vendredi 28 février 2014

Is there a large enough market for this online business?

So some background, I want to sell motorcycle stunt/crash cages. Im majoring in engineering. I came up with a design that will allow me to produce each one approximately 8 times faster (literally) than they are currently being made today by motorcycle shops AND at a lower production cost. I plan to sell these stunt cages primarily online and probably have other motorcycle shops sell them for me and pay them commission.



I want to accurately calculate how much i will be selling. How would I go about doing this? There seems to be plenty listings of them on ebay, none on craigslist, and a few on motorcycle forums. Is there an accurate way I would be able to determine how big this market is?? i am EXTREMELY excited to get started on this as i know i will blow my competition out of the water :D




Business tourism

Hello! My name is Sergey Ermilov.

I'm looking for partners for business tourism in Russia.

Ready to assist in organizing a meeting in my city of Saratov with local businessmen and the city administration.

Sorry for my english. :)




Windows Question

I use Linux not windows so this may be a very simple question.



My partner uses Windows with Thunderbird for email. I use Linux with Thunderbird. When I hover over a link in the body of the email, the actual email address is shown in a box on my screen i.e. xyz@spam.ru.



My partner is on Win 7 and Win 8 depending on which computer he is using. When he hovers over the link nothing is displayed. He can right click and copy and past but that's a lot of work just to see that actual email.



Is there a way in win 7 or 8 to display the link as he is hovering over it?




What's going on behind Facebook advertising?

Came across this vid with decent insight into what kind of likes you are likely to obtain through FB advertising. Yes we have obtained a number of likes from questionable profiles when conducting Facebook advertising.







May be the real "truth" about FACEBOOK Advertisements + Likes

A friend of mine had posted a very surprising (to me) but logical explanation of how the Facebook advertisements and "like's" work. If you're a business that advertises on Facebook to collect likes, you may want to watch this video:







Quiznos files for bankruptcy following worst ad campaing ever!

This is clear example of how an ad campaign can ruin your brand. The first time I saw these commercials I wondered what the hell Quiznos was thinking, and who green lighted a campaign using rats to sell food? Surely Quiznos had other financial problems, but these ads came out when they were trying to make a run for it and I have to beleive it helped to decimate sales.




Quote:




Denver-based Quiznos is headed for its second major financial restructuring in two years as the sub-sandwich chain struggles with debt and an epidemic of store closures.








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7. Advising on routine corporate secretarial matters;



8. Arrange of Notarisation and Legalisation of documents.



If you have any enquiries on my services, please do not hesitate to contact me.



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jeudi 27 février 2014

Developing an Angle for a Brokerage Firm

I'm looking for a way to create an angle that says "This is why it's better to hire my company (or any brokerage for that matter), instead of hiring individuals." --to boost my reputation and gain attention, respect, and interest in doing business with me.



Business is being handed left, right, and centre to both brokerages and individuals. But I need to write up a little summary on what my company does as reading this bio is a fundamental step in the hiring decision process after contacting a prospect. It should be short as possible and stand out from the competition in a mixed catalog of say 50 other candidates showing up in their email, made up of mostly individuals but also brokerages.

So what I'm looking for by posting this is to brainstorm some various benefits of going through a brokerage. This may be child's play to some of you, but to people new to starting a brokerage or learning how, I think this can help others as well.



All I have so far is this:

-Minimizing the hiring-risk: outsourcing to people we already know can deliver, thus reducing the risk of hiring someone that doesn't deliver, potentially saving you money.



How would you angle yourself when the bottom line is essentially: We take your project and outsource it? If this is a sales question, I apologize for placing it in the wrong section.



Thanks in advance for contributing your ideas.




Developing an Angle for a Brokerage Firm

I'm looking for a way to create an angle that says "This is why it's better to hire my company (or any brokerage for that matter), instead of hiring individuals." --to boost my reputation and gain attention, respect, and interest in doing business with me.



Business is being handed left, right, and centre to both brokerages and individuals. But I need to write up a little summary on what my company does as reading this bio is a fundamental step in the hiring decision process after contacting a prospect. It should be short as possible and stand out from the competition in a mixed catalog of say 50 other candidates showing up in their email, made up of mostly individuals but also brokerages.

So what I'm looking for by posting this is to brainstorm some various benefits of going through a brokerage. This may be child's play to some of you, but to people new to starting a brokerage or learning how, I think this can help others as well.



All I have so far is this:

-Minimizing the hiring-risk: outsourcing to people we already know can deliver, thus reducing the risk of hiring someone that doesn't deliver, potentially saving you money.



How would you angle yourself when the bottom line is essentially: We take your project and outsource it. .. If this is a sales question, I apologize for placing it in the wrong section.



Thanks in advance for contributing your ideas!




Developing an Angle for a Brokerage Firm

moved to internet marketing




Report content scrapers and copyright infringers to Google per Matt Cutts



Quote:




Called the Google Scraper Report, it was announced by the head of Google’s web spam team Matt Cutts on Twitter.



The Google Scraper Report form doesn’t promise any immediate fix — or any fix at all. Rather, it simply asks people to share their original content URL, the URL of the content taken from them and the search results that triggered the outranking.



Source: Someone Outranking You With Your Own Content? Use The New Google Scraper Report



Content Scraper Report Form: http://ift.tt/1cXogu9




Feb 28 is deadline to mail out W2 and 1099

Feb 28 is deadline to mail out W2 and 1099. Do not forget to mail out your tax forms in time.



View W2 and 1099 deadline here

W2 1099 Form File Deadline for Year 2014



Thanks,



Casey




Where to buy products for resale

Hello..I am working on starting an online home decor business. I could use advise as to where is the best place to buy my products. What I have ran into so far is too high quantity limits, high shipping, and I just haven't seen good prices. Thanks!




Tickets sold vs. attendance

One friend of mine was asking me about Valentine Day Dance that I recently attended. I had no idea of how many tickets were sold vs real attendance. I had heard that close to 80 tickets were sold, but only 50 or so people came.



My friend had mentioned that it looks bad for organization. Think of how much food are wasted because of # of no shows. I don't see it as being a bad thing. People make "donation" if they don't go to the dance. If anything, it means more food for those that did come. More leftovers to bring home.



Obviously, it may hurt because raffle tickets and tickets for games at the events cannot be purchased if people don't come. Still, I would think that organization would be happy to sell so many tickets.



What do you think??



I'm interested in how you see this from a business point of view.




Is there an area for our self promotion?

We all came here I'm sure for information. Contacts and I'm sure the ability to maybe gain a client or two. Is there a spot on the forum to properly and Tout what we have to offer?! Think a lot of us if not all of us could benefit from this if an area isn't already here for this purpose.




Hello All - I am Rupa Here

Hi all,



I am Rupa, I have 5 years of rich experience in internet marketing industry associated with Toboc International – a web based b2b marketplace and pioneer b2b portal that brings together suppliers, buyers, Transporters, Brokers and related service providers from around the world. I am an expert in home décor segment, i pen my experiences and learning from this richly rewarding field. Currently residing in Bangalore, my expertise is highly sought by professionals in the home décor, wooden furniture and similar industries.




Hello Friends

Hi Friends, I am new in this forum..




mercredi 26 février 2014

starting ONE or TWO companies?

Hi everyone,



I really need some advice, as I am about to register a company, or two, depending on what advice I get. I am in the middle of setting up what appears as two very different businesses, but both share expenses for things like product photography, packaging and some of the materials that goes into the making of each. As for marketing, they are two very different products and so for this reason it seems reasonable to look at it as two separate companies. I'm thinking of all the options but can't seem to make my mind up as to which option is best. Two separate companies, or one 'parent' company with a 'child' company under its wings - more like a brand perhaps? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.




New One

Friends i hope all is well and going your stay better with Small Business Community so me saying hello and how are you?




Facebook shuts down email service. Was anyone actually using it?

Facebook started notifying people that they will be discontinuing their email service. It rolled out back in 2010 and was supposed to make SMS, Email, Instant Messaging seamless. To date I've never sent anyone an email from my @facebook address and have never received an email from one.



