Providing the small office, home office, and solopreneur business owner
with QuickBooks tips, small business resources, and inspiration
you can use to create Your Business and Your Life, Your Way!

Friday, October 29, 2010

Business in the United States

We all know the economy in the United States is suffering. Perhaps you and your business are suffering too. What can we do? Do we look to the government to fix it? I personally don't think so. I believe we must fix it, we the small business owners, entrepreneurs, solo-preneurs, couple-preneurs, small office/home office business owners. I truly think the answer lies in small business.  We need jobs. We need to create products. We need new ideas and services.
 
I recently consulted with three separate companies that were wondering if they should stay in business. I am always sad when I hear of businesses that are going under.
 
In each case my questions were the same..."What are you doing to grow your business now?" and "Where can you cut expenses?" I realize these business owners are feeling defeated.  It was only a few years ago that their businesses were in 'the land of milk and honey.'  Their overhead and employee costs have grown and they have debt that is now difficult to manage.  It's tough and it's sad. 
 
In the same week I worked with three new businesses.  I am always amazed and impressed when I work with new business start-ups. The energy and enthusiasm is infectious. I wish I could bottle this and give it to the ailing business owners, it might just get their businesses going again! 
 
If you currently have a small business that is struggling I encourage you to make the tough decisions. Cut where you can. Come up with some new marketing strategies. Get focused by creating a plan and monitoring your progress. Get back to basics by focusing on your customers and costs. 
 
I have created a Business Evaluation assessment that will help you determine:
  • If  you are moving toward peak performance
  • If your company is suffering from business as usual
  • If your business model needs an overhaul
 
 
Years ago John F. Kennedy challenged Americans to,  "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country."  I believe we can do what Americans have always done:
  • Be innovative
  • Be self-determined
  • Be tenacious
  • Work smart
  • And work hard!
 
This is still a free country and the best place on earth to start and grow a business!
 

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Should I Use Social Media as a Business Marketing Tool?

You’ve heard about FaceBook, Twitter, LinkedIn and the other social media sites, you may even already have a profile set up, but are you using social media as a business marketing tool? The thought of this may have you scratching your head and asking questions like how and why. So here’s some of the questions I have been asked.  You can read the answer by clicking on the question which will link you to the best answers I have found on the web.











Monday, October 18, 2010

Top Fifteen Reasons People Fail to Achieve Goals

1.       Fear of success or failure
2.       Lack of understanding about the goal setting process-don’t know how
3.       Lack of commitment to the goal
4.       Lack of support—negative environment
5.       Inactivity toward the goal
6.       Analysis Paralysis--over think it
7.       Lack of real destination
8.       Failing to plan
9.       Having too many goals
10.    Feeling unworthy of the end result
11.    Lack of motivation to change
12.    Giving up too soon
13.    Life gets in the way
14.    Self-imposed limitations
15.    No accountability

If you have experienced another reason please feel free to post!

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

What's new in QuickBooks 2011

A few clients have asked me if they should upgrade to QuickBooks 2011? The answer is an absolute YES if they have 2008 or older, as those versions are no longer supported.  But what if you have 2009 or 2010? Well, that depends on whether you feel some of the new features would be beneficial. Following is a list of the new features according to Intuit, the makers of QuickBooks.


New in QuickBooks Desktop
Batch invoicing lets clients create a template once and invoice many customers at once
Quickly prioritize customers with the new Customer Snapshot
Quickly locate any account, report or invoice in QuickBooks Search
Convenient access to customer or vendor's balance and transaction history 
Stay on top of receivables and email collection notices with Collections Center
Send invoices and estimates right from business Yahoo!, Gmail or Hotmail account
Keep track of vendors' remittance addresses with a convenient new field
Mark which invoices have been paid with the Paid Date stamp

New in QuickBooks Mac
3-User Edition grows with your client's business
Control access to sensitive data by setting user permissions for up to eight activity areas  
Communicate with others using QuickBooks and see their status on iChat
Track job-related mileage by job or by vehicle
Create customized forms for estimates, invoices, and more with the improved Layout Designer
Layout Designer templates for creating professional-looking forms
Free Little Square online magazine gives tips and advice
Mac-like interface lets clients easily customize reports
Sort account registers by date, type, number, amount, and more to find transactions faster
Export report data to Excel and Numbers

New in QuickBooks Online (You will automatically get these features)
Import customer data from Excel
Business trends for your industry*
Company Snapshot, Company Scorecard*
Create and send purchase orders**
Inventory tracking**

*Available only in Essentials and Plus
**Available only in Plus

Friday, October 08, 2010

Using QuickBooks as a Marketing Tool

QuickBooks is widely used by small and home offices as a tool to keep track of income and expenses but did you know you can also use it as a marketing tool?


Let me give you some examples: 


Let's say you do facials and about 6 months ago you started selling a new line of skin care products.  When you first got the line of products you told all your customers, but what about the customer you haven't seen in 9 months?  When this customer calls to set an appointment if you open the Customer Information Center in QuickBooks and quickly view their transactions, you will realize you have not told this customer because you haven't seen her since adding the new line.


