The Quick and Easy Guide to Creating an Online Presence for Your Business

Business Online Presence

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In the pre-Internet days, advertising for small businesses was too costly an endeavor. Most relied on word-of-mouth as a means of getting noticed by potential customers. Of course, there were the occasional flyers and catalogue displays as well. However, now in an age that is dominated by various forms of online media, creating an online buzz for your business is not only simpler than ever but also requires minimum financial investment.

So how do you create an online presence for your business?

Remember, creating an online presence is more of an integrated communications and marketing campaign rather than a one-off endeavor. This means that whenever you do decide to create an online presence for your company, you’ll need to make use of several mediums. In addition to this, information over the Internet needs to be constantly updated—to catch customers’ attention you need to engage with them, be attentive to their concerns and queries and achieve all this without being overly domineering. Most importantly, however, you need to provide them with the correct information—information that is not only accurate but is also sought after by your customers.

Creating an Online Presence: What Mediums can I use?

As mentioned previously, there are several platforms you can use online. It’s always better to use a combination of these rather than sticking to one or two alone. Here are your options:

•        Website: Although you’ll need to pay for this one, the costs of maintenance are relatively small. But the important thing to know is that your website is where your customers can get the most detailed information about your brand. Here’s where you get to show off. Boast about your achievements, your aims and your customer service. However, keep the design simple and uncluttered.

•          Facebook/Twitter: Social media usage rates are at an all-time high which makes them a feasible tool of marketing for all businesses. Such platforms must be regularly updated, both with information about your company and the replies to customer concerns. These are your primary modes of communication with your customers and make for an excellent feedback channel.

•      YouTube: Creating a YouTube account is often one of the most underrated aspects of online businesses. Agreed, it’s not as effective a communication tool as compared to social media, it does provide a great platform for you to get creative with respect to visual aspects of your marketing program. Not only does visual impact last longer, but rarely do customers complain while watching a well-made YouTube video.

•          Email: This one’s pretty straightforward. Use social media, website forms or face-to-face contact with customers to obtain their email addresses and market your business directly via emails delivered straight to the customer’s inbox. Remember not to spam though!

•           Google Ads: Google Ads are another cheap way of creating an online buzz. Since Google uses a targeted strategy for displaying ads, you might want to purchase a slot or two. This may help you find the right customer more easily than you think.

So there you are…online marketing simplified! With a few simple tools (and regular updates), you can now be well on your way towards business success.

Financial Delegation is Not Financial Abdication

"Frank, my tax return is wrong."

Those are fightin' words to a CPA.

I replied, "What's wrong with the return?  The taxable income matches your profit from your QuickBooks P&L."

Admittedly, that doesn't mean much.  I work with hosed up QuickBooks records all the time.

I continued, "I trained Debbie, your bookkeeper to read real estate settlement statements.  I checked all her numbers, and they're correct.  What's wrong?"

"Frank, I didn't make any money on the house sale.  I lost a little."

"How is that possible?  You bought the house for $150K and sold it for $170K.  I know you made $10K in improvements.  I see that in QuickBooks.  So your profit is $10K, which is exactly what's in QuickBooks."

"Frank, not everything is in QuickBooks.  I spent $15K on the house from my own money, not out of the LLC accounts that are in QuickBooks."

"Why didn't you tell Debbie about this, so she could record the transactions and get the profit right in QuickBooks?"

"I don't know anything about that financial stuff.  I rely on you guys to sort all of that out."

 I wish I could honesty say this was the only time I've heard a business owner tell me that he doesn't understand the financial aspects of his businesses and really doesn't care.  Not caring about your business finances will sink your venture.

You can't abdicate financial responsibility for your business.  I don't care if you own a business with annual revenue of $100K or $100 million.  You can delegate the bookkeeping, but you can't delegate the financial responsibility.  If the company's finances are screwed up, it's the owner's fault.

Business owners tell me all the time that they don't understand balance sheets and profit and loss statements.  Every year, they wait anxiously until their tax returns are done to see how they did financially.  Of course, March of the following year is just a little bit late to change course if your financial performance is going bad.

