How do you build your business? What are the oncoming trends that you must pay attention to? Will some new philosophy come along to change the way business is done? Each year hundreds of thousands of pages and countless digital gigabytes are devoted to these questions. No matter how dedicated you are, you’ll never have time to read them all. You probably shouldn’t even try. Here are five of the best 2016 has to offer:
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“I wish they made days that had more than 24 hours in them so I can get all of this done.” If you find yourself saying this too often, it may be time to delegate some of the responsibility for running your business. Though it’s tempting to want to keep your finger on the pulse of every little detail, it becomes more and more difficult as the business grows. If you haven’t seen the recent movie, The Intern, with Anne Hathaway and Robert DeNiro, check it out as an example.
Trying to be everything to everyone can leave you unfocused. You may end up forgetting deadlines or glossing over details because you have so many other things on your plate. You may even be forced to re-do some of your work, adding another job to your ever-growing list. By assigning less executive-level or more routine tasks to others, you free up more time to use on the core aspects of your business.
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If you’re trying to get your online presence established for your business, you may have come across the name ‘Fiverr.’
The site is one of a new breed of marketplaces that are changing the way things are done online. Similar to other more well-known sites like E-bay and Etsy, Fiverr is an online marketplace, where sellers offer their products and services to potential clients. The site gets its name from the practice of offering a service or “Gig” for an introductory cost of just $5. The reach is global, and the Gigs include copywriting and editing, logo design, video and animation and more. Whatever your needs, the site says, there is likely someone registered with Fiverr who has the skills to do it.
The Christmas tree has been secured in its box for another year, the tinsel has been taken down and the colored lights are already a fading memory. Yes, the holidays are over, and it’s time to get serious about your marketing for 2016. Right?
Well, not so fast. For smart marketing people, the holidays are never over. Even though the major ones like Christmas and New Years have passed, there are still plenty of smaller ones throughout the year. Each one of these presents an opportunity for creative marketing.
When you’re a small business owner at tax time, the bottom line is that you want that bottom line to be as small as possible. Here are some tips that can lower your tax liability this year:
As a business owner, you may attend seminars on how to move your product, watch videos on leadership, or listen to audio books on the Zen of being a Mom & Pop shop—but do you know where to find the resources for when and how to file Form 1099-Misc?
Often business owners think they know all there is to know about the 1099 Misc, and sum it up with “I only have to file one if a worker earns over $600.” While that is true, 1099s also need to be issued when you’re paying attorneys over $600, and paying rents to property owners for business space. You can read all about these other items in the 1099-Misc instructions on IRS.gov at your leisure, but for now let’s take a look at the form as far as your workers are concerned.
Your day has 1,440 minutes in it, so what difference will 15 minutes make? At just over 1 percent of those potentially available minutes, it seems like no time at all. For starters, it’s long enough to get something done, and short enough to make sure you can chisel it out of your schedule.
If you’re prepared, you’ll be surprised to find you can get more done in 15 minutes than you can in an entire afternoon.
“You’re my #1 customer,” says workaholic Howard Langston in the 1996 film Jingle All the Way. It may be a phrase that works wells for Langston’s clients, but it’s not what his wife wants to hear when she calls him at the office to ask why he’s not attending the graduation ceremony for his son’s karate class. Like many of us, Langston is passionate about his work, but even when we’re passionate, we still need balance.
An interesting real-life example of devotion to business and family to the professed exclusion of all else is Carlos Brito, 55-year-old Brazilian CEO of InBev, which took over Anheuser-Busch in 2008. If you are a GKIC member, read about him in the January 2016 No B.S. Newsletter. If not, check out Fortune.com’s interview here.
Seriously?? You own a small business and you don’t have a membership site? Learn 7 reasons why you should reconsider and stop leaving money on the table and customers by the wayside — check out my latest article in GKIC's No B.S. Marketing Letter…
Helping to make more satisfied, more productive employees
There are infinite ways to use a membership site. In previous articles, we talked about ways to externally use membership sites to make your business better. Have you thought about using one internally to improve your employees experience and productivity?
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