Tag: marc joseph

Shelters to Help Those in Need

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According to [the] Metro-wide Engagement for Shelter and Housing, […] it costs $32 [per day] for an adult and $125 [per day] for a minor to be in a shelter. On any given night, 600,000 Americans experience homelessness, of which 138,000 are children—[b]ut who ends up in these shelters?

Americans needing shelters have a long history. According to a history of homelessness, displacement […] has many causes: wars, medical problems, widowhood and racial inequities, to name a few. During the 1820s, people began migrating from farms to cities in search of jobs, [and because] so many could not find employment, they began walking the streets. This caused the country’s first panhandling ordinances, and city jails became de facto shelter systems. Poor safety regulations [in these jails] caused physical disabilit[ies] and, [frequently], death. The disabled and widows, many with dependent children, became the next wave of homeless. In the 1850s came the first documented cases of homeless youth, many of them kicked out of their homes because their parents could no longer afford to raise them.

The Civil War was the first war in which morphine was used, [a]nd, with that, opiate addiction came to the hundreds of thousands of war veterans. The Sears [& Roebuck] catalog sold morphine and heroin with syringes in its earlier days in the 1890s. The Civil War was the start of what is now known as post-traumatic stress disorder, [or PTSD].

Whereas all types of shelters are needed in our country, one of the newest [types] are [for victims of] domestic violence. […] According to Saint Martha’s Hall, [historically], British Common Law allowed a man to hit his wife with a stick no greater than the length from the last joint to the end of the thumb. In 1871, Alabama and Massachusetts became the first states to criminalize domestic violence, [b]ut it wasn’t until over a century later in 1973 that the Women’s Advocates opened the country’s first domestic violence shelter.

By 1983, there were 700 [domestic violence] shelters […] across the country, serving 91,000 women and 131,000 children. In 1994, Congress passed the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), [which] funds services for victims of domestic violence and rape [and] provides training to increase police and court officials’ sensitivity to domestic abuse. Between 1994 and 2000, $1.6 billion was spent to jumpstart VAWA. Its reauthorization in 2000 created a legal assistance program for victims and expanded the definition of crime to include dating violence and stalking. […]

Providing shelter for those in need cannot be solved by the government alone, especially in times of government gridlock and lack of funds. This is a major problem that affects all of us. Those that need help could be the war hero [who] dedicated [his or her] life to protecting our country or the woman down the street who was hurt by an abusive husband.

There are many ways we […] can help make a difference by donating to these shelters. Covenant House opens up its doors to help homeless youth. Stand up for Kids helps homeless street kids. Support Homeless Veterans works to get forgotten heroes off the street. Women’s Shelters connects [those in need to] over 2,300 women’s shelters. […]

It hurts everyone when our neighbors have to seek out shelters. Our society suffers when we deny children a good night’s sleep and a nourishing meal. Our communities suffer when a veteran loses out on the shot to attain the “American dream.” This is not a political or religious issue; it’s a moral issue that our society needs to embrace. With a little help from all of us, these 600,000 Americans can find shelter for another night.

Original article here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marc-joseph/shelters-to-help-those-in-need_b_6662444.html

Wholesale & Distribution International: Spotlight on DollarDays

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The Internet has made it possible for individuals to connect with libraries halfway around the world or tour historic landmarks through a video feed, effectively democratizing information and resources that used to be restricted to a select few. DollarDays‘ founder and CEO, Marc Joseph, says his company does the same for small retailers, making it possible for them to compete with the large chains and connect with major manufacturers and brands in a way that simply wasn’t possible for them 15 years earlier. 

Joseph says he founded DollarDays in 2001 because he and his partners understood the potential for the Internet to become the next significant channel of distribution. This would be especially true for small businesses, which didn’t have the same resources as large-scale retailers. In the past, manufacturers would send salespeople out to visit retailers of all sizes, but in today’s marketplace, most major manufacturers have deemed it unnecessary, leaving the smaller retailers out in the cold with big manufacturers and distributors. “If you’re a small business in today’s world, where are you going to find products?” Joseph says. 

DollarDays is a leading wholesaler of a wide assortment of products serving a customer base that includes smaller distributors, as well as mom-and-pop retailers competing against big-box stores like Walmart and Target. Joseph says the company supplies its customers not only with the everyday goods they need, but [with] a healthy selection of seasonal and closeout products, as well. DollarDays has more than 300,000 SKUs available for its customers, Joseph says, making it indispensable for those smaller retailers. “Basically, we are a one-stop shop for these small businesses,” he says. 

Face to Face

Joseph says customers turn to DollarDays for its incredibly broad assortment and competitive prices, but there’s another piece of the puzzle that is just as important for its customers. DollarDays’ internal sales team is just as much a selling point for customers as the company’s selection and prices, Joseph says. 

