Business Discussions

What's your secret weapon for staying on-task -- and keeping your head on straight! -- when you're juggling a million different things each and every day?

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  The most successful business owners have a crystal clear picture of where they want to be in three years and what they need to do today to get there. They also have a target "number" to track their progress.    You have your target "number," right?   If you are anything like me, you do not. A target number is one of those things that you keep thinking about doing right after you finish binge watching season three of Scandal.    The reality is that we're better at building these goals and financial targets in a network with other small business owners and self-employed professionals. That's why we we've created QB Community. It's faster -- and more fun -- to share our stories and remix the experiences of others into our own decisions.    This post is perfect for members who are ready to take their business to the next level as part of defining your Main Goal and launching your Morning Ritual.    Let's Get Started     For us

  Becoming successfully self-employed is no easy feat. However, after talking to so many of you about how you created your jobs and how you found your first customers, we passionately believe in the opportunity to tap this powerful community to successfully make the leap to self-employment.   Whether you want to hone your skills as an independent contractor, kick off freelance work, work from home or sell on Etsy, your fellow members and their stories enable all of us to learn faster and realize success sooner with fewer mistakes along the way.   As an easy way to get started, we've put together the following series to capture some of the most important stories and ideas throughout our community. Enjoy, and we can't wait to have you share your own story on the way to becoming a secret weapon in achieving everything you want to achieve.   The Handbook forHow to Be Self-Employed: Part One     1. What kind of self-employed job am I qualified for? Becoming s

  Jamie loved her 9-to-5 job, but she knew that she had more to give. After a frank conversation with her boss, she decided to throw herself into the deep end and turn her part-time project Kolorize into her full-time career.    Now that Jamie is successfully self-employed, we couldn’t wait to find out more about how she prices her products, what a typical day looks like in her world and what she's hoping to learn next from *you.*   Name: Jamie Kaczmarczyk Business: Kolorize Started: October 2011   How did you create your awesome job?   I started Kolorize on a whim after my son was born, as a side project alongside my full-time job.    I worked at Crate and Barrel for nine years as Lead Store Merchandiser in Kansas City. The job gave me a lot of creative control and opportunity, but I got to the point where I couldn’t keep putting so much effort into someone else’s business. I was ready for a change.    So, roughly a yea

  After seven years of studying French, Elizabeth Mack thought she was as good as fluent. It wasn’t until she traveled to France after graduation and tried to hold a conversation, however, that she realized how wrong she was. For years, Elizabeth felt cheated by the American education system, but now she’s taking matters into her own hands.    We spoke with the founder of the Freestyle Language Center in Austin, TX to find out what sets her classes apart from her more traditional competitors, the power of independent thought and the joy of watching a community come together with a common aim.     Name: Elizabeth Mack   Business: Freestyle Language Center   Started: November 2011   How did you create your awesome job?    I’ve always been a linguaphile. I studied 18th-century French literature at college and lived in Holland for three years where I learned Dutch. My first experience of combining my love of langua

  Everything Tasha Chapman does is influenced by the sea, from the aquatic themes that characterize her illustrations to how she found her husband.    After she created the small business of her dreams right from her beachfront home in Boca Raton, Florida, she learned a ton about how to price for wholesale customers and what her big goals are for her business.   We caught up with her to find out what a typical day looks like her in world and what she's hoping to learn next from *you.*    Name: Tasha Chapman Business: Chapman at Sea Started: 2012   What inspired you to create your business? After studying illustration at the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale, I became a freelance illustrator and graphic designer. I’ve always loved being in the water, and one of my biggest passions is scuba diving, which is how I met my husband.    A few years ago we made friends with some surfers who took me out, and I

   Everything Tasha Chapman does is influenced by the sea, from the aquatic themes that characterize her illustrations to how she found her husband.    After she created the small business of her dreams right from her beachfront home in Boca Raton, Florida, she learned a ton about how to price for wholesale customers and what her big goals are for her business.   We caught up with her to find out what a typical day looks like her in world and what she's hoping to learn next from *you.*    Name: Tasha Chapman Business: Chapman at Sea Started: 2012   What inspired you to create your business? After studying illustration at the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale, I became a freelance illustrator and graphic designer. I’ve always loved being in the water, and one of my biggest passions is scuba diving, which is how I met my husband.    A few years ago we made friends with some surfers who took me out,

