Do Your Own Payroll

One of the best ways for small businesses to save some money is to do their own payroll.  While you might be worried that you need to be an accountant or hire an accountant to process your payroll, there is really no need.

There are several online payroll software programs that can help you process your payroll, taxes, and W2s all on your own.  These programs calculate the federal and state taxes for you, including what should be taken out of each employee's check and what your company's tax liability is for each payroll.  You still have to complete and file your returns. But, at least you know the calculations are correct. A good program to use is Intuit online payroll program.  This program allows you to process your payroll from any computer, so you don't have to be at the office or even in the country to process your payroll.  All you need to do is get on a computer and enter in the hours. So, you could be on the beach in the Caribbean and still get your payroll done on time.

Payroll software or programs take the element of error out of your payroll process.  You enter in the information from each employee's W2 and the wage rate, and the program will calculate the correct amount of taxes.  Doing payroll by hand leaves a ton of room for error and also takes quite a bit of time.  With a program, you payroll is calculated in seconds.

Depending on the program you choose, the program can also calculate your quarterly payroll tax returns, annual returns, and W2s.  The program may even send you reminders of when each return is due.  While you might have to pay between 50 to 100 dollars a month for your payroll software, if you choose an online program,  and have a fair number of employees, the cost is still way less than what you would pay an accountant.

When you do your own payroll, you also learn all about the taxes that you pay and can know for sure that all the IRS forms that you need to complete are being done on-time and correct.  When you leave it up to someone else and don't understand what needs to be done on the financial side of your company, you run the risk of someone talking advantage of your ignorance and actually not doing everything he/she should be doing as your accountant.

Save some money and educate yourself on the payroll process and tax obligations for your company to protect you and your company.

How to Create Your Company Website

A website for your company legitimizes your company and its services and makes it easier for clients to find you.  Depending on your type of business, you company can expand its cliental and range of services through a stable online presence.  These days website hosting services are affordable and easy to use.  There is no need to go out and hire an expensive IT service or person to build your website.  You can do it yourself by following these steps:

• Find a hosting service for your website. Hosting services usually charge per month for your first website, which would be your main domain.  JustHost offers this at around $9/month.  By purchasing such a service, you can have additional websites hosted from your own server for around $15/year for each new domain.  Having your own hosting server is convenient if you have multiple businesses or associations that need independent websites.   Other companies such as bluehost and iPage offer such services starting at $4/month.  In choosing a hosting service, you want to make sure that the service has few down times and offers you unlimited domain options so that you never outgrow your service as you expand your business. Read the reviews of hosting services to get an idea of how often their sites goes down.  Every time your website and email goes down, you lose business.  As a result, you don't want to go with just the cheapest service but you want to pick the one that current clients claim has few down times and a quick responses to support help. 
• Use oneclick installs.  Installing a template for your site is easy with oneclick installs. They save both time and money.   Most hosting sites offer oneclick installs for free for your new website,  so that you just press a button and Wordpress (for example) can be installed on your site.  This service gives you a template to work with and prompts on where and how to put content on your site. Most first time website creators find Wordpress themes easier to work with than other themes such as Joomla.  All hosting services have support services that will walk your through any aspects of creating your site.  Don't be afraid to just call them and have them walk you through.  Once you get the hang of posting your own content, you can do so at any time and make changes at any time.  No more waiting on someone to help you. 
• Relevant Content.  Post content that is relevant to your business such as your services, testimonials from satisfied clients, and samples of your work.  Organize your site so that it is easy for clients to find the information they might be looking for such as how to contact you, hours, locations, and services with clear headings for each section. Clarity and clear headings on your site is a must for making sure potential clients aren't hunting for the information and leaving your site frustrated and confused.
• Website Emails.  The use of company emails with your new domain name rather than using free emails such as gmail and yahoo signals to potential clients that you are an established business here to stay and not a fly-by-night.  Your hosting server should provide you company emails to go along with your new site.  Use them. 
• Domain Renewal.  Renew your domain each year.  Don't make the mistake of forgetting to renew your site and lose the domain to someone else. Once you have established your online presence, you need to hang onto it.  Having a stable website address for your business indicates that you are a stable company and makes it easier for clients to find you year after year. Locations and phone numbers can change.  Your online presence should be stable. 