So it begs the question, "If Facebook shuts down an email service that no one was using, will anyone even notice?"



Has anyone ever used their @facebook email account?



There's more here: Facebook retires its troubled @facebook.com email service | The Verge




Facebook shuts down email service. Was there anyone who was actually using it?

Facebook started notifying people that they will be discontinuing their email service. It rolled out back in 2010 and was supposed to make SMS, Email, Instant Messaging seamless. To date I've never sent anyone an email from my @facebook address and have never received an email from one.



So it begs the question, "If Facebook shuts down an email service that no one was using, will anyone even notice?"



Has anyone ever used their @facebook email account?



There's more here: Facebook retires its troubled @facebook.com email service | The Verge




Time for a review. All opinions are welcomed

I decided to get back into blogging. The official launch is March 2014, but I've been "practicing" for about 2 weeks now.



It's an Entertainment and Lifestyle blog that features Dance Music, Whiskey, Bourbon and other spirits, [it will also feature] Restaurants, Lounges, Clubs and other venues, with a smattering of Consumer level tech news and help articles. Pretty much the stuff that I know or have experience with.



It's a strange mix with a weird name, I know. But beleive it or not the categories are related and it does overall target a specific demographic.



It's whiskeyandbacon.co



Thanks in advance.




Grease Trap Installation Charges

Hello friends,



I am searching at opening a vegetable cafe in Gold Coast and expecting to find somebody here who recently got a Grease Trap set up in Gold Coast area



In process of discussing lease with property owner - all good except landlord is identified on not setting up grease trap, he is prepared to give 5 months rent free instead ( Lease is 3 + 3 + 3) and even put a toilet in



The property broker suggested a plumber and upon phone conversation he suggested that the city of GC does not allow above ground grease traps and therefore has to be 'burried'. This worries me as I know that searching it in is going to improve costs directly away. I am planning to council in the next couple of days to ensure his claim, however if any person here can give me an plan how much they invested on getting a trap in and set up ( inc attaching to kitchen) - it will be of good help. The trap i'm after to be made from plastic 1100 ltr and the backyard is a garden so i am hoping soft soil - no rocks



Thanks! in advance guys :D




mardi 25 février 2014

Thought I'd try out the standing desk

My wife does a lot of pallet art, so we have a lot of pallets laying around all the time. So to give this standing desk thing a spin, I opted to just stack the pallets on my desk.



4ysy5e7y.jpg



Yes, that is a Northgate OmniKey Ultra keyboard.


Attached Images






Dealing with Co-ops

Hi all,



We manufacture and distribute a product geared toward children. We are often approached by co-op groups wishing to buy in bulk, of course.



When we do not have a retailer in the area of a co-op, it is not a problem but when there is a retailer carrying our product in the same area as a co-op that has contacted us, the dilemma begins.



We have tried to address this by developing a plan to have co-ops order through the local store and thereby allow the store to make a profit on the sale (of course less than if they sold each unit separately) with a minimum order of 48 units. The problem is that once the term "co-op" is even mentioned to store owners, the claws come out. There is great disdain for co-ops from retailers and understandably so. Co-ops use businesses to find a great product and then they attempt to order direct from the manufacturer, thereby taking away those potential sales.



On one hand, co-ops are good advertising for our product. Word of mouth is huge for us and having an extra 50 people in one area promoting our product would seem like it could drive sales for the store when they might be the only location in an area that carries them. On the other hand, there are immediate losses for a store by the co-op buying direct from us.



I know if a daycare came into a retailer and said, we want to buy 48 cups, most retailers would gladly sell them for $5.50 each.... but if a co-op did the same, the retailer's blood would begin to boil (I know this from trying to arrange this a few times now).



If we sell to the co-op direct then we make more than we do at wholesale and if we don't involve the retailer, it would mean no tension.... but I hate to do it this way.



I appreciate any of your thoughts on the matter. How do you, have you or would you deal with co-ops as either a retailer or a distributor/manufacturer?




Hello from Greenville NH :D

Well, HELLO!



My name is Steve Dewitz, a 33 year old who lives and works in Greenville NH. I've just recently left the transportation industry after 14 years and decided to chase my dream of working from home. Since the beginning of January 2104, I've been working for my self as dewitzMEDIA (hosting for the other 99%). We offer a near full gamut of Web Design and Hosting services. 14 years in the transportation industry leaves you with a lot of down time to learn the tech. My nerd skills also go back to my first PC at age 6, a Tandy TRS80!



I live and work with my three dogs. Ki, a 11 year old male MinPin. Hugo, a 3 year old (in march!) male Pitbull/Mastiff mix and my lovely lady Missy a 4 year old Pitbull. Beyond the Web Design and Hosting work on our free time we like go Hiking. Do a bit of Ski jouring and kick around the house when the mood strikes.



Looking forward to learning a thing or 10 on the board as well as helping other solve issues they may have as well. Of course, it goes without saying the hopes of picking up a customer to two as well Look forward to meeting you all




lundi 24 février 2014

new E-commerce site - need review

Hi all.

I'm new here, but read a lot of the stuff and gain a lot of good input.

I've built this new e-commerce site foxlogo.net, which provide a service of animating Logos.

It's been built on Wordpress & Woocommerce.

I'd really love to hear what you think of it - Styling wise, Content, shopper experience, etc.

Thanks!!




Amazon affiliate program

Hey everyone,



I recently launched a blog and put up a post featuring a product so I inserted Amazon affiliate links so users can buy the product if interested. I've received an email from Amazon saying that if I don't give a referral (make a sale) in 90 days that my affiliate account will be rejected. Do any of you have experience with this? It seems like Amazon affiliate program is not ideal for new blogs or websites.




Hello everyone. I will be glad to new acquaintances

Hi all. Iam from Russia (my english bad, Iam sorry). I want to find new friends and minded on business. Write all.




VodaFX Enters Europe

The aim of VodaFx is to offer a way to generate a passive income for people who wish to have better returns and/or subsidise their lifestyle.



We are constantly looking for new opportunities to offer alternative ways for people to generate a passive income. Currently we support one product which uses algorithmic trading known as VodaFX, it trades on the Forex Market automatically. VodaFX was developed and designed by a group of private and professional investors many years ago in Singapore.



We currently have a few other possible products we will be looking at introducing throughout 2014, we have very high standards for our clients and offer only the best.



We are very interested in any ways that the users here at Small Business Forums have generated Passive Income so please post what has worked for you!



VodaFx is now distributed globally with several support centres around the world.



We look forward to your comments




dimanche 23 février 2014

Ownership Agreement

Hello,



I was wondering if an ownership agreement is null and void if no business/company has been formed and the idea is still in early stages of development. I recently had a team meeting where a company agreement was written and signed with the title of the agreement mentioning a "company name". Everything was talked about and agreed upon but, now, I just think that it is strange. However, the team does not yet have a company.




wholesale jewelry

We provide wholesale jewelry to qualified retail jewelers, jewelry wholesalers and more. Polygon is the jewelry industry's most active online community and trading network for jewelry & diamonds professionals.




questions about Video on demand.

Hi this is my first post and my first business attempt.

I want to start a VOD business in my country:

1. How to identify what kind of people are going to use this service.

2. How to find premium content providers for my website?

3. How to know what kind of employees do I need(designers, programers etc.)?




Helloooooo....

Hi I'm doing networking biz at Singapore and I need more contact to expand my biz . I'm a health and skin consultant . If anyone interested in biz I can expand by franchising with a very low investment . Looking for a keen and desperate person who can grow along with me......




Wanted to start a biz.....

Hi is anyone interested in starting a biz with low investment and with flex able time and also can be build during your spare time. If you are really keen pls pin me. Thanks.




How to start online shop business?

I am social network active, and I love shopping cloths, accessories, shoes and bags. I want to make my own online shop business, where I will get a supplier. And what I need to do first before starting my business.




samedi 22 février 2014

My customer want to high quality GRP manhole covers. Any good recommendation?

My customer want to buy high quality GRP manhole covers. Anybody can tell me what is GRP?I found a lot of factories for BMC manhole covers in China. Could you tell us their differences for BMC and GRP? My customer need to order about 850pcs 700mm round with load ability D400.




