2009 Tax Filing Tips for Small Biz Owners

It's that time of year again!! Here are a few tips to guide us through our shoeboxes full of receipts!! I posted this last year, but I figured there's no expiration on timely tax advice .................

Small Business Tax Basics, excerpted from allbusiness.com

Taxes are one of the most important issues facing small businesses. And like a company's profits, its annual tax bill will, in part, reflect the owner's skills and knowledge. Business owners need to be sure that they are meeting all their responsibilities to the tax authorities — and also seizing every legitimate opportunity to reduce their taxes.

Writing It Off: Deductions
Businesses can deduct all "ordinary and necessary" business expenses from their revenues to reduce their taxable income. Some deductions are obvious — expenditures in such areas as business travel, equipment, salaries, or rent. But the rules governing write-offs aren't always simple. Don't overlook these potential deductions:

Trips that combine business and pleasure. If a business trip is primarily devoted to business, deduct the travel costs, as well as other business-related expenses.

Purchases financed by business loans or credit cards. These costs can be deducted this year even if they won't be paid off until later. Deduct the interest on the loans themselves, as well.

Startup expenditures. Only a portion of expenses related to starting up a business can be deducted — $5,000 of general startup costs, and $5,000 of organizational costs. Additional expenses must be amortized over 180 months once the company is up and running.

Employee Taxes
If a business has employees, a variety of taxes will have to be withheld from their salaries. Among them are:

Withholding. Social Security (FICA), Medicare, and federal and state income taxes must be withheld from employees' pay.
Employer matching. Businesses must match the FICA and Medicare taxes and pay them along with employees.
Unemployment tax. Businesses must pay federal and state unemployment taxes.

Read Payroll Taxes for Your Small Business for more detail.

Quarterly Estimated Taxes
This area trips up many entrepreneurs, and is especially vexing for home-based businesses. Failure to keep up with estimated tax bills can create cash flow problems as well as the potential for punishing IRS penalties. Among the issues are:

Who should pay? A business probably must pay quarterly estimated taxes if the total tax bill in a given year will exceed $500.

How much should you pay? By the end of the year, either 90 percent of the tax that is owed, or 100 percent of last year's tax must be paid (the figure is 110 percent if a business's income exceeds $150,000). Businesses can subtract their expenses from their income each quarter, and apply their income tax rate (and any self-employment tax rate) to the resulting figure (their quarterly profit).

Sales Taxes
Most services remain exempt from sales tax, but most products are taxable (typical exceptions are food and drugs). If a business sells a product or service that is subject to sales tax, the business must register with the state's tax department. Then taxable and nontaxable sales must be tracked and included on the company's sales tax return.

Important Tax Deadlines for Businesses
April 15 isn't the only important tax date. The following deadlines are also important to keep in mind:

Annual returns. Annual returns are due April 15 for unincorporated companies.
Estimated taxes. Estimated taxes are due four times a year: April 15, June 15, September 15, and January 15.
Sales taxes. Sales taxes are due quarterly or monthly, depending on the rules in your state.
Employee taxes. Depending on the size of your payroll, employee taxes are due weekly, monthly, or quarterly.
Corporations. The due date for corporations with a calendar tax year is March 15. If a corporation follows a fiscal year, taxes are due two-and-a-half months after the end of the fiscal year.

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Creating and Sticking to Your Small Biz Budget

Pam Newman has some excellent tips for getting in your finances in order. Whether you are just starting out or are a biz pro, these tips are helpful and quite easy to follow.

Creating a 12-Month Budget By Pam Newman

Get your finances in order for the entire year with these steps for preparing a monthly budget.

It's that time of year! Have you started your budget for the new year? A budget is part of your financial roadmap. How do you know where you're going if don't have a destination selected and the road that you're going to take mapped out?

Budgeting shouldn't be approached as something to do when you have time, but instead as a priority and part of your overall business financial management plan. Breaking your budget into monthly increments will ease the process, making it less overwhelming. Prepare some general goals for your financial budget for the year, then see how you can achieve that goal--one month at a time--through a monthly budget.

Getting Started
Budgeting doesn't have to be an overwhelming task. We'll often use the excuse that we don't know "how" to do a budget because our income and/or expenses are too hard to predict. Don't you want to have an idea of where you're going? The challenge for the new year is for you to be more proactive with your business financial picture. Here's how to begin.

1. Analyze your current and prior year(s') budget. It's always a good idea to know where your starting point is!

Utilize a simple format for your budget based on the profit/loss format:

Income
- Cost of Goods Sold
- Overhead Expenses
= Net Income/Profit

Don't get confused though! Cash and income are two different concepts.

2. Use the budgeting features in your bookkeeping software to assist you. QuickBooks has a great budget format ready for you based upon your profit/loss format.

3. Assess your budget realistically. It's always a good idea to have an objective third party review your information. We tend to overestimate our income and underestimate our expenses.

Make sure to document how you're coming up with your estimated numbers. For example, if you predict $10,000 in sales, you need to document that it's based on the following equation: the number of sales multiplied by dollar amount per average sale. This will give your predictions substance and allow better variance analysis when your actual figures vary from your budgeted figures.

4. Compare your actual activities to your budgeted activities on a monthly basis. This comparison is what creates the real value for you. When you use QuickBooks, you'll have preformatted reports available that'll calculate variance between actual and budgeted income and expense items.

We all have many demands on our time, but managing the financial aspects of our businesses is a responsibility that we need to take seriously. If this isn't one of your strengths, then find someone to assist you with this process. It's like any other skill--it takes time to understand the various aspects. There's no better time to take control of your business path than today!

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Pam Newman is Entrepreneur.com's "Financial Management" columnist and president of RPPC Inc., which helps entrepreneurs succeed in their businesses through small-business training and consulting services in the areas of accounting and management. She's also author of Out of the Red, a management accounting guide for small-business owners.

Now that Newman has given us these fabulous budget prep tips, we need advice on how to stick to the budget!!! This is where Jeff Wuorio comes in. Below is an article from Wuorio explaining how to stay with your budget ---

8 ways to make a budget work by Jeff Wuorio

If you build it, stay with it.

Put another way: If you've put in the work and created a business budget, follow it! If you don't, you'll lose the benefits that you planned for when you built the little monster.

Get started by reminding yourself that your business budget is not a monster. It's nothing more than a set of guidelines for your spending and saving habits. Below, I've laid out some common problems that pop up with many established budgets, along with some solutions that can help you stay within budgetary guidelines.

