Small business owners’ optimism touched a 35-year high last month, with businesses setting records in terms of job creation and hiring, while also being able to increase prices.

​In July, the NFIB’s Small Business Optimism Index marked its second highest level in the survey’s 45-year history, at 107.9 – just shy of the July 1983 record-high of 108.
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• 23 percent of businesses are planning to create new jobs, while 37 percent of business owners said they had job openings that they could not fill in July.
• 35 percent of owners expect better business conditions, while they said the availability of qualified workers was their No. 1 problem.
• 59 percent of firms were hiring or trying to hire, while 52 percent (88 percent of those hiring or trying to hire) reported few or no qualified applicants for the positions they were trying to fill.
• Twenty-three percent of owners said their biggest business problem was finding qualified workers.

Are you starting a business? Find out if you're using the right telecommunications systems by connecting with a broker. 

Although most often associated with Bitcoin, blockchain’s potential far exceeds digital currency to include a host of other industries, including telecommunications. The technology allows digital information to be distributed but not copied. Because a blockchain database isn’t stored in any single location, the records it keeps truly public and easily verifiable and therefore difficult for hackers to corrupt. This technology will be applicable to telcos networks in a variety of ways.
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• Blockchain could lower network costs through efficiency gains, while service providers could save by relying less on third parties to complete a transaction.
• Blockchain can offer a decentralized approach to telecom systems, which could help better secure the privacy of the end user experience.
• As the telecom industry encompasses more internet of things (IoT) devices, blockchain’s decentralized control could help make the security of web connected devices more scalable.

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While blockchain is poised to disrupt typical business operations, unanswered questions about regulatory frameworks, security and privacy issues, and more still exist. Perhaps the biggest challenge of the new technology will be for telecom service providers to identify optimal entry points.

Losing internet connection can be a disaster for any business. Comcast Business now offers Connection Pro, which is an internet add-on for small-to-medium sized businesses that keeps business functions going during outages caused by power failure or network disruption. In any catastrophe, the Connection Pro will keep your business working for up to eight hours.
Comcast Business Connection Pro gives small businesses the peace of mind that they’ll stay connected and keep their business moving forward.

KEY BENEFITS

• Automatic Connection: 4G wireless automatic internet backup connection for complete reliability with no data usage limit!
• 8-Hour Backup Battery: Backup battery provides up to eight hours of power.
• Low Cost: Small Business owners can avoid costly disruptions to their operations for $29.99 a month (plus equipment).

​Interested in adding Connection Pro to your business? Connect with a broker and we will help negotiate the best contract for you.

If you’re a small business owner, you’ve likely pondered the role of artificial intelligence in the future of your business. According to the Webby Awards AI Trends Report, 79 percent of U.S. adults reported using some form of artificial intelligence in the last 12 months, and 65 percent acknowledged that automation has a significant impact on their daily lives.
AI technology will increasingly perform more tasks in a wide range of business fields in 2018, including:

• IMPROVE DELIVERY - Market insights are critical to developing strategies and making business-critical decisions. According to Forrester, 31% of business tech decision makers plan to implement AI technology to improve the delivery of their business’s insight services.
• IMPROVE PRODUCTS - Furthermore, Forrester reports that 33% of business tech decision makers anticipate that AI will aid in the improvement of products and services.
• AUTOMATION - According to Narrative Science, 38% of businesses surveyed feel that providing predictions on customer, machine and business health is the most important service that artificial intelligence technology can provide. In the same report, 27% of businesses reported that the most valuable service AI can offer is automating manual and repetitive tasks.
• ECONOMIC IMPACT - Forrester predicts that 10% of purchase decisions will be guided by a platform’s intelligent agent or bot, starting the “real economic impact of empowered machines.”

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It’s clear that artificial intelligence is only beginning to find its place in our businesses and lives. How do you foresee using AI in your business? Let us know!