Business Discussions

"No act of kindness, no matter how small is ever wasted." -Aesop     Hi there, Community! As some of you may know, this week is Kindness Week. Myself, and other Community hosts, are teaming up to share some examples and stories of random acts of kindness. Today, I wanted to share a little "Bingo" card of sorts that I came up with to check off some good deeds.       I took a screen shot of the card and set it as the lock screen on my phone for the week as a reminder to do good and be kind. These are just a few actions to do that show kindness to others and even yourself. Most of them are useful for everyday life, and some can even apply directly to small businesses. It's my hope that you'll be motivated to try to win a "Bingo" or maybe even be motivated to complete the whole card! Either way, we'd love to hear about it! Let us know how you felt afterward or if you got to see the receiving party's response. After all, that reaction is the best part. Take

  These tutorials guide you through the basics of Invoices and Sales Receipts in QuickBooks Online. Along with our “First time with QuickBooks Online” series, this article is an excellent starting point for brand new QuickBooks users.   Recording sales is the most important accounting activity for most users. In QuickBooks Online, you send Invoices to customers if you expect to be paid in the future and Sales Receipts if you were paid at the time of the sale.    Here, we will focus on the creation and steps for processing these sales forms, as well as how and when to use associated features in QuickBooks. Watch these videos in their entirety so you feel confident with the fundamentals of QuickBooks Online.   Setting up for Success with QuickBooks Online – Intermediate Invoicing and Sales Forms   How to Record Your Sales: Reports, Invoices, & More   Below is the basic sales workf

Hello QuickBooks Community! It's Friday! One of the best days of the week, don't you agree? Anyway, I have a fun fact for you. Did you know Wal-Mart averages a profit of 1.8 million dollars every hour? That's kind of mind-blowing when you think about it. Today, I wanted to stop by and share this article by USchambers about gaining customer traction. They highlight a few ways to do this, so let's find out.   Listening to Customer Wants and NeedsWhen you can identify your target market, you don't just stop at that. Businesses need to also listen to their customer. Listening to their needs, wants, what motivates them, or their challenges, your responsibility as a firm is to provide a solution through your product or service to suit their needs. Oil Garner, Co-founder of Unbounce, stated that "the customer isn't always. But if you don't listen to them, your product won't be either."   Building TrustHow do you build trust with someone? Let me guess; it takes some time, the same th

Hi, friends. It's the middle of the week and I'm here to drop some small business tips that I hope will come in handy. Today I want to talk about something that I believe you'll find useful in many areas, rather than just business related. What is it, you ask? Strategic communication is the answer.       So what do I mean by strategic communication? In this instance, I want to lay out the strategy, planning, or motive behind conversations, specifically related to business. This process consists of two main points. Here we go...            1. Identify and state the goal for the communication Goal = purpose. If there is no purpose of the conversation, the parties involved are wasting their time, to put it bluntly. Make it know what you want to relay to your listener(s). Listeners will also appreciate knowing the why behind your message.2. Understand the audience What do I know about them? Do I know where they stand o

Hello everybody! I see that here is the frequently asked question "How to transfer your business from offline to online?"So, my story, maybe someone will be useful I started my home business about 2 years ago. My specialization is consulting. Just a couple of months ago, I found the perfect solution for running my business - ExpertBox software. https://expertbox.io/ The software was very helpful in organizing my work. Clients book a place in it for a consultation with me at the hours at which I indicated. There is also a video/audio solution and billing directly in it. This is very convenient for me!

 "A brand is not a product or a promise, or a feeling. It is the sum of all experiences you have with a company." - Amir Kassaei.   Happy Friday, and welcome back to the Talk About Your Business segment. Today, I found an article by Entrepreneur that discusses the differences between growing a brand and growing a business. Here are a few points they shared:   Business is sales-focused, brand is community-based A business goal is geared towards making a profit. However, the brand is centered around reaching more people, customer wise. They are almost one and the same in that they both depend on each other. A business needs customers in order to generate this income or to make this profit. The brand serves as an identity for the company under which products or services expand (which is the business aspect).   Brand is larger than productA brand heavily relies on marketing and plays on the feelings of its customers. It is much more than just generating income. The arti

