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Why Every Startup Needs Workers’ Comp Insurance

Posted: 16 May 2019 12:00 PM PDT

And while every U.S. state mandates that startups carry workers' compensation insurance in some form, it may seem tempting to skirt the limits on what is legal.

But that is just as much of a mistake as thinking that you can just start a business without the expense of ever consulting a lawyer or an accountant. Worker's compensation insurance is mandatory, with strict penalties for noncompliance. And even if there was no such law, a smart startup needs a solid policy. Here are some reminders about why workers' comp insurance is so important, as well as some tips for getting the best policy with the lowest premiums.

Explaining Workers' Compensation Insurance

Every business, even ones mostly behind a desk, will have workplace accidents, injuries and illnesses. Workers' compensation insurance kicks in during those instances, and provides benefits and compensation such as reimbursing medical expenses or lost wages. If a worker is killed on the job, insurance will provide death benefits to the employee's family.

Unfortunately, there is no easy way to estimate how much your startup may have to pay for insurance. Insureon reports that a 2012 study of workers' comp found that it could range from $.75 in Texas to $2.74 in Alaska. But those numbers are an average across all industries. For example, construction and mining businesses can pay a great deal more for worker's comp compared to professional practices.

Pie Insurance points out that before workers' insurance became commonplace in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, employers and especially employees would be stuck in lengthy and costly legal battles to determine whether the company had to pay. As a result, workers' compensation insurance is no-fault, which means that it will kick in even if the employee is partially responsible for the injury as long as it happened on the workplace. Furthermore, employees generally forfeit the right to sue the employers for the injury if they take the benefits.

Workers' Compensation Insurance and the Law

So what are the penalties for not having insurance? As noted above, practically every U.S. state has some law about this insurance, though the specifics vary from state to state. The NFIB has a complete list of regulations per state which is accurate as of 2017, and you should take the time to find up-to-date information for your specific state.

In some states such as Tennessee and Georgia, only employers that have either five or more regular employees or are in certain fields must carry workers' compensation. In other states such as California, employers with as little as one employee must have coverage. Texas is the only state where worker's compensation insurance is mostly optional.

Furthermore, penalties can vary from state to state, though generally come in the form of fines which can become as large as $100,000. But if the state finds that you willfully failed to get workers' compensation or that you intentionally underreported your number of employees to get past regulations, that can become a felony complete with prison time and your business can be forcibly shut down. Businesses can also get in trouble if they work in multiple states, and must make sure that they are compliant with every state where they have even one employee.

The benefits of a sound policy

The penalties for not having insurance may be stiff, but companies should have a workers' comp policy even if there were no government penalties at all.

There are two primary benefits for having a policy. First, your business protects itself from legal liability. Employees can still sue you if you intentionally hurt them and were not just negligent in caring for their health and safety, but you will otherwise not have to deal with the costs of a lengthy and potentially damaging lawsuit.

Even if there is no lawsuit, your business can find itself paying for a worker's lengthy rehabilitation instead of insurance without a policy. And if such a cost ends up destroying your business, you may end up still liable to pay.

How to lower premiums

The benefits of a good workers' comp policy should be clear. Nevertheless, you still want your startup to get the best protection possible while not bankrupting yourself in the process. While avoiding paying for insurance, just like auto insurance, altogether is foolish, there are ways to lower your premium just as there are with your car insurance.

Your premium will be calculated by looking at the rate of accidents and loss history in your business, and then compared to similar businesses. Business with a lower than average accident rate will pay lower premiums.

Consequently, you should look to improve your company's safety record. Gensuite has a few good ideas, such as figuring out where your company can improve, holding regular safety training sessions, and having employees involved in creating a safe culture. Beyond that, your business can also lower premiums by creating a return to work program. This allows injured employees to come back to work faster by assigning them duties which they can still handle, and shows them that their services are still valued.

There are many barriers which a startup has to consider before they can get their business off the ground, but many of these barriers exist for good reason. The cost of paying workers' compensation may seem like a hassle, but over time is an important means of protecting your business from lawsuits and medical bills.

How to Create a Job Posting That Attracts the Right Candidates

Posted: 16 May 2019 11:00 AM PDT

According to a Career Builder survey, it takes 60% of employers 12 weeks or longer to fill job openings. That's a lot of time, resources and money spent searching for employees, and the more time the position stays vacant, the more time it'll take to move your business forward.

