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Proven programs that grow great businesses for great people who care.

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IRS Tax Calendar: Protection for Small Business

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Get the IRS Tax Calendar for the safety and protection if you're a small business owner or self-employed.

Get the IRS Tax Calendar for the safety and protection if you’re a small business owner or self-employed.

Protect your small business with this year’s IRS Tax Calendar. This is also known as “The Tax Calendar for Small Businesses and Self-Employed” (Pub. 1518, Catalog Number 12350Z). It’s a scary world out there!

It’s back in print. Hurrah! We’ve missed having them. We used to give these out each year to our clients because they are really valuable. They have also been known to cause nail-biting and hair-pulling. Unfortunately, all the Spanish language wall calendar print versions are gone and will not be re-printed. Maybe next year they will print more since Hispanic businesses are one of the fastest growing startup groups. [Read more…]

6 Ways to Improve Everyone’s Online Coupon Experience

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Online Coupons: Making them work for everyone.

Online Coupons: Making them work for everyone.

Can you and the merchant have a better online coupon experience? Yes, if everyone does their part. You have as important a role to play as they do in making this a win-win situation.

This is the second post. The first post,  Forever Coupons, was written to make sure everyone knew that online coupons were really gift certificates.  They have a lifetime (or more than a lifetime) expiration date.

There are at least six things as a consumer you can you do to make the most of your online coupon experience and purchase. [Read more…]

7 Ways to Have a Strong 4th Quarter Finish

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Still time for 4th Quarter growth in your business. Photo by ItzaFineDay.

Still time for 4th Quarter growth in your business. Photo by ItzaFineDay.

You deserve to have a strong 4th quarter finish. It’s time to harvest what you have reaped all year.

If you still need to sew some seeds to accomplish goals, we recommend the following: [Read more…]

Customer Loyalty: Who Do Your Customers Really Belong To?

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Silly sign — don't look too closely. Does this apply to customers? Photo by quinn.anya from flickr.com

Silly sign — don’t look too closely. Does this apply to customers? Photo by quinn.anya from flickr.com

In business, we talk about the importance of customer loyalty. But we consider customers as assets, something tangible. We think of them in the same way as our equipment or property: something that can be counted, weighed and measured, and given a value.

As property, an owner understandably feels, that they belong to the company. [Read more…]

First Looks Forum Eye-opener for a First-time Entrepreneur!

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It was a great experience meeting and talking with SXSW Interactive Festival director Hugh Forrest.

It was a great experience meeting and talking with SXSW Interactive Festival director Hugh Forrest.

I’m taking a different approach towards starting up my own self-sustaining business. What long-time and successful business owners were able to offer me, a musician by trade, at the Business Success Center (BSC) and Texas Entrepreneurs Networks (TEN) First Looks Forum in October was an eye opener.

I compose, perform, teach and am currently a student at the University of Texas, and am also about to graduate soon. I have a tough time balancing the aforementioned and trying to get higher paying gigs. [Read more…]

Federal Contract Opportunities Shrink by 18K+ in October

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Small Business Administration Office of Advocacy supports small business.

Small Business Administration Office of Advocacy supports small business.

Are you a small business? Do you provide goods or services to the federal government or want to? Starting October 24, 2012, you will have over 18,000 new competitors for federal contract opportunities with the potential of even more competitors after November.

According to the Small Business Administration Office Of Advocacy, the Small Business Goaling Report, 2012  reported that in fiscal year 2011, 21.7 % of federal government small business eligible purchases went to small businesses.

Now, contractors will have to work even harder because their competitors are larger and stronger. That’s because effective October 1, 2012, Federal agencies and programs must use the United States Small Business Administration (SBA) small business size standards that are based on “NAICS 2012″. These are  modifications adopted by the Office of Management and Budget. They include 76 new industries and changes to 11 sectors. Oddly, the public can comment on this “adopted requirement” until October 19, 2012. This has big implications for federal purchasing, loans, etc. [Read more…]

Small Business Definitions Vary Historically & By Government Agency

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Small but mighty — just like a small business.

Small but mighty — just like a small business.

The small business definition by the government isn’t simple. It has changed over the years. It changes by agency or federal program. Sometimes a small business is defined as a “mouse”. Really!

Your small business definition is probably very different. If you are one, you may be surprised at who else is included.

Small business wasn’t small until Eisenhower said so

Until the creation of the Small Business Administration (SBA) in 1953 by President Eisenhower with the signing of the Small Business Act, there was no difference. A business was a business and some were smaller than others. The beginning of a small business definition starts here.

How the SBA Office of Advocacy defines small business is a matter of history

In the 1970’s, during another economic downturn, those who looked at the economy saw that there was a group of businesses doing better than others and creating jobs. The federal SBA Office of Advocacy was born at that time to identify, track, report, and make recommendations to government agencies on how to keep this momentum going. [Read more…]

Working Successfully with a Virtual CFO

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Can a Virtual CFO give you all this? Maybe.

Can a Virtual CFO give you all this? Maybe.

Outsourcing your financial management to a Virtual Chief Financial Officer may make sense.

You may be tempted to be part of the virtual revolution: virtual office space, virtual secretary, virtual business? My partner, Jan Triplett, steps in as a Virtual Marketing Officer for our clients. She helps set up alliances, creates sales channels, runs trade shows, and recommends and implements sales strategy to find right prospects and keep the best platinum profile customers™.

Maybe you’re thinking about it because you…

  1. Hate doing books, dealing with collections, payroll, taxes, etc.
  2. Don’t understand financial management or are not good at numbers
  3. Are too busy to do the recordkeeping, stay up to date and stay in compliance [Read more…]

Texas Workforce Unemployment Claims Hearing Preparations

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About-the-Texas-Workforce-Commission-TWCTexas Workforce Hearing preparations can save your business and make you a better business.

Not only is a Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) Unemployment Claims Hearing not something to fear but it’s something to expect  — even if you do everything right. If you have employees, you will get audited. It’s just a matter of time. In some ways that’s good because it says that someone is watching. [Read more…]

Crowdfunding Trends Update

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Worth reading if you're considering investing in or using crowdfunding for your business.

Worth reading if you’re considering investing in or using crowdfunding for your business.

Crowdfunding, is also known as hyper funding, crowd financing, and equity crowdfunding.

Crowdfunding or crowd funding is defined in Wikipedia as “the collective cooperation, attention and trust by people who network and pool their money and other resources together, usually via the internet, to support efforts initiated by other people or organizations.” [Read more…]