Starting a Business

Listed below are links to basic federal tax information for people who are starting a business, as well as information to assist in making basic business decisions. The list should not be construed as all-inclusive. Other steps may be appropriate for your specific type of business.

Click open link here to view and find more resources

How to Make a Business Plan

Opening a new business can be overwhelming, especially if you don’t have any experience in the world of business. There are so many things to consider, from identifying the perfect product or service to sell to finding the right financing.

With so many moving parts, getting started can seem rather challenging. A business plan is always a first good step. It will help you lay out your plans, anticipate how you will manage your business and help you get the right financing. In other words, it can really help your company succeed.

Read information here
http://blog.usa.gov/post/44295127971/how-to-make-a-business-plan

10 Skills You Need to Be the Next Great Entrepreneur

by Steve Tobak

"...Even big-time entrepreneurs like Larry Page and Mark Zuckerberg had to learn how to be effective managers. If not, the companies they founded, the Googles and Facebooks of the world, never would have gone anywhere. I don't care how cool their innovations were."

Read article here
http://www.inc.com/steve-tobak/10-skills-to-land-a-management-job.html?cid=em01012week10b

Most Powerful Moms in Social Media

By Leah Bourne. Edited By Helen Jonsen.

The women who make up Working Mother's Most Powerful Moms in Social Media list are powerful influencers–reaching large audiences across all of the major social media platforms including blogs of all styles, Twitter, Facebook and Youtube. They also all have at least one-child at home who is under 18 years old. Read article here
http://www.workingmother.com/most-powerful-moms/most-powerful-moms-social-media

View slideshow of moms here
http://www.workingmother.com/most-powerful-moms/most-powerful-moms-social-media-pictures

Surprising Ways to Find Great Start-up Ideas

by Penelope Trunk

"In order for your ideas to seem fresh, they have to be a little bit off-center, a little bit off-kilter. You have to see your ideas a little more clearly than everyone else in order to believe they will work."

Read article here
http://www.inc.com/penelope-trunk/surprising-ways-to-find-great-startup-ideas.html?cid=em01012week29

How to Use Facebook for Home Business Success

By Sue Papadoulis

Can you really make money from Facebook? Yes, you can! It's a two-sided process though. On one hand you need the technical information to set up professional pages and give people the opportunity to access you and your products. But most importantly, you need to be willing to create an emotional connection with potential customers.

Here's how I created a presence on Facebook that has led to thousands of dollars in product sales, valuable joint venture opportunities, invitations to speak on teleseminars, invitations to co-author two books, and the creation of a supportive and overwhelmingly positive community of like-minded people who love what I do:

1. Un-friend your high school mates or anyone who won't relate to the 'new you' in business. Like most people when I first joined Facebook it was all about connecting with long lost school friends. In fact it was the ONLY reason I joined, because I was about to attend my high school reunion and the organisers set up a special page for the event. Once I decided to use Facebook for business, I was shocked by the reaction of some friends who actually poked fun at my posts and left inappropriate comments, simply because I wasn't being the person they knew in high school. So, I deliberately un-friended high school mates and anyone else that wasn't a business contact. In fact, I don't have too many social friends on Facebook now because we connect in person, via email or the phone.

2. Post about your business life: In order to encourage people to engage you need to give them a reason to return to your pages, which means there's plenty of activity by posting at least a few times a day. Rather than posting about your personal life, write about what's happening in your business - successes and challenges.

3. Don't be fearful of revealing yourself: Everyone faces challenges and difficult times - opening yourself up to reveal your own fears, doubts and issues can help you create closer relationships (of course this is true in any social setting). Let your personality shine through - warts and all.

4. Answer questions and leave comments: The more active you are on group pages relating to your industry the more likely you are to be seen as an expert in your field. Answer questions from others if you can help, and leave positive comments.

5. Connect with key influencers: Each industry has a handful of people who are 'key influencers' - those who are the stars and who many others look up to. Associate yourself with these people. Friend them, like their group pages, comment on their posts and answer the questions of others in their circle.

6. Don't write anything you wouldn't want to be seen on the front page of a newspaper, or have your mother read: You can create great working relationships with people all over the world, but never forget that everything you post is public and could easily get into the hands of people it wasn't intended for. You must always maintain your professionalism.

Follow these steps and you'll be well on your way to having an effective Facebook presence that makes you money.

And the technical side? I recently bought the re-sale rights for a fantastic video training course on how to make money from Facebook fan (or 'like') pages. It gives you all the technical information you need to set up a professional Facebook fan page, drive traffic to your page and sell products. Find out more here.

© 2010 Home Biz Chicks

WANT TO USE THIS REPORT IN YOUR E-NEWSLETTER OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it:
Online entrepreneur Sue Papadoulis empowers and inspires others, to live the life of their dreams by starting and growing successful home businesses. She is the founder of Home Biz Chicks, which provides step-by-step advice on getting started, marketing, PR, finances, best mindset, and juggling work vs. home. Access Sue's special video (valued at $279) How to Generate Free Publicity for Your Business free at http://www.diyprkit.com. Get Sue's $79 audio CD Secrets to Home Biz Success free at http://www.homebizchickscd.com.