Apprentice-contract

My wife has been in pet care for about 5 years now, she bathes dogs, trims nails, things of this nature, and really enjoys it. She has worked for a couple different outfits now, the first one being a mom and pops shop that she enjoyed, then a corporate out fit where management was ignorant. Now she is concentrating on earning her GED so she can start grooming school. A woman at a local shop offered her a job the other day, told her she would teach her to groom but will not pay her for her time learning cause she would have to pay for grooming school anyhow, that I can somewhat understand. Then she told her that she would not train her competition so she would have to sign a contract that states she will not groom dogs within 25 miles of her shop if she trains her, ever! What my wife thought was an opportunity has probably already gone sour. Here is my question, if this lady teaches my wife to groom can she really make sure she can't ever groom around here again if they have a falling out? Then she tells her she will be paying her as a sub contractor so she has to worry about her own books and accounting. The lady sounds like she is a little nuts to me. By the way, we are in central Illinois.




Hello from Illinois

Hello, my name is stormy, I have a small construction business as well as a small farming operation. My wife is in pet care and we have a plan to get her self employed in the near future. I'm not sure how much help I can be to anyone here but I'll try. I probably have more questions than most




Email marketing list of one million contacts

I have an email marketing list of over one million email contacts ready for sale at a very affordable price if anyone is interested in buying.no need to point out how important email marketing is to a business.it increases sales dramatically.send me a email at mikemilla237@gmail.com for further details.



thanks




Greetings from NY!

Happy to have found these boards. I've been looking for a place to discuss business related issues, put idea out there and so on. I find it very helpful to put my ideas in writing and get feedback on them. Plus if my experience can help someone else, all the better!



About me: I am a broadcast engineer, I build maintain and move TV stations along the East Coast. I love my job, but for many years before I got it I was self employed and loved that even more. I've been looking for a way to be independent again for a long while now. One of the smaller contracts that the company I work for has had is installing digital menu boards for big franchise chains, mostly fast food, but some others as well. From working on these, and seeing the amount of money being spent on them I realized that there must be something very beneficial to businesses to invest so much money. Combining that with the idea that most stand alone restaurants and bars, and even small chains do not have the in-house capacity to install or manage such systems but could greatly benefit from them, and with the fact that the technology is rapidly getting cheaper and cheaper (much faster then most people realize) my wife and I founded ForeSail Media about a year ago. I handle the technical stuff, she does sales. She is really awesome at it too!



We've had a series of set backs and mis-steps as is usual for a start up but we're gaining traction now and I"m getting pretty excited about it. We've spent a lot of time canvassing our customer base, just talking to them about the idea and getting to know their needs and desires and what they would accept as a price point, not to mention scoping out the competition, such as it is. I pretty much found out which way everyone else was trying to go in similar businesses and went the other way entirely. So far so good. We are hopefully moving into the phase where I can start planning the transition from full time job to full time business, although that will be a long process.



I still have some technical hurdles to overcome, and we're ironing out the marketing plan, but the feedback from customers has been entirely positive, they all love the idea. That's not the same as buying it of course, but we're working on that now and it's going well so far.



I'm looking forward to having a sounding board for ideas, and hopefully contributing as well. One thing we learned from earlier business ventures is that in a small one or two person business it is easy to get trapped in your own little echo chamber and convince yourself of your own brilliance. Outside, objective advice can be invaluable to prevent otherwise obvious and costly mistakes!




getting past the gatekeepers...

We own a small service business designing and managing digital signage to the hospitality industry. We market to upscale sports bars, restaurants, and small local chains. We have been very successful in selling to the owners of such places, when we can get to them. The problem is getting to them. They are typically very busy people, and it's hit or miss if they are on premises at any given time, and they typically have some very aggressive gatekeepers defending them. Managers usually. We market entirely person to person. Sometimes we'll call first to get a name or possibly make an appointment, more often we just walk in and ask to speak to the owner. On a number of occasions we've been lucky, the owner was right there and we made the elevator pitch, got the appointment then or later, and made the sale.



The problem is at other times we're going back four, five six times to try to get past the gatekeepers. We really need to cut this down, it's too slow and expensive. Part of the problem is we are in all honesty a rather stodgy old married couple who really don't hang out at bars, and never really have so we don't know the culture and aren't likely to make any contacts socially. Any thoughts on how to bypass the gatekeepers and get to the decisions makers faster? Or how to market it differently? We don't need a huge volume of sales as it's an ongoing service model, but a steady flow to create growth. It's tough because these people are already very heavily marketed, and although what we offer is totally unique it's gets lost in the shuffle.




WYSIWYG program for digital signage?

I realize this forum is about web site design, but digital signage uses the same graphic formats as web design, so I was hoping y'all could help.



My wife and I have a digital signage/digital menu board business we are trying to get off the ground. I'm a broadcast engineer so I came to this through the hardware side of things, my wife is an excellent sales manager, but we're short on the design end. We wasted a year or more trying to work with a 'partner' who was a graphic designer but thought he was the CEO and did little if any actual graphic designing... :mad:. Anyway, after dumping the dead weight we're starting over again. We've tried hiring contract designers to build demo campaigns for us with mixed results. It cost a good bit, and we didn't really get what we had hoped for. I realize that this is largely my own fault for not spelling out what I wanted in explicit detail, so once again lesson learned.



I've come to the conclusion that, at least to get the business up and running I'm going to have to put on the design hat and learn how to create flash animations and other graphics that make up digital signage. I'm working on coming up to speed on programs like AE, but that's a long term project, not something that will help in the near future. What does seem to be working is a WYSIWYG program I've found that's geared in part towards digital signage called Flypaper. I've put together a few demos that I think look pretty good, and more importantly our prospects really like. The problem is that it's expensive to license, around $1000.



So, my question is this: is that a lot for a graphics program? Are there other similar alternatives out there I should look at? We have a CMS that allows us to play multiple file types, timelines and so on, but my experience so far with Flypaper is causing me to lean towards just creating single .swf animations for the whole campaign, at least for campaigns not requiring day-parting.



Any suggestions from experienced designers out there would be appreciated. And no, I don't think I can become a full fledged graphic designer overnight, but as the saying goes, 'if it's going be, it's got to be me'.




google question

How come when I do a search for Plumbing Waukesha I rank different than Waukesha Plumbing???





same with Plumber Waukesha vs Waukesha Plumber



I would think they would give you the exact same search results




should we do a retail site or 8th fl of a building?

My wife and I are just a couple months away from opening if things work out. We have just a few details to confirm before we start deciding on a location. We're opening an aesthetic practice doing botox, lasers and other skin rejuvenation stuff. We're teaming up with a Dr who won't be on site but will be there at least one a week while we run our business. He currently has some space available in his own practice he offered to share with us. It's an amazing location but on the 8th floor of a building. We're debating whether we want to go quite a few miles away with less competition in a retail location. Retail though is high startup. His office is in the Denver tech center, which is basically the equivalent of a downtown. Extremely less start up cost but no sign where people can drive by and see us, will strictly rely on marketing and no visible signage. We like retail cause you can drive by and see the sign and get in easily. Decisions decisions.




Re-Introducing Myself

Because I have a new name :-)



Last week, I decided to blow up my brand (it really wasn't working for me...what was I thinking? sooo many lessons in that!!) and regroup under a new name and at a new site...



So now I'm not a witch anymore...



Just a publicist.



Just thought I'd let everyone who is not on social media waiting for my next weather update know :-)



And if you happen to be free around 3:30 EST do drop in on my free webinar on Introduction to Publicity ;-)



Happy Saturday!!




vendredi 21 février 2014

What do I need to do for personal taxes? (New LLC)

What do I need to do for personal taxes? (New LLC)



This past year in March two friends and I created a new LLC and I’m curious how that will affect my, and their, personal taxes.



Details: We created our LLC in March 2013 running on the calendar year. I know this means we must file for our business by April 15th which I’m having trouble with, but that’s not the concern of this post. Instead, I would like to gain some insight into how we file our personal taxes.



