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10 Important Reasons Solopreneurs Shouldn’t Mix Their Business And Personal Banking

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10 Important Reasons Solopreneurs Shouldn’t Mix Their Business And Personal Banking

When a solopreneur is first starting out, they may wonder whether it’s worthwhile to establish a business banking account that is separate from their personal one. They may opt to handle their business finances via their personal bank account because they believe their company isn’t established or complex enough yet to warrant a separate account, that they don’t want the “hassle” of setting up a business account, or that they can get the same benefits by using a single shared account. However, many financial experts strongly caution against solopreneurs taking this route.

Below, 10 Forbes Finance Council members share why they believe solopreneurs shouldn’t mix their business and personal banking. Read their insights to learn why it can be best to keep your personal and business transactions and records separated—even if you’re the only person involved with your business.

1. You Can’t Ensure Proper Accounting

The short answer is “no”—don’t mix personal and business banking. Separate bank accounts mean that proper accounting is going to occur. In addition, if the IRS decides to audit the business, the existence of separate accounts will help establish that one is running a business, not engaged in a hobby. – Dr. Philip Fischer, Micro Macro Infinity

2. You May Not Be Able To Get A Business Loan

Solopreneurs should never mix business and personal banking—not if they want to get a business loan one day. Commingling your cash is a bad habit that won’t pass muster with most conventional business lenders. – Christopher Hurn, Fountainhead Commercial Capital


Forbes Finance Council is an invitation-only organization for executives in successful accounting, financial planning and wealth management firms. Do I qualify?


3. Investors May Hesitate To Work With You

It’s impossible to know what the future holds, and you may want to raise external capital at a later date. If you do not have clean books (for example, financial records), investors will be hesitant to partner with you. It’s a small operational cost to pay now to keep everything separate, and it may save you a lot of headaches later. – Rebecca Mitchem, Neotribe Ventures

4. It Can Make It Harder To Raise Capital

Solopreneurs should keep business banking separate from personal banking. If the business is successful, the solopreneur may be interested in taking on growth capital (via debt or equity) at some point to help fund its expansion. Having separate banking with clean financial reporting will streamline the capital-raising process significantly. – Sean Frank, Cloud Equity Group

5. It Creates Headaches At Tax Time

Personal and business banking should never be mixed—even for sole proprietors where there is no legal separation between the business and owner. Segregation of funds is crucial to accurate accounting, and commingling of funds, while not strictly prohibited in some cases, always creates headaches at tax time. – Vlad Rusz, Centaur Digital Corp

6. You Could Miss Out On Incentive Programs

A business and personal bank account should never be mixed or misused. If you are using a personal account for business expenses, you may be missing out on bank incentive programs and potential tax write-offs for your business. It is smart to keep personal and business expenses separate and never pierce your corporate veil. – Joseph Lustberg, Upwise Capital

7. You May Be Targeted For An Audit

Keep everything clean and separate for tax, liability and funding reasons. We’ve seen business owners get declined for financing because their business revenue was in their personal accounts. You can also have your corporate veil pierced or be the subject of an audit, too, which few people know. All your business revenue should go into your business account, never your personal. – Joe Camberato, National Business Capital

8. You May Not Be Able To Take Certain Tax Deductions

Setting up a separate business account is an absolute must for any solopreneurs! There is little to no cost to setting up a bank account, and if you don’t separate your personal and business accounts, you may eliminate your ability to take certain necessary tax deductions. Keeping business and personal accounts separated will save you massive headaches when you get audited—and remember, it’s not if you will be audited, it’s when. – Joseph Orseno, Tiltify

9. It’s Likely A Sign You’re Not Properly Compensating Yourself

Separating personal and business bank accounts is always good practice. Solopreneurs should do this with the future in mind. Often, the combination happens organically because the owner has not properly compensated themselves and is supplementing their income (for example, with a car allowance or other expenses of this nature). Set a proper compensation goal for yourself, and keep the books separate to eliminate the future unraveling of data. – Cynthia Hemingway, Fourlane, Inc.

10. You’re Compromising Your Liability Protection And Clouding The View Of Your Company’s Performance

Rewards points from personal credit cards tend to be a very common reason for solopreneurs to use personal banking for business uses. It’s tempting, but don’t do it. You end up compromising your liability protection, it’s more complicated at tax time when identifying business expenses for deductions and you lose a sense of how your business is truly performing. – Sameer Gulati, ZenBusiness

https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesfinancecouncil/2022/09/16/10-important-reasons-solopreneurs-shouldnt-mix-their-business-and-personal-banking/

How COVID-19 led to creation of Phoenix accounting firm that helps businesses unlock federal aid

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How COVID-19 led to creation of Phoenix accounting firm that helps businesses unlock federal aid

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit and the CARES Act threw a much needed lifeline to small businesses, it piqued Eric Stenson interest.

His employer at the time was able to stay afloat thanks to a PPP (Payback Protection Program) loan as part of the CARES Act. While businesses and the finance world were focusing on the loan component, Stenson was transfixed on the long-term ramifications.

“It caused me to look closely at the CARES Act. I had a curiosity as to what Congress was doing to help small businesses and thought it was amazing for Congress to respond that quickly to get stimulus money into the economy,” Stenson said. “And a lightbulb went off.”

This curiously resulted in Stenson Tamaddon, the Phoenix technology accounting company formed to help small and medium businesses navigate the complicated process of securing economic stimulus benefits available to them.

Stenson realized banks had their work cut out for them to get those loans. But what then?

“Most were focused on how to get the loan but no one was thinking about forgiveness of the loan. The big problem was going to be with loan forgiveness,” Stenson said.

He approached friend and business partner Aaron Tamaddon about software that would deal with this. Equipped with proprietary software and a team with more than a combined 100 years of tax and regulatory expertise, Stenson and Tammaddon — along with their third business partner Ryan Louis — launched their company in 2020.

Payroll companies and CPAs turn to Stenson Tamaddon for assistance when filing for their clients. Understanding statutory language and close monitoring of changing regulations has made the firm a go-to source. The team regularly consults with the Small Business Administration and similar agencies regarding guidance and any unique circumstances.

“We focus on compliance. That was the biggest gap we saw in the market,” Stenson said.

They also help business owners maximize their eligible funding through stimulus programs such as the Employee Retention Credit, an incentive for employers to keep workers on the payroll during the pandemic. This program grants qualified businesses up to $26,000 per employee.

Clientele spans hospitality, fitness studios, public and private healthcare institutions, law firms, retail and automotive industries.

Raj Patel, the owner of Grand Canyon Hospitality, a hotel and food services company in Orange County, is among them.

Patel had benefited from a PPP loan, but his accountant was not familiar with the employee credit program. Research led him to Stenson Tamaddon.

“It’s a complicated process and he was not equipped to deal with it. You can mess it up if it’s not done right,” Patel said.

Conference calls and communications between Patel and Stenson Tamadoon were transparent about the steps of the process and Patel was walked through the details and kept updated.

Patel said the Employee Retention C is vital to keeping his business alive and his 44 employees collecting paychecks. A skeptical person by nature, Patel has confidence in the company.

“Even my CPA friends are not familiar with the process. It does require a speciality,” Patel said. “They have the knowledge. Multiple companies say they do this but Stenson did it well in terms of getting it done.”

