2017

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11 Ways to Support Veteran-Owned Businesses

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November is the newly anointed National Veterans and Military Families Month. It’s an opportunity to celebrate and commemorate the people who have sacrificed so much to protect our freedoms. But what often goes unacknowledged is how veterans continue to serve our society once they return home from their military service—including contributing to our growing economy by starting businesses and employing other veterans.

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7 Useful Ways to Successfully Network with Other Small Businesses

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As a small business owner, you probably don’t have a lot of time. But it’s important to carve out a bit of time to network, especially with other small businesses. You’re probably thinking, “But time is money,” and you’re right. If done correctly, this small investment of time could be worth a lot of money. Networking is a great way to generate business leads, whether it’s a new partner for a future project or a new customer.

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10 Digital Marketing Tips for Small Business Owners in 2017

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Online marketing is vital for any small business hoping to stay competitive. But what online marketing tactics should you focus on in your limited time is a busy entrepreneur? Here are 10 essential digital marketing tips for small business owners. 1. Start with Your Website. “Make sure you have an updated, mobile-friendly website that is easy for users to navigate across all devices and has a modern, clean design.”.

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The Best Small Business Management Tips from 30 Top Entrepreneurs

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As a small business owner, you have a lot of weight on your shoulders. How you manage your small business is a key determinator of your success. Whether that’s managing your employees, your company’s finances, your business’s roadmap, or simply your daily tasks—your small business management decisions matter. To get a glimpse into how other entrepreneurs approach small business management, we asked 30 of your fellow small business owners: “What’s your best small business management tip?”.

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What Percentage of Small Businesses Fail? (And Other Similar Stats You Need to Know)

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If you’re a wannabe entrepreneur gearing up to start a business or you’ve just recently opened your doors, there’s a lot of uncertainty ahead of you. You can’t be sure how your product will evolve, who your first employee will be, or if you’ll even make it through the many challenges of entrepreneurship. If you’re wondering what percentage of small businesses fail, we don’t blame you.

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How to Find the Right Virtual Bookkeeping Service

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Virtual bookkeeping services are becoming more and more common. I recently flew across the country to meet with a client I’ve been working with remotely for over a year. He’s a rare exception. I have many clients with whom I’ll never meet in person. The Ecosystem. Here’s an example of how I am able to work virtually with clients. It’s all about the apps.

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Quickbooks Online vs Xero: A Deep Dive

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It’s no secret that Intuit’s QuickBooks has dominated the accounting software market for the better part of two decades. In fact, 2015 estimates put the company at 80%-90% market share serving over 29 million businesses in North America alone. For the past few years, however, competition in the field of cloud-based accounting software has been heating up.

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How to Create a Small Business Marketing Budget (With Free Templates!)

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Developing a small business marketing budget is a critical step in any marketing plan. Without one, you’ll run the risk of over- or under-spending on marketing—and seeing an impact on your bottom line. Coming Up with a Small Business Marketing Budget. Every small business must invest in marketing in order to grow. But how much should you spend on marketing, and what should you spend it on?

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The 8 Best Small Business Grants for Women Entrepreneurs

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Do you think financing a small business’s startup and expansion is as easy as obtaining a free grant from the government? You might (almost) be excused for believing that Uncle Sam is handing out bags of free money to anyone with two X chromosomes. In addition to late-night infomercials about government grants, dozens of articles full of misinformation about small business grants for women can be found online, full of vague terms and hazy promises like “The government offers a wide range of gran

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The 5 Best Accounting Books for New Small Business Owners

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Many new small business owners rely solely on their bookkeeper or accountant to explain their financial statements to them. While nothing can replace the advice of a skilled financial advisor, having a basic understanding of important accounting concepts can give you peace of mind and confidence you’re making the right decisions in your business.

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39 Eco-Friendly Small Business Ideas

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If you’re thinking of starting a business, why not start an eco-friendly business? What’s an “Eco-Friendly” Business? An eco-friendly or “green” business is a business that demonstrates commitment to an environmentally sustainable future. Green businesses strive to have a positive impact on the environment and their community. This can be achieved through many practices and strategies, from recycling to sourcing local products and promoting energy efficiency.

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How to Perform Payroll in QuickBooks

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Payroll can be a very tricky business, and of course, that means it is easy for us to overcomplicate things (and many do). So many small businesses turn to a payroll service that is integrated with QuickBooks because there isn’t much to do bookkeeping wise. This makes a strong case for using one of these services, but as with everything, there is a downside.

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What Is the SBA’s Definition of Small Business (And Why)?

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With 28 million small businesses making up 99.7% of all U.S. firms , small business is big for the United States’s economy. But what exactly do these small businesses look like? The government—specifically the Small Business Administration —can help you answer that question. Here’s exactly how the SBA defines small business and why they set these definitions in the first place.

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The 25 Best Business Ideas for the Aspiring Mompreneur

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Many new mothers view raising children and growing a family as a full-time job. But more and more mothers are taking on the full-time job of raising children while running a business at the same time. And from those ambitious and inspiring mothers, we have the rise of mompreneurs in the small business space. If you’re an aspiring mompreneur, looking to make the most out of your past experiences, skills, and current schedule, what are some of the best businesses to start?

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3 Business Valuation All Entrepreneurs Should Know

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What is your business worth? Remember that article I wrote about your balance sheet a while back? That’s where you can find the very literal answer to the above question. The book value of your business, or total equity, is what your business is worth at a given moment in time. But it’s never the value used when valuing a business for purposes of a sale or investment.

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16 Entrepreneurs’ Productivity Quotes to Keep Your Business Moving

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Starting your own business is a daunting task. And keeping your established business moving forward can be just as challenging. To get over the many hurdles starting and running a business presents, entrepreneurs need to stay productive and push through. If you need a little motivation to keep grinding away, here are 16 entrepreneurs’ favorite quotes on productivity in the workplace.