Small businesses need to hang onto their capital.  They can't afraid to waste money paying for services they can do for themselves. Don't be afraid to try your hand at creating your own website. There are plenty of tools and services to walk you through each step of the process.  Basic websites are easy and quick to create.  

Management is Everything

Looking to get your business on the upswing instead of continuing to struggle just to make it day to day?  Take a good look at your management.  Even a small business owner and a small business, needs a little help in running a good company.  You can't be every where all the time. You can't make all the decisions. Emergencies come up and sometimes you need someone you can trust to make the correct decision at the right time.

Real management is hard to do and it is even harder to find good managers.  It is like hunting for a needle in a haystack.  But, don't give up.  It is worth the struggle it takes to find the right person who can do the job. It takes so much pressure off you as the owner to have a good solider you can count on who has your back.  So, don't give up!

What makes a good manager?  It is not what you think.  It is not about having enthusiasm or good ideas or even about kissing your butt. Anyone can talk a good game.  It is easy to come up with great ideas.  It is also easy to come up with excuses.  When it comes to management, you have to evaluate your candidates by their actions not words.

Look for someone who:

• toes the party line, backs you up with action when you make a decision (especially a tough decision like letting someone go) and doesn't undercut you in front of other staff;  loyalty is the key and it can only be shown through actions not words
• solves problems and addresses issues without asking you to throw money at a problem;  you need a fiscally responsible person who can think creatively about dealing with an issue and not just think about how you can and should spend your money - it is always easier to spend money than save money
• works hard without complaining about pay, hours, or staff;  you don't need someone who complains as that means they don't believe in your business - bottomline
• operates with a broad vision of how to make the company a success;  focuses on the bigger picture of sales and income performance and works to find ways to maximize the profits instead of how improvements benefit them on a personal level.

Yes.  You almost need to find a mini-me.  Someone who cares about your business as much as you do.  There are people out there who put themselves second to their work.  There are people who take pride in their work and want to do a good job.  Find one of those people and promote them to management - even if you have to spend the time to teach them and train them.   Get rid of management that is weak, complaining, costs you too much money and drags down the morale of your entire operation. 

The Family Business

Small business owners are always tempted if not obligated by guilt or necessity to hiring family members.  Hence, the term "mom and pop." Hiring family members can have its advantages.

• They might work for free or cheaply while you are first building your business, especially if they are your children and have no choice.

• They might just be more loyal than your average employee. 

• You feel more comfortable having people you know around you in case you mess up or don't know what you are doing. 

• You don't have to search for employees and worry about trusting new people.

• They might be less inclined to report you if you are late with paychecks.

• They might not try to collect unemployment. 

All of these points make it easy for the small business owner to go straight to the family tree when looking to make new hires. 

However, this strategy does have its downsides:

• Less separation from work and home. Work problems follow you to your home. 

• Family holidays could become mighty awkward if you had to fire your cousin because he was a bad employee.

• Family members do take advantage, show up late, do less work - all behind the shield of being a part of the "family."  Just because they are family members doesn't mean they are naturally good employees.

• The number one downside is that it is very hard to grow your business if you only hire family members.  Unless you have a really big family, most businesses would like to grow beyond the size of their family. 

When you hire family members, you create an environment for your business that says you are just about the family.  Any new employees coming in are going to naturally feel left out.  No matter how hard you try to seem like a fair employer, it will seem like nepotism.  If you have more family members than non-family members, the family culture will dominate. Your small business will be filled with more conversations about personal family business and other inside jokes than work business, and those from outside the family will never understand or fit in.  As a result, outsiders won't truly feel as if they belong in your business or as if they can have the opportunity to become a vital member of the team. Loyalty and group teamwork will suffer when all workers don't feel like an equal and valuable member of the team.  Good employees will only stick around a place where they feel they have an equal chance of advancement and opportunity.  

If you want to ever expand your business, you must think outside the family tree and about how you can recruit the best and brightest to build your brand.  

Always Get it in Writing

Sometimes people call you to offer you a special deal on a service or ask you to come to an event or provide you with instructions of what you have to do to complete a particular project.  While this personal phone call is a great tactic to get you to pay attention to what is being requested or demanded of you, it can also get you in trouble.