Red tape leads to Plan C. It works

When Stenson Tamaddon launched, they did so with a platform that they could license to bank and non-bank lenders to specifically handle PPP loan forgiveness.

“We were two guys and a desk. And I had CEOs of large banks that were publicly traded calling my cell phone,” Stenson said.

But, they ran into a hiccup with the maze of administrative red tape required at that high level of corporate operations. These lenders suggested approaching other entities with less red tape, but those didn’t pan out either.

“No one wanted to do business with us,” Stenson said.

So they put Plan C into action. They started selling their software to accounting firms and those firms used it to generate loan forgiveness applications. The company did webinars to CPA societies, convincing them of the eventual customer demand for the service.

It worked. Soon, the company was doing $30,000-$50,000 a month in sales, Stenson said.

Then, a private school in Connecticut reached out to Stenson wanting to purchase his software. But he went a step further by doing a screen share and doing the process for the school. This, he said, allowed his company to pivot to a smaller market who wanted a professional to do it for them.

That was successful. Today, Stenson Tamaddon generates several million dollars in annual revenue, Stenson said.

“A lot of CPAs didn’t want to touch it. They understand terms and programs but don’t understand other factors,” Stenson said. “We developed expertise … . Hundreds of CPAs started referring their clients to us.”

Today, Stenson Tamaddon has 4,000 mid-market business clients who came to it through the pandemic.

The company’s business model continues to evolve to include services aimed at various tax credit programs beyond those sparked by a global health crisis.

“We will continue to assist businesses with emerging credits and other tax policy initiatives. We will continue to build portals that focus on compliance,” Stenson said.

The company also wants to increase business owners’ confidence in their current tax position and pursue credits they could have.

“It’s rewarding knowing we built something that helps everyone,” Stenson said. “Our clients have stability and we help contribute to that stabilization.”

What: Stenson Tamaddon

Where: 1 N. Central Ave., Suite 1030, Phoenix

Employees: 120

Factoid: There are 32.5 million small businesses in the U.S., accounting for 99.9% of businesses, according to the Small Business Administration.

Details: 602-560-9393, stentam.com

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Phoenix-based Stenson Tamaddon helps small business get COVID-19 aid

https://news.yahoo.com/covid-19-led-creation-phoenix-140015944.html

10 Content Marketing Trends Everyone Is Talking About

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10 Content Marketing Trends Everyone Is Talking About

A fresh set of marketing trends that are “can’t miss” prospects that demand attention appear to emerge every year. If we followed every trend, we would undoubtedly become exhausted. However, there are some tendencies that we’d be stupid to ignore.

Many businesses are still working through the development of a true content marketing strategy as we start the final chapter of 2017. If so, the following advice may help: Mobile continues to be the flavor of the month, and native advertising is still the gateway medication to success.

Nevertheless, according to Smart Insights, content marketing is THE most crucial strategy for generating extra sales in 2017. Some important tendencies stand out in a sector where experimenting is the norm.

Here are 10 trends in content marketing that are hot right now.

Brands Will Continue to Invest in Original Content

It recently came to light that tech titan Apple intends to spend $1 billion on original programming. Although some rumors claim that Apple is taking on Netflix with this move, we think the company is thinking about more than just video streaming. Brands must continue to be relevant as the market’s rivalry intensifies. Value-added, original programming can aid businesses in audience expansion and client retention.

While Facebook is spending a lot of money on original video, Google is also buying original content from media businesses and brands to fill in content gaps. Not to be outdone, the world’s largest online retailer Amazon will likely be the biggest investment of all. One thing is certain, albeit the effects are still up in the air: content marketing is dominating.

Transparency Will Reign King (or Queen)

Consumers are getting more and more numb. Companies that are open, sincere, and committed to giving back are what we desire and frequently demand. But when it comes down to it, a lot of customers are complaining about brand advertising, environmental claims, philanthropic giving, and corporate backing for various causes. Even though some firms have found success with such attempts, this kind of advertising is increasingly seen as desperate or dishonest.

To minimize this gap going future, brands must concentrate on disclosure and transparency. Let’s introduce influencer marketing.

Working with influencers, though, can be challenging. With the help of influencers, the Federal Trade Commission continues to take steps to safeguard customers against businesses that lack sufficient transparency. Consider the situation with Machinima. A YouTube gaming network called Machinima received a warning from the FTC in 2015 for failing to disclose sponsored sponsorships to YouTube influencers.

And this is by no means the only one. A fast Google search reveals that many brands have experienced problems as a result of a lack of disclosure and transparency. The next stage of influencer marketing and branded content must make sure that each piece of content developed is transparent if you want to earn (and keep) your audience’s trust.

Content Marketing Budgets Will Continue to Increase

Companies all around the world are investing a large sum of money in content marketing. What is fantastic news for content marketers but poses difficulties for companies with a small team. This is increasing the possibility that businesses will use freelance writers and other content producers.

Content Marketing Duties Continue to Overlap

It might be challenging to pinpoint precisely who is in control of content within a corporation. Within marketing departments and even in other parts of the company, roles and responsibilities change. There may not be a clear-cut leader in PR and communications due to the existence of various content producers, social media managers, and other authors who are not part of the official content team. Such confusion can result in a content strategy that is quite haphazard.

Internet of Things Will Take Content Off-Screen

Customers are no longer restricted to viewing stuff on screens. The IoT has enabled material to be integrated into our lives in entirely new ways, despite the fact that many content types have long been available. Think about how we currently use technology, like Apple’s Siri. Siri provides call-and-response content in response to user speech wherever and wherever it is needed. The speech service provided by Amazon, Alexa, is evolving into a digital portal for content.

To deliver material with their audience outside of a laptop, tablet, or smartphone screen, many companies already use Alexa. For instance, the American Heart Association uses Alexa to give instructions on how to conduct CPR in an emergency, including step-by-step instructions. The information about heart attack and stroke warning symptoms is added to this material to further enhance it.

Most material is becoming digital thanks to IoT. The introduction of proximity marketing based on beacons, sensors, device pairing, and other features opens the door for marketers to make investments in a virtually limitless variety of content interaction. You may contact your audience where and when they are most receptive with the help of this kind of highly tailored content.

Pre-Recorded Video is So… Yesterday

Live video is eclipsing pre-recorded video, but it is not yet time to write its obituary. According to a 2016 poll by Buffer, 42% of marketing respondents said they preferred live video and that they wanted to produce more video content.

Although live video really took off in 2017, we anticipate that it will gain even greater traction in 2018. Facebook claims that people spend three times as much time watching live videos as they do recorded ones. Additionally, people remark on live videos ten times more frequently. This was validated by a Livestream study, in which 80% of participants said they preferred watching a live video than reading a blog post. Modern marketing professionals now have a rare opportunity to join the live video trend before rivals.

Blurred Lines

You’ll see that content has evolved outside of its original “container” of owned media if you examine how it has transformed over the previous ten years. The distinctions between owned, earned, and paid content become increasingly hazy as social media grows, as do the methods we engage viewers and interact with them. These silos of content cannot exist anymore.

The material changes to take on the forms of all three strategies while keeping in mind the complete buyer’s journey. This emphasizes how crucial it is for each form to operate without a hitch in order to support a company’s growth goal. Therefore, you must modify both your internal and external teams to handle the creation, distribution, and promotion of content.

