Successful Blog

How to Streamline Your Business Routine in 2014

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By Ryan Harrison

Running a business requires certain skills and expertise that customers need and are willing to pay for. Unfortunately, this isn’t enough to succeed. There are always routine tasks related to business operations that can be frustrating for business owners. For this reason, many small business owners turn to outside help to handle everything from payroll to office services.

Use Tools That Support and Improve Your Overhead

If you’ve been outsourcing routine work for a few years, you should have picked up some basic skills by now that will enable to handle some of these tasks. Don’t underestimate what you’ve learned in all those meetings with your accountant. Before you spend your entire outsourcing budget for 2014, investigate the potential of using business automation tools.

Online Accounting Tools Integrate Your Current Project Data

You probably already handle some aspects of your company’s financial tasks, such as invoicing and tracking projects. And these are probably handled in entirely separate programs on your desktop, with no way to easily access and integrate both functions. Programs like Quickbook’s online accounting keep everything in one place that has to do with operating your business. A basic package gives you wizards and tools to help with these functions:

  • Payroll, including tax withholding
  • Project estimates
  • Project time and expense tracking
  • Invoicing
  • Bank transactions

Many online accounting programs also provide automatic data backups and integrate data you’ve stored in programs like Outlook, Gmail, and Excel. Quickbooks online accounting is one of the cloud-based services that also automate tasks like system updates, which can save a lot of your time. Cloud-based accounts can be accessed from virtually anywhere with a secure Internet connection to your desktop, smartphone, or tablet.

Stop Struggling with Paper!

If you’re like a lot of entrepreneurs, you’re inquisitive and acquire a lot of paper that ends up in disorganized piles around your office. Put an end to this and start scanning everything you bring to the office. Scan your important documents and save the files digitally; encourage employees to do so as well. If you have a lot of paper you want to access electronically, there are services that will handle the document conversion for you. Or you can invest in a sheet-feed or portable scanner that scans more quickly than printer-scanners. Some scanners integrate with other documentation systems, including Quickbooks.

Take Advantage of Free Trial Offers

Many vendors offer free product trials, some for as long as 60 days with money-back guarantees. Try out a few to see how many functions you can take over yourself. If you decide to take the plunge, keep in mind that the costs are likely to be much lower than outsourcing. Best of all, these tools can help you gain a deeper understanding of your business’s operations and identify more opportunities to save time and money.

Author’s Bio:Ryan Harrison writes about business, marketing, operations, and more at www.producersweb.com. He also finds time to write at yfsmagazine.com. You can find him on Twitter as @RyanHar13790076.

How I Overcame the Challenges of Starting a Company With My Spouse

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By Alycia Hawkins

Some may call me crazy for choosing to work with my husband Chance Hawkins, but that is the easy part. My husband and I worked together these past two years at an online marketing company and it was actually great! The crazy part came when we decided to start our own online marketing company called Digital Hawkins 3 weeks ago. I guess we thought it would be just as easy as working together…boy were we wrong. I could write a novel on the ups and downs of our short venture so far into starting our own company, but for your sake I am summing it up into my top three struggles of starting a company with my spouse and how I overcame them:

1. Financial instability

The scariest part of starting a company is always money related. Not having enough to invest, not producing enough to be worth it, worrying about paying the bills, etc. When you start a company with your spouse it is DOUBLE the instability and risk. Here are a few things we did to help lessen our expenses in the beginning stages.

  • Utilize trades. Go back to the way of elementary school thinking and trade your Jell-O for a Snackpack (or in our case online marketing for business cards, beautiful graphics, etc.).
  • Get crafty. Now that we traded for our business cards, we had to get our name out. I am no sales person and cold calling just will not do for me. Since we didnt’t have money to hire sales people, we got a little creative. It was right around Christmas time, so I went to Dollar General and bought small christmas boxes and lots of chocolate goodies. I found local businesses that I knew I could help and created personalized Christmas gift boxes with our business cards stuffed inside and offered a free site analysis. This paid off greatly and gave people a positive and personal experience associated with our name.
  • DIY as much as possible. This may require learning a new skill. The amount of graphics we needed for our site was insane and we didn’t have the money to pay our designer for everyone. So I started to watch photoshop tutorials and do them myself. Not only does this save money, but who doesn’t like learning something new?