1. Accept the learning curve. Living with a budget is an education. Trimming your expenses, knowing how long a paycheck is going to last or how much of a cash reserve to keep around . . . working these skillfully will take some time. But you can learn to adjust a budget as you go, and what was once a shot in the dark gradually will become a more predictable and useful practice.

2. Be prepared to miss your budget estimates and act accordingly. This was rule No. 1 in setting up a budget: knowing that your budget projections are a best guess and nothing more. Notes Mark Weaver, associate professor of management at the University of Alabama: "You're going to miss your estimates. That doesn't make you unintelligent or a bad businessperson. Instead, try to miss them intelligently and in ways you can correct."For example, if you budgeted $200 a month for long-distance phone service and your bill consistently tops $250 — say, for at least three months running — adjust your phone allocation up $50. By the same token, if the bill is only running an average of $150, you can trim your phone share. To keep things in line as much as possible, try to reallocate some other area of your overall budget to account for the adjustment.

3. Work flexibly. As with setting up a small-business budget, sticking by one often boils down to a willingness to be flexible. For instance, if your revenue doesn't match what you expected — and there's a good chance that might be the case — trim back your expenses to compensate. By the same token, if you're taking in more than you anticipated, it might be time to invest in better equipment.

4. Watch your cash flow. If you want to stick to a budget, make sure that your inflow more than compensates for your outflow. Monitor your income closely to make certain that you'll have adequate funds to pay your bills, particularly if your business is prone to long lapses between paychecks. Notes Weaver: "Even if it's just from the left pocket to the right pocket, cash-flow problems are what kill most small businesses. Keep checking to make certain that your revenues match your expenses."

5. Err on the side of conservative. When setting up your budget, it's a good idea to overstate your expenses and lowball your expected revenue. That approach is also a solid strategy when making sure your cash flow is going to hold up. Look into budget savers such as telephone calling plans, less expensive office furniture and other ways to lessen the burden on your income. "People always feel they have to have the best computer," says Weaver, "but money you don't spend is money you don't have to earn."

6. Nurture a cash cushion. The uncertainty of budgeting — both in terms of income as well as expenses — stands as one of the biggest threats to the survival and success of any small business. While trimming expenses to the absolute bone is always a good idea, it's also prudent to set aside income whenever possible. If you can afford it, earmark a portion of every paycheck you get and sock those funds away in a money market account. Not only can that money come in handy for predictable expenses such as year-end taxes, it also can prove an absolute lifesaver should an unexpectedly high bill suddenly crop up.By contrast, if you're thinking about starting a business sometime in the future, start saving — the money you set aside now ultimately may bail you out in ways you can hardly imagine.

7. Check your budget every month. This is a point that I cannot stress enough. Go over your budget every month and examine your cash flow to make certain your available funds are sufficient to meet your liabilities. If you're following point No. 2, above, and adjusting your budget as you go, you'll have some sort of emergency fund to take care of monthly overruns. Use it when things cost more than you thought and put money into the contingency fund if you come in under your expected numbers.

8. Use your budget as a form of restraint, not constraint! Setting up and sticking to a solid budget is the most effective teacher of fiscal discipline there is. But don't be shy about busting your budget on occasion should something truly warrant it. It's often impossible to budget for a valuable last-minute seminar or a trip to a trade show to make valuable contacts. If you are too rigid with your budget, you'll refuse to spend when you really should. "Don't be afraid to go beyond your budget to spend money that's a valuable investment in your business," Weaver says. "A good budget is great, but don't let it dictate your business."

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Jeff Wuorio is a veteran freelance writer and author based in southern Maine. He writes about small-business management, marketing and technology issues.

$250,000 Business Plan Competition - Enter Now!!

A total of $250,000 in money and in-kind services is to be awarded in a national business plan competition based in Fresno. “Anyone who has an idea for an innovative new business, and a business plan to match — or who has already started and is growing a business with a promising business plan — is welcome to enter,” says the sponsor, the Lyles Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

Entries will be accepted beginning June 1. The top 10 finalists will travel to Fresno for a two-day competition Oct. 2-3, where they will present their business plan to a panel of judges. On Oct. 4, the winner -- and recipient of $100,000 in cash and $150,000 of in-kind services – is to be announced during halftime at the Fresno State Bulldog football game.

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE

Essence Magazine's Golden Rules for Building Wealth and Side Hustles

Most people are interested in improving their financial situation --- via working several jobs, opening up a retirement account, buying a home, paying off debt or otherwise. Essence Magazine offers these 3 guideposts for your road to wealth.

Invest in real estate.
Sure, the market is shaky, with the number of foreclosures rising every day. But the smart investor buys when everyone else runs away. Buying and holding, leasing options, purchasing mobile homes, and wholesaling are just a few of the many ways to get into real estate. Learn how investors are heating things up in this cool environment. (See “Get Rich in Real Estate,” November 2007.)

Survey the stock market.
Discretionary income is what’s left after you pay fixed expenses like your rent or mortgage, car note and insurance. You have the flexibility to decide how much of it goes toward food, entertainment, hair care and so on. Use that spending muscle to pump up your portfolio. For instance, forgo the Friday dinners at Red Lobster and buy stock in its corporate parent, Darden Restaurants, Inc. (DRI), instead. Stocks averaged returns of 11.94 percent annually between 1985 and 2005, according to Morningstar, an investment research firm. That’s higher than the Lotto, a savings club and certainly a savings account. Start by investing small amounts monthly through plans at Sharebuilder.com.

Build a business.
Start a side hustle that you really enjoy. If you love to cook, write or teach, it’s easy to parlay those skills into becoming a caterer, an online blogger or a tutor. Log on to Powerhomebiz.com and enter “part-time businesses” in the search box for information on side hustles. You don’t have to start your enterprise on a grand scale, but if you’re going to do it, give it the full attention it deserves. Too often we get a bad rep for not minding our businesses. Be sure to have excellent customer service, gain access to adequate financial resources, and watch the bottom line. Read “The Entrepreneur’s Start-up Guide” (February 2008) for inspiration.

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Inexpensive Ways to Market Your Business

A couple of days ago, I realized that I hadn't blogged on the Kreative Mix blog for several weeks. While I had a lot of information to post regarding small-biz resources, I had to finish integrating my Boutique website so I really couldn't make the time. Now that the Boutique and the Boutique Blog have been up and running for the last two weeks, I'm back!!!! If you haven't visited the blog yet, please click here to check out the Boutique Mix Blog!!!

Here's a great article by Sherri Lononon on blogging to promote your business.

