{"appState":{"pageLoadApiCallsStatus":true},"categoryState":{"relatedCategories":{"headers":{"timestamp":"2023-02-01T16:01:12+00:00"},"categoryId":34253,"data":{"title":"General Small Business","slug":"general-small-business","image":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"breadcrumbs":[{"name":"Business, Careers, & Money","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34224"},"slug":"business-careers-money","categoryId":34224},{"name":"Business","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34225"},"slug":"business","categoryId":34225},{"name":"Small Business","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34251"},"slug":"small-business","categoryId":34251},{"name":"General Small Business","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34253"},"slug":"general-small-business","categoryId":34253}],"parentCategory":{"categoryId":34251,"title":"Small Business","slug":"small-business","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34251"}},"childCategories":[],"description":"Wondering what forms you need to fill out to create an LLC? Or maybe you need some ideas for coupons in your Etsy shop. Regardless, we've probably got your answer here. ","relatedArticles":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles?category=34253&offset=0&size=5"},"hasArticle":true,"hasBook":true,"articleCount":347,"bookCount":18},"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34253"}},"relatedCategoriesLoadedStatus":"success"},"listState":{"list":{"count":10,"total":347,"items":[{"headers":{"creationTime":"2016-03-26T14:49:41+00:00","modifiedTime":"2022-07-19T13:52:34+00:00","timestamp":"2022-09-14T18:19:46+00:00"},"data":{"breadcrumbs":[{"name":"Business, Careers, & Money","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34224"},"slug":"business-careers-money","categoryId":34224},{"name":"Business","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34225"},"slug":"business","categoryId":34225},{"name":"Small Business","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34251"},"slug":"small-business","categoryId":34251},{"name":"General Small Business","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34253"},"slug":"general-small-business","categoryId":34253}],"title":"Tapping into Five Free, Valuable Online Tools for Managing Your Business","strippedTitle":"tapping into five free, valuable online tools for managing your business","slug":"tapping-into-five-free-valuable-online-tools-for-managing-your-business","canonicalUrl":"","seo":{"metaDescription":"No matter whether you’re just starting your own micro-business or you’ve been working for several years, you want everything to run smoothly and cost effectivel","noIndex":0,"noFollow":0},"content":"No matter whether you’re just starting your own micro-business or you’ve been working for several years, you want everything to run smoothly and cost effectively. As a micro-entrepreneur, your focus is to meet your target market’s needs while staying ahead of your competition. These free resources can help you.\r\n<ul class=\"level-one\">\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Get a free e-mail account for personal or business usage.</b> E-mail is indispensable for communication, marketing, and other pursuits. You can get free e-mail at <a href=\"http://www.gmail.com\">Gmail</a>, <a href=\"http://Outlook.com\">Hotmail</a>, or <a href=\"http://yahoo.com\">Yahoo</a>.</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Try </b><a href=\"http://www.openoffice.org\"><b>Open Office Software Suite</b></a><b>.</b> This powerful suite of business productivity tools includes word processing, spreadsheet, presentation software, and other software programs. The software is free and regularly upgraded and refined by open source software developers.</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Network with </b><a href=\"http://www.linkedin.com\"><b>LinkedIn</b></a><b>. </b>On this site, you can network with other businesses and professionals. You can make lots of valuable contacts, find prospects, and get answers to many of your questions from other professionals and specialists.</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Market through e-mail.</b> <a href=\"http://www.mailchimp.com\">Mailchimp</a> is a free e-mail service to do e-mail distribution and marketing. You can send an e-mail blast for up to 2,000 addresses on your list at no cost, which is perfect for businesses just starting out and needing a good way to manage a list of prospects, customers, or e-zine subscribers.</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Use </b><a href=\"http://www.youtube.com\"><b>YouTube</b></a><b>. </b>This popular video platform gives you the ability not only to gain information and news (including lots of free how-to videos on a variety of business topics), but you have the ability to create your own videos (ranging from providing content to doing sales and marketing presentations) at no cost.</p>\r\n</li>\r\n</ul>","description":"No matter whether you’re just starting your own micro-business or you’ve been working for several years, you want everything to run smoothly and cost effectively. As a micro-entrepreneur, your focus is to meet your target market’s needs while staying ahead of your competition. These free resources can help you.\r\n<ul class=\"level-one\">\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Get a free e-mail account for personal or business usage.</b> E-mail is indispensable for communication, marketing, and other pursuits. You can get free e-mail at <a href=\"http://www.gmail.com\">Gmail</a>, <a href=\"http://Outlook.com\">Hotmail</a>, or <a href=\"http://yahoo.com\">Yahoo</a>.</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Try </b><a href=\"http://www.openoffice.org\"><b>Open Office Software Suite</b></a><b>.</b> This powerful suite of business productivity tools includes word processing, spreadsheet, presentation software, and other software programs. The software is free and regularly upgraded and refined by open source software developers.</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Network with </b><a href=\"http://www.linkedin.com\"><b>LinkedIn</b></a><b>. </b>On this site, you can network with other businesses and professionals. You can make lots of valuable contacts, find prospects, and get answers to many of your questions from other professionals and specialists.</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Market through e-mail.</b> <a href=\"http://www.mailchimp.com\">Mailchimp</a> is a free e-mail service to do e-mail distribution and marketing. You can send an e-mail blast for up to 2,000 addresses on your list at no cost, which is perfect for businesses just starting out and needing a good way to manage a list of prospects, customers, or e-zine subscribers.</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Use </b><a href=\"http://www.youtube.com\"><b>YouTube</b></a><b>. </b>This popular video platform gives you the ability not only to gain information and news (including lots of free how-to videos on a variety of business topics), but you have the ability to create your own videos (ranging from providing content to doing sales and marketing presentations) at no cost.</p>\r\n</li>\r\n</ul>","blurb":"","authors":[{"authorId":9001,"name":"Paul Mladjenovic","slug":"paul-mladjenovic","description":" <p><b>Paul Mladjenovic</b> is a renowned certified financial planner and investing consultant. He has authored six editions of the bestselling <i>Stock Investing For Dummies</i> and is frequently interviewed by media outlets including MarketWatch, Kitco, OANN, and more. ","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/9001"}}],"primaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":34253,"title":"General Small Business","slug":"general-small-business","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34253"}},"secondaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"tertiaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"trendingArticles":null,"inThisArticle":[],"relatedArticles":{"fromBook":[{"articleId":207953,"title":"Micro-Entrepreneurship For Dummies Cheat Sheet","slug":"micro-entrepreneurship-for-dummies-cheat-sheet","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","general-small-business"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/207953"}},{"articleId":168496,"title":"Ten Simple Marketing Strategies for Micro-Entrepreneurs","slug":"ten-simple-marketing-strategies-for-micro-entrepreneurs","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","general-small-business"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/168496"}},{"articleId":165559,"title":"Five Easy Ways to Have an Internet Presence without a Website","slug":"five-easy-ways-to-have-an-internet-presence-without-a-website","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","general-small-business"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/165559"}},{"articleId":165558,"title":"Six Easy Ways to Help You Make Money Fast","slug":"six-easy-ways-to-help-you-make-money-fast","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","general-small-business"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/165558"}},{"articleId":165556,"title":"What You Need to Know before Launching Your Micro-Business","slug":"what-you-need-to-know-before-launching-your-micro-business","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","general-small-business"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/165556"}}],"fromCategory":[{"articleId":226108,"title":"Packing Power into Advertising Headlines","slug":"packing-power-advertising-headlines","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","general-small-business"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/226108"}},{"articleId":226105,"title":"How Small Business Marketing Is Different","slug":"small-business-marketing-different","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","general-small-business"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/226105"}},{"articleId":226102,"title":"Marketing a Start-Up Business","slug":"marketing-start-business","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","general-small-business"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/226102"}},{"articleId":226099,"title":"The Relationship between Marketing and Sales","slug":"relationship-marketing-sales","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","general-small-business"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/226099"}},{"articleId":226096,"title":"Marketing: The Whole is Greater Than the Parts","slug":"marketing-whole-greater-parts","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","general-small-business"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/226096"}}]},"hasRelatedBookFromSearch":false,"relatedBook":{"bookId":282400,"slug":"micro-entrepreneurship-for-dummies","isbn":"9781118521687","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","general-small-business"],"amazon":{"default":"https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1118521684/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","ca":"https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/1118521684/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","indigo_ca":"http://www.tkqlhce.com/click-9208661-13710633?url=https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/product/1118521684-item.html&cjsku=978111945484","gb":"https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1118521684/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","de":"https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/1118521684/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20"},"image":{"src":"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/micro-entrepreneurship-for-dummies-cover-9781118521687-203x255.jpg","width":203,"height":255},"title":"Micro-Entrepreneurship For Dummies","testBankPinActivationLink":"","bookOutOfPrint":false,"authorsInfo":"<p><b data-author-id=\"9001\">Paul Mladjenovic</b> is a certified financial planner, micro-entrepreneur, and home business educator with more than 25 years' experience writing and teaching about financial and business start-up topics. He owns RavingCapitalist.com and is also the author of <i>Stock Investing For Dummies</i>. </p>","authors":[{"authorId":9001,"name":"Paul Mladjenovic","slug":"paul-mladjenovic","description":" <p><b>Paul Mladjenovic</b> is a renowned certified financial planner and investing consultant. He has authored six editions of the bestselling <i>Stock Investing For Dummies</i> and is frequently interviewed by media outlets including MarketWatch, Kitco, OANN, and more. ","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/9001"}}],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/books/"}},"collections":[],"articleAds":{"footerAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;business-careers-money&quot;,&quot;business&quot;,&quot;small-business&quot;,&quot;general-small-business&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;9781118521687&quot;]}]\" id=\"du-slot-63221b4232108\"></div></div>","rightAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_right_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_right_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;business-careers-money&quot;,&quot;business&quot;,&quot;small-business&quot;,&quot;general-small-business&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;9781118521687&quot;]}]\" id=\"du-slot-63221b4232a9a\"></div></div>"},"articleType":{"articleType":"Articles","articleList":null,"content":null,"videoInfo":{"videoId":null,"name":null,"accountId":null,"playerId":null,"thumbnailUrl":null,"description":null,"uploadDate":null}},"sponsorship":{"sponsorshipPage":false,"backgroundImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"brandingLine":"","brandingLink":"","brandingLogo":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"sponsorAd":"","sponsorEbookTitle":"","sponsorEbookLink":"","sponsorEbookImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0}},"primaryLearningPath":"Advance","lifeExpectancy":"Two years","lifeExpectancySetFrom":"2022-07-19T00:00:00+00:00","dummiesForKids":"no","sponsoredContent":"no","adInfo":"","adPairKey":[]},"status":"publish","visibility":"public","articleId":165557},{"headers":{"creationTime":"2016-03-27T16:55:03+00:00","modifiedTime":"2022-05-03T14:50:46+00:00","timestamp":"2022-09-14T18:19:42+00:00"},"data":{"breadcrumbs":[{"name":"Business, Careers, & Money","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34224"},"slug":"business-careers-money","categoryId":34224},{"name":"Business","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34225"},"slug":"business","categoryId":34225},{"name":"Small Business","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34251"},"slug":"small-business","categoryId":34251},{"name":"General Small Business","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34253"},"slug":"general-small-business","categoryId":34253}],"title":"Small Business Kit For Dummies Cheat Sheet","strippedTitle":"small business kit for dummies cheat sheet","slug":"small-business-kit-for-dummies-cheat-sheet","canonicalUrl":"","seo":{"metaDescription":"Learn the basics of setting up a small business, including business plans, differences between C and S corporations, and keeping records.","noIndex":0,"noFollow":0},"content":"Owning and running a small business calls for a variety of skills, perhaps foremost among them organizational. If you’re going to incorporate your business, you need to explore the differences between becoming a C corporation and an S corporation. And if you want to attract investors or even apply for a loan, you’d better be familiar with the key elements of a business plan.","description":"Owning and running a small business calls for a variety of skills, perhaps foremost among them organizational. If you’re going to incorporate your business, you need to explore the differences between becoming a C corporation and an S corporation. And if you want to attract investors or even apply for a loan, you’d better be familiar with the key elements of a business plan.","blurb":"","authors":[{"authorId":10243,"name":"Richard D. Harroch","slug":"richard-d-harroch","description":" <b>Richard D. Harroch</b> is an attorney with over 20 years of experience in representing start-up and emerging companies, entrepreneurs, and venture capitalists. He is listed in <i>Who&#8217;s Who in American Law</i> and is a corporate partner in a major law firm in San Francisco. He is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of U.C. Berkeley and graduated from UCLA Law School, where he was managing editor of the <i>Law Review</i>. He has edited or co-authored a number of legal/business books, including <i>Start-Up and Emerging Companies: Planning, Financing and Operating the Successful Business</i> and <i>Partnership and Joint Venture Agreements</i>.<br /> Richard was the chairman and co-founder of AllBusiness.com, one of the premier Web sites for small businesses. He was also the founder, CEO, and chairman of LawCommerce, Inc., an Internet company dedicated to providing products and sources to the legal profession.<br /> He has lectured extensively before various legal and business organizations, including the American Electronics Association, the Venture Capital Institute, the California Continuing Education of the Bar, Law Journal Seminars-Press, the California State Bar Business Section, the Corporate Counsel Institute, the San Francisco Bar, and the Practicing Law Institute (PLI).<br /> Richard has served as the chairman of the California State Bar Committee on Partnerships, the co-chairman of the Corporations Committee of the San Francisco Bar (Barristers), a member of the Executive Committee of the Business Law Section of the California State Bar, and co-chair of the <i>Law Journal</i> seminar in New York on &#8220;Joint Ventures and Strategic Alliances.&#8221;<br /> Richard has experience in the following areas: start-up and emerging companies, corporate financings, joint ventures, strategic alliances, venture capital financings, employment agreements, IPOs, leases, loans, online and Internet matters, license agreements, partnerships, preferred stock, confidentiality agreements, stock options, sales contracts, securities laws, and mergers and acquisitions.","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/10243"}}],"primaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":34253,"title":"General Small Business","slug":"general-small-business","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34253"}},"secondaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"tertiaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"trendingArticles":null,"inThisArticle":[],"relatedArticles":{"fromBook":[{"articleId":190293,"title":"How to Organize Your Small Business Records","slug":"how-to-organize-your-small-business-records","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","general-small-business"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/190293"}},{"articleId":190290,"title":"Key Sections of a Small Business Plan","slug":"key-sections-of-a-small-business-plan","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","general-small-business"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/190290"}},{"articleId":190287,"title":"Differences between C and S Corporations for a Small Business","slug":"differences-between-c-and-s-corporations-for-a-small-business","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","general-small-business"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/190287"}}],"fromCategory":[{"articleId":226108,"title":"Packing Power into Advertising Headlines","slug":"packing-power-advertising-headlines","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","general-small-business"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/226108"}},{"articleId":226105,"title":"How Small Business Marketing Is Different","slug":"small-business-marketing-different","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","general-small-business"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/226105"}},{"articleId":226102,"title":"Marketing a Start-Up Business","slug":"marketing-start-business","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","general-small-business"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/226102"}},{"articleId":226099,"title":"The Relationship between Marketing and Sales","slug":"relationship-marketing-sales","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","general-small-business"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/226099"}},{"articleId":226096,"title":"Marketing: The Whole is Greater Than the Parts","slug":"marketing-whole-greater-parts","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","general-small-business"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/226096"}}]},"hasRelatedBookFromSearch":false,"relatedBook":{"bookId":282581,"slug":"small-business-kit-for-dummies-2nd-edition","isbn":"9780764559846","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","general-small-business"],"amazon":{"default":"https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0764559842/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","ca":"https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/0764559842/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","indigo_ca":"http://www.tkqlhce.com/click-9208661-13710633?url=https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/product/0764559842-item.html&cjsku=978111945484","gb":"https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0764559842/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","de":"https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/0764559842/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20"},"image":{"src":"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/small-business-kit-for-dummies-2nd-edition-cover-9780764559846-203x255.jpg","width":203,"height":255},"title":"Small Business Kit For Dummies","testBankPinActivationLink":"","bookOutOfPrint":false,"authorsInfo":"<b data-author-id=\"10243\">Richard D. Harroch</b> is an attorney with over 20 years of experience in representing start-up and emerging companies, entrepreneurs, and venture capitalists. He is listed in <i>Who’s Who in American Law</i> and is a corporate partner in a major law firm in San Francisco. He is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of U.C. Berkeley and graduated from UCLA Law School, where he was managing editor of the <i>Law Review</i>. He has edited or co-authored a number of legal/business books, including <i>Start-Up and Emerging Companies: Planning, Financing and Operating the Successful Business</i> and <i>Partnership and Joint Venture Agreements</i>.