New Staffing Agencies look for employees first, clients first, or simultaneously?

Still brainstorming ideas, looking into each interest, researching before jumping in, etc.



Just a few questions:

1. Are staffing agencies profitable? Particularly temp to hire agencies. Profitable to me meaning at least $40k/year once your business is up and running. Of course higher income is welcomed.



2. When you start your business, do you find candidates first or clients that need employees first?? My biggest question.



3. Must you rent an office? I've read articles on agencies that started from their home like Aerotek which is a billion dollar company.



4. How do you take action without fear overpowering you holding you back?



I'm in HR and recruit candidates, screen resumes, interview, on-board, give orientations, etc. looking to try to find work in a staff agency to have a better idea one day.

Adjust Time Zone

Is it possible to change my time zone?



If admin is required and you're willing, I am GMT-6 (CST, USA)



If not possible, no problem

Introduction

I am new member on this forum website and want to increase knowledge in shopping field.

LLC/Inc – How did you set up yours?

Did you set up your own LLC or did you use a service or a lawyer?



I’m wrestling with the decision if I should do the LLC myself or use a lawyer. My LLC would probably be the easiest for the lawyer to set up. I’ve done my research, I spend last few weeks reading and learning about LLC. I feel like I would make his/her job very easy. I would be the only owner/member of the LLC. It would be for online start up website dealing with digital downloadable products (no physical product).



Because of this, I think I should do it myself.



How did you do it? Did you set it up yourself, use a service or had a lawyer do it for you?



If you had to do it over again, which option would you choose? And what would you recommend a first timer to keep in mind if he does this himself?

Hello and hope to be of help

Hello everyone,



I joined the forums to get some help with starting an LLC.



In return, I hope to provide value with some of my experiences I have in internet marketing, digital product creation, selling and website design.



Happy to be here and looking forward to help out.

Hello everyone!

Hello,



my name is Fred, I'm in business since a few years, mostly in the technology field. I've always been interested by technology and business management.



I recently launched a new website about startups and technology : technostartup.com



We're looking to build a community of passionate who are launching their business.



Looking forward to meet with great entrepreneurs who share the same passion!



Thanks,

Fred

Exploiting Your Expertise

I'm thinking about doing public speaking to promote the credibility of my expertise and business. I was wondering if anyone has tried this marketing idea and their results from it.



My research has taught me its the best way to market wisely is get in front of your target audience.Theres a few key groups around me such as BNI and local business networking groups where business owners and decision makers go to get useful information about different aspects of business. The best part is your not doing any kind of sales pitching and you're more apt to close on a deal that didn't start as a sales pitch. You're informing the audience of solutions and ways to better improve their situation, in my case their web site and search-ability. So you're not selling them anything, but they realize that you're an expert, and my research shows that on average you can gain business from about 10-15% of the audience in attendance and 20-25% of the audience may not use you but refer you to someone in which you have a better chance on converting with them.



So with all that being said, as business owners, would you invest the time in coming up with a presentation and going out and contacting these group leaders and offer to do a free, I guess you would call it seminar, to their group knowing that there is about 30-50 people in the audience, with that many people knowing you could potentially get 10-15% of those people as clients, and potentially 20-25% of those people to refer business to you?



What are your thought, experiences, and results if you have done this.

How much is a company worth?

Hello,



I am thinking about buying into an existing company. I was wondering if anyone would be able to help me find out how much the company is actually worth? This would give me a better understanding of how much I need to being to the table and what percentage of ownership I would have. Thanks!

Does a business name really matter?

I have a dispute with my boss in regards to this subject. The name of his company is Snow Squared, Inc. The explanation of it is he started this company with his wife, and their last name is Snow, hence Snow Squared (see attached logo). We do insurance benefits for small businesses, and I just don't feel that name represents the business well. Something like Venture Benefits or SafeGuard Benefits seems more professional. Just as a side note, the business is new, so changing the name would not be a problem. Maybe I am thinking too much into it.



The other train of thought is, does it matter? What did people say originally when the founder of Google suggested that title? Did people say the same thing I did? "That is silly and unprofessional... what does it even mean?" Yet it is one of the most successful companies today, and people don't think twice about the silliness of the name Google... It is memorable... Any thoughts on both my specific issue with Snow Squared (does that work for people?) as well as the topic in general: "Do business names really matter?"

Attached Images

• Snow Squared Logo 2.jpg (10.3 KB)

e-commerce platforms: shopify vs Big Cartel vs storenvy

Do any of you have any experience with the above e-commerce sites? I've read fairly decent reviews for storenvy, which by all accounts is easy to be up and running in no time. I'm curious how these e-commerce sites match up in terms of user friendliness, cost and design? I'm leaning towards storenvy because it seems to be the least expensive of the three. Etsy is out of the question because its site is specifically for handmade goods and i'm apprehensive about using ebay.



Any thoughts or opinions?

Looking to buy into a business-don't know where to start

Hello,



I am currently a manager for a small, family owned contracting business. My uncle is the owner and we have had discussions in regards to me buying into the business. Unfortunately, this is where the discussions end. I was wondering if anyone had a general road map or a link that could help move to process forward. I know this is a fairly general question, but any information would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[Reseach of demand] IT outsource in Ukraine

Hi All!



Let me introduce myself: I'm web-marketing specialist and I work for US customers for 5 Years. Main customers of company, where I'm working now are industry leaders in USA IT-technologies and manufacturers of precision techniks.



I work in Odessa (Ukraine), You may heard of this country in news for last 6 month. :)

As situation looks to be stabilizing, not without help of Your country (thanks for that:) ) I'm interested in researching of demand for Ukarainian outsource IT services.



Deal is, we have a strong potential of skilled IT specialist here with a cheap rate. For example out industry players are such companies like Luxoft, Intersog, Ciklum and other big companies (Full list here - jobs.dou.ua/ratings/. Sorry, there are no English version).



So there are only 2 question I would like to get answers for:



"Does anybody interested in having business with Ukrainian IT companies?"

"Would You like to be a single customer or part of new company, that we can create here in Ukraine?"



Rate range of Ukrainian IT-specialists for May 2014:



Developers (PHP, DotNet, JS etc.) $10-$25

Managers (Team, QA, Release) - $15-$25

QA - $10-$20

Marketing people (SEO, PPC, Analytics) - $10-$20

System Administrators - $10-$20



I will be appriciate to get answers, and maybe some discussions about this idea.



Thanks!

Best ForceFul Stylish WordPress Theme

Hi All!



ForceFul is a stylish magazine WordPress theme which has really great look and is perfect for websites.it bring you ultra responsive layout which fits best on every screen size and make your content visible on all devices.ForceFul can be set up quickly and easily, whether you’re an experienced developer or occasional blogger.



Visit: - www{dot}wordpress{dot}.org/themes/forceful-lite-for more information about my business...





Thanks!

Jobbing wordsmith for hire

In the interests of sanity, I am interested in any work where an experienced wordsmith is needed. If you would like to take a look at my CV please contact me. I can offer a lot of experience of producing editorial and promotional copy for a wide range of businesses.



For my own business, you can also add SEO, social media and blogging. If anyone has any projects that may interest me, please get in touch. I won't work for free but as my main interest is the work, rather than what I can earn from it,I can offer very good rates

Give Me WordPress theme and WordPress templates business tip!

Hello,Everyone!





My WordPress theme and WordPress templates business. If you are looking for a premium WordPress theme for your website you just found probably the best resource on the internet. When you are really passionate about doing something, it reflects in your work.



Visit: - www{dot}wordpress{dot}.org/themes/circle-lite-for more information about my business....





Thanks!

Advice on my idea

Hello,

I am new to the forums but I have wanted to create a business off what I love to do for a while now. I'll tell you a little about myself as it may be relevant to any advice given. I am a 16 year and I have always been interested in electronics and how they work; that eventually evolved into how programs work and how operating systems work. Over the years I have self taught over HTML5, CSS which I am still learning, C++, some C, and NASM which is a form of assembly although I'm not very good at C and NASM but I have taught myself C and assembly to create an operating system and boot loader so i could find out how they work all the way. Next year in high school i am actually taking a computer science class which I will learn Java and I am taking web design which they will go over HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. My passion is programming and I am so into it that last year in my classes (more so in biology when we talked about genetics) I started visualizing what it would look like in C++ code. My ideas were to either create a business where the buyers pay and they provide what they want their program to be and I would create it (a personalized program), create programs and sell them individually, or create games. I did have a name "Crypt" but sadly the URL which was crypt.com was already taken along with the .net and .org counterparts so I do not have a name. I haven't created a business plan yet as I wanted to have a name before I create the plan. I would much appreciate your advice, ideas, criticism, or whatever you have to say!