It's too easy to create the wrong kind of job listing. If you look on a job board, you'll see all sorts of examples: listings that are too formal, too casual, too short, too long or have other issues. How do you figure out what kind of posting will bring you the best candidates for the position? There's no secret formula, but by analyzing data and statistics, you can optimize your job ad to appeal to the right audience so the position gets filled quickly and efficiently.

If you want to know how to write an optimized job posting to find the right candidate and achieve your business goals, here's how to get started.

Keep it short and simple

Most candidates are searching through dozens of job ads a day trying to find the best fit for their qualifications, expertise and lifestyle. If they see that your posting is long-winded and wordy, it'll discourage them from applying altogether. 

LinkedIn analyzed the job postings on its website and found that short posts (150 words or less) were applied to 17.8% more frequently than lengthy posts (450 to 600 words). The more concise you can make your job listing, the higher your chances are of receiving applications from candidates who have the qualifications you need.

Editor's note: Need an employee background check service for your business? Fill out the below questionnaire to have our vendor partners contact you with free information.

 

State the skills required for the job

Don't leave potential applicants to guess what will be expected of them if they're hired. It's essential to explicitly state what they will be doing once they join your team so they can decide if it's worth it to apply. This saves you the time it would take to weed out applications from candidates who wouldn't be a good fit and lets you focus on those who are well suited for the job.

Don't only focus on the hard skills you want from your employees, like the ability to code or develop websites. It's also important to include the personality traits you want from your team members. Do you expect them to have a positive attitude? Do they need to be able to work well with others? Are you looking for someone with a friendly face who's laid back and easy to work with? Then say that in your ad.

Explain the benefits of the job

Job seekers don't just want to hear about how great your company is and how it's helping its clients. They also want to know what a position in your business can do for their careers and what their work life will be like. If candidates don't see enough positives in joining your team, they'll have fewer reasons to apply, even if they'd be the perfect fit for your company.

Make sure you clearly disclose the compensation amount, perks, benefits and how the job would give candidates the opportunity to further their careers. Of course, it's also important to discuss company culture and describe what your business does, but if you don't lay out the advantages of joining the team and tell applicants what's in it for them if they're hired, it'll be difficult to find the right person for the job.

It's good practice to hire employees who know their worth because they'll have a strong work ethic and be more productive. This type of employee will help you grow your business, attract the right customers and work to keep clients happy.

Conclusion

It can be difficult to create a job posting that attracts the right candidates for your business but taking the time to research how to find them is well worth the effort. It's important to explicitly state the benefits of working for you, the skills you expect candidates to have, and to keep the listing short and concise. Doing so will greatly increase your chances of finding employees that will help your business reach your objectives.

FTC Takes Action Against Customer Review Suppression

Posted: 16 May 2019 10:50 AM PDT

Three U.S. companies earned some unwanted attention from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) earlier this month as government officials cracked down on Consumer Review Fairness Act (CRFA) violations.

According to officials, Pennsylvania-based A. Waldron HVAC (and its owner Thomas J. Waldron), Massachusetts-based National Floor Direct, and Nevada-based horseback trail riding operation LVTR (and its owner Tomi A. Truax) allegedly placed language in their service agreements that barred customers from writing or posting negative reviews.

Andrew Smith, director of the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection, said such measures were antithetical to consumers' rights.

"Many online shoppers use customer reviews and ratings to get information ... from honest but negative feedback," Smith said. "These gag clauses are illegal, and companies that know it but use them anyway will be subject to civil penalties."

What is the CRFA?

Passed in December 2016, the CRFA prohibits "non-disparagement provisions in consumer form contracts." Contracts that fall under the CRFA's purview are those with "standardized terms that are used in selling or leasing goods or services, and which are imposed on an individual without a meaningful opportunity for the individual to negotiate the contracts' standardized terms."

According to the act, it's illegal for companies to use a contract provision to prevent a client from reviewing a business's products, services and conduct. The act also goes after companies that fine or penalize negative reviewers or require consumers who agree to the company's terms to give up their intellectual property rights to their reviews.

Under the CRFA, a company is allowed to remove or prohibit a review that "contains confidential or private information; is libelous, harassing, abusive, obscene, vulgar, sexually explicit, or is inappropriate with respect to race, gender, sexuality, ethnicity, or other intrinsic characteristic; is unrelated to the company's products or services; or is clearly false or misleading."