<br> Richard was the chairman and co-founder of AllBusiness.com, one of the premier Web sites for small businesses. He was also the founder, CEO, and chairman of LawCommerce, Inc., an Internet company dedicated to providing products and sources to the legal profession.<br> He has lectured extensively before various legal and business organizations, including the American Electronics Association, the Venture Capital Institute, the California Continuing Education of the Bar, Law Journal Seminars-Press, the California State Bar Business Section, the Corporate Counsel Institute, the San Francisco Bar, and the Practicing Law Institute (PLI).<br> Richard has served as the chairman of the California State Bar Committee on Partnerships, the co-chairman of the Corporations Committee of the San Francisco Bar (Barristers), a member of the Executive Committee of the Business Law Section of the California State Bar, and co-chair of the <i>Law Journal</i> seminar in New York on “Joint Ventures and Strategic Alliances.”<br> Richard has experience in the following areas: start-up and emerging companies, corporate financings, joint ventures, strategic alliances, venture capital financings, employment agreements, IPOs, leases, loans, online and Internet matters, license agreements, partnerships, preferred stock, confidentiality agreements, stock options, sales contracts, securities laws, and mergers and acquisitions.","authors":[{"authorId":10243,"name":"Richard D. Harroch","slug":"richard-d-harroch","description":" <b>Richard D. Harroch</b> is an attorney with over 20 years of experience in representing start-up and emerging companies, entrepreneurs, and venture capitalists. He is listed in <i>Who&#8217;s Who in American Law</i> and is a corporate partner in a major law firm in San Francisco. He is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of U.C. Berkeley and graduated from UCLA Law School, where he was managing editor of the <i>Law Review</i>. He has edited or co-authored a number of legal/business books, including <i>Start-Up and Emerging Companies: Planning, Financing and Operating the Successful Business</i> and <i>Partnership and Joint Venture Agreements</i>.<br /> Richard was the chairman and co-founder of AllBusiness.com, one of the premier Web sites for small businesses. He was also the founder, CEO, and chairman of LawCommerce, Inc., an Internet company dedicated to providing products and sources to the legal profession.<br /> He has lectured extensively before various legal and business organizations, including the American Electronics Association, the Venture Capital Institute, the California Continuing Education of the Bar, Law Journal Seminars-Press, the California State Bar Business Section, the Corporate Counsel Institute, the San Francisco Bar, and the Practicing Law Institute (PLI).<br /> Richard has served as the chairman of the California State Bar Committee on Partnerships, the co-chairman of the Corporations Committee of the San Francisco Bar (Barristers), a member of the Executive Committee of the Business Law Section of the California State Bar, and co-chair of the <i>Law Journal</i> seminar in New York on &#8220;Joint Ventures and Strategic Alliances.&#8221;<br /> Richard has experience in the following areas: start-up and emerging companies, corporate financings, joint ventures, strategic alliances, venture capital financings, employment agreements, IPOs, leases, loans, online and Internet matters, license agreements, partnerships, preferred stock, confidentiality agreements, stock options, sales contracts, securities laws, and mergers and acquisitions.","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/10243"}}],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/books/"}},"collections":[],"articleAds":{"footerAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;business-careers-money&quot;,&quot;business&quot;,&quot;small-business&quot;,&quot;general-small-business&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;9780764559846&quot;]}]\" id=\"du-slot-63221b3e8a1be\"></div></div>","rightAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_right_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_right_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;business-careers-money&quot;,&quot;business&quot;,&quot;small-business&quot;,&quot;general-small-business&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;9780764559846&quot;]}]\" id=\"du-slot-63221b3e8ab53\"></div></div>"},"articleType":{"articleType":"Cheat Sheet","articleList":[{"articleId":190293,"title":"How to Organize Your Small Business Records","slug":"how-to-organize-your-small-business-records","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","general-small-business"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/190293"}},{"articleId":190287,"title":"Differences between C and S Corporations for a Small Business","slug":"differences-between-c-and-s-corporations-for-a-small-business","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","general-small-business"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/190287"}},{"articleId":190290,"title":"Key Sections of a Small Business Plan","slug":"key-sections-of-a-small-business-plan","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","general-small-business"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/190290"}}],"content":[{"title":"How to organize your small business records","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>Dealing with the paperwork is a large part of running a small business. The following table suggests essential file drawers to label in an actual file cabinet or two and what must-keep information to file in each:</p>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><b>File Drawer</b></td>\n<td><b>What To Put There</b></td>\n<td><b>File Drawer</b></td>\n<td><b>What To Put There</b></td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Accounting and bookkeeping records</td>\n<td>Sales and expense information, inventory, ledgers, income<br />\nstatements, balance sheets, cash flow statements, and other<br />\nfinancial statements.</td>\n<td>Forms used in the business</td>\n<td>Standard forms that you use in the business, such as purchase<br />\norders, sales agreements, offer letters to new employees, and<br />\nemployment applications.</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Bank records</td>\n<td>Bank statements, cancelled checks, bank reconciliations,<br />\nnotices from and to your bank, deposit slips, and any loan-related<br />\nnotices and documents.</td>\n<td>Intellectual property records</td>\n<td>Trademark applications, copyright filings, patent filings and<br />\npatents, licenses, and confidentiality or non-disclosure<br />\nagreements.</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Contracts</td>\n<td>All contracts you have entered into, including: real estate<br />\nleases, equipment leases, purchase agreements, sales agreements,<br />\njoint venture agreements, work for hire agreements, and other<br />\ncontracts.</td>\n<td>Marketing and advertising</td>\n<td>Marketing brochures, print ads, Web banners, text of radio ads,<br />\nand records of other marketing materials.</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Corporate records</td>\n<td><b>For corporations:</b> Articles of Incorporation, bylaws,<br />\nshareholder minutes and consents, board minutes and consents, state<br />\nfilings, Action of Incorporator, and amendments to the various<br />\ncorporate documents.<br />\n<b>For non-corporations:</b> Documents may include partnership<br />\nagreements, LLC documents, consents of the owners, and similar<br />\nrecords.</td>\n<td>Permits and licenses</td>\n<td>Permits, licenses, or registration forms that you need to<br />\noperate the business, whether required under federal, state, or<br />\nlocal law.</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Correspondence</td>\n<td>Letters sent by mail, faxes, and important e-mail that you<br />\ndon’t want to lose and want to keep in hard copy. These<br />\ninclude both correspondence you receive and send.</td>\n<td>Stock records</td>\n<td>The company’s Stock Ledger where you record all stock and<br />\nother securities transactions, copies of stock certificates,<br />\noptions and warrants, and copies of all securities law<br />\nfilings.</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Employee records</td>\n<td>Completed employment applications, actual employment offer<br />\nletters, employee handbook or policies, employment agreements,<br />\nperformance appraisals, employee attendance records, employee<br />\ntermination letters, W-2s, and any settlement agreements with<br />\nterminated employees.</td>\n<td>Tax records</td>\n<td>These records include quarterly and annual federal and state<br />\nincome tax filings, W-9 filings for independent contractors,<br />\nrecords supporting tax filings, withholding tax records, and other<br />\ntax-related matters.</td>\n</tr>\n</tbody>\n</table>\n"},{"title":"Differences between C and S corporations for a small business","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>A <i>corporation</i> is a separate legal entity formed under a state corporation law. Your small business can register as a C corporation or an S corporation if you go the corporation route, which you may want to do to shield shareholders from the corporation’s debts and liabilities.</p>\n<h3>C corporations</h3>\n<p>The following key points characterize C corporations:</p>\n<ul class=\"level-one\">\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Limited liability:</b> Generally, the shareholders, officers, and directors of the corporation aren’t personally liable for the corporation’s debts and liabilities.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Perpetual existence: </b>In contrast to partnerships and sole proprietorships, corporations generally can last forever unless they’re voluntarily dissolved.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Control and management: </b>A corporation’s overall management is vested in the board of directors chosen by the shareholders. The board of directors elects the corporation’s officers, who handle the business’s day-to-day affairs under the board’s general direction.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Shareholders’ rights:</b> Shareholders typically have various rights, including the right to elect directors, receive information, inspect corporate records, vote on fundamental business decisions (such as mergers and liquidations), and share in distributions.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Owners and profits: </b>The owners of the corporation are the shareholders who have received stock in the corporation.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Corporate formalities: </b>You should observe various corporate formalities, such as maintenance of separate books, records, and accounts; completion of various governmental filings; and periodic meetings or written consents of directors and shareholders.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Stock transferability: </b>Stock certificates are signs of ownership. Their transfer may be restricted; for example, the corporation may have a right of first refusal on transfer. And federal or state securities laws can limit stock transfers.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Capital formation: </b>The corporate entity accommodates a wide variety of forms of capitalization, such as common stock, preferred stock, stock options, warrants, and convertible securities.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Employee stock ownership: </b>Corporations provide the best vehicle to give employees equity interests in the business. Corporations allow tax-advantaged stock option grants, which aren’t available for other entities.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Tax:</b> C corporations are taxed at the corporate level. The government taxes most dividends as income to the stockholders.</p>\n</li>\n</ul>\n<h3>S corporations</h3>\n<p>An S corporation is a regular corporation, but the business’s income passes through to the shareholders, and the shareholders pay income taxes based on their portion of the corporate income. In order to become an S corporation, you must follow a number of key rules, including</p>\n<ul class=\"level-one\">\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>IRS election: </b>All shareholders must sign and file IRS Form 2553 with the IRS. You may also need to make an election with your state of incorporation. New corporations must file the IRS form by the 15th day of the third month of your tax year (basically, a 2 1/2 month window).</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Number of shareholders: </b>An S corporation can have no more than 75 shareholders.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>One class of stock: </b>An S corporation can only have one class of stock, although certain differences can exist in voting rights among the shareholders.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Restrictions on the type of shareholders: </b>Generally, corporations, various trusts, and nonresident aliens may not be shareholders in an S corporation.</p>\n</li>\n</ul>\n"},{"title":"Key sections of a small business plan","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>If you want investors for your small business, you need to write a business plan so you have something to present to bankers and potential investors. The format of every good business plan, although not set in stone, tends to run along the same basic lines — it shouldn’t have anything that surprises investors.</p>\n<p>The business plan format is fairly standardized, typically containing the following key sections:</p>\n<ul class=\"level-one\">\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Cover page:</b> Contains contact information and a statement that the plan is deemed confidential</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Table of contents:</b> Enables your readers to quickly find the exact information they’re looking for</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Executive summary:</b> Explains, briefly, your business’s prospects, needs, and situation</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Company description:</b> Contains a historical account of the company, as well as its future prospects</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>The product or service:</b> Explains what is unique about the products or services that your business plans to deliver</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>The market:</b> Creates a picture of the market in which your business competes</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Marketing:</b> Informs your reader of how you plan to capture your business’s potential market (packaging, distribution, advertising, Web marketing, and so on)</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Management/ownership:</b> Introduces the people holding leadership positions in the business, their relevant experience and credentials</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Competition:</b> Focuses on your competitors’ strengths and weaknesses</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Financial statements and projections:</b> Includes a lot of numbers (hopefully black), like your balance sheet, income statement, cash flow statement, and financial forecasts</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Appendices:</b> Contains résumés of key personnel, an organizational chart with positions and responsibilities, extended market information, and other data to back up the claims in your business plan</p>\n</li>\n</ul>\n"}],"videoInfo":{"videoId":null,"name":null,"accountId":null,"playerId":null,"thumbnailUrl":null,"description":null,"uploadDate":null}},"sponsorship":{"sponsorshipPage":false,"backgroundImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"brandingLine":"","brandingLink":"","brandingLogo":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"sponsorAd":"","sponsorEbookTitle":"","sponsorEbookLink":"","sponsorEbookImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0}},"primaryLearningPath":"Advance","lifeExpectancy":"Five years","lifeExpectancySetFrom":"2022-05-03T00:00:00+00:00","dummiesForKids":"no","sponsoredContent":"no","adInfo":"","adPairKey":[]},"status":"publish","visibility":"public","articleId":208800},{"headers":{"creationTime":"2016-03-27T16:57:09+00:00","modifiedTime":"2022-04-05T16:26:51+00:00","timestamp":"2022-09-14T18:19:34+00:00"},"data":{"breadcrumbs":[{"name":"Business, Careers, & Money","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34224"},"slug":"business-careers-money","categoryId":34224},{"name":"Business","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34225"},"slug":"business","categoryId":34225},{"name":"Small Business","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34251"},"slug":"small-business","categoryId":34251},{"name":"General Small Business","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34253"},"slug":"general-small-business","categoryId":34253}],"title":"Small Business Financial Management Kit For Dummies Cheat Sheet","strippedTitle":"small business financial management kit for dummies cheat sheet","slug":"small-business-financial-management-kit-for-dummies-cheat-sheet","canonicalUrl":"","seo":{"metaDescription":"Become familiar with standard financial documents, pay attention to profits, and make the most of the business’s assets with this kit.","noIndex":0,"noFollow":0},"content":"Managing the finances of a small business is a multi-layered task. You need to become familiar with standard financial documents, pay attention to profits, and make the most of the business’s assets. And you always have to be thinking and planning ahead. You have some work to do, get to it!","description":"Managing the finances of a small business is a multi-layered task. You need to become familiar with standard financial documents, pay attention to profits, and make the most of the business’s assets. And you always have to be thinking and planning ahead. You have some work to do, get to it!","blurb":"","authors":[{"authorId":9473,"name":"Tage C. Tracy","slug":"tage-c-tracy","description":" <b>John A. Tracy</b> is a former accountant and professor of accounting. He is also the author of Accounting For Dummies. ","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/9473"}},{"authorId":9472,"name":"John A. Tracy","slug":"john-a-tracy","description":" <b>John A. Tracy</b> is a former accountant and professor of accounting. He is also the author of Accounting For Dummies. ","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/9472"}}],"primaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":34253,"title":"General Small Business","slug":"general-small-business","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34253"}},"secondaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"tertiaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"trendingArticles":null,"inThisArticle":[],"relatedArticles":{"fromBook":[{"articleId":200152,"title":"Examining Types of Business Capital","slug":"examining-types-of-business-capital","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","general-small-business"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/200152"}},{"articleId":193668,"title":"Important Financial Documents for Your Small Business","slug":"important-financial-documents-for-your-small-business","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","general-small-business"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/193668"}},{"articleId":193665,"title":"How to Plan Ahead for Your Small Business","slug":"how-to-plan-ahead-for-your-small-business","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","general-small-business"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/193665"}},{"articleId":193661,"title":"Paying Attention to Profit in Your Small Business","slug":"paying-attention-to-profit-in-your-small-business","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","general-small-business"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/193661"}},{"articleId":193657,"title":"How to Make the Most of Your Small Business’s Assets","slug":"how-to-make-the-most-of-your-small-businesss-assets","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","general-small-business"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/193657"}}],"fromCategory":[{"articleId":226108,"title":"Packing Power into Advertising Headlines","slug":"packing-power-advertising-headlines","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","general-small-business"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/226108"}},{"articleId":226105,"title":"How Small Business Marketing Is Different","slug":"small-business-marketing-different","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","general-small-business"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/226105"}},{"articleId":226102,"title":"Marketing a Start-Up Business","slug":"marketing-start-business","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","general-small-business"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/226102"}},{"articleId":226099,"title":"The Relationship between Marketing and Sales","slug":"relationship-marketing-sales","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","general-small-business"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/226099"}},{"articleId":226096,"title":"Marketing: The Whole is Greater Than the Parts","slug":"marketing-whole-greater-parts","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","general-small-business"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/226096"}}]},"hasRelatedBookFromSearch":false,"relatedBook":{"bookId":282579,"slug":"small-business-financial-management-kit-for-dummies","isbn":"9780470125083","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","general-small-business"],"amazon":{"default":"https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/047012508X/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","ca":"https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/047012508X/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","indigo_ca":"http://www.tkqlhce.com/click-9208661-13710633?url=https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/product/047012508X-item.html&cjsku=978111945484","gb":"https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/047012508X/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","de":"https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/047012508X/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20"},"image":{"src":"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/small-business-financial-management-kit-for-dummies-cover-9780470125083-203x255.jpg","width":203,"height":255},"title":"Small