Thanks, Austin aka Feare

Greetings Everyone

This is my first real post to the boards.



I look forward to chatting and learning from others.



God Bless

Web Development help from College majors?

Hello



Hardly know where to begin here but here goes:

I'm looking to begin an online classifieds website and need advice on obtaining a web developer, once I have all my ideas down on paper:



Would trying to recruit a college person (in their senior year of college specializing in web development), to develop and maintain my future website? Looking to be cost conscious for my new start up. I've noticed many well designed blogs out there but they don't seem to be very adaptable for what I want to do. How would I contact them? How much would I pay for their time and work? Besides paying them perhaps they could use this opportunity as a related outside project for their college web development course (Internship?) ; use this on their future resumes etc.? I would want my startup website to look good as I know myself, if I went to a website and it looked cheap an not at all interactive, would I want to go back to this site...NO so to me first impressions are very important! I live in Westchester NY and would like input as to how I should go about contacting these college web developers...go there in person? Email representatives? Send a letter to the colleges? Could really use some advice here, thanks to all!

cafe55

This is me

Greetings everyone, this is me.

My name is Drake Williams and I have designed a product line of firearm lighting accessories, 2 are currently being manufactured and sold both on the web and in some retail shops, these are just the first of two in a series of six that I have designed and prototyped and tested. They are unique and require no tools to remove your light and there is no modification to the firearm.

Unfortunately my current partners have failed to keep up there end of the deal and have agreed to a buy out and after 2 years and $200k of my money I am tapped out so that leaves me looking for a hands on partner/investor to help me get the last 4 into production and to market for a percentage of the business. I can relocate for the right partner. Some advice please, where to start looking?

Thanks all,

Drake

Questions on structuring my businesses

Hello



I'm new to the forum and had some questions concerning business structuring.

I would like to create a foundational online management company to manage any future businesses I begin, such as an online classifieds company that I'm presently gearing up for. (also the future businesses would be related to the type of management company I would create.)



My questions would be:



1) Would there be any tax or legal problems with starting this online classifieds as a sole proprietorship, then later making this company an LLC ?



2) Could I create the online management company later, also starting as a sole proprietorship then later making it an LLC ?



3) Would there be any problems with beginning both entities at once as sole proprietorships, then later making both LLC's ?



Last Q: Any helpful advice on beginning these type of online companies?



Thank you for your time and help!

Questions concerning business structuring

Hello everyone!



I'm new to the forum and had some questions concerning business structuring.

I would like to create a foundational online management company to manage any future businesses I create, such as an online classifieds company that I'm presently gearing up for. (also the future businesses would be related to the type of management company I would create.)



My questions would be:



1) Would there be any tax or legal problems with starting this online classifieds as a sole proprietorship, then later making this company an LLC ?



2) Could I create the online management company later, also starting as a sole proprietorship then later making it an LLC ?



3) Would there be any problems with beginning both entities at once as sole proprietorships, then later making both LLC's ?



Last Q: Any helpful advice on beginning these type of online companies?



Thank you for your time and help!

Why is one FB ad costing more than another?

I ran two different FB ads that were the same in terms of stats. However the cost per click is significantly higher for one ad than the other. Why is this? Attached pic. The one with higher click amount (the one 'in review') started at a later time than the first.

Entering Partnership agreement, Need some help before continuing on. Sweat equity

Ok so here's a bit of a background,



I have done consulting for the guy before he agreed to pay on handshake bring me on and get a contract at the end of the month in place once his lawyer got everything in place.



At the end of the month I was told that it just didn't work out and was paid upon agreed for my services so I wasn't totally screwed; live and learn.



During the final meeting i had informed him that without me or my associates that he would not be approved for his contract.

A year later (a week ago today) i have been contacted and long behold he didn't get approved. He has asked to bring me on board but this time I want a contract in place.



So the tricky part is that, the whole business hinges on the contract and our partnership would seal the deal but he is supplying the whole capital.



So to make the numbers easy; I and four others on my team, currently make 100kaverage a year for the past 3 in our respective fields.



Essentially we are bringing in 400k sweat equity a year.



Which i know is a hard sell, so what i want to have a back heavy contingent contract that essentially gives me a small sallary for initial work (IE: 2k base +added hours for employees, which i will try and reduce by doing most of it myself), and based on being approved for the contract that we are guaranteed a percentage of the company plus salary and bonus.



A VerY important NOTE: If they get this contract, with costs amortized over 5 years, profits will be over 6 million a year.



So I was thinking something like 2k+hourly month then once approval 25%. 250k bonus. +Long Term contracts for everyone.

I feel that this would be fair as our sweat worth is easily 400k and the profits of the business is around 1million a year give or take 200k. So i think the offer is reasonable.



Some feedback would be appreciated :) Thanks

Service Based "Boxed" Software

I've spent a lot of time on here recently and I do appreciate the feedback. I try and contribute more than receiving. Hopefully I've helped someone else.



Here's where I am at. In the past, I didn't really had a whole lot going on which allowed me time to create tools to help me. Honestly, I really enjoyed doing that in the past. Lately, I'm having to find solutions on the market rather than create them. I started with MS Access, then switched to Zoho which was much faster. I'm ready to throw in the towel on both. They are time killers.



I haven't purchased boxed software for business since 2009, so I've been in the dark for about five years. I'm sure it has advanced greatly.



I need the following out of software:

• Order Management - Ability to update status of jobs and keep notes on specific orders. (Ex:Quote, Sold, Ordered, Installed, Issues, Closed)


• Ability to Create and Manage Customers, Vendors, Referrers.


• Ability to Prepare Quotes/Receipts - Simple and somewhat customizable. Need to be able to print and email.


• Expense, Gross Profit, Gross Margin, Outstanding Balance, & State Sales Tax Reporting.


• Appointment Notifications.

I'm using Windows 7 Home Premium, 64-bit, 6GB RAM, & 2.8 GHz processor.



Intuit is appealing, but how customizable are their products?



I'm open to suggestions!

Website vs. Retail Pricing Issue

Hello everyone,



We are a young company and still learning the various intricacies in our niche. We have run into an issue with a store we do business with and are looking for information/advice from experience. The background info is that we offer our own retail pricing on our website as well as wholesale pricing to various stores in our region. Our current issue is with an individual retail store that works on consignment so they aren't paying for products up front.



To make the numbers simple, we offer a product on our website at $1.00 to stay competitive with other companies in our niche. This same product is offered to said retail store at $0.55 (45%) wholesale. This retail store has decided to markup and showcase our product to their customers for $3.50. The sales have not been well for them so they contacted us regarding the issue. They did not offer any price negotiation option, just a demand to either (1) raise our website prices to match them at $3.50, (2) offer them wholesale for $0.40 (60%) or (3) terminate the relationship. We would like to know from anyones experience if their notification is justifiable or just a case of them trying to strong-arm us. Thanks.

Quickbooks questions?

We are starting to have a steady stream of contract work come in and are needing a system to help with payroll and organization. At the current moment, I am not taking any pay and using the money from the contract work to fund my product that I am producing. However, I recently employed my fiancee to work for my company to help with assembly, organization, admin work, basically everything and anything. We also are looking at potentially hiring another person to help assemble on a needed basis project to project. So honestly I would only really have one regular employee, my fiancee, who is only working about part time hours monthly and then a second on a as needed basis. Any suggestions on programs that work? My fiancee left a career in the banking industries and recommended Quickbooks Pro with Enchanced Payroll 2014. (Amazon.com: QuickBooks Pro with Enhanced Payroll 2014: Software)Just wanted some feedback and advice. All help is appreciated!