When you only receive a verbal communication, it can be challenged.  It is a good idea to protect your small business by getting the information in writing via email.  If someone gives you a deadline, ask for a written communication or create one yourself. One tactic is to reconfirm the information over email.  Start your communication by stating "as per phone conversation on such as such date . . . (restate the request made)."  This tactic is especially helpful if you are dealing with someone who is trying to threaten you or claim that you were negligent or insufficient in some way.

Another tactic, is to request a followup email of any invitations, meeting requests and informational requests so that you can better keep track of all your appointments.  Simply ask the person to send the information in writing as you are so busy that you don't want to forget.

As a given, all requests for payments should always be in writing via an invoice or order form before you cut a check. Get estimates in writing for costs of services and have a contract drawn up before work begins, so that you can be assured that the price won't unexpectedly increase.

Lastly, when and if you have to fire employees, it is a good idea to put any employee reprimands and warnings in writing to protect your business and provide a track record of why you had to get rid of a certain employee.

Getting things in writing can help you protect your small business by providing a chain of evidence for all your interactions and expenses so that you have a written account of all business transactions and what happened during each exchange ~ providing easy access to backup evidence against fraudulent charges, false accusations and any claims of wrongdoing.

Online Solutions for Troubled Times

Today's massive meltdown of hosting services such as Justhost, Hostgator, and Bluehost as well as a bunch of other services controlled by Endurance International Group and technically owned by all the same people that was caused by only God knows what but blamed on a "router" caused a multitude of small businesses to be without their websites, emails, and now telephone services for basically 6 to 8 hours.  Consumers cried foul, asked for their money back, tried to switch services and cancelled numerous accounts citing loss of dollars, missed opportunities and unprofessionalism as main reasons for taking their business elsewhere.

Yes, today's outage was an inconvenience and horrible for all those impacted.  However, server outages happen daily across the globe in one form or another to a lot of people.  Some last only a few minutes, some a few hours, and some days and weeks.  Websites get attacked and hacked, emails get blocked as spam, mechanical and technological failures occur and have always occurred.  Yes, it seems like hackers are growing, spying is everywhere and every single day someone somewhere is attacking your wordpress blog with spam comments and causing your site to crash. However, we are also becoming more and more addicted to instant access to our websites, emails and other Internet-based forms of communication.  We want to pay $2.99 for our website and have it never go down.  This reasoning is a bit unrealistic and sets you up for gross disappointment.

So, how do you save money and not have a server outage ruin your small business?

First of all, accept that server outages are going to happen and you will lose some business when they occur.  That is life. These losses can be regained in the future so don't despair for too long.

Second, don't put all your eggs in one basket.  Meaning, don't buy all your services from one cheap-o provider.  Diversify your communications.  Have backup free email accounts like yahoo and gmail for if and when your work email goes down.  Don't set up your VOIP phone service with your website hosting service and with your Internet provider.  Have different accounts.  Yes, they means remembering to pay multiple bills.   However, when one goes down it doesn't mean all go down.  If your office Internet goes out, you can go to a coffee shop and still read your emails and work on your website.  If they are all the same provider, you don't have that option.

Thirdly, develop a presence online in multiple forms.  Have a social media site as well as a website. Chances are pretty good that your website and your Facebook and your Twitter are not going to all go down at the same time.  Use your social media sites to keep up with your clients during website server outages and communicate with people who have questions.  These services are also useful when your telephone service goes down and you can't be reached.  You can quickly post that you are still open for business and give alternate ways in which you can be reached.

Lastly, maintain a positive outlook.  Doom and gloom never got anybody anywhere. So, don't you start.  These situations are momentary hiccups on the road of life.  Treat them as such and deal with them with a calm attitude and before you know it all your invaluable technological services will be back up and running at 100% with no worries for you or your clients.

You don't need to go out and buy the most expensive web hosting service you can fine.  Because, chances are, that service will go down at one point in time.  Instead, plan for the inevitable and work with what you got and take advantage of the multiple of online solutions for your business.

