Combined List of Top Business Books for 2017 small business |
- Combined List of Top Business Books for 2017
- Has anyone successfully run a cotton candy business?
- What business book helped you the most in your business?
- Opening a gas station
- How to prevent voiding liability protection of a LLC?
- Moving from accounting to becoming a handyman?
- Newcomer with only several months since retail store opened. What kind of drop off should I expect for January?
- Credit card dispute
- How should I market my idea? (Currently frenzied and lacking direction)
- manufacturing, sourcing, supply chain management platform help
- 100% Franchise financing?
- Letting employees using company equipment for personal projects. Looking for advice!
- Six Strategies for Gaining Instagram Followers
- Point of Sale Australia
- Facebook Business Page
- Google AdWords for small service business
- Social media marketing / management for small businesses.
- How do I deal with an underperforming employee? Have I been doing it correctly?
- Raising funds for a nonprofit organization
- My business is terrible and it's all my fault.
- Ditching my accountant. Recs for tax filing on the cheap?
- About to form my S-Corp, questions for filing returns
- Pricing structure poll
- Can anyone help with suggestions for getting my product line into retail?
| Combined List of Top Business Books for 2017 Posted: 30 Dec 2017 12:12 AM PST I took some time to compile a list of the top recommended business books from a number of sources such as... Forbes, FastCompany, Entrepreneur, Inc.com, etc. And I put them into a Googles Sheet table to find the most recommended business across multiple sources. Two First-place winners... 1) Principles by Ray Dalio 2) Reset by Ellen Pao Will put google sheet link in comments. [link] [comments]  |
| Has anyone successfully run a cotton candy business? Posted: 29 Dec 2017 08:57 PM PST I live in San Francisco. I spent about 800 dollars on a cotton candy machine about 3 years ago. I thought the incredible mark up on the sugar was so amazing, someone would be crazy not to sell cotton candy! I had intentions of taking it out to fairs and festivals making money with it. However, given my unpredictable schedule and other things, I've never use the machine to make money. Additionally, if where to take it to a fair or out door event I would need to invest in a generator ($900). Because I would need to plug in some where. If you have made money selling cotton candy how did you do it? Did people just line up for it? How much could you make in a day? Can you do it alone or do you need a partner? Where there bad days? Thank you for you responses. [link] [comments]  |
| What business book helped you the most in your business? Posted: 29 Dec 2017 09:12 PM PST |
| Posted: 29 Dec 2017 06:24 PM PST I just have a few questions about this type of business. I grew up around people who either worked at a gas station or owned one and I have always been a little interested in having my own one day. Currently I am going to college for my Bachelors in Accounting and I hope to get my Masters in Accounting as well. My long term goal is to get my CPA but I would also like to try to own my own business. I know that the real profit is not made from gas but from the products that you sell inside the store. But is it true that you do not really start seeing real profit until you open more than one? I would be perfectly fine with having one. Another question I have is how much does it cost to start out. I have heard that the initial investments are pretty high so I think I should start saving now if I want to open one in the future. If anyone has experience owning one or just knows a bit about the industry I would love to hear from you thanks! [link] [comments]  |
| How to prevent voiding liability protection of a LLC? Posted: 29 Dec 2017 09:59 PM PST https://www.reddit.com/r/tax/comments/7lc9d7/the_new_tax_bill_allows_for_a_20_passthrough/drm60j0/ I read that comment a few minutes ago and it has caught my attention. I have a few questions regarding the liability protection:
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| Moving from accounting to becoming a handyman? Posted: 29 Dec 2017 10:37 AM PST So a little background about me. I went to school for accounting and have been working in the field for the past nine years. It's paid well and has given me the opportunity to purchase two houses, one was a rental property, the other was the primary residence. I've never been a huge fan of sitting at a desk and love working with my hands. Both of the houses were fixer uppers and I did a good amount of the work myself which taught me a great deal. Recently sold both houses and relocated. I've had a lot of interest, even before college, in starting my own handyman business and potentially growing it over time. I was wondering if anyone has had some experience in starting a business from scratch and the steps it took to get it started (ie: did you start an LLC, getting initial customers, how much and the type of planning that went into it, etc.), in the long run, was it worth it, your growing pains, etc. I'm not planning to get this started immediately, but want to put a plan in place over the next 6 months to a year maybe as I'm still settling into the area. From my basic understanding of Florida so far, on top of insurance, to do tiling work (and I'm assuming most other labor type jobs), a license from the county is required. I have a ton of tools so the expense on that side should be minimal and due to selling both houses, have a decent emergency fund. I'm sure there's a ton of stuff I've missed, but just looking to start actually getting some ideas as to what I need to get started with. [link] [comments]  |