Thank you!

new website

Just finished my new website Waukesha Plumbing - Residential Service - (262) 224-8377



im very proud of it.....after spending $5,500 last year on a new website that turned out to be a disappointment i decided to start over and take the loss...i decided to hire the guy from small business forum who had the most complaints about my old website(Harold).....i think he did a great job.



this one is everything the old one wasnt



one thing new that im trying out is posting prices...ive never seen a contractor website with prices.....ive decided whats the difference...either i list them on line or the customer calls me and i tell them....either way if a competitor wants those prices they are going to get them....this way it saves me the trouble of dealing with price shoppers....every call for small service jobs should be a customer now



l

Desperately Seeking Advice

“The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.”

― Socrates



Well, I know nothing. I have a small amount of money and some in my various children's accounts but I want something that my 19 year old can work for/manage/go to school? I'm just not sure and you are the smartest people on the web about this so I'm asking PLEASE! I am also a disabled veteran and I know that may help in some way. Also, what is this trackback and tags stuff? Do I need it? What business stuff should I get? I'm totally out of my realm.

america cleaners

Dry cleaning is any cleaning process for clothing and textiles using a chemical solvent other than water,The solvent used is typically tetrachloroethylene which the industry calls "perc".

Responsibly Turning Away Business

I sell home products that every new home needs. I love it and all of the people I meet. The best part is that I am making money at it!



I've never needed to refuse a sale to anyone with my own business, but I have learned to trust my gut. I receive referrals from new home sales consultants, realtors, home builders, and past customers. I also receive business from my website. My logic is pretty simple with this business. Be honest, genuine, enthusiastic, and ensure that every customer is beyond merely satisfied. I'll go way above and beyond if myself or a supplier causes a delay or issue for any customer.



My sales grand totals range from $1,000 to $8,000, averaging about $2,000. I take a 50% deposit upfront, and seek the remaining balance upon installation. My gross profit margin varies from 35-50%. Usually I'm not on the hook for much money if I ever were to get stiffed the remaining balance. Obviously I'd like to limit the chances that might happen.



Most people I deal with have excellent credit and I'm a good judge of character. However, some home buyers have family sign on their home or have builder financing. My reputation is golden and 100% legitimate, but there are customers every now that make me nervous.



In fact, I have one now. I feel obligated to serve them as it was a referral. They tried really hard to place a credit card deposit, then had to make "arrangements" to get $600.00 on a check. The soon to be homeowner gave me attitude and flack about not accepting cards for the deposit, hinting towards something personal with them. Isn't that crazy? Granted, I didn't broadcast deposit details as most people buying a $250,000+ home usually don't ask for a credit card deposit. If they do, they are usually understanding of cash or check after hearing we don't take cards for deposit. I am pretty sure that they will pick my product apart to deny final payment, stiff me entirely, or give me "the checks in the mail". They just don't have disposable income it appears. I usually don't buy into fear, but I am on this one. I do have a signed quote with disclosure at the bottom about final payment upon installation.



Overview of My Process:

Lead > Quote > Deposit (50% Upfront) > Clear Funds > Order from Supplier > Arrival > Installation > Final Payment (Remaining 50%)



So here are my questions for the future:



1.) If I am given a referral, it's based on trust and relationship. If I refuse the referral I may lose future business from the referrer which is most important to me. What do I do if I'd prefer not to sell to one of the referrer's customers?



2.) Let's say that it's a lead I generated without a referrer. I could always quote really high and express a longer lead time than usual. That could earn me a negative review online or set me up for liability issues. How do I deflect a customer scenario as this?



I'm in the USA, specifically Texas. I'm very liability/lawsuit conscientious. I'm concerned that deflecting certain customers could come back as sexist, racist, homophobic, or something of that nature. Money is money to me and I do not allow personal judgements to reflect business decisions. When the red flags start going up I need to know the responsible way to pass on a perceived deadbeat customer.

Technology Business Ideas

Hello Everyone, I need your help today. I am 14 wanting to make a few bucks to start saving for college. I am extremely interested in technology. I am a talented filmmaker. I'm wanting to make some film about technology. How can I go about doing this. I hate being in front on the camera though. I just like to shoot other people/things. What's something I can do to make a few bucks? Thank you!

Possible Careers

Hello everybody, Hope you all are having a good day. I am a 14 year old trying to find out what I want to be when I'm older. I am very interested in Business and Technology. I either want to major in computer science and go work for Google or Apple, or go get my MBA and be a venture capitalist. I understand that you have to make a lot of money to be a venture capitalist, and you can't just go out of college and become one. I was thinking of dual majoring in Computer Science/Business Administration. I can go be a small business owner building computer software and hiring a few employees. I can save my money from that and eventually sell the business. Then I go be a venture capitalist. What do you think about my ideas? I will greatly appreciate any responses

Senior Concierge Service and Set Pricing??

I'm young and looking to quit my office job because it's not for me. Always been an entrepreneur at heart I would like to think. So now I figure I would try and find out.



I'm interested in setting a service running errands primarily for senior citizens. Services such as transpiration to medical doctor appts, events, grocery shopping, prescription pick up, pet sitting, house sitting, laundry, etc.



I've researched online that most companies on national average charge $18-25 an hour. Which I think sounds great. I looked on care.com which is a website that babysitters and personal assistants use and most say they charge $10-20/hr. That's a huge range so I'm not even sure what they're charging. Some even go as low as $8-10/hr... Some even charge $8/hr. Do I have to set my prices that low in order to start this business?? I was hoping at least $15-18.....

I try to find websites similar to my idea but they don't list pricing

Freelancing Whilst At University

So I am wanting to do some freelance work whilst at university and after looking into it I am unsure what steps I need to take.



Do I need to register as a sole trader? If I don't can I still invoice customers?



I am particularly confused about the money I will need to pay if I do set up as a sole trader because I expect to make at best around a £1000 (still, highly unlikely) so I gather I won't need to pay VAT or Corporation Tax but what about National Insurance? Would I still be expected to pay this as I would not be making that much.



As you can gather I am very confused so any help you can offer would be very much appreciated, thanks in advance.

Hopefully I've found home....

I've been looking for a business based forum that has the majority of members in the United States. It's actually more difficult than I anticipated. I'm not only looking to gain advice, but am interested helping others through my trials and errors of the last ten years.



I've been actively chasing my dreams for 5 years this July. I'm now 31. I jumped of and went "all-in" in 2009 with a complete failure. I left my job, invested my entire savings, and failed. I went from 6 figures to living with my dad for the last five years. I can only admit that now, because I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.



I have created quite the skill set over the last five years. After starting my sixth project, I can bring an idea into action and have it rolling usually within a couple of months. Sticking it out has proved to be the missing link I had for a few years there. I kept giving up on my vision when things didn't go right. One thing I created in 2011 (and really gave up on until orders starting coming in) is selling and bringing in enough income to keep me floating by itself. 4 of 6 ideas were focused around e-commerce or required an extensive database and updates. I've now ventured off into a tradition business, my new obsession is home-improvement related. Although I must admit, my technology skill-set is playing a role in the advancements of my current venture.



I've sacrificed much of the last five years to business. No nice cars, no dating, no fun, strictly everything I earn back into a business. My goal has been to outperform my six-figure income in 2008 while working for someone else. It's not a question of "if" now, rather how much over I will see.



Things are coming up that I've never had to deal with, so I'll seek guidance from those who have been there before me. I always help someone else before I seek answers to any of my own questions.



Hopefully I'm in the right forum now!

POS and Website Management

Is there a POS that will reflect the inventory of my store/online store when someone makes a purchase? Like live inventory. Just use the bar scanner, do up the invoice. Give the customer the item. And ta-da.... the web site store is automatically updated. No wasted time.



Your thoughts?



Cheers,

Tom

Steps for starting up a 100% online service based business

I am looking to start up a website (100% online) for proofreading essays and papers. I am the only employee. It will basically be like a college tudor, except its online. There seem to be lots of step to starting up a small business (see link below), but I am under the impression that many will not apply, since I am not selling a product and have no store (i.e I have a service-based business). I live in the state of Hawaii, if it makes a difference. Is there anything beyond buying a domain that I have to do? Do I have to register as a formal company, or can I just be a person on the Internet that offers a service. If I need to register, is there a guide or step by step outline of what I should do to register with the appropriate authorities? Thanks!