    When Justin Nelson left the Marine Corps after serving in Afghanistan, he wanted to find a job that would allow him to spend more time at home. His new house in Oregon came with its own studio, so he dusted off his carpentry tools and set about creating a business that would give him the flexibility he was looking for.    Just five months after launching Fernweh Woodworking, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity presented itself — and Justin hasn’t looked back since. We couldn’t wait to find out how a hashtag on Instagram transformed his business.     Name: Justin Nelson   Business: Fernweh Woodworking   Started: January 2015   How did you create your awesome job?   I was a Marine for four years after I graduated from college. I wanted to serve in Afghanistan and was deployed to Helmand Province for a year, starting in 2012. I met my wife, who at the time was a nurse in the Air Force, while I was stationed there. We

  Sara's husband Dru traded in his career as a civil engineer for a life of entrepreneurship and brewing his own beer. But building a brewery from the ground up is no simple task.    Learning the ins and outs of small business ownership, targeting customers and creating an adaptive business model has taken serious effort on their part. We were lucky enough to hear firsthand how Sara and Dru are making it work when they decided to put everything on the line.    Let's hear their story!     Name: Sara Giuffrida    Business: Dru Bru   Started: Winter 2014   How did you create your awesome job?   Dru, my husband, used to be a civil engineer who loved home brewing. As his hobby became a passion and then a downright obsession, we went so far as to remodel the backyard of our townhouse to make room for his brewing equipment!    We were giving out beer to friends and family and hearing loads of positive f

 As a child, Jenna painted washcloths to use as quilts for her toys — and the desire to create comforting blankets never left.   Now that she's created her own business making beautiful custom quilts, Jenna shares with us the story of finding her first customer and how she's hoping to improve in her business next.   Name: Jenna Valoe Business: Rain and the River Started: August 2012   How did you create your awesome job? I always thought it would be really cool to be an artist. My family is also very creative, so they’ve always supported me. When I was younger, I didn’t necessarily want to own a business, but I knew I always wanted to use my art to make things that comforted people.   I worked as a seamstress while I went to college studying cultural anthropology and spent my spare time sewing for myself and making quilts for my family. I loved making things so much, but got to the point where I realized I had to do something more with my items

Everyone wants More Followers on Twitter. They make you look more credible and popular, giving you an instant level of authority. Acquiring followers is not always easy, especially if you’re new to the platform. Twitter newbies often have to endure a long, tedious and unpredictable process of slowly growing a following. There are ways to expedite this process as much as possible, however. Having a solid and well-thought out strategy in place can help you become more influential more quickly. When used consistently, growth techniques can help you gain more followers and become more authoritative on Twitter. Before you skyrocket to notoriety on the platform, you’ll first need to cover the basics. Once that is done, you can get your hands dirty with more complex techniques that can help you boost your follower count. If you’re a Twitter looking to conquer the platform, you came to the right place. Below are some indispensable tips to help you hack your growth without breaking a sweat.

    We're celebrating #CustomerLove by sharing our own stories of how we show our customers we care — whether we're going after repeat business, or just focusing on building a new brand.   Nigerian-born and Memphis-based, Funlola Coker created her Etsy shop and custom boutique once she discovered that she loved making miniature food out of polymer clay. Now, she sells a range of quirky accessories to a growing number of fun-loving fashionistas and art lovers alike.   We talked to Funlola about taming her detail-obsessed demons, tackling technology and why she's so focused on making her customers happy.   Name: Funlola Coker Business: Funlola’s Workshop Started: 2010   Tell us more about your background. How did you come to create your business?   I moved to the US from Lagos, Nigeria in 2007 and I've been determined to take advantage of every opportunity since then.    During my college years, I focused on metalsmithing