Blogging to promote your home business is a great way to boost interest in products or services. It is also a solid website promotion technique that, when used correctly, can generate more traffic for your home business website and improve your site’s search rankings. Getting started, however, is often the biggest stumbling block many home-based business owners face

While it might sound like a daunting task, the simple reality is that blogging is one of the most cost-effective and even enjoyable marketing tools home-based business owners have at their disposal. Most who are not yet familiar with blogging don’t realize how easy and cost-effective it is.

Getting started involves nothing more than following a simple step-by-step process.

Decide how you want to host your blog
Decide which blogging platform you want to use
Register with the blogging service
Set up your blog layout
Start posting your content

Hosting Your Blog
The best place to start is deciding whether your home business blog should have its own URL or web address or if one provided by a service at no charge will do. For example, an owner who wants to start blogging for home business can choose to purchase their own website domain name and have a blog assigned to it or they can have their blog hosted by one of several blog providers for free on the provider’s own servers. If you already have a website, you just need to consider if you want the blog to become an integral part of your website or if it will exist on its own, hosted by the blogging service provider. If you don’t have a home business website or a domain name, your blog can actually serve as a free online presence for your home business.

A free address hosted by a blogging service provider might read something like this: www.myblogname.blogcompany.com.

Either method will serve the purpose of getting your message out and can increase traffic to your website, but for search engine optimization reasons, it’s generally recommended that your blog be hosted on your website, if you have one. The reason for that is that any incoming links to your blog or to any of its individual posts will link to your website’s domain instead of the blog provider’s domain and incoming links are important for “organic” or natural search engine rankings. Additionally, some see a branding benefit to having their blog hosted on their domain with an address like blog.mybusinessname.com or www.mybusinessname.com/blog. Either way, if you have a website you want to link to your blog and link your blog to your site.

Selecting a Hosting Platform
Once the decision on where your blog will be hosted is made, the next step is to actually get a blog. There are a number of really good services out there that make blogging for home business a snap to set up. Two of the most popular choices include Google's own Blogger and WordPress. Both offer free blog hosting on their domain as well as a number of templates you can use to quickly set up your blog. If you want to host the blog on your site, these platforms offer wizards that help you do that.

Because both are popular blogging platforms, additional templates are available on the web and you can customize a template to match your home business branding by using logos and color schemes that tie into your Web site. This is a good thing to do for your business identity regardless of whether you host your blog on a free service or you host it on your own home business website. WordPress also offers inexpensive domain hosting through a number of service providers.

Registering with the Blogging Service
Most blogging services are fairly easy to sign up for and start using. Just complete an online form, verify your account and you’re ready to roll. You might consider registering for an acount with both WordPress and Blogger and see which platform you find more to your liking. If you’re planning to use a pre-built template, you might also want to base your decision on which provider offers the templates you like most that fit with your home business.

Don’t set up your permanent blog name while you’re testing. You can always handle that later and delete your test blog. Whether you host the blog on your Web site, with its own standalone domain, or on the blogging service’s platform, you’ll use the blogging service’s interface to create and manage your posts

Setting Up Your Blog’s Layout
Next you’ll want to create your page layout or design scheme. For beginners, selecting a “pre-cooked” template is the easiest way to go as you can always customize it later and then start writing. If you need a professional looking blog, you can also outsource the template setup and graphics to an independent graphic designer.

As mentioned earlier, Blogger allows you to drag and drop page elements in order to create and edit your page layout. Experiment to see what works best for you. With Blogger, you can even include ads within your blog – offering you the opportunity to make some money with your blog over the long haul.

Start Posting Your Content
After a blog is set up and ready to go, all that is really necessary to tap into the power of this tool is a willingness to sit down and write. Many who get into blogging for home business do their own writing. Some companies choose to hire professional copywriters to ensure their blogs are content rich and search engine optimized. The choice is really up to you. Both can work quite well as long as content is engaging, optimized and updated on a fairly regular basis. Since the goal of blog marketing is increased awareness and promotion of your home business, posted content should be of sufficient interest that it will attract incoming links, resulting in increased traffic and search ranking power for your blog and/or website.

Blog content can be identified and categorized through “tagging” or labeling your individual blog posts. Doing so can improve search ranking power for your posts and can also help your visitors find what they’re looking for when they visit your blog. Don’t overdo blog labels – use only those that really pertain to the post you just created.

Post often. After all, if someone happens upon your blog you don’t want them to find the latest post written 6 months ago. Exactly how often is a matter of widely differing opinion, but one to three times per week are good goals.

What Type of Home-Based Biz Owner Are You?

Home-Biz Owner - Know Thyself!!!!

The article below has been excerpted from The Home Office From Hell Cure by Jeffrey A. Landers, available from Entrepreneur Press.

Before you can begin to cure your ailing business and become a thriving entrepreneur, you must know who you really are and what you really want.

Are You a Growth Maven?

Growth Mavens are fiercely ambitious. They do not think small.

The Growth Maven starts her business in her home office to keep expenses low but is champing at the bit to raise the company to new heights. Her dream is to grow from a single-person company to a multi-employee company and maybe even larger.

She isn't looking to settle down in her second-bedroom office and stay for any length of time. She is a visionary, and she has one eye on the future. She knows she has to take plenty of risks--there will be times when her cash flow is crunched because she is expanding more rapidly than the profits are coming in--but she knows that the uncomfortable cycle of growth will be worth it when her company is gaining attention and picking up customers.

She knows there is no limit to the amount of money she can make, and she is dedicated to innovating her products and services. But she has to get out of her house first. She has to take the first step.

Does this sound familiar? If you are a Growth Maven, you have to take the first steps to building your empire--you'll need to move to your first “real” office and bring on some staff. But you want to manage it so that the big leap doesn't drain your time, money and resources. You want to set yourself up for growth and long-term success. You want customers to know your name and what you stand for. You want to develop a reputation and have a consistent stream of dialogue running between you and your customers.

It isn't easy, but if you are a Growth Maven, you can make it happen. This is your time to harness your inner maverick and make your vision a reality. Say good-bye to your Home Office From Hell, Growth Mavens. You're off to build an empire!

Or a Lifestyle Guru?

The Lifestyle Guru made the dream happen the first day that he didn't go into the office.

His dream was to leave the soulless corporation behind and be his own boss. He hates the commute, the suit and tie, the cubicle, the office politics, and the crazy, overbearing bosses. He wants more--not to feel like he is just pushing paper until 6 o'clock. He wants to feel a sense of contribution and pride in his work. And he wants to do it his way.