Choose & Register Your Business | SBA.gov

How are you getting Reviews for Your Business on Google, Yelp etc.?

There are too many hoops for happy customers to jump through in order to leave a review. What are your thoughts?

What CRM do you use?

I have tested bout SalesForce and Zoho. Is there any significant advantage other than price?

Advice on business name ??

Hello I am starting a business in the home cleaning sector. and was thinking of using the name( Compulsive cleaners).In the Uk obsessive compulsive disorder is a condition that makes people obsessive about cleaning their houses.Is this a cleverly thought out catchy name Or am i risking causing offence ANY thoughts would be helpfull Thanks

Equity vs Owner's Equity

Hi,



I don't know what is the difference between the Equity & the Owner's Equity on a balance Sheet. Somebody can explain it for me please.



Thank you.

Ebay reports hacking. Change your passwords.

I thought Ebay was one of the most secure sites online. I guess there is no such thing anymore.

Ebay is reporting that they were hacked and passwords compromised. Ebay is also Pay Pal.



I'd change all of your passwords immediately:

eBay hacked, requests all users change passwords - CNET

How to genrate Database development Business?

Hello,Everyone!





My company is a leading Data Analysis Services, Database development and Analytics, Resource and Capacity Planning, Marketing and Customer Planning and more! all over in UK.

Please give me suggestions?





Visit: - www{dot}analytiqs{dot}co{dot}uk for more information about my business....





Thanks!

What’s included in a regular clean?

Depending on how many hours you’ve requested and what’s required each week/fortnight/month, here’s what you can expect from us:



* Hard floors and carpets vacuumed throughout

* Hard floors mopped

* Bathroom/s cleaned (toilets, shower and bathtubs scrubbed, benches cleaned)

* Kitchen cleaned (stove-top, sinks and benches cleaned)

* Microwave and oven door cleaned

* Laundry sink cleaned

* Mirrors polished

* Dusting (skirting boards and furniture)

* Bins emptied

* And/or any other tasks you require us to focus on in your home

CSS Guru needed! Contact Form design

Is there any css guru's here that can help me with css?



I am trying to make a standard form with colors, then just put a triangle image on top of the form, so it looks like a house.

1099 Tax Question

Hi,



I'm a sole-proprietor (I do photography work), and on a recent job I brought my 13 y.o. son along to assist me and told him I'd pay him 25% of the income from the job The job paid $4,000 flat, pre-tax, so I gave him $1,000. Now, I'm not going to bill him for the taxes on that, and he doesn't file his own at this point, but for my own records I'm wondering how I can calculate how much of a tax hit I'M going to be eating (because I'm obviously going to be taxed on that $4,000, so if I gave him 25% of the the POST-TAX income for that job, it would of course be less than $1,000. I'm trying to figure out how much less.



My thought would be to prepare my taxes as usual at the end of the year (I use TurboTax), and then write down the amounts of the Federal and State taxes I owe. THEN, to calculate the amount I'm being taxed on JUST that $4,000, go back and subtract $4K from my 1099 income reporting, which would generate a lower Federal and State tax bill. Finally, subtract the lower bill form the higher bill and the difference would be the amount of tax I'm paying on JUST that $4,000.



Does that make sense? Or is there another way to calculate how much I'll have to pay on that $4K job?



Thanks for any advice at all.



CI

Would you have bought a step-by-step course to help you start your business?

Hi everyone,



I recently shut down a side business of mine in order to focus on other things going on in my life right now, but I was wondering how much use you would find in a course or guide on starting a freelance side business? I found it took a lot of time and trial and error to get it right and have a business that made money and I wanted to help others do the same. I have a general outline for the course already and wanted to see if anybody wished they had something like this when they first started out, or if there is anything I might be missing. This would be a paid course with followups and guidance to make sure that you do not get stuck.



Outline:

• Finding an idea


• Defining and refining the target audience for your idea


• Testing your idea against the audience for profitability


• Focusing your efforts on what will grow your business and how to recognize time-wasters


• Finding high-quality paying customers


• Setting up the technical (website, payment system, email, etc.)


• Setting up the systems to find customers


• Refining the business to ensure future profitability


• Setting up systems to ensure repeat business or referrals

Starting a Greeting Card Company - What Bussiness Structure is Best?

Good morning all!



After 30+ years combined experience in the greeting card industry selling to Papyrus and American Greetings, my partner and I have decided to "go for it" and unlock ourselves from the shackles of big business. Enough poetic imagery though.



We had a quick question that we wanted to throw out for anyone to answer.



What Bussiness structure is ideal for a small greeting card business run by two people with an estimated first-year income of around $100,000?



Our Bussiness Needs:

• We are not overly concerned with having "limited liability" at this point, as our overhead costs are relatively low and our initial credit will be minimal. However, it would be of interest to leave open the possibility of avoiding full-debt liability if possible, especially as we increase in size.


• From a tax perspective, we would like the taxes to be as straightforward as possible, but would be willing to suffer a slight learning curve that pain would result in a benefit to the business and it's attractiveness to future credit lenders.


• We only have two employees as of now, both of whom are co-founders, but we would like to leave open the option of easily hiring a paying employees.


• In our first year, we will certainly be making under $100K.


• We would like to take advantage of the maximum amount of tax exemptions and programs for small businesses.

Now before we are bludgeoned to death for asking such an "overly broad" question that we "should have been able to answer ourselves after doing a simple google search", I would like to note that we have done weeks of research into the forms of business. With this said, we would still like to get the opinion of those who had first hand experience in making this decision, in hopes that we can absorb some of their wisdom (or at least avoid sharing their failures).



We look forward to hearing back from everyone! Thanks!

Hello from Opineer

Hello,



Hello, my name is Sean Kim, a cofounder of Opineer, the online polling & discussion community for anyone interested in entrepreneurship to share insights, opinions and resources. Opineer's crowdsourcing platform gives both users and businesses instant answers and feedback as polls are answered in real time. It helps them to have better insights and make better business decisions.



I will look forward to meeting with entrepreneur minds here at SBF.



Best,



Sean

Trying Out A Business First

I am thinking of running an online business (a subscription service) as an individual initially to gauge its viability. If it works, I plan to then do it as a proper 'full-fledged' registered business entity. If I take this route, will I then be able to sell the business to myself and also give a loan to the business? Are there any pitfalls?



Hope to get some directions in this regard. Many thanks in advance

Help - trying to add inventory and user login to website

Hello,



Our small business is trying to update to having a more real-time inventory management system as well as allowing customers to login to create a username and login to our website.



We currently have an excel sheet with our stock but would like to be able to have our site show what we have in real time. Our current solution is to take the data from our current inventory pivot table into a separate excel sheet and e-mail that list to customers. This solution is time consuming given the number of products we carry so to do this would require spending a couple of hours every single day. Currently we send our stock e-mail once a month so a better solution is needed.



What would be the best way to go about adding a real-time inventory page as well as a user login page?

Hi, interpreter and business assistant in China.

Graduated with TEM8 certificate in 2007 and with 7 years working experience as sales person for oversea markets, I am happy and sure I can be a capable assistant in your business in China.I am familiar with European and American markets and cultures.



I can accompany you to go to factories in China,negociate prices, inspect goods quality , make shipments schedule, etc.



I am familiar with the big markets in Guangzhou, such as shoes market, bags market, electronic market. I am sure my accompany can make your trip more easily and conveniently.



I speak fluent English and have an outgoing character.



Now I work as a freelance ,you can contact me at any time you like.



If you need any help in China, just call me , thank you.

Help with business.

Hello,

There are two types of businesses that I am interested in. The main business that I am interested in

is dry cleaning. The second business is laundry mat. I prefer to take over an already established business

rather than opening a brand new one. I currently do not have any experience in this line of business; however, most established businesses that are up for sale are willing to train for one month. If I move forward with this decision, I would be getting a loan from the bank in order to purchase a business. In your opinions, do you think that I will be successful in either of these businesses with my limited training? As far as the laundry mat business is concerned, I heard that the laundry mat business can be profitable but if I don't know how to repair the machines myself will I still make decent income? If not, do you guys know of any profitable businesses that I can invest in and are recession proof? My goal is $5000 cash flow per month to help support my family. FYI: I live in California

Thanks

Why is my post not showing?

