Creative & Technology
You may not be scaling mountains or digging mines, but Creative and Technology Services certainly present their own breed of danger. Whether you’re building something out of nothing, pursuing a solution that has never been tried, or attempting to very delicately explain to a client why they are wrong, you face some very real risks. But without them, there’d be no success.
THREE was created to help you to accept the risk and go beyond what’s expected. So, if you decide to host a gaming group in your office, license your software, turn a failed pitch into your own business’s product, start a repair service, or just about anything else you can think of, give us a quick call and we’ll update your account.
Your operations
Even if you can solve any computer problem, crack any creative brief or cultivate an office culture that’s as appealing to Gen Zers as it is to Boomers, some things are just out of your control.
10% of small businesses experienced a cyber incident in 2017.
Software bug
We created some tracking and logistics software for a regional trucking company last year. There was some crazy bug where it inserted a zero to the end of every address, but only on the drivers end, so we never caught it. Drivers were looking for addresses that didn’t exist. My client’s clients held them accountable, and they held us accountable.
Copyright infringement
We created a video for our client’s annual company meeting. Highlights from the past year, office camaraderie, that sort of thing. The team edited it together, put it to music and everyone was happy. Then our CIO uploaded it to their site, he didn’t know the music wasn’t licensed. But the band’s lawyer did—now they’re suing him and the company.
Hack
It was a PR nightmare. I mean clients expect us to protect them from exactly this sort of thing. But there we were, a computer consulting company, hacked. All the projects we were working on, all our clients’ sensitive information, all compromised. And it’s not like a flood where you can just repair the damage. This is information, once it’s out there, it’s out.
Your people
Your clients come to you to solve their problems. And when they do, you know exactly which member of your team to turn to. With a small business every one of your people is integral to your success, which is why it’s so important to protect them.
225,000+/year
Workplace injuries caused by falls, slips or trips
Injury
One of my designers had requested a Wacom® tablet—okay, maybe he requested it several times. By the time he went to the doctor and was diagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome his thumb was partially numb. Now he’s taking a long lunch to go to PT twice a week. If it doesn’t improve he might need surgery.
Discrimination
Last year two employees were up for a promotion: Lori, who was almost 50, and Kim, who was around 30. Lori had more experience, but Kim had been moving up quickly—3 promotions in 5 years. I was afraid Kim would leave if she didn’t get the job and I figured Lori wasn’t going anywhere, so we gave it to Kim. Well, Lori did go. To a lawyer and claimed age discrimination.
Options
10 years ago it was just me and my brother. When we hit 3 employees we felt huge. Eventually we started offering stock options, you kind of need to in this business—but we didn’t always have the best advice. Subsequently we were advised to restructure our stock plan, so we did. That didn’t go over well with those first 3 employees, they lawyered up real fast.
Your property
From laptops to servers to giant awe-inspiring displays, these days so much of a business’s critical property is electronic. Which means it, and your productivity, are susceptible to water, smoke, fire, theft, electrical problems and more. These potentially significant interruptions to your business could mean missed deadlines, lost clients or worse.
11% of employees committing fraud have a postgraduate degree.
Fire
Last time the power went out my servers were down for a week. After that I learned my lesson and invested in a back-up generator. During that storm last month my generator kicked in and the servers kept going. But, the generator I got wasn’t powerful enough to run the AC. The servers overheated and something short circuited sparking a fire—and the sprinklers.
Water damage
We were going to be setting up a satellite office for one of our clients. We were still waiting for some components to come in, so in the meantime we were storing everything in our basement.
Then, the pipes backed up and flooded the whole basement. It was a mess, everything was ruined—computers, monitors, servers, cables, big display for the conference room, all of it.
Theft
It was a once-in-a-lifetime project. A local museum had invited us to create an installation, "Connected Home, Disconnected Life." I'm still, to this day, so proud of what we created. Anyway, we loaded the components into the truck and I went back inside for a minute. I guess someone had been watching us because in a flash, the truck and everything on it was stolen.
From complex code to emotional calls to action
Today creative solutions are more technocentric, and technology solutions more creative than ever before. But whichever side of that increasingly blurry line your business is on, we've got you covered.
THREE provides comprehensive coverage for:
Advertising & Public Relations
Digital & Direct Marketing
Direct Mail Services
Market Research
Marketing Research
Brand & Marketing Consulting
Media & Social Media Consulting
Search Engine Services (SEO/SEM)
Graphic Design
Interior Decorating & Design
Small business coverage then.
Small business coverage now.
Questions? Speak with a THREE Small Business Advisor.
Call 1-800-507-4495.
An ounce of prevention
The best way to protect your business is to educate your staff to help prevent risky situations to begin with. In addition to online training tools, THREE offers these convenient posters that you can print out and start using right now.
Your Operations
Your People
Your Property