He is psyched to be his own boss, have a flexible schedule and decide for himself when to work and when to take time off. He wants to wear pajamas to work and knock off at 3 p.m. for a few hours so he can catch his kid's soccer match. He doesn't mind clearing out his e-mail inbox after his wife and kids are in bed. Sometimes he works on the weekends; sometimes he doesn't.

He knows there is a limit to the amount of money he can make, but he is bringing in a comfortable six-figure income and has more leisure time to spend with his family and friends. When it works, it all feels pretty good.

If you are aspiring to be a Lifestyle Guru, you'll want to do a few things--increase your productivity, stay competitive, get better clients and continue to make more money--all without compromising your lifestyle choices. Whew! Sounds like a tall order, right?

No way. The Lifestyle Gurus who are doing it successfully have a plan for making it work. They make themselves look big even when they're small. They outsource the things that both drain their time and aren't revenue-producing. And they get their customers' attention.

They aren't wasting away in their basement offices, hoping they'll get that next assignment. They are out there. They have a reputation for being professional, organized and on the ball. They are constantly sending that message in everything they do.

It isn't a cakewalk, but if you are an aspiring Lifestyle Guru, you can make it happen. This is your time to harness your inner maverick and make your vision a reality.

So Lifestyle Gurus, get ready to eliminate the "From Hell" from your Home Office. You have a life to start living!

Figure out who you really are and what kind of entrepreneur you want to be. Are you a Growth Maven or a Lifestyle Guru?

You probably have some idea whether you are a Growth Maven or a Lifestyle Guru, but if you are sitting on the fence and not sure in which direction you'd like to go, then this quiz should help you figure that out.

The Quiz

1. When you fantasize about your successful business, what scenario appeals to you the most?
A. More than $500,000 a year in compensation, many employees, a nice office space buzzing with activity, and the knowledge that you are building a well-known regional or national company and brand.
B. A steady low six-figure income, great clients (that you can pick and choose) with challenging and reputation-building projects, and a casual and relaxed environment with plenty of extra time for leisure, home responsibilities and family.

2. When you think about the perfect workday, which description is more in line with your way of thinking?
A. A cup of Starbucks coffee to get you going, in the office by 8 a.m., eat lunch at a fancy restaurant with prospective clients, high-powered afternoon meetings with investment bankers and members of the media, a strategic planning session with your senior staff, complete employee reviews until 7:30 p.m., meet with colleagues for networking and drinks, get home by 11 p.m.
B. Up at 8 a.m., get kids off to school, at your desk in the spare bedroom working in your sweats until noon, grab a cold burrito from the fridge, conference call with clients while throwing a load into the washer, pick kids up at school at 3 p.m., coach soccer, finish new client proposal, and send invoices. Spouse and kids home at 7:30 for dinner, check e-mail, do 12 little things that need to get done, call Singapore, in bed by 11 p.m.

3. What is your definition of professional success?
A. Building a major business with a legacy, respect of colleagues, financial independence, opportunities to use your position and wealth to make a difference in the world.
B. Independence, challenging and creative work, time with family and friends, a secure and consistent living, service in the community.

4. I am more comfortable in a working environment that is _________.
A. Formal. I prefer designated spaces for employees, clear boundaries between staff and management, a conference room for meetings, a receptionist to greet guests, and a clear beginning and end to the workday.
B. Informal. I prefer to multitask, moving between personal and professional obligations as they come up. I like to work in my pajamas or sweats (except when going out to meet clients). I prefer a workday schedule that corresponds to the needs of my family and my clients, even if that means working at odd hours in the middle of the night or on weekends.

5. What do you think (hope) your business will be like in 10 years?
A. My company, its brand, and its products will be recognized as a leader regionally/nationally/internationally, have many employees, be positioned for consistent future growth and be constantly innovating in new directions.
B. I will have a steady, but not overwhelming, stream of challenging work and an impressive reputation. I will make more than a comfortable living and have plenty of free time to be with family and friends.

Growth Mavens to the Right; Lifestyle Gurus to the Left
You probably have a pretty good idea now which way you want to take your business. If you answered "A" to at least three of these questions, you are definitely a Growth Maven. If you answered "B" to at least three out of the five, then you are a Lifestyle Guru.

Jeffrey A. Landers is a serial entrepreneur who has founded five companies and has advised small businesses for more than three decades. His company, Home Office Success Inc., has helped thousands of home based businesses become more professional, more productive and more profitable. His book The Home Office From Hell Cure is available from Entrepreneur Press.

Steps for Opening a Business with your Spouse/Significant Other

Thinking of going into business with your significant other? Read these tips from Debra Neiman before taking the next step!!!!

Give yourselves a timetable to startup. You might be tempted to give notice tomorrow morning, but it's much wiser to lay out a timetable over the coming months with specific tasks, goals and objectives.

Study the viability of your business model. Talk about worst-case scenarios. Bring in trusted advisors to ask tough questions about what you're planning to do and the viability of your idea. Convincing each other you'll make it work isn't enough. You need to understand the marketplace you're walking into and the roles each of you will fill. Perhaps you will notice gaps in skill sets that will necessitate additional staff.

Draft a business plan. Even if you don't anticipate the need to seek outside financing, it is always a good idea to formalize your ideas with a business plan. Include profit and loss projections, so that you have a benchmark for evaluating your progress at a given point in time. Factor in both best- and worst-case scenarios, which could help with decisions down the road.

Determine which business structure makes sense. Depending on the nature of the business, you may wish to incorporate. However, incorporating is a bit more complicated than running a business as a sole proprietorship. Consult with an accountant and attorney who specialize in business startups to determine which structure makes sense for you. Your financial planner can help here as well.

Understand how your tax situation will change. Depending on which business structure you choose, you may need to plan for income taxes, self-employment taxes and payroll taxes. You want to make sure you have reserves set aside for these liabilities. Again, your tax professional can help you get a handle on this.

Set a spending plan for your business and personal life. A financial planner can help you establish a spending plan for supporting your business as well as your life at home. Since startups have unpredictable cash inflows, you will want to establish adequate emergency funds--both business and personal--to carry you through the startup phase.

Make sure your legal documents are in order. If you haven't had your estate planning documents updated in a while or don't have them at all, this is a great time to have them drafted. Don't forget to tell your attorney about your new business venture, which should be factored into the equation.

Plan for your kids in the business. There may be good opportunities to employ children for work commensurate with their skills.

Get your insurance in order. Before leaving your current employer, figure out the cost of insurance you'll need to incur for the entire family, including health, life, home, business, disability and, if you're over 50, long-term care coverage. These expenses may be enough to encourage one of you to stay at your old job, at least for a while to keep those benefits going while the other devotes more time to the startup.