Hey everyone,



yesterday I tried to post something and it said that the post needed to be confirmed by an admin. How do I find out whether my post has already been checked or not? And will anybody tell me what was wrong about it, if not? I am still waiting, but have not received any feedback yet...



Best, John

OneWebz - The best web developers in the world.

Shameless plug.



If anyone out there is looking for a web developer to work with, consider me and my team at onewebz.com.



We'll work with you to create a visually stunning, first-rate site, that will help to grow your business. We don't just build your website and go away. Our services include an ongoing relationship of support. We not only believe in our business, we want to believe in yours.



We love web design, and we believe that love comes through in some of our work.



We believe your website is your online storefront. It's crucial that it is fresh, modern, sleek, and professional. Check out our site and send us an e-mail to potentially start a dialogue about working together on your site.



Our team will take your site from conception to live on the web with 36 hours. We don't skimp on quality and guarantee 100% satisfaction.





Thanks guys.



Tommy John

Onewebz CEO

onewebz.com

Do you like my Business Idea?

Hi there,



I'm a Commercial Operations & Supplier engagement Professional with over 15 years experience in Procurement, Commercial Proposal assessment, negotiation planning and execution of Supplier engagements in large Companies.



I'm truly passionate about negotiation strategy development, execution, cost reduction and supplier management.



I'd like to start my own business - my mission is to to provide a low cost, efficient and useful service assist any company, big or small, that may require assistance or advice in reviewing commercial proposals, supplier offers, contracts etc.



Do you think there is a requirement in the small to medium sized business community for a service to provide the benefit of a second pair of experienced eyes to review any supplier proposals or contracts?



I do this because I love it - and I'm going to start my own business. I'd like to know if members of this forum like this idea? Would you find such a service useful?



kind regards



Andrew

Assistance or advice in reviewing supplier proposals

Hi there,



I'm a Commercial operations & Supplier engagement Professional with over 15 years experience in Procurement, Commercial Proposal assessment, negotiation planning and execution of Supplier engagements in large Companies.



I'm truly passionate about negotiation strategy development, execution, cost reduction and supplier management.



I'd like to assist anywhere I can - happy to hear from any company, big or small, that may like assistance or advice in reviewing commercial proposals, supplier offers, contracts etc.



If ever you could use the benefit of a second pair of experienced eyes to review any supplier proposals or contracts, don't hesitate to contact me.



Before you ask - there are no charges of course, I do this because I love it.



kind regards



Andrew

What is a good way to get started with Ebay?

Hello all.I have heard countless success stories and positve reviews regarding small business owners that started their careers on Ebay.Im sure there is much more to it then opening a Pay Pall account and starting to sell miscellaneous items if one is planning to ultra successful in the business world.



I actually plan on using Ebay as a means to end or put another way a means to a greaters cause;my larger and more ambitious business ideas of running my own NRA Pistol course program and Live Scan Vendor(fingerprinting) service.



One gentlemen who does Ebay religiously told me that all he does to make a living is scour thrift stores in our local area looking for popular clothing brands,antiques and collectibles,he gets and keeps his small in home inventory at about 200 items and he just auctions things off.He has a custom lens for his camera phone which he uses to take high quality photos of his merchandise and basically thats how he makes his living(although he doesnt have a car).He ofcourse buys low and sells high.



I thought that perhaps this would be a good idea but as with any business you have to have start up capital.And thats my main issue.The only things I have that MIGHT be of some small value are 20+ year old basketball cards (Fleer and NBA Hoops) from the 1990-93 seasons.I have about a thousand of them and plan to sell at either 40-60 cents a piece,or $5-20 dollars a pack.All of the cards just about are in tip top shape(I'd get rid of the whole set for $500-800.00 but I doubt that will happen lol).



I plan on using what ever small profit I make to put towards my start up capital for the larger Ebay operations and just build one small asset after another.



I am not so sure however that these cards will sell quickly enough for me to get what I need when I need.What are some other great ideas from your experiences and analysis with getting started on Ebay?



Thank you all in advance for the input and support.

Greetings to All!

Hello fellow forumites,my name is Chris.I was born and raised in the Chicagoland area(21 years) but currently reside in central Illinois(7 years).I am a certified Illinois Live Scan vendor and NRA Pistol Instructor.I have PERC and Armed Security Clearance certification as well.



My main business goals as of current are to start a small business via Ebay and use this as an asset to gain collateral for investments in larger business venues such as my NRA Basic Pistol course and Live Scan Vendor services.



I plan step by step to build one block onto the next and eventually develop a small business empire for myself and my family through multiple business assets and venues.



I am completely new to this idea of being an entrepreneur so I will definitely be an active member in these forums in hope of getting advice from experienced professionals.



Take Care!

Do you need a business address to apply for a dealer licence FL

Hi all I've been flipping cars and am interested in doing it the legal way. Assuming I had the surety bond, took the class, had an llc, and was insured would I be able to apply for a dealer licence and work out of my home doing only internet sales? Florida DHSMV Dealer Licenses this states that it requires " Approval of business location by a Regional Office, Compliance Examiner/Office" but is there any loophole for internet sales?



Also, whats the deal with these out of state licences you can get online, is this in any way legal? would this be a viable option to get into auctions until I've built up some money to start renting a garage?



And finally, how much does the garage insurance usually run? My neighbor has a dealer and he says its 5g a month... he has a big lot and pretty big inventory though.



any help is appreciated.

What more would you do in this situation?

a yoga teacher course is starting in a couple weeks and you need to do swift promotion...



here is what i have done:

*Facebook advertising - $80/day, only facebook feed. 2 different ads, same photo and audience specs but one photo has text and the other doesn't.

*Google ads

*inserted banner image on my facebook page and business page that has information about course

*shared course in local related facebook and google+ groups. also shared neutral content such as self recorded music.



other ideas? much appreciated!

What should I consider when looking for an office?

Looking for my first office location. I know location is important, and flexibility in the lease. What else should I consider?



Business is picking up now and looking to add and grow my sales organization. As it stands, I do not have any full time employees yet, just a number of contractors.



I hear a lot of about co-working spaces... anyone have any experience with this?

Question About Subscription Site Payment

I intend to set up a subscription website for members from all countries. I had thought of accepting subscription payments in USD, possibly only through Paypal, as I do not want to involve any payment processing software on my site.



Is there a better way than using a single currency as payment? For a business which is not based in the US, what is the best practice? Any advice would be welcome.

Sister investing in restaurant – big data benefits

I was someone who believed in big data, but it has never quite hit me quite as hard as it did when my sister of all people (who I am not especially close with) decided that she wanted my market experience in relates to customer analytics for restaurants.



Before we had hard data, it would mean that we rely on the data that you can gather from monitoring a specific location. Nowadays you use social media responses and even get hard information like physical addresses, e-mail addresses, and names from a loyalty program.



She came up with three different locations and while one of them certainly looked cute (it really did, it had an awesome look to it) it just did not have the data necessary to actual warrant the investment. Could that place have become a great success? Sure, people may be willing to travel to get to a specific location.



However, that does not mean that it would have been. She is now current renovating the place (and sinking thousands of dollars into it) that I recommended and I hope that I will provide an update in six months to a year that will highlight the success that big data had for her. Anyone else have big data or customer analytics story to share?

Twitter Chats

Does anyone here host or take part in any good twitter chats?

Hi everyone!

Good evening everyone! Greetings and salutations! Hope to make some good connections here.



Edwin

Profit-sharing in a partnership, the proper way

Hey guys, little background on me....



Started a business back in 2008 and have grown and expanded to a point where I needed to bring on a partner on the investment and structure side. I have the industry pretty well dialed in and have done the ground work to get myself to the point where i am at currently, but in order to move forward I needed someone who had the capital and the structure to take care of that aspect while I can focus on growth. We agreed for a certain dollar amount that he would purchase 51% of the company and structure it under a totally different entity and we would split profits 51/49(theres alot of good and thoroughly thought out reason behind this). My question is, at what point do you start dispersing profits? I do collect a salary...and he is merely profit %....but his duty since he owns the company now is to reinvest profits to benefit the company as needed, so does this effect the total payout on both ends or just his percentage? What im also trying to ask is since technically I dont "own" the company anymore, and am paid salary plus 49% profits.... how do we know for certain what dollar amount should be dispersed? If he wants to reinvest some of the profits into new equipment or marketing or whatever he chooses.... does that amount that is being reinvested come off of my share of the profits as well? I guess I just need a better explanation of the proper way to go about profit sharing in my situation. Any input on this would help to clear up any grey areas I might still have. Thanks in advance!

