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The Basics of Starting a Home-Based Business
Everything you need to live, work and outsource from your couch
The move from a fully-equipped office--with copiers, doughnuts and an IT specialist--to a home-based office can be tricky. What elements are essential and what can you outsource so you can effectively start, run and manage your business? The same daily operations need to be taken care of and your computer will still crash, but there are people and programs out there to help. Here are some of the best ways to make "working for yourself" work for you. Invoicing, time tracking, estimates, and information storage
Without an accounting and bookkeeping department, someone needs to handle your paperwork. If you're good with numbers, you can take it into your own hands, but what happens when you need to crank out that report for your new client before the end of the day? I think grants are mostly myth, where we see somebody pitching about "free government money" and what he really means is "buy my product."
There are grants offered by government agencies here and there. But most are for such government-backed objectives as high-level research, development zones, pure science, defense technology, and others. And if that's what you mean by "grants to the rich," well, that's a political statement. Maybe it's true because it can take a lot of sophisticated grant writing to secure grants, and maybe not true. Think about it: Does it make sense that a government that is running a big deficit and being attacked everywhere is going to be giving anyone free money to start a carwash or a laundromat? I've been in business nearly 40 years, and I've never actually seen that happen. Not to the rich, not to the poor, not to anybody.
Most of what seems like grants are really just lower-interest loans. And those must be backed by collateral, because it's a loan, and the institutions are supposed to receive their money back.
That may not be what you want to hear, but that's my answer.
Related:
A Definitive Guide to Government Grants
Tim Berry is the president of Palo Alto Software Inc., which produces the industry's leading business planning software, Business Plan Pro, as well as other popular planning applications for businesses. ______________
Do You Have a
Dream for Your Business?
It starts with a dream.
When you put together a business plan, you're trying to
quantify and qualify a dream.
Dream planning usually centers
around this theme: how do I envision my business when it's successful, and how
do I get there?
I talked about daydreaming in a
previous post here, and today I'm reminded of this quote by Les Brown,
"Act the way you want to be, and soon you'll be the way you act." The
renowned speaker admits that in order to be who he wanted to be, he had to
imagine himself having a certain kind of lifestyle. Then, he had to start
acting the part.
If in fact, your vision for business
has a lot to do with your business success, you risk a lot if you don't have a
dream or goal in mind.
Famous athlete-turned-entrepreneur, Magic Johnson,
admitted to envisioning himself as a successful business man. In an interview,
Johnson mentioned sitting in the office chair of the suite that he was assigned
to clean as a maintenance worker, and dreaming of owning an office just like
that one. A similar story continues with Assunta Ng,
founder of the Seattle Chinese Post and theNorthwest Asian
Weekly. In an interview for Chicken Soup of the Entrepreneur's
Soul, Ng admits that when someone pulled her aside to ask, "What
if, in the end you have no paper," she had to remind herself that she had
dreams of success for her business.
Getting
Closer To The Dream
It seems to come down to this: In
order to get closer to your dream business, you must first:
·
Envision a successful
business and
how it will look, be and feel.
·
Map out a plan to slowly achieve
this dream business.
·
Create a system for
accountability--one that will keep you on track and measure the progress as
your dream business becomes a reality.
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Dear Subscriber,
A Message from the President
Mr. Larry Kozin
Going After Entertainment Book
Back in 1962 a couple from my hometown (Detroit) had a
concept to develop a coupon book that they could sell to consumers.
They now make the following claims:
A.
They are the #1 Fund Raising Company in the
World, with over 25,000 participating charities.
B.
They
claim to raise over $100M per year and offer billions of dollars per year in
discounts.
MainStreetChamber VIP is currently looking to get a slice of
this business and eventually replace them in the #1 position.
If one looks at
the facts, it is easy to see how the MainStreetChamber VIP has a program that
makes more sense, can pay out more money and be more valuable.
Here are the TOP 10 Reasons our Fund Raising Program is Superior:
1.
MSC
VIPCard has Medical Benefits for the millions without Health Coverage
(Entertainment does not offer these).
2.
MSC VIP Card is good in all Markets for one low
price (compared to Entertainment which requires members to purchase separate
books for each and every market).
3.
MSC VIP Card can be sold for $20 for a National
Card compared to $40-$50 for each Entertainment Book.
4.
You can fit 100 VIP Cards in your pockets, but
cannot even fit 1 Entertainment Book in your pocket.
5.
MSC VIP profit margins are higher than
Entertainment for Fund Raising Groups
6.
Entertainment Books have to be sold every
year…the MSC VIP Card has NO Expiration Date
7.
MSC VIP can be private labeled and/or cobranded
(not the Entertainment Book)
8.
MSC VIP gets more valuable every year at No
Additional Cost (the Entertainment Book expires and becomes worthless).
9.
