The Business LA Friday Feb 10th 2012: Kinane & Katz!

Sup LA? How you been, girl? See you missed us real bad. Well, dry those eyes Shygirl because The Business LA is back Friday February 10th at 8pm! We're starting this year off right: a month and ten days after it started! Helping us usher in this year of Dragons and Mezo-Apocalyptic Mysteries is none other than Kyle Kinane and Louis Katz!

Tickets are $10 at the door BUT...
They are only $8 online with NO SERVICE FEE!

GET TICKETS HERE:
http://nerdmeltla.com/tickets/index.php?event_id=151

The show is at 8pm at Meldown Comic's Nerdist Theater in Hollywood.

As you may remember, we had a rendezvous with Kyle Kinane way back in of 2011, but he caught the Demon Flu and disappeared into a fever dream of Dorrito farts. But we're cashing in our rain-check (Kinane-check, if you will) and using hand sanitizer to ensure he'll come give you the laughfluenza (ok, I'll stop). You should know take the time to know Kinnae if you don't but here is a starting point: Last year he was named one of Paste Magazine’s 10 Best Comedians of 2011 & he took a limo full of Coors Light to a Bob Seger show. Now go Google the rest.

Louis Katz joins us from New York to talk dirty flavor in your ear. Louis triumphantly returns to SoCal, the place of his dirty birth, to make everyone laugh at animal farts and show off his pointy shoes. He has a new album out on Comedy Central records and can't be stopped. He is also a cast member of the web series Elevator To: Space, and his evening will mark his reunion with other cast members Alex, Chris and Sean. One small step backwards for mankind.

What are you waiting for? GET IT GIRL!

The Business February 1st 2012, "Sheng Wang Time!" Edition

Surprise! Sheng Wang is on The Business this week. Fresh off a weekend of dominant performances at Sketchfest, Sheng Wang returns to The Business this week. You may have seen him at the Punch Line, at Kevin Allison's RISK! storytelling show, or in line at Arinell's Pizza. Mr. Wang is a native of Houston, Texas, but came of comedy age in the Bay. His Comedy Central half-hour special premiered last year, and he's also appeared on Live At Gotham and toured with the Comedians of Comedy. He's a frequent guest to the Business, where he has also exhibited his photography. Is there anything this dude can't do?

We've also got Chris Garcia, Caitlin Gill, Sean Keane, and Bucky Sinister rounding out the lineup. Admission is still five dollars, and you can bring in your own burrito if you like - I'm pretty sure Sheng will be bringing in his.

Welcome customers into your business on Google

(Cross-posted on the Lat Long Blog.)

When we initially announced the Business Photos pilot program, we wanted to give business owners an easy way to get customers in the door online using interactive, high-quality, 360-degree images of places on Google Maps and on Google Search results. With thousands of businesses under our belt — from salons to gift shops — we’ve been hearing the same question again and again from both business owners and photographers alike: How can I participate?

Well, with the overwhelming success of the first pilot, we’ve decided to unveil a complementary initiative that will help us reach more interested business owners, more quickly: Trusted Photographers.

View Larger Map

Click and drag to view the inside of Spice Market, New York City.

It’s simple. Visit our new website and search for a Google Trusted Photographer in your area. Either email or call a photographer in your area to schedule a time and agree on a price that you will pay the photographer for a photoshoot of your business. This self-serve model makes for easier scheduling and quicker turnaround, while also supporting the local photographers in your community. During the hour it should take for the shoot, you can collaborate with the photographer about how best to display and capture your business. When finished, the photographer will upload the images to Google, and shortly thereafter, you’ll see 360-degree panoramic views of your business on Google.com, Google Maps and on your Google Places listing.

See how Business Photos has helped Toy Joy of Austin, Texas.

Trusted Photographers are available in 14 U.S. cities, as well as in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and France. Don’t see a photographer in your area? Let us know, as that will help us determine where more Trusted Photographers are needed.