5 Ways to Improve Cash Flow

by Matt Quinn

If you're looking for a quick fix for cash-flow problems, good luck. But if you're serious about making strategic changes, read on for five tips on how to increase your cash flow. Plus: More accounting advice on managing your company's numbers.

Read his tips here
http://www.inc.com/guides/2010/06/how-to-improve-cash-flow.html

2 Radical Ideas for Start Up Success

It's a pretty well-accepted fact that entrepreneurs typically approach business differently than traditional Corporate America workers.

But many successful entrepreneurs take it a step further and completely flip the script in order to subscribe to a new business paradigm. Would your business benefit from a new way of thinking?

Read article here
http://www.inc.com/khary-cuffe/radical-ideas-for-start-up-success.html?cid=em01012week29

Tools for Creating an Employee Handbook

"...When well written and organized properly, it clearly sets forth your expectations for employees, describes what they can expect from your company, and lays out your legal obligations as an employer and your employee's rights. The following guide brings together tools to help you assemble an effective handbook."

Read details here
http://www.inc.com/guides/2010/08/tools-for-creating-an-employee-handbook.html?partner=newsletter_Success

7 Ways to Improve Employee Satisfaction

by Gretchen Rubin

Employee attitudes typically reflect the moral of the company. In areas of customer service and sales, happy employees are extremely important because they represent the company to the public. Satisfaction, however, is not linked solely to compensation.

Read article here
http://www.inc.com/guides/201105/7-ways-to-improve-employee-satisfaction.html?partner=newsletter_Success

10 Tips for a Strong Start

by Brad Sugars

"...To help this process, here are 10 essential things you need to know about running a successful business. Use it as a checklist to make sure your thinking and your business plan are on the right track, or if you need to get more information, strategic education or clarity for yourself on your overall vision, your market, or your product or service."

Read his tips here
http://www.entrepreneur.com/startingabusiness/startupbasics/startupbasicscolumnistbradsugars/article204982.html

11 Free Tools Every Young Entrepreneur Must Use!

by Jared O'Toole

Every young entrepreneur is strapped for cash yet looking for all the same products and services that big companies use. It is important to look professional yet also squeeze every penny when starting out. Here are 11 tools that will help you do both in the startup days of your venture.

Read info here
http://under30ceo.com/11-free-tools-every-young-entrepreneur-must-use

Achieving Success Series

Posted by Marketmommy

This post is part of a new series on Market Mommy, Achieving $uccess. These posts detail the journey these mom entrepreneurs have taken to reach sales of six figures and beyond. How do they balance it all? What strategies have worked for them? What advice do they have for you, the new mom entrepreneur?

Read through the complete list of women being profiled here
http://www.marketmommy.com/blog/tag/achieving-uccess

National Association for the Self Employed

View complete information and details re membership, etc here
http://www.nase.org/BenefitsHome.aspx

Dealing With Anxieties & Stresses Of Managing Your Own Business

by Stanley Popovich

Owning a small or large business can cause a lot of stress and anxiety. Many business owners have to deal with a lot of stress and anxiety nowadays. It can be tough to own your own business and to be successful in what you do...

Read article here
http://wemagazineforwomen.com/dealing-with-anxieties-stresses-of-managing-your-own-business/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=facebook

5 Step Venture eMentoring Program

A free business training program to support successful self-employment/small business development.

5 Steps to Part-Time Self-employment takes you through a series of exercises that will help you to evaluate your readiness and suitability for this form of part-time self-employment. It is comprised of 5 Sessions, each designed to support you in productively addressing the following entrepreneurial components.

Step 1: Self-Assessment
Am I suited for running my own business?

Step 2: Business Idea & Market Analysis
Do I have a viable business idea? Is there a market for my business idea?

Step 3: Cost & Income Forecasting
Do I have a realistic forecast of revenues and costs?

Step 4: Business Proposal
Can I explain my business idea so that it makes sense to others?

Step 5: Monitor Progress
Am I prepared to monitor and control operations once started?

Read details and view more information here
http://www.buzgate.org/8.0/nj/five_steps.html

How To Start Your Own Home Based Business Manuals

Have you always wanted to start your own business but had no idea where to start? Or maybe you have an idea of the type of business you want to start but don't know what to do first? We have found some wonderful step-by-step guides for more than 30 fun and unique businesses that you can do from home AND help you to start making money by laying out all that you need to do in order to get your business off the ground the RIGHT way.

Read information here
http://www.momsnetwork.com/howtomanuals/index.shtml

6 Business Lessons for Under 30 Entrepreneurs

by Melinda Emerson

"...Here are the 6 business lessons I shared with the Under 30 entrepreneurs, most of which can be found in my book Become Your Own Boss in 12 Months."

Read Q & A article here
http://succeedasyourownboss.com/07/2011/6-business-lessons-for-under-30-entrepreneurs

10 YouTube Videos Every Entrepreneur Should Watch

View slide show here

http://www.inc.com/ss/10-youtube-videos-every-entrepreneur-should-watch?utm_source=running-a-business&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=incid37860week24#2%C2%A0%C2%A0

How Business Planning Leads to Better Management

by Tim Berry

What many business owners fail to understand is that good planning equals good management. Let me explain. Planning is about managing resources and priorities in an organized way. Management is related to leadership, and it’s related to productivity.

Read article here
http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/219424