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Recently I hired a nanny to help watch my kids while I work from home. This was new for me, and I wasn’t quite sure how to go about paying her. All I knew was that paying “under the table” or without either of us documenting her salary was sketchy at best, and illegal at worst. Not wanting to tangle with the IRS or owe them any more than I already have to, I started researching the best way to stay above-board while being fair all around*. Now, just a few days later, I have an automated payroll system, plus direct-deposit and tax-withholding accounts. Remember, I had no idea how to get or manage any of these things before I became a household employer. And if I can do it, trust me -- you can, too! (*Always consult with your tax pro about anything IRS-related to confirm all the answers you need for your business. I’m sharing what I learned based on my recent, first-hand experience going through the household employer process. ) Here’s what you need to know,
On my 2 primary social channels/platforms --- FB & LI ---- I've been sharing every couple of days a reflection in a post of the first five years of networking since I first made the entrepreneurial leap from reaching out to my original circles of influence to brand new people back in Jan '13. There will be 10 - ten - total posts. Six of them are already out there & the 7th will be later tonight. If / when anyone might be interested in me sharing them here on the forum, be glad to. At your everlasting service, -SJ
How much do you usually sleep and work? What schedule do you have?
Newsflash: Of the top ten most commonly Googled tax questions, four have to do with deadlines and procrastination. What's the single biggest hurdle you encounter (mentally or otherwise) in preparing your tax return, and how do you muscle through?
What is the place of presentations in marketing? Is it useful for business?
It's a tough, layered question that revolves around multiple perspectives of ethics, security and privacy. What are the potential effects on the business? What are your thoughts?
I understand that there are very few real business owners on this site, and this question/discussion is really aimed at them. At some point the business moves to paid advertising. So my questions are:1. How do you determine which type of paid advertising it is that you will use? (radio, TV, print, newspaper, magazines, fliers, direct mail, etc)2. And once you made that decision, how do you track ROI? (Return on Investment)Please, let's keep this to paid advertising.
Hi there, I have a few tax questions reguarding the salon. I recently just opened in mid October last year 2017. Im not sure on all deductions, one question I have is can I deduct beauty expenses on myself? It is apart of my professional appearance. Any ideas? ie: hair products, skin care?
I don't take on clients, I help in the forums and locally for free, hoping to garner some good Karma <smile>. But if I did, over the past decade I would have had to hire several accountants to handle the business owners that requested it. I've considered it a time or two and that got me thinking.So for those of you who do take on clients, I am curious.1. Do you do an in depth background check for a prospective employee? And if so how often do you redo it? And if not then why not?2. Do you carry a surety bond on the business and your employees?3. Drug test as part of the hiring process? Random tests periodically?4. Data security is a big one. How do you safe guard clients data files and receipts, that may go back years. What access control policies do you use for that data?
Small business owners in the next town over from mine are third in line to receive $500K in a nationwide social media contest, and folks here are kind of freaking out. Amesbury, MA, has ranked in the top five of Small Business Revolution - Main Street, and local residents, along with those of Alton, IL; Bastrop, TX; Siloam Spring, AK; and Martinez, CA are voting online daily through February 20 in the hopes of snagging the $500,000 prize to re-energize their local business scene. As you can imagine, competition is FIERCE. I bring this up not because I want Amesbury to win (I do) or because I think you should, too, (although I wouldn't say no!) but because there's an awful lot of people-energy invested in this contest, and I think it's telling. In this age of globalization our local communities are looking for any opportunity to "root, root, root for the home team" - and that is a massive asset for small business owners everywhere.
Spend just a few minutes talking with Jeremy Malman, and it becomes clear he’s a deeply passionate guy. He admits he gets bored so quickly it’s practically a disorder, and he explains he left a highly competitive Ph.D. program in clinical psychology because his fellow academics didn’t share his “fire” to make things better for at-risk teens. Today, Jeremey channels his passion to help struggling kids through his non-profit, Worth Motorcycle Company. Staffed by a team of dedicated volunteers, Worth Motorcycles is a 501c3 with a truly heartfelt mission: to build and restore teens’ self-worth as they learn to build and restore vintage bikes. Nice. Since this is the month we officially celebrate love, we’ll leave you with this sweet story from Jeremy. “We bring in the kids you’d never typically see as an ideal work candidate – they’re not enrolled in school, they’ve been in foster care, in juvenile detention. They’ve never succeeded at anything, because they’ve never had the opportunity
WIth the Olympic Games in full swing, we’re glued to our screens watching those medal counts grow. Sports like hockey or curling require a group effort to win the gold, while figure skating or ski jumping are solo endeavors. Of course, every athlete -- and every entrepreneur -- has a team supporting them in one way or another. But it begs the question: How do you prefer to work? Are you more of “solopreneur?” Do you like to gather the team for group projects? Maybe a little of both?