Business Financial Management Kit For Dummies","testBankPinActivationLink":"","bookOutOfPrint":false,"authorsInfo":"<p><b data-author-id=\"9473\">Tage C. Tracy, CPA,</b> is the co-author, along with John Tracy, of <i>How to Manage Profit and Cash Flow</i>. <b data-author-id=\"9472\">John A. Tracy, CPA,</b> is the author of <i>Accounting For Dummies</i>. </p>","authors":[{"authorId":9473,"name":"Tage C. Tracy","slug":"tage-c-tracy","description":" <b>John A. Tracy</b> is a former accountant and professor of accounting. He is also the author of Accounting For Dummies. ","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/9473"}},{"authorId":9472,"name":"John A. Tracy","slug":"john-a-tracy","description":" <b>John A. Tracy</b> is a former accountant and professor of accounting. He is also the author of Accounting For Dummies. ","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/9472"}}],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/books/"}},"collections":[],"articleAds":{"footerAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;business-careers-money&quot;,&quot;business&quot;,&quot;small-business&quot;,&quot;general-small-business&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;9780470125083&quot;]}]\" id=\"du-slot-63221b362afad\"></div></div>","rightAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_right_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_right_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;business-careers-money&quot;,&quot;business&quot;,&quot;small-business&quot;,&quot;general-small-business&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;9780470125083&quot;]}]\" id=\"du-slot-63221b362b9f8\"></div></div>"},"articleType":{"articleType":"Cheat Sheet","articleList":[{"articleId":193668,"title":"Important Financial Documents for Your Small Business","slug":"important-financial-documents-for-your-small-business","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","general-small-business"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/193668"}},{"articleId":193661,"title":"Paying Attention to Profit in Your Small Business","slug":"paying-attention-to-profit-in-your-small-business","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","general-small-business"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/193661"}},{"articleId":193657,"title":"How to Make the Most of Your Small Business’s Assets","slug":"how-to-make-the-most-of-your-small-businesss-assets","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","general-small-business"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/193657"}},{"articleId":193665,"title":"How to Plan Ahead for Your Small Business","slug":"how-to-plan-ahead-for-your-small-business","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","general-small-business"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/193665"}}],"content":[{"title":"Important financial documents for your small business","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>Managing the finances of your small business can be a challenge. To survive and thrive, you must earn profit consistently, generate cash flow from profit, and control your financial condition. You need a separate financial statement to highlight each aspect:</p>\n<ul class=\"level-one\">\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">The <b>P&amp;L Statement</b> (also called the <i>Income</i>, or<i> Earnings Statement</i>) summarizes revenue and expenses and reports your resulting profit or loss — that’s what the P and L stand for.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">The <b>Statement of Cash Flows</b> begins by reporting the net increase or decrease in cash from your revenue and expenses during the period (which is a different amount than your profit or loss for the period); this statement also summarizes other sources of cash you tapped during the period, and what you did with your available cash.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">The <b>Balance Sheet</b> (also called the <i>Statement of Financial Condition</i>) summarizes your assets and liabilities at the close of business on the last day of the profit period and reports the sources of your owners’ equity (assets less liabilities).</p>\n</li>\n</ul>\n<p class=\"Tip\">Make sure that you know how to read and interpret your financial statements.<b> </b>Not understanding your own business’s financial statements puts you at a serious disadvantage in making good business decisions and in dealing with your lenders and owners.</p>\n<p>Of course, the information in your financial statements is no better than your accounting system.<b> </b>Hire a competent accountant to design and run your accounting system. Your accountant can be a valuable helpmate in managing your financial affairs.</p>\n<p class=\"Remember\">Don’t confuse your balance sheet with the market value of your business. True, your balance sheet reports your assets and liabilities, and the difference equals the book value of your owners’ equity. Keep in mind, however, that historical costs are the values for many assets, and the balance sheet does not report your profit performance over recent years. Yet, the market value of a business depends heavily on current replacement values of your assets and your recent profit performance.</p>\n"},{"title":"Paying attention to profit in your small business","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>Your small business is designed to make a profit — even if you’re not making one yet. Managing the financial aspects of profit requires special skills and powers of recognition. The following list offers tips on what to pay attention to:</p>\n<ul class=\"level-one\">\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><strong>Cash flow accounting doesn’t tell you profit for the period, and accrual-basis profit accounting doesn’t tell you cash flow for the period</strong>. Credit sales are recorded as revenue before cash is received. Some expenses are recorded before cash is paid, and some are recorded after cash is spent. Depreciation expense is not a cash outlay in the period. Never confuse profit and cash flow. You need to look at your P&amp;L report for your profit, and you need to look at your Statement of Cash Flows for your cash flow.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><strong>Read the preceding tip again!</strong> Deep down in your psyche you probably believe that profit equals cash flow. You may want to believe this, but it ain’t so. Make certain that you have a firm grip on what cash flow is — and isn’t.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><strong>Use a compact profit model for decision-making analysis.</strong> The P&amp;L report is indispensable for controlling profit performance, but this profit performance report is too bulky for decision-making analysis. A compact profit model is better. The P&amp;L statement is like a high-end digital SLR camera; a profit model is like a pocket-size digital camera that you carry around with you and is good enough for most uses.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><strong>Seemingly small changes in profit factors can cause staggering differences.</strong> A small slippage in the ratio of margin on sales revenue can have a devastating impact on profit. A slight boost in sales price or a relatively modest increase in sales volume can yield a remarkable gain in profit. Small changes mean a lot.</p>\n</li>\n</ul>\n"},{"title":"How to make the most of your small business's assets","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>The assets of your small business drive your financial picture to a large extent, so you need to know how to manage those assets to maximize their use to you. Use the tips in the following list to help put your assets to work for your business:</p>\n<ul class=\"level-one\">\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Determine the sizes of assets you need to support the level of your annual sales revenue. </b>The amount of your total assets determines the amount of capital you have to raise, and capital has a cost. The more assets you have, the more capital you need. Downsize your assets as long as you don’t hurt sales.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Don’t rush into securing debt and equity capital without doing due diligence. </b>Many small businesses are desperate for capital. Carefully examine the true, total cost of the capital and scrutinize the potential for interference from capital sources in running your business.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Businesses that make profit generate taxable income.</b> Small business (“S”) corporations, partnerships, and LLCs (limited liability companies) don’t have to pay income tax. They are <i>pass-through tax entities</i>; so, their owners include their respective shares of the business’s taxable income in their individual income tax returns. The profit of a pass-through business is taxed only once — in the hands of its owners. Cash dividends paid to stockholders by regular (“C”) corporations from their after-tax profits are included in the individual income tax returns of their stockholders and are thus subject to a second tax in the hands of the stockholders.</p>\n</li>\n</ul>\n<p class=\"Tip\">To keep your assets working for your business, trust, but protect.<b> </b>Business is done on the basis of mutual trust, but not everyone is trustworthy, even a longtime employee and a close relative. Enforce effective controls to minimize threats of theft and fraud against your business. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.</p>\n"},{"title":"How to plan ahead for your small business","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>As the owner or manager of a small business, of course you’re very busy, but it pays to step back and plan for your financial future. Take the time to forecast, plan, and budget. Have your Controller (chief accountant) prepare the following pro forma (according to plan) financial statements:</p>\n<ul class=\"level-one\">\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Budgeted P&amp;L statement for the coming year.</b> Even if this budgeted P&amp;L is abbreviated and condensed, it plays an invaluable role. Provide your Controller your best estimates and forecasts for sales prices, costs, and sales volume during the coming year. From this information your accountant can prepare a P&amp;L that serves as your performance benchmark as you go through the year. Don’t be afraid to change the budgeted P&amp;L in midstream. Sometimes totally unpredictable events make your original P&amp;L budget out of date.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Budgeted Balance Sheet at end of coming year.</b> You don’t necessarily need a detailed listing of every asset and liability one year off. But you definitely should look ahead to your general, overall financial condition one year later. It’s better to spot problems earlier than later. Looking down the road at where your financial condition is heading can help you avoid major problems.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Budgeted Statement of Cash Flows.</b> Preparing this budgeted financial statement is an excellent way to keep close tabs on your cash flow from profit (operating activities) and how you plan to use this cash flow. If you are planning major capital expenditures (new investments to replace, modernize, and expand your long-term operating asserts) a budgeted statement of cash flows is essential for making strategic decisions regarding how you will secure the cash for these expenditures.</p>\n</li>\n</ul>\n"}],"videoInfo":{"videoId":null,"name":null,"accountId":null,"playerId":null,"thumbnailUrl":null,"description":null,"uploadDate":null}},"sponsorship":{"sponsorshipPage":false,"backgroundImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"brandingLine":"","brandingLink":"","brandingLogo":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"sponsorAd":"","sponsorEbookTitle":"","sponsorEbookLink":"","sponsorEbookImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0}},"primaryLearningPath":"Advance","lifeExpectancy":"One year","lifeExpectancySetFrom":"2022-04-05T00:00:00+00:00","dummiesForKids":"no","sponsoredContent":"no","adInfo":"","adPairKey":[]},"status":"publish","visibility":"public","articleId":209213},{"headers":{"creationTime":"2016-05-09T14:27:54+00:00","modifiedTime":"2022-03-23T18:35:51+00:00","timestamp":"2022-09-14T18:19:29+00:00"},"data":{"breadcrumbs":[{"name":"Business, Careers, & Money","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34224"},"slug":"business-careers-money","categoryId":34224},{"name":"Business","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34225"},"slug":"business","categoryId":34225},{"name":"Small Business","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34251"},"slug":"small-business","categoryId":34251},{"name":"General Small Business","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34253"},"slug":"general-small-business","categoryId":34253}],"title":"Small Business Marketing Strategies All-in-One For Dummies Cheat Sheet","strippedTitle":"small business marketing strategies all-in-one for dummies cheat sheet","slug":"small-business-marketing-strategies-all-in-one-for-dummies-cheat-sheet","canonicalUrl":"","seo":{"metaDescription":"Today's marketing professionals should have a solid understanding of market segmentation, social media, and content marketing.","noIndex":0,"noFollow":0},"content":"<div class=\"intro\">\r\n\r\nAll customers are not alike. Knowing how they differ — what their individual and group needs and preferences are — is key to successful marketing efforts nowadays.\r\n\r\nMarketing strategy involves segmenting your customers into groups and researching and studying those groups to tailor your messages specifically to them. Social media is a great way to do that because the various types of social media already have their own quirks and styles associated with them, and that can be an aid when it comes time to hone specific marketing messages.\r\n\r\nAnother important modern-day piece of the marketing puzzle is content marketing, which adds value by providing real content that consumers can use, but which also promotes your business.\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n ","description":"<div class=\"intro\">\r\n\r\nAll customers are not alike. Knowing how they differ — what their individual and group needs and preferences are — is key to successful marketing efforts nowadays.\r\n\r\nMarketing strategy involves segmenting your customers into groups and researching and studying those groups to tailor your messages specifically to them. Social media is a great way to do that because the various types of social media already have their own quirks and styles associated with them, and that can be an aid when it comes time to hone specific marketing messages.\r\n\r\nAnother important modern-day piece of the marketing puzzle is content marketing, which adds value by providing real content that consumers can use, but which also promotes your business.\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n ","blurb":"","authors":[{"authorId":8947,"name":"The Experts at Dummies","slug":"the-experts-at-dummies","description":"The Experts at Dummies are smart, friendly people who make learning easy by taking a not-so-serious approach to serious stuff.","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/8947"}}],"primaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":34253,"title":"General Small Business","slug":"general-small-business","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34253"}},"secondaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":34243,"title":"Marketing","slug":"marketing","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34243"}},"tertiaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"trendingArticles":null,"inThisArticle":[],"relatedArticles":{"fromBook":[{"articleId":226108,"title":"Packing Power into Advertising Headlines","slug":"packing-power-advertising-headlines","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","general-small-business"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/226108"}},{"articleId":226105,"title":"How Small Business Marketing Is Different","slug":"small-business-marketing-different","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","general-small-business"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/226105"}},{"articleId":226102,"title":"Marketing a Start-Up Business","slug":"marketing-start-business","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","general-small-business"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/226102"}},{"articleId":226099,"title":"The Relationship between Marketing and Sales","slug":"relationship-marketing-sales","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","general-small-business"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/226099"}},{"articleId":226096,"title":"Marketing: The Whole is Greater Than the Parts","slug":"marketing-whole-greater-parts","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","general-small-business"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/226096"}}],"fromCategory":[{"articleId":226108,"title":"Packing Power into Advertising Headlines","slug":"packing-power-advertising-headlines","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","general-small-business"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/226108"}},{"articleId":226105,"title":"How Small Business Marketing Is Different","slug":"small-business-marketing-different","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","general-small-business"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/226105"}},{"articleId":226102,"title":"Marketing a Start-Up Business","slug":"marketing-start-business","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","general-small-business"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/226102"}},{"articleId":226099,"title":"The Relationship between Marketing and Sales","slug":"relationship-marketing-sales","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","general-small-business"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/226099"}},{"articleId":226096,"title":"Marketing: The Whole is Greater Than the Parts","slug":"marketing-whole-greater-parts","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","general-small-business"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/226096"}}]},"hasRelatedBookFromSearch":false,"relatedBook":{"bookId":282583,"slug":"small-business-marketing-strategies-all-in-one-for-dummies","isbn":"9781119236917","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","general-small-business"],"amazon":{"default":"https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1119236916/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","ca":"https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/1119236916/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","indigo_ca":"http://www.tkqlhce.com/click-9208661-13710633?url=https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/product/1119236916-item.html&cjsku=978111945484","gb":"https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1119236916/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","de":"https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/1119236916/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20"},"image":{"src":"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/small-business-marketing-strategies-all-in-one-for-dummies-cover-9781119236917-200x255.jpg","width":200,"height":255},"title":"Small Business Marketing Strategies All-in-One For Dummies","testBankPinActivationLink":"","bookOutOfPrint":false,"authorsInfo":"<p>The <b data-author-id=\"34784\">U.S. Chamber of Commerce</b> is the world's largest business organization representing the interests of more than 3 million businesses of all sizes, sectors, and regions. Join Small Business Nation today, at uschamber.com/joinsbn.</p>","authors":[{"authorId":34784,"name":"","slug":"","description":" <p><b> Joseph A. Allen, PhD</b> is a professor of industrial and organizational (I/O) psychology at the University of Utah. His articles have appeared in <i>Human Relations, Journal of Business Psychology</i>, and more.</p> <p><b>Karin M. Reed</b> is CEO of Speaker Dynamics, a corporate communications training firm. She is an Emmy award-winning broadcast journalist. ","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/34784"}}],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/books/"}},"collections":[{"title":"BYOB (Be Your Own Boss)","slug":"for-the-entry-level-entrepreneur","collectionId":287568}],"articleAds":{"footerAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;business-careers-money&quot;,&quot;business&quot;,&quot;small-business&quot;,&quot;general-small-business&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;9781119236917&quot;]}]\" id=\"du-slot-63221b318a021\"></div></div>","rightAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_right_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_right_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;business-careers-money&quot;,&quot;business&quot;,&quot;small-business&quot;,&quot;general-small-business&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;9781119236917&quot;]}]\" id=\"du-slot-63221b318aaa0\"></div></div>"},"articleType":{"articleType":"Cheat Sheet","articleList":[{"articleId":218792,"title":"Knowing Your Customers: Market Segmentation","slug":"knowing-your-customers-market-segmentation","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","general-small-business"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/218792"}},{"articleId":218795,"title":"The Different Types of Social Media Marketing","slug":"the-different-types-of-social-media-marketing","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","general-small-business"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/218795"}},{"articleId":218797,"title":"Understanding Content Marketing","slug":"understanding-content-marketing","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","general-small-business"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/218797"}}],"content":[{"title":"Knowing your customers: Market segmentation","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<div class=\"series-article\">\n<div class=\"article-body p402_premium\">\n<p>Knowing who&#8217;s who among your customers is called <i>market segmentation.