Start And Operate A Successful Online Business
Portable video projectors and display methods have long been a boon to small business owners looking to present to clients, speaking audiences and internal teams. Just one problem: Quality is often highly suspect when compared to traditional projection devices, and transportability isn’t always as effortless as one might hope from a mobile option.
By now you’ve probably heard the term “cloud computing” mentioned in the press, thanks to the PR machines of Microsoft, Sun, Google and Salesforce.com, among others. But what exactly is cloud computing, and what does it mean for small businesses?Simply put, it’s computing that is done on the Web. Rather than installing software on a computer that sits in your office, the applications that you need to run your business are stored on servers in data centers owned by the software company–”in the cloud” so to speak. You access your software and your business data via a Web browser–from any computer that is connected to the internet anywhere in the world
Veronica Rose, founder and CEO of Aurora Electric, a Jamaica, N.Y., electrical contracting company, has spent nearly 20 years successfully bidding on government contracts. One of the first women to obtain a master electrician’s license in a heavily male-dominated industry, Rose has worked on major projects at JFK International Airport and the World Trade Center. Her seven-person firm boasts a customer list that includes General Electric, NBC and Columbia University.So how much of the $787 billion in stimulus money that the government approved last year has ended up in Aurora Electric’s bank account
A die-hard belief in one’s business or product has been the key to the success of many entrepreneurs and inventors. Generally speaking, I’m a strong advocate for determination and action, and the press is filled with stories of successful entrepreneurs who refused to give up. Less well-publicized are the opportunities entrepreneurs decided to pass up
By Barbara Findlay SchenckLast December, a group of noted New York City architects, designers and contractors made news, friends and client contacts when they gave away half-hour design consultations to anyone who wandered into their one-of-a-kind Pop Up Design Clinic in the SoHo neighborhood.”We put competition aside, divvied up the outlay of time and money, and for 10 days we provided design as a public service,” clinic co-host Edward Gavagan of PraxisNYC explains. “Because it was free, anyone could sample it.”Poonam Khanna, an architect who collaborated to host the clinic, adds, “We wanted to bring high-end design to a wider audience in a fun, accessible environment.
If you’re working for someone else, chances are you’ve thought about being your own boss at some point.One of the easiest ways to become your own boss is to start a sideline business while you’re working for someone else.But how do you manage the challenges of having a job, a business and a life? Here are some tips. Content Continues Below Choose a Sideline You’re Passionate About “My sideline business was created out of passion.
By Dan BriodyTo many small-business owners, the facts and figures their daily work casts off are more incidental than instrumental. Reluctantly storing it all on disks, in file cabinets and on scraps of paper strewn about the back room, business owners often think this constant stream of information is useless (except maybe to the IRS).
Opportunities abound for small businesses to cut their tax bills. The key is understanding what’s deductible for your business. A good tax preparer can guide you, but it is your responsibility to save receipts throughout the year.”Organization and good record keeping are the keys to lower tax preparation fees and painless IRS audits,” says Sam Fawaz, a certified financial planner and certified public accountant with Y.D. Financial Services in Franklin, Tenn.
As an entrepreneur, you’ve certainly heeded the call of passion for your work. Maybe you even subscribe to Marsha Sinetar’s sage chestnut, “Do what you love, and the money will follow.” But until a few years ago, there was a distinct difference between starting a business with an eye toward the bottom line and taking the same plunge for social good. Then along came the L3C.Often called “the for-profit with a nonprofit soul” by Robert Lang, one of the architects of the business structure, an L3C is a hybrid model that allows owners to do well by doing good
By Diana RansomBetween documenting expenses and processing credit cards from just about anywhere in the U.S., smartphone applications have changed the way many small businesses operate. Now, more firms are turning to these apps to enhance the way customers interact with their products and services–and even boost their bottom lines.”People nowadays want everything to be at their fingertips, and if companies are not finding ways to provide these tools [they] will soon see drop-off from their customers,” says Jennifer Shaheen, a small business technology consultant in White Plains, N.Y. Providing an app also offers a tremendous marketing opportunity, she says.
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