Small Business Articles

Business » Small Business | By Wayne Davies @ Thursday, 18th December 2008 @ 8:51 PM

Here\'s a simple six-step bookkeeping system that will put thousands of dollars of tax savings in your pocket and keep the IRS out of your life forever. 1. Maintain a separate bank account for your business or self-employment activity. Never use your personal bank account for business expenses. Having a separate bank account automatically creates the \"shell\" for the perfect documentation system. If you don\'t have a separate business bank account, now i... more...

Business » Small Business | By Wayne Messick @ Thursday, 18th December 2008 @ 1:57 PM

Every day it seems that everything and every body get more and more alike. It seems that the only thing that really differentiates us from our competitors is the skill of our copywriters compared to theirs. On a recent tour of the Vatican our guide answered my unspoken question - one I always had but didn\'t realize it, \"Why are there so many statues? I meant statues of regular people, not the Popes and Saints. He told me that statues were the ancient Roman\'s way of chroni... more...

Business » Small Business | By Peter Bennett @ Wednesday, 17th December 2008 @ 9:30 PM

Because business conditions constantly change it is imperative that you know exactly what you are spending your money on. If you are struggling, now is the time to take a long hard look at how you go about your business. A business is a constantly flowing entity that has to change as time goes on. Regardless of whether you are seeing a drop in profits or not, constantly re-evaluating your outgoings is always a good idea in order to remain competitive and achieve your targets. First of al... more...

Business » Small Business | By Mike Parsonage @ Wednesday, 17th December 2008 @ 6:23 PM

We all have a tendency to map things out in our heads and together with some rough calculations on the back of an envelope, we quickly convince ourselves that it is all possible. In practice, we tend to gloss over the less attractive details. Consequently, many people dive straight in and start a business without the necessary planning, which often results in a false start costing the owners money and time. A typical approach for most small farms is to plant some trees in the spare padd... more...

Business » Small Business | By Jonathan McCulloch @ Wednesday, 17th December 2008 @ 1:37 AM

Many business owners struggle to make direct mail marketing work; and by \"work\", I mean profitable. There are many reasons for this, with the biggest and most obvious being they don\'t really know what\'s working and what isn\'t. So above all else, and the FIRST thing I encourage you to get right is measurement and testing. You don\'t have to be particularly clever or sophisticated about this, and you don\'t need a college degree in mathematics.more...

Business » Small Business | By Wayne Davies @ Tuesday, 16th December 2008 @ 11:35 PM

Sorry to crash your party, but as we bring in the New Year, it\'s also time to bring in a new tax season. As a small business owner or self-employed person, one of the easiest ways to keep Uncle Sam off your back and out of your life is to file your forms, payments and other paperwork on time. Over the next four months there are several key dates you dare not forget. Here they are -- all in one place, along with links to the IRS PDF file for that particular form. more...

Business » Small Business | By Art Gib @ Tuesday, 16th December 2008 @ 9:03 PM

It is an achievement for a small business owner to acquire a web host provider that is reliable and which can turn your business into a lucrative business. This sort of criteria is an imperative if you are a business owner who is not just into establishing a domain but who is also determining business growth. The Ideal Web Host Service Provider for Small Businesses There are many web host providers that provide hosting to small businesses. However, not all are providing the necessi... more...

Business » Small Business | By Mitch Tarr @ Tuesday, 16th December 2008 @ 10:18 AM

Email is one of the most valuable communication channels for consumers. You can tell whether your message is real, relevant, personal, and meets the expectations of the reader. And when the email doesn\'t meet those standards, readers can hit the opt out or spam button - and they don\'t have to explain ourselves to anyone. A typical Internet user receives an average of 41 email messages a day these days. How can we make sure that yours gets read and acted on? In a... more...

Business » Small Business | By Dave Kauppi @ Monday, 15th December 2008 @ 2:49 AM

Many business owners want to thank their loyal employees that have helped them build their businesses when they exit. It is a noble desire that often leads to the exploration of a management buyout. Who better to buy the business than the management team that is familiar with the procedures, the customers, the suppliers, the industry and the intellectual property? From a practical standpoint, however, unless the potential management buyout team already owns a meaningful percentage of the ... more...

Business » Small Business | By Wayne Davies @ Friday, 12th December 2008 @ 1:35 PM

The advantages are incorporating your small business are many. For starters, you\'ll be protecting yourself and your family from the possibility of a business ending lawsuit. Forming a corporation is Step One on the path known as \"Asset Protection\" -- you are moving from the world of unlimited liability to the world of limited liability. From a tax standpoint, there are both advantages and disadvantages to incorporating. Yes, forming a corporation can either reduce ... more...