However, the FTC said that the CRFA "doesn't prohibit non-disparagement clauses in individual talent agreements."

Since the FTC considers a violation of the CRFA as conducting an "unfair or deceptive act or practice," officials said any violation can come with financial penalties and a federal court order.

CRFA penalties

Ever since the regulations came into effect in March 2017, most CRFA complaints were charges for deceptive advertising. The three latest complaints, however, are the first ones to strictly hinge on the companies' intention of suppressing negative reviews.

In each case, the FTC's charges included "injunctive and other relief" relating to the companies' prohibitive language in their form contracts. Each complaint also prohibits the companies from using any review-limiting language in their form contracts or requiring that a consumer accept those terms as a condition of working with the company.

In addition, the FTC ruled that the three companies are required to notify customers who entered into a contract with them on or after March 14, 2017, that any non-disparagement clauses are void and can't be enforced.

SBA Loan in Default? Forgiveness is Possible

Posted: 16 May 2019 09:00 AM PDT

But, that's what I want to discuss with you today. The downside. But not just the downside in a general kind of way. I want to talk about a very specific downside: what happens if you default on an SBA loan, and how you can resolve it.

SBA Loan Basics

The internet is full of information about SBA loans, so I'll spare you the book report. Instead, I'm going to highlight the key features of SBA loans. If you want more details, the SBA's website is a great place to start.

  • The SBA is not a direct lender (in most situations). They simply guarantee repayment to the bank in the event that you fail to repay the loan. Your lender funds the loan and typically services it, though sometimes they sell it.
  • The SBA charges a "guarantee fee." This is primarily how the SBA program is funded.
  • The SBA guarantee doesn't get you off the hook if you default on the loan. It reimburses the lender, but this doesn't impact how much you owe. Borrower's often get confused by this, so I'm going to say it again. The SBA guarantee is for the lender, not the borrower. If you take an SBA loan and default, the SBA guarantee does not relieve you of the obligation to repay the loan.
  • SBA loans are great for borrowers who meet all the normal criteria for a traditional business loan except collateral. If you have good personal credit, two to three years of profitable operating history, strong experience in the field, and cash to inject, but not enough collateral to cover the loan, an SBA loan might be a good option for you.
  • Startups with no operating history are unlikely to be approved unless it's a franchise with a good track record. A business plan and a good idea are not enough to get you funding.

Editor's note: Looking for the right small business loan? Fill out the below questionnaire to have our vendor partners contact you about your needs.

 

What Happens If You Default on Your SBA Loan?

I'm not going to sugar coat it. If you can't make your loan payments, bank levy, wage garnishment and foreclosures are all collection tools that are used with regularity. What exactly will happen to you will vary, as it depends on the details of your situation and your lender's general attitude about settlements.

If you default on your loan and have pledged your home that contains equity, you risk foreclosure (in most states). That's why you should think long and hard about pledging your home as collateral. Once it's pledged, it can be awfully hard to get it released, even if your loan officer makes verbal assurances that the bank will release it after a few years of prompt repayment.

Even if you didn't pledge your home, you're still at risk of losing it because of that pesky personal guarantee. Since virtually every SBA loan I've seen requires the business owner to personally guarantee the loan, this particular point applies to almost everyone. 

If you default on your SBA loan, the lender could sue you and attempt to levy your personal assets. Bank account levies and wage garnishment are most common, but I've had clients call me after the local sheriff's office knocked on their door in an attempt to levy personal possessions (it's not that common, but it's jarring if it does happen).

Does the SBA Forgive Loans?

The answer, as with many nuanced things in life, is that it depends. The SBA doesn't generally offer 100% forgiveness for 7a and 504 loans. It is, however, open to the possibility of settling for less than the full principal balance under certain circumstances. This process is known as the SBA Offer in Compromise (OIC).

The circumstances under which the SBA will consider loan forgiveness include the following:

  • The business has ceased operations and the business assets have been liquidated. Selling your business as a going concern is okay too, as long as it's an arm's length transaction. This means you are actually selling the business to a buyer, with no "side deals" that allow you to buy the business back later.
  • You demonstrate to the lender and the SBA's satisfaction that you lack the resources to repay the loan in full over a reasonable period of time. This requires full disclosure and a fair amount of paperwork. You can find a comprehensive list here.
  • The participating lender recommends approval of the OIC. The SBA requires the lender to screen OICs and make prudent lending decisions that protect the SBA's money as it would protect its own. If lenders are found to have made decisions contrary to that requirement (such as releasing a lien on the property that contains equity without getting anything for it), it could result in what's known as a guarantee repair or denial.
  • Requests for debt forgiveness should bear a reasonable relationship to the amount recoverable through enforced collection. In plain English, this means that your offer should be similar to the amount the bank might expect to recover if it sued you and went after your assets and income. It should be noted that there is no single formula to determine the amount you should offer, as there are some subjective aspects to determining what constitutes an acceptable offer. Factors like age, health, future earning potential and borrower cooperativeness are just a few of the subjective elements the SBA considers.

