As we herald into 2013 I thought it would be worthwhile to revisit the stories we produced in 2012 and the response we received from the readers. Here are the top 10 articles, in no particular order that got the most attention, discussion, controversy and response.
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Personal injury attorneys and legal referral lines advertise everywhere from benches at bus stops to the radio, television, newspaper and Internet. Apparently there’s big money in getting injured! Although some personal injury claims are legitimate and their subsequent lawsuits justified, others are simply born out of greed. Why? Unfortunately, for too many people, the thought of earning an easy buck by suing someone for an injury that may or may not exist is more attractive than actually working to earn that dollar.
Some restaurants are still unsure as to whether or not they want to claim their business on Yelp, the popular review site. They don’t feel like they need to pay attention to the review site while others don’t see the benefit that a review site can bring to their establishment, but a Yelp business listing can bring many advantages to your company, including the following.
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The formula for success in small business is very simple – keep the promises you make to your customers. The relationship between customers and business owner is like an unwritten contract. Both parties expect the other to honor their side of the contract. In it, the business owner promises to sell his products or services at the advertised price with the best possible customer service. In return, the customer promises to keep giving business to you as long as you keep your side of the bargain.
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Thinking of starting a small business? Our infographic breaks down the best and worst states for business by real change in GDP, top level state income tax, and number of INC 5000 businesses. Whether you’re starting a web firm or a traditional brick and mortar business, this infographic provides highly-useful information with regard to the incorporation decision process. Local economic climates and state taxes can be a heavy burden on web startups and other small businesses. Making the right decision can save you thousands of dollars in the end; it did for us.
If you are looking for better options to enhance your business prospects and widen your commercial growth, then opting for federal schedule contracts can be the ideal opportunity for you. To opt for federal contracts and get benefited, your business must have an 8A certification.
Enrolling in the 8A programs will open the doors for a number of marketing avenues and a plethora of opportunities for you. If your business is lagging behind due to social or economical disadvantage, getting an 8A certification will rank you high among your competitors by providing you with the option to bid for federal contracts. If you are potential entrepreneur and trying to make your mark in the business world, SBA certification is the first step towards your success.
Following are the briefly discussed points, which throw light on the essence of 8A certification and explain the reason for its imperativeness in business:
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Come January, the festive season will be over and will soon be followed by the tax season. Small business owners will start sending and receiving form 1099’s showing the money paid and received for the services they rendered in the year 2012. One of the newer forms that IRS has introduced is 1099K starting in 2011. Sellers of items on E-commerce sites such as eBay and Etsy, that include many home-based merchants, are the typical recipients of this form. Many of them were caught by surprise last year upon receiving this form. There was also lot of confusion surrounding the form resulting from the instructions provided by IRS on this form (What else did you expect from IRS?)
So what is form 1099K and what does it include?
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Guest Post (Brought to you by CP Law)
The working environment around us is full of principles, rules, and regulations. Some people who work around you have a propensity of using aggressive behavior against others and some are very polite in nature. The main aspect of having the employment law in such working places is to ensure that every employee is working in the safe environment. If you are an employee or an employer, you have to obey the employment law within your state. It is very important that employees must understand their responsibility set out by the employment Law.
Get familiar with the legal rights for an employee:
The right to be paid maternity leave/casual leave/sick leave/sudden leave
A core and fundamental right is the national minimum wage
Greater holiday allowance
Parental leave
Right to work in flexible hours
Reminders can be powerful personal productivity tool when used properly. On the other hand, forgetting to use them can be lead to dire consequences. Just ask anyone who has forgotten spouse’s birthday or marriage anniversary or someone who has missed the bill payment. The financial and social penalties you have to pay as a result are not trivial.
Small business owners can help customers overcome these challenges by facilitating reminders and, in the process, improve customer loyalty and sales. You can find examples of savvy businesses using reminders for these benefits if you look carefully. When I go for regular dental visit they usually set the next appointment for 6 months out. They also send me a reminder about a week in advance as the appointment approaches. Most of the car oil change locations put stickers on the windshield showing when the next oil change is due.
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There is a crucial difference between being tough and being a jerk when it comes to running small business. Many small business owners take it to the extreme when it comes to being tough and, as a result, end up alienating their employees and everyone else around them. In the previous post I described why you don’t have to be a jerk to succeed in business.
I have received interesting feedback from the readers on that post. Some of them maintained that when you have to deal with number of people, many of whom are out there to take advantage of you, you have no choice, but to be a “jerk”. This is where many of us get it wrong. While you don’t want to come out as too “soft” to make sure people do not take you for a ride, you don’t have to go to the other extreme either to succeed. There are ways by which you can portray yourself as tough and still be respected by people around you. Read on to find out how:
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