Although the convenience of being able to order product from the Internet 24 hours a day and seven days a week certainly is appealing for smaller retailers and distributors, Joseph says nothing can take the place of having dedicated salespeople available to answer questions and help customers with their orders. “What they do is actually work with our customers,” Joseph says, adding that these salespeople are able to connect with customers at any time and from anywhere through the Internet. “They’re taking the place of the guy who used to sit on the other side of the desk with these guys.”

Cutting Edge

The company’s reliance on technology means DollarDays has to stay on the cutting edge of the industry. Joseph says this is especially true because of the increasing number of wholesalers that utilize the Internet as a means of reaching out to customers and fulfilling their orders. As the wholesaling industry starts to become fully aware of the impact the Internet can have on its business, DollarDays is working hard to keep up with the latest trends and adapt to the major changes taking place in the industry.

One of the most significant of these changes and trends is the shift to mobile communication. As smartphones and tablet computers become more and more commonplace, customers are freed from being tethered to their desks, but websites need to be optimized for touchscreens and mobile data connections as a result. “What that means is all of a sudden, not just everyone is sitting in front of their computers anymore—it’s all mobile,” Joseph says. “The way for people to shop on the Internet has evolved, and so we’ve evolved along with it.” 

That evolution includes the use of social media as an outlet for reaching out to customers. Joseph says the use of platforms such as Facebook and Twitter makes it easier for DollarDays to connect with its customers in a way that conforms to their individual schedules. “That has changed the way that customers perceive how a business interacts with its customers,” Joseph says, adding that DollarDays has accounts [across a number of social media channels] as [a] means of promoting the company and communicating with customers. 

Connecting with customers has been a major focus for DollarDays over the last few years, and Joseph explains it is something the company pays close attention to every day. With a deep understanding of the marketplace and its wide selection, Joseph says, DollarDays is poised to continue holding onto its leadership position for years to come.

Original article here: http://wdimagazine.com/index.php/sections/durable-goods/304-dollardays-international

For the Love of Animals

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While on Valentine’s Day, we show our love for other humans, February 20th is “National Love-Your-Pet Day,” where we turn to our four-legged friends to show them how much we love having them around. The Humane Society estimates there are 67 million [U.S.] households that have pets. […] The pet industry made $58 billion in sales in 2014, [which] includes retail pet stores, online sales, grooming, pet hotels, innovative pet product manufacturing and even pet funerals. Considering the cosmetic and toy industries brought in $56 billion and $22 billion, respectively, the pet business has turned into a significant piece of our economy. On February 20th, we should not only be loving our pets but thanking them for helping drive our economic recovery!

Sadly, we often hear about pets being abused all over the country. Just in 2015, the former mayor of Sorrento, La., was accused of torturing and abusing cats. There’s also the retired Phoenix police officer [who] collected over 100 animals—zebras, horses, chickens and pigs—and kept them without proper shelter, food or water. [T]here’s the individual cruelty, like the dog in San Diego whose owner used rubber bands as a muzzle and caused severe injuries to the poor dog’s face. […] This disregard of compassion for animals cuts to the core of human nature. It is not only about how we treat our beloved best animal friends, [but, in] a sense, it is about how we treat each other.

So where do […] unwanted, unloved animals go? According to the ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals), there are 13,600 community animal shelters nationwide. There are 7.6 million animals entering shelters each year, of which 3.9 million are dogs and 3.4 million are cats. Each year, 35% of [these] dogs are adopted, 31% are euthanized, and 26% are returned to their owners. For cats, 37% are adopted, 41% are euthanized and only 5% are returned to their owners.

There is a major strain on our community animal shelters this time of year. With the temperature below freezing in many parts of the country, it does not take long for an animal to freeze to death when left outside. Luckily for these animals, [several] communities [are taking] action. […] Cleveland just passed a new law to protect animals being left outdoors without shelter. The city ordinance requires that [those] left outside have shelter large enough to stand up, turn around and lie down in freely, and the shelter must have one entrance and exit with a door or flap to protect the animal from the elements.

Besides weather, the inhumanity of our fellow human beings continues to burden these underfunded shelters. The Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter just took in over 70 dogs that were seized in a major dogfighting operation. […] Evidence seized in this case included firearms, treadmills, breaking sticks, heavy chains, steroids and bloodstained dogfighting rings. I just cannot image the physical and psychological wounds these abused animals now have.

It falls back on all of us to have the heart to help defenseless animals that can’t speak for themselves. There are plenty of concerned organizations that need our support to fight animal abuse—great nonprofits like [the] ASPCA, Humane Society and the American Humane Association. There are also many lesser-known animal nonprofits like World Animal Protection [and the] Best Friends Animal Society. […] If you can’t support these helpless animals with money, donate your time to help care for them at the shelters. All shelters welcome people who will feed, walk and groom these ignored animals.