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10 Personal Finance Tips No Small Business Owner Can Live Without

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When it comes to finances, small business owners have their work cut out for them: Not only do they need to manage their business’s finances, they have to manage their personal finances, too. And with personal and business priorities not always aligning, sometimes the task of managing both can feel like a juggling act. But as a small business owner, you can’t lose sight of your personal finances.

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The 5 Top QuickBooks Apps of 2017

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There are so many amazing apps that sync with QuickBooks —it’s difficult to choose just five. But after careful deliberation and reflection on my own experience with these apps, I think we’ve come to the right conclusions. Below you’ll find the five must-have apps that will make your life easier when you use them in conjunction with QuickBooks. 1. Billbeez.

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5 Email Scripts to Properly Ask for Late Payments

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Invoicing is one of those inevitable things every business encounters. It is the bill you send when the job is done, the document you use to charge for your work. In most countries, invoicing is regulated and required by law, so every company should keep such records for taxation purposes. But invoicing should not be taken lightly. The process is more than just preparing invoices in your preferred invoicing software.

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What Happens When a Business Has to File for Bankruptcy

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When it comes to the future of your business, filing for bankruptcy might seem like the absolute worst thing that could happen. And, yes, it will show up on your credit report, which might put you at risk of getting rejected by certain long-term lenders. However, filing for bankruptcy is not necessarily a death sentence—in fact, it could mean the difference between sinking or saving your business.

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Bookkeeping for Small Business: The Basics to Start You Out

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In the beginning, bookkeeping for small business was traditionally defined as simply entering your financial transactions. If this is still your definition of bookkeeping for small business, you may just be living in the dark ages. There are very few financial transactions to enter anymore. Where Is Bookkeeping for Small Business Now? When I go to dinner with a client or a prospect, I hand over my debit or credit card.

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Online Bookkeeping: The Absolute Best Option for Keeping Track of Your Finances

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I’m writing this from the plane—35,000 feet high, on a Delta flight from Detroit to Tampa—and my clients have no idea that I’m going to be gone for 11 days. Why not, you ask? The answer is this: online bookkeeping. This post isn’t about the different options for online accounting software ; I’m going to talk to you about why choosing to do online bookkeeping is the best option for any small business.

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5 Fun and Inexpensive Customer Appreciation Ideas

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Customer appreciation doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive. With a little creativity and thoughtfulness, you can show your customers just how much you appreciate their business. Recognition, a kind note, or thoughtful gifts can deepen business relationships tremendously. Customer Appreciation Ideas: Get Creative. German professor Armin Faulk proved the power of giving : In one of his experiments, donor solicitation letters that contained gifts garnered 17%-75% more in donations tha

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7 Ways to Improve Your Business Credit Score, Fast

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Business credit scores are vital to a business’s health and success. If you own a business and have any sort of open credit, then you certainly have a corresponding credit score. What’s a Business Credit Score? A business credit score is similar to a personal credit score. Credit reporting agencies use various methods to calculate creditworthiness—including your number of trade experiences, outstanding balances, payment history, and more—and that number ranges from zero to 100.

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New Business? Here Are the 6 Financial Apps You Need

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Starting a new business is never easy. From setting up your legal structure to landing new clients to actually running the business—your to-do list can get out of hand pretty quickly. However, certain technology solutions can help you streamline processes and stay organized from the get-go. Try these six apps to make your life easier when you’re starting your new business. 1.

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12 Ways to Support Small Businesses This Holiday Season

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The upcoming holidays are always a major boost for businesses—last year, holiday spending exceeded $1 trillion, up 8% from the year prior, and is always a healthy percentage of consumer spending for the whole year. As the holiday season begins to ramp up, have you thought about where you’ll be spending your money? While e-commerce is becoming more and more of a driving force for economic growth—due to convenience of shipping and e-commerce advertising efforts—it’s worthwhile to consider how you

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How to Keep an A+ Rating With the Better Business Bureau

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The Better Business Bureau (BBB) is one of the largest and most respected independent business review organizations in North America, and their A+ rating is a fantastic testament to a business’s success and longevity. It boosts consumer confidence that your business has ethical and fair practices, and when things go wrong, you can rely on them to fix them.

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Your Accounting Balance Sheet: The Small Business Owner’s Guide

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How much money did you make last year? That’s what a lot of business owners want to know right now—and for good reason. As a bookkeeper, my answer when you ask me how much money you made will often be, “You’re asking the wrong question.” Instead, the first question you ask should be: Is the accounting balance sheet accurate? Making Sense of Your Accounting Balance Sheet.

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How to Prepare a Stellar Cash Flow Statement

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Tracking your company’s cash balance can feel like an overwhelming task—but it doesn’t have to be. And doing so is essential to making sure your company is prepared for both good times and rough periods in the future. Here’s what you need to know about preparing and analyzing your cash flow statement to best inform day to day and long-term decisions about your business spending and general operations.

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41 Small Business Quotes to Get You Through the Toughest Days

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Any small business owner knows that entrepreneurship has its highs and lows. One week you’re in control of everything—customers are happy, sales are good, and cash flow is strong. The next week, things go south—your computers crash, your Yelp page gets a bad review, or you take an unexpected hit in sales volume. It’s a mixed bag. And when you hit those low points of entrepreneurship, sometimes you need a little encouragement to keep going.

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3 Time Tracking Apps Reviewed

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When you’re a small business owner looking for the best time tracking apps, you want to make sure you choose the right one out of the gate. As your employees will also be interacting with the time tracking app, the process of implementation will be a bit more extensive than some of the other apps or software your business uses. That being said, there are a lot of great options for time tracking apps.