One thing to note is we are not operational yet as the company is website based and we’re still in the development stage. Because of that, we only have expenses with no income generated.



I usually use Turbotax for my taxes as I don’t need anything too complex

Ex. http://ift.tt/1jm8Np1



However, I don’t know if I, or they, can still use something like that now that we own a business. Instead, I’m thinking we’ll need to use something a little more:

Ex. http://ift.tt/1jm8OJw



I know the easy answer is to use a CPA for our business and personal taxes, streamlining them both together. However, for us younglings, a CPA is too expensive.



Questions:

1) Which version of Turbotax should we use to file for our personal taxes?

2) What are the specific nuances we should take into consideration when filing?

3) What potential pitfalls or mistakes could I make that will catch up with me (us) later on.

4) Any finer points you’d like to give me would be greatly appreciated! I’m in a little over my head!




Changing ownership of Amazon Seller account after incorporation?

Hello all,



I have a question about Amazon seller accounts and small businesses. First time small business owner, so any help would be appreciated.



I'm currently working on a project and it's almost ready to go. I'd really like to start it as a sole proprietorship and, you know... start actually making money. I'd like to put my products on Amazon using a seller's account. This would be relatively easy for me right now; as far as I can tell, sole proprietorships are a lot easier to start and maintain than a corporation, and I'm kind of low on money at the moment.



But what happens if I want to incorporate further down the road? To change from a sole proprietorship to something like an LLC? Would it be possible to change the "owner" of the Amazon seller account to my new company? After all, it would still be the same everything--same products, etc--but the business itself would have changed.



If it's not possible, I think perhaps I'll have to just bite the bullet and incorporate from the start. I'm just worried that would end up costing me a lot more right now, especially as I'm going to be moving to a different state in a few months.



Anybody know about this? As I said above, any help would be appreciated.




jeudi 20 février 2014

Where does Tax goes in a Double Entry Bookkeeping sheet??

Hi,

I'm totally new to running business and doing my own bookkeeping so bare with me. I've looked at a few tutorials on double entry bookkeeping.

Most of them are kind enough to simplify it to the point that even I can understand it. But they simplify it so much that it misses some things. Like Tax. I am struggling to figure out where tax goes in a double entry style bookkeeping sheet.

So please suggest me with your ideas.

Thanks in Advance.




Business Opportunity

Hello everyone,



I'm here to let everyone know about a new website that's for entrepreneurs and affiliate marketers. It's called neurs.com and it's a networking site that connects providers with entrepreneurs. It also rewards you for inviting other people to join the site.



If you would like to know more, just click on my signature.




Business 101 type courses

Hello!

I was just promoted at my company that is still in the start up phase but backed by an established company. I am now in a business decision making role but have never taken a business courses so I need to find an Intro to Business or Business 101 class that is either online or in Orange County, CA. Can anyone recommend one that is not through a college and lasts an entire semester? I'm thinking no longer than 8-weeks. If anyone can recommend one that would be very helpful!

Thank you!

-Rae




New to the forum and to the business

Hello all,

I started a new Nutrition and Wellness business.I am a Health Educator. I have my registration, name, business cards, checks. All is good and exciting. What should be my next step, how do I get myself known?

I hope somebody can help me.

Thanks:)




I need help.

How to Avoid Being Banned on a Forum?




I need help.

How to Avoid Being Banned on a Forum?




Hello

Hi guys I am a new member here. I want to share my knowledge and learn from here.




starting information security consultancy

Hi folks,

I am a final year PG student doing my Mtech course in Cyber Forensics and Information Security.I ,with a couple of my friends , would like to start a security consultancy business when we get passed out.But we are so curious about the feasibility since we don't have any experience.So it will be helpful if you guys would care to give us any tips and advices regarding starting an information security consultancy,Or any other business ideas related to this field.



Regards

vivek

vivekchandran001@gmail.com




mercredi 19 février 2014

Brainstorm some names for me

Hey everyone, I'm designing my website right now, just started working with my first client, and I'm having trouble coming up with a name. Or at least, one that isn't taken. Every name I've come up with so far, the domain name has been taken by what seems to be domain squatters rather than legit websites. Ugh.



Anyway, I'm a consultant, I work with small businesses on stuff like marketing, business plans, website optimization, and later on will do SEO. Here are some of the names I've come up with but can't use:



MicroMarketing

MiniMarketing

TheBizard

OneHourMarketing

MarketingMaestro





Any other bright ideas? Also anyone know where these domain squatters live so I can burn their homes down?




Which cover do you like best?

Hi everyone. Can you give me some feedback on which cover you like best? Much appreciation! If you click on the image a larger one will appear.



1551514_653102431412857_224819363_n.jpg 1796444_653102608079506_587040728_n.jpg 1655990_653102864746147_143614738_n.jpg





Thinking about building a wysiwyg app - has anyone used a diy app builder?

Hi all,



I am looking for a diy app builder, has anyone used one recently and had a good experience?




Schedule C or no?

I have owned a product photography business (sole proprietorship) for about 30 years. I moved about 10 years ago and ever since my profits have been going down. Last year I finally got a full time job, and didn't earn one cent from my business, didn't advertise, etc.



I am about to quit my job and start up again with my business so I do not want to indicate that I closed the business on my taxes. Yet I didn't really operate the business last year.



Here is my question: how do I complete my taxes when one of the first questions on turbo tax is do I have a business, or did I close down a business, in 2013. I can't really do a schedule C (which would indicate that I had a business in 2013) with no income or expenses for the business. Yet, I am about to start putting energy into it again so I am not ready to shut it down so I don't want to say as much on my taxes. Not sure what to do. Any suggestions :confused:




mardi 18 février 2014

Hi?

Hey all I'm Margaret!

How are you?




Filing Federal Taxes for an online ecommerce LLC business.

I own an online ecommerce LLC business. What type of federal tax should I be filing?




Task Managing

Hey I am looking for a good free task managing software that I can use for my small business?




How businesses miss Marketing and Sales opportunities everyday

One thing I've learned over the years in both writing my new blog and the previous one is that many companies aren't ready to take advantage of free press, sales or marketing opportunities.



It's typical for smaller, independent record companies to send me a track to listen to, but many times when I contact them and ask for more information about the artist, the new album or any imagery, they don't have it. And more times than not by the time they send it the opportunity has passed.



I'm now noticing the same with other kinds of products.



News and information are consumed quickly these days. If I'm trying to get a story out by Monday (or that same day) and you can't send press until Friday, most times I've moved on.



On the flip side, the ones that do it right have press packs ready and they get them out quickly, have a mailing list for new press releases, or they have a press area on their website where updated information can be downloaded on demand. And those are the labels or companies that always get first priority. Because they make it easy for me to give them free promotion. or do business with them.



Now I see why the same companies always seem to get all of the press.



The same goes for service based businesses. It doesn't happen often, but there are times when "window shoppers" ask for a PDF of prices and services to look over with their associates. It doesn't always lead to a sale right that moment, but if you have nothing ready it most certainly won't be one.



Why is it that so many businesses have the attitude of, "If people want to do business with me, they'll make the effort to contact me or find out more information on their own". Why is that the customers responsibility in order to spend money with you?



If you have a new product, how can you expect to get the word out if you offer absolutely no information about it? Even if you do tons of paid advertising, you can't just advertise "widget" anymore and have people jump. Widgets are a dime a dozen and attention spans are as short as the next item on their Facebook or Twitter news feed.



</rant>



Just wondering. If someone called you right this second and said "Hey, we're doing an article on [whatever your business is]" or "we're looking for service providers, do you have a PDF or press pack to send over?", do you send them to your website to search around, or do you have anything prepared to send out that tells about your business or services?




Are you prepared to take advantage of free Marketing opportunities? Most aren't.

One thing I've learned over the years in both writing my new blog and the previous one is that many companies aren't ready to take advantage of free press, sales or marketing opportunities.



You'd be surprised how many small independent music labels, and products don't have promotional information about their products readily available to send when requested.



It's typical for a record company to send me a track to listen to, but many times when I contact them and ask for more information about the artist, the new album or any imagery, they don't have it. And more times than not by the time they send it the opportunity has passed.