Those of us with pets know they provide therapeutic benefits for many of life’s invisible scars. Our pets help us socially and emotionally. The unconditional love pets give us transcends work issues, family conflicts and death. Animals don’t care about the color of your skin, whether you can read or not, or if you are missing a limb. […] Donate to animal shelters and organizations to help care for these innocent animals. Volunteer at your local shelter to help the animals cope with being alone. No one wants to be alone, and your simple act of kindness goes a long way for animals that don’t have anyone.

Original article here: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/marc-joseph/for-the-love-of-animals_b_6459194.html

DollarDays Supersizes the Buying Power for Nonprofits, Small Businesses

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The Crunch: Buying wholesale and bulk goods used to be difficult for small retailers, especially those without the big budgets larger businesses wield. DollarDays, a premier online wholesale distributor and closeout company, extends “the same kind of buying power” to small businesses and nonprofits by buying in bulk themselves and selling products affordably from their inventory. Clients can buy single cases of a product or a single item from over 200,000 goods in stock. Whether you’re buying hats for school fundraisers or purchasing holiday décor to sell in your store, DollarDays offers a wide selection of affordable products that meet the needs (and budgets) of small retailers.

We arrived that day at Casa Shalom, an orphanage nestled on a mountain in Guatemala, with duffel bags of arts-and-crafts supplies for the kids. Hundreds of toddlers, older kids and teens would be coming to the small, blue room throughout the week to make beaded necklaces and other crafts. Buying enough supplies to last the week wasn’t a small task; we had to start saving up and purchasing items as early as the day we got back from last year’s trip. It would’ve been easier to buy supplies from a wholesale distributor, but we couldn’t afford to buy tons of bulk cases. Had we known about DollarDays, the buying process would’ve flowed smoother and, perhaps, saved money that could’ve been spent elsewhere.

There are thousands of small retailers and nonprofits like us that need access to wholesale and bulk goods every day. That’s why DollarDays is so important to the retail community. Known as the “secret weapon” of small businesses, the online wholesale distributor offers over 200,000 high-quality goods in its inventory. Retailers can purchase anything from backpacks to leggings to toothpaste and have their order shipped to their businesses right on time. DollarDays is celebrated for giving small businesses the same kind of buying power that once was only available to big-box retailers.

“Our mission is to provide low-cost products to companies and support nonprofits to stretch their dollar,” said Marc Joseph, the CEO and founder of DollarDays.

A Man’s Vision on How the Internet Would Change Distribution

In 2001, Marc and his business partners saw the opportunity to launch a wholesale-distributing website and pave the way for delivering goods to small- and medium-sized retailers across the country. Big-box retailers could afford to purchase wholesale items in bulk quantities, but, without access to the resources of their larger competitors, it was difficult for small businesses to compete. Marc wanted to level the playing field. His vision allows small businesses to buy bulk goods in smaller batches and give larger retailers a run for their money (literally). 

“We thought the Internet would level the playing field so that small businesses could compete with the chains in their marketplaces,” Marc said. “Initially, we started off to serve small-business owners.”

Fifteen years later, DollarDays has changed the landscape of the wholesale distribution space for the better. Small retailers can buy anything from clothing to household items to beauty products whenever they need them, which makes ordering flexible and easy. 

Simplifying the wholesale-buying process has revolutionized the way small retailers and nonprofits do business. With access to similar resources, small businesses can compete with larger brands and fight for their fair share of customers. 

Small Retailers Can Pick from over 200,000 Goods at Any Time

Let’s say you own a kid’s hair salon called Pearls and Plunder Hair Cuttery Salon. As one of your unique selling points, you reward kids with a prize from the toy chest after they’ve received a haircut. Because you have a small (yet growing) client base, you wonder where you can buy small cases of toys and games without spending an excess amount of money. That’s where DollarDays steps in.

You can head to DollarDays.com, click on the “Toys & Games” tab, then start the peruse the different types of toys available. Your options include buying as few as one toy or purchasing a small case to save money. Once you select all the products you need, you can swiftly complete your order at checkout. Even if you remembered at midnight that you’re running low on supplies, you can place an order right then and there.

DollarDays stands out from wholesale competitors for one simple reason: the company’s flexible ordering system. Retailers have the option to try out a few products without “committing” to buying in bulk. In fact, DollarDays encourages customers to test out different products to see what works for them. If it ends up working out, the customer can then place a bulk order at DollarDays.com, eliminating waste for the retailer.

“We have become a one-stop for any business or association,” Marc said.

Let DollarDays Be “a Secret Weapon” for Your Business or Nonprofit

Even though we’re a small nonprofit with a smaller budget, using DollarDays is a smart way for us to buy all the future arts-and-crafts supplies we need to take to the orphanage. Whenever your small business or nonprofit needs to buy any type of bulk items, shopping at a wholesale distributor [like DollarDays] will help you save money. […]

DollarDays will continue to offer more quantities of low-cost goods to help small businesses compete with larger players in the space. The wholesale company is eager to help your business grow, one bulk case at a time.