Import taxes fees?

I'm currently experimenting on a order fulfillment business. I am living in Philippines and want to sell in United States. So I want to ship some of my products to a US fulfillment warehouse. And they will fulfill my orders for me.



But I don't know the import taxes that I need to pay. I asked a customs brokerage and they told me that I need to pay this:



A) Customs Brokerage Fee: USD125.00 per entry (out port clearance)

B) Single Entry Bond Fee: ?

C) Documentation Fee: USD40.00 per shipment

D) Import Duties: At Cost (based on U.S. Customs Tariff Schedule)

E) U.S. Import Tax - Merchandise Processing Fee: USD25.00 (estimated)

F) Courier Fee: USD25.00 per run

G) FDA Fee (if applicable): USD25.00

H) FDA Prior Notice Filing Fee (if applicable): USD50.00 per filing



Are those really required to import a product in United States? If you are the one who's importing a product, which of the letters above you should pay to successfully import a product? Because I'm planning to ask my friend whose currently living in United States to clear the taxes for me. So I want to know which are required and which are the fees to the customs brokerage.



And if you know a cheaper customs brokerage, please tell me!

Hello from Iowa

Matt from MH Grafix, new to the Small Business Forum. We (my wife and I) started our business in July of 2012. We currently do all types of printing (from Screen Printing apparel, banners, phone covers, can covers, etc) and vinyl wall/window decals. Looking forward to learning all I can from the knowledgeable and experienced business owners on this forum.

Hi there! Doug from Flagstaff!

Hello all,



My name is Douglas Whitehead, I'm 33, and my wife and I just started our first venture into owning a business. I am familiar with forums and looking forward to becoming an active member here. Neither of us have ever had a business, and we are enjoying our self so far. We are starting small, and chose to sell products that we personally use and believe in. Our focus is on products made here in the USA, and products that have similar beliefs. If the product doesn't work, I don't want it.



We are starting small and are completely ok with that. One day I would love to have a shop to sell out of, just happy now taking one step at a time. I work full time, and my wife is a professional homemaker and starting next year will be homeschooling our two wonderful boys, a preschooler and 3rd grader.



So far, our first company that we are reselling with is Elzetta. I have used their products for over a year, and they are bullet proof, literally, and our 100% made in the USA. We literally just started this resale business here in the last couple of weeks. We are looking to add more product to our sales list, but I am finding that is a slow process. The lack of store front is definitely a deal breaker with some companies. We are looking to start primarily with online, and at shows.



To let you know a little more about me, as my wife putts it, I don't have a filter. I am very blunt and to the point. I will come right out and say whats on my mind. I am very honest, and tend to get right to the point. I appreciate those qualities in other people and do not get offended when others are the same way. If you see something that I can do better, I am open to suggestions and comments. Dont worry, I WILL NOT take it the wrong way.



I fully admit I know very little about starting, running, or building a business. I know even less about building websites and online stores. I am using Godaddy, and I am 100% happy with their product, and especially their customer service. Those people seem to actually care, and In the 25+ calls to them, they have been helpful.



So check out my website and online store, in my signature, and let me know your honest opinion. Im looking forward to getting to know this forum and getting to know some of the members here. I know I will be taking a lot of info from you guys and putting it good use. Thanks!!



shop.patriotsupplyaz.com

patriotsupplyaz.com



I tried posting huperlinks but they didnt work. So you will just have to cut and paste.

Opportunities for Commission Agents

TradeBANQ.com is offering revenue sharing model with potential offline agents/agencies and offering to work in affiliation at your local market.

Contact directly at



zulqadar(at)tradebanq(dot)com

Skype: trade-banq

Finding a suitable production hall

Hey everyone,



so as I mentioned before my company is about to actually start producing. In order to do so we need a suitable production hall. But I have no clue how to start. Are there specific agents who rent production halls? Where would I start searchign and what are the prospective costs?



I'd really appreciate your advice!



Best, John

Axon - Microsoft Gold Partner

Hello Everyone,



My name is James Oakes, Business Development Manager for Axon; a Cloud Accelerate and Microsoft Gold Partner.



We specialise in all Microsoft products and supporting Small to Medium size businesses across the UK.



I am always happy to give advice to anyone who needs it. Please bear in mind it might be difficult to give a comprehensive solution over posts; in which case, I can always give you a call :)



As Business Development Manager i oversee 6 divisions of the company:



Support - end user & servers

Hardware & Software - we are Dell & HP Partners

Anti Virus - have our own managed systems for AV, desktops to servers

Connectivity - ADSL to Leased Lines

Cloud Technology - Microsoft Cloud, Private Cloud & Virtualisation

Telecoms - VoIP (voice over internet protocol)



Hope to hear from you soon!



Kind Regards

James Oakes

Hey everyone!

Hey you guys,



I'm John, glad to meet you guys :) I'm from Bath (UK) and my brother and are joint partners of a small business for custom made handbags. We will start producing in the next month and hope to find some like-minded people who have actually taken the step of producing before.



I have to excuse for my English, I am not a native speaker, but I'll do my best :p



Best,

John

online shopping salwar kameez ,printed sarees also in parisworld.in

Parisworld Women sarees is really an elegant outfit that improves your beauty. There are no other clothes on the planet which can improve anyone’s look in a way that saree can offer. PARISWORLD Wedding Saree has transformed time to time from old fashions to latest fashions. For getting extremely modern look among crowd nowadays women gives interest in designer Sarees.Understanding about most recent trend in saree can also be important for the greatest deal. Sarees made up Under Brnad of parisworld will end up simple for you knowing by what is within style to ensure that you incorrectly don’t pick something that’s from trend.

Is another LLC necessary?

Experts,



I own a small s-corp. My core business is service delivery. I have a product being developed that I'd like to have as a part of my business (think of it as just a separate project). My accountant told me I will need to file for a new LLC for this project. I have already funded a large part of the project via my s-corp. I really don't want the headache of having to manage this as it's own entity...



I hope this makes sense.

-R-

Hello from Macedonia

Hello there.



I am from Macedonia and I hope one day to start a US based corporation. It will be a bookkeeping business. I am looking for someone doing something similar to discuss this.

Hello friends! Another nub here! Question: Startup business hierarchy?

Want to say hello and hopefully starting out with a question is okay.



Searching through small business forums this one seemed fairly active.



I am starting up my own small business. I of course plan to expand over time.



I have all my plans and ideas set out but I am not familiar with what kind of hierarchy I should have in place to start. I am starting with two people (One who is my brother.) My business is dealing in education and entertainment. I have registered my business as me being the sole proprietor. This is my baby so I want a structure in place to delegate protocol and policy.



I hope this is enough information for the advice I need and I much appreciate it.



Thanks.

First Employee Considerations

So I believe the next step in my business it to hire an employee. Just one to man a little kiosk in a shopping mall. Unfortunately, I have no idea of what that all entails. I know I will have to find and hire someone, but how what about the rest? i.e. taxes, health insurance, overtime, do I need a contract detailing what they need to do, etc. etc. Does anyone know of a thread or a book that provides some knowledge on these types of things? Any help would be greatly appreciated.





-Kila

merchant account for my ecom business

To whom it may concern:



We are interested to open a merchant account for our eCommerce business with some 3rd party payment gateway.



Is anyone already using PBS payment gateway ? I would appreciate if anyone can tell me more about the cost and how good service they are offered.

Favorite pre-posting program?

I've been using Hootsuite for a long time now for pre-posting content on social media profiles and was always annoyed with how limited it is in formatting posts for Google+, LinkedIn, etc. I stopped using it a long time ago for FB because it would insert "Posted via Hootsuite" for each post so I started using FB's own pre-plan feature. Now I am working with a company where the previous social media manager hooked up their accounts to her own Hootsuite account and they are having a hard time getting in touch with her.



I am looking into other pre-posting programs and am wondering what everyone recommends? I am looking into Sendible atm and am considering on trying their free trial primarily focusing on formatting options they have for posts.

