How to Create Your First Marketing Plan

Starting up a business is a big challenge.  You can easily get wrapped up in the day-to-day frenzy.  Don’t forget, long-term success requires a long-term plan. How do you make sure you’re staying focused on long-term goals, as well as short-term work? First step, create a marketing plan. This great article from Business Owner's Playbook gives you a roadmap to follow as you take this important step in your journey to small business success: How to Create Your First Marketing Plan   … [Read more...]

Three Year-End Tax Tips from the IRS to Help You Save Money

Sure, the tax year is coming to an end, but there are still steps you can take to lower your 2014 taxes. I found an excellent article on year-end tax tips that can help you save time and tax dollars. They can even help you save for retirement. Who doesn’t love to save money? Here are 3 year-end tips from the IRS to help you save: Start a filing system. If you don’t have a filing system for your tax records, start one. It can be as simple as a shoebox, or more complex like folders and spreadsheets. Keeping things filed will save you much time and energy in the long run. Make Charitable Contributions. If you plan to give to charity, consider donating before the year ends. … [Read more...]

Mobile Apps That Can Help You Be A Better Business Owner

As the owner of a company, you know how important (and challenging!) it is to keep up with the daily merry-go-round of running a business: overseeing projects, managing budgets, and communicating with employees. Often you find yourself having to do all this while on the go, so what better way to organize and streamline the process than with a mobile app? Here’s an excellent article from Entrepreneur Magazine with some great app suggestions! These 8 Mobile Apps Multiply How Much You Can Get Done Every Day   … [Read more...]

​5 Completely Selfish (But Still Good) Reasons to Buy Local

I love sharing the articles I find on helping your small business, your startups, and your finances as an entrepreneur. But let’s not forget as small business owners to support each other, too. This article from the Denver Business Journal details how supporting local businesses not only benefits others, but yourself as well. 5 Completely Selfish (But Still Good) Reasons to Buy Local Here are three of the reasons covered: People talk, and word of mouth can grow your business Familiarity breeds trust and puts you on the inside track There’s strength in numbers Read the whole article to get all 5 reasons in-depth! Buying local isn’t just great for your community, it’s great … [Read more...]

Beyond Banks: Alternative Funding for Startups

Recently, I read the article “Beyond Banks: Alternative Funding for Startups” in the Business Owner's Playbook. I love this piece! It is a valuable resource and primer on source financing when banks are not the way to go. If you’re looking to start a new business or expand the small business you already own, read this, then read it again, then bookmark it for future reference! Here are just a few alternative funding options covered by the article: Crowdfunding: raising small amounts of startup money from a very large number of people (the “crowd”) Peer-to-Peer Lending: (a.k.a. P2P) borrowing money from unrelated individuals (“peers”) without having to go through a … [Read more...]

3 Steps to Happier Customers

As a small business owner, you already know that keeping your customers happy is key to your success. The thing is, it’s not always straightforward how to do this, and can get confusing and frustrating. It can be particularly tricky when you own a digital company because there are few face-to-face interactions. So what do you do? There’s a great article in Entrepreneur Magazine that outlines 3 steps to happier customers. Don’t just be friendly, be a friend. There’s nothing worse than a stiff, “reading off the script” tone when it comes to customer service responses. Have a personality and keep it light. Think about how you’d approach helping a friend, and apply that to how you … [Read more...]

Writing Off Charitable Travel Expenses

Do your plans this year include donating your valuable skills or services to charity? If traveling is part of the plan too, some travel expenses may be deductible for your business. While this can help lower your tax burden when filing next year’s return, you should use caution when listing those deductions. Here are three things you can write off when traveling for charity: 1. Although you can’t deduct the value of your services that you donate to charity, you may be able to deduct some out-of-pocket costs associated with your services. This can include the cost of travel, meals, and lodging, but all out-of pocket costs must meet the following criteria: The expense must be … [Read more...]

How To Avoid Becoming the Victim of a Tax Scam

Ah, summertime. Warm days, rest, relaxation, and…tax scams. Really? Yes! Thieves don’t stop victimizing unsuspecting taxpayers after April 15th. Unfortunately, tax scams happen year round and no one is immune to them. The top three scams listed on the IRS’s "Dirty Dozen" list are identity theft, phone scams, and phishing.  Here is some important information to keep you protected and ready 365 days a year:   1. Identity Theft: Identity thieves steal personal and financial information such as your Social Security number or your banking information to commit fraud and other crimes.  They could also file a phony tax return in your name to claim a fraudulent refund. But you don't need to … [Read more...]

How to Deal with an Angry Client

In a perfect world, everything would go smoothly and your clients would always be gushing over the incredible work you’ve seamlessly prepared for them.  In the real world, you need to learn how to roll with the punches. Your clients aren’t always going to be happy, but handling those situations while maintaining client relationships (and your sanity) is part of running a business. So what do you do when a client confronts you? My number one rule is to stay calm and don’t get defensive. If you take the confrontation personally, you won’t listen to what the client is trying to tell you. You need to get to the heart of the problem and do what you can to fix it. For more tips on how to … [Read more...]

5 Requirements for Successful Email Marketing

How do you keep in touch with your customers?  Social media? Postcards? The occasional phone call? It’s important to maintain contact with clients, both past and present, but it can be tough when we’re busy running your businesses and maintaining your personal life. One of the simplest ways to maintain contact with your customers is by sending out email newsletters. Email newsletters are a common marketing device used to engage customers and sell products and services. When used right, they can be advantageous to your business; however, it requires plenty of time and brain power before you can build a successful newsletter. When brainstorming, consider these 5 necessities for … [Read more...]