stealing infrastructure or denying service — but sometimes hackers just want to try and see what they can get their hands on. They may be looking for a way to maliciously reach customers or employees to eventually use the information they gain to attack someone else.

This means that you’re not actually the intended victim, just the medium, in the attack of someone else. In this case, the intended target now thinks that you were the one who launched an attack on them.

Why is it important to build a relationship with your cybersecurity vendor?

You can’t do it all, and you don’t know what you don’t know. You want to engage a cybersecurity provider to do an assessment of your environment and help you build a security plan to execute over time. Let me be clear — there is no end game to security.

It’s a constant journey with continuous improvement required throughout.

Engage an expert so you can do what you do best — run your business.n

Small Business Cyber Fraud: The Tip of the Iceberg How well do Small Businesses really understand their cyber health?

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lobally, commercial fraud losses are mounting. The specter of cyber attacks has become a constant risk to Small Business financial health; the negative impact is growing exponentially — damages as a result of cyber attacks are expected to cost $6 Trillian annually by 2021 (Source: Cyber Security Ventures).

Many attacks target the most vulnerable with nearly half of all cyber attacks affecting small business.

Thieves are finding that all too often small business fraud pays more than consumer fraud. The dollar value of the average business fraud loss far exceeds that of consumer fraud, with business fraud losses being three to 10 times larger than that of consumer fraud loss. So, the thieves have a much higher return on investment targeting a legitimate small business.

The exposure to business insurers is material and growing, with cyber claims totaling more in 2017 than the previous 4 years combined! So, this could be the tip of the iceberg; claims including ransomware have grown 16% year over year, and with the significant breaches of 2017, it’s safe to expect that figure to increase.

How prepared are Small Businesses for cyber attacks?

Experian conducted a survey of 150

small business owners throughout the United States to get a sense of how this population is approaching risk mitigation and response. The key takeaway? Small Businesses are more at risk than they think, and are not taking proactive steps to allocating budget to defend against cyber attacks.

The majority of businesses (58%) are in fact worried about cyber attacks, but 51% of these businesses are not allocating any budget at all to

risk mitigation. Other highlights from the survey: 31% of small businesses are not taking any proactive measures to mitigate cyber risk, and only 12% of small businesses have a breach preparedness plan in place.

Savvy small business owners monitor their business information and those they do business with to stay ahead of cyber fraud. It’s critical to know how your business is seen by others, this includes your business credit, cyber threats, and supply

chain. Indications of fraud or risk can affect the health of a small business credit score and could impact your ability to get future loans. Taking steps to monitor these aspects of your business is the first step for having a plan to managing your risk.

Additionally, take the time to bakein cyber security best practices to your business plan and corporate culture, and have a breach preparedness plan in place to minimize the impact of a breach. Such critical steps managing potential risk of business relationships, data and reputational health could mean the difference between your profit and loss — your success and failure.

Bottom line: Cyber risk protection for small businesses requires an entirely different approach. It will take collaboration between the security industry and public and private sectors to help bring security best practices from the back burner to top-of-mind for small business owners. These groups must become aware of the unique threats facing their business, and learn how they can help mitigate risk, while mastering their own small business health and reputation.

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Experts Share Their Insight Into Challenges Facing Small Businesses

Frank Fiorille Vice President, Risk, Compliance and Data Analytics, Paychex, Inc.

Professionals answer questions about how small businesses should be supported and what to expect in the coming year.

What is the top challenge facing small businesses in the coming year?

Frank Fiorille: The tightening of the labor market is having an impact on the rate of hiring at small businesses across the United States. Knowing the competition for talent is increasing, business owners should focus on how they can set their company apart in the crowded field of prospective employers. A comprehensive benefits package that includes traditional benefits like healthcare and retirement can go a long way.

Michael R. Keane Senior Vice President, President of Core Commercial, The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc.