Entertainment Book users have to clip out
Coupons and have limited use…the MSC VIP gives Members unlimited discounts
10. Entertainment
focuses on travel, dining & entertainment…MSC VIP gives Members unlimited
Business Categories.
For more detailed information email
fundraiser@mscVIP.com
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Meet Our Leadership
President- Mankato, MN
Shannon Ballman
Shannon Ballman is the
owner of Payroll Solutions Plus, helping small business owners navigate the
complexities of payroll and bookkeeping so they can focus on doing what they do
best-generate revenue, increase profits and grow their business. She is one of
approximately 50 people in the state to have all 3 QuickBooks Certifications in
QuickBooks, Enterprise Solutions and Point of Sale.
Small, growing
businesses owners have enough obstacles to overcome without the challenges of
keeping their books in order and complying with ever-changing payroll tax laws.
Shannon’s clients get the benefit of her ten
years of accounting experience across a wide range of industries, a degree in
Accounting and a Bachelor’s in Business Management.
Guided by the strong
Midwestern work ethic she learned while growing up on a small farm 30 miles
northeast of Mankato, Shannon
knows the value hard work. It was here
that she developed a passion for gardening and a deep understanding about the
patience required if you want a good harvest. It is not enough just to plant
good seeds. A good crop, just as a successful business requires vigilance to
ensure that what has been planted is protected so it can grow.
What really appealed
to Shannon about MainStreetChamber was the great networking she witnessed at the
Grand Opening event hosted by Susan Fronk, President of the Twin Cities chapter
at Jax Café in Minneapolis.
It only took Shannon 15 minutes at the event to decide she wanted to have her
own chapter in Mankato. She believes MainStreetChamber is a great way
to help the local small business community connect in a way that enhances
networking opportunities and fosters growth.
_____________________________________________________________ President- West Metro, MN
Chris Christianson
Chris
Christianson is Regional Manager for MapWide, a global media company that
effectively gives small and medium sized businesses a GROWTH ENGINE so that
they can be found by consumers. MapWide provides businesses membership in a
vertical community that is easily searched by zip code and radius search and
offers content relevant to the category.
A sales
team leader, branding manager and relationship builder, Chris enjoys making
things happen by connecting people and ideas to produce the best outcome. As a
result, over the course of his career, Chris has proven himself to be an
excellent resource for people, ideas and opportunities. He has a B.A from Concordia College.
“What
attracted me to MainStreetChamber was the opportunity to help people and give back
wherever I can in business. One of my strengths is helping business owners
develop an effective elevator speech. I am really looking forward to having my
own chapter so I can practice my belief in putting others first as a servant
leader.”
With his
strong sales background and networking expertise, Chris is sure to be a dynamic
and successful Chapter President of MainStreetChamber - West Metro, MN.
Vice President- West Metro, MN
Michael Sasso
Michael has
over 25 years experience as a leader in business with a strong background in
the airline industry and more recently as the National Sales Director for
MapWide.com. His passion for small business and start ups has been a strong
motivational drive in his work within the small business community as well as
his volunteer work as a SCORE counselor.
“Entrepreneurship
has always captivated and inspired me. As Vice president of the West Metro
chapter of MainStreetChamber, I am really looking forward to helping small
businesses in Minnesota
grow and prosper.”
Known
for communication and leadership skills, Michael is considered by many, to be
one of the most effective team builders and leaders in his field. With a broad
range of expertise in advertising, auditing, planning, budgeting, hardware,
computer skills, counseling, customer relations, customer service, financial
analysis, hiring, legal compliance and leadership, he is sure to be a valuable
asset to members of the West metro chapter of MainStreetChamber West.
___________________________________________
President- Denver SE, CO
Sharon Shores-Gibson
Sharon
Shores-Gibson is a consultant who focuses on helping businesses succeed through
the use of both traditional and Social Media Marketing. Over the years, she has helped hundreds of
business implement internet technology and social media marketing to grow their
businesses and expand their customer base.
Sharon works with business owners,
entrepreneurs, job seekers, chambers of commerce—in developing their social
media/marketing strategy. She was a previous owner of a business advisory system
for small businesses--serving the business community by providing business
advisory boards and support system for businesses.
She is also
a public speaker speaking to various groups such as Rotary Clubs, Sales
Professional Groups. She has served as
an assistant to teaching Dale Carnegie Courses. She has been a member of several chambers
and has coordinated “business development groups “ a unique leads/business
development group for business owners”.
Sharon has a grown daughter and two grandchildren
living in Ohio. She loves hiking, biking the outdoors,
reading accomplishing goals on her bucket list.
Sharon is the President for MainStreetChamber™ SE-Denver-serving -Aurora, Centennial, Cherry Hills, Englewood, Greenwood Village,
Highlands Ranch and Littleton ___________________________________
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