Advice needed - Refund Policy

Hi All,



I am on the verge of opening an website that provides information. The site will be a membership site, so to get access to all the information, they will need to pay an annual fee ($47)



The challenge I have is I would ideally like a No Refund Policy, as my concern would be that people would join, get in, get the information that they need , and then ask for a refund.





Does anyone have any experience on this front and if so, do you have any recommendations.

Does anyone have an example or know of a site that has a 'successful' No Refund Policy, or any suggestions on wording that may work.



Thanks

Ken Blanchard: 3 Enduring Truths about Leading Others

Celebrating his 75th birthday this month—and the 35th anniversary of the founding of his leadership development company later this year, Ken Blanchard hopes a couple of simple truths he has championed will prove enduring:



—All good performance begins with clear goals.



—Catch people doing things right.



—Help people get an A.

new domains are coming out (.business) - what do you think?

Hey guys!



I've heard about new top-level-domains coming out in these days and months. Some of them have been released already, like .club, .sexy, etc.

One thing that caught my attention was that there will also be .business domains available soon. What do you think about these? Would you consider getting one? Can't decide if this is a good idea or not

Newbie - legal question

Hello All,

This is my first time post. We recently installed some audio for an existing customer. They haven't paid their invoice and are open for business. It's been over a month and the owner has been unresponsive. Is it legal from us to remove the equipment we installed?

UPC code for packaging?

How many of you use a UPC code for product packaging? I've read that it's essential when selling to big retailers, but for those of us just starting out this doesn't seem like an economical solution. My google search yielded a little info, such as, you have to join the GS1 website and pay a $250 membership fee plus an annual $50 renewal. You also should get a unique UPC for each individual product. Again, this doesn't strike me as financially economical if you're strapped for cash.

Innovative IT Solutions

Innovative IT solutions helps freshers and experienced graduates and post graduates in getting placed in IT companies.

Business model that pays people who contribute to it - Questions!

Hi everyone! Newbie here!



I co-own and manage a business that is looking to expand to a new market. We are an LLC in California, dealing exclusively with online / digital content. One of our new business strategies would work (very simply described ) as follows:

• 3rd party, non-employees from all over the world would contribute to a website's content


• As a "reward" for their contributions - Every month, the top 10 contributors according to a "score" would be paid.


• Contributors would compete with each other to get in the top 10 spots, so that they too could get paid.

My questions:

1. Regarding taxes and expenses, what sort of documentation will I need to keep tabs on from the contributors?


2. Considering they are coming from all over the world, a standard W2 wouldn't work. Would I need to have W8-Ben's on everyone? Would it matter? Could I just count their "winnings" as flat expenses, or would they need to all be treated as "employees"?


3. What sort of red flags with this sort of business come to mind? (The technical side isn't the issue for us - it's the specific legality of having potentially 100+ people to have paid throughout the year as contributors from all over the world.)

We obviously want to make sure our "ducks are in a row" for something like this before we invest too heavily into the tech. We already manage a dozen or so contributors in a given year, but we've never done this sort of concept or volume before. Any information or questions anyone has I am all ears and happy to clarify!



Thank you!





-Don

Keywords not visible?

I am trying to view the keywords used for this site. longbeachschoolofyoga .com



I right click --> view page source



I do not see keywords listed in the code. Does this mean the site does not have keywords or could they possibly be hidden?

I-9 question- acceptable documents

Is an employee Id an acceptable document for I-9 purposes? We hired a lady who works for our local school district. She brought in her BC and employee ID to fill in her I-9.

Non-Competes for Computer Repair Independent Contractors in CA

I've owned a computer repair business for about 6 years now. I'm about to hire my first employees. I'm thinking of hiring 2 or 3 people as independent contractors. Compensation will be based upon the computer repair service they provide. My concern is that I'll bring someone on, train them how to repair computers, then have them leave and just advertise the service alone on Yelp, Craigslist, the community, and undercut me on pricing because they won't have the overhead to operate out of a store. I researched non-competes in CA and from what I've read they basically can't be enforced here. Is there anything I can have new employees sign that would protect me? Thanks.

Not taking pay

Have any of you foregone salaries when you started your business? If so, what were the tax ramifications? My assumption is that a lot of entrepreneurs go without pay so they can put whatever profits back into the company. Good or bad idea ?

How To Grow up My Boat Show Business?

Hello,Everyone!





My Boat show business.My company is an annual four-day event which attracts buyers and marine industry representatives from across Australia and around the globe.



Visit: - www{dot}sanctuarycoveboatshow{dot}com for more information about my business....





Thanks!

How To Generate My Trade?

Hello,Everyone!





Exponents is one of North America most highly respected custom-modular designers and manufacturers of Exhibits, Retail, Display and Point of Sale solutions.

Please give me suggestion.



Visit: - www{dot}exponents{dot}ca for more information about my business....





Thanks!

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Business Name

Hi all,



After a few years of working as an independent contractor, I have decided to start my own business. I plan on hosting celebrity gifting suites, coordinating events, and offering brokerage services all in the fashion industry. I will also be coordinating donations with an established non-profit in the industry (cannot say too much) but that is geared towards preserving the foundations of the runway/press events worldwide. I am very passionate about this non-profit and would be cool to have my business name reflect this. I may even be involved with writing a book to tell a story. This being said, I do not want my business name to only appeal to my clients, though should be brand friendly. Here is the other thing (which I have to talk to my attorney about) is I will be doing some business overseas in Europe during the Fashion Weeks. This means I need to be sensitive when choosing a name.



NOTE: Undecided if I want "PR" at the end or "Relations"



Here are a few names:

- Custos PR

- Vortice PR

- Eye PR

- Rose PR





Any recommendations / critiques / thoughts are welcomed!! Thank you.

How to delete post?

I just posted something twice, not sure how to delete one.

Who is using marketing automation software?

Small companies are packing a punch when it comes to marketing automation. According to a study by Software Advice, 50% of marketing automation software buyers are companies with fewer than 50 employees. That's a large chunk of the pie.

It's Friday, aka "Compiling Day"

Typical Friday at the office.



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New Here

Hello to everyone! Just new in this forum my name's Savannah. :)

Where to find best movers and packers online in usa?

There are many house moving company website available usa related where you can get movers and packing services but you have to take care of all the things before to get this services for you. You should ask first price and then compare with other and also you can ask from old customer who got already this services from them and for this you can check online website review and if you feel every thing is ok then you can choose them for your home business moving services.



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how to increase facebook like in free?

how to increase facebook like in free?

which is best facebook and twitter ?

which is best facebook and twitter ?

which social media site is best?

which social media site is best ?

difference between black and grey hat seo?

difference between black and grey hat seo?

what is robot.txt file in seo ?

what is robot.txt file in seo ? why it is used?

Give me outsourcing service business tips!

Hi Everyone,



I am running online offshore outsourcing service all over in india. freelance service, personal assistant,web development, customer service, marketing services and many more relevent category.Please give me suggestions?



Visit: - www{dot}21standcentury{dot}com for more information about my business....





Thanks!

Where to find best movers and packers online in usa?

There are many house moving company website available usa related where you can get movers and packing services but you have to take care of all the things before to get this services for you. You should ask first price and then compare with other and also you can ask from old customer who got already this services from them and for this you can check online website review and if you feel every thing is ok then you can choose them for your home business moving services.

Dumb Ways to Die

I was reading an article earlier and it pointed me to the site Dumb Ways to Die. Click the video for a humorous song with animation. I'm posting it in the Water Cooler because it's funny and it's Friday and we can all use a good laugh to close the week. However realize this site and video is actually trying to help people avoid accidents at train stations and I believe the video went viral when it was first released. Humor can be a great way to market yourself or just get your point across.



Even thought the video is below, have a look at the site. It's well done and worth a look. The video is right there too and I think it plays better in the context of the site. Enjoy.

Formatting for our Blog

Can I have a quick take on some pointers for our my website and for my blog? Would like help with color schemes, patterns, flow of how things are ordered on the site, ect. Our blog is here EasyBreathe.com Blog and our site is here easybreathe.com

Car Insurance Calculator.

I have heard of car insurance calculator. What does it do exactly?