    With two daughters, a full roller derby practice schedule and a coaching itinerary to juggle, Erica Voges proves it's not impossible to balance a hectic social life with the demands of a business. Her derby-inspired t-shirt store started small, but she quit her day job and now creates for a living.   We caught up with her to talk about getting her Etsy shop noticed, the benefits of being a workaholic and how to deal with running a business *and* having a life.   Name: Erica Voges   Business: Caustic Threads   Started: 2009   How did you create your awesome job?   My business started on Etsy and that's still a large source of my income. I also now have a decent wholesale business and sell to boutiques across the country.    I have a degree in fashion design and originally intended to sell primarily original hand-sewn designs in Caustic Threads. I had a new baby girl and found that most of those kinds of products were too time-consum

  When her personal antique collection started taking over her home, selling her treasures online seemed like the perfect solution for Jill.    Now, what started as a solution to a problem has turned into an internationally successful business — and her husband has been able to reclaim the garage space!    We had to find out more about how Jill made the transition from hobby to running a real business and where she's hoping to grow next in her business (hint: she's looking to *you* for some ideas    Name: Jill Ridener Business: Bellalulu Vintage Started: January 2008   What inspired you to open up your shop and start selling your vintage finds? I never had ambitions to run a business, actually! I worked as an interior designer before I had my girls, but stayed at home after the first was born. I’ve always loved shopping for vintage goods, ever since my mom, who is an antique collector, used to take me out to flea markets with her

    After receiving a request from a friend for an anime-inspired ring, Kevin Hayden realized there was a demand for his geek-inspired accessories. He created Critical Hit Collectibles soon after, an Etsy shop where like-minded folks can find the offbeat trinkets he makes by hand.   We talked with Kevin about what it's like to be featured on blogs, selling to Star Trek actor Wil Wheaton and how a small favor for a friend started him on a path toward something *big.*     Name: Kevin Hayden Business: Critical Hit Collectibles Started: 2011   What inspired you to launch your online shop?   I started making things when I was enrolled in art school, specifically a jewelry class. I originally took orders through my DeviantArt page, but after that I moved onto selling things through eBay.    Then I migrated to Etsy, which is where I've been ever since.   Do you remember how you got your first customer?   A f

          Todd Eby describes himself as an “anti-consultant.” The seasoned veteran in customer success — which he describes as everything that happens *after* you gain a client — launched SuccessHacker earlier this year to help small businesses achieve big results.   Not one to get lost in theory, Todd favors a practical approach, breaking down his recommendations into manageable milestones and charging based on results. We caught up with him to ask why having a solid business plan is a good idea and how anyone with a growing business can improve their chances of holding onto customers.   Name: Todd Eby Business: SuccessHacker Started: February 2016     How did you create your awesome job? I’ve been working in customer success for 24 years, most of which I spent building customer success organizations and implementing software for telecomms providers. While I found working with bigger companies interesting, it

    We first met Jen Jones in OWN IT. We loved her story of why she started her business and how she's currently tapping into our amazing community here to get answers and grow her business. So, we asked her to share more about how it all began.   After Jen and her husband moved across the country to spend several months taking care of her husband's terminally ill grandfather, the couple soon found themselves in debt. A year and a half later, thanks for Jen's part-time work hosting jewelry parties, they paid off everything they owed. That's what really pushed Jen to quit her day job and focus full-time on growing her business.   Jen knew she loved bringing people together to have fun and relax, but jewelry and fashion were never really her thing. She noticed a lot of painting party studios popping up and was struck by the idea of creating a mobile version she could take to people’s houses. There was only one problem: she didn’t know how to

    Between teaching sewing classes and running her own business, Sarah Burroughs of Anne B Designs also manages to give back to her community by hiring refugees. Her beautiful bags and totes have seen a great response so far in Europe and in the US, but she's still growing her business slowly step by step.    We chatted with Sarah about how she got up the courage to quit her day job, what she's learned about work-life balance and what she's hoping to learn next from *you.*   Name: Sarah Burroughs     Business: Anne B Designs     Started: 2014     What inspired you to start your own small business?   Anne is my middle name and I loved the thought of calling my fashion design company Anne B ever since high school, when I first started making bags. By the time I went to college, I was making them for friends and getting more and more positive feedback.   After college, I had a marketing job that ju

