A new academic year, a new term, a fresh start. With the children headed back to school after the summer holidays, it got us thinking about how we, as adults, continue to learn, past education.  

For those of you who have taken the leap to running your own business or going freelance, you’ll appreciate how much there is to learn! From time management, finances, marketing, efficiency, it feels like there’s always something new to learn.  

At SiGNAL, we have the phrase “every day’s a school day”, there isn’t a person alive who knows the answer to everything (thankfully Google does), so there is always, always an opportunity to learn something new, or perhaps a new way of doing something to improve your efficiency, productivity and ultimately, profitability.  

This is why we are strong believers of always applying time to learning.   

From the free Google courses available, to Canva tutorials, or, indeed our very own BiZHUB sessions.  

We’re loving being back in the room for BiZHUB. As helpful as the Zoom alternative was, nothing beats human interaction ??" being able to comfortably share stories and ask questions, both 1:1 and in a group scenario. We have found the few sessions we’ve had since returning to in-person events to be hugely beneficial, for all involved.

In fact, EweMove’s Matt Evans commented only yesterday on how much his Instagram following has grown since attending Ellie’s BiZHUB just a few weeks ago.   

Whilst some BiZHUB months may seem more relevant from the theme than others for your business, we strongly encourage visitors and guests to attend as many as possible, purely because you never know what you might take away. From audience participation to a note that might spark a different train of thought ??" our speakers are experts in their field and offer true insight and valuable advice for any business owner.  

Our September talks were all about how to ensure your data is secure and your password security is paramount! 
 
According to a Google/Harris survey, 52% of people reuse the same password across multiple accounts. This is a very risky policy and one that can result in you having multiple accounts compromised. Hackers share your stolen credentials and can attempt to access additional user accounts using the same compromised password. 

Should you update your passwords regularly? 

You may think changing passwords at regular intervals is more secure. However, recent studies have shown that this approach to password security can in fact make security worse.  

If you have multiple passwords to remember, and do a reset, you are likely to choose a new password that is only a minor variation of the old one. You may just change a single character or add a symbol that looks like a letter (Such as ! instead of I).  

If an attacker already knows your current password, it won’t be too hard for them to crack the updated version.  

Microsoft advises: “If a password is never stolen, there’s no need to expire it. And if you have evidence that a password has been stolen, you will presumably act immediately rather than wait for expiration to fix the problem.” 

Key NIST: National Institute of Standards and Technology password guidelines 

• Minimum length of 8 characters and maximum length of at least 64 characters if chosen by the user. However, it is recommended that you use 20+ characters to prevent brute force attacks cracking your password quickly. 
• Use ASCII characters (including space) and Unicode characters. Like: !"£$%^&*()_+:@<> 
• Do not use names of pets, people or other common dictionary words, use a complex phrase or a random generated strong by your password manager. 
• Check prospective passwords against a list that contains values known to be commonly used, expected, or compromised. A good password manager will do this. 
• Use multi-factor authentication (MFA) aka two factor authentication (2FA). 
• Train staff on password best practice 
  

We hope that helps keep you more secure but for more great hints and help with your security log into your BIZHUB account and watch the recent talks by Ben Fielding and Paul Newton. 

In a constantly evolving world, there will always be a new challenge; from technology, to marketing, barriers to growth and more. Developing a ‘growth mindset’ — believing that your abilities and potential aren’t static or fixed, and committing to growing by learning and putting these lessons into practice over time — is an important attribute for any budding entrepreneur.  

People with this mindset will always prioritise lifelong learning so that they can consistently develop new and useful skills; the ideal combination for anyone looking to build a business.  

So, what are you waiting for? Make sure you sign up for our next event, here: https://www.signalbordon.org/the-signal-biz-hub  

Remember, you can bring a first-time guest for free, or try it yourself, we would love to see you and help you on your business journey!