I'm now noticing the same with other kinds of products. Anytime I get wind of a new story that doesn't have much presence and I want to post about it, I ask the company for press. Many times it's for an upcoming event as close as days away. It's unbelievable how many have nothing prepared or don't get back to me for days.



News and information are consumed quickly these days. If I'm trying to get a story out by Monday (or that same day) and you can't send press until Friday, most times I've moved on.



On the flip side, the ones that do it right have press packs ready and they get them out quickly, have a mailing list for new press releases, or they have a press area on their website where updated information can be downloaded on demand. And those are the labels or companies that always get first priority. Because they make it easy for me to give them free promotion. or do business with them.



Now I see why the same companies always seem to get all of the press.



The same goes for service based businesses. It doesn't happen often, but there are times when "window shoppers" ask for a PDF of prices and services to look over with their associates. It doesn't always lead to a sale right that moment, but if you have nothing ready it most certainly won't be one.



Why is it that so many businesses have the attitude of, "If people want to do business with me, they'll make the effort to contact me or find out more information on their own". Why is that the customers responsibility in order to spend money with you?



If you have a new product, how can you expect to get the word out if you offer absolutely no information about it? Even if you do tons of paid advertising, you can't just advertise "widget" anymore and have people jump. Widgets are a dime a dozen and attention spans are as short as the next item on their Facebook or Twitter news feed.



</rant>



Just wondering. If someone called you right this second and said "Hey, we're doing an article on [whatever your business is]" or "we're looking for service providers, do you have a PDF or press pack to send over?", do you send them to your website to search around, or do you have anything prepared to send out that tells about your business or services?




Hello everyone !!!

Hello everyone !



My name is Miodrag Loncaric from Croatia and I'm working with several PTC, INVEST and other pages. I hope we will work together. Greetings from Croatia.




Helloooooooooooooooooooooooooo

hello people my name is john, I'm from Paraguay, happy to belong to this forum, I really like doing business and investments. I'll be at your service for any info you want to know the South American market and to establish trade relations with any country:cool:, greetings




Hi From India

Hello Everyone.



This is Paras Shah from India. I an general manager at Skyy CreaTech Services Pvt. Ltd. And IT company and Ad agency.



I would love to shae my knowledge an help other members of the forum and would also love to learn from them. :)




lundi 17 février 2014

Best SEO service for your website out there

Hi guys

I can offer you the best Xrumer SEO Service out there.I own a legit copy of Xrumer 12 as well as other SEO applications to boost your website or youtube views.I can provide keyword specific backlinks, high PR backlinks or instant traffic to your website or youtube video.I accept payments via Paypal.

Prices start at 50 Euro, you can contact me via Skype (phil.perrey) or Email(purpelty_yahoo_de).

Kind regards




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Payment Option

This is my first time starting a Business. I am selling construction materials as an agent. I do not buy inventory from manufacturers. I simply set my own price based on the price that the manufacturer gave me, and I earn the difference.



My question is, what kind of payment options do I have for my customers. Since I will be targeting customers from outside my local area, face to face payment(either cash or cheque) is probably not a good option.



Does anybody know how they usually take care of the payment for B2B construction materials? More specifically, when do they pay? Do they pay before or after the material arrives? Or they paid some deposit first, and then the rest when the material arrives?



I've done some research and came up with a view option.



- Setting up an account with my customers. (In another word, become their supplier and business partner)

- online payment/ Bank electronic transfers.

- Or let the manufacturer handle the payment, and then the manufacturer pays me a certain amount?



Please let me know When and How I should take care of this payment issue. Thanks in advance.




Hi from Canada

I am a 41yr old paraplegic the government doesn't recognize as handicap. I have built a successful computer sales and repair business, Cochrane Computers, and am one my way to hopefully another good business with The Mug Man. I am making full color, full wrap sublimated mugs for business promotions and fundraisers. As well, I am taking customers photos and putting them on a brilliant metal or wood.



Thanks,

Ron




Working as a contractor and hiring contractor telemarketers?

Hey everyone, this is a mix of a legal/tax question,



I've started a web development business, and am located in Pittsburg California. I haven't obtained any licenses or registered the business officially yet because there are a few fees included with this that would be a big hit right away. I'm literally starting this whole thing as barebones as possible, and in order to get more business I am looking to hire non-aggressive telemarketers. They would work at home, on their own schedule and with their own equipment, I only provide them with a script and we negotiate a commission. Firstly I want to clarify that that makes them 1099 contractors. Secondly, I have a website, when they call potential clients can they refer to us by the website name, or how does that work? To clarify, I don't have a fictitious name yet, so is it legal to say "hey this is joe from xyz.com" or even more simply "hey this is joe from xyz"? If that is not legal, what is the alternative if any? My goal is to boost the money I have through telemarketing so I can rush and get the necessary licenses, the fictitious name and the EIN asap but I don't want to be doing anything immoral or illegal here at all.




Hi from EU ;)

Hi ! My name is Michael and I am young businessman who is interested in Eastern-Europe business: Poland Ukraine, Russia. If you are interested in cooperate with me please let me know ;)




LLC-taxed-as-C-corp vs C-corp

What's the real difference? I have a LLC and now want to be taxed as C-Corp, not sure if I should stick to the LLC(while elect C-corp for tax purposes) or change it to C-Corp fully?




Does anyone else love Google+?

I may be late to the game, but I'm really loving Google+. Particularly for business. It's so much better than Facebook. What does everyone else think?




dimanche 16 février 2014

Question about using a facebook account login to sign up on another social site

is it safe to do so?



It gave me a warning that my contacts info would be something,,,,, and something else as well. Not sure if its a good idea to do this anymore or not.



Comments?




samedi 15 février 2014

Building a new site and I would like to add an option for users to leave a review

Hello all,



I am working an a new web site that involves info about schools and I would like to add a way to leave a review of teachers. At the same time the user can create a profile and take part in community talk on a forum. Does anyone know of an add on script or app that could resolve my criteria?



Thanks for any help or direction you can give!




filing tax with a state if have a licence

Hello

I have a PE License from CT, which I obtained a while ago but never did engineering in that state as of yet. Do I have to file taxes with CT? i have no other relation whatsoever with CT and had no income from there. All I have is my Professional ENgineer license but I never used it yet.




filing taxes with other states

I have an LLC in NJ that just has few news websites that makes money through online ads. I have google click ads too on my sites and google sent me a 1099 for my last year income from their ads.



In addition to Federal and NJ tax, does it mean I have to file a CA tax too?



If so does it mean lets say if my company sells book on internet, either thru its own website or amazon etc... and to whichever state it sells to, it files a tax with each of those states? lets say a guy from CT buys a book and another from NY and do i file taxes also with CT and NY because of those sales no matter how small?




Fastest Printing Company Around!

Hello Everyone,



Check out FastPrintingCo. for all your printing needs. Printing can be expensive, so don't over pay if you don't have to. FastPrintingCo. is a printing & design company that strives to be the best. Our company was started by two experienced printing professionals in 2011, that wanted to offer high quality printing at an affordable price. We print business cards, brochures, flyers, postcards, letterhead and so much more. We pride ourselves on having an extremely fast turnaround for our customers printed materials. FastPrintingCo. will save you time and money! Follow us on Twitter @fastprintingco for updated printing information. We also have a 15% off special right now using "save15" coupon code at check out. You won't use another printing company again!




used vehicle inspections

Hello. I have a very small, part-time business selling automotive oils, lubes, cleaners, etc. It is really more of a hobby than a serious business. For some time, I've been thinking about adding used vehicle inspections as a service. I have the technical knowledge and most tools/equipment that I'd need, so there would not be much expense. Does anyone have any experience in this or a related business? Any thought or advice would be greatly appreciated.




Getting things rolling

Hi all,



I am starting an online store @ quadscene.co.nz



I am not at all very familiar with running a business. But this is the perfect opportunity as there is no such store operating in my country.



Anyway, all is good I have my front end all up and running and am adding products on a daily basis. My questions are as follows.