Have an exit plan if you break up. It may be hard to imagine now, but a breakup of your relationship with no financial plan for the business can be devastating. Whether you're married or living together, a successful business is an important source of wealth. So you should have a contingency plan in the event that one of you potentially wants to buy the business or be bought out. This legal agreement would include provisions to safeguard capital investments and non-cash contributions.

Set boundaries. Couples who live and work together need to assess whether they want to keep their work and personal lives separate. Some people are comfortable discussing their personal lives at work, while others make it clear that during working hours, they are at work and won't discuss personal matters. While there is no right or wrong here, you have to do what's right for you.

Excerpted from Entrepreneur.com.

Ten Low-Cost Ways to Market Your Business

Joanna L. Krotz presents 10 low-cost ways to market your biz.

1. Take steps to make customers feel special. Customers respond to being recognized, especially in these rush-rush, get-the-lowest-price times. "Even with a Web-based business, good customer service is possible," says Denise McMillan, co-owner of Plush Creations (www.plushcreations.com), an online retailer of handcrafted travel bags. McMillan encloses a small, rose-scented sachet in every jewelry and lingerie bag she sells and also sends a handwritten thank-you note. "The sachet and note cost pennies but add something special to the purchase," she says.

2. Create business cards that prospects keep. Most business cards are tossed within hours of a meeting. Instead of having your card tossed, create one that recipients actually will use — say, a good-looking notepad with your contact info and tagline on every page. "The business card notepad is referred to almost daily, kept for 30 days or so and carries a high remembrance factor," says Elliott Black, a Northbrook, Ill., marketing consultant who specializes in small businesses.

3. Stop servicing break-even customers. If this idea makes you gasp, think harder. You're falling for the fallacy of increasing sales instead of boosting profits. If you stop marketing to unprofitable customers, you have more time and resources for customers who actually grow your business. "More than likely, 20% of your customer base is contributing 150% to 200% of total annualized profit (TAP); 70% is breaking even; and 10% is costing you 50% to 100% of TAP," says Atlanta marketing consultant Michael King. Take a detailed look at your customer profitability data and then direct premium services and marketing to customers who count. (Microsoft Outlook 2003 with Business Contact Manager can help you analyze customer histories.)

4. Develop an electronic mailing list and send old-fashioned letters. Most businesses have harnessed the power of e-newsletters — and you definitely should be sending out one, too. It's very cost-effective. (See Microsoft List Builder for more). But exactly because e-mail marketing is now nearly ubiquitous, you can quickly stand out by occasionally sending personal, surface mail letters to customers and prospects.Just make sure the letter delivers something customers want to read, whether an analysis of recent events in your field, premium offers or a sweetener personalized for the recipient (a discount on his next purchase of whatever he last purchased, for instance). "This mailing has to have value to those that read it, so it reflects the value of what you offer," says Leslie Ungar, an executive coach in Akron, Ohio. "Remember, the best way to sell is to tell."The process is simplified by creating a letter template and envelope or customer label mailing list in Microsoft Office Word, which you can print out. The mailing list is easily created in Excel and then imported into Word (learn more by reading this article).

5. Boost your profile at trade shows and conferences. You can quickly create signage, glossy postcards with your contact information, product news inserts or an event mini Web site — all with Microsoft Office Publisher. Check out its versatile features.

6. Combine business with pleasure — and charity. Spearhead an event, party or conference for a cause you care about. That puts you in the position of getting to know lots of people, and shows off your leadership skills. "I host an annual baseball game where I take hundreds of clients to a Cubs game at Wrigley Field," says Kate Koziol, who owns a public relations agency in Chicago. "Last year, I took 300 people and we raised $10,000 for a local children's hospital. Few people turn down a game and it's a great networking opportunity for guests. It lets me reconnect with current clients and impress potential clients."

7. Create a destination. Bookstore chain Barnes & Noble has its coffee bars. Furnishings giant Ikea offers child-care centers and cafeterias. Why? So customers gravitate to the stores to enjoy an experience, to hang out for a while. Sunday morning at Barnes & Noble becomes a pleasant weekend routine, rather than a shopping errand. Steal this idea.This tip isn't limited to offline destinations, either. Using pay-per-click advertising, you can cheaply drive traffic to a one-time news event or specialty offerings, points out Jay Lipe, a small-business marketing consultant based in Minneapolis. Lipe recently set up a Web site for Games by James (www.gamesbyjames.biz), a retailer of board games, and quickly attracted customers via pay-per-click ads. "The effect was overnight," says Lipe. "Traditionally in the marketing world, it takes weeks or even months to generate acceptable awareness and traffic. Here we saw traffic spike overnight." (For more about pay-per-click marketing, see this article.)Other tips to become a destination:

8. Become an online expert. This is the "free sample" approach to bringing in business. Research active e-mail discussion lists and online bulletin boards that are relevant to your business and audience. Join several and start posting expert advice to solve problems or answer questions. You may need to keep this up for a bit. But the rewards come back in paying clients and referrals. "E-mail discussion lists have been my single largest source of clients over the last eight years," says Shel Horowitz, a small-business marketing consultant based in Northampton, Mass.

9. Court local media. Editorial features convey more credibility with prospective clients than paid advertising does. To get coverage from the local media, whether from the town newspaper, from TV or radio stations, or from trade journals, you need a fresh, timely story. It's usually worthwhile to hire an experienced publicist to position the stories, target appropriate media representative and write and send press releases. Usually, you can work on a short-term or contingency basis.

10. Finally, don't let customers simply slip away. Make an effort to reel them back in. It costs a lot less to retain a disgruntled or inactive customer than to acquire a new one. If you haven't heard from a customer in awhile, send a personalized e-mail (you can automate this process), inquiring whether all is well. For a customer who suffered a bad experience, pick up the phone, acknowledging the unpleasantness and ask if there's anything you can do. A discount can't hurt either.Being kind to customers is the smartest low-cost marketing you can do.

Excerpted from Small Business Resources. Joanna L. Krotz writes about small-business marketing and management issues. She is the co-author of the "Microsoft Small Business Kit" and runs Muse2Muse Productions, a New York City-based custom publisher.

Tips for Creating a Fabulous Business Logo

Your business logo is an extension of your business - your ideas, your business dreams and your brand. Below are a few tips by John Williams - Excerpted from Entrepreneur.com.


