AGi enjoyed a recent post at Intuit's Small Business Blog that provided some tips for working with business clients in other countries.  Many of the tips are also applicable to to business in new markets or different parts of the country you're in.  Our favorite:

Find a local contact. American expats are everywhere, and many of them are entrepreneurs. Why not find one who can give you a bicultural perspective on the place? Melinda Emerson, author of Become Your Own Boss in 12 Months, tells Wells Fargo’s Tegan Jones, “Anybody that’s going to do business in a foreign country should really consider employing individuals who are from that country who can give specialized insight and knowledge and make sure that things go smoothly.”

To cut through all the hype, confusion and uncertainty surrounding cloud computing, just focus on software as a service or SaaS. This tried and true cloud model offers a simple value proposition: Partner with a third-party service provider that manages and maintains a key software solution and delivers the capabilities via secure Internet connections to every end user who needs it.

Alan Joch at BizTech suggests a key teaming strategy that is worth reading.

Related articles

• SaaS Litmus Test | How to Pick a SaaS Solution | Domo | Blog (domo.com)
• Why the Manufacturing Industry is Shifting to SaaS Cloud Hosting (business2community.com)

As part of their "Moving Forward" series, which offers advice to small business owners on technology, mentorship, productivity, and growth, Business Insider posted an article on small business and technology where a number of small business owners shared anecdotes of the ways that technology had impacted their work. They suggested that, "For the 23 million small businesses in America, technology is key to leveling the playing field with big corporations."

In their comments section, commenter TE had this poignant thought:

It could also be that technology disadvantages small business. Which is why small business has been suffering. Technology enables economies of scale - which is the forte of big business.

Small business may not want the playing field leveled. They may only thrive because of the bumps in the field that they can hide in. Same thing with US employees who don't need the competition with someone overseas who has a cost of living 1/10 as much and can take take lower wages.

Bottom line - technology enables efficiency. Efficiency gets more so with bigness or economies of scale. Hyper efficiency leads to inequality. That is what is really happening out there.

Like most things, the truth is likely somewhere in the middle, but something about both perspectives resonated with both us here at AGi.  We'd love to hear the thoughts of our readers if you'd like to share them.

Related articles

• 25 Apps Small Businesses Need to Succeed (rasmussen.edu)
• Are you using the right technology for your small business? (hiscoxusa.com)
• How Can The Cloud Level The Playing Field For Small Businesses? (business2community.com)
• Top Woman Entrepreneurs to Follow on Twitter (grasshopper.com)
• How Technology Actually Saved A Paper-Based Small Business (businessinsider.com)

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), in collaboration with other federal agencies and commercial partners, is excited to host the National Veterans Small Business Conference (NVSBC) from August 6-8 at the America’s Center Convention Complex in St. Louis, MO.

Conference activities include:

• Business Requirement Sessions: learn about procurement opportunities in 2014-2015 directly from federal program managers and contracting officers, as well as commercial customers
• Dining with Decision Makers: share a meal and informal discussion with potential customers and partners seeking to engage Veteran businesses at networking breakfast and lunch tables hosted by PDMs and Senior Leaders
• Networking Roundtables: discuss your capability to address federal and commercial requirements with PDMs
• 2-Day Expo of over 400 Exhibits: connect and learn more about business capabilities and federal requirements at government and industry booths in the Expo Hall
• Conference Receptions: meet informally with customers and build relationships essential to successful business development
• Training Sessions: specifically tailored for all stages of business growth

Learn more and register here.

Related articles

• National Veterans Small Business Conference August 6-8, 2013 St. Louis,MO (veteransnewsnow.com)
• VA Seeking Feedback on #VOSB (agimssinc.wordpress.com)
• VA mandates overtime to reduce unresolved claims (stripes.com)

A recent post at Black Enterprise about NASA's successful shift from a failing score to an A on the SBA Small Business Procurement Scorecard prompted this post.

The SBA explains their system thusly:

The annual Scorecard is an assessment tool to (1) measure how well federal agencies reach their small business and socio-economic prime contracting and subcontracting goals, (2) provide accurate and transparent contracting data and (3) report agency-specific progress. The prime and subcontracting component goals include goals for small businesses, small businesses owned by women, small disadvantaged businesses, service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses, and small businesses located in Historically Underutilized Business Zones (HUBZones).

The most recent government-wide scorecard grade can be found here.  Individual agency rates can be pulled for the past seven years.