</i> It&#8217;s the process of breaking down your customers into segments that share distinct similarities.</p>\n<p>Here are some common market segmentation terms and what they mean:</p>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Geographics:</b> Organizing customers by their physical locations to determine the regions, counties, states, countries, zip codes, and census tracts where current and likely prospective customers live.</li>\n<li><b>Demographics:</b> Grouping customers into groups based on factors such as age, sex, race, religion, education, marital status, income, and household size.</li>\n<li><b>Psychographics:</b> Splitting up customers by lifestyle characteristics, behavioral and purchasing patterns, beliefs, values, and attitudes about themselves, their families, and society.</li>\n<li><b>Geodemographics:</b> This is a combination of geographics, demographics, and psychographics. Geodemographics, also called <i>cluster marketing</i> or lifestyle marketing, is based on the age-old idea that birds of a feather flock together — meaning that people who live in the same area tend to have similar backgrounds and consuming patterns. Geodemographics helps you target your marketing efforts by pinpointing neighborhoods or geographic areas where residents share the age, income, lifestyle characteristics, and buying patterns of your prospective customers.</li>\n</ul>\n</div>\n</div>\n<div class=\"series-article_bottom\"></div>\n"},{"title":"The different types of social media marketing","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>There are hundreds of websites that would qualify as social media. The phrase <i>social media marketing </i>generally refers to using these online services for <i>relationship selling</i> — that is, selling based on developing rapport with customers.</p>\n<p>Social media services make innovative use of new online technologies to accomplish the familiar communication and marketing goals of this form of selling.</p>\n<p>The tried-and-true strategies of marketing (such as solving customers&#8217; problems and answering the question, &#8220;What&#8217;s in it for me?&#8221;) are still valid. Social media marketing is a new technique, not a new world.</p>\n<p>You can categorize social media services, but they have fuzzy boundaries that can overlap. Some social media sites fall into multiple categories. For instance, some social networks and online communities allow participants to share photos and include a blog. Here&#8217;s a brief rundown of social media types:</p>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Social content-sharing services</b> facilitate posting and commenting on text, videos, photos, and podcasts (audio). Examples include blogs like WordPress, Tumblr, and Blogger. Video services can be grouped here, such as YouTube and Vimeo. Flickr, Snapchat, and Instagram allow you to share photos, and Podbean and BlogTalkRadio are for audio blogs.</li>\n<li><b>Social networking services</b> offer multiple functions. From a business point of view, many social networking services support subgroups that allow the potential for more targeted marketing. Common types of social networking services include full networks, such as Facebook, Google+, and MeetMe.com. There are also short message networks, such as Twitter and Plurk, which are often used for sharing announcements, events, sales notices, and promotions. Professional networks, like LinkedIn and small profession-specific networks, focus on employment, work experience, and jobs.</li>\n<li><b>Social bookmarking services</b> are like private bookmarks for your favorite sites. They are publicly viewable lists of sites that others have recommended. Some are recommendation services, such as StumbleUpon and Delicious; others are social shopping services, such as Kaboodle and ThisNext. Some bookmarking services are organized by topic or application, such as sites where readers recommend books to others using bookmarking techniques. And there are social news services, peer-based lists of recommended articles from news sites, blogs, or web pages, where users often vote on the value of the postings. Social news services include Digg and Reddit.</li>\n<li><b>Social geolocation and meeting services</b> bring people together in real space rather than in cyberspace. Examples include Foursquare and Meetup.</li>\n<li><b>Community-building services,</b> such as forums, message boards, and even Yahoo! and Google groups, have been around for a long time. Other examples of community-building sites have multiple sharing features, like Ning; some supply group-sourced content, like Wikipedia.</li>\n<li><b>Review sites,</b> like TripAdvisor, Yelp, and Epinions, solicit consumer views.</li>\n</ul>\n"},{"title":"Understanding content marketing","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p><i>Content marketing</i> includes all forms of content that both add value to consumers and directly or indirectly promote a business, brand, product, or service. It&#8217;s the <i>content </i>aspect that sets it apart from other marketing.</p>\n<p>Content marketing occurs online and in the real world, but the tools of the social web allow companies of all sizes to compete alongside one another, not for market share but for voice and influence.</p>\n<p>Marketing a business using content isn&#8217;t a new concept, however, it has evolved in recent years to mean far more than creating a company brochure filled with overtly promotional messages and images.</p>\n<p>Today, content marketing focuses on creating content that is meaningful and useful to consumers with promotion taking a backseat to adding value, and particularly adding value to the online conversation happening across the social web.</p>\n<p>Modern consumers try to avoid being interrupted by ads and marketing messages. Although companies used to use tactics such as shock advertising and sexual innuendos, now consumers can simply click away from an online. Even the most attention-getting ads go unnoticed by fast-forwarding consumers.</p>\n<p>Yet consumers are also hyper-connected. They have access to enormous amounts of information, such as instantaneous access to real-time news, from their homes, offices, and mobile devices. Simply interrupting consumers and delivering marketing messages doesn&#8217;t work anymore. Companies have to quickly demonstrate the added value they can deliver, especially if they&#8217;re interrupting consumers in order to deliver that value.</p>\n<p>With content marketing, companies engage consumers rather than interrupt them. Rather than take control of consumers&#8217; online experiences, businesses need to enhance those experiences, and they can do it with content that adds value and engages consumers.</p>\n"}],"videoInfo":{"videoId":null,"name":null,"accountId":null,"playerId":null,"thumbnailUrl":null,"description":null,"uploadDate":null}},"sponsorship":{"sponsorshipPage":false,"backgroundImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"brandingLine":"","brandingLink":"","brandingLogo":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"sponsorAd":"","sponsorEbookTitle":"","sponsorEbookLink":"","sponsorEbookImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0}},"primaryLearningPath":"Advance","lifeExpectancy":"Two years","lifeExpectancySetFrom":"2021-08-30T00:00:00+00:00","dummiesForKids":"no","sponsoredContent":"no","adInfo":"","adPairKey":[]},"status":"publish","visibility":"public","articleId":218799},{"headers":{"creationTime":"2016-03-27T16:56:57+00:00","modifiedTime":"2022-02-23T21:32:28+00:00","timestamp":"2022-09-14T18:19:12+00:00"},"data":{"breadcrumbs":[{"name":"Business, Careers, & Money","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34224"},"slug":"business-careers-money","categoryId":34224},{"name":"Business","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34225"},"slug":"business","categoryId":34225},{"name":"Small Business","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34251"},"slug":"small-business","categoryId":34251},{"name":"General Small Business","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34253"},"slug":"general-small-business","categoryId":34253}],"title":"Marketing Your Small Business For Dummies Cheat Sheet","strippedTitle":"marketing your small business for dummies cheat sheet","slug":"marketing-your-small-business-for-dummies-cheat-sheet","canonicalUrl":"","seo":{"metaDescription":"This Cheat Sheet includes essential marketing tools for small businesses, tips for marketing on a low budget, and much more.","noIndex":0,"noFollow":0},"content":"Being smart with marketing ensures the success of your business by attracting more customers, and keeping them coming back.\r\n\r\nWhether you own a bakery or a finance business, you need no-nonsense marketing strategies to secure a greater share of the market. This Cheat Sheet includes essential marketing tools, tips for marketing on a low budget, and much more.","description":"Being smart with marketing ensures the success of your business by attracting more customers, and keeping them coming back.\r\n\r\nWhether you own a bakery or a finance business, you need no-nonsense marketing strategies to secure a greater share of the market. This Cheat Sheet includes essential marketing tools, tips for marketing on a low budget, and much more.","blurb":"","authors":[],"primaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":34253,"title":"General Small Business","slug":"general-small-business","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34253"}},"secondaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"tertiaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"trendingArticles":null,"inThisArticle":[],"relatedArticles":{"fromBook":[],"fromCategory":[{"articleId":226108,"title":"Packing Power into Advertising Headlines","slug":"packing-power-advertising-headlines","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","general-small-business"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/226108"}},{"articleId":226105,"title":"How Small Business Marketing Is Different","slug":"small-business-marketing-different","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","general-small-business"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/226105"}},{"articleId":226102,"title":"Marketing a Start-Up Business","slug":"marketing-start-business","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","general-small-business"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/226102"}},{"articleId":226099,"title":"The Relationship between Marketing and Sales","slug":"relationship-marketing-sales","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","general-small-business"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/226099"}},{"articleId":226096,"title":"Marketing: The Whole is Greater Than the Parts","slug":"marketing-whole-greater-parts","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","general-small-business"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/226096"}}]},"hasRelatedBookFromSearch":false,"relatedBook":{"bookId":0,"slug":null,"isbn":null,"categoryList":null,"amazon":null,"image":null,"title":null,"testBankPinActivationLink":null,"bookOutOfPrint":false,"authorsInfo":null,"authors":null,"_links":null},"collections":[],"articleAds":{"footerAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;business-careers-money&quot;,&quot;business&quot;,&quot;small-business&quot;,&quot;general-small-business&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[null]}]\" id=\"du-slot-63221b20cfc7d\"></div></div>","rightAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_right_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_right_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;business-careers-money&quot;,&quot;business&quot;,&quot;small-business&quot;,&quot;general-small-business&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[null]}]\" id=\"du-slot-63221b20d063e\"></div></div>"},"articleType":{"articleType":"Cheat Sheet","articleList":[{"articleId":193515,"title":"Making Marketing Work in Your Small Business","slug":"making-marketing-work-in-your-small-business","categoryList":[],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/193515"}},{"articleId":193511,"title":"Essential Tools for Good Business Marketing","slug":"essential-tools-for-good-business-marketing","categoryList":[],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/193511"}},{"articleId":193505,"title":"Clever Ideas to Market Your Small Business","slug":"clever-ideas-to-market-your-small-business","categoryList":[],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/193505"}},{"articleId":193510,"title":"Top Marketing Tips for Businesses on a Low Budget","slug":"top-marketing-tips-for-businesses-on-a-low-budget","categoryList":[],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/193510"}}],"content":[{"title":"Making marketing work for your small business","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>You don’t need to be a rocket scientist to be a good marketer. But neither is there a silver bullet or one-size-fits-all solution. Every small business is different — the marketing plan and tactics for a mortgage broker are entirely different from those of a computer reseller. However, the process of building a plan, sticking to it and applying the time and resources it needs is the common secret to success in marketing.</p>\n<p>Here are few tips to help you be brilliant at marketing:</p>\n<ul class=\"level-one\">\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Get the know-how.</b> Knowing <i>w</i><i>hat not to do</i> when it comes to marketing is as important as knowing <i>what to do</i>. Let’s face it, the murky world of marketing can be tricky to navigate. So get the full know-how before you go jumping into building that flash website.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Put your customers first.</b> Understanding who your customers are, what makes them tick and what they really want and value, and of course staying in touch with them long after the sale, puts you ahead of the competition.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Know your target market.</b> ‘Anyone who is breathing’ is not a target market! Targeting your marketing activities fairly and squarely at the people who need and want your service or product is the secret to creating quality enquiries and getting prospects to open their wallet.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Understand that marketing is not advertising.</b> Don’t make the mistake of thinking that advertising and websites are the only two ways to attract more business. You can market your small business in literally hundreds of ways, so it pays to know what they are and then eliminate the ones that won’t work, or that you can’t afford, up-front.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Set sales goals and targets.</b> Marketing really is a numbers game. Marketing efforts that won’t directly or indirectly bring in new business have absolutely no point. Know what your goals are in terms of revenue, expenses, profit, number of enquiries and, of course, number of new sales.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Get a handle on the four Ps of marketing.</b> Getting your product, pricing, placement strategy (distribution) and promotional strategy humming along and working together is crucial to good marketing.</p>\n</li>\n</ul>\n"},{"title":"Essential tools for good business marketing","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>If you’re armed with the marketing essentials you can’t help but succeed in attracting new prospects and bringing in more business. Spend some time on getting your marketing toolkit in place and be prepared at all times.</p>\n<p>Here are a few items to pack into your marketing toolkit:</p>\n<ul class=\"level-one\">\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>A plan and a budget:</b> Getting a plan that will support you for years to come is essential to keep you on track. It doesn’t need to be as thick as <i>War and Peace</i>, but it does need to be written down, clearly communicated to your team and acted on day by day — even when business is booming.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>A great product or service:</b> Advertising your business has no point if the customers don’t want, value or love what you have to offer. Make sure you do your research and listen to your customers before sending your product out to the market.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>A professional brand:</b> A brand is much more than a logo. It encompasses everything people see, hear, think and feel about your business. Invest up-front in developing a brand that stands out from the crowd. It’ll save you money and heartache in the long run.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Powerful marketing materials:</b> Your business card, sales brochures, sales letters, website, signage, uniforms and car decal speak volumes about your business. Make sure they look professional and appealing at all times.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>An elevator pitch:</b> In the course of marketing your business you’ll get asked thousands of times ‘What do you do?’ Don’t make the mistake of boring the poor person who asked the question. Make sure you have a fun, interesting and memorable pitch ready at all times — and be able to deliver it in the time it takes to travel a few floors in an elevator.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>A brilliant website:</b> Your website must attract attention and give value to those who visit. Use it as a tool to retain and keep in touch with existing customers as well as for enticing new customers. The online world can be very scary to many small-business owners, but, if you don’t embrace it, you may find yourself out of business.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>A simple database:</b> The backbone of all good marketing is about building a solid database of past, present and future customers (prospects) so you can keep in touch and communicate regularly via e-newsletters, emails and phone.</p>\n</li>\n</ul>\n"},{"title":"Clever ideas for marketing your small business","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>You don’t need to spend buckets of money on marketing. Creativity and a bit of gumption to do something different from everyone else in the market can be the difference between business success and business failure. Here are just a few of hundreds of ideas to market your business:</p>\n<ul class=\"level-one\">\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Attend networking events.</b> It’s not what you know, but who you know. Get out there and network — meet and greet. You can never have too many friends in life, even if they don’t end up as customers.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Sponsor a local event or charity.</b> It really does make you feel good to support your community, and everyone benefits — you, your staff, your customers, the people you sponsor and, of course, the community at large.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Manage your public relations.</b> Getting your name up in lights on TV and radio, and in newspapers and magazines isn’t as hard as you think — if you’ve got a story worth telling!</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Use social media.</b> Using social-networking sites like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, producing your own videos for YouTube or writing your own blog are creative methods of letting people know about you and your business. Go on, have a bit of fun.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Host seminars and events.</b> Hosting your own events and inviting along your best customers and some of their friends is a great way to get to know people, connect at a personal level and build deep relationships.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Become a public speaker.</b> If speaking isn’t your number-one fear after death, hone your skills and become a great and entertaining speaker. It’s a fabulous way to demonstrate your expertise and generate new business enquiries from the audience.</p>\n</li>\n</ul>\n"},{"title":"Top marketing tips for businesses on a low budget","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>Most small-business owners, especially those starting out, don’t have lots of money to spend on marketing. While the old adage — you need to spend money to make money — is true, you can still generate new business without having to dole out big bucks. Try a few of these tactics for a start:</p>\n<ul class=\"level-one\">\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">Focus on relationship-building marketing strategies such as networking, building alliances with other businesses, and calling old customers, friends and people you once worked with.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">Find people who are prepared to help you with marketing on a commission basis or a uni student who’s studying marketing and might need some hands-on experience.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">Develop a marketing mastermind group with other small-business owners for the purpose of sharing low-cost marketing ideas and referring each other business.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">Sharpen your own online marketing skills and learn how to use Google AdWords and write blogs, and market yourself on the social media sites.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">Promote your business on free online directories and publish your articles on other websites with links to your site.</p>\n</li>\n</ul>\n<p class=\"Warning\">Don’t jump straight into low-cost (or no-cost) tactics without getting the basics right first — plan your marketing strategy, understand your target market and polish up your product.