1. Your branding efforts not only start with your logo but are dictated by it. Your logo appears on all your sales tools, from your business cards and stationary to your website. As a result, your logo design influences the design of all your sales tools--for better or worse. A professional-looking logo can be leveraged to create professional-looking materials. A poorly designed logo can't. In other words, you need a "brandable" logo--one you can make use of when designing other materials to brand your company.

Brandable logos are scalable, memorable and meaningful. If people can't remember what your logo looks like, they won't remember your brand. Think of the logos of some of the popular brands today. Do you think of M-shaped arches, a shell or a swoosh? All are simple concepts, effectively employed by McDonalds, Shell and Nike. How can you tell if a logo's going to be memorable? If you can't look at a logo for fewer than 10 seconds and re-draw it with decent accuracy, it's probably too complex to be easily remembered. (Besides being difficult to remember, most complex logos can't effectively be reduced in size or rendered in black and white, making them useless for such elements as fax cover sheets and other business forms.)


2. Your logo is a quick visual cue that conveys the essence of your brand in an age when image is everything and time is short. Perhaps you've heard the writer's lament that "nobody reads anymore." In today's markets, not only do you face ever-increasing competition, you also face an audience accustomed to visually stimulating media, convenience and instant gratification. Sure, a few people may read your entire ad, more may read some of it--but everyone will SEE it. The overwhelming amount of choices faced by time-crunched consumers forces them to identify shortcuts. Your logo is such a shortcut: it instantly conveys your brand message and emotional appeal.

3. Awareness and familiarity are keys to growing your business, and your logo is instrumental in both areas. Your logo is your brand's most basic graphic element. It ties together all your sales materials--in fact, your logo may be the only visual element your materials have in common. The right logo helps solidify customer loyalty while differentiating you from the competition.


4. Your logo may be the only thing by which a potential customer can judge your business. Think of small newspaper or Yellow Pages ads. Often all that fits in these small spaces is your contact information and your logo. If your logo projects the right image, it may be the sole reason someone decides to try your company. Conversely, if it looks unprofessional or unclear, it alone may be the reason they choose to look somewhere else.


5. Your logo affords a unique opportunity for you to look like a bigger (that is, more established) business than what you are. With the right logo, you can look like a larger company that's been around for awhile even if you have only one employee and just opened your doors last month. People who see it will associate the positive attributes of big companies--like security and financial stability--with your company. And you can still deliver the entrepreneurial qualities--like personal attention and superior customer service--that you're known for.

Building a solid brand identity is pivotal to success in business today. Lay the right foundation with a professional, brandable logo.


John Williams is Entrepreneur.com's "Image & Branding" columnist and the founder and president of LogoYes.com, the world's first do-it-yourself logo design website. During John's 25 years in advertising, he's created brand standards for Fortune 100 companies like Mitsubishi and won numerous awards for his design work.

Tips for Turning Shoppers into Buyers

Brad Sugars' 6 Tips for Turning Shoppers into Buyers - Excerpted from Entrepreneur.com.

There's nothing more painful for a new business owner than seeing a shopper walk in the door and walk out empty-handed.

1. Stress your unique selling proposition. Figure out what makes you different from the competition and deliver that message loud and clear. For example, one wedding/event facility touted the credentials of a new head chef they had hired from the best restaurant in town, pushing its conversion rate from 60 to 73 percent.


2. Identify bottlenecks in your sales process. Analyze the steps required to get customers to buy from you and determine your weak spots. Let's say you're in the deck building business. To make a sale, you need to schedule an appointment, show photos of your work, take measurements, propose a design, price the job, provide references and so on. Do you need new photos for your portfolio? Does your proposal package need sprucing up? Are you failing to make follow-up phone calls? Fix the flaws, and sales will follow.


3. Use the magic question for telephone inquiries. Never let a caller get away with simply asking for price information. Train your staff to say, "Thanks for your call. So that I can be of the biggest help to you, can I ask you a couple of questions?" This opens the door to engaging the customer. One tire retailer I know doubled his business by adopting this technique and coaching salespeople to ask about callers' driving patterns, typical number of passengers and preference for low-priced versus longer-lasting tires.


4. Outlaw "Can I help you?" on the retail floor. Inevitably, the customer will answer "No thanks, I'm just looking" and end the conversation. Instead, instruct salespeople to ask, "Hi, have you been in our store before?" If they say no, the answer should be "Let me show you around." If they say yes, the response should be, "Welcome back, let me show you a couple of new things we just got in." That way, you don't give them an opportunity to say they want to be left alone.


5. Rewrite your sales script. A lot of what goes wrong in selling can be traced to sending the wrong message. Consider the home security firm whose telemarketers introduced themselves by saying, "We heard there have been break-ins in your neighborhood, and we'd like to talk to you about installing a security system." After a business coach determined that approach was a turnoff and changed the script, the firm's conversion rates doubled overall and quadrupled for the strongest team members.


6. Adjust your sales pitch to the customer. It sounds basic, but most people don't do it. Train your sales team to ask questions to flesh out the customer's needs and to cater to different buying styles. One method called DISC divides the public into dominant, influencer, stability and compliance buyers. This applies to sales scripts as well as face-to-face selling. One jewelry store boosted its conversion rate from 26 to 65 percent by using role-playing and other training methods to help the staff adapt to different customer scenarios.

Remember, marketing can help make the phone ring or bring people in the door, but you can't win the war unless you turn a high percentage of your "live" prospects into paying customers. Give your sales team the right tools, and you'll have a lot fewer shoppers getting away.

Brad Sugars is Entrepreneur.com's Startup Basics columnist and the writer of 14 business books including The Business Coach, Instant Cashflow, Successful Franchising and Billionaire in Training.

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Side Hustle - Wedding Photographer

Do you enjoy taking pictures? Do you go everywhere with your camera, just hoping to weave a beautiful story. These days, there's a huge market for photographers (all types). Wedding photographers are always in demand. Below are 12 tips from Oregon Wedding Photographer Juan Carlos Torres. Please click HERE for additional information if you are interested!!!

1. Learn photography before anything else. A wedding photographer is expected to be a master of the craft. You will be in charge of capturing people's most precious life moments. The wedding day is not the place to learn photography.


2. Just because you got a brand new camera it does not automatically make you an effective and reliable photographer. Photography goes beyond cool toys and gadgets. Learn composition and develop a unique artistic vision. Some of the great photographs of all time were taken with manual cameras.


3. Master the digital workflow, including color management, digital image processing, file management and image correction and enhancement.


4. Learn to love photography more than anything else. Don't come to the wedding photography field with just dreams of making money. It is true that there are many successful wedding photographers that make a lot of money. However according to the Professional Photographers of America the average photographer in America makes about $24,000 a year.


