Business Discussions

  Right now, women are making their voices heard like never before. But women have always been making history, chipping away at the glass ceiling, proving they belong anywhere they choose to be. Breaking barriers is what we do! In business, education, military and elsewhere, women are making their mark and helping others do it, too. While we love to look forward, where would we be if we didn’t recognize those who came before us? Read about these inspiring way-pavers (all from the U.S.), and then tell us: who inspires you? First woman to graduate medical school Elizabeth Blackwell (1821-1910) was the first woman to graduate from medical school and become a doctor. She did so at the top of her class in 1849, even as she faced administrative pushback. Elizabeth was inspired to become a doctor by a terminally ill friend who wished she could be treated by a female physician. She went on to open clinics serving poor women and children. First woman to lead a military expedition Harr

  "She got paid on time."

Name: Kat Gordon Business: The 3% Movement Location: Palo Alto, CA Launched: 2010 Since we last spoke with Kat Gordon in 2017, the The 3% Conference has become The 3% Movement. What hasn’t changed is Kat’s intention to boost the visibility of women creative directors in advertising and increase the number of positive portrayals of women in the media. In 2017, Kat launched a successful ad agency certification program for firms that are doing right by women. Today, she tells us about her outlook for the year to come and how women are changing the advertising industry. What first inspired you to launch this movement? My background is in advertising as a creative director. I worked in advertising for 25 years, and the higher up I got, the more keenly aware I became of how few women were in creative leadership roles. I realized that only three percent of creative directors were women, despite the fact that women control the majority of consumer spending and social sharing. There was bett

To me, organization is super important. Especially when the days are very busy and my desk gets filled full of papers everywhere. :)I'm wondering what does everyone else uses to help with streamlining things? Right now, I do the accounting for three businesses (owned by our family). I am trying to figure out what is the most efficient way to keep on top of bills, invoicing, etc.. Right now, we use Wunderlist. I copy all the bills onto a list and add the due dates and that has been working well except for the extra time involved in doing that. Also is there an efficient way to add vendor bills into QBs without having to manually enter? I get them all sent to my email. Just curious what everyone else uses? Thanks so much!! :) 

Hello, I'm trying to grow my business and want to create a brochure with the scope of services I offer and create contract for services.  Can anyone offer what they have created?  Thank you in advance!Best, Tina

QB Community members love exchanging ideas, insights and inspiration. Not a member here yet? Click HERE to register, and join the conversation today! Name: Scott Beylik Business: Beylik Family Farms Founded: 1971 (yes, you read that right) Scott Beylik was just a toddler when his dad and his grandfather built their hydroponic tomato farm in Fillmore, CA. Although farming was practically in Scott’s DNA, he wasn’t always keen to join the family business. When he graduated from college, Scott headed overseas to Hungary. But after spending two years in bustling Budapest working a 9-5 job, Scott returned home to the farm. He was ready to dig in – literally – to the 24/7 work of running the family business. In 1990, Scott’s grandfather retired after a 20-year career. Fifteen years later, Scott’s dad followed suit. Now it was Scott turn to run, manage and grow this three-generation legacy business. Scott, what’s it like continuing a tradition that’s been in your family for three generations?

Jamaican-born Dawnet Beverley (@DBeverley) once dreamed of being a lawyer. But, after studying business education at Jamaica’s University of Technology and then teaching high school, Dawnet left her island homeland for the United States. Here, she earned a degree in sociology and economics and then worked in various industries including education, banking and financial services. Eventually, Dawnet earned a Master’s degree in Organizational Development. Today, she channels her expertise and insights as a senior executive at Donnelley Financial Solutions, a global financial software and services company. Throughout her career, Dawnet has been widely recognized for her natural communication skills, leadership abilities and strategic thinking. In fact, her super power is helping companies – and, most importantly, the people who work at them – thrive. She deeply believes that protecting and preserving professional dignity and integrity is paramount to successfully running a business. We c

  "Financials statements are your business BFFs."                  - Julie Gordon White   Sometimes we could really use a little help from our friends. Would you love some help with your financials? Julie Gordon White and the QB Community are here for you. Want to know more? Keep checking back...   Julie Gordon White Helps Businesses Owners "Think Big and Grow Big" So They Can Sell Big  

Many of us self-employed folks put in long days, and some of us work at odd hours - which can make for some pretty poor sleep/work balance. In fact, QB Community Senior Member @BobbySingler just posted about this recently, and the responses were as varied as our respective professions.    Today is World Sleep Day, an international celebration of sleep and an effort to highlight some of the health and social impacts of not getting enough shut-eye. So...   Are you sleeping enough these days? If so, how do you prioritize to make time for getting some rest? If not, what are the effects on you, your life, and your business?