Conclusion

While nobody goes into business expecting it all to fall apart, you can take solace in the fact that if you have to close your doors, the SBA is willing to work with you to reach a mutually beneficial resolution. They won't let you walk away scot-free, but if you're willing to come to the table and make a good faith offer, there's a chance that the SBA will consider partial forgiveness of your debt.

Cloudera Big Data Certification Guide: Overview and Career Paths

Posted: 16 May 2019 08:43 AM PDT

Big data means big business. Countless companies are digging into data acquisition, storage, analysis and trend-spotting on a scope and scale unlike anything ever before. Along with those companies, a new generation of software platforms, analysis tools, and related professional skills and knowledge present unparalleled opportunities for interesting and high-paying work for IT professionals with the "right stuff" to play on the big data field. Cloudera remains on our list as one of the top big data certification providers, and Hadoop certification is one of the top four big data platforms in use today.

Cloudera is a company that specializes in mega data collections built around the Apache Hadoop platform to create what it calls "enterprise data hubs." Such hubs enable customers to create information-driven organizations, where Cloudera provides a platform for enterprise-ready data management. This platform is designed to provide the tools to extract the most value from your customer data.

Although Hadoop is a free, open-source platform, Cloudera adds substantial value by providing strong security, policy-driven data governance, formal system management, product support and lots of important system integrations to bring all data sources together under its umbrella. Cloudera offers enterprise and express versions of its Cloudera Distribution. This includes Cloudera Apache Hadoop, usually abbreviated CDH, with varying license models. It provides a no-charge, unsupported download of core CDH software too.

Cloudera invented itself around a clutch of high-flying super geeks, including Amr Awadallah, who built one of the first-ever business units based on Hadoop analysis for Yahoo. Jeff Hammerbacher did likewise for Facebook, for analysis of that company's humongous collections of user data. Other Cloudera heavyweights include Doug Cutting, the software architect who wrote the initial version of Hadoop in 2004, and Oracle executive Mike Olson.

Cloudera has been in business since 2009. It continues to attract a growing base of high-profile customers. The company has experienced substantial growth, earning recognition as one of the fastest-growing companies in North America on the Deloitte Technology Fast 500 for 2018. For Q4 of the company's 2018 fiscal year, it reported a 42% increase over earnings for the same quarter in its previous year. Estimates of Cloudera's overall valuation range as high as $5 billion. There's dollars in them data!

Cloudera certification program overview

Cloudera's comprehensive view of the importance of qualified big data talent shines through the architecture and elements of the company's current certification offerings. The company currently offers four professional certifications at two levels.

Cloudera Certified Associate (CCA):

  • CCA Spark and Hadoop Developer
  • CCA Administrator
  • CCA Data Analyst

Cloudera Certified Professional (CCP):

  • CCP Data Engineer

The Cloudera certification program aims not only to provide companies and organizations with skilled data analysis professionals, but also to cover requirements for administrative and development expertise to support robust Apache Hadoop infrastructures built around the Cloudera platform.

Cloudera and Hadoop

Cloudera Certified Associate Spark and Hadoop Developer

Cloudera's CCA Spark and Hadoop Developer credential targets professionals who are responsible for coding, maintaining and optimizing Apache Hadoop projects. Candidates must have the skills to transfer data between external and internal systems, convert data values, use Spark SQL to interact with data sets, and configure applications from the command line.

A performance-based exam (CCA175) is required to obtain the CCA Spark and Hadoop Developer certification. The exam costs $295 and includes eight to 12 performance-based, hands-on problems that the candidate must solve in 120 minutes. While there are no formal prerequisites, candidates must know how to code in Python and Scala and run code on a CDH5 cluster. Candidates must score at least 70% on the exam to pass. To maintain their certification status, candidates must retest every two years.