5. Focus on delivering quality more than quantity. Seek with all your heart to capture unique photographs.


6. Develop a style that is recognizable and unique. Don't try to be like somebody else. Clients look for unique photographers, with a unique vision.


7. Give wedding photography all your heart and effort. Long when you are gone your photographs will last forever. It is a great way to be remembered.


8. Open your heart and your mind and great photos will happen. Concentrate on the human aspect of weddings, the details, and emotions and be ready to capture them. Let the camera become an extension of you.


9. Share your technical knowledge and make connections with other wedding photographers.


10. Participate in wedding photography image competitions. It will give you the opportunity to have your work evaluated by peers and the motivation to improve your work quality.


11. Learn something new everyday. Take advantage of professional photography organizations such as Professional Photographers of America (PPA), WPPI, etc. Attend their seminars, workshops. Participate in Internet wedding photography forums and learn and share tips, tools and techniques.


12. Don't neglect the business aspect of wedding photography. Learn to manage your business effectively. Take business courses and seminars.

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Side Hustles - Ten Fabulous Ideas to Get you Started on Your own Side Hustle - Learn more about Stella & Dot

1. Get paid to Shop Shop Shop - Become a Mystery Shopper. Get paid to shop, dine, watch movies or spend time at theme parks, all for free!!! As a Mystery Shopper, you'll be the secret eyes, mouth or ears for fine establishments around the country. Pose as shopper to get feedback on customer service, professionalism, etc. You can't ask for a better side hustle than getting paid to shop and/or dine. Read more on Mystery Shopping right here.


2. Get paid to spend other peoples' cash - Start an Interior Decorating Biz. Do you have an eye for color and design? Does shopping for paint or furniture get your juices flowing? Click here to make your [k]reative vision a reality.


3. Get paid to brighten someone's day - Become a Florist/Flower Designer. Click right here to learn how you too can become part of this booming opportunity - expected revenues of $20 billion in 2008!!!


4. Get paid to make others look fabulous - Become a Makeup Artist. Click here to learn more.


5. Get paid to run personal errands - Start a Concierge Biz. With so many things to do and so little time, there is a huge market for concierge services. Click here to get started.


6. Get paid to spread romance - Write Romantic Stories. Becoming a romantic writer is really cool because romance never goes out of style. We all still swoon over those amazing guys in the romantic stories/movies, or over David Beckham......don't tell me you didn't see that coming. Click here to make us swoon.


7. Get paid to bring zen to the masses - Start a Spa Biz. Own a biz that brings relaxation to the masses. Click here to learn more.


8. Get paid to travel around the world - Become a Travel Writer. Definitely one of my dream jobs. Imagine getting paid to travel to Dubai, Milan, London, Capetown, Paris or [insert your dream destination]...........[insert wistful sigh]. Adventure, Luxury, Fabulosity. It doesn't get better than this. Click here and pack your bags.


9. Get Paid to Spend time with animals - Start a Pet Biz. Are you a pet lover? Can you see yourself playing with Fido all day? Well, this one's for you. Click here to pick up your leash!!


10. Get Paid to Cook - Become a Caterer. Do you love fabulous food and parties? Then, mix it up. Click here to learn more.

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Become an Independent Stylist with Stella & Dot (www.stelladot.com/boutiquemix)

Hello EVERYONE - I would love to introduce you to Stella & Dot's fabulous jewelry designs (www.stelladot.com/boutiquemix). I am a Stella & Dot Independent Stylist (MiMi Dabo; Stylist ID 103764) and love it!!

Stella & Dot is a stylishly creative direct sales company founded by women for women like you. It is a fab opportunity for women working from home, stay at home moms, fashionistas, jewelry lovers, women looking for a part-time job, side hustle, anyone who has lost their job, anyone looking to start a business with no overhead and women who want to live life to the fullest. Everyone deserves to indulge - what better job than hosting trunk shows with deserving women!! Stella & Dot offers a fun career, part-time alternative or wonderful side hustle to women who know the sky is the limit. Work as much or as little as you want.

Celebrities are not the only ones with the inside scoop on Stella & Dot. There's a reason why EVERYONE is wearing Stella & Dot. Stella & Dot has a lot of fabulous styles that I'm sure you and most of the women in your life would love adore. With 50% of the jewelry under $50, it fits every recessionista's budget.

Learn more about Stella & Dot at www.stelladot.com/boutiquemix and contact me at
boutique-mix@hotmail.com to host a Trunk show and/or join my team!!

Hosting a Trunk Show is quite simple, it can done in-house at a location of your choice (for those in the DC metro area) or online (fashionistas can shop in the comfort of their home - for those outside the DC metro area). As a hostess, you will earn hundreds of dollars in free jewelry; up to 25% of all sales. I have some availability for trunk show bookings and would love to add you to my fashionable schedule!! If you are not interested at this time, but know someone who would love to host a trunk show, shop, or make some part-time/full-time cash, please pass it on!

Signing up as an Independent Stylist is quite easy!! Just visit www.stelladot.com/boutiquemix and learn more or email me anytime at boutique-mix@hotmail.com. You get up to $350 in FREE JEWELRY to start your business, 50% off the fab jewelry, a free website and unparalleled support. It's the perfect opportunity to women who want to take charge of their financial future. Why not see what all the buzz is about and work for the BIG BOSS----YOU!!!

My Stella & Dot business (www.stelladot.com/boutiquemix) has provided me with so many great emotional and financial rewards that I want to share this wonderful opportunity with others. I am actively seeking people to join my team. You don't have to live in the DC metro area to join my team. You can join from anywhere. Sign on with me and Stella & Dot has a wonderful network of ladies around the country that will join me in providing encouragement and support to you all the way!! Not interested in signing on, host a trunk show, online or in-house.

Contact me at boutique-mix@hotmail.com or visit www.stelladot.com/boutiquemix

Thanks, and I look forward to hearing from you.

Stylishly yours,

MiMi (www.stelladot.com/boutiquemix)


P.S- If you are in the DC area and interested in becoming a stylist, join me at Shecky's Girls Night Out at the DC Constitutional Hall from 5pm to 10pm on October 13, 14 and 15. Email for your complimentary pass to Shecky's - DC's Ultimate Girl's Night Out Shopping Event this Season. Come see the jewels upfront, ask all the questions you want and see what Stella & Dot has to offer you. Can't make it to Shecky's, then email me and let's connect soon!!! With the holidays fast approaching, take advantage of the highest selling season - october - december - and get everything on your holiday wish list!!!