Michael R. Keane: Owning a small business today is significantly different than it was 25 years ago. Life has become more complex, which means more risks for a business owner. Data breaches, importing and exporting goods through online markets, leasing equipment, changing regulatory environments and using independent contractors are just a few examples of newer exposures that small businesses have that require unique expertise beyond basic insurance coverage.

Kirk Simpson: Cash flow will continue to dominate as a universal concern for entrepreneurs and small-business owners. Of all small businesses that fail, 71 percent will cite poor financial management as the reason. I know that entrepreneurs would rather

do just about anything other than bookkeeping, but it really is the key to better financial health.

Philip McHugh: The challenge that’s always present for small businesses is having time and resources, as owners need to serve as the head of marketing, finance, operations, sales, etc. Having to constantly manage and stay on top of all of these variables while continuing to grow your business is very complex.

What is your company doing to support small businesses?

FF: Paychex makes it simple for businesses of all sizes to pay and manage their employees. With four decades of experience and over 650,000 clients, we relieve

Kirk Simpson Co-Founder and CEO, Wave

the complexities of payroll, benefits, human resources and insurance administration so our clients can focus on what matters most: building their businesses.

MK : We understand that no day is the same for a small business owner and that flexibility is important. We continue to invest in insurance solutions to keep up with the evolving risks small businesses face and align digital solutions for enhanced customer service. Working with leading independent insurance agents, we offer our small business clients insurance expertise, counsel and essential protection so they may focus more of their energies on their businesses.

KS : At Wave, we know that with entrepreneurs and small

Philip McHugh SEVP and President, Merchant Solutions, TSYS

businesses, it’s the owner of the business who does the hands-on management of the finances, but that most entrepreneurs don’t have any training in how to do that financial work. We’re committed to providing integrated, easy-to-use software and services to make the money side of your business succeed.

PM: We’re incredibly proud to have nearly 800,000 small- and medium-sized merchants as customers of ours in the United States. We continue to roll out new, advanced point-of-sale offerings so our merchants can accept payments with ease, plus we offer a variety of capabilities tailored to their specific business needs in order to allow them to solely focus on sales and growing their business. n

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PHOTO: COURTESEY OF THE LITTLE MARKET

Lauren Conrad and Hannah Skvarla on Supporting Women Through Nonprofit Work Television personality and fashion designer Lauren Conrad talks about starting a nonprofit with her best friend, Hannah Skvarla. The Little Market is a fair-trade shop that supports female artisans around the world.

What was the motivation behind starting The Little Market?

Hannah Skvarla: Growing up, my family encouraged me to make giving back part of my everyday life. I spent a lot of time volunteering with nonprofits and traveling with nonprofits to see their work on the ground. When I would come home from trips and tell Lauren about the work I saw and the women I met, she wanted to get involved. We planned a trip to Africa to visit with nonprofits supporting women and children to look for a way for her to give back.

Lauren Conrad: I was inspired by the work Hannah was doing, and I wanted to do something f o r wo m e n . Wh i l e t r a ve l i n g together, we met with incredible women who just wanted to be able to support themselves and their family. Many of the women were already making beautiful handmade items. Often, the

skills used to make the items were passed down from generation to generation. We realized that by creating a platform to sell artisan-made goods, we could help women create income for themselves while preserving culture. Through The Little Market, we connect artisan-made goods with consumers. The more products we sell, the more women we can help all over the world.

How have you used The Little Market to help empower women across the world?

HS: We actively advocate for human rights and strive to raise awareness for social-justice issues.

Many of the women we work with are from marginalized communities and don’t have the same rights as we do. It’s really important to us that we bring attention to the issues they face, which range from forced migration to trafficking to homelessness.

LC: Our mission is to support the economic empowerment of women in need all over the world through dignified job opportunities. We have seen that investing in women truly has the power to transform communities. When women in marginalized communities receive fair wages for their work, they enjoy more of the rights they deserve. They can send their children to school, purchase healthier food and cleaner drinking water and feel more empowered to use their voices. As mothers ourselves, we are even more motivated to work as hard as we can to advocate for women’s and children’s rights.

through fair trade, the group must provide a safe and supportive working environment free of discrimination, ensure fair and prompt pay, strive for environmentally friendly practices and provide essential resources for skill development.