Original article here: http://www.dealcrunch.com/blog/dollardays-supersizes-the-buying-power-for-small-businesses/

Can’t Stop the Giving

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Now that the season of giving is officially over, we are approaching the harshest time of year, when underprivileged, poor and homeless fellow Americans need our help the most. The average high [temperature] across the United States in January is 42° F and the average low is 27°, [making it[ the coldest month of the year. In February, the average high moves to 44° and the average low is 28°. […] Using New York […] as the example, the cost of heating oil jumps in the winter, with [the] January [2014] cost per gallon [at] $4.13 and February’s cost [at] $4.34. […]

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, a family of four is considered living in poverty if their annual income is under $23,850. The current […] U.S. […] poverty rate is 14.5%, [amounting to] 45.3 million people living in poverty. […] The poverty rate for children is 19.9%; for people ages 18 [to] 34, it is 13.6%, and for those over 65, the rate is 9.5%.

We can’t rely on our government to take care of the poor—or can we? The New American just reported that 65% of our children live in households [participating] in at least one or more of these government aid programs: Temporary Assistance for Needy Families; the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program […]; the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC); Medicaid; [or] the National School Lunch Program. The “War on Poverty,” which was part of the “Great Society” plan of President Johnson, […] celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2014. Our government has spent $22 trillion over these 50 years to support this war.

So does the U.S. welfare system actually hamper dignity while claiming to grant it? We continue to hear stories of recipients abusing the social safety net designed to help those who truly need our help. Do some of these programs trap people into the poverty they are trying to escape? Our government programs address complex social problems with a one-size-fits-all solution. Local nonprofit organizations and local governments have a better vantage point to identify and address the true poverty issues in their communities, [making them] more invested in the success of the families and individuals living [there].

[N]ow that the holidays are over, we are back to focusing on ourselves. Whether it is finding a gym to get back in shape or a diet to lose the holiday pounds, our attention naturally shifts away from those who need our help 365 days a year. [Fortunately], there are several nonprofit organizations that don’t give up after the holidays. […] One of my favorites is One Warm Coat. This nonprofit organization started [in 1992] with a Thanksgiving weekend coat drive, [and, since] then, they have organized thousands of groups across America that collect coats to give to those in need. […] Another favorite is Operation Warm, which started in 2002 and [relies on] organizations like [local] Rotary [clubs] and firefighters to distribute over 300,000 coats to impoverished children annually.

Each of these caring organizations began way before the recession, survived the recession and continues to serve the underprivileged as the country recovers. The Salvation Army [is] the second largest charity in the country, receiving $2.08 billion in donations annually. The largest charity is The United Way, who took in $3.87 billion [within its] network of over 1,300 units across the country. […]

With the impasse in Washington, [D.C.], which looks like it will be getting even worse in 2015, we cannot rely on our government to pick up the slack to take care of those Americans who truly need our help. Gas prices are going down, giving all of us more discretionary income to spend. The holidays are over, […] and now it is time […] to step up and begin to funnel [that] extra gas money back into our local communities to help our neighbors pull themselves out of poverty. We, as citizens, need to create a new grassroots effort—our own local “War on Poverty.” Having 45.3 million people living in poverty is not what any of our forefathers envisioned, and it is not the country we want to leave to our children.

Original article here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marc-joseph/cant-stop-the-giving_b_6390550.html

MyECheck Signs DollarDays to Its Patented Electronic Check Services

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MyECheck, Inc. (OTC PK: MYEC), the leader in electronic check solutions for Internet and mobile payments, announced that it will provide its patented electronic check services to DollarDays, a web-based virtual warehouse that enables small-business owners and charities to find great deals on orders for more than 300,000 products, from toys and household décor to apparel, electronics and seasonal merchandise.

MyECheck offers a variety of electronic check services for almost any application, including personal, business and government payments. With this agreement, DollarDays customers will have access to the fastest, safest and lowest-cost payment method in America, providing secure, low-cost, same-day payments from any checking account.

“DollarDays is all about providing superior value and ease-of-use to its customers, which range from individual consumers to small businesses to nonprofit organizations, and that aligns perfectly with our mission to improve the security, speed and cost associated with mobile and online payments,” said Ed Starrs, CEO of MyECheck. “We are excited to be working with DollarDays and look forward to serving the needs of its customers.” 