Even though we found a lot of ways to save money, there are some things you just have to pay for. But it was so hard for me to let myself invest any money into our company knowing it might not pay off. To overcome this it took a small obvious revelation. If I didn’t believe in my own business’s success, no one else would. But having to believe in my own capabilities lead to a deeper struggle my husband and I had to face…

2. My OWN insecurities

As embarrassing as this is to reveal, starting this company made me realize how insecure I really was. It is so easy to portray being strong, independent, and having it all together when you’re working for someone else and they take all of the risks…not you. I hate the idea that so many have about woman being weak, incapable of owning a business, not entrepreneur material and so on, but when the pressure was on me, that was all I could think! My poor husband would ask me questions like what I had done that day or what my next plan/strategy was, and I would suddenly lash out at him. The problem with starting a company with your spouse is keeping work problems and marriage problems separate. It took numerous arguments before we both realized the real issue. I was insecure and overwhelmed. This was by far the hardest struggle to overcome and it is a process of overcoming it daily (or just on those bad days). Here are a few things that helped me.

  • Reading inspiring articles on other women business leaders.
  • Setting reasonable goals, timelines, and daily tasks.
  • Praising small accomplishments and learning from failures rather than beating myself up about them.
  • Learn something new every day. Whether it was by reading an article on the latest online marketing practices, or learning a new trick in Google Analytics, it’s harder to feel insecure when you are continuing to grow.
  • Making sure my husband and I are always on the same page.

3. Time management

Because we are relying on our business to pay the bills, it is very important that we spend our time wisely. In the beginning stages it is easy to get lost in the never ending to do list. We both found ourselves bouncing around from one project to the next and not knowing who was working on what, instead of setting daily tasks for each other. I found this great article on time management that helped us overcome this obstacle. It talks about being productive instead of busy, focusing on one task at a time, reducing interruptions, and more. Once we started following these tips, we saw an improvement on productivity, insecurities, and were on a road to quicker financial stability.

Even though there were both pros and cons to having my husband by my side through each of these struggles, I would do it all over again. I love my husband being my business partner. It has been a short journey so far, but I have learned so much and cannot wait to learn more (knock on wood).

Author’s Bio: Alycia Hawkins writes about online marketing at digitalhawkins.com/blog. She is the Co-Founder of Digital Hawkins and Online School of Dance. You can find her on twitter as @Alycia_Hawkins.

Taking Being a Business Owner to Heart

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Stress in the workplace can take its toll on your health.

As a small business owner, lowering your stress level is vital to your health.  It is also crucial to your performance and ability to work effectively over the long haul.

Follow along as we look at the effects of being a business owner and what you can do to turn things around.

As Big of a Threat ‘As Smoking or Not Exercising’

This characterization from the University of Maryland Medical Center describes the body of research studies that look at job-related stress.  The threat of job-related stress to health is comparable to smoking or not exercising, it proclaims.

The document also states that nearly half of all American workers say that their jobs are “very stressful.”

While some of the biggest job-related stressors don’t affect business owners, such as having no control over one’s responsibilities, lack of job security, and others – these factors still affect owners in other ways, such as making sure the business has enough work/clients.  Other stressors still apply to business owners, such as too much time away from home and family and pay concerns.

One of the most important effects of stress is that of the heart.

A recent study analyzed data from thousands of responders, and it found that those who believed that stress significantly affected their health had twice the risk of coronary heart disease.

It highlighted some other staggering claims of stress and heart health, including a statistic that women in highly stressful jobs are 40 percent more likely to suffer a heart attack.

All of the data suggests that stress can have a significant impact not only on your heart – but your overall stress. Bottom line, the risks are great.

Ways to Overcome Stress

It might not be possible to completely eliminate stress.  But by paying attention to it inside and outside of your work environment, you can certainly alleviate its effects and help both your career and your health.