</p>\n"}],"videoInfo":{"videoId":null,"name":null,"accountId":null,"playerId":null,"thumbnailUrl":null,"description":null,"uploadDate":null}},"sponsorship":{"sponsorshipPage":false,"backgroundImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"brandingLine":"","brandingLink":"","brandingLogo":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"sponsorAd":"","sponsorEbookTitle":"","sponsorEbookLink":"","sponsorEbookImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0}},"primaryLearningPath":"Advance","lifeExpectancy":"Two years","lifeExpectancySetFrom":"2022-02-23T00:00:00+00:00","dummiesForKids":"no","sponsoredContent":"no","adInfo":"","adPairKey":[]},"status":"publish","visibility":"public","articleId":209175},{"headers":{"creationTime":"2016-03-27T16:48:35+00:00","modifiedTime":"2022-02-17T16:27:59+00:00","timestamp":"2022-09-14T18:19:08+00:00"},"data":{"breadcrumbs":[{"name":"Business, Careers, & Money","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34224"},"slug":"business-careers-money","categoryId":34224},{"name":"Business","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34225"},"slug":"business","categoryId":34225},{"name":"Small Business","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34251"},"slug":"small-business","categoryId":34251},{"name":"General Small Business","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34253"},"slug":"general-small-business","categoryId":34253}],"title":"Small Business Taxes For Dummies Cheat Sheet","strippedTitle":"small business taxes for dummies cheat sheet","slug":"small-business-taxes-for-dummies-cheat-sheet","canonicalUrl":"","seo":{"metaDescription":"Have a small business or planning to start one? Make sure to get your tax planning and filing in order with these tips.","noIndex":0,"noFollow":0},"content":"<i>Small Business Ta</i><i>xes</i><i> </i><i>For Dummies</i> assists both current and aspiring small business owners with important tax planning issues, filing issues, dealing with IRS audits and notices, getting help, and more. To get started, you can discover some strategies to make informed tax moves and ask a few important questions if you're thinking of hiring a tax advisor.","description":"<i>Small Business Ta</i><i>xes</i><i> </i><i>For Dummies</i> assists both current and aspiring small business owners with important tax planning issues, filing issues, dealing with IRS audits and notices, getting help, and more. To get started, you can discover some strategies to make informed tax moves and ask a few important questions if you're thinking of hiring a tax advisor.","blurb":"","authors":[{"authorId":8975,"name":"Eric Tyson","slug":"eric-tyson","description":" <p><b>Eric Tyson, MBA,</b> is a renowned finance counselor, syndicated columnist, and author of numerous bestselling financial titles.</p> <p><b>Tony Martin, B.Comm,</b> is a nationally-recognized personal finance, speaker, commentator, columnist, management trainer, and communications consultant. He is the co-author of <i>Personal Finance For Canadians For Dummies</i>.</p>","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/8975"}}],"primaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":34253,"title":"General Small Business","slug":"general-small-business","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34253"}},"secondaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":34310,"title":"Taxes","slug":"taxes","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34310"}},"tertiaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"trendingArticles":null,"inThisArticle":[],"relatedArticles":{"fromBook":[{"articleId":161173,"title":"Tax-wise Strategies for Your Small Business and Personal Success","slug":"tax-wise-strategies-for-your-small-business-and-personal-success","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","general-small-business"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/161173"}},{"articleId":161171,"title":"Must-Ask Questions for Prospective Small Business Tax Advisors","slug":"must-ask-questions-for-prospective-small-business-tax-advisors","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","general-small-business"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/161171"}}],"fromCategory":[{"articleId":226108,"title":"Packing Power into Advertising Headlines","slug":"packing-power-advertising-headlines","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","general-small-business"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/226108"}},{"articleId":226105,"title":"How Small Business Marketing Is Different","slug":"small-business-marketing-different","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","general-small-business"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/226105"}},{"articleId":226102,"title":"Marketing a Start-Up Business","slug":"marketing-start-business","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","general-small-business"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/226102"}},{"articleId":226099,"title":"The Relationship between Marketing and Sales","slug":"relationship-marketing-sales","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","general-small-business"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/226099"}},{"articleId":226096,"title":"Marketing: The Whole is Greater Than the Parts","slug":"marketing-whole-greater-parts","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","general-small-business"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/226096"}}]},"hasRelatedBookFromSearch":false,"relatedBook":{"bookId":282584,"slug":"small-business-taxes-for-dummies","isbn":"9781119861140","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","general-small-business"],"amazon":{"default":"https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1119861144/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","ca":"https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/1119861144/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","indigo_ca":"http://www.tkqlhce.com/click-9208661-13710633?url=https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/product/1119861144-item.html&cjsku=978111945484","gb":"https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1119861144/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","de":"https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/1119861144/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20"},"image":{"src":"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/9781119861140-203x255.jpg","width":203,"height":255},"title":"Small Business Taxes For Dummies","testBankPinActivationLink":"","bookOutOfPrint":true,"authorsInfo":"<p><b><b data-author-id=\"8975\">Eric Tyson</b>, MBA,</b> is a renowned finance counselor, syndicated columnist, and author of numerous bestselling financial titles.</p> <p><b>Tony Martin, B.Comm,</b> is a nationally-recognized personal finance, speaker, commentator, columnist, management trainer, and communications consultant. He is the co-author of <i>Personal Finance For Canadians For Dummies</i>.</p>","authors":[{"authorId":8975,"name":"Eric Tyson","slug":"eric-tyson","description":" <p><b>Eric Tyson, MBA,</b> is a renowned finance counselor, syndicated columnist, and author of numerous bestselling financial titles.</p> <p><b>Tony Martin, B.Comm,</b> is a nationally-recognized personal finance, speaker, commentator, columnist, management trainer, and communications consultant. He is the co-author of <i>Personal Finance For Canadians For Dummies</i>.</p>","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/8975"}}],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/books/"}},"collections":[],"articleAds":{"footerAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;business-careers-money&quot;,&quot;business&quot;,&quot;small-business&quot;,&quot;general-small-business&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;9781119861140&quot;]}]\" id=\"du-slot-63221b1cd0080\"></div></div>","rightAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_right_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_right_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;business-careers-money&quot;,&quot;business&quot;,&quot;small-business&quot;,&quot;general-small-business&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;9781119861140&quot;]}]\" id=\"du-slot-63221b1cd0a1e\"></div></div>"},"articleType":{"articleType":"Cheat Sheet","articleList":[{"articleId":161173,"title":"Tax-wise Strategies for Your Small Business and Personal Success","slug":"tax-wise-strategies-for-your-small-business-and-personal-success","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","general-small-business"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/161173"}},{"articleId":161171,"title":"Must-Ask Questions for Prospective Small Business Tax Advisors","slug":"must-ask-questions-for-prospective-small-business-tax-advisors","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","general-small-business"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/161171"}}],"content":[{"title":"Tax-wise strategies for your small business and personal success","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>Starting and operating a small business involves many moving parts and issues. Taxes permeate just about everything that you do. Taxes are too often maddeningly complicated. Most folks&#8217; single biggest &#8220;expense&#8221; is their tax bill. And for tens of millions of small business owners, U.S. tax laws are a complex and constantly changing web ready to trip them up and siphon off their most precious and valuable business resource — their money!</p>\n<p>Handled in the best possible way, you can save yourself tens of thousands — if not hundreds of thousands — of dollars by making informed tax moves. And you can comply with the tax rules and regulations and stay out of trouble with the Internal Revenue Service and your state and local tax authorities.</p>\n<ul class=\"level-one\">\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Take charge of your income taxes.</b> Find out enough about the tax laws to prepare your own return and handle your own decisions or intelligently hire a quality tax advisor.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Get and stay organized.</b> Keep your tax and financial documents well organized throughout the year. Doing so saves you many hours when preparing your return and also when making important decisions.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Understand and use the tax laws to legally reduce your income taxes. </b>If you educate yourself about the tax laws and incentives, you can significantly and permanently reduce the income taxes that you pay over your lifetime.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Make use of retirement accounts.</b> Be sure that you and your employees take advantage of opportunities to contribute to retirement accounts, which reduces your income tax bill both now and in the years ahead.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Seek tax help when your situation changes or becomes complicated, or you lack the time to do your taxes well and correctly.</b> Tax advisors can be costly year after year, but a good advisor should save you money and help you with the most difficult issues and returns.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Learn from your return.</b> Don&#8217;t simply file your return in a folder after you complete it. Use the information on it to plan ahead for the next tax year.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Keep your taxes in perspective.</b> Life has so much more to offer than just working and making money. If you do such a good job with your small business and minimizing your taxes that you gain great wealth, don&#8217;t forget to enjoy the fruits of your labors.</p>\n</li>\n</ul>\n"},{"title":"Must-ask questions for prospective small business tax advisors","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>When you believe that your small business tax situation warrants outside help, educate yourself as much as possible before searching for assistance. The more you know, the better able you&#8217;ll be to evaluate the competence of someone you may hire. Ask the right questions to find a competent tax practitioner whose skills match your small business tax needs. The following questions are a great place to start.</p>\n<ul class=\"level-one\">\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>What tax services do you offer? </b>Most tax advisors prepare tax returns. Many advisors can help you plan and file other important tax documents throughout the year. Some firms can also assist your small business with bookkeeping and other financial reporting, such as income statements and balance sheets. These services can be useful when your business is in the market for a loan or if you need to give clients or investors detailed information about your company. As a small business owner, you should seek out tax advisors who work with a large number of small businesses. This should comprise a significant portion of their practice.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>What are your particular areas of expertise or focus of your practice? </b>This question is important because you want to find an advisor who is a good match for your situation. For example, if a tax preparer works mainly with people who receive regular paychecks from an employer, the preparer probably has little expertise in helping small business owners best complete the blizzard of paperwork that the IRS requires. Find out what expertise the tax advisor has in handling whatever unusual financial events you&#8217;re dealing with this year — or whatever events you expect in future years.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>What other services do you offer?</b> Ideally, you want to work with a professional who is 100 percent focused on taxes. A multitude of problems and conflicts of interest crop up when a person tries to prepare tax returns, sell investments, and appraise real estate all at the same time. That advisor may not be fully competent or current in any of those areas. Avoid tax advisors who sell financial products that pay them a commission — this situation inevitably creates conflicts of interest.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Who will prepare my return?</b> If your tax advisor has assistants and other employees, make sure that you know what level of involvement these different people will have in the preparation of your return. It isn&#8217;t necessarily problematic if a junior-level person does the preliminary tax return preparation that your tax advisor reviews and finalizes. In fact, this procedure can save you money in tax-preparation fees if the firm bills you at a lower hourly rate for a junior-level person. Be wary of firms that charge you a high hourly rate for a senior tax advisor who then delegates most of the work to a junior-level person.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>How aggressive or conservative are you regarding interpreting tax laws?</b> Some tax preparers, unfortunately, view their role as enforcement agents for the IRS. This attitude often is a consequence of one too many seminars put on by local IRS folks, who admonish and sometimes intimidate preparers with threats of audits. On the other hand, some preparers are too aggressive and try tax maneuvers that put their clients on thin ice — subjecting them to additional taxes, penalties, interest, and audits. Assessing how aggressive a tax preparer is can be difficult. Start by asking what percentage of the preparer&#8217;s clients gets audited.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>What&#8217;s your experience with audits?</b> The IRS audits about 1 percent of all taxpayer returns. Small business owners and more affluent clients can expect a higher audit rate — somewhere in the neighborhood of 2 percent to 4 percent. If a tax preparer proudly claims no audited clients, be wary. Among the possible explanations, any of which should cause you to be uncomfortable in hiring such a preparer: She isn&#8217;t telling you the truth, she has prepared few returns, or she&#8217;s afraid of taking some legal deductions, so you&#8217;ll probably overpay your taxes. Ask the preparer to explain her recent audits, what happened, and why. This explanation sheds light not only on her work with clients but also on her ability to communicate in plain English.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>What qualifies you to be a tax advisor? </b>The more tax and business experience they have, the better. Although gaining credentials takes time and work, these certifications are no guarantee that you get quality, cost-effective tax assistance or that you won&#8217;t be overcharged. Generally speaking, more years of experience are better than fewer, but don&#8217;t rule out a newer advisor who lacks gray hair or who hasn&#8217;t yet slogged through thousands of returns. Intelligence and training can easily make up for less experience.</p>\n</li>\n</ul>\n"}],"videoInfo":{"videoId":null,"name":null,"accountId":null,"playerId":null,"thumbnailUrl":null,"description":null,"uploadDate":null}},"sponsorship":{"sponsorshipPage":false,"backgroundImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"brandingLine":"","brandingLink":"","brandingLogo":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"sponsorAd":"","sponsorEbookTitle":"","sponsorEbookLink":"","sponsorEbookImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0}},"primaryLearningPath":"Advance","lifeExpectancy":"One year","lifeExpectancySetFrom":"2021-12-20T00:00:00+00:00","dummiesForKids":"no","sponsoredContent":"no","adInfo":"","adPairKey":[]},"status":"publish","visibility":"public","articleId":207803},{"headers":{"creationTime":"2016-03-27T16:47:53+00:00","modifiedTime":"2022-02-01T21:26:35+00:00","timestamp":"2022-09-14T18:19:04+00:00"},"data":{"breadcrumbs":[{"name":"Business, Careers, & Money","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34224"},"slug":"business-careers-money","categoryId":34224},{"name":"Business","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34225"},"slug":"business","categoryId":34225},{"name":"Small Business","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34251"},"slug":"small-business","categoryId":34251},{"name":"General Small Business","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34253"},"slug":"general-small-business","categoryId":34253}],"title":"Limited Liability Companies For Dummies Cheat Sheet","strippedTitle":"limited liability companies for dummies cheat sheet","slug":"limited-liability-companies-for-dummies-cheat-sheet","canonicalUrl":"","seo":{"metaDescription":"Learn the basics of limited liability companies, from the benefits, tax types, and how to create a great name for your LLC.","noIndex":0,"noFollow":0},"content":"Individuals are now, more than ever, realizing the power of the limited liability company (LLC). If you’re like many people, you probably understand that an LLC can benefit you in one way or another; you just don’t know the next steps to take.\r\n\r\nRead on to find out the benefits of LLCs, get help naming your LLC, and get the lowdown on the different tax types for LLCs so you can make the best decisions for your business.","description":"Individuals are now, more than ever, realizing the power of the limited liability company (LLC). If you’re like many people, you probably understand that an LLC can benefit you in one way or another; you just don’t know the next steps to take.\r\n\r\nRead on to find out the benefits of LLCs, get help naming your LLC, and get the lowdown on the different tax types for LLCs so you can make the best decisions for your business.","blurb":"","authors":[{"authorId":9376,"name":"Jennifer Reuting","slug":"jennifer-reuting","description":" <p><b>Jennifer Reuting</b> founded InCorp Services, a corporate structuring firm specializing in LLCs, in 2001. It is currently the fourth largest national registered agent service provider in the country, with thousands of clients nationwide and offices throughout the U.S. ","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/9376"}}],"primaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":34253,"title":"General Small Business","slug":"general-small-business","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34253"}},"secondaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"tertiaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"trendingArticles":null,"inThisArticle":[],"relatedArticles":{"fromBook":[{"articleId":149318,"title":"Giving Your Limited Liability Company a Great Name","slug":"giving-your-limited-liability-company-a-great-name","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","general-small-business"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/149318"}},{"articleId":149317,"title":"Reviewing Tax Types for Limited Liability Companies","slug":"reviewing-tax-types-for-limited-liability-companies","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","general-small-business"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/149317"}},{"articleId":149299,"title":"The Amazing Benefits of Limited Liability Companies","slug":"the-amazing-benefits-of-limited-liability-companies","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","general-small-business"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/149299"}},{"articleId":149284,"title":"Changing the Name of Your Limited Liability Company","slug":"changing-the-name-of-your-limited-liability-company","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","general-small-business"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/149284"}},{"articleId":149285,"title":"4 Reasons Why a Single Member LLC Needs an Operating Agreement","slug":"4-reasons-why-a-single-member-llc-needs-an-operating-agreement","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","general-small-business"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/149285"}}],"fromCategory":[{"articleId":226108,"title":"Packing Power into Advertising Headlines","slug":"packing-power-advertising-headlines","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","general-small-business"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/226108"}},{"articleId":226105,"title":"How Small Business Marketing Is Different","slug":"small-business-marketing-different","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","general-small-business"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/226105"}},{"articleId":226102,"title":"Marketing a Start-Up Business","slug":"marketing-start-business","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","general-small-business"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/226102"}},{"articleId":226099,"title":"The Relationship between Marketing and Sales","slug":"relationship-marketing-sales","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","general-small-business"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/226099"}},{"articleId":226096,"title":"Marketing: The Whole is Greater Than the Parts","slug":"marketing-whole-greater-parts","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","general-small-business"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/226096"}}]},"hasRelatedBookFromSearch":false,"relatedBook":{"bookId":282353,"slug":"limited-liability-companies-for-dummies-3rd-edition","isbn":"9781119602187","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","general-small-business"],"amazon":{"default":"https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1119602181/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","ca":"https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/1119602181/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","indigo_ca":"http://www.tkqlhce.com/click-9208661-13710633?url=https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/product/1119602181-item.html&cjsku=978111945484","gb":"https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1119602181/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","de":"https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/1119602181/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20"},"image":{"src":"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/limited-liability-companies-for-dummies-3rd-edition-cover-9781119602187-203x255.jpg","width":203,"height":255},"title":"Limited Liability Companies For Dummies","testBankPinActivationLink":"","bookOutOfPrint":true,"authorsInfo":"<p><p><b><b data-author-id=\"9376\">Jennifer Reuting</b></b> founded InCorp Services, a corporate structuring firm specializing in LLCs, in 2001. It is currently the fourth largest national registered agent service provider in the country, with thousands of clients nationwide and offices throughout the U.S.