The Pros and Cons of Starting a Business with Friends
I first met Jonathan Wasserstrum, one of my best friends and now a co-founder of TheSquareFoot and our company’s CEO, nearly two decades ago. We became friends almost immediately after meeting in high school, and we’ve been buddies ever since. A few years later, when I went to college at UT, I met Justin Lee,…
Read More4 Mistakes You Must Avoid on Your Small Business Website
As a small business owner, you need a website. Whether your business is a hyperlocal enterprise selling to people that live on the same block or a business that ships goods all over the world, without a website your customers will be unable to find you. A website represents the business’s digital presence, a hub…
Read More5 Businesses You Can Start from Home While on Maternity Leave
You may have had thoughts of kicking back and enjoying maternity leave with your new bundle of joy. But for many women, it is also the time and breathing space that they need to take the plunge and start working for themselves. You will need to check the rules on maternity pay and whether you…
Read More4 Enterprise Business Phone System Needs
The technology of phone systems is always changing. There have been significant infrastructure developments such as the shift from traditional phone systems to VoIP and the transition from landlines to mobile. Furthermore, there are also those smaller, functional changes that have made the aforementioned ones possible. Business phone systems, in particular, are available in a wide range…
Read MoreWhat About My Goals? A Time for Selfishness
I had a call from a frustrated sales person. He said, “Dave, I read your stuff all the time. You are relentless in focusing on the customer, their problems, and their goals. I get it, but I’m in trouble, I need to achieve my goals! That’s what I really care about!” I really get where…
Read MoreMotivate Your Staff with These 4 Easy Incentive Programs
You’ve heard it before, but we’ll say it again: your small business is only as good as your employees. Without them, it doesn’t matter how much money you have in the bank or how great your business ideas is. At the end of the day, your employees are the ones who help drive sales, encourage…
Read MoreTransparency: The More Things Change…or Do They?
“…{You} must recognize that we are living in a different generation than the one in which {your} father had lived, and that it was possible, in building up an industry such as {his}, to maintain a comparative secrecy as to methods of work, etc. and to keep business pretty much to those who were engaged in…
Read MoreHire on Ability. Fire on Fit.
This is not necessarily the way we intend to behave as managers, but our headline reflects the reality of most experiences when viewed in retrospect. We carefully vet the potential hire for experience required. Ninety days or longer later, if that person is terminated by management, it often is for actions resulting from the person’s…
Read More5 Tips for Launching Your Freelance Writing Business the Right Way
After a car accident and two surgeries—which occurred during my struggles to secure a full-time job—the thought of starting a business began to reverberate in my mind. I have a knack for writing and real love for the Internet; so, you know what? I started Googling about the possibility of running a writing business from…
Read MoreSweeping Up Tax Savings: Tax Deductions for Self-Employed Housekeepers
There may be nothing more rewarding than laboring all day to clean up a messy house and then seeing how sparkling and new it looks after this hard work. While housekeepers may get this nice dose of satisfaction, they are still like all self-employed professionals who get hit with countless taxes and IRS regulations. So,…
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