| Posted: 29 Dec 2017 10:07 PM PST I've been told that retail stores sales slow down in January. My suppliers even deliver less during that month. Is there a general consensus how much sales drop after the Christmas season? Is it 50% of December sales for example? I'm sure it's not an exact science but at least a general idea. My clientele is still growing so I'm hoping the drop off will not be too significant. Any general ideas would be appreciated. [link] [comments]  |
| Posted: 29 Dec 2017 03:10 PM PST I'm trying to help my dad with a credit card dispute with one of his customers. My dad sells heavy/large goods that cost anywhere from $100 to $500 with $40-$80 shipping charges. He doesn't have a purchasing portal on his website. This means that any transactions must be done over phone, email, text, or in person. My dad sold a custom built item to a guy named Bob. Bob received the item and used it to the point where it is unable to be resold. Bob is unhappy with the durability of the item. My dad then proposed a few return options over email to Bob. The chosen option was as follows: My dad gives Bob a free return shipping label as well as a check for the cost of the item (Bob doesn't get refunded for the initial shipping cost). The physical item is now in my dad's possession. We don't know if the check has been cashed yet. I don't know what the other return options were. Bob has now opened a dispute with the credit card company for the cost of the item and the initial shipping charge. The letter from the credit card company asks for the following: "Please provide a rebuttal why credit is denied and any relevant documents including documented proof of proper disclosure of policy (signed or clicked)." What options does my dad have now? What information should he provide to the credit card company? If the check hasn't been cashed, cancelling it might cost $30. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks! [link] [comments]  |
| How should I market my idea? (Currently frenzied and lacking direction) Posted: 30 Dec 2017 01:41 AM PST Hello! I've always had a love for making things and business. I've recently decided to meld the two, and have an Etsy shop, a Facebook page, an Instagram and a Youtube channel. I also have a Shopify website which I have not yet launched. A few months ago I bought a CNC router and began experimenting with wood. I designed and made a set of desktop speakers which I think look and sound fantastic. The USP of my business is that I put a lot of thought into the design process that's overlooked today, and I make things using slow, careful crafting techniques in-house as opposed to having things cheaply made overseas. I plan on adding additional products - these could be anything from phone holders to wedding ring boxes - anything. Each product will have strong design principles at its core and will be made using the CNC router and hand finishing techniques. I am currently frenzied and don't know how to market this. The most similar company I can think of is Grovemade. I'm not sure exactly how I'd describe what I make as a general rule. I have virtually zero cash to invest further in this project so I'm really struggling with how I'd promote this. Can anyone advise? Thanks! [link] [comments]  |
| manufacturing, sourcing, supply chain management platform help Posted: 30 Dec 2017 12:10 AM PST about 8 months ago I stumbled across this online platform that was a subscription based service offering help with overseas manufacturing all the way to sourcing, supply chain management and quality control. They had several monthly subscription options, in the range between $250-750 / month depending on what you needed... I have misplaced the name and cannot for the life of me find it in browsing history. Any help? [link] [comments]  |
| Posted: 30 Dec 2017 12:09 AM PST I've seen now on multiple bank/lender sites mention of 100% franchise financing. Has anyone heard of this or know what the catch is if there is any? Has anyone obtained a loan to open a franchise? This is one example : [link] [comments]  |
| Letting employees using company equipment for personal projects. Looking for advice! Posted: 29 Dec 2017 12:13 PM PST I am a co-owner of a small manufacturing shop with about 20 employees. We currently allow employees to work on personal projects using the company's fabrication equipment (CNC router, bench lathe, table saw, etc). The employees using the equipment have been trained on proper use and safety. Employees who have not been trained are not permitted to use the equipment for any reason. All personal work is done outside of business hours. We need to make a decision to discontinue or continue this policy (with some sort of waiver/release in place). The cons: Obviously I am concerned about our exposure if an employee were to injure themselves while working on a personal project. It is clear that workers comp won't cover this. Our general liability insurance should provide some protection. And our insurance agent says that having employees sign a release would limit our exposure to a certain extent. But I know that a release is not a fail safe. The pros: I really like allowing employees to use our equipment and tools. We have a lot maker/hobbyist types here. It is a cheap benefit for us to provide (at least until someone loses a finger). I also think that discontinuing this practice will seriously upset some employees. I know several business owners that allow employees to use company equipment for personal projects. Has anyone here made a similar decision for their business? [link] [comments]  |