Strategic Documentation

If you ask a marketing expert what makes content marketing effective, he or she will probably be able to identify the key factors. That’s because businesses are increasingly concentrating their efforts on creating thoughtful content marketing strategies.

Only 32% of marketers in 2015 had a written content marketing plan. The next year, this increased to 37%. However, the percentage has increased significantly this year to well over 40%. Therefore, we believe that creating an effective, efficient plan will become a requirement for employment in 2018.

What tactics will you employ in the future year to stay competitive? You might wish to take into account more specialized content, more comprehensive material, more effective content generation, or other factors that will support larger growth.

Interactive Visual Content

We are all aware of how responsive and engaging live video is, but there is another form of visual material that enables you to create a completely unique experience for your audience.

Virtual reality.

VR presents fresh possibilities for customer engagement and content marketing. For instance, Shopify has recognized this and created a VR app that enables online shoppers to personalize apparel from the comfort of their homes.

According to International Data Corporation, revenue for augmented reality will increase from slightly over $5 billion in 2016 to more than $160 billion by 2020, based on sales and prediction models. Digi-revenue Capital’s projections are also upbeat, predicting a projected increase to $108 billion by 2021.

Virtual reality may seem intimidating, but anyone who is prepared to give it a try will probably find it rewarding. By the end of this year, up to 30% of consumer-facing firms will test out virtual reality marketing, according to Forbes Global.

However, keep in mind that it’s not just for marketing to consumers. Take into account what the Golden State Warriors accomplished to bring Kevin Durant on board. They immersed him in the “Warrior’s Experience” using content marketing in virtual reality, which put him courtside at Oracle Arena and in the middle of conversations with coach Steve Kerr in the locker room.

Distribution, Distribution, Distribution

The methods by which information is distributed are still unknown, despite the fact that the majority of marketers are aware of how important content is for businesses today. Even if there are innumerable other blogs, newsletters, and email campaigns out there, distributing your content effectively will ensure that your message stands out above the rest.

A smart distribution plan must be used if you wish to capture the 2.789 billion active social media users’ attention. As 2018 progresses, savvy brands will invest in both the acquisition of content and its smart distribution via many channels.

Consider unconventional ideas for profitable results.

Health insurance cover eludes many organ donors

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Health insurance cover eludes many organ donors
(This story originally appeared in on Sep 15, 2022)

Organ donors are life savers when they gift a part of themselves to others but they often find it difficult to get health insurance thereafter. Firms either refuse to provide them cover or do so with multiple riders.

Their existing insurance covers the cost of transplant and post-operative treatment, but a new enhanced insurance post-surgery is difficult, donors and recipients said.

Shivraj Arekar, 31, operations manager in a real estate company in Pune, will participate in athletics at the World Transplants Games at Perth next year. He donated part of his liver to his father on January 15, 2019, and the transplant cost was covered by his company’s corporate insurance.

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“After leaving the organisation in 2020, I sought a health cover. I was told no policy can be issued under Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) guidelines because of my surgery,” he said.

Arekar said he had applied for 8-10 insurance companies and all rejected his plea. “When government insurance companies too refused my application, I fi led a complaint with IRDAI. Then, a firm offered cover without the donated organ. The second company agreed after we took special approval and resubmitted my case. After five months, several calls and visits later, I got a Rs five lakh cover, including my liver (as a pre-existing illness) after the two-year resting period,” he added.

Recipients too face the same trouble. Heart recipient Karhun Nanda, who will captain the football team for the Games, underwent surgery in England. “I had a cover for many years, and I was an active football player until 2015. I underwent surgery the same year and stents were inserted. A month later, doctors found that I had a weak heart, and was declared a high-risk patient. I had to undergo another surgery. When the hospital sent an e-mail to the insurance company, they refused to cover it stating that I had hidden my medical history even though my hospital said that they were not connected. I paid Rs 10 lakh. I tried getting medical cover but my applications were declined. As of now, I have no cover. I need Rs 30,000 to Rs 50,000 for medicine, but I can afford it,” Nanda said.

Software engineer Vijay Bahadur Yadav from Mumbai swapped his kidney with a patient to get one for his wife. He underwent the transplant in June 2018 and will represent India at the World Transplant Games in several athletic events.

He said, “I am fi t to participate in a global sports competition, but insurance companies won’t cover me. Thankfully, my workplace covers my health insurance under the corporate scheme. ”

Bhaskar Nerurukar, head of health administration team at Bajaj Allianz General Insurance, said organ donor cases are not treated differently for underwriting and premium, and there is no differential pricing.

They may review a case based on a medical condition post organ donation and detailed medical tests will be advised before arriving at a decision in such cases, he said.

Amit Chhabra, business head of health insurance, Policybazaar. com, one of thelargest insurance marketplaces, said most health insurance policies have an inbuilt cover for organ donor transplants.

“An existing policy will cover the cost of a transplant, with terms and conditions. But a new one will come with the complexity of the disease. The insurer may issue the policy for a minor transplant. If it is a major surgery such as a kidney transplant, you may not get health insurance benefits,” he added.

He added that some companies follow a loading-based calculation for such customers which could increase the premium.

Several calls and emails to IRDAI officials were not responded to till Thursday.

Dr Rajneesh Sahai said organ donors and recipients do face problems post-transplant, and insurance companies may discriminate against them.

“The IRDAI is under the finance ministry. We could request the health ministry to take it up with the finance ministry to direct IRDAI to stop any discrimination against organ donors and receivers,” he said.

https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/wealth/insure/health-insurance-cover-eludes-many-organ-donors/articleshow/94214427.cms

Simplifying the user journey in decentralized finance

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Simplifying the user journey in decentralized finance

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The decentralized finance (DeFi) economy stands at a fascinating juncture. While the recent market downturn has undoubtedly affected trading and market sentiment, contrastingly, interest and awareness in DeFi’s technologies have never been greater. Education will play a key role in the next phase of DeFi adoption. As mainstream interest accelerates, users need financial literacy to navigate the peaks and troughs of the market effectively and understand the degree of risk appropriate to their own profiles. 

Blockchain, along with the DeFi sector it powers, remains a nascent technology, comparable in its current stage of development to the internet in 1997. Considerable development remains to be done to unlock its full potential. Securing mainstream adoption will depend on the cultivation of a straightforward user experience.

Simplicity is tied to education, and education relies on sustained engagement over time. To successfully untangle the user journey in DeFi, gamified experiences can be deployed to help end-users understand the innovative tools available and ultimately drive greater adoption.

The user journey from analog to digital

Historically, new financial infrastructure has often been an attack vector. Leonardo DiCaprio’s filmography provides one such notable example. Catch Me If You Can recounts the story of con artist Frank Abagnale, Jr. pursuing affluence through check fraud — an exploit rife in the days of its widespread introduction and still prominent today. Nevertheless, despite their age, check use remains relatively common. Why? It comes down to trust and simplicity.

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Just like modern e-payments, the paper instrument represents a discretionary transfer of value processed and validated by a centralized institution. It originated to remove the need for carrying large amounts of currency and evolved to remove knowledge of a payee’s bank details. What lessons does the development of checking hold for DeFi? 

Checking may be old-fashioned, but it has had plenty of time to become a refined and trusted operation. DeFi also needs time to iron out its bumps. The average DeFi user will have multiple wallets and engage with several different chains when transacting. Currently, the clunky interaction makes it easy to make a mistake, and experiencing some problem or other is almost a rite of passage. As such, DeFi has yet to replicate the reliability that end-users are used to. 