CCA Administrator

Cloudera's CCA Administrator aims at IT professionals charged with configuring, deploying, maintaining and securing Cloudera Enterprise clusters for production or other enterprise uses.

A single exam (CCA131) is required to obtain the credential, which costs $295. Skills tested include HDFS, Cloudera Manager, Hadoop cluster planning, configuration, installation and administration, resource management, and logging and monitoring. The exam costs $295 and includes eight to 12 performance-based, hands-on problems that the candidate must solve in 120 minutes. There are no formal prerequisites. Candidates must score at least 70% on the exam to pass. The credential is valid for two years.

CCA Data Analyst

Cloudera's CCA Data Analyst recognizes professionals who query data sets and generate reports using Impala and Hive in Cloudera's CDH environment.

Candidates must pass one performance-based exam (CCA159) to earn the credential, which costs $295. The exam includes eight to 12 hands-on problems that the candidate must solve on a CDH5 cluster, on areas such as preparing data for queries, using Query Language (QL) and analyzing data on the cluster. There are no formal prerequisites. Candidates must score at least 70% on the exam to become certified. Like other CCA credentials, the CCA Data Analyst certification is valid for two years.

Cloudera Certified Professional Data Engineer

Cloudera's Certified Professional Data Engineer (CCP Data Engineer) targets individuals capable of developing reliable, scalable solutions for big data workloads.

The CCP Data Engineer exam is a practical exam consisting of a set of five to eight customer-focused problems. The exam is designed to test skills required for successful big data engineers, including performing workflow-oriented tasks; analyzing data (showing the ability to write various queries, as well as create and read HCatalog and Hive tables from HDFS data); converting data values into new formats and rewriting to HCatalog, Hive or HDFS; and transferring data between internal clusters and external systems.

There are no prerequisites, but CCP Data Engineer candidates should be experienced in solution development and related skills and knowledge. This performance-based exam costs $400 and has a four-hour time limit. Credential holders need to retest every three years to maintain this certification.

Related jobs and training resources

A Cloudera certification is essential for developers, administrators, engineers or data analysts whose current or prospective employers use Cloudera. As of this writing, more than 2,000 positions pop up on job boards that mention Cloudera or require one of the company's certifications, and Cloudera itself has more than 350 open positions in various locations around the world.

Given that the company is a leading player in the big data and data science world, earning Cloudera certifications can open doors to all kinds of interesting organizations and job opportunities. To our way of thinking, this makes Cloudera certification a great goal and a safe bet to increase your big data career prospects under almost any circumstances.

Cloudera does a good job of supporting certification candidates with exam objectives, practice tests and instructor-led training for those interesting in structured learning while earning Cloudera credentials.

Cloudera University offers exam preparation training for any interested candidates. You can sign up for instructor-led classroom or online courses, or on-demand training that includes cloud-based labs. Companies with several employees to train can arrange for private onsite classes as well.

Instructor-led training courses last three or four days, with prices typically around $2,595 and $3,195 respectively. Candidates can expect to pay $695 to $4,495 for on-demand courses, and participants have six months to complete each course.

Small Business Q2 Financial Check-Up

Posted: 16 May 2019 08:00 AM PDT

How do you diagnose your business's financial health? Knowing what to look for – or better yet, where to look – can be overwhelming. Let me help you sort through the sea of numbers that is your financial statement and offer a crash course of sorts. Here are the three main financial statements you need and an explanation of what critical information each reveals about your business's overall health.

1. Balance sheet

This report shows your financial position at a specific moment in time. With the rule of thumb that assets equal liabilities and equity, this is a good test to see if your numbers really do add up. A balance sheet also helps you determine net worth, which is the difference between what you own and what you owe. To calculate net worth, subtract total liabilities from total assets. Another benefit of a balance sheet is that it allows you to assess two other key performance metrics: debt and liquidity.

Debt. How successful are you at keeping your debt manageable? By dividing total debt by total assets, you can see the portion of your assets that are funded by debt. With any business, you may need to borrow money to make money; however, you don't want to owe more than you can repay. This may be a good time to consider implementing tighter spending practices or debt reduction strategies.

Liquidity. How quickly can your assets be bought or sold? An asset can vary anywhere between money on hand to real estate, making it challenging to truly understand your business's financial state. Some companies can be asset-rich, but cash-poor. Therefore, it is crucial to have sufficient liquid assets to cover any short-term cash needs.

