What Is a Limited Liability Company (LLC)?
Limited liability companies (LLCs) have been generating a lot of buzz in the news lately — and for good reason: where the corporation fails, the LLC prevails. [more…]
Planning Your Basic Bar Drink Menu
Most bars are fully stocked bars, so patrons can order their favorite cocktails, such as a gin and tonic, Crown and Coke, or margarita. But many bar owners create specialized drink menus to steer patrons [more…]
How to Succeed in Your Home-Based Business
Although no one can guarantee that your home-based business will bring you the fame and fortune you hope it will, if you work hard, price your products and services right, and keep your customers satisfied [more…]
Obtaining a Liquor License for Your Bar
Every bar that serves liquor must have a license to do so. Different agencies regulate the process in different states. Make sure you start the process of getting your license early in the timeline of [more…]
Deciding Whether to Own a Small Business
Assuming that you've determined that you have what it takes to own a small business, now you need to decide whether you want to dive in. After all, there are as many compelling reasons why you should not [more…]
Getting a Loan from the Small Business Administration
The Small Business Administration (SBA) offers a wide variety of educational materials and seminars for both current and aspiring small-business owners. They also provide financial assistance through loans [more…]
Recording Your Bills with QuickBooks 2003
When a bill comes in, the first thing to do is record it. You can record bills through the Enter Bills window or the Accounts Payable register. If you plan to track bills by expense and item, you need [more…]
The Birth of the Limited Liability Company (LLC)
The limited liability company (LLC) didn't come out of nowhere. Business entities with the same characteristics as LLCs have been around for many years. The origin of LLCs can be traced back to the Germans [more…]
Small-Business Challenge: Complying with Regulatory and Legal Issues
Before you begin working with your first customer, you should be investing time and money into getting your legal and regulatory ducks in a row. And don't forget the host of local, state, and federal government [more…]
Understanding Contracts
Business contracts are used to memorialize important agreements you (or your business) enter into with others. So what's an "important" agreement? Any agreement on which you are relying and that can affect [more…]
The Three Ways to Improve Profitability
Only three ways are available for you to increase your business's profitability: decrease expenses, increase margins, or increase sales.
Or you can do all three at the same time — that is, if luck and the [more…]
Keeping Track of Customer Payments in QuickBooks 2003
If your customers don't always pay you up-front for their purchases, you need to record another type of payment — the ones that customers make to pay off or pay down what you've invoiced them. To record [more…]
Avoiding Dreadful Marketing Ideas
The following marketing landmines masquerade as quick fixes. When the business chips are down, each of these worst ideas pops up to look like a good solution. Don't be fooled. Make sure every new idea [more…]
Understanding Zoning, Licensing, and Permits
No matter which governments — federal, state, or local — have jurisdiction in your particular place of business, you can bet that they all have something to say about how, when, and where you can — and [more…]
Considering Employee Health Plans and Other Benefits
A variety of health insurance and related benefits are tax-deductible to corporations for all employees. If the business is not incorporated, business owners can't deduct the cost of these insurance plans [more…]
Before Filing Your Articles of Organization for Your Limited Liability Company
The articles of organization is your limited liability company's (LLC) most important document. Why? Because you can't even be an LLC until you create and file your articles of organization with your Secretary [more…]
Getting Quicken 2005 Ready for Payroll Work
Preparing the payroll? It's no problem with Quicken 2005. To prepare payroll checks and summarize the payroll information that you need to prepare quarterly and annual returns, you need to set up several [more…]
Billing for Your Consulting Services
How you bill your clients for your consulting work depends on your consulting contract or, in the absence of a written contract, any other agreements you may have made regarding billing and payment. If [more…]
Creating an Out-of-State Limited Liability Company
If your limited liability company (LLC) isn't a bricks-and-mortar business — maybe you're running an Internet company or a consulting or service business that isn't restricted to a particular state — and [more…]
Deciding Whether Your Really Want to Be in the Bar Business
Think of all the great times people have in bars. They meet for girls' night out, bachelor parties, reunions, birthdays, or just because it's Thursday. They come to celebrate, relax, or have fun. It's [more…]
Producing Radio Ads to Promote Your Business
In 30 or 60 seconds, a good radio ad grabs attention, involves a listener, sounds believable, creates a mental picture, spins a story, calls for action, and manages to keep the product on center stage [more…]
Consulting Skill: Listening to a Potential Client
A consultant's primary responsibility is to help clients find the best solutions to their needs. This means asking questions and then listening — really [more…]
Understanding Issues in Oral Contracts
Oral contracts can be as binding as written contracts. But have fun proving what you've agreed to without a written record. If your deal goes south, you may feel like Sylvester to the other party's Tweety [more…]
Developing a Personal Code of Ethics for Consulting
Ethics are important for anyone in business. They're particularly important to consultants because of the high level of trust that organizations grant them and because of the access that many consultants [more…]
Playing the Competitive Field
Competition is the driving force in nature and it's also the core of the free enterprise system as we're lucky to know it. Competition occurs whenever winning attention is necessary for selection and survival [more…]