What do you look for in the partnerships with these female-led artisan groups?

LC: We look for groups that are doing incredible work for women in need. Bright Endeavors, our partner in Illinois, works with at-risk young moms who have experienced domestic violence and homelessness.

Prosperity Candle, our partner in Massachusetts, creates job opportunities for female refugees from Congo and Burma.

The Downtown Women’s Center creates jobs for women who were formerly homeless.

HS: We look for a few different things. A fair-trade expert on our team conducts research to ensure that our partners implement fair-trade practices. For example,

What advice would you give to female entrepreneurs looking to follow in your footsteps and start their own nonprofit business?

HS: I would say it’s important to get as much experience as you can before you officially take the leap into entrepreneurship.

B e f o re L au re n a n d I s t a r te d The Little Market, I interned at the Human Rights Watch and learned invaluable lessons by witnessing firsthand the incredible work they do on the ground.

Even if it’s not a formal internship per se, you can always find a charitable organization to volunteer with in your community or you can join a service club in school. When you get to know the field you’re going into as much as you can and find your niche, you will have a great advantage.

LC: Figure out what cause you are most passionate about and how you want to support that cause. Then, identify your personal strengths and how you can best use those tools to make a difference. It’s also important to learn what it means to run a nonprofit. n

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Former Linebacker Dhani Jones on Becoming an Entrepreneur Dhani Jones is a businessman, former NFL linebacker and television host of “Dhani Tackles the Globe” and “Adventure Capitalists.”

What lessons from your football career were you able to transcend into your entrepreneurial endeavors?

Playing football is a like running a startup. From the moment you walk on the field, you are investing in yourself. Your family is like the seed capital that gets you to the NFL, which is a big exit opportunity. Then you become a publicly traded company.

In your opinion, what are some common qualities among teams (both on and off the field) that perform

well and are successful in their end goals?

The most common quality is that successful teams have a shared vision. People always say that if there is no vision, there is no company.

What role does collaboration and communication play in business success?

Collaboration is how you work with one another. Communication is what you say to one

another and what you say to those whom you are serving. All aspects are critical to growing a business and ensuring its success.

Being a middle linebacker meant that I had the opportunity to lead the defense. The only way to lead is to communicate effectively and clearly so that everyone is on the same page.

Not everyone speaks the same “language,” but as the leader, you have to be able to both speak multiple languages as well as translate. It also signified a responsibility to know what each and every person was doing on the field. As I collaborate

in business, I still see the big picture and rely upon my teammates to do their job, as they would on the field.

What are some common obstacles that most often prevent teams from reaching their end goals?

Common obstacles are not being on the same page, not aligning on vision and not speaking the same language. It’s also important for people to know their job and to do it well. A linebacker should allow a kicker to do their job.

How have you been able to utilize technology to more proactively communicate and collaborate with team members in the business world?

You have to prioritize finding the right technology for you. There are so many platforms that can help, but you have to make sure it’s the one that fits your personality and needs. Texting is by far the best way to communicate, and you should email only when it’s absolutely needed — but don’t forget about using the phone or the occasional in-person discussion. n

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Cloud Communications and the Competitive Advantage of Great Collaboration For many businesses, growth equals a culture that embraces technology and makes team collaboration a priority.

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The good news is these tools are no longer prohibitively expensive.

“Today you can provide a lot of services that in the past were deemed high-end at low prices — things like toll-free numbers, video conference calls — for that big-company feel.”

T

he world of small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) is changing fast. New technologies offer companies of any size the ability to level the playing field — if they’re utilized correctly — but that technology is also something of a double-edged sword.

“It’s incredibly tough to be a small business,” says David Van Der Steen, senior director of small business marketing at 8x8 Inc., a cloud communications solutions company. “The landscape is changing, competition is everywhere and customer expectations are continually rising as technology advances.”