Storage Ideas for Small Spaces

A cluttered room is often the result of living or working in a small space.  As stuff accumulates, the room will quickly look like a dump with over-flowing shelves and stacks piled up in the corner.  Working in an office full of papers piled in boxes and every corner occupied with mounds of stuff is often not a comfortable place to work.  In addition, it sends the message to clients that you are not very organized.

Here are some ideas to make the most of the space you do have with little money:

1. Snap and go plastic shelves that you put together yourself can be an affordable way to get items off the floor and into some kind of order.
2. Bankers boxes for magazines can help keep them neat and orderly. These letter-sized boxes can also be used for daily files that require easy access.  They don’t take up much space and can be put right on your plastic shelves.
3. File cabinets.  They can be expensive.  However, you can get them used at thrift stores for about 20 dollars.  Just keep your eye open for those good deals.  Network and get old file cabinets from other businesses.  People throw out file cabinets all the time as they upgrade to new ones. You can put more than just files in your filing cabinets.  You can put extra supplies such as copy paper, packing tape, scissors and extra computer cords to get them out of your way and save space in your desk area.
4. Store extra folding tables and folding chairs in the closet and bring them out only when needed.  You can save a lot of space by storing things that aren’t used daily and bringing them out only when needed.  There is no need to have a lot of extra chairs around if you can fold them up and put them away until needed.
5. Label boxes, folders and file cabinets for easy put away and retrieval.  If things are labeled, you will be more likely to put things in their appropriate place and also find it easier to find them when needed. It just takes a few minutes to make a label, but it will save you valuable time in the future. 

So, make the most of your small space by getting organized and presenting an organized and competent appearance to your clients.

Niceness Matters

Have you ever been to a coffeeshop and gotten rude service or even just mediocre treatment?  Bet you thought twice about going back to that same spot.  Maybe you didn't even leave a tip that day.  Have you ever been someplace when they were overly friendly, remembered you from your previous visit, complemented you on your outfit or asked how your day was going?  How did that make you feel?  Probably, you left feeling pretty good and made a mental note to go back to that same spot.

Niceness is a necessity for your business.  And, guess what?  It is free.  Here are some things you can do to make your business a little more friendly:

• Have the first contact someone makes with your company be a kind and friendly face.  This first contact sets the first impression of your company.  Make it a nice and friendly one. 
• Get rid of employees who are rude and too cool to be nice to your customers.  They create an environment of unfriendliness and only attract those of similar attitudes. 
• Management must adopt this friendly approach and hire and train friendly faces to promote this culture within the business.  If management fails to adopt "friendliness matters" as a principle, it simply won't happen. 
• Being friendly to your customers doesn't mean you are a pushover.  You can be friendly while still being hardcore about your bottom-line and not bending the rules.  
• Don't blow anyone off.  Let folks know you can't help them and be direct but do it with a smile. You never know who they know or if they will need you in the future. 
• Take complaints and anger from customers with a calm approach, don't overact and lash out.  Continue your pleasant attitude and don't let a few rotten apples get you down.

Remember, you just have to add a smile and a good attitude and it will attract customers to you.  

Tips for Working at Home

Working at home sounds like a dream come true, until you actually start working from home.  Whether you are working from home to save costs on a new startup venture or small business idea or staying at home to take care of kids, we are all confronted with the same obstacles when trying to work from home.

Obstacles to working at home:

• DISTRACTION: At home, we surround ourselves with things and people that comfort us.  Our pets, loved ones, favorite hobbies, television shows, visitors and phone calls can all be a distraction to focusing on work.  
• MOTIVATION:  With multiple distractions, the will to be motivated on the task at hand can be an obstacle to getting the job done.  
• SOLITUDE:  There is no one to evaluate your performance or cheer you on.  You are alone and the solitude can provide little encouragement to completing necessary work. 
• NO MONEY:  Starting up your own business can take a lot of work before you see some income results.  You will be spending more money than you are earning.  It can be easy to get discouraged.  
• NO STRUCTURE:  Working on your own means you don't have a set time to come into work.  There are no hours or company rules.  A lack of structure can be an obstacle to sticking to a set schedule and get enough work accomplished during the day. 