About DollarDays
Founded in 2001, DollarDays is the leading supplier of wholesale goods for nonprofits, businesses and betterment organizations. By sourcing affordable products, backed by exceptional service and meaningful community engagement, we strive to inspire and empower our customers to accomplish their missions to improve the lives of people around the world. Recognized as the City of Phoenix Mayor’s Office “2018 Product Exporter of the Year” and Internet Retailer Magazine’s “B2B E-commerce Marketer of the Year” for 2016 and 2017, DollarDays is headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona. For more information, visit www.dollardays.com.

Donating: Is It the American Way?

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In the United States, there are 1,429,801 tax-exempt organizations made up of 966,599 public charities; 96,584 private foundations; and 366,618 other types of nonprofits, including chambers of commerce, fraternal organizations and civic leagues, according to the National Center for Charitable Statistics. These [tax-exempt] organizations paid for 9.2% of all wages in [our nation last year] and accounted for 5.5% of GDP. Charitable contributions are over $320 billion, with religious organizations receiving 32% […] and educational institutions getting 13%.

Over the last five years, the World Giving Index rates the United States as the most giving country, followed by Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Canada and the United Kingdom. What is driving the No. 1 rating is the fact that helping a stranger is more commonplace in [our country], with 77% of Americans saying they helped someone they did not know. The United States ranks third globally in volunteering and 13th in donating money.

[Americans] have a long history of giving back. [T]he Pilgrims […] relied on neighbors to survive the harsh winters. The settlers raised each others’ barns, hosted quilting bees for the community and built common areas in their towns. Benjamin Franklin […] is known as the Founding Father of American Volunteerism; [in] the late 1700s, [h]e gathered volunteers to sweep the streets of Philadelphia, organized the nation’s first volunteer fire department [and] established a voluntary militia. […] His philosophy was “individuals working together, un-coerced, for the common good.” In the 1830s, two groups who felt their lack of power—women, who had no right to vote, and the clergy, whose political authority was weakened by the constitutional separation of church and state—formed benevolent societies to focus on issues [like] slavery, cruelty, drinking [and] illiteracy.

[B]illionaires [also] have given to improve [American] society. Andrew Carnegie, who made his fortune in the steel industry, helped fund 3,000 public libraries, […] 7,000 church organs and […] Carnegie Hall in New York City. […] John Rockefeller, Jr., who made his fortune in oil, donated land along the East River in Manhattan for the United Nations headquarters in his belief that the world together can get better. […] Warren Buffet and Bill Gates, probably the two best-known billionaires, created the “Giving Pledge,” which now has 127 billionaires committed to pledging at least half of their wealth to help nonprofits.

These are examples of the very visible givers. There are hundreds of others who have given to help hospitals and schools and the underprivileged that are not in the news.

Overall, Americans give, on average, 3% of their income to charity, a figure that has not budged significantly for decades. The Chronicle of Philanthropy reports that there are significant differences in how much the average American gives; [i]n Utah and Mississippi, households [donate an average of] 7% of their incomes to charity, while in Massachusetts and three other New England states, giving is under 3%. Middle-class Americans give a far bigger share of their discretionary income; households earning $50,000 [to] $75,000 [annually] give an average of 7.6% of their income to charity compared to 4.2% of people making over $100,000. […]

What are the reasons people help other people? According to Gaiam.com, giving to charity improves your sense of well-being, [because you know] that you sacrificed time, finances or property to help others. Supporting a cause can help keep you informed about issues of social injustice. Giving to charity out of spiritual conviction can strengthen your spiritual life. Volunteering with a charity may result in physical and social benefits—[a]nd donations are tax-deductible.

Having donations as a tax-deductible item has been in the fabric of our taxes since the Revenue Act of 1917, which established […] an individual income-tax deduction for contributions made to tax-exempt charitable organizations. According to CNN, the charitable deduction is the ninth-largest tax expenditure in the federal budget. In 2014, the amount of revenue the government will forgo from those claiming charitable deductions is estimated to reach $52 billion. Giving, on one hand, helps those in need, while on the other hand, [it] pushes our government into greater debt.

Community service is not political, and it is not mandated by the state. It is something that comes from deep within our core values. A true definition of this can be seen with the Society of Secret Santas, who[se members] give away $100 bills of their own money to the needy to help reinforce the self-worth and image of those they help. […] They give in anonymity; [lead] by example; [share] their wealth in a humble, selfless way; [and] show compassion through random acts of kindness, tapping into the human spirit by giving the recipient hope and belief.

Anonymous givers set the stage to teach our kids about the selflessness of being kind. Whether it is cleaning out your closet to help a charitable organization or spending time to help the elderly or volunteering to help a neighbor do yard work or shovel snow, the examples we adults set today by our actions will influence how the next generation views their obligations to others. […]

From Ben Franklin to Andrew Carnegie to Warren Buffet, well-known leaders set the example for us, but you don’t have to be a billionaire leaving a legacy to make a difference. [V]olunteering still forms the core of the American character—[i]t is who we are and how we pass on freedom and caring to the next generation. Maybe that is one reason that seniors volunteer at a higher rate than our children. The experience of life that seniors [possess] is precious, and if we can teach the younger generations to care more about others, we can continue to be the most charitable nation, just like our forefathers [envisioned].

