Succeeding in Your Business from Creators Syndicate

Cold Calling That Might -- Just Might -- Work for 02/14/2012

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0800

"I run a one-person consulting service that provides marketing, public relations and other image and branding consulting services to large corporations.

"I generate most of my new business through personal networking. The problem is that personal networking is extremely time-consuming. Even when I do get an appointment with a decision-maker at a large corporation, everything I ...

Updated: Tue Feb 14, 2012

Sizing up the ‘Fulfillment by Amazon' Program for 02/07/2012

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0800

Anyone who's ever sold anything online — either directly from a website or on one of the major e-commerce platforms such as eBay or Amazon — knows that often the most unpleasant part of the process is packing, shipping and fulfilling orders. It is labor-intensive, and the time involved can eat into your profits (by limiting the number of orders you can process at any one time).

...

Updated: Tue Feb 07, 2012

When Can Landlords ‘Unreasonably Withhold' Consent to Lease Transfers? for 01/31/2012

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0800

"I am a small landlord who owns several commercial buildings. One of my tenants, who runs a small retail store, is looking to sell his business and retire. There are several years left to go on his lease, and because he's such a good tenant, the rent is somewhat below market value for this area.

"The buyer is a young man just out of military service. His credit history is good, ...

Updated: Tue Jan 31, 2012

What to Do When an Inventor Wants His Technology Back for 01/24/2012

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0800

"A couple of friends and I formed a corporation a while back with a noted inventor who lives in our area.

"The entire purpose of this company was to bring to market a piece of technology the inventor had created, and for which he holds a U.S. patent. Because of the difficult economy, we've had more trouble raising money for this business than we thought — to the point tha ...

Updated: Tue Jan 24, 2012

Getting a New Product From Patent to Market for 01/17/2012

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0800

I am an inventor who just got a U.S. patent for a wonderful new mechanical device that will revolutionize a particular industry.

I am in the process of forming a company with three partners to manufacture and sell this device. My first partner has a manufacturing company that is capable of producing up to 1,000 units a year. My second partner is a financial expert who has arranged a ...

Updated: Tue Jan 17, 2012

The Greatest Motivator -- and How to Harness It for 01/10/2012

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0800

We'll be 10 days or more days into January by the time you read this, and I'm willing to bet that most of you have already given up on one or more of your New Year's resolutions.

The key to success with any resolution — personal, business or otherwise — is willpower. We all start out with the best of intentions, but when you set yourself a goal and fail to reach it, it's alwa ...

Updated: Tue Jan 10, 2012

New Year's Resolutions for 2012 (Part 2) for 01/03/2012

Tue, 03 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0800

Here are six more New Year's resolutions for business owners.

5. DO AN ANNUAL LEGAL REVIEW.

It isn't enough to hire a good lawyer and pray you don't get sued. Every business has laws and regulations you need to know about, and it's your responsibility to learn about them so that you can prevent lawsuits before they happen.

Take your lawyer to lunch sometime in January; tell ...

Updated: Tue Jan 03, 2012

New Year's Resolutions for 2012 (Part 1) for 12/27/2011

Tue, 27 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0800

A happy and prosperous 2012 to all my readers. The New Year is always a great time to think about things to do differently with your business, so here are my New Year's Resolutions for business owners and self-employed professionals.

1. UPDATE YOUR WEB PRESENCE.

Look at your business website, and make at least five changes that will make it look more attractive, fun and cool to pr ...

Updated: Tue Dec 27, 2011

12 Little Words That Will Help You Predict the Future for 12/20/2011

Tue, 20 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0800

It's a rough economy out there, but even scarier than the persistent threats of recession; deflation; countries defaulting on their debt; government's inability to balance the budget; and other bogeymen is the pace of change itself.

Everything's changing so fast and the world economy is so volatile that it seems impossible to prepare and plan for the future if you're a business-owner loo ...

Updated: Tue Dec 20, 2011

How to Respond to Bogus Online Customer Reviews for 12/13/2011

Tue, 13 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0800

"I run a service business in a small town where everybody knows everyone else. Recently someone posted a review of my business online, anonymously, saying I provided lousy service and that he would never deal with me again. I was shocked as I wasn't aware I had any unhappy customers.

"I had my computer person look into this, and the email address of the person who posted this r ...