With QuickBooks you can keep a database of addresses of your customers which may be used for sending holiday cards. One of my best clients is a result a holiday card I sent a few years ago. This client and I had worked together once earlier that year, when she received the card it prompted her to call me and we have worked together on many occasions since.


You can also determine which products or services are your best and worst performers.  With this information you may decide you need to promote the product or service that is bringing in the most, or perhaps promote the poor performer to improve it's sales.  


These are only three brief examples.  Hopefully I have inspired you to look at your own business and determine how you can use QuickBooks for more than tracking your income and expenses, but as a marketing tool too!

I would love to hear how you have used QuickBooks beyond tracking income and expenses!

Tuesday, October 05, 2010

WOAMTEC Confident Women's Conference

Today I attended the WOAMTEC Confident Women's Conference in Orlando at the Sonesta.

WOAMTEC officially stands for Women on a Mission to Earn Commission, however I like to think of it as Women on a Mission to Establish Connections and that what was today was about, at least for me! 

I arrived at the Sonesta around 9:30.  I had paid in advance for the conference so registration was a breeze, they were very organized and efficient.  Just after I picked up my registration badge and lunch bracelet, a gal asked if I would like to have my make-up touched up. I asked her if I needed it! She laughed, and said no, thankfully, I decided however, to take her up on her offer.  It was very cool that Lux provided this service, and they didn't even push their products, which made it especially nice.  Armed with a shimmering face I was ready to "face" (no pun intended) the conference.

I headed to the first break-out session. I happened to run into a buddy, Tracy Lunquist, of Working Magic, and decided to join her in Allison D'Anna's session, "The Secret to Success and Fulfillment".  Allison was an excellent speaker who spoke from her heart and shared her journey to success and fulfillment.  She provided us with a hand out, "Wheel of Life". By completing it we were able to have a snapshot into our lives today, where we are fulfilled and where we may need more focus. She reminded us that what we focus on expands and to set goals in the areas that need more focus.


After the break-out session we had about an hour to network and shop with the vendors. There were vendors selling books, jewelry, cupcakes, and more. It was a nice varied collection of vendors.

Jeff Hawkins of Jeff Hawkins Photography was on hand to take our pictures. He had a very professional set-up, with lights and shades (or reflectors or whatever the correct photography term is.) Jeff was very pleasant in his style, making me feel comfortable, even amongst all his professional equipment.

Next came lunch. The meal was nice, even nicer that they offered a vegetarian selection!  But the best part was the incredibly dynamic speakers!

The theme of the conference was Repeat...Reboot...Recharge.


First, there Dawn Pici – REPEAT “The Fastest, Easiest & Most Reliable System for Getting MORE Sales Than You Can Handle from Loyal, Repeat Clients” She gave us valuable information about connecting with clients and about our own style using the DISC tool. REPEAT business is a good thing.

Next, we heard from Dr. Jo – REBOOT  “How to Stay Focused, Energized & More Productive” She spoke about how to "ALT, CTRL, DELETE" our own internal systems with proper sleep (more is not always better), eating patterns (carbs cause us to slow down so why do we start our day with carbs?), and thought patterns (turn short, fat, and ugly into petite, full bodied, and I don't care what others think).  Sometimes we just need to REBOOT.

Last was, Pam Powell RECHARGE  with “The P-Factor".  Pam is a dynamic speaker, somewhat a cross between and evangelist with her preachy style and a motivational, engaging speaker in the way she had us continually clap to reinforce her message.  Pam was the perfect speaker to help us RECHARGE.

After the three speakers there was no doubt that everyone in the room had raised their energy level and everyone seemed glad they attended.

The afternoon offered more break-out sessions.  I attended the "Excel for Beginners" by Nicole Pickering. Even though I don't consider myself a beginner at Excel, I did learn a couple of short cuts that I did not know and Nicole offered a complimentary phone session to cover more advanced features.

I am so glad I attended this event. I was inspired to be in the presence of so many wonderful women.  The event was well organized and very professional.  It was nice to relax, make new connections, learn, and be inspired.

If there is such an event in a city near you I encourage you to attend.  Too often we think we can't spend the time or the money, but it is a small investment with a huge return of; connections, collaboration, and confidence!

Monday, October 04, 2010

Successfully Set and Achieve Goals

Do you still have goals and resolutions for 2010 that you have not met?  Would you like to get a jump on planning for 2011.  Join me on for a FREE teleconference on how to Successfully Set and Achieve Goals on Tuesday October 5, 2010 at 8pm EST.

On this call you will learn:

  • The mindset necessary to achieving goals
  • The resources you must have to make your goals a reality
  • How to create baby steps to support your bigger goal

To register for this FREE call click here!  I look forward to 'seeing' you on the call!

Friday, October 01, 2010

5 Ways to Make Your Website More Effective

  1. Understand the purpose of your website.
  2. Ensure site design supports the purpose.
  3. Have useful content.
  4. Make it easy to navigate.
  5. Provide easy to find contact information.