Here are some ideas that can help you work on overcoming stress:

• Delegate –  It’s OK to let some of the responsibilities go to ease the burden on yourself.  This is a key step to growing the business as well.  Put together a plan for easing the workload to lessen the stress and improve the efficiency of your business.

• Go over your processes, technology, and how your business runs –  Examine inefficiencies that can be improved upon to eliminate unnecessary time, resources, and steps.

• Don’t underestimate the value of a good support system – Talk to family and friends on a regular basis, and don’t be afraid to ask for help – regardless of the situation.

The issue could be that you have too many priorities, responsibilities, and that the overall workload is simply too much.  It may be time to hire an additional person or find a way to help balance it all.

Take a long, hard look at the situation to see if you can get to the heart of the matter.

Photo credit: under30ceo.com

About the Author: Joyce Morse covers an array of subjects, among which include marketing, small business and social media.

Make It Your Business to Secure the Right Title Loan

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As many small business owners can report, today’s Internet world is a great way to do business.

In many cases, all companies need is computers and an Internet connection in order to do business with the vast number of their clients. Sounds simple, right?

In other instances, however, physically coming into contact with your customers is a requirement, especially in those cases where the customer can’t come to you and doing business over the phone or via an online connection is not feasible and/or the best option.

If you’re a business owner starting out or one that needs to improve your company’s vehicle fleet operations, obtaining one or more vehicles is not as easy as picking a few cars or trucks off of a showroom and driving off with them. For many new business owners, money can be a precious commodity.

For those business owners that need title loans to secure their company vehicles, knowing where to shop and who to buy from is as important as some of the other major decisions you will make over time.

Minimal or Bad Credit Can Be Passed Over

In many cases, individuals starting out small businesses can be stretched for cash.

They oftentimes will have to take out a loan in order to get the new business up and running in the first place. With little or no money to spare, securing one or more company vehicles can be a challenging proposition to say the least.

When those challenges occur, business owners should consider options such as TitleMax and other such providers to secure the necessary title loans.

With companies such as these, business owners can find themselves with a title loan minus many hassles, even in cases where the individual has little, no, or even bad credit to worry about, that is as long as a clear car title is present.

Before you run out and assume that all title loans providers are the same, make sure you do some research.

Among the factors to look at:

  • How long the title loan provider has been in business;
  • Their level of customer service. This can oftentimes be checked by asking friends, coworkers or family members that have used a title service and/or turning to online reviews of such providers;
  • Whether or not they have had any legal issues over time with state regulators and/or the Better Business Bureau (BBB). If there are some red flags, be sure to give it some thought as to whether you can fully trust what they are telling you;
  • The state you and the title provider are in. Not all title loan rules are the same from state to state, so check this information out first.

With all you have to do as a current or new small business owner, securing company vehicles should never be overlooked. Some clients will require that you come to them to deliver products and/or services, and asking employees to use their own vehicles is not always an option.

When you secure the right title loan, you can drive your business to new heights.

Photo credit: dbav.net

About the Author: Dave Thomas covers a variety of business topics for different websites, including owning a small business, marketing, and social media.

 

Is Your Content Marketing in Need of Video?

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Content marketing that does not utilize video just seems to fall flat compared to moving image marketing strategies.

And, considering attention spans are getting shorter and shorter with every innovative viral sensation that hits the Internet, if your company’s missing out on video in its marketing content, it’s likely missing out on a huge cyber audience.

So, what are the benefits of using videos as part of your company’s content marketing strategy?

 Video is Growing in Popularity

If you surf the Internet for different advertising and marketing campaigns, chances are you’ll find videos posted in company blogs, on business homepages, and everywhere in between. Simply put, video content marketing is growing in popularity.

Text is and always will be a content essential, but the marketing masses are turning to video in droves as a way to expand on their marketing efforts.

So, to avoid being left out to dry, it’s wise to jump on-board the video bandwagon. Besides, the average Internet user already watches more than 100 videos a month and counting.

Watch-ability Outweighs Readability

As stated before, online attention spans are quickly adapting to the video format, thus giving other forms of content the backseat. With video, your company can say what it wants, how it wants, with visual representation, all in one short video.