I'm going to be honest here, this series was *supposed* to start in January.  But, life happened and things didn't quite work out the way I had intended them to.  And if that isn't a perfect set up for a series on how to set and achieve goals, then I don't know what else could be.   🤣       Most people have heard of the SMART goals method, and that is still the foundation that we will use, but as the past year has shown, we need to be a bit more flexible and come at things from a slightly different angle to manage the changes and uncertainty that are part of our new normal.     So how do you start?  Honestly, by taking a break.  Schedule it on your calendar if you need to, but give yourself an uninterrupted period of time that you can sit and think.  Or, if you are like me and do your best problem solving while your body is focused on something else, then give yourself time to do some knitting or housework; or mayb

    This article takes a closer look at what to do to set up, record, and track sales tax for products you sell in QuickBooks Online. Foremost, QuickBooks Online is accounting software, not tax software. You cannot file your taxes directly with QuickBooks. However, you will use QuickBooks to track the collection of sales tax. These financial records are also essential for reporting your income to the IRS.  How to Set Up Sales Tax: Settings, Sales, & More   First, let’s make sure you’re set up to collect Sales Tax. All of your tax information is managed from the Tax Tab in QuickBooks Online. The first time you visit the Tax Tab, you will be prompted to complete an onboarding workflow.   Before completing this workflow, make sure you've selected your business’ accounting method in Account and Settings (Gear Icon > Account and Settings > Advanced > Accounting).  This step is very important – currently, the Automated Sales T

      This guide is for anyone converting from QuickBooks Desktop (Pro or Premier) to QuickBooks Online. Each section offers step-by-step guidance and includes visuals, tips and hyperlinks to important resources. Start your conversion from the "Before you Start" section or use the links below to jump to specific points in the conversion process if you've already started.    You can also download the complete QuickBooks Guide to Converting QuickBooks Desktop to QuickBooks Online from the right-hand column.    If you want the Quick Conversion Reference instead, follow the link.    Before You Start Should I convert from QuickBooks Desktop to QuickBooks Online? Compare versions to make sure the fit is right for you! Time constraints, character limits, file size and other things to look at before starting the process.       The Conversion Process Sign up for QuickBooks Online and create a Company File Prepar

I am thinking of setting up S-Corp and have few questions.Business activities :1) Rental business for property to be owned by the S-Corp    Revenue : 20K approx.    Income after expense will be less than 14K2) Investment / Stock Market TradingQuestionsIs Rental business and Investing considered purely a passive Income activityDo I need to pay myself salary, if so what should be the guidelinesIf I have a Trade windfall and have capital gains of 50-100K in a year,  can all be taken as distribution after taxesWhat is the  probability that IRS will look at this setup and impose fines and cancel S-Corp election, if there is ZERO payroll taxes

Hi Community, I’m going to tell you a true story about two businesses. At the start of the 2020 pandemic, I told both businesses we need to double down on marketing. Business 1 said Yes, let’s do it, but we’ll only cut back a little on our ad spend.Business 2 said No, let’s stop all marketing even though I begged them not to stop. Being in this industry for over 11 years, I knew what would happen. They still insisted. 𝗪𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝗮𝗹𝗲𝘀? The only responsibility of marketing is to grow your business. It helps you to increase awareness, sales, downloads, leads, or whatever your goal is. I put marketing on the same level as electricity. When you run your business, you need electricity, and you need marketing.Fast forward to now, the business that trusted us, adapted to the changes, and continued with their marketing, is still growing and even increa

Hello, Community! Thanks for joining me here in the Business Discussion space. Today, I'm switching gears a bit to talk about a topic that hit somewhat close to home. A little back story, a family member of mine previously worked at a local mapping business. The moral of this post is to share the experience he had with the owner of the company.     The owner is close to retirement but ultimately failed to communicate their future plans for the business once they were no longer working. The lack of planning and communication for the future of the business caused a lot of undo stress, unfortunate rumors about what would happen to the company, and even more unfortunately - long-term employees leaving, like my family member did. That sounds like a sad story, but that's not the picture I want to paint. I'm sharing this story to help you prepare and think about the future with a few options and pros and cons for each. So, if you're a business owner approaching retirement here are