Gamified experiences

Gamification is a tool that can be used to create incentives and introduce accountability that encourages risk-averse behavior in DeFi. It is a tool that has well-established benefits, with knowledge retention increasing by 30 percent when gamified techniques are introduced. Tim Ferriss, author of The 4-Hour Work Week, is also a major proponent of gamification for accelerated learning.

Gamification has been used to inspire confidence in users experimenting with new products and services, particularly in the realm of finance. Custodial trading platforms have capitalized on this trend massively, allowing users to set up risk-free demo accounts or robo-advisors to manage their funds. Coinbase has implemented a learn-and-earn tactic that gives users short tests and the opportunity to acquire crypto when they successfully complete them. Incorporating similar processes into DeFi would be extremely beneficial for user adoption. 

Gamified features can shape the user experience into a personal journey with emotional affiliation, and playing on human psychology could make this even more potent. Given that the stakes are typically much higher in DeFi when managing your personal finances, and considering the robust sense of community on certain networks, perhaps protocols could overlay a more competitive experience for users. For example, failure to complete an educational challenge would mean a peer on the network would receive the reward instead, as in commitment platforms such as stickK.

Understanding DeFi

Financial education is crucial not only for navigating scams and other risks, but for increasing user adoption. For many, the virtues of DeFi are lost in a wave of contradictory and confusing news and information. One might compare the 2022 crypto crash to the 2008 financial crisis, which was hard to grasp until The Big Short was released. 

Both instances can be characterized by overleveraged centralized finance (CeFi) providers leaving retail investors to bear the brunt of the fallout. Bitcoin and DeFi had emerged as escapes from this cycle, so when the crypto markets crashed and seemingly fell victim to the same conditions they were intending to prevent, it was naturally perceived as a failure.

On the contrary, DeFi performed quite well amidst the market crash. Many of the major protocols continued to operate on the strength of over-collateralization. Thus a paradox develops, where the pain points of traditional finance are replicated by CeFi on the blockchain, representing a failure to acknowledge the genuinely transformational powers of DeFi. In actuality, it should have corroborated the case for DeFi. 

The exact conditions cryptocurrency hoped to avoid re-emerged with CeFi companies operating like banks on the blockchain, masquerading as financial innovation. To hold true to the original values of crypto, prospective users must be educated on the major differences between types of crypto infrastructure. True decentralization is far from ubiquitous in the crypto economy, and users need to be empowered to understand the infrastructure that best fits their needs. Building such knowledge ultimately empowers users financially — knowledge is power after all. 

Doing your own research

For all of its anarchistic undertones, the true potential of DeFi can only be unlocked through regulatory clarity. The knock-on effects would be beneficial for public education, easing confusion and providing clear guidelines for operators and users. After all, if uninformed investment decisions are to be avoided, the law should be clear, precise and predictable. 

Opportunists have always exploited spaces where regulation is lacking; therefore, regulation should be clear, robust and focused on creating fairer financial infrastructure — guidelines that level the playing field for stakeholders without stifling innovation. 

DeFi can lay the foundations for a globally distributed and inclusive financial system. Its success will rely on combining the benefits of financial education, ease of use, and clear regulation to escalate adoption. This experience must be user-friendly, aiding users in making informed decisions with innovative technology. Only then are individuals appropriately equipped to navigate the road to financial sovereignty. 

Marcel Harmann is CEO and cofounder of THORWallet DEX

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Simplifying the user journey in decentralized finance

Humana insurance partners TrueVoice digital marketing agents

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Humana insurance partners TrueVoice digital marketing agents

Humana has partnered with TrueVoice Growth Marketing on a new growth marketing approach that uses real-time behavioral metadata from agents, brokers and third-party administrators to guide acquisition and retention campaigns.

The digital initiatives have nearly doubled lead volume and increased email conversion rates, according to Humana. 

Carmyn Wethington, commercial integrated marketing lead for employer group marketing at Humana, says the pilot program with TrueVoice is bringing awareness around what is driving acquisitions and retention efforts with agents.

“The way that it has transformed our digital program is tough to speak to because it’s almost entirely,” says Wethington. “The most important driver of that transformation starts with the understanding of our audience. … So, all of this, the entire pilot and the program we have built around it that scales the pilot was founded from narrative analysis and content modeling. We told TrueVoice this is our target audience that we want to understand and then they went out and listened.”

Kurt Genden, co-founder and managing partner of TrueVoice, says the audience-first approach works to include an understanding of how agents and brokers can inform a multi-touch integrated campaign journey designed to improve agent engagement and conversion.

Genden says using TrueVoice’s AI and ML stacks, the company was able to analyze nearly 1.2 million pieces of live behavioral metadata from agents, brokers and third-party administrators that was hosted in more than 350 million outlets and sources like narratives on social media and how agents engage with content online.

“All of this great metadata really helped us to paint a very deep picture of what agents and brokers wanted and needed,” says Genden. “Forget about Humana for a second, even outside of Humana, what did they want, need and need to achieve themselves? And then what we were able to do is really look at that and say, okay … Where can we add the most value? And with that understanding that really allowed us to take a new look and see how we innovate targeting, and the ways we reach them, how does that change the way we develop content to really speak to and respond to their needs? How do we align our operations and our department, so that we’re really delivering an experience that aligns with the journey versus trying to draw them into what exactly we want them to do, rather fit into the way they’re already behaving.”

The strategy is understanding, at a whole different level, the audience and what they need and want. Then designing programs to respond to that in a responsible way that delivers value at every point of the journey, as they consider the insurers that they can sell and obviously the clients that they need to serve and what they’re trying to achieve, adds Genden.

Wethington says she thought of this as a roadmap to understand who Humana’s best targets were, and not just who but if the company can target them. 

“The objective of this campaign was actually re-engaging agents that were either low producing, which means that they haven’t sold a lot or not producing, which means they haven’t sold anything,” adds Wethington. “The objective was to re-engage them … and what we saw on that is that our approach proved effective. So, essentially they were responding and produced more than five and a half times the volume of re-engagement than we had originally projected.” 

By having more relevant communications and content based on what the agents’ needs were, engagement increased tenfold versus past levels, says Wethington.

“I think that brokers have always been recognized as a really core component of our sales relationships and our relationship with the business,” she says. “So, it’s more of a refocus, it’s really the kind of operational alignment that this pilot brought about with digital marketing and sales, all getting behind the objective of serving the broker.”

https://www.dig-in.com/news/humana-insurance-partners-truevoice-digital-marketing-agents

How to Write a Business Growth Plan

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How to Write a Business Growth Plan

When you run a business, it’s easy to get caught in the moment, always focusing on the day in front of you. But to be truly successful, you need to be looking ahead. You need to plan for your growth. To help with that process, many business owners write business growth plans, which provide a timeline for the next one to two years on how revenue can increase. In order to write an effective business growth plan, you need to understand what one is, the different types of strategies to consider, and how to project ways for your revenue to grow.

What is a business growth plan?

A business growth plan is an outline for where a company sees itself in the next one to two years. The growth plan should be formatted to follow along with each quarter. At the end of each quarter, the company can review what goals it met and what goals it missed during that period. At this point, management can revise the business growth plan to reflect current market standing.