How to Make Working from Home Work for You:

• ESTABLISH BOUNDARIES:  Just because you are at home doesn't mean you are available to every thing an every body.  Set up a separate area as your work space - off limits to distractions.  Have a work computer, desk and chair as if it were in an office.  Keep it professional and let others know that this area is your work area and when you are at work you are in a "do not disturb" mode.
• SET UP A SCHEDULE:  Maintain regular work hours and try to stick to this schedule.  Even if you decide to work 12 hours a day, you need to set your 12 hour day and have start and end times.  This schedule will help you make time for other things and other people but still allow you to get your work accomplished. 
• ESTABLISH GOALS:  Set up daily and weekly goals to monitor your progress and maintain your vision of where you want to be in the end.  These goals will help retain your motivation as you check off one goal after another and make headway on your dream career.  
• GIVE YOURSELF WHAT YOU NEED:  Stock up your office with paper, toner and all the supplies that you need.  You have to have the proper tools in order to be a success.  So prepare and give yourself the tools you need to do the job. 
• SEEK INPUT FROM OTHERS:  It can be lonely in your new workplace - on your own and away from co-workers and those who can provide constant feedback.  Network with others in your chosen profession, seek their input and advice, ask for tips and help.  In this manner, you can develop a group of associates and not feel so isolated. 

Working at home can be tough work.  But, it can also be quite rewarding.  You are on your own and it is your time to shine.  Make the most of the experience and provide yourself with all you need to be great at what you do.

How to Get a Government Grant for Your Organization or Business

How to Get a Government Grant for Your Organization or Business

Which VOIP Service: Reviews of Nextiva & CallCentric

Small businesses still need phone service.  It can be costly to spend hundreds of phone minutes on your personal cell phone for your business.  Also, telephone numbers associated with your business offer the added bonus of allowing for a professional voicemail message system to greet your clients and multi-phone exchanges can give the appearance that your company is busier and larger than it is.

VOIP phones are an affordable solution for your business communication needs.  VOIP which stands for Voice over IP is basically a phone communication system over the Internet or making calls over the Internet.  Since you probably have broadband Internet in your home or office, VOIP provides an affordable solution to landline or cell phone usage.

VOIP phones can look like traditional office phones

Benefits of VOIP:

• affordable;
• easy to set up, no need to be a computer expert;
• number portability;
• choice of local or 1-800 numbers;
• loaded with calling features such as caller id, call waiting, and voicemail exchanges or extensions.  

Cons of VOIP:

• phone quality depends on bandwidth of your Internet connection, it won't work on dial-up or slow connections;
• some services do not offer 911 connections or you have to pay extra for those calls;
• power is a must, no electrical power equals no phone service. 

Nextiva

I have two phones with Nextiva for $60.00/month for unlimited service nationwide.  The phones were free with my service.  It is a month to month contract so can be cancelled at any time.  The phone came fast and preconfigured.  It was easy to set up the voicemail box.  The only downside to Nextiva is the customer service.  If you have any trouble setting up your phones, it is almost impossible to get them to understand and fix the issue.  Save the time and trouble in dealing with Nextiva customer service and just get an IT expert to come into your office and help out.  I was able to port my existing business phone numbers to Nextiva with no problems.  The system has rarely gone down for longer than a few hours since I signed up over a year ago.  Overall, the system is reliable and I don't have to worry much about missing any phone calls.  

CallCentric

CallCentric gives you VOIP service for just the price of calls.  For as little as $5.00, you get a phone number that can make outgoing calls.  I use this phone service for an Autodialer system which is a computer that makes phone calls to a list with a recorded message.  There are no setup or monthly fees for outgoing calls.  Phone numbers that accept incoming calls have varying price ranges from $19.95 to $1.95 with $8.95 being the price for office unlimited and $3.95 for a toll-free number.  Ability to get a local phone number on CallCentric depends on what part of the country you are located in and the number availability.  More local areas are being added on a regular basis, so the opportunities will only increase.  Paying per call may seem expensive but it really only adds up to 2 cents per connected call.  You can use your own IP phone with the service.  CallCentric was very easy to set up and easy to use.  I have had no problems with making calls or had a need to call customer service.  Your account at CallCentric can be cancelled at any time with no penalties.  Their user friendly website gives you technical guides for how to set up your CallCentric number with the most popular phone systems.  In addition, you can login to your account and print out call reports.  Overall, the service has been really great.  