Following up on our last Community Chatter post about favorite social media follows, we thought it would be a great idea to start February off by highlighting some of the small businesses that we love.     ++++++ @Ami_D  I’m really lucky that Boise has an incredibly strong “buy local” culture, and living downtown (a small business hub with weekly outdoor markets) for my first couple of years exposed me to some of my now favorite places in town.   Figgy Bakes - https://figgybakes.com/ I discovered Figgy through a pop-up at the second local biz on my list: Lemon Tree. She brought a whole slew of single serving desserts, all delectable, and I think I bought one of each and ate them all. This led me to follow her on Instagram where she posts the most exquisite photos of her artisan cakes using natural ingredients and fresh local flowers as decoration. I don’t often need full cakes, but during the pandemic, she started offering cake jars and mini desserts with her m

  Find out what you need to start with QuickBooks Desktop. Accounting is a process. There’s an order to everything from sales transactions to financial reports and reconciliations.   We're here to help you through the download, install, and activation of QuickBooks. We'll get your books ready to run your business. You too, can be a QuickBooks Ninja!   System Requirements   Before you install QuickBooks Desktop, it's important to know the system requirements. This makes sure QuickBooks will work with your setup.   QuickBooks Desktop System Requirements 2022 QuickBooks Desktop System Requirements 2021 QuickBooks Desktop System Requirements 2020 System requirements for QuickBooks Desktop for Mac Downloads and updates Download QuickBooks Desktop - Download your QuickBooks software Download QuickBooks Updates - Download updates to your QuickBooks software Install Fix Error: Verify your subscription before installing QuickBooks Desktop Install Q

How can I become a guest writer for the QB community and blog? I would love to share tips, feedback, lessons on digital marketing that will help the QB community grow their business. 

Hey, how much does a hipster weigh?...An Instagram!   Hello, and happy Friday to you! I'm back to spread a little business knowledge and hopefully a smile. I know I've made a couple posts about how social media platforms can be a very best friend to small businesses, especially regarding customer engagement and advertising. But today, I wanted to share an article with you I found from uschamber.com that discusses how to understand social media statistics, and ultimately make them work to your advantage. If we take a specific look at Instagram stats, there are a few metrics to consider...   ReachA pretty straightforward stat to measure. When you view your reach, this is detailing the unique number of views on each post. "Tracking your reach will show you if your business is reaching new accounts and expanding your audience on Instagram." If you notice a lower than expected number for the reach, think about:   — Whether or not you used hashtags.— Type(s) of hasht

In 2020 alone, there were approximately 233 million people using some form of social media in the United States, and the average person spends upwards of 2 hours a day viewing, liking, and commenting on social media posts.   For many, it is more than just entertainment - social media offers connection to others, a way to find out what is happening in the world, and increasingly, a way to discover, interact with, and support brands and businesses.      If you are new to the Social world, or are simply looking for new ideas and accounts to follow, we have gathered some of our favorite accounts together.          ++++++   @LisaNullar  My Insta feed is a mix of friends and celebrities of course, but it is also where I follow artists for inspiration, various tags for things that I am interested in like knitting or houseplants, and small businesses that I like and want to keep up with.     Some of my favorites are: A

Did you miss the livestream?  Here is the replay of our session with Sandra Edwards and Lynda Artesani, so you can watch it at your leisure.     Preparing payroll for tax season can be overwhelming & confusing. Get your questions about preparing payroll for tax season answered by QuickBooks ProAdvisor & QB Community Live co-founder Lynda Artesani, with help from the QuickBooks Online Payroll product team.    

Good afternoon Community! I recently chatted with a friend of mine, Austin Schank, who has made a name for himself as a local small business owner. In May of 2018, Austin combined his passion for hometown roots, the outdoors, and entrepreneurship by introducing his business - Southern Lake Company. The SLCo. brand offers a variety of apparel items for all of your fishing and outdoor needs. Here's how our conversation went...     • What would you like for people to know about your business?We are very small, and true to our brand. We love our hometown.   • Do you have a certain daily routine that sets you up for success? If yes, what is it?Communicating to customers and trying to find others with like-mind in our business.   • What gave you the idea to start this business?I love the outdoors, I grew up doing it in this area. When I moved from SWVA [Southwest Virginia], I wanted to something I could still share with my hometown.   • What has