Hi everyone, not sure if this is the right place to post ... I have a few questions about my taxes like is the health care monthly premium tax deductible? Where can I find easy tax questions for self-employed people answered? IRG.gov is just to confusing and unhelpful.   

When you think back on your life, what milestones stand out as moments when you “pivoted” and deliberately chose to move in a new or unexpected direction? Maybe your pivot was inspired by something personal -- you got married, had a baby, moved to a new city, lost a loved one. Maybe your pivot was based on a professional experience -- you got (or, perhaps, didn’t get) a promotion, your beloved boss retired, you were laid off, the company you worked for relocated.   Whatever the milestone, we know people who work for themselves embraced the opportunity to reset a traditional career path and strike out alone. In fact, we’re constantly wowed by the “can-do” attitude of our inspiring QB Community members. That’s why we asked you to share what persuaded you to turn your passion, hobby or side gig into a full-time job. Turns out everyone has their own reason for making the pivot!       Goodbye corporate world, hello startup Plenty of folks consider stable, long-term, we

Hello! I'm not sure if I'm reaching for the moon to have both a dynamic AND affordable social media person to take over my social media (sojournbox.com), however, I thought what better place to turn, but QB Community!  :)  A bit of what I'm looking for:+ Manage Instagram/Facebook+ Possibly manage Mailchimp campaigns+ Would love them to be Bay Area based (but definitely not a must) Have any of you attempted to hire out this work? Good experience? Less than good experience? Interns?  I would LOVE love LOVE any feedback. Many thanks in advance!Warmly,Joanna

Names: Liz Castelli, Adette Contreras & Erica Taylor Haskins​, Founding Partners QB Community member name: TINSEL Business: TINSEL Experiential Design Location: Brooklyn, NY Launched: 2010​ The event design team at TINSEL has been making beautiful music together since they were in college. Erica Taylor Haskins, Liz Castelli and Adette Contreras originally met while singing with the The GW Vibes at The George Washington University. Many years, and a few day jobs later, the three now run a successful business designing high-end events for clients including Squarespace, Botkier, Swarovski and KLM Airlines. Early on in their entrepreneurial adventure, the co-founders laid out 15 core values for their business. Clearly defining those values has helped them grow TINSEL from a wedding planning side-business into a full-time luxury “experiential design” firm working with a collective of 80+ creatives, all while staying true to their company culture and mission. We spoke with Erica, Liz

  Name: Lynda Artesani QB Community member name: lynda Business: Artesani Bookkeeping Location: Estero, Florida Launched: 1999 as Rhode Island Bookkeeping; 2007 as Artesani Bookkeeping   If you’ve spent any time in here in the QB Community, you’ll be familiar with Lynda, one of our most active and engaged members. Chances are, if you’ve asked a QuickBooks-related question, Lynda, a QuickBooks Certified ProAdvisor, has answered it. Why is Lynda so generous with what she knows? It’s simple. She likes helping others, and she loves what she does. We spoke with Lynda about keeping books for other people and running her own side business, too. Plus, she shares hot tips for dealing with Self-Employed Taxes. Lynda, how did you become a bookkeeping entrepreneur? Accounting was always my thing, even way back in high school. Later, when my children were small, I had several jobs as a bookkeeper. I ended up working full-time as a building manager in Providence, RI, managing 300 uni

  "In order to grow big, you have to THINK big."                    - Julie Gordon White   Sometimes we could really use a little help from our friends. Would you love some help thinking big? Julie Gordon White and the QB Community are here for you. Join the Momentum to $1 Million Group launching on Monday, April 2! Click here to join now!   Julie Gordon White Helps Businesses Owners "Think Big and Grow Big" So They Can Sell Big  

I have a condo Assoc who received a 1099S for sale of an easement.  Unfortunately, the Condo association does not own the land but is the individual members. Can the condo association issue a 1099S to each of the landowners for their portion of the proceeds?

A few of my clients routinely run late on paying their invoices. They are repeat customers who always pay eventually, but their inconsistency makes it difficult for me to plan ahead. Any recommendations on wording for the note on my reminder invoice? I want to convey that I appreciate their business while also reinforcing that I need these invoices to be paid on time!

