Santa Claus. Stop for a minute and picture Santa. I bet you’ve got a really clear vision: red suit with white trim, big white beard, and pretty chubby. You’ve also got a clear sense of what Santa stands for: giving, jolly, Christmas. And you know how Santa makes you feel: happy. Santa’s a branding genius. And you …
8 Steps to Lower Taxes Before December 31
December’s an important month in your small business. You’re focused on year-end sales or throwing holiday parties or cleaning up the office. But it’s also time to take a few simple steps to save on taxes when it comes time to writing out that check to the IRS in 2016. By focusing on just eight …
Seizing Opportunities
Most small business owners want to grow their companies, but when it comes to taking action to succeed, many remind me of the man in this joke: A huge flood threatened a town, forcing everyone to evacuate. Joe stays put, thinking, “I’m a devout man; God will save me.” The waters rise. Joe’s neighbor comes …
THANK GOODNESS! I Own a Small Business
It’s the season of giving thanks. Now that you’ve carved up the turkey, how about carving out some time to be thankful for what you receive from your small business? In the course of daily life, it’s easy to forget what we like about running a small business – especially when we have to deal …
8 Tips for a Knock-‘em-Dead Presentation
Americans fear public speaking more than earthquakes, flying, clowns, zombies, and even death. But if you own a small business, sooner or later, you’ll have to get up and speak in front of others. It doesn’t have to be a major address in front of 4000 people to be intimidating. When I first started in …
7 Steps for Achieving Your Goals
If you’re like me, you have a small business to-do list that goes on and on: customers to call, contacts to contact, products or services to get out the door, and a million other things. Phew. It’s overwhelming just to look at it. In day-to-day small business life, it’s natural to focus on tasks—pay the …
The Biggest Small Business Day of the Year
The most important day of the year for small business is only a few weeks away. Is your business ready? In just six short years since it was first observed, “Small Business Saturday” has become a sales powerhouse, driving traffic to local and small businesses during the all-important holiday season. It’s now an American institution, …
A Trick, a Treat for Small Business
Halloween is big business for small business. According to the National Retail Federation, Americans will spend $6.9 million on costumes, decorations, candy, greeting cards, and party favors. More than 157 million will participate in Halloween festivities. Twenty million Americans will even spend $350 million on pet costumes. I have to admit that I’m one of …
The Reinvention of a Small Business Classic
What do Oprah Winfrey, Jessica Alba, Bill Rancic and me have in common? We’re all entrepreneurs and we’ll be speaking at Quickbooks Connect, a three-day gathering of thousands of small business owners, accountants and software developers November 2-4 in San Jose, California. While Quickbooks Connect is an educational and networking event covering all aspects of …