For more information on Shecky's, please CLICK HERE


Read more about the Stella & Dot business opportunity right here

Get Free Jewelry - Host a Trunk Show with MiMi and Be the Hostess with the Mostess

Be your own Boss - Become a Stylist with Stella & Dot (www.stelladot.com/boutiquemix)

Enjoy fabulous Style - Shop online (www.stelladot.com/boutiquemix)

Get Inspired - Watch Video of the Stella & Dot Story

To view the video, please click the link below:



MiMi (MiMi Dabo; Stylist ID 103764)
Owner, Buyer & Designer, Boutique Mix
Shop Stella & Dot Jewelry - http://www.stelladot.com/boutiquemix
Fashion Examiner Fashion Articles - http://www.examiner.com/x-2218-Fashion-Examiner

Side Hustle - Cake Decorating Biz

Fab Tips for starting your own Cake Decorating Biz - Excerpted from My Small Biz


Cake Decorator Business Overview - Use your creative talents and flair for frosting to start a small business as a Cake Decorator! Your business will produce beautifully decorated cakes for weddings, parties, and other major events. Whether you bake the cakes yourself is entirely up to you. Depending on your interests and business size, you may just choose to purchase unfinished cakes from local bakeries and do the decorating yourself.

Keys To A Successful Cake Decorator Business - Word of mouth spreads quickly in this business. Try giving a few of your cakes away to local news or radio stations. You just might get a free plug on the air! As mentioned above, start small and specialize purely in cake decorating by purchasing your unfinished cakes elsewhere. Whether you operate your business in a professional kitchen or your own home, always maintain the highest degree of sanitation and cleanliness.

Expanding Your Cake Decorator Business - Develop and sell a line of do-it-yourself cake decorating kits. These kits could include various icing materials and tips, templates and even an instructional DVD. Sell your services to local hotels and restaurants. You can provide your cakes to them for special customers celebrating birthdays, engagements or other important life milestones.

Additional tips for a successful cake-baking/decorating biz.

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Side Hustle - Personal Training Biz

10 ways to thrive in your personal training business - Business Tips from Debra Atkinson


The option of sleeping in late or working early. Two hour lunches. A mid-afternoon workout. Never having to miss a fieldtrip. Being an independent contractor or operating a personal training business from your home office sounds like a dream. In reality, trainers tend to glamorize the idea of working for themselves. The obvious perks don't always outweigh the challenges that accompany being your own boss. In fact, many home-based trainers and independent contractors share similar complaints: no time, disorganization, an unbalance between business and personal life or not enough income, to name a few. None of these are insurmountable. Following are some tips to get your personal training business on track.

1. CREATE A WORK PLACE

You need a designated work space. Having a space with at least a phone, filing cabinet and, ideally, computer says you take your profession seriously. When the time comes, you can take your deductions seriously, too.

2. STICK TO A SCHEDULE

While enjoying flexible hours is certainly OK, it is important to set and follow a schedule. Use a business plan to determine your schedule. Start by calculating how much you need to earn. Based on that and your fees, how many clients do you need to see on a weekly/daily basis? Then, decide when you work best--are you a morning person or one who prefers to sleep in? By establishing a schedule, you set some boundaries and will be more focused.

3. ASK OTHERS TO RESPECT YOUR SCHEDULE

If you work from a home office, you may have more interruptions and demands on your time. When friends, family or pets see you at home, they assume your time is theirs. Therefore, set boundaries within this arena as well as with current and potential clients.

While not working enough can be a problem, for many trainers the opposite is true. Simultaneously building a business and balanced personal life is easier than letting your business determine your schedule first and trying to reclaim personal time later.

4. DIVERSITY IS KEY

No matter how much you love training, build a business that stimulates other interests. Feed your creative child, so to speak. Write an article, develop an educational product for a separate revenue stream, market a concept for group training according to seasonal needs or special populations, speak at meetings and create a business of presenting. As a result, you will retain your passion much longer and find yourself more stimulated in each endeavor. If you create some passive source of income (e.g., book, video, newsletter) that works while you play, so much the better.

5. NETWORK.

Although personal training involves working with people, it can be an isolating business. Your conversations with clients may be friendly and enjoyable, but should be about them on a professional level, even when sharing things about yourself. These relationships should not substitute friendships or interpersonal relationships in your life. Join the Chamber of Commerce, attend social functions in the community and volunteer. When interacting with other professionals who work independently and share similar challenges, you are also marketing yourself and meeting prospective clients or referral engines.

6. BREAKS.

While you may not have the staff meeting or morning coffee break, you still need to plan a break every few hours. If you usually schedule appointments back to back, take 15 to 20 minutes after the third to let your mind and body get the change of focus they need. Maybe you need to walk, stretch, drink or eat. Call your significant other or check on a child. Connect with who you are so you don't mistake it for what you do.

7 FLEX YOUR CREATIVE MUSCLE.

Play a brainstorming game. For instance, write down all the marketing ideas and programs you can in five minutes or devise a new ab workout that doesn't involve supine floor work. Using new areas of your brain by making a game out of work freshens your outlook.

8. ROLE MODEL.

Make time to exercise and eat properly. If you do not take care of yourself, it will show. By taking care of yourself, you will attract clients who want what you embody. In addition, good health is critical to creativity. If you want to stand out from the crowd, be creative with your programming for clients' success!

9. CELEBRATE SUCCESS.

Although they may thank you, clients don't always praise you. If you're your own boss, you may not get an annual review. Take time every month to reflect on specific successes, such as gaining x amount of new clients or bringing in x amount of revenue. Also, appreciate immeasurable successes--the smile on your client's face, the postcard from her trip to Hawaii telling you how great she feels and looks or the feeling that you truly connected with someone and made a difference.

10. HAVE A LIFE.

Having a home office means your phone can ring at any time. Return phone calls and e-mails according to a responsible policy--say, within 24 hours. Just as you need policies for conducting business, you also need boundaries for conducting your life. If you don't role model a life full of things other than work, what are you saying to clients? Work to live and your work will stay flesh. Live to work and life pales. Live in full color.

Debra Atkinson has been a group exercise instructor and personal trainer for 20 years. She holds an M.S. in sports and exercise physiology and teaches applied fitness courses at Iowa State University. Atkinson owns Life Too Good To Be True, specializing in helping personal training programs get off to a strong start and trainers maintain balance in their lifestyles. She has also co-produced How to Grow Your Personal Training Business Today for personal trainers and directors and can be reached at Life too Good to be True

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Excerpted from BNET