1. I am unable to see how I can run at a profit, after import taxes, and the general taxes of running a business and then undercutting other companies or others from importing on their own, I cannot see how I can actually make money!



2. I have no real "money" to get things started which makes things way harder. I have very little to NO stock, what are my options in this situation, or is this just plain impossible.



The store is an online store which sells "quadcopters or multirotors" , which are basicly a helicopter with 4 propellers and I am targeting the commercial aerial photography industry. We will also supply to intermediate level hobbyists.



Since launching the site, (which some say should not have been done, due to lack of stock and incompleteness, I have had alot of interest and support from this who are very keen on the idea of such a store in my country!



Thanks for any advice!




vendredi 14 février 2014

Good day!

Hello! :)



This is Rob from Ph, an entrepreneur and internet marketing specialist. How's everyone? Looking forward to share and learn business related topics with awesome professionals here. Thanks for the approval Admins! It's a sunny weather here. Have a good day! :cool:




Supplier of Organic products

Hi ,



I'm mollie. We supply organic products all over the Europe . I'm new on this forum. Looking for knowledge sharing and support.



Thank You :)




Hello

Small home improvement business in Michigan just checking out the information on the site!




Mozilla's Firefox will be a new ad channel

I knew it. More info.

How will ad blocker play a role?




Famous 1981 Legos ad revisited

Stumbled upon this post about a famous 1981 Legos ad that made waves. I find it fascinating compared to today's toy ads.







Outsourcing

Hello,



I'm a web designer and let's say I want to use fiverr.com in order to outsource some work for my business in order to offer my client something I don't normally do. How do I account for these services that I obtain from this site? Do I treat each person as a contractor?



Thanks,




Outsourcing

Hello,



I'm a web designer and let's say I want to use fiverr.com in order to outsource some work for my business in order to offer my client something I don't normally do. How do I account for these services that I obtain from this site? Do I treat each person as a contractor?



Thanks,




jeudi 13 février 2014

Technical Consulting LLC - what licenses do I need?

Hi everyone - I have recently incorporated a new technical consulting LLC in Delaware. There are three members of the LLC - myself and two others. We have done all of the necessary paperwork and have an EIN and everything, but before we start doing business we need to figure out what business licenses we need (if any). I have scoured the web and seem to keep coming up empty, so here are the details:



Three members, all living in different states: PA, NY, and MN. We incorporated in Delaware and are using a registered agent.

We will work remotely with clients doing computer programming and other technical contracts involving software in infrastructure. All work is remote - we have no brick and mortar presence.



Now here are my questions:



1. I assume we need a business license - but since all of our work is remote, I am not sure what licenses are required. I would assume we would just need a foreign LLC registration. The confusing part is that the three of us live in different states, so should we just pick one person's house as an "HQ" and get a foreign LLC registration for that site?



2. Do we need to charge sales tax to our clients for our services as consultants?



Thanks in advance for any help - I feel like the situation of having an internet company with people in different states must be common, but I can't find a clear answer for what to do. If you need me to clarify anything please ask.




Hello from PA

Hi, I am a holistic health coach and essential oils enthusiast, just stating my business. Glad to be here!




FTP Program

I'm on Linux and use Filezilla which I like. However, unless I just don't know how to do it, I can't edit files directly server side. If anybody knows how to do this with Filezilla or has a recommendation of another program that will work with Linux I'd appreciate it.




Hobbies, Music, Movies...

Hmm figured I'd ask this just for curiosity sake



Hobbies of mine would be anything gaming related, geeky stuff



Music mostly metal minus Nu & Glam, ambience, industrial, etc etc..



Movies B rated horror flicks from the 80s!




mercredi 12 février 2014

My project for class

here is my business plan for my intro to business class, I still need to fix the financials because that is part of a template I'm working off of, I also need to fix some wording anyways input would be awesome :).http://ift.tt/1j8nF9H




I know what I want to do...Now what?

I really think I can start a business selling gym/workout apparel since that's what appeals to me and have always wanted to do something like this. There's so many things that need to be done, but what would you all suggest is the most critical things to do first when starting this venture?



Thanks




two LLC or one?

Hello

I have an LLC, I am the only owner. It just has few websites under it, and i like to publish books or magazinees later may be. I do everything myself from home. Few news websites on generally hi-tech subjects, which makes money by ads so far, may be i sell things later too. it started as my hobby then i turned it into a business. it doesnt make much money, and usually i was at a small loss, and rarely profit, though i always had income.



Totally irrelevant to that, I am also an engineer in construction industry. and I want to start doing construction consulting from home. i can do things such as schedules, estimates and engineering reviews. no physical work, no office, just do consulting from where i am. (I am a licensed PE too but didnt do construction or engineering consulting business on my own before, I always worked somewhere and still working).



Question 1) now when i start to do construction consulting on the side from home, can i combine the two separate things under the existing LLC? or i should establish a 2nd LLC? What are the disadvantages of having 2 LLCs if any? does it expose you to audits more for example? not that i afraid but still want to avoid the hassle - IF a 2nd LLC will do just that... or i shouldnt be concerned at all and just establish the 2nd LLC? because it will make everything easier and also from insurance point of view too? (because i have to have insurance when doing construction consulting) overall what are the advantages or disadvantages of having 2 LLC vs 1?



Question 2) i am still continuing to work somewhere as a full time, but with no benefits i.e. as a contractor status, does it affect anything when i do construction consulting on my own at home? as far as insurance or whatsoever?




Ryan from Florida

Hello All,



I'm Ryan and I own Appointment Aid. It's an Appointment Reminder service for small businesses that allows them to easily send out Phone call, Text message, and Email appointment reminders. Their clients can confirm or cancel their appointment during the automated reminder. It's an online service so there is no setup required on our customer's end unless they want to customize the reminder messages (which can be done within their members panel online). The service is relatively new but I have been in the online space for some time now.



I'm 24 years old and from Florida but I've been working online for well over 5 years now. Before Appointment Aid I did affiliate marketing for dating companies, diet supplement companies, fitness equipment companies and more. I have experience with SEO, Adwords, Facebook Ads, various self-serve ad platforms, and more. Last year I decided I was tired of being an affiliate for other people's products and wanted to own my own product that I felt really helped others, and thats how I ended up making Appointment Aid.



In my non-business time I like playing Madden 25 (Xbox 360 now, future PS4 owner when next year's madden comes out), all things technology, watching good movies, and watching/listening to motivational speakers like Gary Vaynerchuk, Zig Ziglar (RIP), and others.



I joined here to network with other small business owners. I look forward to joining in on some threads and helping out where I can.





- Ryan




Business Name Question - Confusing

This is a bit confusing but hopefully I can explain it properly........a number of years ago I created a corporation in Illinois. About six months ago I dissolved this corporation. Now I want to restart the same type of business but want to open it as a sole proprietorship (with the hopes of converting to a LLC in a number of years if the business takes off)). To open a sole proprietorship I only need to file with our county. My question is whether or not I can use the same name, or do I need to create a new one. I never had any clients (did open a bank account and applied for an EIN number though). Thanks in advance!




RR151 here..

Hello all Rick here...



My interest is in small restaurant business and their marketing strategies...



Anyways thanks and I look forward to learning a lot.



Rick




mardi 11 février 2014

Where to begin?

Background



Alright i work as a help-desk technician as well as the assistant to a system administrator at a small accounting firm. This is full time around tax season but during the off season hours as scarce. Im about to finish school and will have extra time on my hands. I do general IT work for people around the office as well as friends and family and get paid in cash or checks made out to me. Recently the amount of people wanting services has gone up, I have bought and installed a computer/printer for someone(after expenses i made like $40), I installed a surveillance system for someone else(after expenses i made like $60), I made a website for someone(after expenses i made $120)



Questions




  • Should I start my own business or just declare my income? What kind of license do i need?

  • If i send a client an invoice how do i handle the check or cash?

  • Should the checks be made payable to my business? Do i need a separate bank account for my business?

  • How should i track my mileage expenses? Do i just record the miles it took to get there and back?

  • What expenses do i record for tax purposes? If i bill the client for things i bought(such as a computer) do i still mark it as an expense?

