Business

Email Marketing for Your Small Business As a small business owner you are always looking at ways to reach your target market without breaking the bank. One way to do that is by investing in email marketing software. By doing your research and choosing the best option for your requirements, you can become the thought leader in your field and build relationships with your clients. Email marketing is just that: marketing by way of an email. Your email can contain anything you want. You can write articles that will be beneficial to your audience. You can let your clients know of great specials or new products. You can introduce new employees. The possibilities are endless. One thing to keep in mind is the reason why you are doing this. You want to let your clients know that you are the best in your field. You want to be the thought leader that they turn to when they need your type of service. Make sure you are providing a service to your clients and not just rambling on. Keep your newsletters informative so you don’t bore your audience. You want them to look forward to hearing from you. As they continue to read your newsletters, you will be building a relationship with them. This is imperative for repeat business. If your clients don’t have a positive reaction to you and your business, they will go elsewhere. When choosing email marketing software, Aweber is just one example, look at all the features offered, not just the price. There are some services that are free, but they may not do what you want them to do. Make sure you know what you want and compare services to make sure you are getting the best one for your requirements. You don’t want to jeopardize your relationship with your clients by choosing a company that will not do what you want it to do. Your business is too important. This post is one in a series where we will talk about email marketing software services: their offerings, their pros and cons, and their best...

  Business  Growth for High School Students   Where do you get career advice if you are a high school student?  Building Bridges for Business, using their video series Coffee With… has created a program called See It, Believe It, Do It, that brings high school students and local business people, government officials and entrepreneurs together in a format where the students can ask questions and get support in their career decision making process.  Those who have participated have found benefit in talking to “real people” about their futures.  this is a unique high school business growth educational program.   The Coffee With…video series started two years ago but has only recently been taken to the school system.  The students, in addition to watching the film series, also get to meet those involved in the videos.  After watching, a question and answer period takes place where the students can talk about job shadowing, different stages of any career choice, or whatever is on their mind.   As high school students, there are a lot of decisions to be made.  In addition to talking to their parents about their dreams and desires, the See It, Believe It, Do It program gives students an opportunity to talk to local entrepreneurs about what lies ahead and can help young people realize that the business community is behind them.  Advice is out there if they know who to ask.  Building Bridges for Business is an outlet they can depend on for...

Employee retention – or how to keep your employees working for you – can be summarized in one word.   Communication.  There isn’t a fancy formula.  There aren’t any rules or policies.  It is very simple.  Talk to your employees.   Employees want to feel like they are part of the team.  They want to be kept informed of activities and projects.  They want to know that you appreciate them.  Whether your employees are in-house or virtual, keep them informed of what is going on.   There are a number of ways to stay in touch with your employees. Annual employee evaluations are a good one-on-one format to let your employees know what is expected and how they are doing. Monthly staff meetings keep everyone apprised of current and upcoming business dealings. Email works well for the day to day communication. Everyone appreciates a personal visit to congratulate for a job well done. A summer picnic or holiday party is great for getting the entire work force together for networking. Company newsletters can welcome new employees and provide information on promotions.   Talk to your employees as often as you can.  Let them know they are appreciated and doing a great job.  If they feel like part of the team, they will stick around...

When starting a new small business, one of the first decisions you must make is to decide what type of business entity your business will be.  This decision is not to be made lightly.  Do your research and talk to a lawyer before you make any decisions.  To get you started with your research, we will give you some of the basics. Starting your new small business as a Sole Proprietor is the easiest way to get things rolling.  The owner and business are treated as one entity, therefore, your profits are taxed at the owner’s individual federal tax rate.  There is no need to file additional tax statements for your business.  However, with this type of entity, you are not protected from liability – the owner’s personal assets are not protected because the company and the individual are treated as one entity.  You may need to file for a DBA (doing business as) or Fictitious Business Name from you county, city or state government offices.  And it is always a good idea to have your personal and business bank accounts separate for accounting purposes. There are a few different types of Partnerships.  In a General Partnership, consisting of two or more parties, capital put into the company is usually equal.  As is the liability, profits and loss.  As with the Sole Proprietor, the General Partnership is treated as one entity.  This can be overcome to some extent by using the Limited Partnership structure where one partner acts as the controlling partner.  A Certificate of Limited Partnership is usually required by the Secretary of State. A Limited Liability Company is a similar to a Sole Proprietor in that it can be owned by one person and can be taxed on an individual basis, if you choose, as a Sole Proprietor.  But the Limited Liability Company is not as easy to start as a Sole Proprietor.  Check with your county, city or state government to see what type of paperwork you need to file on a yearly basis and why types of fees are required.  This type of entity does have the advantage of limited liability for business debts and obligations.  LLC must become part of the business name and must be visible at all times. A Corporation is a legal business entity that is completely separate from its owners where the owners are not personally responsible for the debts of the corporation.  Unlike the other entities above, the Corporation can sell stocks and bonds to help generate capital for the business.  Taxes are paid on both corporate profits and shareholder dividends.  Paperwork to form a corporation is the most extensive of all the entities. With any business decision, you must do your research to make sure your decision is best for you and your business.  Talking to a lawyer and letting him go over your paperwork is always a good idea.  Starting a small business is a lot of work, but if done properly, it can be very...