It's Friday! It's great to have you here in the Business Discussion space. If you're new here, welcome! If you've been around for a while, you know myself and my other Community teammates like to share small business related articles we've read throughout the week. Today I wanted to share one I found on Forbes.com that discusses a number of steps entrepreneurs wish they would have taken before starting their businesses. Let's take a look shall we?1. Researched What Entrepreneurship Entails I'd say it's no coincidence as to why this is the first point in the list. To be an entrepreneur it's pretty important to know what entrepreneurship entails. One of the members from the selected expert panel mentioned, "I wish I knew what I was getting myself into...I wish I would have done more research and more digging into what exactly it takes to become an entrepreneur."2. Done More Market Research On PricingDoing your fair share of research in this area can alleviate a lot of stre

Hi Community friends! We've reached the middle of the week with another wonderful Wednesday. In the interest of the new year, one of my personal goals is to save money. With some of the circumstances that seemed to go hand-in-hand with the year 2020 (quarantine/working at home), I kind of had a realization that a lot of the things I was purchasing weren't necessary. The more I stayed home. the more I noticed what I had been previously spending. And it was a little scary! I had to have an internal monologue consisting of one simple statement, "Stop buying stuff!" Anyways, I say all of that to share that in my research on money saving tips, I found an excellent formula to pay yourself every month. Here it is:   Take the money you earnedsubtractThe amount needed to cover bills and expensessubtract15-20% for savings accountadd the remainingto personal account   This simple solution covers all the bases. You're paying what you have to regarding bills and other expenses, such as ho

 It's Friday!! Welcome everyone to the Talk About Your Business page. Are you excited about the weekend? I know I am.  I can't wait to catch up on some shows I missed and be lazy for a few hours. Anyway, before you get ready to sign off for the day, I wanted to share this gem from Entrepreneur about maximizing team results by managing the whole employee. This was undoubtedly an interesting read. Here are some points they shared:   Unique people, individualized managementPersonality-wise for someone who is an introvert when potentially getting a management position, they would have to come out of their shell more to lead the team. In another sense, if you are an extrovert, they may be moments where you have to tone it down a bit when communicating with others. Each person is unique. It is essential as leaders to take note of these things to understand your employees more. That way, you are better able to cater to their needs. The writer mentioned she video calls her staff

Hello everyone, and welcome back to the Discussion Page! I hope you are having a fabulous day! Today, I wanted to share ways to engage your audience's emotions, focusing on marketing and advertising. Let's dive in!   Have you ever purchase a product from a brand because you felt an emotional connection with them or what they stand for aligns with your views? I have before. I could have chosen a less expensive item, but I built loyalty to that brand. When businesses take the time to get to know their customers, find their needs, and make them feel like you care( which you should), this is when you have the opportunity to tap into their emotions and form a lasting customer relationship.   Advertisements have played a role in this capacity when it comes to sales tactics. I can recall the Arms of an Angel commercial where they display animals suffering from cruelty and neglect and how you could adopt or donate to the cause. It makes me angry yet sympathetic, and I wanted to donat

Hello, ladies and gentlemen of the Community! Thanks for joining me here in the Business Discussion space. I came across an article on inc.com earlier today that mentioned several great questions to ask to stimulate conversations. As a business owner, I'm sure you're well aware of how important relationship and network building can be.     So without further ado, here's the list of conversation sparking questions... What's your story? Completely open-ended and allows the individual to start their story wherever they feel necessary. What absolutely excites you right now? I'm sure you're bound to see some eyes light up when asking this question. What was the highlight of your day (or week)? Answers to this question may warrant a laugh or two. (My personal answer is my two year old son singing a made up song about monster trucks.) What gets you up in the morning? They could potentially reply with "my alarm clock," but hopefully their response wil

  These guides are the source of truth, the what, how, and why behind every feature and function in QuickBooks Online. They provide facts, figures and detailed visual walkthroughs to help you do your QuickBooks accounting quickly and efficiently.    Invoices and Sales FormsHow to Customize InvoicesHow to Add Social Media Links to InvoicesHow to Send Paper Invoices   Processing TransactionsHow to Review Open Invoices and Send Payment Reminders and Balance forward Statements in QuickBooks OnlineHow to Use the Undeposited Funds AccountHow to Record Bank Deposits in QuickBooks Online   Payments and Online BankingHow to Adjust Your Invoice Payment Terms in QuickBooks OnlineHow to Connect a Bank Account for the first time in QuickBooks Online   Items (Products and Services, Customers, Vendors) and ListsHow to Create and Manage Lists in QuickBooks Online (coming soon)   Financial Repo