Collaboration is the key What many small businesses may not realize is that their own communication processes are the foundation upon which they build customer experiences. Employees need to collaborate with one another in order to effectively engage customers.

“Collaboration is essential for small businesses, regardless of the type of business you have or the industry you are in,” says Van Der Steen. “While collaboration may seem like an ‘internal’ concern,

it directly impacts the speed and quality of the customer experience you are able to provide.”

Fast-growing SMBs know the effect communication and collaboration have on their business, and they are willing to invest in technology to reach their business goals. According to SMB research firm Bredin, over 40 percent of fast-growth companies adopt or develop technology aggressively to support success, resulting in improved functionality across the company and increased employee satisfaction and productivity.

Engaging the customer Through collaboration, the silos that traditionally separate teams are no longer an issue. Knowledge

flows more freely, and customer queries are answered much more quickly than at companies where collaboration isn’t a priority.

Van Der Steen sees collaboration as the jumping off point from which SMBs can connect with their customers. “I look at customer engagement from a holistic viewpoint — any interaction between a company and their customers. Customer engagement is a two-way street; you have your customers reaching out to you in the standard kind of fashion, but you’ve now got a lot of options and opportunities for companies to reach out to customers as well.”

Samuel Wilson, 8x8’s senior vice president of small business & e-commerce, agrees: “To me, cus-

tomer engagement comes down to ‘treat people as you would want to be treated.’ This is super important for a small business because a small business is flexible and agile, but what it doesn’t have is scale. Where a big business is impersonal, a small business can just be overwhelmed.”

That big-company feel Wilson sees software-as-a-service (SaaS) and cloud communications and collaboration as crucial for SMBs trying to drive customer engagement and growth. “The wizardry behind the cloud-based tools is that you can now do big-company customer engagement at the small-company size.

And customers are starting to expect that at all levels.”

The right partner For most SMBs, knowing what technology you need to grow quickly is the easy part. The hard part is identifying the right partner to take them there.

“You want a provider that’s stable and has been around for a while,” Van Der Steen advises, “because they’re going to be able to grow with you. The beauty of the SaaS portion is that you can invest in a partner that has those capabilities, and then you can slowly bring them online as your customer base changes.”

For his part, Wilson is eager to discuss what companies like 8x8 can do for small businesses. “We can give you one phone number, with virtual numbers on top of that in 46 countries and 50 states — but they’ll all be ringing where you’re based. To everybody in the world, you look like you’re a local business — you have a website and a local phone number. That’s incredibly powerful.”

Cloud communications can give even the smallest business that big-company feel — if they have the right partner. To learn more about how cloud communications can help your business form the connections that will grow your business to new levels, visit www.8x8. com/smb-collaborate. n Jeff Somers

12 | FUTUREOFBUSINESSANDTECH.COM

10 Steps to Minimizing Cybersecurity Threats

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Mark Cuban: Small Businesses Are the Backbone of the American Economy

Here is a list of 10 things you can do immediately to minimize risk of your business being compromised by a digital security threat.

1. If you use computers, you are vulnerable. Make a list of connected resources, devices, software and services you use, and understand how to secure them.

PHOTO: COURTESY OF MARK CUBAN

2. Introduce the idea that data access is a privilege, not a right. Data should only be available to those who need it.

3. Back up your data to two separate locations and update hourly so you never lose more than an hour of work no matter what happens to your source.

4. Most malware comes in through emails or bad websites. Concentrate first efforts of defense by filtering emails and web traffic. Get a good firewall to separate your office from outside. Using a good DNS makes it possible to filter out dangerous websites.

5. Teach yourself and your employees what not to do. For example, avoid clicking on incoming unknown email attachments or opening emails from unknown senders.

6. Update every piece of software you own as often as possible.

7. Split your WiFi network up in segments that cannot ‘see’ each other.

In that way, you limit transparency for intruders.

