Cost
The cost for the Google Apps service is 50 dollars per user per year. This gives that user access to more than just email. The whole enterprise package ( as configured by the administrator ) can be accessible by each user, including Calendar, Chat, Sites, and more. We found this to be an excellent alternative to Microsoft business services, and it works great for both small businesses and large organizations.

How do I sign up?
Visit the Creative Cities newsletter form for more information and sign up details: http://creativecitieslexington.us1.list-manage.com

Protect your family’s personal assets

Tax advantages
An incorporated business can reduce the amount of tax owed to the IRS by deducting any costs that are related to the business. Depending on your type of business, there are numerous tax benefits for home business owners. Besides equipment like books and computers, you can also deduct salaries, bonuses, and medical and retirement payments paid to employees.

Establish credibility
A formal business structure provides your business with a sense of legitimacy in the eyes of your customers, vendors, and banks.

Raise money by selling stock
Should your business need more capital, you can issue shares of stock to investors from an incorporated business. Capital can be raised by selling stock whether your business is a startup or is a well established company that is seeking to expand.

The internet is a key resource for advertisers and for public relations. Cost and the ability to measure Return On Investment are key reasons for moving towards the web with both advertising and PR. When combined with off-line efforts, online marketing with social media engagement can be extremely effective at winning new relationships, strengthening reputation, and expanding visibility.

Dos and Donts Guidelines
Social media strategies should take into consideration various dos and don’ts for how employees should conduct themselves online. We feel it is not productive to discourage employees from joining and participating in social media. In fact, there may be a lot to lose from have employees disconnected from social online engagement. One strategy is to keep private accounts personal. Don’t allow employees to speak on behalf of the company. Give them clear guidelines on how to handle questions or comments directed at their company. Provide employees with a point person in the PR department. Also give them links to the company website for reference, rather than allowing them to make the mistake of answering a question wrong and causing damage to a company reputation. If the employee is blogging on a topic related to their work, provide them topical guidelines and require them to post a clear disclaimer that 1.) the employee is NOT blogging on behalf of the company and 2.) the opinions do NOT reflect the opinions and beliefs held by the company.

Employees can be great ambassadors of a brand. Enthusiasm and excitement from employees can reflect well upon the company. In certain cases, companies may want to consider maintaining social media accounts a requirement for certain types of employees, and requiring such online engagement a job requirement. This may help companies become more in tune with their customer base and with their industry.

Social Media Accounts
Some employees will have personal social media accounts from a range of service providers such as Facebook, Twitter, Ning or Delicious. For this reason, we advise companies that they should create some ground rules for social engagement. Don’t drive your employees underground by banning their accounts altogether, which just creates an air of distrust and bitterness. Simply provide them with rules for how they can acknowledge and not acknowledge their professional lives.

Blogging
Blogging is perhaps one of the oldest forms of social media engagement. Many people own personal blogs and use these blogs as a central hub for all their social media engagement. We suggest business managers become aware of such blogs, but do not discourage them. Try to imbue good stewardship guidelines for personal blogs with your employees. It is important to honor copyright laws with images and text for example and showing respect towards piers. However treading too heavily into an employee’s personal affairs can be demoralizing and can hurt valuable relationships. This is why unified guidelines are our recommendation.

Encourage quality
It may be beneficial to provide some employees with a basic how-to guide for social media engagement. Give them some reference points. For example, explain how “hard selling” a product or service is generally frowned upon in the online community. Encourage them to be participants rather than snake-oil sales people. The online social universe is all about dialogue and conversation–not forcing products down each others throats. If you, as a business manager, do not feel qualified to write a persuasive how-to guide for social media then simply link to the many, good quality references sources on the web. Education is a two way street.

Legalities
It is always best to consult your legal team when drafting these guidelines. Legal advice can save time and money. Remember, keep the language clear and readable, so that employees have a good understanding of what is possible and what is discouraged.

109.5 megawatts will be the amount of power sought from the  Grand Ridge Energy Wind Center in LaSalle County for Kentucky consumers.

Contact info:
Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber
441 Vine St Ste 300
Cincinnati, OH  45202-2812
1 513 579 3111
cincinnatichamber.com

About the organization:
The Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber is the nation’s fifth largest Chamber, representing the interests of nearly 6,000 member businesses. The Chamber provides numerous services, including business retention and attraction, programs and events, member benefits to improve members’ bottom line, solutions to members’ workforce challenges, government advocacy, and more to create and sustain a positive business climate for our community, including demonstrating a commitment to small business assistance and economic inclusion.

Here are some of the details of INK:

• Provides a program for existing manufacturers who need to make a significant capital investment in Kentucky facilities in order to remain competitive;
• Consolidates KIDA, KREDA, KJDA & KEOZ into a single, more flexible tax incentive program for new and expanding businesses;
• Provides a sales and use tax refund for companies that are heavy users of computer and telecommunications equipment; and,
• Expands KEIA to allow sales tax refunds for the purchase of electronic processing systems costing $50,000 or more.

Vodka has historically been the most desired alcoholic beverage among the Russian population. Recently, the Jim Beam Party Crew has decided to challenge this century-old tradition.

A wave of Kentucky bourbon enthusiasm has been emerging on the bar scene in Moscow. Jim Beam “ambassadors” have been touting the Jim Beam brand at local hot spots, convincing customers to experience the unique flavor of Kentucky bourbon. The Jim Beam Party Crew has been seen carting around plungers, hammers, as well as other contrivances in an effort to promote their product, and educate Russians about the American tradition of drinking bourbon.

The promotional efforts undertaken by Jim Beam have begun to have an impact on foreign markets, especially Russia and China. The change is partly attributed to young citizens achieving more economic stature and gaining the ability to pay for spirits imported from the United States.

The Louisville-based producer of Jack Daniels, Brown-Forman Corp., has been exporting whiskey for decades to the more developed markets abroad.  Primarily their spirits sales have focused on Great Britain, Australia, and Germany. However, they are currently attempting to seize the attention of the rapidly expanding middle classes of emerging markets.

Overall, whiskey sales from the United States comprise a small yet rapidly growing portion of spirits sales in emerging economies, especially as whiskey producers focus their marketing exploits on Russia and China. Last year, Russia alone experienced a 48% sales increase of nine-liter cases of Jim Beam. In 2006, Jack Daniel’s whiskey sales in Russia more than doubled. Brown-Forman has increased its profit from foreign alcohol sales 13% by the end of the fiscal year. The increase is partly attributed by demand in China, Eastern Europe, and even South Africa. Sales in International markets have ballooned from 30%, to a new record 52% of its net sales.