Original article here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marc-joseph/donatingis-it-the-america_b_6222052.html

The Homeless Need More Than Blankets

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In this land of plenty and this land of opportunity, [more than] 600,000 Americans experience homelessness on any given night, [including] 138,000 […] under the age of 18. According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, the national rate of homeless persons is 19 [in every] 10,000 people, with the highest [rate] in Washington, D.C., [at] 106 [for every 10,000]. Veterans are homeless at the rate of 27 for every 10,000, with [our nation’s capital] again [rating] the highest at 156.

[L]ack of affordable housing is considered the primary cause of homelessness. The government agency HUD […] has seen its budget slashed by over 50%, resulting in the loss of 10,000 units each year of subsidized low-income housing. Thirteen percent of the nation’s low-income housing has been lost since 2001. This country needs 7 million more affordable apartments for low-income families, but, because we don’t have enough, 11 million families spend over half of their monthly income on rent. Add on top of this the over 5 million homes that have been foreclosed on since 2008, and it easy to understand why this country is where it is with our [inability] to help the homeless.

Homeless children, as defined by the federal “No Child Left Behind” program, include not just those living in shelters or transitional housing, but also those sharing housing [with others] due to economic hardships; living in cars, parks, bus or train stations; or awaiting foster care placement. Using this definition, the National Center for Homeless Education reported in September 2014 [that there are] 1,258,182 homeless children in [our country’s] public school [system], an 8% jump from 2013. Youth homelessness has increased 72% in the last seven years, [and] many of these youths exchange sex for food, clothing, shelter and other basic needs. Seventy-five percent of [our nation’s] homeless youth have either dropped out or will drop out of school.

As a caring society, what can we do about this?

Sports Illustrated (SI) just published a fascinating article on how more than 100,000 students on school teams are homeless. In the Mobile, Ala., county school system, 27.6% of homeless students competed for middle- and high-school teams. In Kansas City, Kan., 20% of homeless students competed. SI concludes that athletic programs are keeping homeless athletes away from outside factors that derail their chances for a successful future. Coaches often become mentors and surrogate parents, and pregame and post-game meals provide essential nourishment, while kids benefit from the exercise and structure in sports. […]

Homeless veterans are another story. The National Coalition for Homeless Veterans reports that 1.4 million veterans are considered at risk for homelessness due to poverty, lack of support networks and substandard housing. [Approximately] 49,933 of these veterans are homeless on any given night. America’s homeless veterans served in World War II, the Korean War, [the] Cold War, [the] Vietnam War, [the] Gulf War, Afghanistan and Iraq. Half of our current homeless veterans served during the Vietnam era. [Eight] percent are female, while 40% are African-American or Hispanic.

The Washington Post reported our new Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary, Bob McDonald, […] announced an additional $207 million in funding for rapid-assistance grants to help 70,000 veterans keep their homes or return to permanent housing. [Another] $62 million will be dedicated to a rental-assistance program that would bring more than 9,000 chronically homeless veterans off the streets. [In total], the VA has committed more than $1 billion in 2014 to strengthen programs that prevent and end homelessness among veterans. They have changed their approach to a “housing-first strategy” where they are focusing on providing veterans a place to live first and then help[ing] them with drug abuse, job searches and mental health. Previously, the VA insisted on health services first before offering housing.

Homelessness cannot be solved by the government alone, especially in times of government gridlock and lack of funds. This is a major problem that affects all of us, whether it involves the classmates of our kids or the war hero who was dedicated to protecting our country. There are many ways the average citizen can help by donating or volunteering. The Covenant House opens up its doors to help homeless youth. Stand Up For Kids helps homeless street kids. Move for Hunger helps collect food for those in need. Support Homeless Veterans works to get these forgotten heroes off the streets. […]

We all suffer when we allow our neighbors to go homeless, even for just one night. Our society suffers when we deny any of our children a good night’s sleep and a nourishing meal. With the limitless potential that many homeless youth have to make a lasting positive contribution to our communities, whether it is in science, humanities or sports, we cheat not only them but ourselves by not allocating dollars, either in the taxes we collect or the disposable income we can spare. Every child, veteran or family in need should have a shot at attaining our American dream, and, with a little help from all of us, America can help those 600,000 a night who suffer. This is one issue that is not political.

Original article here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marc-joseph/the-homeless-need-more-th_b_6064668.html

Small Businesses Are Still Struggling

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Small-business owners don’t take vacation not because they don’t want to travel or relax or explore new adventures, [but] because they are scared to death their business will fall apart. Fortune recently reported half of small-business owners will take no vacation this year. Of the half that do go on vacation, 61% […] go for only a week, […] half of what the average U.S. employee takes each year. Also, when a small-business owner actually takes a vacation, 67% […] check in with work at least once a day, and only 15% completely disconnect from their business.