Updated: Tue Dec 13, 2011

The 12 Dumbest -- and Most Common -- Small Business Mistakes for 12/06/2011

Tue, 06 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0800

With more and more people starting businesses of their own — out of necessity, not choice — I'm seeing more and more people making the same mistakes over and over again.

Here is my top-12 list of the dumbest entrepreneurial moves; all are easily avoidable with a little common sense and street smarts.

12. Not knowing your customers

Without customers, it's not a b ...

Updated: Tue Dec 06, 2011

Setting up a ‘Cottage LLC' for a Vacation Home for 11/29/2011

Tue, 29 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0800

"My mom and dad have owned a vacation home in the Rocky Mountains for many years. Among my fondest memories are the summers my three siblings and I spent at that place, and we want to do everything we can to keep it in the family.

"My dad passed away last year, so the cottage is now in Mom's name. Since Mom is getting up into her 90s, we're all worried that we'll have to sell t ...

Updated: Tue Nov 29, 2011

Buying a Business Without a Lawyer? Don't! for 11/22/2011

Tue, 22 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0800

"Two weeks ago, I signed a contract to buy a business. I didn't use a lawyer because the contract seemed fair, and I felt I understood what it said. I put up a $25,000 deposit to buy this business, and the closing is in two weeks.

"The seller's attorney has been calling me every day asking me questions about the documents that I am responsible for delivering to the closing. Whe ...

Updated: Tue Nov 22, 2011

How to Value a Company That Has No Revenue or Profits (Yet) for 11/15/2011

Tue, 15 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0800

Q: "I started a technology business last year with two partners. We have developed a Web-based software application and have filed a patent application for some of the software algorithms.

"A couple of angel investors have expressed an interest in investing in our business, but we haven't a clue how to value it, as we don't have sales or profits yet. Is there a way to do this?& ...

Updated: Tue Nov 15, 2011

Is Your Buy-Sell Agreement Working for You? for 11/08/2011

Tue, 08 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0800

I had the recent privilege of examining a volume of legal forms whose publisher wanted me to take over as general editor. I was generally OK with the corporation and LLC forms — that is, until I got to the chapter entitled "Buy-Sell Agreements."

These agreements deal with an all-too-common situation wherein the owner of a small business either wants to leave the company o ...

Updated: Tue Nov 08, 2011

When the Phone Stops Ringing for 11/01/2011

Tue, 01 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Q: "I run a small service business. The past several months have been busy enough, but I'm getting a lot fewer jobs than I did at this time last year, when my phone was ringing off the hook. I know the economy's tough, and people just don't have the money they used to. I'm worried, though, that this isn't just a short-term situation but a more permanent decline in my business. What can I d ...

Updated: Tue Nov 01, 2011

A Blueprint for America's Survival During the Next 50 Years (Part 2 of 2) for 10/25/2011

Tue, 25 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0700

— Everyone — but especially the government — needs to get behind business.

As a former president once said, "The business of America is business." For a few years now, government has treated business as an enemy, something that must be tolerated in order to create jobs and tax revenue. That has to stop. Government needs to get behind businesses, especially ent ...

Updated: Tue Oct 25, 2011

A Blueprint for America's Survival During the Next 50 Years (Part 1 of 2) for 10/18/2011

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0700

A lot of people are worried about America's future right now.

And they are right. Things have changed so quickly in the past few decades that only a handful of people — and I'm not sure about them, either — have an idea of what it even means to be an American right now. What values do we uphold? Does our Constitution continue to make sense? Does it matter that we may soon no ...

Updated: Tue Oct 18, 2011

California Settlement Changes Game for Internet Sales Tax for 10/11/2011

Tue, 11 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Thanks to a new law in California, the days of selling online without having to pay sales tax are numbered.

Since 2008, a number of states have attempted to impose their sales taxes on Internet commerce, most of which involves sales across state (and often national) boundaries.

States try to tax e-commerce in a number of ways, but the approach that's gotten the most publicity is t ...

Updated: Tue Oct 11, 2011

Learning the ‘Inside Baseball' of Online Retail for 10/04/2011

Tue, 04 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0700

I had the honor last week of speaking on e-commerce legal and tax issues for the Kansas Jubilee eBay and eCommerce Conference at Fort Hays State University in beautiful Hays, Kan. This annual event brings together eBay, Amazon, Bonanzle and other online sellers throughout the Midwest to compare notes and learn the latest online selling strategies.

Some of the attendees shared with me the ...

Updated: Tue Oct 04, 2011