December, 2017

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

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

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Recurring credit card payments and Continuous Payment Authority

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Everything you need to know about taking regular payments from customers by card.

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Why Are There Two Ways to Claim Home Office Deductions?

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Choice is a good thing. In the case of home office deductions, the Internal Revenue Service agrees—which is why you can use a simplified or regular method (Form 8829) to file home office deductions. The Simplified Method. The simplified method lives up to its name. All you have to do is multiply the square footage of your home office by $5. The catch is that the maximum amount you can write off is $1,500.

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You, Your Bookkeeper, and Small Business Tax Preparation

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I’m a bookkeeper, not a tax preparer, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have a role in my client’s tax preparation each year. I save them a ton of time getting ready for small business tax preparation by working as a middleman between them and their tax preparer. As we approach year-end, it’s time to start getting those files ready for the poor soul who has to do all of that tax work.

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A Business Owner’s Guide to Understanding SEO Strategy

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As a business owner, it’s not your job to be an SEO expert. You already have a massive list of things to execute and understand. So you’re not expected to know how to do keyword research , optimize your website, or improve your rankings in search engines. You’re not expected to execute these strategies either. . However, as a business owner, you’re expected to know enough about SEO that you can hire someone to manage it for you.

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Does This Need A Meeting? Use This Flowchart To Find Out

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A productive (and pithy) meeting can leave attendees feeling refreshed and ready to roll, while an unproductive meeting is likely to leave most attendees with a headache. The real cost of bad meetings is staggering: $37 billion dollars are wasted every year in the U.S. on useless meetings. [Jump ahead to view the infographic]. Here are three actionable tips for ensuring that your meetings stay on track: 1.

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How to become your team’s outbound king or queen

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Top outbound reps don’t reach the #1 spot by waiting in line. They skip everything that doesn’t move real deals forward. That includes the pointless check-ins, the moonshot deals, and the customers who are happy to talk but will never buy. Their success has nothing to do with callousness, luck, or speed, and everything to do with prioritization.

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In Defense of Failure: How Losing Big Can Help You Win in the Long Run

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You’ve heard the many famous stories of failure about people like Abraham Lincoln, Michael Jordan, and Thomas Edison. You’ve heard the dramatic, romanticized tales of how Lincoln lost major elections, Jordan not making his high school team, or how Thomas Edison failed over 1,000 times finding the perfect filament for the commercial light bulb.

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The Pros and Cons of Using a Business Credit Card for Personal Expenses

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For the typical corporate employee, there tends to be a pretty strict delineation between work and personal life. The work wardrobe. The daily commute. The march into the office. Separate email addresses. Often even a separate work-related mobile device. Work is work, and personal is personal. Among entrepreneurs, on the other hand, the line between work and home can be a little less clear.

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Chase Business Savings Accounts: Explore Your Options

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If you’re in the market for a high-yield business savings account (and you should be), the three Chase Business Savings accounts are some of the best on the market. These accounts are the perfect low-risk, interest-bearing homes for your business’s hard-earned cash. Plus, they have a solution for any business—no matter its size. Let’s review the three Chase Business Savings accounts so you can decide if they’re right for your business.

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11 Entrepreneurs Share Their 2018 Business Resolutions

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Successful entrepreneurs never stay still for long—they’re always thinking about what’s next, about the changes they can make, and the innovations they can launch to scale their businesses. And while this can (and should) take place any time of year, why not take advantage of the new year to think about the changes you’re going to make in 2018 to take your business to new heights?

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What Every Accountant Wishes You Knew About Doing Your Business Taxes

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I have worked in the accounting profession as a bookkeeper for almost 20 years. I won’t say I’ve heard it all—such a declaration would be inviting trouble. Year after year, though, I get many of the same questions at tax time from small business owners. Likewise, between January and mid-April, many of the other accountants I know report hearing the same questions.

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Hiring a Business Lawyer: Everything You Need To Know

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Make no mistake—at some point in the life of your business, you will need to consult with an attorney. Hiring a business lawyer can go a long way toward positioning your business for success. If you’ve never thought about hiring a business lawyer before, don’t worry—it doesn’t need to be stressful. . It’s just a matter of asking the right questions and finding attorneys who have the right experience for resolving your specific issues.

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How a Content Audit Can Boost Your Company’s SEO

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It’s true that content is king. But for small businesses, is there such a thing as too much content ? Nowadays there’s no shortage of business websites with an accompanying blog, filled with articles chock-full of keywords—all meant to draw in prospective customers from a Google search. It’s gotten to the point that just about every possible search term has been turned into an article, designed to point you back to a company page.