</p>","authors":[{"authorId":9376,"name":"Jennifer Reuting","slug":"jennifer-reuting","description":" <p><b>Jennifer Reuting</b> founded InCorp Services, a corporate structuring firm specializing in LLCs, in 2001. It is currently the fourth largest national registered agent service provider in the country, with thousands of clients nationwide and offices throughout the U.S. ","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/9376"}}],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/books/"}},"collections":[],"articleAds":{"footerAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;business-careers-money&quot;,&quot;business&quot;,&quot;small-business&quot;,&quot;general-small-business&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;9781119602187&quot;]}]\" id=\"du-slot-63221b18cbcc0\"></div></div>","rightAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_right_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_right_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;business-careers-money&quot;,&quot;business&quot;,&quot;small-business&quot;,&quot;general-small-business&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;9781119602187&quot;]}]\" id=\"du-slot-63221b18cc6d0\"></div></div>"},"articleType":{"articleType":"Cheat Sheet","articleList":[{"articleId":149299,"title":"The Amazing Benefits of Limited Liability Companies","slug":"the-amazing-benefits-of-limited-liability-companies","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","general-small-business"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/149299"}},{"articleId":149318,"title":"Giving Your Limited Liability Company a Great Name","slug":"giving-your-limited-liability-company-a-great-name","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","general-small-business"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/149318"}},{"articleId":149317,"title":"Reviewing Tax Types for Limited Liability Companies","slug":"reviewing-tax-types-for-limited-liability-companies","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","general-small-business"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/149317"}}],"content":[{"title":"The benefits of limited liability companies","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>Limited liability companies are one of the most flexible business entities. They allow you to choose how to distribute the profits, decide who manages the day-to-day business affairs, and decide how the profits are to be taxed. They also offer a lot in terms of liability protection. The overall advantages of the LLC include the following:</p>\n<ul class=\"level-one\">\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Personal liability protection:</b> Any creditors who come knocking or lawsuits filed against your business can&#8217;t affect you personally. You can rest assured that no matter what happens in the business, your family&#8217;s assets are safe.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Business liability protection:</b> An LLC is one of the only entities that can prevent personal lawsuits and creditors from liquidating your business to satisfy a judgment.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>No ownership restrictions:</b> You can have as many owners as you need. Even other entities can be owners!</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>No management restrictions: </b>Owners can manage and managers can own — you decide.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Flexible tax status:</b> You can choose from a multitude of ways to be taxed, depending on what works best for your situation.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>No separate tax returns: </b>With a standard LLC, the business&#8217;s profits and losses are reported on your personal tax returns.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>No double taxation:</b> Unlike some business structures, LLCs can have pass-through taxation. This means that the profits won&#8217;t be taxed at the company level, only at the individual level.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Flexible profit distribution:</b> You decide what percentage of the profits to give to whom — no matter how much of the company the person actually owns.</p>\n</li>\n</ul>\n"},{"title":"Creating a great name for your LLC","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>You can&#8217;t expect to pick a great name for your LLC out of thin air. Creativity is best served when subject to a few helpful restrictions. The following are a few naming rules for your businesses:</p>\n<ul class=\"level-one\">\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Be distinct.</b> Naming your brand-new and improved social media site FaceSpace or MyTube won&#8217;t give the impression that you are either &#8220;new&#8221; or &#8220;improved.&#8221; Quite the opposite, actually.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Be memorable.</b> Avoid acronyms like the plague. Unless you have a huge annual marketing budget to waste, don&#8217;t attempt to grab anyone&#8217;s attention with a few letters. If you&#8217;re serious about shortening your name, condense it into an amalgam, like FedEx for Federal Express, or Nabisco for National Biscuit Company.</p>\n<p class=\"child-para\">With that being said, contrary to what you may hear elsewhere, long names are often a lot more memorable than short names (think T.G.I. Fridays versus Joe&#8217;s). So don&#8217;t worry about restraining yourself with length — especially since you&#8217;ll have better luck finding a domain name for a longer name than a shorter one.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Be approachable.</b> Make sure your LLC&#8217;s name is easy to pronounce. You don&#8217;t want people to avoid saying the name because they&#8217;re afraid of mispronouncing it. Try out potential names on a first-grader. If they can&#8217;t pronounce it, ditch it and have them help you find an alternative. Hey, you&#8217;d be surprised at what good ideas kids can have!</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Be meaningful.</b> This doesn&#8217;t mean be descriptive; save the description for your tag lines and slogans. Make your LLC&#8217;s name evocative and allude to the heart and soul of your business. For instance, Netflix is a great name for an online video rental site, whereas FilmsOnline is not.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Be vivid.</b> What image and feeling do you want your customers to associate with your brand? Try to paint a picture. For example, the name Stonyfield Farm makes you think of cows in green pastures, which gives the impression of wholesomeness.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Be bold.</b> With so many names already taken, you can&#8217;t be afraid of taking risks. As long as your name is evocative, don&#8217;t worry about being too unusual — just look at Yahoo! and Google.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Be eternal. </b>LLCs are now made to have a perpetual existence, so why restrict the life of your business with its name? Choose a name that will sound good for decades or even centuries down the road, or you may face the same conundrum as Twentieth Century Fox.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Be expansive.</b> Be careful that your name doesn&#8217;t restrain your business to a specific location, product, or service. For instance, Los Angeles Rentals would have to spend a pretty penny on rebranding if it ever were to expand to another market. No matter how small you are now, you don&#8217;t want your name to hold you back or become antiquated as your business moves forward.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Be global.</b> Make sure your name is internationally friendly. Otherwise, you may be ready to expand abroad one day only to find out that your name has a negative connotation in certain cultures.</p>\n</li>\n</ul>\n"},{"title":"Tax types for LLCs","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>Because LLCs are allowed to elect pretty much any tax status that suits them, the federal returns, information statements, and notices they&#8217;re required to file each year vary accordingly. An LLC can choose the following types of taxation: disregarded entity, partnership, corporation, or S corporation.</p>\n<h3>Disregarded entity taxation</h3>\n<p>Disregarded entity isn&#8217;t so much an election as a default tax status for single-member LLCs. Single-member LLCs don&#8217;t qualify for partnership taxation because no partners exist, so they&#8217;re automatically subject to this form of taxation unless they elect corporation or S corporation tax status.</p>\n<p>This form of taxation can actually be beneficial for some real estate and investment transactions. When considered a disregarded entity by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), your company is treated as if it doesn&#8217;t exist and you&#8217;re taxed simply as an individual (or as a sole proprietorship, to be exact). This arrangement can be beneficial when executing tax credits, deductions, and strategies that only apply to individuals, such as mortgage interest deductions and special exception rules in a 1031 exchange of real estate.</p>\n<h3>Partnership taxation</h3>\n<p>Partnership taxation is the default tax status for limited liability companies with more than one member. It&#8217;s a form of pass-through taxation. The primary benefit of partnership taxation over other forms of pass-through taxation is that, assuming your primary intention isn&#8217;t tax avoidance; you can vary the profit and loss allocations to the partners. Additionally, recourse loans are, for the most part, deductible to the members who guarantee them.</p>\n<h3>Corporation taxation</h3>\n<p>The corporate tax status differs dramatically from all others. It&#8217;s the only non-pass-through form of taxation an LLC can elect. The revenues and expenses, and thus the profits and losses, of the company do not pass through to the members, but instead are retained in the company and taxed at the applicable corporate income tax rate. Because the corporation tax rate is generally lower than what an individual pays, this status can often be beneficial.</p>\n<p>Additionally, when a member sells their interests in the company, the profit from that sale is subject to a very favorable long-term capital gains rate. This can result in substantial tax savings. The major drawback of corporate taxation, though, occurs when ordinary profits (called <i>dividends</i>) are removed by the members, causing a double-taxation scenario.</p>\n<h3>S corporation taxation</h3>\n<p>The corporation&#8217;s answer to pass-through taxation, S corporation tax status came about when small, closely held businesses (such as independent contractors) needed the ability to operate under the liability protection of a corporation but without the heavy tax and regulatory burden that comes with the standard corporation. Note that <i>S corporation </i>is not an entity type, but instead simply a tax election that can be made by either a corporation or an LLC.</p>\n<p>The S corporation&#8217;s claim to fame is the members&#8217; abilities to hire themselves and pay themselves a salary. The resulting tax burden is ultimately equal to the income tax and self-employment tax they would pay with partnership taxation. However, the members only pay income tax on amounts over the salary they pay themselves, as opposed to members subject to partnership taxation who have to pay income tax <i>and self-employment tax</i> on all profits over their salary.</p>\n<p>Obviously, you can&#8217;t just pay yourself $1 and be done with it. The IRS stipulates that your salary must be consistent with others in your industry and your position.</p>\n"}],"videoInfo":{"videoId":null,"name":null,"accountId":null,"playerId":null,"thumbnailUrl":null,"description":null,"uploadDate":null}},"sponsorship":{"sponsorshipPage":false,"backgroundImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"brandingLine":"","brandingLink":"","brandingLogo":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"sponsorAd":"","sponsorEbookTitle":"","sponsorEbookLink":"","sponsorEbookImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0}},"primaryLearningPath":"Advance","lifeExpectancy":"Two years","lifeExpectancySetFrom":"2022-02-01T00:00:00+00:00","dummiesForKids":"no","sponsoredContent":"no","adInfo":"","adPairKey":[]},"status":"publish","visibility":"public","articleId":207646},{"headers":{"creationTime":"2016-03-27T16:53:09+00:00","modifiedTime":"2022-01-20T19:03:24+00:00","timestamp":"2022-09-14T18:19:02+00:00"},"data":{"breadcrumbs":[{"name":"Business, Careers, & Money","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34224"},"slug":"business-careers-money","categoryId":34224},{"name":"Business","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34225"},"slug":"business","categoryId":34225},{"name":"Small Business","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34251"},"slug":"small-business","categoryId":34251},{"name":"General Small Business","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34253"},"slug":"general-small-business","categoryId":34253}],"title":"Small Business For Dummies Cheat Sheet","strippedTitle":"small business for dummies cheat sheet","slug":"small-business-for-dummies-cheat-sheet","canonicalUrl":"","seo":{"metaDescription":"If you’re thinking about starting your own business, check out the following list of tips to improve your chances of success.","noIndex":0,"noFollow":0},"content":"From managing to marketing and everything in between, the world of small business can be both exciting and overwhelming. It’s a place where no two workdays are exactly the same and where unpredictable things happen.\r\n\r\nIf you’re thinking about starting (or you already run and manage) your own business, check out the following list of tips to improve your chances of success.","description":"From managing to marketing and everything in between, the world of small business can be both exciting and overwhelming. It’s a place where no two workdays are exactly the same and where unpredictable things happen.\r\n\r\nIf you’re thinking about starting (or you already run and manage) your own business, check out the following list of tips to improve your chances of success.","blurb":"","authors":[{"authorId":8975,"name":"Eric Tyson","slug":"eric-tyson","description":" <p><b>Eric Tyson, MBA,</b> is a renowned finance counselor, syndicated columnist, and author of numerous bestselling financial titles.</p> <p><b>Tony Martin, B.Comm,</b> is a nationally-recognized personal finance, speaker, commentator, columnist, management trainer, and communications consultant. He is the co-author of <i>Personal Finance For Canadians For Dummies</i>.</p>","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/8975"}},{"authorId":10113,"name":"Jim Schell","slug":"jim-schell","description":" <p><b>Eric Tyson, MBA,</b> has been a personal financial writer, lecturer, and counselor for 25 years. He is the author of the award-winning <i>Personal Finance For Dummies</i> and several other<i>For Dummies</i> bestsellers.</p> <p><b>Jim Schell</b> has successfully launched and operated several small businesses. He has written other books and numerous columns on entrepreneurship.</p>","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/10113"}}],"primaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":34253,"title":"General Small Business","slug":"general-small-business","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34253"}},"secondaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"tertiaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"trendingArticles":null,"inThisArticle":[],"relatedArticles":{"fromBook":[{"articleId":185692,"title":"20 Tips for Small-Business Success","slug":"20-tips-for-small-business-success","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","general-small-business"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/185692"}}],"fromCategory":[{"articleId":226108,"title":"Packing Power into Advertising Headlines","slug":"packing-power-advertising-headlines","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","general-small-business"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/226108"}},{"articleId":226105,"title":"How Small Business Marketing Is Different","slug":"small-business-marketing-different","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","general-small-business"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/226105"}},{"articleId":226102,"title":"Marketing a Start-Up Business","slug":"marketing-start-business","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","general-small-business"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/226102"}},{"articleId":226099,"title":"The Relationship between Marketing and Sales","slug":"relationship-marketing-sales","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","general-small-business"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/226099"}},{"articleId":226096,"title":"Marketing: The Whole is Greater Than the Parts","slug":"marketing-whole-greater-parts","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","general-small-business"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/226096"}}]},"hasRelatedBookFromSearch":false,"relatedBook":{"bookId":282580,"slug":"small-business-for-dummies-5th-edition","isbn":"9781119490555","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","general-small-business"],"amazon":{"default":"https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1119490553/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","ca":"https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/1119490553/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","indigo_ca":"http://www.tkqlhce.com/click-9208661-13710633?url=https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/product/1119490553-item.html&cjsku=978111945484","gb":"https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1119490553/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","de":"https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/1119490553/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20"},"image":{"src":"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/small-business-for-dummies-5th-edition-cover-9781119490555-203x255.jpg","width":203,"height":255},"title":"Small Business For Dummies","testBankPinActivationLink":"","bookOutOfPrint":false,"authorsInfo":"<p><b data-author-id=\"8975\">Eric Tyson, MBA,</b> has been a personal financial writer, lecturer, and counselor for 25 years. He is the author of the award-winning <i>Personal Finance For Dummies</i> and several other<i>For Dummies</i> bestsellers. <b data-author-id=\"10113\">Jim Schell</b> has successfully launched and operated several small businesses. He has written other books and numerous columns on entrepreneurship. </p>","authors":[{"authorId":10113,"name":"Jim Schell","slug":"jim-schell","description":" <p><b>Eric Tyson, MBA,</b> has been a personal financial writer, lecturer, and counselor for 25 years. He is the author of the award-winning <i>Personal Finance For Dummies</i> and several other<i>For Dummies</i> bestsellers.</p> <p><b>Jim Schell</b> has successfully launched and operated several small businesses. He has written other books and numerous columns on entrepreneurship.</p>","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/10113"}},{"authorId":8975,"name":"Eric Tyson","slug":"eric-tyson","description":" <p><b>Eric Tyson, MBA,</b> is a renowned finance counselor, syndicated columnist, and author of numerous bestselling financial titles.</p> <p><b>Tony Martin, B.Comm,</b> is a nationally-recognized personal finance, speaker, commentator, columnist, management trainer, and communications consultant. He is the co-author of <i>Personal Finance For Canadians For Dummies</i>.