Sitting at a desk for eight or more hours a day can not only make an individual gain weight, he or she can also develop pain on their fingers, hands, and wrist when they constantly do work in front of a computer.  An uncomfortable chair can lead to back pain, and continuous staring at the bright lights of a computer monitor can take its toll on the eyes.

“Ergonomics is the science of designing specific items, such as furniture, to comfortably conform to the body and reduce the risk of injury from stress and strain,” according to Ergonomic Office Designs.

The Internet retailer sells items such as adjustable height computer desks to make sure office furniture is customized to an individual’s height and portion.  A tall individual working on a short desk risks back injury from hunching down for hours on end.

“Traditional furniture always appears to be a bargain, but the cheap materials used in the construction of these pieces means that they are unlikely to last very long,” according to Ergonomic Office Designs’ blog.  “This makes traditional office furniture a bad investment in the long run. This is especially true when office managers consider the lost work time resulting from the physical injuries sustained by the workers who are required to use these outdated tables, desks and chairs.”

The company sells ergonomic chairs designed to match the contours of the human body.  The prices range from $500 to about $1,400 per piece.  However, the workplace safety industry is betting that employees will see the premium prices as a hedge against more costly healthcare costs which arise out of workplace injuries.

“Common examples of ergonomic risk factors are found in jobs requiring repetitive, forceful, or prolonged exertions of the hands; frequent or heavy lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying of heavy objects; and prolonged awkward postures,” according to information published by the U.S. Department of Labor. “Vibration and cold may add risk to these work conditions.”

“Long hours of office work can be stressful to the mind, but time spent at a desk does not have to strain the body as well,” according to the company’s founders, who post videos on YouTube to help employees reduce the risk of workplace injuries.

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In the United States, small and medium enterprises account for nearly 95 percent of new jobs in the economy.  However, the mainstream media disproportionately focuses its coverage on Fortune 500 companies and the financial markets.

One website showcases entrepreneurs who are passionate about growing their businesses.

Investment Underground is composed of a team of editors, independent journalists, and subject matter experts who provide insights and analysis into technology, commodities, and stock market news “to break the stories that matter”.

The online portal is run by Chris French, the site’s editor-in-chief.  “Our active approach to journalism spans analysis and interviews with noteworthy leaders to uncover real news that affects business right now,” says French, who has covered topics ranging from green energy, foreign investments, and supply side economics.

Aside from writers, Investment Underground is composed of professionals such as lawyers, MBAs, fund managers, and finance professionals.  Due to its team’s unique insights and experience in industry, the site correctly predicted the departure of Avon CEO Andrea Jung in 2011.  More impressively, the site predicted Warren Buffett’s purchase of his first technology stock in over forty years at Berkshire Hathaway.

Recently, Investment Underground has conducted interviews with CEOs of small- and medium-sized companies, many of whom are also founders of the businesses they operate.  These interviews convey what it’s like to start and grow a business, including all the sales, cash flow, and operational challenges inherent in early ventures.

The spirit of entrepreneurship is expressed through a recent Q&A interview with Oogwave CEO Gaurav Jain.  “Philosophically, I believe that passion is more important than anything else. So when I hire, I don’t care which school people attended, or what education they had, but what they are really passionate about,” says Jain, a native of India who started and grew a successful technology business.  “It’s more about the work they want to do. More than 80 [percent] of our employees did not get an education related to the job they perform. I also value is self-motivation. People with self-motivation tend to do better things faster.”

Investment Underground reflects the evolving nature of online journalism.  Traditional news channels relied heavily on advertising for the vast majority of its revenue.  However, news blogs and websites are being forced to adapt due to Google’s immense power of being able to allocate web traffic – and consequently, revenue – on the Internet.

French believes that news and blog sites can meet journalism’s traditional criteria of newsworthiness and feature stories while conveying sponsored content to the site’s readers.

Investment Underground’s content has appeared on Google News, Bing News, Seeking Alpha, Motley Fool, Morningstar, Vatalyst, Value Walk, and Guru Focus, among others.

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The disagreement between the two companies shows how intellectual property rights can be used as a competitive tool in ecommerce and Internet-based lead generation and transactions.

American Home Realty Network Inc. (AHRN), which owns and operates NeighborCity, is countering that the listing services (MLS) are unable to show the chain of title to the photos of the houses in question, and thus, unable to prove that the company has violated any copyright laws.  In the real estate industry, photos published on listing websites typically come from the homeowners themselves or their agents.

In response to the copyright lawsuit, AHRN has filed a countersuit against the original plaintiff citing anti-trust practices.  The anti-trust suit alleges that Berkshire, which owns the HomeServices of America as a subsidiary, is merely bullying smaller players in the real estate industry.  AHRN’s executives that the un-publishing of content, such as images and multimedia, related to listed residential property would drive NeighborCity out of business.

Aside from Berkshire, Maryland-based Metropolitan Regional Information Systems Inc. (MRIS) and Minnesota-based MLS filed complaints against AHRN.

Last month, Ron Peltier, CEO of HomeServices, announced that the residential real estate company will have about $50 billion in revenue for 2013.  The company has received criticism as of late.  HomeServices’ moves in the housing market are being criticized as anti-competitive by other real estate firms.  A few years ago, the company settled a class action lawsuit for illegally fixing real estate commissions.