Why are business growth plans important?

These are some of the many reasons why business growth plans are important:

  • Market share and penetration. If your market share remains constant in a world where costs consistently increase, you’ll inevitably start recording losses instead of profits. Business growth plans help you avoid this scenario.
  • Recouping early losses. Most companies lose far more than they earn in their early years. To recoup these losses, you’ll need to grow your company to a point where it can make enough revenue to pay off your debts.
  • Future risk minimization. Growth plans matter for established businesses too. These companies can always stand to make their sales more efficient and thereby become more liquid. This liquidity can come in handy should you need money to cover unexpected problems.
  • A business growth plan is beneficial to a company as a whole, but for most businesses, the main purpose is to write it with investors in mind. Investors want an outline of how your company plans to build sales in the coming months.
  • Concrete revenue plans. Growth plans are customizable to each business and don’t need to follow a set template. However, all business growth plans must focus heavily on revenue. The plan should answer a simple question: How does your company plan to make money each quarter?

What factors impact business growth?

Countless factors can affect your business growth. These are some of the key elements:

  • Leadership. To achieve your goals, you need to know the ins and out of your business processes and how external forces impact them. Without this knowledge, you can’t direct and train your team to drive your revenue. Ultimately, this will lead to stagnation rather than growth.
  • Management. As a small business owner, you’re innately involved in management – obtaining funding, resources, and physical and digital infrastructure. Any management styles that hamper your acquisition of these resources for the sake of saving money could hamstring your growth. The money you’ll earn after growing could retroactively cover your current costs.
  • Customer loyalty. Acquiring new customers can be five times as expensive as retaining current ones, and a 5% boost in customer retention can increase profits by 25% to 95%. Combined, these statistics make customer loyalty fundamental to business growth.

What are the four major growth strategies?

There are countless growth strategies for businesses, but only four major types. With these growth strategies, you can determine how to build on your brand.

  • Market strategy: A market strategy refers to how you plan to penetrate your target clientele. This type of strategy isn’t intended for entering a new market or creating new products and services to boost your market share; it’s about leveraging your current offerings. For instance, can you adjust your pricing? Should you launch a new marketing campaign?
  • Development: This strategy means looking into ways to break your products and services into a new market. If you can’t find the growth you want in the current market, a goal could be to expand to a new market.
  • Product strategy: Also known as “product development,” this strategy focuses on what new products and services you can target to your current market. How can you grow your business without entering new markets? What are your customers asking for?
  • Diversification: Diversification means expanding both your products and target markets. This strategy is usually best for smaller companies that have the means to be versatile with the products or services they offer and what new markets they attempt to penetrate.

Tip: Share your growth plan with key employees as a motivator. When employees see an opportunity for increased responsibility and corresponding compensation, they’re more likely to stay.

What to include in a business growth plan

A business growth plan focuses specifically on expansion and how you’re going to achieve it. Creating a useful plan takes time, but the effort can pay off substantially by keeping your growth efforts on track. You should include these elements in your growth plan:

  1. A description of expansion opportunities
  2. Financial goals broken down by quarter and year
  3. A marketing plan of how you will achieve growth
  4. A financial plan to determine what capital is accessible during growth
  5. A breakdown of your company’s staffing needs and responsibilities

FYIFYI: Your growth plan should also include an assessment of your operating systems and computer networks to determine if they can accommodate growth.

How to write a business growth plan

To successfully write a business growth plan, you have to do some forward thinking and research. Here are some key steps to follow when writing your business growth plan.

1. Think ahead.

The future is always unpredictable, but if you study your target market, your competition and the past growth of your company, you can plan for future expansion. The Small Business Administration (SBA) features a comprehensive guide to writing a business plan for growth.

2. Study other growth plans.

Before you start writing, review models from some successful companies.

3. Discover opportunities for growth.

With some homework, you can determine if your expansion opportunities lie in creating new products, adding more services, targeting a new market, opening new locations or going global, to name a few examples. Once you’ve identified your best options for growth, include them in your plan.

4. Evaluate your team.

Your plan should include an assessment of your employees and a look at staffing requirements to meet your growth objectives. By assessing your own skills and those of your employees, you can determine how much growth can be accomplished with your present team. You’ll also know when to start hiring additional people and what skill sets to look for in those new hires.

TipTip: Review and revise your growth plan often – at least once a year.

5. Find the capital.

Include detailed information on how you will fund expansion. Business.gov offers a guide on how to prepare your request for funding, as well as how to connect with SBA lenders.

6. Get the word out.

Growing your business requires a targeted marketing effort. Be sure to outline how you will effectively market your business to encourage growth and how your marketing efforts will evolve as you grow.

7. Ask for help.

Advice from other business owners who have had successful growth can be the ultimate tool in writing your growth plan.

8. Start writing.

Business plan software has streamlined the growth plan process. Most software programs are geared toward business plans, but you can modify them to create a plan that focuses on growth.

https://www.business.com/articles/writing-a-business-growth-plan/

How To Raise Money to Start Business and Where to Get Money for Business

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How To Raise Money to Start Business and Where to Get Money for Business

Anyone looking to launch a business frequently has questions like, “How do I get money to launch a business, and where can I acquire money for my business?”

It’s not as tough to raise capital to launch a business as most people tend to believe. This is especially valid if your idea has the potential to bring you and your backers financial success. Actually, there is more funding available than there are viable business concepts. We will assist you in finding sources of funding for your business.

A crucial game rule to understand is that you should always put up a proper prospectus before trying to raise money.

A resume describing your background, your education, training, experience, and any other personal attributes that can be considered an asset to your future success should be included in this prospectus. List all of the debts you’ve ever had, what they were for, and how well you’ve paid them off in the past.

You must be specific about how the requested funds will be used. If it’s for an already-running business, you’ll need to provide a profit and loss statement for at least the last six months as well as a strategy outlining how the additional funding would boost profitability. If you’re starting a new firm, you’ll need to provide your suggested business plan, your marketing analysis, expected costs, and predicted income numbers, along with a summary for each year spanning at least three years.

You’ll benefit if you base your expense projections on high costs and your revenue expectations on low returns. This will give you the ability to “ride through” the tremendous “ups and downs” that are a part of starting any new firm. Include a description of your company’s distinctive features, including how they set it apart from the competitors and any potential for growth or additional items.

This prospectus needs to be very clear about what you’re giving the investor in exchange for using his money. He will inquire about the amount of interest you’re willing to pay and whether it will be paid monthly, quarterly, or annually. Are you supplying a specific share of the earnings? a portion of the company? Your board of directors’ place on the agenda?

An investor invests his money to increase his wealth. No matter if it’s a short-term or long-term arrangement, he wants to make as much money as he can. You must explain everything in depth and provide evidence from your marketing research in order to pique his attention and convince him to “put up” the money you need. You must also offer him the chance to make large profits.

Although “high risk” concepts are often well known to venture capitalists, they all want to reduce that risk as much as possible. Determining your personal and corporate assets and providing supporting documents, such as copies of your tax returns for the last three years or more, should be part of your prospectus. Even if your potential investor doesn’t know anything about you or your company, he can pick up the phone and find out all there is to know within 24 hours if he wants to. The key takeaway from this is to never attempt to “con” a potential investor. Be truthful with him. Give him a full accounting of the circumstances. A “interested investor” would typically comprehend your situation and provide more assistance than you dared to ask if you have a solid idea and have done your due diligence.