Editor's note: Looking for the right accounting software for your business? Fill out the below questionnaire to have our vendor partners contact you about your needs.

 

2. Income statement

An income statement tallies up revenue against expenses during a given time period to help you calculate gross profit, operating income, and most importantly, net income.

Profitability. What is your bottom line? Net income is the dollar amount your business is left with after paying off expenses. This is an ideal time to analyze how much you've earned compared to sales forecasts as well as how much you've spent compared to what was budgeted.  

3. Cash flow statement

This statement helps to monitor how your business moves money around. It tracks operating, investing and financing activities to show where you're bringing in cash and where you're spending it. This valuable insight can help you better manage your finances and make sound business decisions.

Cash flow. How much money do you have on hand? Having a positive cash flow is a great indicator of your business's financial health, as it means you have funds left over to reinvest in the business. This sum is primarily used towards buying, maintaining or improving your fixed assets. If you still have money after accounting for capital expenditures, you have free cash flow. This metric signifies that you're in good shape to grow and develop your business further.  

Are you aligned with this year's budget?

Now that you are aware of your financial status, you can see where you currently stand compared to last year's projections. Refer to your budget and pinpoint where your numbers are adding up, surpassing or lagging. Use this information to start planning for next year's budget.

Make any necessary adjustments

The start of Q3 is an optimal time to readjust spending and strategize to boost performance until year's end. Are you outperforming or underperforming? If you're below, think about revising your budget and cutting costs; this could be done, for example, by allocating less money to marketing, reducing production costs or optimizing resources.   

On the other hand, if you have extra money in your pocket, consider reinvesting it in other areas of the business. You may want to put dollars in a marketing push for the second half of the year, open up another location, franchise or hire additional personnel.  

Let's face it; we're not all financial experts. Having a little help with your accounting can go a long way to better manage and monitor your business's health. Consider purchasing online software to help streamline the bookkeeping process and organize financial reports. Or, work with a business accountant for additional support; they can be a great resource in helping you get your finances in order and can also recommend ways to drive your business forward.

6 Advanced Tips for Diehard Slack Users

Posted: 16 May 2019 08:00 AM PDT

We become so accustomed to certain tools that we end up repeating some of the same patterns, like always opening the same tabs in Google Chrome or using the same font in Microsoft Word. While Slack has not been around that long (the collaboration app launched in 2013), some of us keep using it the same way, tagging teammates and using the same channels.

Even for diehard Slack users, a few advanced tips can save you time and make repetitive tasks unnecessary. Here are some tips to save you time and help you find conversations faster.

1. Search for channels.

Slack recently introduced a feature called Channel Search. It's handy for anyone working at a company with too many channels to count. In the search bar, type any search team – say, "photography." If there is a public channel with that name, you can see the channel and the description, which helps you join new discussions.

2. Set reminders.

When you get really busy using Slack, it's easy to forget what you decided with your team or the action items you assigned. It's helpful to use the Reminder feature. Type "/remind," then mention the person or channel in quotes followed by reminder text (in quotes) and the due date (e.g., 4/21). That person or channel will then see a reminder on that date.

3. Check your activity history.

One of the coolest things you can do in Slack is also one that few people know about. You can review your recent activity by checking your history. For example, let's say you've been sending Slacks all day. A few hours ago, you were talking to someone but forgot what you decided. Press Alt and the left arrow key to go back in time to see all your interactions. Slack will jump to that channel or conversation. You can also press Alt and the right arrow to go forward.

4. Capture decisions with an emoji.

Here's a really weird one that is also really useful. It requires a Slack add-on called Reacji Channeler. The way it works is pretty simple: Each time someone on your team uses a specific emoji, like the gavel or a high five, the Slack message is placed into a specific channel. For example, on a marketing team, you might use Reacji Channeler for an emoji like a happy face to record all successful project wins, placing them in a #bigwins channel.

5. Use @here instead of @channel.

Many Slack users know about tagging channels to get everyone's attention. Most of us use @channel (or @everyone in the General channel). However, there's a subtler way to do that. Using @here only notifies people who are currently on Slack, instead of sending a notification even to those who are not online yet.

6. Uses badges to flag keywords.

It's sometimes hard to keep track of conversations in Slack, especially if someone doesn't tag you. A quick fix for that problem is to use keywords that automatically add a badge for that channel. For example, you can use the keyword "status" so that anytime someone mentioned the status meeting for your team, you see a badge in that channel.
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