Posted by Gadi Royz, Product Manager, Google Maps

The Business January 18th 2012, "Attack of the Killer Tobe-Natos!" Edition

I say Tobe-Nato, you say Tobe-Nahto. Well, you're wrong, because it's Nato! As in Nato Green, doing a hot six minutes at The Business this Wednesday, along with Joe "Smokey Joe" Tobin doing an extended feature set. This show was certified 96% fresh on Rotten Tobe-Natos, and the National Weather Service issued a Tobe-Nato warning for most of Northern California! Are we mixing up our puns? Maybe!

Joe Tobin is a writer, comedian, and Flyers enthusiast. He performs at comedy clubs all over the land, and he's received critical acclaim for his work with The Joe Tobin Orchestra. He's never booed Santa Claus at a sporting event, but he would understand if you did.

Nato Green is a co-founder of Laughter Against The Machine, the creator of Iron Comic, and was recently voted San Francisco's Foodiest Dad!

We've also got Chris Thayer, Caitlin Gill, Sean Keane, and fresh off a sold-out tour of Los Angeles, Chris Garcia! As always, admission is just five dollars. Bring your own burrito! Or, if you're Nato, your own home-cured bacon. See you there!

Advance tickets: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/222361

Limber and flexible IT: YogaWorks goes Google

(Cross posted from the Google Enterprise Blog)

Editor’s note: Today’s guest blogger is Jay DeCoons, COO of YogaWorks. Renowned for its excellence in classroom instruction and teacher training, YogaWorks delivers yoga training and classes in 60 cities around the world. Learn more about other organizations that have gone Google on our community map.

At YogaWorks, we first and foremost consider ourselves to be educators of yoga. Since opening our first location in 1987, we’ve expanded our reach across the world, which means we’ve had to figure out how to effectively scale a growing organization while continuing to deliver the best training instruction possible. When we first took a look at Google Apps, we thought it would be a great cost savings tool but as we’ve discovered, Google Apps has also allowed us to easily and flexibly connect our business throughout the world.

Prior to Google Apps, we used a hosted Microsoft Exchange server. While on Exchange, we had to set a 2 gigabyte inbox quota and had difficulty achieving a simple, scalable email deployment for our staff’s mobile devices. We also had a lot of offline processes that were cluttering the operations of our studio managers and producing a lot of excess paperwork, which ran counter to our goal of running a sustainable and eco-friendly company. At the time, our IT costs were roughly $130 per user per year.

When we were evaluating Google Apps, we realized that the solution would allow us to further our green-friendly mission by reducing our overall environmental footprint and would enable us to create a truly mobile workforce with anytime, anywhere data access. We also saw the potential Google Apps held for collaboration among team members, with its unique communication and sharing capabilities.

We went Google with the help of Google Apps Authorized Reseller Dito, who assisted us in setting up Apps and training our team. With Google Apps, we’ve been able to reduce our total IT costs by over 60%. The ability to share documents and reach out to teammates quickly has boosted the morale and sense of community across our team. Mobility has also been a key gain for us, as Google Apps allows us to work seamlessly while on the go across our 24 studios and 60 cities where we hold teacher trainings. Through Google Docs, we have been able to save paper and eliminate tedious offline processes, making our day-to-day operation more environmentally-friendly and efficient.

Google Apps has helped us create a more efficient, more excited and more productive workforce, which in turn has helped us focus on what we care most about: bringing safe, compassionate and skillful teaching of yoga to all.

Posted by Jay DeCoons, COO of YogaWorks

The Business January 11th 2012, "Featuring Clare O'Kane & George Chen" Edition

The Business welcomes two first-time guests to the show, and welcomes two new Businessmen to our regular lineup. Or should we say - BusinessWOMEN. Well, a Businessman and a Businesswoman - Caitlin Gill and Chris Thayer! And our two guests are Clare O'Kane and George Chen.

Clare O'Kane is a rising comedian and actress making her way on the scene. She often performs with the infamous Sylvan Collective, and has acted at the Edinburgh Festival. She starred in the film "Bloodrape" as "Evelyn," and IMDB credits her as a Researcher for "An Audience With Elton John," a TV special produced when she was eight years old.

George Chen is a Bay Area bred writer and musician. His credits for talking at you include Porchlight Storytelling Series and the Living Room Salon at SF MOMA. He organized a comedy show on a bus and in a comic book store. He's writing this while watching a Species marathon.