Even the most promising startups can be derailed by supply chain drama. Case in point: ice cream sandwich entrepreneurs Paula and Chris White of 600 lb gorillas.   The couple quit their desk jobs and started 600 lb gorillas in 2000, selling all-natural frozen cookie dough. The product was a hit and, at the urging of their buyer at BJ’s Wholesale Clubs, the Whites expanded into the ice cream sandwich business. They hired a production outfit called Mister Cookie Face to manufacture ice cream sandwiches from their cookie dough and premium ice cream sourced from a Vermont supplier. Customers loved it. Sales soared.   Then Mister Cookie Face was acquired by Fieldbrook Foods, a major ice cream producer. Fieldbrook Foods made the Whites a tempting offer: “Why not cut costs by letting us make your ice cream for you?” No formal contract - just a few product specifications and a handshake.   Things didn’t go well. Customers complained of inferior ice cream taste and texture, and

QB Community members love exchanging ideas, insights and inspiration. Not a member here yet? Click HERE to register, and join the conversation today! Name: Leane Reelfs QB Community member name: @CarGirlLeane Business: Helming’s Auto Repair Founded: Leane and her husband, Mike, bought the existing shop in 2001 Leane Reelfs never imagined she’d one day own an auto repair shop. Sure, her husband, Mike, had worked for the original owner for a decade. But Leane, who’d previously worked in food service and in publishing, knew making the transition from employee (and employee’s wife) to small business owners could be tricky. Turns out, they were up for the challenge. Today, Mike focuses on the service in the back of the Mountain View, CA-based shop. Leane manages all aspects of the front – from customer service to marketing to accounting. She’s an ASE Certified Service Advisor, too. More importantly, she’s known for providing a warm, friendly “Leane Experience,” making her Silicon Valley cu

  Name: Ana Rivera Business: The HVAC Guys Founded: 2016 A couple of years ago, on an otherwise ordinary day, Ana Rivera was working as a property manager in La Habra, CA, when her husband came home from work unhappy. Luis worked for a large heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) company, and he was frustrated by the pressure to replace, rather than fix, HVAC systems in order to meet certain quotas. “It just didn’t sit right with him,” recalls Ana. Within a week, the couple, who are parents to five kids, had made the momentous decision to open their own business. The goal: to build a company around their “family first” values and their commitment to their Orange County community. Ana, you and Luis made a life-changing decision out of the blue and in record time. Is that typical for you guys?   Not at all! Before I make a decision, I like to sit down, make a plan and figure out how to execute it. When Luis left his job and we opened The HVAC Guys a week later, it w

Does anyone know of some funding sources for nonprofits?  We want to establish a line of credit or some other funding source.  We are a small national nonprofit.  

  Name: Aytakin “Ika” Aliyeva Organization: Femigrants Foundation Location: Mountain View, California Launched: March, 2017 Aytakin “Ika” Aliyeva became passionate about pursuing a career in social media after witnessing the organizational power of Twitter and Facebook during the Arab Spring of 2010. So she came to the United States from Azerbaijan, earned a college degree in social media marketing and, with $300 in her pocket, moved to San Francisco. Today, Ika (“eye-kuh”) contracts for Instagram/Facebook and successfully launched Femigrants Foundation to support immigrant women entrepreneurs -- but it was a very lonely and difficult start on the road to achieving her American Dream. We spoke with Ika about building a 2,500-member community of immigrant women, the challenges she has faced and overcome and her ongoing belief in the power of social media. Ika, what did you do before you founded Femigrants? Before I came here I had a good job with an oil company in Azerbaijan, b

We want to share print, scan, and fax among multiple computers. How can we do this?

Are you a "joiner"? If so, what do you get out of being a part of a group? If groups aren't your thing, why not? How do you connect with others in your community, your industry, and your marketplace?

Last July I proclaimed my New Years Resolution for 2018 figuring that I would need the extra couple months of preparation.  With the first of many pending deadlines now passed, I am happy to report that I am holding true to my personal promise.    I wanted to give a shout out to all my fellow accountants during this busy time of year and share the beautiful sunset here in Ventura, CA!  Thanks to QuickBooks Online you could always suffer through taxes out here with Parkway!   During such a busy time of year, it is easy to loose focus on the amazing things that surround us everyday. Remember the say is "Work Hard... to Play Hard"   Tax Countdown 36 Days till March 15th 67 Days till April 15th   68 Days till _______________   Fill in the blank!  What are your plans after tax season?