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3 Lessons “The Good Place” Can Teach Entrepreneurs

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Eleanor Shellstrop has died and woken up in the afterlife, which looks a lot like an average suburban neighborhood. It’s sunny, full of frozen yogurt shops, and the residents get a customized home to live in, built by a local architect named Michael. Eleanor is in what’s referred to as “The Good Place,” but there’s just one problem. Michael tells Eleanor she was accepted because she spent her life on Earth helping others selflessly … only Eleanor never did that.

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Everything Small Business Owners Should Know About Instagram Advertising

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Instagram is rolling out more and more advertising options for business owners. What do you need to know about this social media tool before you give it a try as an advertising platform? Facts About Instagram. Instagram is the second-most-popular social media platform in the U.S. (Facebook, which owns Instagram, is first). 800 million Instagram users are active on their accounts at least once a month. 500 million Instagram users are active every day. 80% of Instagram accounts follow at least one

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7 Leadership Traits That You Can Learn In An Afternoon [Infographic]

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Despite all of the books, interviews, TED talks, and lunchtime powerpoint presentations, the nitty gritty details of being a good leader are surprisingly murky. Most leaders sitting at the top of the professional ladder will tell you that leaders are made, not born. So what does it take to become a good leader, and more importantly, how can you adopt some of their key skills?

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Is It Ever Okay to Carry a Credit Card Balance?

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Every business owner gets the idea—pay off your credit card balances on time, every time, or you could end up in a serious hole of debt. Plus, derogatory marks on your personal credit card that come from not paying your balance in full on time are certainly not ideal, either. Of course, paying off all your balances on time and in full every single month is the goal, but what if it’s not quite realistic?

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The 4 Types of Short-Term Loans Every Business Owner Should Know

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If you’re a business owner who needs to secure financing quickly, you’re likely in need of a short-term business loan. But with so many different loan options on the market—it can be difficult to know which types of short-term loans are right for your business. That’s why we’ve created a handy guide to cover the ins and outs of some of the most popular types of short-term loans.

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Can You Get a Small Business Credit Card with No Credit?

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As you’re searching through your options for small business credit cards with no credit—you’ll quickly realize that a lack of credit history can seriously get in your way. Even if your business is swimming in revenue and has a good financial record, your personal credit history is one of the biggest factors in determining whether or not you qualify for a business credit card.

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Simplify Your Shopping: The Best of the Best Small Business Credit Cards

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As a small business owner, it’s wise to cover some expenses with a business credit card so that you’re able to build up your business credit. With that being said, you don’t want to get into debt any more than you have to. So, how can you avoid the high percentage rates and annual fees collected by creditors? Is there such a thing as a small business credit card with a low APR and no annual fee?

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What Is a Working Capital Loan?

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Are you looking to fund everyday expenses to run your business? You’re not alone. Many businesses struggle with cash flow and, from time-to-time, need an injection of working capital to cover operational expenses. That’s why there are working capital loans. But if you’re wondering, “What is a working capital loan?” then you’ve come to the right place.

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The E-commerce Sellers Guide to Resale Certificates

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If you buy products to sell to others and haven’t read up on resale certificates yet, buckle up, because what you’re about to learn might save you some money and sales tax hassle. What’s a resale certificate? A resale certificate is a document that lets retailers purchase goods for resale without having to pay sales tax for those items. Depending on your state, they will either provide you with a resale certificate number to use with a generic template or they will create a customized certificat

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Chase Total Checking Account for Business: What You Need to Know

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Choosing a home base for your business’s finances is one of the biggest decisions you’ll ever make as a business owner—that’s why it’s crucial to get a thorough look at all your business checking account options before signing the dotted line. One of the most popular business checking account options for small business? The Chase Total Business Checking Account.

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Does American Express Offer a Secured Business Credit Card?

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So, you want to know if there is a secured business credit card from American Express. The short answer? Not exactly. However, even though American Express doesn’t offer a secured credit card that’s specific to business spending, they do offer a secured consumer credit card called the USAA Secured Card from American Express. We’ll define what a secured credit card is and explain why a secured consumer card can actually be the best choice for qualifying for a better, unsecured business credit car

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Big O Yes "Rolling Thunder" (2017) :30 (USA)

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It's pretty impressive that this spot for Big O tires is nothing more than two people saying "no, no no," over and over again and yet is hilarious. Automotive Read more about Big O Yes "Rolling Thunder" (2017) :30 (USA). Add new comment.

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8 Tips to Get More Money Back on Your Tax Refund, As Told By an Accountant

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Few things are more delightful than the news you are due a large tax refund. This is especially good news for small business owners, who often feel as though every other payment they make is to the IRS or their state department of revenue. Many taxpayers who are not business owners deliberately have more tax than necessary withheld from their paychecks in order to get a large refund each spring.