There are many other VOIP service providers.  These are just two companies that I have had personal experience with in setting up and using.  It is important to research the all the providers you are interested in to see which one has the features you need for your company.  Good luck on your search for the VOIP system for you. 

Be Different to Seal the Deal

With every small business in the world trying to get customers at the same time and even offering the same product or similar product/service, you have to stand out in order to get noticed.

There are a number of ways in which you and your small business endeavor can distinguish itself from the crowd:

• Mission.  Develop a meaningful mission that characterizes your company.  Give people a reason for others to support you over competitors and feel proud of this association.  If your mission is something that people want to be associated with, they will follow you with loyalty and enthusiasm.  
• Options.  Offer your clients a unique opportunity or service that others cannot match.  Agree to work on a weekend or over a holiday at the same price to set yourself apart as someone who will always be there for your client.  This can help you get new clients and be seen as reliable and dependable by those who need your services.
• Special Deals.  Provide special incentives to new clients and repeat customers that you advertise on a regular basis to keep the information well known and active in the minds of both potential and current clients.  Such an incentive might be the difference between someone going to you or one of your competitors.  
• Personal Touch:  Make your clients feel important by giving them a service or product that seems personal to their needs or situations.  Such a personal touch makes people feel like they are getting catered, individual attention, and that you care about their well-being.  Developing a personal relationship with your clients will cause them to come to you with gripes or complaints instead of mouthing off to others and allow you to solve the issue/problem before it even gets out on the Internet or spreads through word of mouth.  Clients who feel comfortable with you will always come to you first out of loyalty and because they benefit from that personal relationship with you. 

Good luck in your efforts to stand out from the crowd and build your business. 

Networking is About Maximizing Opportunities

Any type of business owner needs to invest time and energy into networking.  Networking is simply developing relationships with others.  This process involves getting your name out there and meeting people.  Every contact you make is a potential connection to a new client or new job, so it is important to make a good impression.

Places to capitalize on networking opportunities include:

• community events
• churches
• business openings
• neighborhood coffee shops
• gyms.

I think you get the point.  Anything you do and anyplace you go can be a networking opportunity.  So, be prepared. Always have your business cards (as in take them everywhere you go), so that you have a way to pass on your contact information.  You never know when someone is going to want to learn more or follow up with you, so it is important to have your information close at hand. 

Networking is Easy

Networking involves introducing yourself to others.  Let the conversation flow naturally and at its own pace.  There is no need to "oversell" yourself.  People will naturally ask what you do for a living.  Talk about your business with enthusiasm and confidence, and people will be drawn into learning more about your business.  A certain percentage will ask you for your business card. Pretty soon, your business and contact information will spread.  

Include your website, Facebook or Twitter accounts on your business card.  These online sites are excellent opportunities for others to connect with you and get to know your business.  

Two Key Points about Networking:

• treat every contact as a lead to a potential client or job opportunity
• always be prepared to present information about your business.

Building your own business is hard work.  It is more than just a 9 to 5 job.  It is your life, your startup money and your future.  Maximize all opportunities for networking because you never know which contacts will pay off at the end of the day.  

Ways to Save Money for Your Small Business

Many small business owners waste their limited resources on services/products that they don't need.  Here are some simple tips for how to save money so you are not going broke before you have even started your endeavor:

• Open a FREE small business checking account at major bank such as Capital One that will allow you to open an account with a deposit of about 200 dollars.  Skip the credit cards if you know you will not have much money to start.  No sense in getting in over your head. 

• Never order checks from your bank.  Waste of money.  Open the bank account and then go online to find cheaper alternatives such as Checks in the Mail or Checks Unlimited.   Just about any place has cheaper checks than your bank.  You really don't need a big, fancy binder for all your checks either.  Save your money.

• Never buy deposit slips.  Just get a stack of blank counter deposit slips from your bank for FREE.  They work just as well.  You can still use them to make deposit in the overnight deposit slot or in the drive through.  