Car Insurance

Is having a general insurance like car insurance beneficial? Can anyone suggest a good general insurance company.

Kickstarter

Have any of you ever used a crowd sourcing site like kickstarter to finance your business? I've always liked the idea of kickstarter but need to read up on their requirements. My understanding is that you can't use kickstarter to actually start a business. I don't know how true this is because I've come across many questionable kickstarter campaigns that looked like individuals trying to start companies. But, I think most of the successful campaigns were for genuinely creative product ideas that simply needed capital to get their idea manufactured.



Any thoughts?

Formatting for our Blog

Can I have a quick take on some pointers for our my website and for my blog? Would like help with color schemes, patterns, flow of how things are ordered on the site, ect. Our blog is here EasyBreathe.com Blog and our site is here easybreathe.com

How Do You Balance Risk and Reward in Business?

"Our problem in money-making or government affairs is how to remain properly venturesome and experimental without making fools of ourselves. --Bernard M. Baruch



This quote seems to represent the pursuit of business in general. Initiating a new endeavor is a risk that carries potential rewards. What process do you have to mitigate risk or evaluate the return on a prospective project?

Website Review please?

Currently I have a new website.

Its about health and wealth and is pretty new. It is in a free website format as not sure what to call it as yet.

But would like to know what you think of it.



Any thoughts will be appreciated



The website is wealthandhealthhelp.weebly.com

Hi all new here

Hi there, ihope to learn a lot and share and help others



I was once a Diesel mechanic working for many years, then after spinal and brain damaged I had to rebuild my life.

If you ever saw the movie Regarding Henry you would know what my brain function was like.



Now I have my own massage business which is now part time and 2 online businesses.



I have created free websites for the online ones and soon will buy URLs and really start to enjoy life once more.



Its great sharing information about working from home. And with my online presence having my business working



24/7/365 with some daily maintenance.



If anyone likes to talk let me know.

Tony says hi to all Friends

Hello Dear Friends,



My name is Tony, I am new member here, glad to join small-business-forum and want to interact more forum members with their views and thoughts.We are Leading supplier of engineering supplies cardiff, industrial supplies swansea,industrial supplies cardiff and we're finally starting to expand so any advice is valuable right now.

Bookeeping services in Georgia

I run a small scale business in Georgia.



<rest of spam removed>

Howdy Everyone! Peter Tiffany's first day on the forum

Hi, just joined the forum and I'm starting a new home based business myself. I and my family (wife Yvette and 3 teenage kids) just moved recently to Coeur D Alene, Idaho after spending 16 months in Australia. I've done about 20 years around the world working on giant multi-billion construction projects, and have enjoyed being able to take my family with me a lot of the time. Now it's time for me to try and do my own thing. My new business is all about helping small businesses get funding whenever they need it. I'm really looking forward to being active in the forum and learning along the way. Hope I can contribute some good help too! Cheers, Peter Tiffany

Free invoicing software

Does it exist and can any of you point me to a source? I'm looking for something that can produce invoices but also purchase orders. Thanks

Hello from Minneapolis

Hey everyone. I've been itching to start my own business for awhile and now that I know what it is I want to do I plan on doing a lot of research so I don't make mistakes along the way. I'm currently putting together a business plan, have researched registering my business with the SoS and filing my Article of Organization as well has researching the competition and lining up a manufacturer. I'm confident i'll learn a lot from this forum.

Starting a small business with no family support/encouragement

I'm 50. I've wanted to own my own business since I was 10. I've sold some sort of craft or something on and off all my life. Because of funding, I never was able to fulfill my dream.



I lost my (highly stressful) desk job in October and haven't been able to find work. I mentioned my idea for a small business at an in-law family gathering and to my surprise, my MIL suggested that I borrow the money from them. It put the idea in my head and I haven't been able to stop thinking about it.



My dad started his own business when he was 25 and basically retired when he was 40. He tries to talk me out of starting my own business stating I just need a job as a means to an end. My husband is not excited about the idea, mainly out of fear of losing money, my daughter isn't supportive either.



But this consumes me. It's not a want, it's basically a need. I need this control, this creativity, this entrepreneurial outlet. I spend my time looking for a mortgage job, or an admin job and then I find myself looking up retail fixture suppliers. I'm excited and thinking of business names one minute and discouraged and chastising myself for thinking about doing this the next. It's making me insane.



Has anyone else had to deal with this? If it's in your blood, can you be satisfied with desk job?

"Outside the Box" Ideas...

Hi everyone! I found this website that offers some web exposure if you send them a shirt.



Free Shirt Friday - ShoeMoney



I tried it a couple of month ago, it worked well for me, especially on Twitter. I wanted to ask if anyone has seen any kind of "creative online marketing" like this. Something beyond guest posting for exposure, more outside the box (I would consider the above "outside the box"). I realize online marketing is difficult, but that's why I'm asking for some tips. I appreciate your time in advance, and feel free to try the Free Shirt Friday out. Thanks ;)

Joke time :)

***** Wife



A man is getting into the shower just as his wife is finishing up her shower when the doorbell rings. The wife quickly wraps herself in a towel and runs downstairs. When she opens the door, there stands Bob, the next door neighbor. Before she says a word, Bob says, “I’ll give you $800 to drop that towel.” After thinking for a moment, the woman drops her towel and stands ***** in front of Bob.



After a few seconds, Bob hands her $800 dollars and leaves. The woman wraps back up in the towel and goes back upstairs. When she gets to the bathroom, her husband asks,…



“Who was that?” “It was Bob the next door neighbor,” she replies. “Great!” the husband says, “Did he say anything about the $800 he owes me?”

:cool:

World Top Class Graphic Design Company

In create online marketing business, You have to need to search best graphic design company. Because on online client first see product image then they will see product quality.

So search on Google - Color Expert. You will find world best graphic design company. and this season, company offers free trail service and 50% off for all service.

Hello business world

I am working Color Expert International Ltd. as a online marketing executive.

What you do?

Company Car Questions

Hello,



I am looking for some information regarding how to move a personal car to a company car. I had my fiance quit her job to work for the company and consequently we are having her vehicle detailed with advertising, it is driven to all events we attend/sponsor and it will be used for any local deliveries (once we get there). I would like to have the company take it over as she works out of our home and we rarely drive it besides for business reasons or trying to advertise. Has anyone had any experience with these type of issues? She is my sole employee right now and her paychecks are just enough to cover her car payment, so I would really like the company to take it over. LIke I said, especially because it has been plastered with the company name now. Any and all help would be greatly appreciated!



Thank you

Business as the middle man

I am planning to start a business of being basically the middle man of some products.



For example, I could act as the middle man between some products manufacturers in China, and then bring it over to North America to some retail stores.



They could be food, drinks, general products. etc.



My question is, what is preventing these retailers in North America from contacting the suppliers in China directly. Thus eliminating the middleman, Me in this case.



I mean, I could see how the retailers can just go. "hey this is a good product, Im ganna contact the suppliers in China directly and cut the cost for having to pay this middleman"



Thanks in Advance guys

State of Tennessee is claiming I owe $1200 in taxes on small business

Back in Nov 2013, I filed paperwork to establish a business license. I waited the 10 days like they said and still didn't receive anything. I called and asked for the status and the lady searched for my confirmation number. She said it was a valid number but they had no record of my stuff. She had no idea what had happened. She told me to resubmit new paperwork. I did that.



Soon enough, I got a letter in the mail and thought everything was good. I received a letter saying I had to file taxes every quarter.



Then in March, I received a letter saying that I was past due on my filings and owed $600 based on their formulas for assessed sales. I logged online and filled out a zero sales form for Jan and Feb and thought all was good and the letter notifying my of qtrly filings was to take effect in Q2.



Today I get 2 letters in the mail saying "FINAL NOTICE FOR PAYMENT." I just so happened noticed that there is two different case #'s. I logged online and started searching, and now i have THREE business accounts assigned to me. So today's letters weren't related they are $680 bills for two accounts.



I'm completely lost now. Due to family illnesses, I've planned to close the account after I did the Q1 filings. So am I responsible for $1200 in back taxes in this type of situation? They have a number for me to call tomorrow. I just want everything closed and done with and I'll start fresh when I can focus more. Thoughts? Am I on the hook for this? Thx!