8. Change your passwords often.

9. Do not open email with Office documents — they can contain infected macros.

10. Avoid public cloud services made for consumers. They are free but bring risks.

Richard Jonker, Vice President of SMB Product Line Management, NETGEAR

Mark Cuban, “Shark Tank” investor and owner of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks, shares his thoughts on small businesses in the United States.

In your opinion, why are small businesses the backbone of the American economy?

Our entrepreneurial spirit is what makes us different from every other country in the world. It’s the reason that the United States has been the home for almost every new technological innovation of the last 50 years. Every business — no matter how big today — started small. It’s what sets us apart.

From your time working with numerous small business owners, what is the biggest challenge for entrepreneurs when looking to grow their business?

The biggest challenge is having the ability to focus on making a great product or service and delivering it in a manner their customers love. Most people don’t realize how hard a grind it is and how long it takes.

How is modern technology helping to both create a competitive advantage for small businesses and drive growth?

Technology is available to anyone willing to take the time to learn how to use it. Any entrepreneur can dig in and figure out how to use the technology that can give them a competitive advantage.

In what ways have you seen artificial intelligence both drive business efficiency as well as enhance the customer experience?

With chatbots, pricing, scheduling for service calls and determining the optimal look for an ad, companies are starting to use AI wherever they can.

Why is it important for small businesses today to create an omni-channel experience for their customers?

It’s not necessary to be in every channel, but you have to be where your customers are. With the rise of social media, people want to have a positive association with brands. When they post online, they want to know they can be proud of the brands shown in the picture. n

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The Wahlberg Brothers Discuss the Success of Their Small Business Donnie Wahlberg and Chef Paul Wahlberg, co-founders and owners of Wahlburgers food chain, talk tricks of the service industry and the challenges they face due to their celebrity association.

What was the biggest challenge you faced when starting the Wahlburgers franchise?

Donnie Wahlberg: I think for us at Wahlburgers, name recognition has always been a double-edged sword. On the one hand, we have a celebrity name which is very helpful, but on the other hand, celebrity restaurants tend to not do very well and have a stigma attached to them. Because Mark and I have been successful in other endeavors, people have never really looked at Wahlburgers as a small business when in fact we really are.

We have faced many challenges that most small business owners face. Fortunately, Mark and I had the financial resources to overcome a lot of those challenges, but

it really showed us the reality of how much small business owners have to overcome. It really made us appreciate small-business owners even more.

quality of the product created by Chef Paul and our attention to detail is hopefully what will always bring them back .

Paul Wahlberg: As with many companies, one of the biggest challenges is making sure the standards are met when you can’t visit every location every day. One location is very different than the other 30.

our food and our family memories that create those emotional connections.

While working in the service industry, what practices have Wahlburgers employed to maintain healthy client retention as a means to grow the business?

DW: With Wahlburgers, the name gets people in the door, but the

PW : It’s really our employees,

Many small-business owners state that finding the next great hire and retaining that talent is among their biggest challenges. What advice would you give smallbusiness owners who are facing this obstacle?

DW: Because many small-business owners are hands-on themselves, my advice would be to groom

their talent from within and allow them to grow within the company as the company grows so you don’t lose that talent to other people. Talent should grow with the business and ideally become part of it, staying with the business forever.

PW: That’s one of our biggest challenges as well. As we continue to grow, developing from within is really key. In this challenging labor market, being an employer who is attractive to talent is more about providing a good day-to-day experience than an hourly rate. You need to take care of your people.

What is one technology trend that Wahlburgers has embraced that you’d recommend other small businesses

take advantage of in the coming year?

DW: Technology has been one of the areas where we’ve faced a lot of challenges with Wahlburgers.

For us, it’s a little unique in that we have celebrities names on the sign, so we’ve tried to use technology to connect with our customers in the restaurants. Overall, that is our number one challenge and mission going forward — to improve customer experience and use social media and technology to do it.

PW: We have started to introduce our guests to tech that allows us to call our restaurants or send customized video messages when we can’t be there. It personalizes our customers’ visits by location, connecting them with our family. ■

PHOTO: WAHLBURGERS

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