When business slows down, sometimes we throw ourselves into an alarming despair, hastily searching for any new work that we can latch onto. But those who have ‘been there, done that’ all seem to agree that it is of utmost importance to only choose to work with the clients we want to work with—and we know that by only taking on the enjoyable clients, we keep our stress levels to a minimum and free up time that would be wasted with the clients who are too difficult to work with. So where’s the happy medium, where we can boost business without taking chances in acquiring unwanted clientele? Revamping a stale business with simplicity seems to be the way to go.

Entrepreneur writer, Antonio Neves, offers five great ways for you to redesign your business in a simple, yet effective, fashion. To recap, Neves suggests that you 1) tell your story; 2) focus on direct sales (for retail, this is selling your items rather than sending them to distributors); 3) collaborate with strategic partners; 4) charge your real cost; and 5) revamp your company culture, thereby raising morale and increasing organization.

Telling your story seems simple enough, but when you try to think through your own company’s story, you may find yourself a little lost. Marketing expert and founder of Shoestring Marketing, Jessica Swanson has a great, fresh piece on telling your business’ story: why it’s important, how to find the story and how to get others to sink their teeth into it. Other important aspects of revamping your business are marketing and, of course, your website. Inc. magazine offers an excellent article that shares the expert marketing opinions of entrepreneurs who have suggestions for a fashion company. Their suggestions can flow into any field or market, and I’ve even heard the suggestion of seeking celebrity endorsements before. When a chef was running out of ideas to boost his restaurant’s business, he humbly asked a national food television show to come visit the restaurant. They did and they loved it, bringing an instant crowd to the small restaurant.

While there isn’t much information out there on how to revamp your business, I hope these ideas will get you going on a thoughtful, useful plan with simple steps toward a redesign that may be quite necessary right now.

Just a few days ago, on November 10, Mozilla released the Beta 7 version of Firefox 4, and the tentative release date for Beta 8 is November 30.  I took some time to play around with Beta 7, and thus far, I would confidently recommend Firefox 4 to anyone.  For those who are familiar with the Google Chrome browser, Firefox 4 is very similar in appearance, but it has a few tricks up its sleeve—major features that Chrome doesn’t have. Here are my top 4 reasons to download (and use) Firefox 4, even while it’s still in beta:

Firefox Panorama for easy tab viewing

To avoid sugarcoating it, I’ll mention that the Panorama feature will take some getting used to. But once you get the hang of it, it’s quite fun and very useful for those of us who often have internet browser tabs for work, family, shopping and everything else open at once. Panorama allows you to group tabs in visually-appealing boxes, so you don’t have the research you’re doing for work getting lost between the sites your friend told you to check out. After opening the Panorama view via a convenient icon on the browser’s toolbar, view all of your open tabs in screenshots, drag and drop each one into a specific group and switch between groups of tabs instantly. You’ll only see the tabs that are grouped with the tab you’re currently working on. The Panorama icon is under the browser’s Close button; it looks like several boxes fitted together. The Feedback icon is there for you to send anonymous feedback to Mozilla about Firefox 4 and will only be available during Beta, I believe. This is the whole top right section, including my bookmarks button and FireShot plugin button:

Firefox Sync to take your stuff with you

This is sure to be my favorite feature that any browser has offered. How many times have you been on your laptop, wanting to show a friend or client something you had bookmarked…only to realize you bookmarked it on a different computer?! You’re tired of emailing links to yourself, and Google Bookmarks isn’t always accessible. By enabling Firefox Sync, which functions much like Dropbox, your bookmarks, history, passwords and open tabs are all saved online to the Firefox server and are then available to the computers you’ve linked.  Only computers that you physically link using an individual 20-character Sync Key can connect to each other, and Mozilla doesn’t even save the number so your privacy is still secure.

Sleeker design for smaller screens or more viewing pleasure

This is where Firefox 4 is most obviously like Chrome: The sleek design can display only your open tabs and the address bar, but the look is easily customized. I fell in love with the sexy look of Chrome and have since turned others on to it, but Mozilla has latched onto this feature, and the two browsers look almost identical. Below is a shot of the Firefox 4 and Chrome toolbars side-by-side from the top-left edges.