Think of it this way, with your busy schedule, would you rather read about a company for 10 minutes, or watch and experience what that company is trying to convey in a 3-minute video? Video gives your company the opportunity to expand beyond the written word and truly reach the audience.

Vlog, Don’t Blog

Blogging is great because it gives your company an opportunity to express itself as well as inform and update online audiences – all of which are essential marketing tools. But, with vlogging, or video blogging, incorporating videos into blog posts brings your company’s online presence to a whole new level.

So, instead of posting a blog about the newest line of products or the most innovative services your company has to offer, vlog instead. Likewise, as far as customer questions go, responding in a vlog post is much more effective than just replying to a customers’ comment via the written format.

Inherently Compelling Content

People relate to images more so than words and with video, your content marketing is already compelling because it’s visual. In other words, what do you think is going to get more online traffic: a how-to article or a how-to video with step-by-step visual instructions?

Everything from demonstrations to interviews to customer testimonials to straightforward advertisements are automatically in class of their own with video. As long as you keep the video content unique and engaging, audiences will watch without even realizing they’re being marketed to.

When it comes to content marketing with an undeniable impact, going the video route will take your company to new cyber-heights.

Photo credit: videobroadcasterservices.com

About the Author: Adam Groff is a freelance writer and creator of content. He writes on a variety of topics including marketing, problems with ripoff report, and social media.

 

Accounting for the Right Business Software System

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As a business owner, the chances are you’ll have to wear many hats.

One of them will most certainly be that of an accountant. Even if you have a dedicated accountant, you’ll still need to stay on top of the cash flow in your business.

Choosing the right accounting software can help you do just that, but how do you go about finding the right accounting software for you?

Why Does Accounting Software Matter?

Cash flow problems are one of the leading factors in business failure.

The right accounting software can help you to keep a much better handle on your cash flow, and help prevent problems later. Even basic accounting software means you can keep track of what goes in and comes out of your business, so you can see at a glance where your money is flowing.

That means you can see any areas where you are over spending, and where your strongest sources of income are, which all adds up to being able to see if your money is being spent wisely and well – a must for any business.

Software programs are available to help you with every aspect of accounting in your business, including inventory, tax reporting, budgeting, keeping track of sales, payroll capabilities, and sales forecasts.

For businesses that are able to invest a little more, industry specific software is available, with the cost usually including installation and a demonstration by a vendor.

How Do I Choose The Right Software?

To help you choose the right software, take some time to think about what you want your accounting software to do for your business. Which tasks do you need it to do?

Remember that software is a wonderful tool, but it doesn’t do the work for you – you still need to understand and input the raw information. As such, it’s important to consider which features will support you in working with the software.

It’s also important to consider the flexibility of the software – making the wrong choice now could cost you in the future, so allow for some future planning.

How would you like your business to grow? What would your software need to provide in order for it to be a good match in the future? Can the software be expanded if necessary, perhaps by upgrading to a more advanced package?

If you have an accountant or accounts department, take time to talk to them, and anyone else who will be involved in using and implementing the new system. The internet is also wealth of information and reviews; while specialist sites or software consultants can help you make a decision.

How Much Should I Invest?

Accounting software varies in price from a few hundred dollars to thousands.

In general, programs that you buy and use “as is” tend to be cheaper, as do packages with less functionality. On the other hand, more feature rich packages and industry specific packages tend to run higher.

To make the best choice for your business, take the steps suggested here to figure out what you need your software accounting to do for you. That way, you won’t end up with software that doesn’t meet your needs, or overspend on software that has features you don’t need.

Once you have your needs clear, you can search for software that meets them, and compare to find the most cost effective solution.

Good accounting software is an important investment for your business, saving you time and also paying for itself in terms of helping you control your cash flow.

Take your time, do plenty of research, and you’ll be able to invest in a tool that supports your business.

Photo credit: tedcor.com

About the Author: Tristan Anwyn is an author who writes on subjects as diverse as health, marketing, business, and SEO.