  • What if the name of my business is taken by someone else? (did'nt find one but the name could easily be used or mean something else)






Services



Currently i have provided these services:


  • Website design

  • Adobe after effects editing

  • Home installations(computers, printers, cameras, televisions, router setup, etc..)

  • Teaching of computer skills (mostly for elderly)

  • Speeding up junky PC's

  • Backup of files

  • Troubleshooting hardware problems

  • Application support

  • video game training(yes i have been paid to teach people how to be better at video games)






Based on this list I would like some opinions on if I should try to take what I do to another level or keep my services as a cheap alternative to geek squad.




Should I be packaging?

So I've been selling quite a few items through etsy and local shops. I've been contacting major online retailers trying to get a wholesale order under way. I've been thinking about packaging my products, but I'm just not sure what would be the best option for my products. Each piece is handmade and one of a kind, but falls under a certain size I try to follow. Currently I just walk into a shop with my organizing case, and managers just pick through the selection with no packaging, and online sales are all bubblewrapped before shipment.

This is the main product I'm trying to market. I like the idea of a small clear plastic box with some cotton padding, almost like you would package a gemstone (my mother is a jeweler) But I don't feel it would be the most cost effective. Would a small plastic baggie with item details on a card be acceptable, or way too cheap? These retail for $11 and shooting for a $5.50 wholesale price. This is a patented and trademarked product, so I'd like to scale it up relatively large.

il_570xN.561184003_l52s.jpg

I would also love some feedback in any and all areas of operating a small business. Here is my etsy shop if you would like to check it out and give me some feedback

http://ift.tt/1kAzhWB

and my website

Earth Grown Accessories exotic wood creations for smoking and other purposes



Thanks everybody!


Attached Images






DIMY- Do It Myself Website...

Hello and Greetings,



Long story-short, I established an LLC about 7 months ago and have been operating my automotive detailing business without a website.

Originally, I opted to pay a friend of a friend, the sum of $450, for a template-website (including domain, email, hosting).

That has since fell through.



So, now I have to take on the challenge of creating my own website.



To that point, I have been researching and reading on various internet marketing websites to get some sort of idea on the task.

However, I don't understand the basic language the respondents and reviewer's use, so I can't even comprehend the feedback I get.



I'm horribly handicapped when it comes to the internet and its workings.



So far, my research is leading me to...

SquareSpace.com BUT it doesn't provide personal email service and from what I have read and the 'blog' page(s) do not seem to help with SEO.



I'm really lost right now... my searches keep yielding higher-level stuff targeted toward 'web developers' and I'm definitely not one of them.



I need a flexible platform that provides domain, email, hosting, templates, good mobile viewing, analytics, and options for email marketing etc...



Is there such a provider for my needs? (I think WordPress would fit the bill... but everything I have read is steering me away from it.)



Best regards,

-Dellinger




Hello!

Hi there!



My name's Elizabeth and I do some freelance work for a business consulting firm called Enerica (Enerica - Custom Web Solutions and Strategy). We provide small to medium businesses with a number of web services, including hosting, web design, web development, digital strategy, online marketing, and everything in between. Personally, I work in the e-comms environment and am interested in web design, development, content, and social media strategy. Looking forward to learning a lot in these forums.




Hello All

Hi All,

My name is Dilshad and I live in Virginia. By profession I am a IT engineer but recently became interested in having my own business. I really need some professionals who can answer some of the questions which I have. I have researched on cash checking businesses and I am in a dilemma. I mean some online resources say cash checking business is NOT a good idea some say it is. I believe the franchise businesses in cash checking really won't be good idea but I could be wrong.





What I wanted to know was why do some cash checking business owners sell their businesses if they run very well on profit? I have seen many cash checking businesses for sale despite of it being run very good in the market, but why what is the main reasons? Also, can business owners lie on their financial statements of "profit" just to sell that particular business? I mean is it possible?



So another question is, is it best to get a franchise business in Cash Checking or buy one from a independent owner? What are the risk factors to look out for and how to manage this type of business? Please help, any one's input will be very beneficial thanks.




Hi friends..

Hi friends. I am new member in this community i like to joint with us.




do follow bookmarking sites list 2014

how to find good dofollow bookmarking sites list with high pr 2014?




lundi 10 février 2014

Hello from San Francisco

Hey everyone, my name's John, and I'm a marketing and business strategy consultant in San Francisco, California. I have an MBA and a background in sales and marketing (online mainly) and am focusing my services right now on smaller businesses- under fifty people, and usually under ten. Will be offering SEO services as well in a few months, but not to begin with. My business is called MicroMarketing, and the website will be up in a week or so.



Aside from that, I enjoy practicing kung-fu, singing karaoke, playing dodgeball, and stalking my friends around the city with nerf guns. How's everyone doing?




Starting your own website and the website will be populair in 1 month

Hello,



I know a lot of Online Marketing.

I gonna tell you some secrets of Online marketing.

First you need to have a website..

Just think about a website where you will get a lot of visitors!

Then make a Facebook, Twitter and Instagram account for Social marketing.

Then buy likes from me:

1000 Facebook likes $4

5000 Facebook likes $15

10000 Facebook likes $25

100000 Facebook likes $190

Instagram:

1000 Instagram followers $5

5000 Instagram followers $20

20000 Instagram followers $40 (sale)

Twitter:

1000 Twitter followers $5

25000 Twitter followers $40 (sale)

Then you need to seo your website up.

You will get a high google ranking!

Then there will come buyers and visitors!

And you will earn a lot of $$$$





Interest buying likes or followers?

Mail me: cmxgamers@gmail.com




Can I build a business as someone who finds buyers for heavy-equipment sellers?

I've posted a couple of business ideas here before now, and I really appreciate all the responses you've given me. It's been a great help :)



I've got another one for you, if you'll let me pick your brain for a few minutes ;)



Do you think I can build a good business by earning finder's fees--finding buyers for sellers?



I would be focusing on used heavy equipment.



I LOVE machinery of all descriptions; it's always been a passion of mine--especially heavy off-road equipment. I love every aspect of it: design, operational safety & techniques, operational theory, field use (and stories), maintenance, fabrication, manufacturing, repair, sales, etc.



My background/experience with selling used heavy equipment is with agricultural equipment (tractors) and smaller machines.



But I learn quickly, I love talking with and helping people who buy, sell and operate heavy equipment, and I sincerely want to help sellers find buyers.



Here's my rough business & procedural plan:



--1. Register an appropriate business name locally



--2. Register my business name online as a domain, and set up an email with that name, to lend myself credibility and a professional approach (example: josh @joshcampbellequipment. com) Also, can set up a blog there, where I can blog about my interests in heavy equipment/equipment, sales, and related topics, AND (later) feature testimonials of satisfied clients to establish added credibility.



--3. Locate reliable, reputable buyers, and confirm exactly what they are looking to buy, price range, etc.



--4. Locate owners and dealers who are trying to sell a piece of used equipment on sites like Craigslist and specific online machinery classifieds



--5. Use a realistic, genuine approach to start conversations with sellers, so that I can eventually offer them a helpful service, even though it would technically be "unsolicited."



--6. Once a seller wants my services, we will exchange letters, mutually agreeing to simple terms (including commission to be paid) in writing.



--7. At that point, I provide the buyer's complete contact information to the seller, and I leave the picture. IMPORTANT NOTE: The seller and the buyer work a deal themselves, or not at all. I would not be acting as a dealer, an agent, or a representative in any capacity. All I'm doing is selling qualified contact information that I have worked to obtain and verify.



--8. If there is a transaction, the seller notifies me, and pays me the previously agreed-upon finder's fee.



Then, I repeat steps 5 through 8. And, in the meantime, I would always be increasing the number and quality of my buyer contacts.



So...



What do you think?



I believe there is a market inefficiency, with so many people who are too busy to locate qualified buyers, weed out the dead-ends and unqualified buyers, and bring buyers to sellers.



Even though there are many websites and publications out there where sellers can list heavy equipment, I see a lot of good, used machinery that just never gets sold.



In a nutshell...



Many sellers and buyers are too busy to put the work into finding each other, and websites and publications don't always do the job of moving equipment; I believe I can help!