Chris and Caitlin have performed on The Business many times in the past, and we're excited to have them on board from now on. Chris has performed at SF Sketchfest and the Bridgetown Comedy Festival, and produced his own show NERVES! Caitlin founded the Ladies Room comedy showcase, remains the longtime dirty haiku champion of Tourette's Without Regrets, and has performed at poetry slams and inside boxing rings.

They've been guests, but come Wednesday, we'll see how they hold up to the pressure of being a regular. Heavy is the hand that holds the microphone, though light is the finger that administers the Facebook invite. And heavy is the tummy that orders the super burrito from Cancun, available just across the street. 8 PM. Five bucks. No Chris and Alex, but we'll have memories that will last a lifetime.

 

Business Travel Tips

Business Travel Tips; Reduce Stress and Enjoy Yourself Traveling for Business is Less Stressful When You Take Time to Prepare and Organize. Here are a few tips for your business travel that will make that time away from home just a bit more enjoyable. Let's start with packing for business travel. Start with the purchase of a good carry one bag. Any seasoned business traveler will tell you carry on is the only way to travel. It will keep you out of baggage claim and you will never have to worry about lost luggage. Buy a couple of good quality pieces constructed of polyurethane-treated fabric that have nylon zippers. The polyurethane will keep the moisture out and the nylon zippers are far less likely to snag.Consider keeping a duplicate of as much as possible when it comes to those things that you use on a daily basis such as your toiletries. This way you won't have to worry about unpacking them when you return home. They can just stay in your business travel bags. You may also think about going to your local drugstore to purchase trial sizes of your toiletries. Try to pack your bag with space saving in mind. Cut down on the number of business suits for example by packing alternate shirts and ties that will go with the same suit.Women can change the look of a suit with different blouses, scarves, sweaters or jewelry. Pack socks and underwear inside your shoes. Not only does this save space but it will also help keep the shape of your shoes. Pack your belts around the edge of your suitcase. When considering the items to pack think of those things that are necessities and those items that may make your business travel just a little more comfortable. Here is a business travel tip when choosing your mode of transportation. When choosing transportation for business travel the distance that you will be traveling should be considered. Although air travel is the first choice when it comes to long journeys for a shorter trip that is only a couple of hundred miles away a train or automobile may be the better choice. Take into account the time you would spend traveling to and from the airport. Also, don't forget to consider the amount of time taken at the airport to check in, board, disembark and then find transportation to your final destination etc. If you do choose to fly consider alternative airports just outside your departure and destination city. Typically these airports may have fewer flights but also will have less chance for overbooking and delays. Always try to stay in hotels that cater to business travel. Most of these hotels will have high- speed internet access and will offer access to business machines. For unbiased reviews from other business travelers just like you we recommend that you research hotel reviews at TravelPost.com One of the more important business travel tips is to check your cellular service prior to leaving for another city. Check with your cell phone service provider. You may find that they don't provide service where your business travel takes you and therefore you will need to find an alternate carrier for this trip.Can you imagine not finding out until you're there! Hope that you will find these business travel tips helpful and may all of your business travel bring further success!

The Business January 4th 2012, "Kirshen and The Gill" Edition

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYBODY! As we charge into 2012, great and mighty changes approach from all directions. Come meet them head on with us this Wednesday for the first Business of the new year.

Joining us this week will be visiting comedian Matt Kirshen and Business regular Caitlin Gill!

You may have also seen Matt on Last Comic Standing, The World Stands Up, Ferguson or Fallon. You may have. But have you seen one of his many solo shows at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival? You may have. But have you seen him bring his wit to our stage? No, you have not. Well, here is your chance.

There is good reason Caitlin Gill is a Business favorite, having graced our stage many, many times. She's funny and smart and you love her. We do too. In fact, we're thinking of just absorbing her into the organization outright...

...BTW, this will be the last Business featuring original businessman Alex Koll for quite a while, so get your fill of him at this show. It'll have to last you a bit.

Also on hand will be Sean, Bucky and Chris, of course. Only $5 for all that! And burritos and drinks so close near by! Let's do this 2012!