You’re ready to start looking for investors once you have your prospectus ready, know how much money you need, exactly how it will be utilized, and how you intend to repay it.

Advertising in a newspaper or other national publication that accepts such ads is one of the simplest ways to raise money, despite how straightforward it may seem. Your advertisement should include the quantity of money you require; never ask for less than you are willing to accept as a final offer. To distinguish the curious from the genuinely interested, your advertisement should also specify the type of business involved and the kind of return you’re promising on the investment.

Take a cue from the vendors of party supplies. Create a gathering and invite your friends. Describe your company idea, the potential for profit, and the amount you require. Give each of them a copy of your prospectus and request that they contribute $1,000 as a non-participating partner in your company. Consult the most recent tax laws. With the possibility of having up to 25 partners, Sub Chapter S businesses allow anyone to assemble a group of friends with something to provide them in exchange for their aid in raising funds.

Additionally, you can issue and sell up to $300,000 worth of business shares without involving the Federal Trade Commission. To do this, though, you’ll need legal counsel, and it wouldn’t hurt to have the assistance of a capable tax accountant as well.

Having an accountant and an attorney assist you in creating your business prospectus is always a good idea. Casually inquire of them if they would mind informing you about, or pointing you in the direction of, any possible investors they might happen to encounter while you explain your strategy to them and solicit their advice. Give your banker the same treatment. Give him a copy of your prospectus and ask him to review it. Also, ask him to let you know of any possible investors and to make any suggestions for enhancing it. In either situation, it’s wise to let them know you’re open to paying a “finder’s fee” if they can introduce you to the ideal investor.

It is well known that professionals like doctors and dentists have a propensity to join occupational investing clubs. Give your doctor or dentist a prospectus and an explanation of your plan the next time you speak with them. He might wish to make his own investments or even schedule a meeting for you to speak with the group’s boss. Either way, you win since it’s important to reach out to as many potential investors as you can while you’re searching for money.

Don’t undervalue the potential of the local small business investment firms. Look them up under “Investment Services” in your phone book. These organizations operate solely to lend money to companies they believe have a good possibility of producing money. They frequently exchange their assistance for a tiny stake in your business.

The purpose of the Business Development Commissions, which are present in many states, is to aid in the launch and expansion of new firms. Most of them also provide funding or facilities to aid in the launch of a new firm in addition to providing favorable taxes and business knowledge. To find out more about this concept, contact your local chamber of commerce.

Check out the industrial banks in your area because they are typically considerably more willing to provide business loans than traditional banks. Insurance companies are excellent providers of long-term finance for businesses, but each one has different criteria about the kinds of ventures it would support. For the person to contact’s name and address, check with your neighborhood agent. Another option is to convince the directories of another company to invest in your firm. Find a business that could use your product or service. Additionally, make sure to inquire about foundation funds at your local library. If your company is seen as having a connection to the goals and activities of the foundation, then they could be the only solution to all of your financial demands.

The Money Broker or Finder comes last. These are the individuals who circulate your prospectus around different reputable lenders or investors. There is no way they can guarantee to obtain you the loan or the money you want; they always ask for an upfront or retainer fee.

There are several very competent money brokers and some less competent ones. Each one of them keeps a portion of the final gross quantity that is acquired for your requirements. Before you put up any upfront cash or pay any retainer fees, it’s crucial to thoroughly investigate them; learn about the successful loans or investment programs they’ve established and what kind of investor relationships they have.

From holding garage sales to selling stocks, there are various ways to raise money. Don’t fall into the trap of believing that the bank or a financing firm is the only place you can find the money you require.

Consider encouraging investors to participate in your company as silent partners. Consider the possibility of obtaining funding for a primary business by securing money for a different company that will aid in the launch, establishment, and growth of the primary firm. Examine whether it would be possible to merge with a business that is already established and has facilities that are suitable for your requirements or connected to them. Consider the possibility of having the individuals who provide the production equipment you need to co-sign the loan you require for startup money.

Keep in mind that there are countless avenues for obtaining startup funding for a firm. This era of innovative funding is real.

Ignore the tales of “tight money,” and begin calling, chatting, and scheduling meetings to discuss your plans with the people who have money to invest. For a new business venture, there is more money available now than ever before. The issue is that the majority of new “enterprise builders” don’t know what to trust or where to look for assistance. They have a propensity to trust tales of “tight money,” so they postpone their intentions to launch their own company until a time when startup capital may be simpler to come by.

The time to move forward is now, in actuality. The time to act is now. The person who has a genuine business plan and the drive to succeed will employ any thought that comes to mind. And the suggestions I’ve made here should only be a small portion of the innumerable financial aid opportunities that are just waiting for you!

You should now have a better understanding of where to find funding for your business, how to raise money for it, and how to acquire money for it.

EY worker death: TikTok Aussie blasts toxic’ work culture at Big 4 consulting firms

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EY worker death: TikTok Aussie blasts toxic’ work culture at Big 4 consulting firms

A young woman has called out Australia’s top four consulting companies, claiming they create a ‘toxic and hyper competitive environment’ that push staff to breaking point.

The Big 4, as accounting giants Ernst & Young (EY), KPMG, PwC and Deloitte are known, have been thrown into the spotlight this week following the tragic death of a senior EY associate in Sydney over the weekend.

The woman, now known to be 27 and not 33 as previously reported, was last seen alive at a secure outdoor terrace on the 10th floor of the EY tower in Sydney’s CBD around 12.30am on Saturday. 

Many past and present workers have since spoken out about their experiences working at the well-known firms, claiming the stressful work culture prompted many to leave after just a couple of years.

Daily Mail Australia is not suggesting the alleged culture at any of the companies listed contributed to the woman’s death. 

Carla Efstratiou, who runs the TikTok ‘gowokegobrokeaus’ said she was ‘not surprised’ to hear about the tragedy at the weekend.

‘These companies have so much to answer for,’ she said.

‘They have created this toxic environment that is hypercompetitive, that demands inhumane long working hours that will send anyone over the edge.’

Ms Efstratiou said university graduates often sought out a job with the Big 4 due to their reputation, their flashy offices and the thought of working at a ‘prestigious’ company was too good to pass up.

The allegedly toxic environment at the Big 4 has been thrown into the spotlight by the tragic death of an EY worker in Sydney over the weekend (pictured, the company’s Sydney office)

Carla Efstratiou, who runs the TikTok account gowokegobrokeaus alleged there was a 'toxic' work culture at the Big 4 firms

Carla Efstratiou, who runs the TikTok account gowokegobrokeaus alleged there was a ‘toxic’ work culture at the Big 4 firms 

‘Then you get there and you might get a free lunch and a city harbour view but at what cost?’ she said.

‘You are forced to stay there for 12 or 14 hours a day, you’re paid peanuts for the amount of work you’re actually doing and you’re surrounded by a cohort of egotistical narcissists who will stab you in the back.’

Ms Efstratiou said young staff needed to know the ‘demise of your mental health isn’t worth a spreadsheet’.

Her video, which has been viewed more than 380,000 times, was flooded with comments from many current and former staff.

‘I worked there. Hated it. Soul destroying. Never been treated so poorly by management,’ one commented.