</p>","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/8975"}}],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/books/"}},"collections":[],"articleAds":{"footerAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;business-careers-money&quot;,&quot;business&quot;,&quot;small-business&quot;,&quot;general-small-business&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;9781119490555&quot;]}]\" id=\"du-slot-63221b16ad3cf\"></div></div>","rightAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_right_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_right_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;business-careers-money&quot;,&quot;business&quot;,&quot;small-business&quot;,&quot;general-small-business&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;9781119490555&quot;]}]\" id=\"du-slot-63221b16ade37\"></div></div>"},"articleType":{"articleType":"Cheat Sheet","articleList":[{"articleId":185692,"title":"20 Tips for Small-Business Success","slug":"20-tips-for-small-business-success","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","general-small-business"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/185692"}}],"content":[{"title":"20 tips for small business success","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<ol class=\"level-one\">\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Realize that</b> <b>not everyone is cut out to be a small-business owner</b>. Take the time to explore whether you’re compatible with running your own business. Some people are happier (and better off financially) on the other end of a paycheck.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Get your </b><a href=\"https://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/personal-finance-for-dummies-cheat-sheet.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b>personal finances</b></a><b> in order.</b> Before you jump into the entrepreneurial fray, get your own money matters squared away.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Pick your niche.</b> Take stock of your skills, interests, and employment history to select the business best suited to you. Choosing a niche that you can be passionate about will help improve your chances of succeeding. Remember: Many small-business owners succeed in businesses that are hardly unique or innovative.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Benefit from your business plan.</b> The exercise of creating your business plan pays dividends. Answer the tough questions now, before the meter is running.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Don’t think you need bankers and investors at the outset.</b> The vast majority of small-business start-ups are bootstrapped (self-financed). Consider your own savings, investments, and salable assets and then talk to your friends and family before you look to outside sources.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Know which hats you wear best.</b> In the early months and years of your business, you’ll have to acquire many skills. Gain the background you need to oversee all the facets of your business, but also determine what tasks you should outsource or hire employees to manage.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Remember that</b> <b>nothing happens until a sale is made.</b> How many good products go nowhere because they don’t reach the shelves? Sales are what drive your business. You need a crackerjack marketing plan that details how you intend to package, promote, distribute, price, and sell your product or service.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Pay attention to your customers.</b> After all, you have to see a customer to know one. No matter how busy you are, especially in the early years of your business, be sure to spend at least 25 percent of your time with customers. You can’t make the right business decisions without understanding the customer’s viewpoint.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Solve your customers’ problems.</b> The best way to satisfy your customers is not by selling them products or services but by providing solutions to their problems. Understand the difference and market your products and services accordingly.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Keep in mind that quality takes only moments to lose and years to regain. </b>Quality isn’t a destination but rather a never-ending journey. After you’ve strayed from quality’s path, your journey may be sidetracked forever.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Put profitability first and rewards second.</b> Beware of the small business that treats itself to hefty salaries, high-priced consultants, and waterfalls in the lobby. In small business, profitability must come first. To understand profitability, you must first measure your cash flow and understand your key financial ratios.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Hire superstars.</b> If you intend to create a growing business, your number one duty is to assemble a team of superstar employees in your game-breaker positions. <i>Game-breaker positions</i> are key positions, such as the president/CEO (that’s you), the financial person, the sales manager, the marketing manager, the production manager, the office manager, the purchasing agent, the art director, and so on, that will make or break your company.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Don’t go it alone.</b> Tap into resources, such as small-business peers, mentors, and trade associations, that can help take some of the energy-draining trial and error out of starting and running your business.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Remember that vendors are partners, too.</b> A good vendor is as important to your business as a good customer. Treat your vendors like customers and watch the partnerships grow.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Make use of benefits.</b> The most valuable long-term benefit you can offer yourself and your employees is a retirement savings plan. In addition, find out how to provide insurance and other benefits and reduce your tax bill at the same time.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Pay attention to all small-business-related regulatory issues.</b> Federal, state, and local government agencies require an array of licenses, registrations, and permits. Obey them or face stiff penalties, including possible closure of your business.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Know the tax laws.</b> Invest in understanding tax issues that affect your small business. You can avoid trouble and, at the same time, legally slice thousands of dollars off your tax bill if you know the ins and outs of small-business tax law.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Keep your focus on the people.</b> Whatever happens to a small business happens at the hands of the people who work for it.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Fast, good, or cheap — pick any two.</b> Serious trouble awaits those business owners who attempt to be all things to the marketplace. Focus on what you do best.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Develop a passion for learning.</b> As your business changes and grows, you need to change and grow along with it — particularly as you transition to manager. The one common denominator you find in all successful business owners is a passion for learning.</p>\n</li>\n</ol>\n"}],"videoInfo":{"videoId":null,"name":null,"accountId":null,"playerId":null,"thumbnailUrl":null,"description":null,"uploadDate":null}},"sponsorship":{"sponsorshipPage":false,"backgroundImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"brandingLine":"","brandingLink":"","brandingLogo":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"sponsorAd":"","sponsorEbookTitle":"","sponsorEbookLink":"","sponsorEbookImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0}},"primaryLearningPath":"Advance","lifeExpectancy":"Two years","lifeExpectancySetFrom":"2022-01-20T00:00:00+00:00","dummiesForKids":"no","sponsoredContent":"no","adInfo":"","adPairKey":[]},"status":"publish","visibility":"public","articleId":208484},{"headers":{"creationTime":"2016-03-26T13:43:22+00:00","modifiedTime":"2021-09-01T20:35:59+00:00","timestamp":"2022-09-14T18:18:34+00:00"},"data":{"breadcrumbs":[{"name":"Business, Careers, & Money","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34224"},"slug":"business-careers-money","categoryId":34224},{"name":"Business","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34225"},"slug":"business","categoryId":34225},{"name":"Small Business","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34251"},"slug":"small-business","categoryId":34251},{"name":"General Small Business","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34253"},"slug":"general-small-business","categoryId":34253}],"title":"How to Price Yourself as a Sole Proprietor","strippedTitle":"how to price yourself as a sole proprietor","slug":"how-to-price-yourself-as-a-soho-or-sole-proprietor","canonicalUrl":"","seo":{"metaDescription":"If your goal is to become a sole proprieter, you'll find this guide helpful in determining what to charge your customers.","noIndex":0,"noFollow":0},"content":"You've finally made it! After many months or, perhaps, years of planning and saving, you're now the sole proprietor of your very own business — woohoo! But now the real work begins, and one big question lies ahead: How much should you be charging?\r\n\r\nStart with addressing <em>how</em> you should charge, then move on to determining an appropriate rate.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_288039\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"630\"]<img class=\"wp-image-288039 size-full\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/price-yourself-as-a-soho.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"630\" height=\"456\" /> @ Campaign Creators / Unsplash.com[/caption]\r\n<h2 id=\"tab1\" >Charging by the hour vs. the project</h2>\r\nMost self-employed service providers charge in one of the following ways:\r\n<ul class=\"level-one\">\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>By the hour:</b> You establish an hourly rate, keep track of your time, and bill clients for hours spent on their behalf. This is the standard pricing approach for service businesses handling small-project jobs.</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>By the project: </b>You and your client agree in advance on a fixed price for a defined amount of work. This is the standard pricing approach for service businesses handling large-project jobs.</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>A combined approach:</b> A building contractor, for example, may bid on a set of plans and establish a fee for the project. But he may also stipulate that additional client-requested work over and above that covered by the estimate is to be paid at an established hourly rate.</p>\r\n</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nOther businesses follow other billing approaches. For example, authors often receive a <i>royalty,</i> or a percentage of the cover price, for each book sold. Freelance writers may charge by the page or word. A photographer might sell rights to photos based on the way the purchaser will use them. And some professionals are paid <i>retainers,</i> or upfront payments, in return for their availability to work on an as-needed basis.\r\n\r\nWhatever payment arrangement you settle on, you still have to figure out exactly how much to charge.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab2\" >Establishing an hourly rate</h2>\r\nIf you provide a service of some sort, begin by establishing an hourly rate. Even if you end up charging by the project or product, when you know your hourly rate, you can estimate the number of hours a job will take and multiply that number by your hourly rate to arrive at your project or product cost.\r\n\r\nOne way to establish an hourly rate is to find out what other people doing similar work charge. In some cases, you can discover this information simply by talking to other independent contractors or by looking at their websites or marketing materials. You can also check with professional organizations to get an idea of what people charge in different parts of the country. Rates do vary.\r\n\r\nFor example, freelance editors may be able to charge $35 an hour in St. Louis or Cedar Rapids and $50 or more in pricey places like New York or California. To be competitive, set your rates within a similar price range.\r\n<p class=\"Tip\">If you’re just starting out, you may want to begin at the lower end of the scale. If you have a long list of credentials and have earned rave reviews from clients, you can shoot for the upper end.</p>\r\nAnother way to arrive at your pricing is to consider the following:\r\n<ul class=\"level-one\">\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">How much customers will be willing to pay for your product or service</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">How many hours a year you think you can spend on billable activities</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">How many hours a year you need to devote to running your business</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">How much it costs you to run your business</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">Whether your projected revenue minus expenses equals an adequate profit</p>\r\n</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nSay that you’re a consultant who wants to personally make $80,000 a year. Further, assume that your overhead costs total $22,000 a year, plus you want to earn at least $8,000 profit annually to fund future growth. That means your consulting business needs to bring in at least $110,000 each year.\r\n\r\nNext, say that out of each 40-hour workweek, you’ll spend 12 hours running your business (doing the banking, networking, making new business calls, working with accountants, and on and on). That leaves 28 hours a week, 50 weeks a year (assuming that you give yourself two weeks off for a well-earned annual getaway) for billable activities — or a total of 1,400 billable hours a year.\r\n\r\nWith all of that information in hand, you can divide $110,000 by 1,400 hours to arrive at an hourly billing rate of $78.50.\r\n\r\nIf that’s more than you think clients will be willing to pay, you have a few choices: You can reduce your overhead costs, you can reduce your earnings and profit expectations, or you can spend more hours on billable activities, which probably means working longer weeks.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab3\" >Determine your tasks, time, and expenses</h2>\r\nTo get a good idea of how you spend your working days, use this form. This information will be useful as you work to set your hourly rate.\r\n\r\n<img src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/407054.image0.jpg\" alt=\"image0.jpg\" width=\"527\" height=\"400\" />\r\n\r\nEven if you’re self-employed, plan to make and set aside a profit above and beyond what you pay yourself. Doing so allows you to expand and develop your business when times are good. It also provides an important safety net, should your business experience an unforeseen setback.\r\n\r\nTake time to figure the hourly rate you need to charge to cover your salary, overhead, and profit projections. You may want to use this form to make sure that your rate covers all your business expenses. Check all categories that apply to your business and enter the rough amounts you expect to spend.\r\n\r\n<img src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/407055.image1.jpg\" alt=\"image1.jpg\" width=\"535\" height=\"388\" />\r\n\r\nIn your business plan, include information on how and what you intend to charge for your service or product. Show the calculations behind your pricing decisions.","description":"You've finally made it! After many months or, perhaps, years of planning and saving, you're now the sole proprietor of your very own business — woohoo! But now the real work begins, and one big question lies ahead: How much should you be charging?\r\n\r\nStart with addressing <em>how</em> you should charge, then move on to determining an appropriate rate.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_288039\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"630\"]<img class=\"wp-image-288039 size-full\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/price-yourself-as-a-soho.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"630\" height=\"456\" /> @ Campaign Creators / Unsplash.com[/caption]\r\n<h2 id=\"tab1\" >Charging by the hour vs. the project</h2>\r\nMost self-employed service providers charge in one of the following ways:\r\n<ul class=\"level-one\">\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>By the hour:</b> You establish an hourly rate, keep track of your time, and bill clients for hours spent on their behalf. This is the standard pricing approach for service businesses handling small-project jobs.</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>By the project: </b>You and your client agree in advance on a fixed price for a defined amount of work. This is the standard pricing approach for service businesses handling large-project jobs.</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>A combined approach:</b> A building contractor, for example, may bid on a set of plans and establish a fee for the project. But he may also stipulate that additional client-requested work over and above that covered by the estimate is to be paid at an established hourly rate.</p>\r\n</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nOther businesses follow other billing approaches. For example, authors often receive a <i>royalty,</i> or a percentage of the cover price, for each book sold. Freelance writers may charge by the page or word. A photographer might sell rights to photos based on the way the purchaser will use them. And some professionals are paid <i>retainers,</i> or upfront payments, in return for their availability to work on an as-needed basis.\r\n\r\nWhatever payment arrangement you settle on, you still have to figure out exactly how much to charge.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab2\" >Establishing an hourly rate</h2>\r\nIf you provide a service of some sort, begin by establishing an hourly rate. Even if you end up charging by the project or product, when you know your hourly rate, you can estimate the number of hours a job will take and multiply that number by your hourly rate to arrive at your project or product cost.\r\n\r\nOne way to establish an hourly rate is to find out what other people doing similar work charge. In some cases, you can discover this information simply by talking to other independent contractors or by looking at their websites or marketing materials. You can also check with professional organizations to get an idea of what people charge in different parts of the country. Rates do vary.\r\n\r\nFor example, freelance editors may be able to charge $35 an hour in St. Louis or Cedar Rapids and $50 or more in pricey places like New York or California. To be competitive, set your rates within a similar price range.\r\n<p class=\"Tip\">If you’re just starting out, you may want to begin at the lower end of the scale. If you have a long list of credentials and have earned rave reviews from clients, you can shoot for the upper end.</p>\r\nAnother way to arrive at your pricing is to consider the following:\r\n<ul class=\"level-one\">\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">How much customers will be willing to pay for your product or service</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">How many hours a year you think you can spend on billable activities</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">How many hours a year you need to devote to running your business</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">How much it costs you to run your business</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">Whether your projected revenue minus expenses equals an adequate profit</p>\r\n</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nSay that you’re a consultant who wants to personally make $80,000 a year. Further, assume that your overhead costs total $22,000 a year, plus you want to earn at least $8,000 profit annually to fund future growth. That means your consulting business needs to bring in at least $110,000 each year.\r\n\r\nNext, say that out of each 40-hour workweek, you’ll spend 12 hours running your business (doing the banking, networking, making new business calls, working with accountants, and on and on). That leaves 28 hours a week, 50 weeks a year (assuming that you give yourself two weeks off for a well-earned annual getaway) for billable activities — or a total of 1,400 billable hours a year.\r\n\r\nWith all of that information in hand, you can divide $110,000 by 1,400 hours to arrive at an hourly billing rate of $78.50.\r\n\r\nIf that’s more than you think clients will be willing to pay, you have a few choices: You can reduce your overhead costs, you can reduce your earnings and profit expectations, or you can spend more hours on billable activities, which probably means working longer weeks.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab3\" >Determine your tasks, time, and expenses</h2>\r\nTo get a good idea of how you spend your working days, use this form. This information will be useful as you work to set your hourly rate.\r\n\r\n<img src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/407054.image0.jpg\" alt=\"image0.jpg\" width=\"527\" height=\"400\" />\r\n\r\nEven if you’re self-employed, plan to make and set aside a profit above and beyond what you pay yourself. Doing so allows you to expand and develop your business when times are good. It also provides an important safety net, should your business experience an unforeseen setback.\r\n\r\nTake time to figure the hourly rate you need to charge to cover your salary, overhead, and profit projections. You may want to use this form to make sure that your rate covers all your business expenses. Check all categories that apply to your business and enter the rough amounts you expect to spend.\r\n\r\n<img src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/407055.image1.jpg\" alt=\"image1.jpg\" width=\"535\" height=\"388\" />\r\n\r\nIn your business plan, include information on how and what you intend to charge for your service or product. Show the calculations behind your pricing decisions.","blurb":"","authors":[{"authorId":9529,"name":"Steven D. Peterson","slug":"steven-d-peterson","description":" <p><b>Paul Tiffany</b>, PhD, is a professor at the Haas School of Business, UC Berkeley.</p> <p><b>Steven D. Peterson</b>, PhD, is the founder and Managing Partner of Strategic Play.</p> <p><b>Nada Wagner</b>, MBA, is one of the principals of Next Wave Marketing and a professor at The Business School, Humber ITAL.</p>","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/9529"}},{"authorId":9530,"name":"Peter E. Jaret","slug":"peter-e-jaret","description":" <p><b>Steven D. Peterson, PhD,</b> is the senior partner and founder of the management tool development company, Strategic Play.