| Six Strategies for Gaining Instagram Followers Posted: 29 Dec 2017 11:51 PM PST As Instagram continues its meteoric rise in both monthly user base and saturation metrics, it makes sense for businesses to get on board. Statistics show that engagement rate on Instagram is much higher than either Facebook or Twitter. Not making Instagram a part of your marketing campaign is a mistake your business cannot afford to make. With that in mind, here are a few strategies on how to grow your Instagram following: Post Daily Get into a regular flow when posting to Instagram, but don't inundate your followers with content. A few times a day is probably the ideal number. Quality content combined with consistency will do more to drive up your number of followers than flooding their feeds will. Share on a regular basis so you can discover what works best for you and your business. Provide creative, engaging content, and you'll be rewarded with not only more supporters, but followers that are interested in your content. Promote User Content A great way to promote user content is to take fantastic content from other creators, and put it on your Instagram account. Be sure to give credit to the original producer of the material, though. Show off the unique and uncommon stories your users have to tell, and when you do, make sure to add hashtags that point back to your business. Photo Contest Photo contests are a fun way to share your brand while gathering photos from followers under a theme. Be sure to get involved in the contest yourself while sharing it across multiple platforms. But don't be in a hurry. Allow users time to hear about the contest and participate. Make sure the rules are clear and concise, so you avoid confusion with the contest. If you're unsure of how to proceed, find a business to partner up and double the audience. Understand Hashtags Hashtags are an essential part of Instagram, and using the right hashtag can make the difference between a post that falls flat and one that shoots to the top of your followers feeds. To determine the appropriate hashtags to use, peruse the content of those similar to your own. You can search for and record hashtags that are relevant to your brand, then use them in your content to drive traffic to your business. Filter Selection Instagram filters are fun, but also a little confusing. Which ones should you use to drive views and engagement? Pay attention to the responses you receive depending on the filter you use. Some tend to lead to more views, while others may contribute to a higher number of comments. Play around with them and find the ones that work best for your business. Engage Really engage with your followers. A list of all the greatest tips and tricks will be helpful, but they're never going to compete with rolling up your sleeves and getting dirty on the platform. Be intentional about leaving thoughtful, engaging comments, like photos that strike you as meaningful. Find new people to follow on a regular basis, interact with them, and respond to their questions and comments. Doing so will result in natural and organic growth for your Instagram platform. Gaining followings on other social media networks can feel like you're beating your head against a wall, but that doesn't have to be the case with Instagram. Create engaging, quality content and connect with your followers. The way you engage with your followers will have a direct impact on how your account increases. If you're willing to help others, word will spread, and growth will occur. For additional help, you can check out DFY's lead generation system. https://madmakingadifferenceblog.wordpress.com/2017/12/29/six-strategies-for-gaining-instagram-followers/ [link] [comments]  |
| Posted: 29 Dec 2017 11:18 PM PST To all of our fellow Australian Retailers, POS Deals offer Free Postage when you spend $600. Thank you! [link] [comments]  |
| Posted: 29 Dec 2017 04:45 PM PST i recently took over a business, but the facebook page for the company does not have an admin so we cannot add ourselves or remove others. Has anyone run into this issue before? [link] [comments]  |
| Google AdWords for small service business Posted: 29 Dec 2017 01:32 PM PST Ok so recently I posted about doing AdWords for my small service business. Well I talked to a guy who does SEO and website design/building. He is telling me that it's a waste of money to do AdWords that it only has a 2% click through. I started my first campaign as of last night and he's telling me that I shouldn't. Is he right or is he just trying to get me to use him for business? Has anyone had any success for a local service business with a campaign and AdWords? [link] [comments]  |
| Social media marketing / management for small businesses. Posted: 29 Dec 2017 09:03 PM PST I see a lot of small business owners post about things like
Do research or buy it. Better yet, pay people to do it all
Ive got 40 clients as of this moment. So what do I do?
If you're a do it yourself kind of guy. I would advise you to take online courses and self educate as much as possible, it will be more expensive than paying someone else to do it but I find some of us are Elon Musk'ers are prefer to know everything we can fit in our heads wether it be beneficial or not.