Much faster, better HD video viewing, and more compatibility with newer technologies

Firefox 4 brags faster startup and page and image loading, and it provides better support for Javascript, HTML5, CSS3, OpenType fonts and other technologies that make life better for us (web developers) and you (viewers).

Mozilla is clearly committed to making Firefox 4 the best it can be, as they start off soliciting feedback with two surveys and ask to collect information about users’ viewing habits. For more information and help, you can go to the Mozilla Blog or to Mozilla Hacks (both are legitimate Mozilla websites), or post a comment here and I’ll find the answer for you!

Malware [general term] - software designed to secretly access a computer system without the owner’s informed consent. (Wikipedia)

Computer Virus [a type of malware] - a computer program that can copy itself and infect a computer…. A true virus can spread from one computer to another (in some form of executable code) when its host is taken to the target computer; for instance because a user sent it over a network or the Internet, or carried it on a removable medium such as a floppy disk, CD, DVD, or USB drive.  (Wikipedia)

Computer Worm [a type of malware] - a self-replicating malware computer program. It uses a computer network to send copies of itself to other nodes (computers on the network) and it may do so without any user intervention.  (Wikipedia)

Trojan Horse [a type of malware]- appears to perform a desirable function for the user prior to run or install but instead facilitates unauthorized access of the user’s computer system… The term is derived from the Trojan Horse story in Greek mythology.  (Wikipedia)

Spyware [a type of malware] – can be installed on computers and collects little bits of information at a time about users without their knowledge.  (Wikipedia)

Adware (advertising-supported software) [can be classified as or can come tied to spyware] - any software package which automatically plays, displays, or downloads advertisements to a computer. These advertisements can be in the form of a pop-up… Adware, by itself, is harmless; however, some adware may come with integrated spyware such as keyloggers and other privacy-invasive software.  (Wikipedia)

Keylogging [sometimes a type of spyware] - the action of tracking (or logging) the keys struck on a keyboard, typically in a covert manner so that the person using the keyboard is unaware that their actions are being monitored.   (Wikipedia)

Trojans are regarded as some of the most troublesome issues in the realm of computer security because a hacker who has planted a Trojan horse on your computer has likely granted himself remote access to watch or control your computer. Since they can slip onto your computer nearly undetected (without adequate security software running), these malicious software live up to their name, without a doubt.

With many different types of malicious software (malware) readily available, proper protection is crucial. Note that the terms I’ve listed above only scratch the surface of the kinds of malware and existing information on these malware. Above, I’ve outlined a basic tree of computer threats, starting with the broad umbrella term, “malware,” and listing some types of malware, followed by some types of “spyware,” which are also a type of malware. Some of these seem like common sense, and they are, but there are intricate differences between them that make each threat a unique problem to be dealt with specifically.

Luckily, there actually is a nearly “end all, be all” answer in that various programs referred to as “Internet Security” suites are available, of high quality and not terribly expensive. Beyond programs labeled solely as antivirus, Internet Security suites protect your computer(s) from viruses, spyware, Trojans, adware, and other internet, email and network vulnerabilities. Check out this review sheet of the Top 10 Internet Security Suites for 2011, which incorporates a thorough analysis of the necessary internet security components. I had been using ESET Smart Security for a year on my desktop, but since my Eee PC netbook works much better with the sleek Trend Micro Internet Security, and since Amazon was offering a three-PC download of the latest Trend Micro Internet Security for less than $20, I switched to Trend Micro and would certainly recommend it. Any of the programs listed in the aforementioned Top 10 sheet will serve you well, so no worries.

Ultimately, the specific settings you place on each of your computers’ security suites are up to your taste and schedule. I, for the sake of my personal information and for my business and clients, have my security programs run every single day, but a lesser-used computer may only need weekly scans. I also have my desktop scanned at a time when I am not around each day, and my laptop is scanned around 5am, when I am surely not awake and won’t interrupt it. A schedule that doesn’t conflict with your computer usage is best because the scan could put a strain on your computer’s performance if you’re trying to work or surf the internet at the same time.

Not unlike our teenage years, the threats we face today require a conscious protection effort. Safeguarding ourselves from Trojans, as well as viruses, worms and others, is a fairly simple process that we easily take for granted.