If you haven't started your business yet, and don't understand financial statements, stop now before you create a financial mess.  No, I am not telling you to stop permanently.  Just stop until you seek some financial education.
Clients sometimes ask CPA's to teach them to read financial statements.  That's not what CPA's do.  We aren't educators, and we don't have a hundred hours of spare time to teach them.  Instead, sign up for two community college courses.  Most community colleges have a course in starting a business.  It covers the basics like local licensing requirements and banking.  They also cover some basic bookkeeping, but not enough.  For that take Accounting 101.  If you're wondering if you really need to understand debits and credits to run an auto repair business, no you don't.  But you need that understanding to successfully run one.

Accounting 101 will teach you how financial transactions come together to create balance sheets and P&L statements.  When you understand how financial statements are put together, you will understand how to read financial statements as well.  You can't possibly know if you're paying too much for materials if you can't read your P&L statement.

So you're convinced that you've hired a controller to tell you when your finances are going in the crapper.  How do you know you have a competent controller?  Did he tell you so?

Jim owned a multi-million dollar medical research lab.  He hired Sam as his controller.  Sam in turn hired a staff of three bookkeepers to enter transactions into QuickBooks and reconcile the bank accounts.  Sam admitted that he wasn't an accountant.  He was a "financial" person.  In the real world, that means Sam didn't have a clue about accounting, even though he was in charge of that department.

Jim got paid in advance for the medical studies his company performed.  His customers paid him sometimes hundreds of thousands of dollars, which Jim would then spend on labor and materials for the studies.  At any point, Jim was holding at least a million dollars of customer money that he was obligated to spend on specific tasks in the future.  You record this future obligation as a liability on a company's balance sheet.  You might even think this would be an important number to know.  At least I thought so.

If you only have $900K in your bank account, and you are holding $2 million in customer advance payments, you might just be in a bit of trouble.  This was Jim's situation.  Only he didn't know it.  Neither did his controller, Sam.  Since Sam was a financial guy not an accounting guy, he didn't know the company was spending money on overhead and salaries that wasn't theirs.

We alerted Jim to the problem when we were engaged to prepare an income tax projection for the year.  That customer liability was a big factor in any potential income tax liability.  So we dug into the QuickBooks balance and determined that the company had overspent by over $1 million.  Jim was busy worrying about whether to lease or buy a BMW when he should have been worried about survival.

Shortly after we delivered the bad news to Jim, Sam moved out of the area and decided that he would work remotely.  In a couple days, Jim could no longer get in contact with him.  Within a week, Jim filed for bankruptcy both personally and for the business.  He got no sympathy points from the bankruptcy court for being a financially unsophisticated scientist.  When you aren't paying your bills, nobody gives a damn why.  It's all on you.  You can't delegate financial responsibility for your business.

RGIII is well into rehabbing is ailing knee.  He expects to be ready for the first regular season game.  As I've noted I the past, RGIII and I have a lot in common.  In high school, I was a basketball legend......... in my own mind.  I was also on the chess team.  The basketball coach took wicked pleasure in coming into a chess team practice session and asking if any of us had injuries that would keep us out of the next match, hang nails and so forth.  The joke was really on him.  We were a championship chess team.  Our basketball team was an embarrassment to humanity.  Injuries wouldn't have hurt our performance any.

As always, thanks for reading.  Please visit my Facebook page "How to Screw Up Your Small Business."  I promise you a couple rants daily.  Until next time, let's do it to them before they do it to us.

Avoid the Headaches of Business Taxes

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Earning a great salary from a business you created is the dream that many of us have.  True, this career path can make money, but it’s not headache free.  Many who choose to start their own business are quick to fall into one of the many easy traps that having a small business can present.

Probably the most indiscreet trap is business taxes; a part of running your business that many prefer not to acknowledge.  Although filing taxes may seem like a daunting process, a little forethought and organization will quickly lead you past this nuisance of administration.

• Stay organized!