Organic doesn't work without work
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| How do I deal with an underperforming employee? Have I been doing it correctly? Posted: 29 Dec 2017 08:27 PM PST So I do vending and I have a sales guy. He's responsible for getting businesses to say yes to having a vending machine. Expansion pretty much starts and stops with him. It's been a week and he has located 0 of 2 machines. I check up on him every day to get a report on his progress and he always tells me he has new leads. My subtle technique to tell him he's messing up was to give him a ton of advice about how to do his job. His response was that he's already been doing all of that. On the bright side, he's really into the business and excited about the work. I don't want to let him go unless I have to. I just don't know what I can do on my end to get him to get more sales. Maybe he just sucks at it? Maybe the job is harder than I'm giving it credit for? Who knows. [link] [comments]  |
| Raising funds for a nonprofit organization Posted: 29 Dec 2017 10:11 AM PST I know a nonprofit isn't technically a small business, so I hope this question is allowed here. But we're small and we need money, so I thought you all might have some insight. I volunteer with a nonprofit organization (501c3) that helps victims of domestic violence escape their abusers. Mostly, we provide guidance and resources, but when needed we also provide specific communication tools, cell phones, security upgrades for shelters and temporary housing, things like that. We don't charge for anything we provide- victims of domestic violence and shelters need their money for different things. That means that everything we do either comes out of pocket or out of the little bit of funding we might have at any given moment. We're great with security, but lousy with fundraising and grantwriting. Anyone had any success fundraising for a nonprofit venture? [link] [comments]  |
| My business is terrible and it's all my fault. Posted: 29 Dec 2017 12:11 PM PST Our business is failing. A few years ago I decided to start a business with my husband. Things were going okay, we were paying the bills, and paid off the debt we got into to start the business. As things got better, we started to build a little following and even littler hype in our small community. I wanted more time to myself, so we hired people, and my husband took over running the day-to-day operations, as well as single-handedly doing all the manufacturing. Over the last two years, that hasn't worked out. Our products are the worst they've been since we started, quality-wise, and I think we've lost customers because of it. Today, business is slow, we're burning through the cash we'd built up, and having just finished a major renovation I'm worried that my husband isn't the person to get us back on track. What's a business owner to do? Well- a lot of this could have been avoided with a come-to-Jesus talk that should have happened years ago. Now we're going to have to have that talk at a point where it's unclear whether we can rebuild our reputation or not. All because I was unwilling to say to my husband "you're not doing a good job, and we need to figure out how to fix it." What did you do when you realized that the reason your business was failing was you? Did you pack it in? Re-dedicate? Start over? [link] [comments]  |
| Ditching my accountant. Recs for tax filing on the cheap? Posted: 29 Dec 2017 11:30 AM PST I just can not afford my accountant anymore. My wife and I jointly own 2 separate LLCs. One retail, one wholesale in the same industry. We keep our books via QB online. I know that Intuit offers a tax prep software (TurboTax, Business) that connects with QB. I'm a bit hesitant to go the automated route due to the complexity of owning 2 businesses, etc. but I'm not completely opposed. Anyone have any recs re: cost effective tax prep? [link] [comments]  |
| About to form my S-Corp, questions for filing returns Posted: 29 Dec 2017 10:38 AM PST I'm using IncFile and paying $300. They'll act as my registered agent for the first year. I will get an EIN as well. What's a good quote/package from an accountant for handling personal and business filing? I have $600 from one. Is this something I can easily do myself with quickbooks or turbotax? The accountants are telling me no. I know H&R Block has a government contract that provides free tax filing for incomes less than $64k. Does that include businesses? [link] [comments]  |
| Posted: 29 Dec 2017 09:20 AM PST tl;dr In my niche bakery, could I offer small cookies by the pound and larger cookies individually? Is that too confusing? I wanted to get some unbiased opinions on pricing structure for my business. I run a bakery and it's a niche bakery focusing on cookies and bars (brownies, lemon squares, etc). It's American homestyle stuff and the cookies and brownies are all fairly big. In the 3.5" range. Right now I have the cookies priced individually (at 1.85) and have pricing and discounts for larger orders. 6 for $10 and 12 for $18. Bars are priced individually as well and I've started working them into combo pricing so like 2 bars, 3 cookies for $10, or 3 bars and 6 cookies for $18. The pricing is fine for me business wise, and I have it set basically to make it as easy as possible for people to purchase things. I think of the cookies like how people buy cupcakes or doughnuts at niche bakeries. I get a few (older) people who ask if I'm selling them by the pound, which is how some bakeries do sell them (like Italian ones for example). I have nothing against selling them by the pound, I just felt for the big cookies, it didn't make sense. I also think it's nice as a customer to know what you're getting for the price. I don't necessarily know what a pound of cookies is, but I know what 6 for $10 is. I am wanting to add more cookies to the menu, and smaller ones, which to me, does make sense to do by the pound. In your opinion though, is it too confusing to have 2 bunches of cookies with 2 different pricing structures? I can just see the confusion and frustration of people wanting to mix both types of cookies and then having to figure out the best way to ring it all. Or is it worth it then to just do the big cookies by the pound? Or just do them by the pound when it's in a mixed box? I'm sure I'm over thinking this. I just want to be able to keep confusion at bay and make it as easy as possible to ring people up. While also expanding my offerings. Any insight or suggestion is much appreciated! [link] [comments]  |
| Can anyone help with suggestions for getting my product line into retail? Posted: 29 Dec 2017 09:09 AM PST I own a relatively successful Vitamin and Supplement Brand. We've been moving from solely online retail to placement in brick and mortar. We have hired regional brokers and seen some success there. However I'd love to hear some suggestions in regards to reaching out directly to retailers for placement. Cold call over email? Pop in? Anything unconventional that may help. Would love to hear from both the retail and the brand side if possible. Thank you in advance! [link] [comments]  |
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