5 hidden fees costing your small business money
Starting your own business can be exciting, but it often comes with a rocky road ahead. Those rocks will cut into your wallet through several expenses. Miscalculating the daily costs of running a company can hurt you in the long run.
Side biz at your main gig: Amazon is using small businesses as delivery partners — think local coffee joints, florists or yoga studios. They say you can make up to $27,000 a year. Apply here.
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Google Lens shopping trick
See that suitcase in the image? Using Google Lens, you can get info about it right there in your tab. So handy!
- Open the Chrome menu > Search with Google Lens.
- Click and drag anywhere on the page to search for an image. Voila!
You’re too close: Holding your phone too close to your face puts extra strain on your eyes. On iPhones, you can get a friendly warning. Open Settings > Screen time and toggle on Screen distance. Pro tip: If your text is too small, fix that under Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size.
Find what you want: Google Photos has a slick, new, Gemini AI-powered tool: Ask Photos. Open your app to see if you have early access. If so, you’ll find an Ask button at the bottom of your screen. Type in searches in regular language, like, “On the boat with Barry” or “Playing ball with Abby.”
Coming soon to your Android: Automatic earthquake warnings. Your phone’s accelerometers can sense vibrations. When enough phones in an area detect shaking, the Android Earthquake Alerts System kicks in. If an earthquake of magnitude 4.5 or greater is detected, you’ll get a “Be Aware” alert (weak or light shaking) or “Take Action” if the shaking is moderate to extreme.
🛫 Ticket to scam: Boarding passes display your full legal name, ticket number and passenger name record. That six-digit code plus your last name gives anyone access to your booking info online (think email, phone number, address), and they can even change or cancel your flight. Do not post photos of your boarding passes on social!
Let’s Turk about it: I mentioned Amazon Mechanical Turk on my show and I keep getting questions. Get paid to complete tasks that are easier for people than bots, like analyzing images and transcribing audio. Sign up here for a Worker account.
Waiting, waiting, waiting: If your Windows PC takes forever to start up, you’re not alone. Microsoft just released a new support page to help you spot the issue and fix it. Pro tip: The fewer programs that open on startup, the speedier your machine will be.
Call me, maybe: Do Not Disturb mode is fantastic, but what if you want someone to be able to reach you even if it’s enabled? Set them up as an approved contact. I did this with both Ian and Barry.