Another said they had a ‘miserable’ internship experience at one of the major firms, and vowed to ‘never accept a full time offer’.

‘Worked at Big 4 for three years, my mental health almost made me give up on life. Leaving was one of the best decision I have ever made,’ another said.

‘As an ex (Big 4) manager I can tell you it is bad. Partners and senior managers ignore issues and HR wouldn’t help me either until after I resigned,’ one wrote.

Past and present staff at some of the Big 4 companies claim they were overworked for little pay, and many 'burned out' within a couple of years

Past and present staff at some of the Big 4 companies claim they were overworked for little pay, and many ‘burned out’ within a couple of years

One woman said she suffered her first ever panic attack at one of the firms.

‘You’ll never catch me working at Big 4. I can’t stand seeing it romanticised online when really it’s a nightmare,’ another added.

‘My mum use to work for one of these large accounting firms in Sydney CBD, she was one of their top recruits and they sent her overseas, she left after a year because she couldn’t handle it anymore and the stress was too much,’ said one.

‘Big 4 is one of the most toxic work environments possible.’

‘It’s the fact they lie to prospective candidates. I interned at one Big4 company and they sold work life balance to me but as an intern I worked 70 hour weeks,’ one wrote.

Ms Efstratiou told Daily Mail Australia that while she didn’t work at any of the firms herself, she had completed her masters of business administration with many who did and heard countless ‘horror stories’.

‘I knew someone who had to take a year off work and undergo therapy because of the intense bullying culture,’ she said.

‘I heard stories about crazy deadlines, and pulling all nighters wasn’t rare.’ 

Reviews for the accounting firms tell a similar story with one claiming teams were expected to work 24 hours a day, with little money, training or support.

‘The work of three people is expected of one person,’ they said.

‘No work-life balance, Senior management is disconnected from junior staff, no respect for proper salary compensation, expects insane overtime for substandard pay,’ a Sydney associate added.

One consultant said staff were treated like ‘cattle’.

‘The pay is awful with no room for negotiation, and you will be expected to work insane hours and be at your manager’s beck and call,’ they said.

‘You will be shouted at and treated like dirt. No opportunities for training or development as ‘it’s too expensive’ and can’t be written into the budget. 

EY has promised a 'comprehensive and wide-ranging internal review that will include health and safety, security and social events' led by their chief mental health advisor in the wake of the tragedy (pictured, an EY careers event in Australia)

EY has promised a ‘comprehensive and wide-ranging internal review that will include health and safety, security and social events’ led by their chief mental health advisor in the wake of the tragedy (pictured, an EY careers event in Australia)

‘Meanwhile the executive team takes regular trips abroad for ‘leadership conferences.’ This place is a joke and years behind their competitors in every way.’

One person who works in the legal team for one Big 4 company said most ‘burned out within a year’.

‘Toxic leadership where your online and physical presence is monitored,’ they said.  

The Sydney staffer who died on the weekend had been at work until around 7.30pm on Friday when she left her office in the golden skyscraper before returning again around midnight.

It was also originally thought that she attended work drinks between 5.30pm and 7.30pm, but Daily Mail Australia now understands she was at the office until this time.

This leaves a near-five hour gap in the woman’s movements.

Around 20 minutes after arriving back at her office at midnight, the woman apparently used her security swipe card to access the restricted open-air terrace area – and then tragically fell to her death.

Daily Mail Australia understands EY are drawing up plans to redesign the rooftop guardrail on the terrace to create a new barrier to prevent any repeat of the tragedy.

EY has promised a ‘comprehensive and wide-ranging internal review that will include health and safety, security and social events’ led by their chief mental health advisor in the wake of the tragedy. 

The dead woman’s husband was on a flight from Singapore to Sydney at the time she died and had the terrible news broken to him after he stepped off the plane.

The police investigation is continuing and there is no suggestion EY – the trading name of Ernst & Young – or the worker’s superiors were in any way responsible for the death of the worker.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted EY, PwC, KPMG and Deloitte for a response to the claims. 

Daily Mail Australia understands EY are drawing up plans to redesign the rooftop guardrail on the terrace (pictured) to create a new barrier to prevent any repeat of the tragedy

Daily Mail Australia understands EY are drawing up plans to redesign the rooftop guardrail on the terrace (pictured) to create a new barrier to prevent any repeat of the tragedy

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11166863/EY-worker-death-TikTok-Aussie-blasts-toxic-work-culture-Big-4-consulting-firms.html

EXL Recognized as a Leader in ISG Provider Lens™ Digital Finance & Accounting Outsourcing Services Report

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EXL Recognized as a Leader in ISG Provider Lens™ Digital Finance & Accounting Outsourcing Services Report

NEW YORK, Oct. 07, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — EXL [NASDAQ: EXLS] today announced its selection as a Leader in the 2021 ISG Provider Lens™ Digital Finance & Accounting Outsourcing Services report, published by Information Services Group (ISG), a leading global technology research and advisory firm. Recognizing digital partners who deliver a full range of payments, order processing, reporting and analysis solutions, the ISG analysis highlights the critical role AI, machine learning and cloud capabilities have played as transaction volumes shift to digital channels.

EXL is selected in the Leader category across all four areas of the analysis, including Procure to Pay (P2P), Order to Cash (O2C), Record to Report (R2R) and Financial Planning and Analysis (FP&A) solutions.

“Over the past several years, we have aggressively positioned ourselves as a partner for data-led business by introducing new solutions and analytics capabilities that help our clients unlock new value from the digital channel,” said Narasimha Kini, Senior Vice President and Head of EXL’s Emerging Business. “We are proud to be recognized as a Leader in the ISG Provider Lens and will continue to search for new ways to keep innovating in this space.”

Said Anita Mahon, Chief Growth and Strategy Officer, EXL, “We are excited to be recognized as a Leader in the ISG Provider Lens for Digital Finance and Accounting Outsourcing Services. The ability to turn data into insights, and insights into outcomes is at the core of our F&A services. This recognition validates the data-led strategy we’re using to create value for our clients.”

The ISG report noted that “EXL blends digital technologies, including AI, robotics and advanced analytics, with extensive industry knowledge and domain expertise, to help CFOs digitally transform the finance function.”

The ISG report also noted the following EXL strengths, particularly in higher-end Record to Report and FP&A offerings:

  • EXL has deep expertise in complex R2R processes to support the CFO function. Its continuous investments in data-led value creation frameworks and cloud-native digital solutions have helped clients accelerate their R2R transformation journeys and benefit from innovation.
  • With its data and insights driven strategy to support the CFO function in generating insights and increasing time-to-value, EXL has built one of the largest Finance Analytics teams
  • Commitment in providing a customer-centric operating model and industry-specific comprehensive portfolio of digital solutions through its proprietary digital transformation stack, Finance EXLerator.AI which has helped enterprise clients to accelerate time-to-value

ISG Provider Lens is a practitioner-led service provider comparison, empowered by ISG’s advisory experience and data-driven research. Research reports provide independent vendor evaluations and enterprise buying behavior segmentation. This report summarizes the relative capabilities of 25 Finance and Accounting service providers to examine their automation ecosystem and competencies to gain a deeper understanding to support decision-making.

More information on this placement and the full report, visit here.