      Erik Burling and his wife, Lauren, run a full-service yoga studio with a difference. Located in one of Philadelphia's toughest areas, Roots Philly Yoga sets itself apart by offering free classes to homeless people in the community once a week.   With business burgeoning less than a year in, we sat down with Erik to talk about how patience pays off, why outreach is so important and what yoga can do to help create an inclusive community.   Name: Erik Burling   Business: Roots Philly Yoga   Started: June 2015   How did you create your awesome job?   I studied broadcasting at Temple University and worked as an anchor for a local news channel for three years. I loved the job, but the lifestyle that came with it wasn’t for me.    I started practicing yoga as a way to unwind, and became so drawn to it that I knew I had to find a way to do it every day.    I eventually left the world of broadcastin

      Author, entrepreneur and USA Today columnist, Rhonda Abrams is widely recognized as one of the nation’s foremost experts on small business, entrepreneurship and business planning. She was also one of our special guests atQuickbooks Connect Chicago recently, where she led a session on the five key things every small business owner must do in order to get more customers online.   We asked Rhonda to share with us a bit more about her own journey to entrepreneurship and why it's crucial to identify your niche.          Tell us a bit about your background. When and how did you decide you wanted to be an entrepreneur?   I grew up in Los Angeles and went to UCLA, then attended grad school at Harvard. I lived in Texas for a few years after that, but soon found my way to San Francisco.    I worked for the Anti-Defamation League for awhile, but realized early on during that experience that I wanted to work fo

      Husband and wife duo Nate and Erin Moren have been on the same track since they met at college. Now, with their company Tandem Made, they've combined business with pleasure to make high-quality, bespoke furniture, jewelry and home accessories that blend function with style.    Erin loves the excitement of producing unique items for equally unique clients, so we chatted with her to learn more about what their day-to-day is like, how they price their products and what areas she's hoping to master next as a successful small business owner.     Name: Erin Moren Business: Tandem Made Started: 2011   How did you create your awesome job? I have a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with a focus on furniture design from Minneapolis College of Art and Design (MCAD). That’s where, in the woodshop, I met my husband and now business partner, Nate, who was in the same courses.   We started  Tandem Made just after w

        Videos tell great stories. For small businesses and self-employed professionals looking to get more customers or grow followers, they also hold within them lessons worth stealing.   Dollar Shave Club launched a subscription razor business in 2012 with one perfect video. Three years later, their launch video "Our Blades Are F***ing Great" has racked up 19 million views on YouTube and the company has raised over $72 million in capital. This means they have also figured out how to generate cold hard cash through predictable sales from new and returning customers. So, how did they get started? Let's roll the tape.   A Clear Customer in Mind: Twentysomething Dudes The Dollar Shave Club customer was clear. It was created for young, "metrosexual" men who cared as much about their wallet as their face. These men probably looked a lot like Mike Durbin, the company co-founder and host of the video.   It's not hard to imagine the gu

  The love of the deal and a desire to help other entrepreneurs inspired Julie Gordon White to start her own boutique acquisitions firm and The WELL, a consulting and mentoring business for female entrepreneurs. Both of Julie’s business ventures are aimed at helping small business owners take their business to the next level — and make them appealing to potential buyers.   Here, we chat with her about the secrets to making your business sellable, bringing in more cash and what you can expect from her talk at QuickBooks Connect 2015: “Lessons Learned from Growing a $1M Business and How You Can Too,” all about taking your business past the one million mark.       Tell us a little more about yourself and the businesses you’ve created.   I started my first company in 2004, after spending five years in the hotel industry. Once I started having kids, it was a bit hard to travel the world with little ones in tow. I worked on a lot of things that didn’t pan out u

      How did a former stay-at-home mom buy a 32,000-sq. ft. equestrian complex and start a horse riding school so trusted that its clients come from as far away as Australia? We *had* to hear her crazy story, so we asked Corinne Lettau, owner of Denver Equestrians Riding School, to share with us how she used Groupon to launch her business and why she focuses on word-of-mouth momentum to build customer relationships.   We'll let Corinne take it from here...     Name: Corinne Lettau Business: Equestrian Center Owner Started: 2008    How did you create your amazing job?   Back in 2008, I was a stay-at-home mom and my child was starting kindergarten, so I made the decision to go back to work. I couldn't find any jobs in my previous field, which was advertising and marketing, so I thought, "I'll just teach some riding lessons and see how it goes."   Then I heard about  Groupon in 2009. I recognized i