By Rose Miller

Every New Year is a time for reflection and planning. There is no better plan than reflecting includes ways to be grateful. It is also beyond time to exercise being nice to one another.

My mom passed away last August and her shining attribute was her kindness. Condolences from friends contained a repetitive story. They all remembered how my mom would always greet them with a warm smile, reach out to hold their hands and look them straight in the eye.

Such a simple gesture that impacted so many. It got me thinking about how important little gestures of kindness can be in the workplace.

Amidst the ongoing pandemic, being kinder has become a necessity. Everyone is fighting some kind of battle. These battles have challenged our ability to be kind. There is so much negativity and confusion out there and practicing kindness daily can counterbalance the dark messages.

The workplace is an ideal place to do this. We are physically and virtually together five or more days per week. We are interacting with a variety of people, some of whom are adding to our kindness challenge. Kindness, especially when unexpected, boosts morale and makes work feel a little less of a burden.

Capital CFO, LLC, a regional provider of bookkeeping, consulting and CFO services to businesses and nonprofit companies, has launched its Professional Development division.

With an eye toward providing increasingly comprehensive business management solutions, Capital CFO Professional Development Division launched in January with online courses, workshops and webinars for business and nonprofit professionals. The complete curriculum will roll out over the course of 2022.

Sabrina Houser, Capital CFO president, saw the need for a cost-effective way for small businesses and nonprofits to invest in their employees. 

“Providing employees with professional development opportunities is a smart investment that increases retention, builds confidence and credibility, and improves succession planning. Ongoing professional development can also re-energize staff and improve efficiency. It’s a win-win,” she said.

The addition of Professional Development extends the breadth of Capital CFO business management solutions to include webinars, workshops and online courses addressing topics that include strategic planning, finance, and nonprofit management. 

BY PETE BARDUNIAS

Business in Saratoga County and beyond has faced unprecedented challenges and, fortunately, some opportunities in the past couple of years. The combination of the COVID-19 crisis, fluctuations in the economy, supply chain disruptions, soaring energy prices, capricious consumer demand, the outflux of state population versus a steady local one, workforce and education questions, agriculture needs, environmental concerns, and the desire to create a more inclusive community and culture have really impacted the way Saratoga County, and the Capital Region at large, does business.

At a recent meeting of the Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake Business and Professional Association, nearly every business owner stated that their most pressing issue was the supply chain shortages, something we had heard much about in manufacturing but not at the local business level. From the car dealership lot to convenience store coffee cups, the disruptions were visible all over the country and our region was not immune. 

They have been caused by numerous factors, from COVID quarantines, lack of workers to the backup of ships at coastal ports. While solutions to these issues may materialize slowly, it is vital that the business community recognize the magnitude of this problem and advocate for ways to address it.

One company that has been working to ease the supply chain shortage is GlobalFoundries. A partnership with Ford Motor Co. should produce much needed chips for automotive computers, and perhaps more importantly, an America-based supplier for improved, up to date systems in future cars. The auto industry has lagged behind others in development and utilization of cutting-edge technology, apparently a big reason for the recent shortages. It’s time for a systems upgrade, and Saratoga County industry is once again leading the way.

The Capital Region Chamber has found new and meaningful ways to support local businesses. The value of our regional approach with local affiliates in Albany, Schenectady and southern Saratoga counties was on display in 2021, and the biggest impact was a financial one. 

By Jennifer Farnsworth

Part of owning a small business is having a good understanding of the laws that effect it over time. In recent years, understanding codes and protocols is more important than ever. 

Law firms and human resource consulting agencies can be important resources to help small business owners. They can even ultimately protect their livelihood.

Martin A. Miranda, senior counsel at Tully Rinckey PLLC, said his firm has seen an increase in cybersecurity concerns, as well as pandemic-related issues faced by small businesses.

“Due to the pandemic small businesses have relied more on their online business platforms.  As more employees work from home, there has also been a significant increase in cyber attacks aimed at small businesses,” he said. 

“Hackers may find small businesses particularly vulnerable for lacking adequate technology infrastructure and data security expertise.”

Miranda said to compound problems, networks outside of the workplace may not possess sufficient security measures to prevent cyber attacks, which have become increasingly more sophisticated and targeted.  

Common methods of cyber attacks include phishing schemes, social engineering, malware, ransomware and password hacking,  said Miranda.

He has also seen an increase in small businesses reaching out on how to best follow COVID protocols, a completely new area for small business owners to have to navigate.

“I receive many questions regarding how small businesses can maintain a safe work environment for their employees as COVID protocols evolve in response to the multiple variants. Implementing these protocols can be burdensome for a small business and enforcing the protocols can often lead to differences of opinion among employees,” said Miranda.