Name: Rachel Bowes QB Community member name: @RachelBowes Business: Finch & Thistle Event Design Launched: 2008 When Seattle-based event and floral designer Rachel Bowes was laid off from her non-profit event planner job, she decided to be her own boss. She started Finch and Thistle with the goal of having greater flexibility at work -- a goal she definitely achieved when she slowed down her business following the birth of her first child. That was three years ago. Today, Rachel is gearing back up big time, growing her business to include a new kind of design package -- and there’s even a from-scratch event venue in the works. We spoke with Rachel about leveraging social media to build her brand and coming up with creative and new ideas to serve her clients. Rachel, why did you get into the floral/event planning business? When I was working in the non-profit world as an event planner, I learned I liked the more creative parts of my job the most -- the
Name: Nikki Pendleton Bell QB Community member name: TheDomesticDiva Business: Domestic Divas, LLC Launched: 2008 Nikki Bell was keeping very busy in TV advertising sales before she left to open her own cleaning business, Domestic Divas in San Antonio, TX. The economic downturn of 2008 meant sales had slowed, and, with two young children at home, Nikki figured it was the right time to transition to something she really loved: housecleaning. Now, Domestic Divas is a booming business. But Nikki does more than just create jobs. She’s instilling a lasting sense of confidence in her employees, many of whom needed a clean start in life. We spoke with Nikki about her passion for her work, her employees and what it takes to be the freshest boss ever. How did you decide to start a housekeeping business? In 2008, I was working -- a lot -- in TV advertising sales. I was also a mother to two elementary-school-aged children, and I needed to be more present for the
Tracen Gardner of Texas-based Reclaimed Space builds stunning custom-designed cabins out of reclaimed materials and ships them - often fully furnished - to destinations all over the U.S. Wow! What makes your business stand out?
We love the Olympics around here! Watching athletes from all over the globe is not only inspiring, it’s educational as well. How many times have you pulled out a map or read about another country’s customs while taking in an event? We know we have! The Games have got us thinking internationally, so we want to know: Have you taken your business beyond your country’s border? What were some of the complications you faced bringing products or services international? What insights can you share about going worldwide?
Name: Hanna Broer QB Community member name: @HannaB Business: Hanna Broer Design Launched: 2011 Craftsbury, Vermont-based designer, Hanna Broer, is a one-woman operation -- from design to sewing to racing packages to her tiny town’s post office before the 2:30 closing time. Originally from Canada, Hannah got her professional start working as a seamstress for a designer in Montreal. But she always knew she wanted to strike out on her own. She made herself some underwear one day and thought, “I should sell this!” -- and the rest is history. We spoke with this lingerie lady from her third-floor sewing studio (where she sits atop a village grocer and a tattoo parlor) about loving your body, eco-conscious design and how she staves off the loneliness of working solo. Hanna, how did you get started in the clothing business? I worked for a fashion designer in Montreal who had a women’s clothing shop. I was the shop assistant and a seamstress. I really enjoyed it, but I was very much planning
Hi Everyone, How must a business gear up to face Holidays and Special Days? Any ideas? Ever thought of making a calender at the beginning of every year and marking out the Holidays and Special Days and having a strategy for such days. Businesses can do well if they plan out these special times and work sales strategies around them. Holiday season is big time for most businesses and so are Special Days such as Valentines Day. Planning for such days one must consider Stocks and Labour. Also this is the time when Employees too want offs. Having a plan and working out all the details over and over before the rush starts could be a good way to be one step ahead. Above all this is also the time when the very very special people around you want to spend more time with you. So plan for that too. Have a Great time everyone.
Where I live in Massachusetts, no amount of signage or other early-warning systems seem to prevent trucks from getting stuck in our notoriously low-clearance tunnels and underpasses. Know what they use in Australia? Holograms. Holograms and also waterfalls. You see, you need an actual surface to project the hologram on - one that can be lowered and raised easily regardless of passing traffic. When a too-tall vehicle approaches the Harbour Tunnel in Sydney, Australia, it trips a sheet of falling water that serves as the projector screen for a giant stop sign. You kinda can't miss it. Do you know what this means? Among other things, it means that someone, somewhere had a really great boss. I imagine a meeting about the problem of too-tall trucks, and a raised hand: "How about we use a hologram of a stop sign?" Better yet, someone suggested this new application for hologram technology and the person next to him said, "That might work, but you'd need a giant waterfall to pr
Artist and illustrator Emily Rose Thomson designs colorful critters to hold, wear or display. Whether it’s a hedgehog totem, a bird necklace or a plush Loch Ness Monster, her pieces are cute, quirky and adorable. We caught up with the New York-based maker to talk about why asking for help from her fellow small business owners is so important, what she's learned about making your product photography stand out and — most importantly — the big questions she has for all of *you* here in QB Commununity! Read on to hear her small business story, and help her out by sharing your own tips in the comments below! Name: Emily Rose Thomson Business: PeriwinkleNuthatch Illustration and Art Pieces Started: October 2011 How did you start your awesome business? I thought I was going to lose my day job, so I decided I could try selling my art online. As a kid, I always made a profit selling art — I used to paint pictures of people's pets on rocks! My mom was actuall