Do I have a viable business model here?




dimanche 9 février 2014

thoughts on Angel investors?

I've thought about this a lot and while I do not really want to hire an investor it may be the only possible way I could get my business going. I have a buddy who works at regions and even he has issues with getting loans and has decent credit. I do not want to use my family for co-signing and I have quite a few red marks already from 2 different banks and Verizon. I know once I actually get started I should contact the SBA for advice, but I have a strong feeling teaming up with an investor would be the only solution. Input?




Hi all

Hi guys, I'm a programmer living in Toronto. I live with my wife and my 5 month old daughter. My hobies are videogames, playing guitar and bass and photography. I am making music as a hobby.




small tips for naming your business

Ok so I've seen quite a few people ask about naming a business. I guess I just have a creative niche in this area.



For those of you who think it has to be serious guess again. I have seen several small businesses with great ideas, but didn't catch my attention simply because the name was bland and run of the mill.



I'll give you guys an example; barber services....where I used to live at people would open up barber shops and shut down...why? Namesake they would name it Hairy or Jim's barber shop or some other bland name....now where I live you got places like "hair to dye for".



Another example would of course be the shop I want to open which is a hobby gaming shop and I went through about 100 or so names that would fit for the shop "Nerdrage hobbies & games" fit in my head. It's creative and gets to the point and isn't bland like the others. It's all about creativity and being straight to the point.



If you guys want to chime in and help feel free :)




samedi 8 février 2014

rowdy teens stealing/harrassing small business - more than one occassion. what to do?

hi everyone, i really need some help/advice.



i have a family member (i'll just call him John) who owns a mom/pop store. today, he said there was a group of male teens who came in and harassed him when he was alone in the store. we inspected the video footage and saw them being real rowdy -- a few of them seemed to steal items like candy bars (video quality is not too clear) and one teen even went into the cash register booth where John was. this guy put his arm around John's waist and pointed at the cash register machine while saying something (perhaps telling him to open the drawer?) but the sound quality is pretty bad. we think he may have been trying to move John out of the way to steal money but it didn't happen. thing is, John's not very fluent in English so he didn't phone the police. after touching the items in sight, laughing/yelling, and acting like total jerks, they finally left when they noticed a customer heading inside. we also noticed from the footage that there was a group of girls waiting outside for them.



it turns out that this group came a few other times when John's late-night shift employee was on the job. this employee never told us about it till we mentioned today's incident to him. this same group would do the same thing to him, as well. he didn't call the police either (even though he has no language issues like John).



we don't have the best CCTV system so the video is not even that high quality but we plan to take stills of the footage and blow the pictures up. we'll probably hang them on the doors and bring it to the police to file a report. however, i'm not sure what more the police can do. i know the police should've been notified each time at the moment of the incident but since we lost that window of opportunity, we'll have to go after getting the pictures printed at a pro photo shop because we have nothing else to show them.



what can we do to prevent this from happening next time? there's not much a person can do against a group of teens. we're afraid they'll return, and calling the cops at that moment isn't going to do much. they take forever to arrive.



we live in nyc so according to the law here, we cannot even arm ourselves. how can we defend ourselves and stop them from stealing? causing injury to another person even for self-defense reasons will not go well in this state/city. just call the police? if someone lays a hand on John again next time, what can he do? he's a much older, smaller guy than these teens...why are these kids so cruel? :(



please help. any words of advice would be greatly appreciated. thanks so much!




stumbled across the site and glad I did

Hello all, I just stumbled across this site earlier this morning and figured I'd share a bit about myself.



My name is well, Ryan I am 30 years of age and I am currently attending Virginia College in Mobile, AL. for business administration. I am currently on my 2nd term which I was on the president's and perfect attendance list on my first term and currently looking like it will happen again.



My goal is to have the skills and mindset of a business person to use for a career while still maintaining my current values and beliefs. I would ultimately want to run my own hobby gaming shop and help my g/f operate her school that she will most likely take over in Hattiesburg, MS. when her old boss retires (via paperwork and business decisions).



We are currently working on a business plan in class so I will post what I have for my shop soon enough.



I think what really got me wanting to do this is a mixture of things. I've worked for Wally World, Ross dress for less, Pizza hut, Mcdonald's, Hardy's, and various other stores. While I enjoyed retail I was just never happy being the goto guy and not getting recognition or respect that I feel like I should have gotten, I know that's a bit selfish and egotistical but I did a lot for stores I worked for. My grandparents are another inspiration, they own and operate a fish ranch in Lacombe, LA. that I love to death they supply to a lot of various shops but because of the economy they've been hit pretty hard. As far as Economics go I used to be big into World of Warcraft and my favorite aspect of the game was none other than the auction house. For some reason that part of the game just stood out to me and I was really good at it. So for my decision on hobby gaming is simple, I've enjoyed it since I was a kid.



I was 17 when I dropped out of school after my parents split up, I got my GED in '09 and never thought of myself as college material. I finally decided it was time, maybe maturity kicked in and now I'm more motivated than I ever was.



Sorry about the long post, but if I even inspire one person I'm happy. :)




partnership split and funding question

Hi



I started a company together with two friends.We are now starting on our first project with our first client.

The thing is , I feel like I do all the work and I think about changing the partnership split we agreed on before any money comes in, here are some details.



It was my idea to start the company, I have all the knowledge and I do all the work. I come up with 95% of all the ideas for the company. I have to learn the other guys and tell them what to do. And it seems like I have to tell many times before they understand or do anything.we set up meetings and deadlines but they forget about it. maybe they lack some interest, but I let it go and then do it myself instead. I have a passion and do a lot research and work on my own. The other guys don`t, and when we have meetings they are more interested in texting their girlfriends. I feel like if I don`t act as a boss and have a vision what to do there is nothing there, and nothing happens. I sometimes give them stuff to do but end up doing it myself as it seems like they don`t take it seriously and they don`t prioritize it. One of the guys calls me every day but he just repeats what I`ve already said before.

Sometimes I think I made a wrong decision to start the company with my friends, I could do everything on my own.The thing is I need someone to bounce off ideas and If it wasn`t for my friends I don`t think I would start it all on my own at this point, but maybe later. One of my friends have very good taste and are good support on my ideas, but he don`t like to work much on his own, and he tells me that. He says he don`t have the same drive as me but he wants to be a part of the company.



When we started the company we decided to split 33/33/33, but It`s been up a couple months and I feel I deserve more of the share at least 50%, and I want to clear things out. What is a common share for 3 people in this situation? Would It be a better idea to start it as my own company and do a deal with my friends on different projects? And when we make money they can invoice my company? But I feel if I do that maybe they will completely loose interest and I have to do it all on my own.

Another thing: I think I will suggest that I become the boss. Do I have to own over 50% to be the boss or just the largest share?



I will have a meeting with them soon and I want to write it all down on paper.



Funding:



I have little experience with funding and I have some questions

My friends have no money so I will fund most of the company myself. Is it normal to follow the partner split percentage when it comes to funding?. Like if I own 50% I have to put in 50% of the funds etc? Is it true that the funds should be recouped before any money can be taken out of the company?



I know my post sounds a little harsh on my friends but it`s not personally as I love my friends, just business, but I`m a little frustrated right now :)



Thanks :)





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vendredi 7 février 2014

Product Pricing

Hello all! I apologize if this has been posted before, my search fu is weak.



I have a bag that I am importing from South korea. I know that it will sell because it will fill a very specific hole that exist. I just dont know how much it will sell for. I think by the time I have the bags in hand, Ill end up paying 175 (each). I need to see how much my target demographic will pay for them, so how do I do that? The people I would sell them to are fellow co-workers in my industry. If I try to sell them for 225 and they sell like hot cakes, then Im thinking they will sell for a more, so naturally, I would want to raise the price. However, what would I tell coworker Y that I sold coworker X a bag for a cheaper price? Conversely, if I start with a price that is to high and sell one or two, and then lower the price, what do I say to coworker A when he asks why I sold coworker B the same bag at a lower price? Any help would be great. Thanks.







-Kila





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