Gallup reported earlier this year that the total number of new business startups and business closures per year […] just crossed to the bad for the first time since this measurement began. Annually, 400,000 new businesses are being born nationwide, while 470,000 are dying each year. [U]ntil the recession began, startups outpaced business failures by 100,000 per year. If small businesses continue to die at this pace, disastrous consequences for our economy and way of life are right around the corner. […]

So why are businesses failing at such a high rate?

According to MSN, the No. 1 reason is running out of money too quickly. When starting a business, you need to plan as if you had no sales for six months and have that money sitting in the bank to cover all the startup issues. [B]efore the recession, business owners could borrow against the equity in their homes. [W]e don’t have that same home equity today, [which means many] new business startups are rolling the dice and not having as much in the bank. […] Larger businesses also face cash-flow issues—they may be completing their projects, but their clients are paying slower, so payrolls get missed and lights go off. […]

The No. 2 reason why businesses fail is overconfidence in their product that may be ill-timed or is a dud of an idea. [I]f you don’t test [the] market first or [if] you are not keeping up with the trends, there is a good chance customers won’t purchase your goods.

[T]he third reason is a poor pricing strategy. [The] competition may have a cheaper solution, [but] if you […] lower your price, there still needs to be enough margins to pay the bills.

How can we reverse this trend of more businesses dying than being born? One way is through a new program, “Big Ideas for Small Business,” that was launched last year by The National League of Cities in partnership with the City of Chicago’s Innovation Delivery Team. They have produced a toolkit that helps local leaders create ecosystems that support small-business growth with city resources and provides business owners with access to new sources of capital. Another resource is SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives), […] whose mission is to foster small-business communities through mentoring and education. […] The NFIB (National Federation of Independent Businesses) […] is a great resource for information and interaction with other small businesses. […]

This lopsided failure rate of small businesses is a concern to every community. For our cities to [only recent;y] realize this is a local issue that must be solved with “boots on the ground” reinforces that these entrepreneurs are not in this battle alone, [that] they have their “village” looking out for them. This is a good start to reverse our small-business death trend, [b]ut it also takes individuals in our communities spending in small businesses. These “buy local” campaigns truly make a difference; [f]or each $100 spent at local businesses, $45 of secondary local spending is done, compared to $14 for big chains. This multiplier effect trickles down and has a dramatic influence in keeping our local businesses alive.

America has been great since our independence, because, on the backs of small businesses, we have built an exceptional agricultural, industrial and intellectual powerhouse economy. We can’t afford to let these small businesses die, because just about every great economic accomplishment in our country started in the mind of an entrepreneur.

Original article here: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/marc-joseph/small-businesses-are-stil_b_5870328.html

Don’t Care About Alibaba? Here’s Why It May Matter

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When the Alibaba Group Holding prices its initial public offering Thursday, small businesses, in particular, will be watching. Founder Jack Ma—the former English-teacher-turned-dot-com-billionaire—has touted his e-commerce platform as a way for smaller merchants to expand their international footprint, including access to consumers in China.

In its September 5th filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Alibaba said it “fights for the little guy,” but will Alibaba really champion “Main Street” in a crowded online marketplace?

Alibaba launched its IPO roadshow in New York last week with enough investor demand to cover the entire deal within two days, according to Reuters. Alibaba’s stock sale is expected to rival Facebook’s $16 billion offering two years ago.

“Our proposition is simple: we want to help small businesses grow by solving their problems through Internet technology,” Ma wrote in the filing.

So CNBC canvassed a few small merchants who already have waded into Alibaba.com. Their experiences, for the most part, were positive, according to the select group of small-business owners.

And in a twist on domestic manufacturing, products that are “Made in USA”—or even China-made goods sold through an American-based company—can get traction and differentiate themselves among a crowded slate of online sellers.

“The majority of our products are made in China, but simply being in the U.S. has helped us stand out,” said Marc Joseph, founder of DollarDays, [an] Arizona-based business-to-business site that sells more than 300,000 products—from apparel to cleaning supplies—in the United States and 44 other countries.

In the end, though, small businesses may have to play nice with the giant e-commerce portal, whether they like it or not. Alibaba is China’s largest Internet retailer, with online merchandise volumes that lag only Walmart worldwide. Alibaba does not break down how many businesses it partners with in the United States, but the company does report giving Chinese consumers access to millions of global merchants through a constellation of portals that essentially serve as digital, global storefronts or marketplaces.

