Need Business Advice? Look No Further Than SCORE. Stop me if this sounds familiar. You encounter a problem with your small business. Could be big (“How much can I invest in marketing this year?). Could be small (“How do I file a tax return?”). So you fire up your preferred search engine and wade through the conflicting advice from usually unreliable sources. What if there was a better way? There is, and it’s called SCORE. SCORE is a nationwide nonprofit organization that provides free business mentoring services to entrepreneurs. Vistaprint has partnered with SCORE because we both have the same goal: to help independent business owners succeed. We know it’s not always easy to run your own business. 10 Marketing Tips That Don't Cost a Penny. Marketing and publicity is unavoidable for a business that is serious about succeeding. Here are ten marketing tips that won’t cost you anything. 1.
Be an expert. Get your name out there as a bona fide expert. Teach a class, give speeches and presentations at meetings and conferences, and write articles for publications that reach your target audience. Participate in LinkedIn Answers to establish yourself as an expert within an industry. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Thanks for reading, Melissa Zieger Melissa Zieger (@HP_SmallBiz) is the editor-in-chief of HP's SMB blog, 367 Addison Avenue and a worldwide public relations manager for HP's Personal Systems Group. How Can Small Biz “Act Big” — Perka Post. How can you compete on the cheap with your “big boy” competitors? It involves leveraging professional-grade marketing tools to enrich your little-guy nimbleness, smarts and charm. We’ll admit it: our #1 favorite marketing tool for beating out the Goliaths is Perka. Read on to find out how we’re leveling the playing field for companies like yours. Here are our top-five tools to help local businesses look (and act) bigger: Perka: Your not-so-secret marketing weapon We started Perka with a passion for small businesses—specifically, helping Davids beat Goliaths at their own game.
Know your customers’ buying patterns. Sources: PC World, Small Business Computing, OPEN Forum, Sprout Social Back to Main Page Advice + Quick Tips, Perka News, Research + Trends. Getting Registered. Depending on the type of business you operate, you will need to take one or two steps for your business to be properly documented in New Jersey. Step 1: If your business is a legal entity such as a corporation, limited partnership, or limited liability company, you must file formation or authorization documents for the public record. General partnerships and sole proprietors are not subject to this first step. Legal entities are subject to annual report filing requirements. Corporations will also be subject to the corporation business tax from the date of formation to the legal date of dissolution.
Step 2: All businesses must register for tax purposes. SPECIAL CONSIDERATION: If you only need to withhold payroll taxes for an employee(s) who reside in NJ and you are not conducting business operations in this State, fill out and submit paper form NJ-REG, pages 17-19. Step 1 - RECORDING NEW BUSINESS ENTITIES (back to top) Step 2 - REGISTERING ALL BUSINESSES FOR TAX & EMPLOYER PURPOSES. Business Portal | Starting a Business. 6 Tips for Negotiating a Commercial Property Lease without Getting Burned. While starting and growing a business can be challenging, one area in which the market is currently working in the business owners’ favor is in the glut of available commercial real estate. If your business is new or simply in need of more space, the abundance of choice and favorable market conditions for potential tenants can prove an enticing prospect for budding entrepreneurs and small business owners.
However, even in a buyer’s market, negotiating a commercial lease is a daunting and complex process that requires research and due diligence. So you’ve found your perfect location, now what? Here are some tips for leasing a space for your small business. Setting the Term of your Lease The term and rent that you will pay is your first negotiation point.
Remember to be prepared for pushback, a landlord is much more likely to favor locking you in for the long-term if they can by sweetening the deal. What about Expenses? Who Handles Maintenance and Repair? Read the Lease What if You Default? 6 Tips for Negotiating a Commercial Property Lease without Getting Burned. Security Alert: 45 Kick-Ass Resources for Online Entrepreneurs | Productive Entrepreneur. Few people talk about this great productivity tip… You will reach your goals faster and easier if you’re willing to learn from others. Using brilliant, well-crafted resources created specifically for online entrepreneurs improves your online productivity. Below I have a long list of resources, most of which I’ve used myself. The rest come highly recommended from my mentors and online business friends.
Enjoy the list. Pick a resource that will help you be more productive. I’ve arranged the resources from those helpful to beginners to those suited to more advanced entrepreneurs. The links to these resources are not affiliate links. Helpful from the word go… If you’re new to online business, you’ll find value in the following resources. 1. Before you can blog, collect email addresses or sell anything, you need a little piece of real estate on a reliable web server. 2. I’m hoping that no one laughs at this resource recommendation. 3. Today web design is easy. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13.
Your Great Idea, Whose Time Has Come.