About EXL

EXL (NASDAQ: EXLS) is a global analytics and digital solutions company that partners with clients to improve business outcomes and unlock growth. Bringing together deep domain expertise with robust data, powerful analytics, cloud, and AI, we create agile, scalable solutions and execute complex operations for the world’s leading corporations in industries including insurance, healthcare, banking and financial services, media, and retail, among others. Focused on driving faster decision-making and transforming operating models, EXL was founded on the core values of innovation, collaboration, excellence, integrity and respect. Headquartered in New York, our team is over 33,000 strong, with more than 50 offices spanning six continents. To learn more, visit www.exlservice.com.

CONTACT: Investor Relations Steven N. Barlow Vice President Investor Relations 212-624-5913 [email protected] Media - US Michael Sherrill Vice President Marketing 646-419-0778 [email protected] Media - Europe, India and APAC Shailendra Singh Vice President Corporate Communications +91-98104-76075 [email protected]

https://ca.sports.yahoo.com/news/exl-recognized-leader-isg-provider-123000300.html

Supply Wisdom Named Business Insurance 2022 Innovation Award Winner

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Supply Wisdom Named Business Insurance 2022 Innovation Award Winner

Leading Third-Party Risk Intelligence Firm Recognized for Innovative ESG Solution that Enables Unique Transparency into Supply Chain Risks

NEW YORK, September 14, 2022–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Supply Wisdom, the leader in continuous risk intelligence and actions, has been named a winner in the 2022 Business Insurance Innovation Awards for its continuous and real-time ESG risk intelligence solution that provides clear visibility into the Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) risks that exist within an enterprise’s supply chain.

“Increased stakeholder attention to ESG sparked the idea to leverage our existing continuous monitoring capabilities to create a continuous ESG risk solution,” said Atul Vashistha, CEO of Supply Wisdom. “This solution is unique in the market as it provides customers with an always-current view of the ESG health and risk status of their suppliers and supply chains. Now companies can proactively mitigate possible threats to compliance or business continuity before they negatively impact reputation or financial performance. We’re thrilled to be recognized by Business Insurance for our efforts, and we look forward to supporting even more enterprises in achieving great ESG outcomes in the coming year.”

Supply Wisdom ESG leverages the latest automation, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and data science to monitor ESG risks 24/7 for suppliers and the locations in which they operate. Customers are alerted to the earliest risk indicators through real-time accurate alerts and risk ratings that include actionable insights. With a proprietary framework based on globally accepted standards including the UN Global Compact, GRI, WEF, ILO, ISO, and TCFD, business leaders can demonstrate to boards and others that compliance and preparedness are ahead of imminent regulations and reporting requirements. In 2021, the ESG risk solution was added to Supply Wisdom’s continuous and full-spectrum risk domain coverage of Financial, Cyber, Operations, Compliance, Location, and Nth Party risks.

Business Insurance’s panel of professional risk manager judges selected Supply Wisdom as a winner out of 75 nominations. The recognition comes alongside a period of considerable customer, revenue, and team growth for Supply Wisdom with the expansion of its go-to-market and executive teams and additions to the Board. Early this year, Supply Wisdom was named to Fast Company’s Best Places to Work for Innovators list, awarded the Third Party Risk Association’s 2022 Third Party Risk Management Service Provider Innovator Award, and received two international Stevie® awards in the Company of the Year and Most Innovative Tech Company categories.

Business Insurance will recognize winners during an awards ceremony in New York City on September 14, 2022. Profiles of the winners are featured in the September issue of Business Insurance. Click here to find a full list of the 2022 Innovation Award winners.

To learn more about Supply Wisdom, visit www.supplywisdom.com and follow us on https://www.linkedin.com/company/supplywisdom.

About Supply Wisdom
Supply Wisdom’s patented solution is transforming the way supply chain, procurement and third-party risk leaders manage risks and operational resilience. Supply Wisdom delivers continuous third-party and location risk intelligence and risk actions in real-time across the widest risk aperture to minimize the risks of disruption facing businesses, supply chains, and third parties. Supply Wisdom intelligence enables enterprises to prioritize, move faster, do more with fewer resources, and act proactively and confidently. ​

For more information, visit www.supplywisdom.com and follow us on https://www.linkedin.com/company/supplywisdom

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220914005173/en/

Contacts

Victoria Stevenson, Corporate Ink for Supply Wisdom, [email protected]

https://ca.news.yahoo.com/supply-wisdom-named-business-insurance-130000415.html

Equify Financial, LLC Announces the Expansion of Small-Ticket Dealer and Vendor Program Equipment Finance Business With the Hiring of Dan Krajewski

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Equify Financial, LLC Announces the Expansion of Small-Ticket Dealer and Vendor Program Equipment Finance Business With the Hiring of Dan Krajewski

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Equify Financial, LLC

Equify Financial, LLC

Equify Financial, LLC

FORT WORTH, Texas, Sept. 13, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Equify Financial announced today the expansion of their equipment leasing and finance business by the addition of Dan Krajewski to its executive team as Executive Vice President of Equify Financial, LLC.

Dan brings a wealth of industry knowledge in equipment finance as he implements Equify’s expansion of the small-ticket dealer/vendor channel equipment finance business. Dan will also lead on the company’s capital markets development.

Patrick Hoiby, President of Equify Financial, states, “It is an honor and rare opportunity to have someone with Dan’s expansive industry knowledge on our team. As an icon in the industry, Dan brings vast experience in developing and leading multiple business channels while incorporating the best in breed platforms within an organization like Equify.”

In addition to implementing the vendor program business and capital markets, Dan will work with Equify’s very successful core middle-market business team to cross-sell these new capabilities.

Along with his robust knowledge of the business and vast network of industry contacts, Dan currently serves as a Board Member and Treasurer of the Equipment Leasing & Finance Association (ELFA). Dan has also served as Chairman of ELFA’s Captive & Vendor Finance Steering Committee, a member of ELFA’s Independent Finance Company Steering Committee, Liaison with ELFA Lease PAC, and ELFA Industry Futures Council.

Dan Krajewski added, “I can’t express how excited I am to build out our dealer and vendor program business. We will have a unique differentiator that will attract top talent as well as dealers and vendors. Equify will be able to service a vast range of transaction sizes and credit profiles all under one roof and balance sheet since we are not a regulated financial institution. High achieving dealer and vendor program managers understand the benefit that brings to their relationships.”

Rinaldi Advisory Services (“RAS”) served as the exclusive advisor to Equify Financial, LLC on the project from concept to execution, and principal Bob Rinaldi added, “This is exciting from a pure scaling opportunity perspective. Equify’s capital structure and aggressiveness in servicing the full range of customers’ needs brings a unique toolset to the vendor program business model.”

About Equify Financial, LLC 

Equify Financial is a privately-owned, independent specialty finance company based in Fort Worth, Texas, serving the United States. Founded in 2011 on the principles of meeting our customers where they are and helping them get to where they want to go, Equify works with customers at any stage in their business. We tailor each service for our clients to build a strong relationship and future.

With over 180 years of combined experience in the equipment finance industry, we help our customers find the best financial path forward.

For more information, please visit https://www.equifyfinancial.com.

Equify Contact: Dan Krajewski Equify Executive Vice President Phone: 312-560-0715 Email: [email protected]

Press Contact: Taylor Kizer Equify Executive Assistant Phone: (817) 490-6800 Email: [email protected]

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