Some 60 percent of small and medium-sized business owners are negative about the Labour Party's capital gains tax, says a poll taken for the accounting software firm MYOB, with 60 percent saying it was their "most unpopular" policy......
Can you tell me a bit about your business and how long you've been going it alone? I operate a landscape design business providing landscape plans for small- and large-scale residential and commercial properties. My work comes from......
What are some of the advantages you've found in just having you in the business? Being my own boss means that if I think something's a good idea, I can run with it. I can implement ideas a lot faster and I change methods and tactics......
Why do people go it alone in business? Michael Gerber talks about this in his book The E-Myth . A lot of people set u...
I read a fascinating article in the Washington Post recently by J. Courtney Sullivan. In her
You share a retail space with three others who are also going it alone in business? How did that come about? I started The Aviary just over three years ago. It started off really, really small in a room within a clothing store......
After spending more than 30 years working in IT for big companies Innes Fisher decided to set up his own business late last year.Fisher says his business, ULS - which locates and maps underground services - is going well, but given......
Currency markets are relatively quiet on Wednesday with the euro inching up on the U.S. dollar as investors mull disappointing eurozone data against bets the European Central Bank (ECB) will launch a large-scale asset purchase program. So far this week, investors have been starved for fundamental data to back their currency positions. Many have had to make do with last week's central bank rhetoric...
Wednesday morning I was checking my emails that came through overnight, like I do first thing every morning, and I saw an email with the subject, "Order Boom Going On Now 5 Days Left to Enter for Vegas!" from TigerFitness.com. Naturally I clicked on it and before I knew it I had my wallet out. Wait, what just happened? The order boom! It got me. I laughed out loud and mumbled to myself, "He got me,...
When my daughter was 14-months-old, her father left us for another woman, leaving me with a hefty mortgage on a house I hated, a physically taxing waitress job, a baby who clung to me all her waking hours, and a body, heart and mind that was steps away from a complete breakdown. I was sleeping a few hours a night, holding my baby all day, and working most evenings... and still barely making ends meet....
"One of the reasons I started my website is that I wanted a place for women to come together and dream. We women need to know that we don't have to hang on to an old dream that has stopped nurturing us—that there is always time to start a new dream. This week's story is about three sisters who were looking for a fun way to make some extra money. The idea they came up with ended up earning them millions!"...
Smart brands know that social media is a powerful client attraction tool, but blogs are essential for connecting with your audience. In this interview with Ira Haberman , Director of Marketing for Atomic Reach , find out some very big mistakes you might be making, how to write so your audience will feel it in their hearts and why SEO doesn't work like it used to. One of the most important things for...
Dorothee Mitrani-Bell came to the United States from France in her twenties because she felt a new life awaited her in California. She studied architecture at UC Berkeley, and on her days off she managed a restaurant in San Francisco. After a suggestion from a friendly neighbor got her thinking, she jumped at the unexpected opportunity to open her own restaurant and combine her love of design, food,...
Transactional emails -- such as order confirmations and shipping notifications -- are the long lost (revenue) loves for businesses. Transactional emails are a terrific opportunity to increase revenue by establishing new and long-term relationships, and courting customers with sweet gifts like rewards, promotions and sales. But most companies don't realize this opportunity is staring them in the face,...
Today, consumers desire to interact rather than to just mindlessly consume. Consumers don't want to just read; they want to comment. They don't want to just watch TV; they want to live tweet. They don't want to just dance at a new club; they want to share the whole night on Instagram. Consumers want to do more than just "enjoy the moment." Modern consumers crave what consumer scientists Darren Dahl...
Former educator Sabina Hitchen is on a mission to demystify public relations, social media and SEO for small businesses. Two years ago, Hitchen and her business partner Katie Hellmuth-Martin decided to start Tin Shingle , an online membership program that offers buzz-building tools and tips to entrepreneurs. "We saw a big gap in the small-business word that was necessary to fill," she says. Owners...
Earlier this month I had the privilege to conduct a webinar for Accounting Today and Accountingfly on the topic of Developing Superstars: A Playbook for High-Potential Young Talent and the People Who Manage Them. (The webinar is available on-demand here) . As always, at the end of the presentation I gave out my email address and offered to answer any questions that we didn't have time to address in...
As a business owner, you're challenged with a variety of tasks every day. Small business owners take on multiple roles, from accounting to legal to human resources. Regardless of whether you handle human resources yourself or delegate it to someone else, your company is bound to make mistakes. These human resource management mistakes can be devastating for your company in numerous ways -- from litigation...
By Vanessa Lopez-Littleton UCF Forum columnist I recently overheard one manager ask another if he knew a nurse who was looking for a job. After a moment of thinking, he remembered someone. Within a week, an offer of employment was made for a great-paying job with a wonderful schedule. It is a position that will open doors and create opportunities as well as move this individual into circles he may...
In recent years, small businesses lacking visibility in search engines have struggled to compete with large corporations. As the rules for ranking higher in search results pages have continually changed, small businesses have been tasked with creating content and engaging in social media marketing to reach customers. Those without professional marketing departments or quality vendors have especially...