• Keep a simple spreadsheet to manage your finances such as an Excel file or a simple Quickbooks program.  If you are starting off with little funds, you don't need the most expensive program on the market.  I bought an older version of Quickbooks for $9.99 off of ebay and it works just as well because I did not need their online services or expensive payroll programs.  I can easily reconcile my spreadsheet with my bank statements on my own.  When you are starting off small, it is easy to do it yourself. Upgrade as your business expands. 

• Scared of doing payroll yourself?  No problem.  TKT Enterprises  offers a very simple and affordable payroll system you can download onto your computer that will help you do payroll.  The program calculates the taxes for you and helps you do your payroll tax deposits and end of the year tax forms.  All you have to do is input employee information and the hours they work for each pay period.   You can even do manual payroll checks and print out payroll stubs on regular paper to save more money.  This program is very affordable at $14.95 for the whole year.  If you stick with this software, than your yearly upgrade is even cheaper (about half price).  You can't beat the price and it works great. 

• Consider using PayPal for credit card orders if you can't afford the high frees associated with processing credit cards.  Sure there are fees with PayPal that come out of the money you will collect.  However, PayPal is fine for online orders to start.  As you build your business, you can use the money you have made from PayPal to upgrade to other credit card processing services.  All of them are expensive, involve monthly fees, early termination fees and high charges for chargebacks.  Because of the costs, you want to make sure you are making money and can afford this investment before you sign that contract. 

Hope that these tips will help you save money in your small business. 

Branding on Social Media Sites

A brand represents everything about your company ~ what you stand for, what you do and where you will be in the future. Branding is a way to spread information about your company to a wide audience. All businesses need to engage in some type of branding. There is so much competition for limited dollars that even your small business needs to work on brand development. Social media sites are a good way to spread your brand for FREE and to a large audience.

Keys to Developing Your Brand:  

In creating your brand, you need to think about what you want to represent. Vague concepts such as stating that you are "efficient" might not distinguish you from another company. Take a look at how other companies are describing themselves. If you are using the same or similar language, your company will not stand out as being unique or offering anything special. To make people pay attention, your brand has to contain a different message from your competition.      

                                                                                                       

Be consistent with your message. Make sure the Facebook, blog and Twitter accounts for your company spread the same message. Being all over the place only confuses your audience. Be specific about what you do and what your company offers and spread a consistent, unified message through all your social media sites. People will be more likely to remember your company at a time when they may need your services if you are consistent.

Respond to questions, complaints and other comments on your social media sites in a timely manner. The downside of being on a wide variety of social media sites is that people have wider access to ways to leave you negative feedback and it can be quick to get out of hand. Be aware of all of your networks and do not overreact to negative comments. Respond to complaints in a timely way so that others know you are responsible, block followers who are abusive and keep encouraging and rewarding those who leave you positive feedback.  In this manner, you will encourage positive comments and keep negative posters at bay.

Good luck on developing your brand.

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Free Marketing Ideas for Your Small Business

Small business owners often spend a lot of money in advertising only to see very little return.  You don't need fancy, glossy brochures to legitimize your business.  You can get more clients right now but doing a few things that are absolutely free.

A web presence is a must in today's economy.  People go online first to find everything they need from hiring a plumber to ordering a pizza for dinner.  Too small or not enough funds or expertise to manage your own website?  No problem.  There are a number of free outlets at your fingertips.

* List your business on Yellow Pages online.   It is free to create a listing for your business.  You can list your location, hours, website and email.  It can take up to 10 days for them to verify your listing, but it is well worth the wait.  A listing on yellowpages.com will give you added credibility.

* Social media provides a variety of outlets to get the word out about your services and expertise.  Create a Twitter and Facebook site for your business to post daily about special offers, services and success stories.  These accounts can quickly generate you hundreds even thousands of followers.  You can encourage your current clients to give you good reviews on these social networking sites and get their online friends to follow your sites.  Social media provides free press and an online presence, all without spending a dime.

* Put your flyers in neighborhood businesses, stores and churches.  A lot of places will allow you to place flyers about your business or services at their location for free.  It is simple to make a few flyers on your computer and post them around town.  You can make lots of flyers that people take with them.  Or, you can print one flyer with tear-offs at the bottom with your contact information.  Yes, this is old school.  But, it really works.  Even the busiest person has to go to the store and can pick up a flyer and will remember that personal outreach when they need your services.