Make sure you have your accounts in order, and keep your receipts.  There is hardware and software available for scanning and keeping your receipts organized, so you will never have to deal with a box full of paper again!  Make sure that you keep the proper receipts.  Expenses can only be claimed if they are somehow related to you earning income from them, so not everything is a business expense!

• Go pro or DIY?

Depending on the amount of extra time you have, and how much you actually know about the taxation system, you could possibly save the money for an accountant and file your business taxes by yourself.  There is software and websites available for people like yourself, which are easy to use and give you the maximum amount of return possible.

• Be proactive and think ahead:

Since you have transitioned from a salary job to one where you are your own boss, you might have carried over some of your old habits (good and bad).  While previously your taxes were deducted from your paycheck, now you are directly responsible for making sure you have enough money put away to pay your taxes.  This could be a big problem, especially for smaller businesses.  The way to deal with this situation is discipline.  Treat every source of income from your business like it is a paycheck; take away a percentage equal to the tax payable from the amount and put it aside.  This way, you will already have the funds necessary to pay your taxes when the time comes.

• Avoid audits!

Don't do anything drastic or out of hand, and don't be greedy.  It will only come back to haunt you.  Business taxes are a prime candidate for audits.  If you are claiming business expenses, make sure you can prove that they were necessary to run your business.

Keep good books and have accurate statements showing how each penny was earned and where it was spent.

File your taxes on time, and don't wait until the week prior to start organizing your documents for submission.  Organize your documents early and often!

Business taxes might be a headache to solve, but with a little organization and by reducing the procrastination, you can easily get your taxes filed and finished without having to think about them ever again...that is, until next year!

Woolen Ball Winder Machine for set up Small Business

Woolen Ball Maker/ Woolen Ball Winder Machine for Small Business at Home or Shop:

Demand and Market of woolen ball:

The demand of wool increases when the winter season comes. It needs wool for sewing sweaters, muffler, caps, scarf, sheet of wool etc. winter dresses. With Woolen Ball Winder Machine you can make woolen ball and after packing it you can sell it in the market.

How to make woolen ball with Woolen Ball Winder Machine:

You can afford wool in cheap rate from Haridwar, Benaras, Ludhiana etc. places in India. You can buy it from the market of Barobazar in Kolkata. At first you have to set the wool in the bobbin of the machine. Now you have to set the other end of the wool in the indicated place of the machine. Then operate the machine and woolen ball will be made. The machine is available in both conditions hand-operated and motor-operated. It needs ½ hp motor and 220 volts to operate the motor-operated machine.

Price of the Woolen Ball Winding Machine:

The price of the Hand-operated Woolen Ball Winding Machine is approximately Rs.7000.

The price of the Motor-operated Woolen Ball Winding Machine is approximately Rs. 15000.

Where to buy the Woolen Ball Winding Machine:

Bharat Machine Tolls Industries,

61, Ganesh Chandra Avenue,

Kolkata-700013.

You can find many companies manufacturing a wide range of Woolen Ball Winding machine. Their machine matches high technology electronic control.

To read the reviews and buy the Woolen Ball Winding Machine visit websites

http://www.joann.com/needle-arts/yarn-ball-winders/

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-ball-winder.htm

21 Nov, 12

Automatic Tandoori Roti Making Machine for set up Small Business

Automatic Tandoori Roti Making Machine is a good Idea for set up a Small Business.

The machine can be used in Restaurant or at home.

Demand and Market of Tandoori Roti:

With Automatic Tandoori Roti Making Machine you can make more Tandoori roti in less time. You can use the machine in Restaurant or hotels or at home. The demand of Tandoori roti is found in restaurants, hotels in all seasons.

How to make Tandoori Roti with Automatic Tandoori Roti Making Machine:

At first you have to put flour in Mixer Machine. Then you have to pour the mixture in the hopper of the Tandoori Roti Making Machine. Now start the machine. At last you have to use the woven and your Tandoori Roti is ready. With this machine you can make 10 Tandoori roti in 1 minute. It needs 2 hp motor and 220 volt to operate the machine.