In the SEC filing, Ma wrote that “international brands that set up storefronts on Tmall Global benefit from the exposure to the hundreds of millions of visitors on Taobao Marketplace and Tmall, enabling them to establish their brand awareness in China without the need for a physical presence in China.”

Some U.S.-based small businesses already have found success selling to other businesses on Alibaba.com. Absonutrix, a Greensboro, North Carolina-based nutritional supplement company, has been working with Alibaba for three years. While Chinese competitors have similar products listed for one-tenth the price of their supplements, being based in America and offering “Made in USA” supplements have helped their brand stand out on Alibaba.

“We will quote our products one time, and there will be nine Chinese (price) quotations at the same time, but people prefer purchasing ingestible products from the U.S.,” said Absonutrix’s senior sales manager, Adam Thomas.

The 10-employee Absonutrix will hit the multi-million-dollar mark in business sales this year. Thomas declined to detail what percentage of his sales comes from Alibaba.

“We have had some large partners materialize from Alibaba—the ones I have dealt with are sitting around the half-million mark,” Thomas said. “But the biggest value is in penetrating new markets. Our company becomes more well-known.”

If a U.S. company is selling something that international consumers don’t readily have access to, that American company naturally will stand out among international competitors, said Kelland Willis, associate analyst at tech research firm Forrester.

“T-shirts, you can purchase in China—but nutritional product demand, for example, is so high right now, so it will naturally generate a lot of interest from customers in China,” Willis said. “If you have a niche product that there is demand for in the market—like formula, toothpaste, laundry detergent—consumers will go crazy for it.”

And, in some cases, just being an American company can help an entrepreneur stand out. DollarDays’ Joseph has seen business grow through Alibaba sales for the past four years. DollarDays boasts some 3.5 million registered users and attracts 1,400 new customers daily globally, with about 100 coming from Alibaba. “With Alibaba being so strong as they are in the Far East, that has helped awareness to small businesses that may be made in, or from, China,” Joseph said.

Betty Mills, a San Mateo, California-based business-to-business e-commerce company, has also found success on Alibaba. Mills has been selling everything from uniforms to health and wellness products for the past six years. Traffic the 20-employee company gets from Alibaba is “very significant,” said Victor Hanna, the company’s chief executive, also known as “Chief Betty.” Alibaba has helped Betty Mills grow total annual revenue to about $15 million. Exposure on the site has boosted business leads both domestically and abroad, and, like Absonutrix, Betty Mills has raised its profile for uniforms and health-related products by just being based in the United States, which has some cache on Alibaba, Hanna said.

“The amount of leads we get from Alibaba each month is in the thousands,” Hanna said. “We are very happy with the relationship and excited about the future.”

Not every entrepreneur has had a smooth experience on Alibaba. Take Wil Willis, a Lancaster County, Pennsylvania-based startup entrepreneur who designs for Confrontational Clothing. His 12-employee company manufactures and distributes graphic T-shirts that are popular among mixed martial arts fighters. With the brand relatively new—the startup is four years old—Willis decided to give Alibaba a try. Sure, Willis attracted international business-to-business clients. There was just one problem: most of the potential clients weren’t real. Willis would attempt to charge the credit card numbers he was given but couldn’t complete the transactions, a sign of false accounts.

“The majority of inquiries I received were scams,” Willis said. “I would get emails from Algeria, Dubai and more that would say they were looking to buy our clothing in bulk. One guy wanted 250,000 T-shirts and was ready to give me his credit card info right there—it was clear the transactions would be fraud.”

Willis says Alibaba was not good at catching scammers, despite several complaints he brought to the company’s attention. Alibaba declined to comment on its fraud protection policies; however, in its SEC filing, the company said “as of March 31, 2014, [Alibaba] … had a dedicated in-house team of over 2,000 customer service representatives focused on serving consumers and businesses on our marketplaces through telephone hotlines, real-time instant messaging and online inquiry systems.”

And while he did receive several inquiries from China, Willis says potential clients requested his company use outside firms to manufacture his shirts. Willis wasn’t open to that idea since he’s a U.S.-based manufacturer. His one-year deal is nearly up with Alibaba, and he won’t be re-signing, he said. “I am really unhappy with the year I’ve had with them,” Willis said. “I’m not bashing them, but I won’t be renewing the deal.”

Absonutrix’ Thomas said while he has received a few phishing emails via Alibaba, he has faith that once trading begins, deals will flow to his business.

“I think there will be a lot more comfort in the American market, and that [selling on Alibaba] will be more accepted,” Thomas said.

Hanna agrees and says once Betty Mills moves into private-label products, it will be primed for even more international growth. “When that time comes, we will be looking to ship internationally, and I don’t have any other way to get the exposure that I get today from Alibaba,” Hanna said. “The additional exposure we will get from the IPO will increase our U.S. registration base significantly.”

Original article here: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/alibaba-being-american-business-plus-115709825.html