Jonathan Cardella, CEO of NeighborCity, is accusing Buffett’s holding company of attempting to limit the dissemination of real estate offers for sale, as well as, attempting to reduce transparency for residential home buyers.  According to Cardella, HomeServices’ actions would limit the eventual sales price of housing properties.

For the past couple of years, Warren Buffett has been bullish on what he sees as a recovering housing market.  At a real estate convention held in Texas earlier this year, Buffett said that “the coming years are going to be a lot better.  We see it in all our housing related businesses. We have a brick business; we have a carpet business; we have insulation. We’re in all aspects of housing, and they’re all coming back strong.”

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As a platform, most businesses owners see social sites only as a marketing channel in which they promote their latest products or services.  That’s a very limited use of new media.

A company conveying an average or mediocre product to the marketplace can expect lukewarm responses at best.  Social media enables anyone – business owner, amateur singer, professional poker player – to be an online publisher to a targeted audience that shares their passion.

Moreover, social networking sites are a tool for connecting and engaging at a human level.  It’s not meant to be an automated posting process where message blasts result in large quantities of orders.

This is where businesses can inspire and move people.  This is where they can make their noble mission statements shine.  This is where they can show how their products or services are making a lasting difference in the world.  Communication over social media doesn’t have to be formal.  That’s for press releases and (sometimes) official blogs.

A giant technology company can convey to its fans photo slideshows of its employees having a Christmas party.  Thus, the business can show its customers that employees who create their products and take orders on the phone are also humans who share similar aspirations at a fundamental level.

Since its founding in 2003, One Source Talent (OST) has grown into one of the most popular talent agencies in the United States.  OST, which is based in Detroit, operates in major markets including Miami, Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Washington D.C., Detroit (headquarters), Los Angeles, and New York.

Over the past decade, the company has leveraged technology and social media to provide talent and advisory services in the fashion and acting communities. One Source Talent maintains an interactive database of models, actors and clients looking to fulfill creative requests and needs.

Its Facebook page has over 112,000 fans which create a positive snowball effect for any aspiring actor or actress trying to land a shot in Hollywood.  Internet marketers call this phenomenon “social proof”.  One prospect sees a company’s popularity with a similar audience and decides to join the bandwagon.

Afterall, 112,000 individuals can’t be wrong.

According to a recent study, 34 percent of business owners say they have no desire to use social media in the future.  However, they’re missing an important opportunity to connect with people and tell them what makes their businesses unique, differentiated, and special.

Through social sites, businesses can let prospects know why they care about their customers.

Social media is probably one of the best things that’s ever happened to a talent or sports agency. It enables these firms to convey to aspiring amateurs (such as football players and singers) how they can help them realize their lifelong dreams.

And that’s what social media is about: fun, informal, and aspirational.

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Ensure You Pay the Right Tax

It is your responsibility to ensure that the business pays the right amount of tax – on time. Hire an accountant to make sure the right deductibles are taken off and the paperwork is filed correctly. A good accountant will help you make savings on your tax and give you advice for the next year. Some will even file the paperwork for you and inform you of the amount of tax you need to pay. It is your sole responsibility to make sure that that payment is made to avoid a fine.

Act in the Company’s Interest

It is very easy to start acting with the shareholders’ interests in mind but you should not do this. The company has to come first at all times, even if this means that the shareholders will lose out on money or profit. This is also the case for those who are sole traders or run companies with no shareholders. Without the company, there would be nothing for the owners and the shareholders to gain from.

The shareholders’ interests will always come before the directors. You cannot harm your shareholders’ profits to enrich yourself at any time.

Diligence and Due Care

It is important to know everything about the company – the way it works, the profit being made and the separate sections of the company. This will allow you to act with reasonable care and diligence, as well as with skill. If you have a particular skill, you will need to have more knowledge in that particular area. For example, as an optometrist, you would need to know more about the eye care and optometry side of the business, while knowing the basics of the finance and running of the business.

Avoid Personal and Outside Interests

It is important to avoid any conflict of interest as a company director. Personal interests in a situation will lead to a biased option or advice, whether dealing with other companies, customers or members of staff. If there are conflict of interests it is important to find another way of dealing with the situation. For example, if there is a conflict of interest when dealing with a disciplinary of an employee, another director or manager will need to handle it.

You should also declare if you have any personal interest in a matter, especially when it comes to transactions with others companies. This will help to avoid issues later on should you have no option but to act on the situation yourself.

Know Your Legal Responsibilities

You will need to make sure that you understand the basic legal implications of your decisions. This includes employee rights, contracts and dealings with customers or patients. If you are unsure, it is up to you to seek legal advice on a situation. This will help to avoid issues, whether with your contracts, the way that you have treated employees or your own actions with the company. For larger companies, it may be worth having a legal body associated or connected to you to help with any legal issues. This is often provided for franchises so the Head Office is protected.

Ensure a Hierarchy in the Company

You should make sure that an effective and efficient hierarchy is in place throughout the company. This will help to limit the number of menial problems that reach you and only deal with the big issues – so you can concentrate on others areas of the business. You will need to ensure that your managers have training and understand the business to instruct other employees lower down. It will be up to you who is employed as a manager and you will have final say on any new employees that come into the business.

Take your time to know about any legal implications your actions have for the company. You will be responsible for any issues with the business, including financial problems and liability. By having an effective management within the company, you will be able to concentrate on the business and make sure that you act within the law at all times. This will help to avoid having to pay damages or fines in the future. If you run a franchise, the Head Office will be able to give advice.

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