Price of the Automatic Tandoori Roti Making Machine:

The price of the Mixer Machine (30 kg mixture) is approximately Rs. 20,000 and the price of the Automatic Tandoori Roti Making Machine is approximately Rs. 1 lakh.

Where to buy the Automatic Tandoori Roti Making Machine:

Bharat Machine Tolls Industries,

61, Ganesh Chandra Avenue,

Kolkata-700013

You can find many companies manufacturing a wide range of Tandoori Roti making machine. Their machine matches high technology electronic control. 

1^st Aug, 12 KK

Honey Processing Machine for set up a Small Business

Honey Processing Machine is a good Small Business idea.

Demand and Market of Honey:

Honey is very helpful and tasteful food. The demand of honey is found all throughout the year. The demand increases in the winter season. With this Honey Processing Machine you can process honey and after packing it in bottles you can sell it in the market.

How to process honey with Honey Processing Machine:

Generally, there are two machines are needed for honey processing. The first one is Filter Press Machine and other one is Vacuum Evaporator Machine. At first you have to pour natural (unprocessed) honey in a clean steel pot. Then you have to filter the beeswax and dirt from honey with Filter Press Machine. Then you have to separate extra water-vapour from honey in indicated temperature with Vacuum Evaporator Machine. At last you have to put it in bottles.

It needs 1 hp motor for Filter Press Machine and ½ hp motor and 220 volt to operate the Vacuum Evaporator Machine.

Price of the Honey Processing Machine:

The price of the Filter Press Machine is approximately Rs. 1 lakh.

The price of the Vacuum Evaporator Machine is approximately Rs. 1 lakh 50 thousand.

Where to buy the Honey Processing Machine:

M/s Bhanco, 55,

Sarat Chandra Dhar Road,

Kolkata-90

You can find many companies manufacturing a wide range of Honey Processing Machine. Their machine matches high technology electronic control.

To read the reviews and buy the Honey Processing Machine visit websites

http://www.thomas-apiculture-shop.com/Honey-processing-equipments

http://www.alibaba.com/showroom/honey-processing-equipment.html 

http://keepingbee.org/honey-processing-equipment/

28 Nov, 12 KK

Cake Making Machine for set up a Small Business

Cake Making Machine is a good idea to set up a Small Business at home.

Demand and Market of Cake:

There is a good demand of cake in various occasions and festivals all throughout the year, basically the demand increases in Christmas day and in English New Year. With this Cake Making Machine you can make various cakes and after packing it you can sell it in the market or supply orders.

How to make cake with Cake Making Machine:

To make cake you need a Whisker Machine / Mixer Machine and a big woven. The materials you need are-sugar, flour, ghee, eggs, baking powder, flavour, cashew-nut, currant, almond/nuts, cherry etc.

At first you have to whisk sugar, baking powder, flour, ghee, eggs in indicated quantity with Whisker Machine / Mixer Machine. Then you have to mix currant, almond, cashew-nuts with the mixture. Now pour the mixture in the dies of various sizes and shapes and put on the woven. Now your cake is ready. At last pack these and you can sell these in the market.

It needs 2 hp motor and 220 to 440 volt to operate the machine.

Price of the Cake Making Machine:

The price of the Cake Making Machine which can make upto 50 kg mixture is approximately Rs. 80,000 and the machine which can make 10 to 15 kg mixture is approximately Rs.30,000.

Price of the woven is approximately Rs. 2-3 lakh.

Where to buy the Cake Making Machine:

Bharat Machine Tools Industries,

61, Ganesh Chandra Avenue,

Kolkata-700013.

Phone No. 22368015

You can find many companies manufacturing a wide range of Cake Making Machine. Their machine matches high technology electronic control.

To read the reviews and buy the Cake Making Machine visit websites

http://www.tradeindia.com/manufacturers/cake-making-machine.html

http://www.indiamart.com/agust-engineering-works/cake-making-machine.html

5^th Dec, 12 KK