</p><p><b>Peter Jaret</b> is a frequent contributor to <i>The New York Times</i>, <i>Reader&#8217;s Digest</i>, and <i>AARP Bulletin</i>.</p><p><b>Barbara Findlay Schenck </b>is a nationally recognized marketing specialist and the author of several <i>For Dummies</i> books.</p> ","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/9530"}},{"authorId":9303,"name":"Barbara Findlay Schenck","slug":"barbara-findlay-schenck","description":" <p><b>Barbara Findlay</b> Schenck has been a marketing consultant for more than 20 years, with clients ranging from small businesses to Fortune 500 companies. In addition to her experience as a small business strategist, she's also a bestselling author and nationally syndicated columnist. Visit her website at www.bizstrong.com.</p>","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/9303"}}],"primaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":34253,"title":"General Small Business","slug":"general-small-business","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34253"}},"secondaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"tertiaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"trendingArticles":null,"inThisArticle":[{"label":"Charging by the hour vs. the project","target":"#tab1"},{"label":"Establishing an hourly rate","target":"#tab2"},{"label":"Determine your tasks, time, and expenses","target":"#tab3"}],"relatedArticles":{"fromBook":[{"articleId":223467,"title":"Planning Your Virtual Business: Staying One Step Ahead of a Fast-Changing Business Model","slug":"planning-virtual-business-staying-one-step-ahead-fast-changing-business-model","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","strategic-planning"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/223467"}},{"articleId":223464,"title":"Planning Your Virtual Business: Establishing Standards and Policies","slug":"planning-virtual-business-establishing-standards-policies","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","strategic-planning"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/223464"}},{"articleId":223461,"title":"Planning Your Virtual Business: Branding Your Enterprise","slug":"planning-virtual-business-branding-enterprise","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","strategic-planning"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/223461"}},{"articleId":223458,"title":"Planning Your Virtual Business: Using Technologies to Manage, Motivate, and Inspire","slug":"planning-virtual-business-using-technologies-manage-motivate-inspire","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","strategic-planning"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/223458"}},{"articleId":223455,"title":"Planning Your Virtual Business: Hiring and Managing a Remote Team","slug":"planning-virtual-business-hiring-managing-remote-team","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","strategic-planning"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/223455"}}],"fromCategory":[{"articleId":226108,"title":"Packing Power into Advertising Headlines","slug":"packing-power-advertising-headlines","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","general-small-business"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/226108"}},{"articleId":226105,"title":"How Small Business Marketing Is Different","slug":"small-business-marketing-different","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","general-small-business"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/226105"}},{"articleId":226102,"title":"Marketing a Start-Up Business","slug":"marketing-start-business","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","general-small-business"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/226102"}},{"articleId":226099,"title":"The Relationship between Marketing and Sales","slug":"relationship-marketing-sales","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","general-small-business"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/226099"}},{"articleId":226096,"title":"Marketing: The Whole is Greater Than the Parts","slug":"marketing-whole-greater-parts","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","general-small-business"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/226096"}}]},"hasRelatedBookFromSearch":false,"relatedBook":{"bookId":282039,"slug":"business-plans-kit-for-dummies","isbn":"9781119245490","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","strategic-planning"],"amazon":{"default":"https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1119245494/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","ca":"https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/1119245494/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","indigo_ca":"http://www.tkqlhce.com/click-9208661-13710633?url=https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/product/1119245494-item.html&cjsku=978111945484","gb":"https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1119245494/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","de":"https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/1119245494/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20"},"image":{"src":"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/business-plans-kit-for-dummies-5th-edition-cover-9781119245490-202x255.jpg","width":202,"height":255},"title":"Business Plans Kit For Dummies","testBankPinActivationLink":"","bookOutOfPrint":false,"authorsInfo":"<p><b data-author-id=\"9529\">Steven D. Peterson, PhD,</b> is the senior partner and founder of the management tool development company, Strategic Play.</p>\n<p><b data-author-id=\"9530\">Peter Jaret</b> is a frequent contributor to <i>The New York Times</i>, <i>Reader’s Digest</i>, and <i>AARP Bulletin</i>.</p>\n<p><b data-author-id=\"9303\">Barbara Findlay Schenck </b>is a nationally recognized marketing specialist and the author of several <i>For Dummies</i> books.</p>","authors":[{"authorId":9529,"name":"Steven D. Peterson","slug":"steven-d-peterson","description":" <p><b>Paul Tiffany</b>, PhD, is a professor at the Haas School of Business, UC Berkeley.</p> <p><b>Steven D. Peterson</b>, PhD, is the founder and Managing Partner of Strategic Play.</p> <p><b>Nada Wagner</b>, MBA, is one of the principals of Next Wave Marketing and a professor at The Business School, Humber ITAL.</p>","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/9529"}},{"authorId":9530,"name":"Peter E. Jaret","slug":"peter-e-jaret","description":" <p><b>Steven D. Peterson, PhD,</b> is the senior partner and founder of the management tool development company, Strategic Play.</p><p><b>Peter Jaret</b> is a frequent contributor to <i>The New York Times</i>, <i>Reader&#8217;s Digest</i>, and <i>AARP Bulletin</i>.</p><p><b>Barbara Findlay Schenck </b>is a nationally recognized marketing specialist and the author of several <i>For Dummies</i> books.</p> ","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/9530"}},{"authorId":9303,"name":"Barbara Findlay Schenck","slug":"barbara-findlay-schenck","description":" <p><b>Barbara Findlay</b> Schenck has been a marketing consultant for more than 20 years, with clients ranging from small businesses to Fortune 500 companies. In addition to her experience as a small business strategist, she's also a bestselling author and nationally syndicated columnist. Visit her website at www.bizstrong.com.</p>","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/9303"}}],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/books/"}},"collections":[{"title":"BYOB (Be Your Own Boss)","slug":"for-the-entry-level-entrepreneur","collectionId":287568}],"articleAds":{"footerAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;business-careers-money&quot;,&quot;business&quot;,&quot;small-business&quot;,&quot;general-small-business&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;9781119245490&quot;]}]\" id=\"du-slot-63221afa88e80\"></div></div>","rightAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_right_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_right_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;business-careers-money&quot;,&quot;business&quot;,&quot;small-business&quot;,&quot;general-small-business&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;9781119245490&quot;]}]\" id=\"du-slot-63221afa898ff\"></div></div>"},"articleType":{"articleType":"Articles","articleList":null,"content":null,"videoInfo":{"videoId":null,"name":null,"accountId":null,"playerId":null,"thumbnailUrl":null,"description":null,"uploadDate":null}},"sponsorship":{"sponsorshipPage":false,"backgroundImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"brandingLine":"","brandingLink":"","brandingLogo":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"sponsorAd":"","sponsorEbookTitle":"","sponsorEbookLink":"","sponsorEbookImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0}},"primaryLearningPath":"Advance","lifeExpectancy":"Two years","lifeExpectancySetFrom":"2021-08-31T00:00:00+00:00","dummiesForKids":"no","sponsoredContent":"no","adInfo":"","adPairKey":[]},"status":"publish","visibility":"public","articleId":158742},{"headers":{"creationTime":"2016-03-26T14:10:46+00:00","modifiedTime":"2021-08-02T01:14:18+00:00","timestamp":"2022-09-14T18:18:30+00:00"},"data":{"breadcrumbs":[{"name":"Business, Careers, & Money","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34224"},"slug":"business-careers-money","categoryId":34224},{"name":"Business","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34225"},"slug":"business","categoryId":34225},{"name":"Small Business","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34251"},"slug":"small-business","categoryId":34251},{"name":"General Small Business","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34253"},"slug":"general-small-business","categoryId":34253}],"title":"How to Start Your Own Etsy Team","strippedTitle":"how to start your own etsy team","slug":"how-to-start-your-own-etsy-team","canonicalUrl":"","seo":{"metaDescription":"If you don’t find an Etsy team that meets your needs, you can start one of your own. For example, you may want to start a team for other Etsy members who share ","noIndex":0,"noFollow":0},"content":"If you don’t find an Etsy team that meets your needs, you can start one of your own. For example, you may want to start a team for other Etsy members who share your passion for your medium, who live in your geographic area, who are devoted to a particular style of design, who share similar goals with their Etsy shops, or what have you.\r\n\r\n<img src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/393958.image0.jpg\" alt=\"image0.jpg\" width=\"533\" height=\"400\" />\r\n\r\nNote that when you create a team, you automatically become its captain, so administrative duties fall to you (unless you delegate them to other members).\r\n\r\n<img src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/393959.image1.jpg\" alt=\"image1.jpg\" width=\"533\" height=\"400\" />\r\n\r\nTo create a team, click the Create a Team button in the top-right corner of the main Etsy Teams page. Etsy prompts you to enter the team details.\r\n\r\n<img src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/393960.image2.jpg\" alt=\"image2.jpg\" width=\"381\" height=\"400\" />\r\n<ul class=\"level-one\">\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">The name and team type</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">A short description and (optionally) a long description</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">Rules about team access and (optionally) who can join</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">Application questions (if needed)</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">The team’s logo</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">Tags to describe your shop</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">Related links (for example, you may include a link to your own personal website or to some other relevant page online)</p>\r\n</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nAfter you fill in the requested information, click Create Team.\r\n\r\n<img src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/393961.image3.jpg\" alt=\"image3.jpg\" width=\"221\" height=\"400\" />","description":"If you don’t find an Etsy team that meets your needs, you can start one of your own. For example, you may want to start a team for other Etsy members who share your passion for your medium, who live in your geographic area, who are devoted to a particular style of design, who share similar goals with their Etsy shops, or what have you.\r\n\r\n<img src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/393958.image0.jpg\" alt=\"image0.jpg\" width=\"533\" height=\"400\" />\r\n\r\nNote that when you create a team, you automatically become its captain, so administrative duties fall to you (unless you delegate them to other members).\r\n\r\n<img src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/393959.image1.jpg\" alt=\"image1.jpg\" width=\"533\" height=\"400\" />\r\n\r\nTo create a team, click the Create a Team button in the top-right corner of the main Etsy Teams page. Etsy prompts you to enter the team details.\r\n\r\n<img src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/393960.image2.jpg\" alt=\"image2.jpg\" width=\"381\" height=\"400\" />\r\n<ul class=\"level-one\">\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">The name and team type</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">A short description and (optionally) a long description</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">Rules about team access and (optionally) who can join</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">Application questions (if needed)</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">The team’s logo</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">Tags to describe your shop</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">Related links (for example, you may include a link to your own personal website or to some other relevant page online)</p>\r\n</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nAfter you fill in the requested information, click Create Team.\r\n\r\n<img src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/393961.image3.jpg\" alt=\"image3.jpg\" width=\"221\" height=\"400\" />","blurb":"","authors":[{"authorId":9139,"name":"Kate Gatski","slug":"kate-gatski","description":" <p><b>Kate Shoup</b> is the author of numerous crafting books, including <i>Not Your Mama&#39;s Beading,</i> and <i>Rubbish: Reuse Your Refuse</i>. <b>Kate Gatski</b> is an artisan, an entrepreneur, an educator, a veteran Etsy seller, and a member of the Full Time Etsy Crafters Team an exclusive group for full&#45;time or high&#45;volume Etsy sellers. ","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/9139"}},{"authorId":9140,"name":"Kate Shoup","slug":"kate-shoup","description":" <p><b>Kate Shoup</b> is the author of numerous crafting books, including <i>Not Your Mama&#39;s Beading,</i> and <i>Rubbish: Reuse Your Refuse</i>. <b>Kate Gatski</b> is an artisan, an entrepreneur, an educator, a veteran Etsy seller, and a member of the Full Time Etsy Crafters Team an exclusive group for full&#45;time or high&#45;volume Etsy sellers. ","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/9140"}}],"primaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":34253,"title":"General Small Business","slug":"general-small-business","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34253"}},"secondaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"tertiaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"trendingArticles":null,"inThisArticle":[],"relatedArticles":{"fromBook":[],"fromCategory":[{"articleId":226108,"title":"Packing Power into Advertising Headlines","slug":"packing-power-advertising-headlines","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","general-small-business"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/226108"}},{"articleId":226105,"title":"How Small Business Marketing Is Different","slug":"small-business-marketing-different","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","general-small-business"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/226105"}},{"articleId":226102,"title":"Marketing a Start-Up Business","slug":"marketing-start-business","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","general-small-business"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/226102"}},{"articleId":226099,"title":"The Relationship between Marketing and Sales","slug":"relationship-marketing-sales","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","general-small-business"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/226099"}},{"articleId":226096,"title":"Marketing: The Whole is Greater Than the Parts","slug":"marketing-whole-greater-parts","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","general-small-business"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/226096"}}]},"hasRelatedBookFromSearch":false,"relatedBook":{"bookId":0,"slug":null,"isbn":null,"categoryList":null,"amazon":null,"image":null,"title":null,"testBankPinActivationLink":null,"bookOutOfPrint":false,"authorsInfo":null,"authors":null,"_links":null},"collections":[],"articleAds":{"footerAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;business-careers-money&quot;,&quot;business&quot;,&quot;small-business&quot;,&quot;general-small-business&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[null]}]\" id=\"du-slot-63221af64d831\"></div></div>","rightAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_right_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_right_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;business-careers-money&quot;,&quot;business&quot;,&quot;small-business&quot;,&quot;general-small-business&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[null]}]\" id=\"du-slot-63221af64e29c\"></div></div>"},"articleType":{"articleType":"Articles","articleList":null,"content":null,"videoInfo":{"videoId":null,"name":null,"accountId":null,"playerId":null,"thumbnailUrl":null,"description":null,"uploadDate":null}},"sponsorship":{"sponsorshipPage":false,"backgroundImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"brandingLine":"","brandingLink":"","brandingLogo":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"sponsorAd":"","sponsorEbookTitle":"","sponsorEbookLink":"","sponsorEbookImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0}},"primaryLearningPath":"Advance","lifeExpectancy":"Two years","lifeExpectancySetFrom":"2021-08-01T00:00:00+00:00","dummiesForKids":"no","sponsoredContent":"no","adInfo":"","adPairKey":[]},"status":"publish","visibility":"public","articleId":161936}],"_links":{"self":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34253/categoryArticles?sortField=time&sortOrder=1&size=10&offset=0"},"next":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34253/categoryArticles?sortField=time&sortOrder=1&size=10&offset=10"},"last":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34253/categoryArticles?sortField=time&sortOrder=1&size=10&offset=337"}}},"objectTitle":"","status":"success","pageType":"article-category","objectId":"34253","page":1,"sortField":"time","sortOrder":1,"categoriesIds":[],"articleTypes":[],"filterData":{"categoriesFilter":[{"itemId":0,"itemName":"All Categories","count":347}],"articleTypeFilter":[{"articleType":"All Types","count":347},{"articleType":"Articles","count":324},{"articleType":"Cheat Sheet","count":13},{"articleType":"Step by Step","count":10}]},"filterDataLoadedStatus":"success","pageSize":10},"adsState":{"pageScripts":{"headers":{"timestamp":"2023-02-01T15:50:01+00:00"},"adsId":0,"data":{"scripts":[{"pages":["all"],"location":"header","script":"<!--Optimizely Script-->\r\n<script src=\"https://cdn.optimizely.com/js/10563184655.js\"></script>","enabled":false},{"pages":["all"],"location":"header","script":"<!-- comScore Tag -->\r\n<script>var _comscore = _comscore || [];_comscore.push({ c1: \"2\", c2: \"15097263\" });(function() {var s = document.createElement(\"script\"), el = document.getElementsByTagName(\"script\")[0]; s.async = true;s.src = (document.location.protocol == \"https:\" ? \"https://sb\" : \"http://b\") + \".scorecardresearch.com/beacon.js\";el.parentNode.insertBefore(s, el);})();</script><noscript><img src=\"https://sb.scorecardresearch.com/p?c1=2&c2=15097263&cv=2.0&cj=1\" /></noscript>\r\n<!-- / comScore Tag -->","enabled":true},{"pages":["all"],"location":"footer","script":"<!--BEGIN QUALTRICS WEBSITE FEEDBACK SNIPPET-->\r\n<script type='text/javascript'>\r\n(function(){var g=function(e,h,f,g){\r\nthis.get=function(a){for(var a=a+\"=\",c=document.cookie.split(\";\"),b=0,e=c.length;b<e;b++){for(var d=c[b];\" \"==d.charAt(0);)d=d.substring(1,d.length);if(0==d.indexOf(a))return d.substring(a.length,d.length)}return null};\r\nthis.set=function(a,c){var b=\"\",b=new Date;b.setTime(b.getTime()+6048E5);b=\"; expires=\"+b.toGMTString();document.cookie=a+\"=\"+c+b+\"; path=/; \"};\r\nthis.check=function(){var a=this.get(f);if(a)a=a.split(\":\");else if(100!=e)\"v\"==h&&(e=Math.random()>=e/100?0:100),a=[h,e,0],this.set(f,a.join(\":\"));else return!0;var c=a[1];if(100==c)return!0;switch(a[0]){case \"v\":return!1;case \"r\":return c=a[2]%Math.floor(100/c),a[2]++,this.set(f,a.join(\":\")),!c}return!0};\r\nthis.go=function(){if(this.check()){var a=document.createElement(\"script\");a.type=\"text/javascript\";a.src=g;document.body&&document.body.appendChild(a)}};\r\nthis.start=function(){var t=this;\"complete\"!==document.readyState?window.addEventListener?window.addEventListener(\"load\",function(){t.go()},!1):window.attachEvent&&window.attachEvent(\"onload\",function(){t.go()}):t.go()};};\r\ntry{(new g(100,\"r\",\"QSI_S_ZN_5o5yqpvMVjgDOuN\",\"https://zn5o5yqpvmvjgdoun-wiley.siteintercept.qualtrics.com/SIE/?Q_ZID=ZN_5o5yqpvMVjgDOuN\")).start()}catch(i){}})();\r\n</script><div id='ZN_5o5yqpvMVjgDOuN'><!--DO NOT REMOVE-CONTENTS PLACED HERE--></div>\r\n<!--END WEBSITE FEEDBACK SNIPPET-->","enabled":false},{"pages":["all"],"location":"header","script":"<!-- Hotjar Tracking Code for http://www.dummies.com -->\r\n<script>\r\n (function(h,o,t,j,a,r){\r\n h.hj=h.hj||function(){(h.hj.q=h.hj.q||[]).push(arguments)};\r\n h._hjSettings={hjid:257151,hjsv:6};\r\n a=o.getElementsByTagName('head')[0];\r\n r=o.createElement('script');r.async=1;\r\n r.src=t+h._hjSettings.hjid+j+h._hjSettings.hjsv;\r\n a.appendChild(r);\r\n })(window,document,'https://static.hotjar.com/c/hotjar-','.js?sv=');\r\n</script>","enabled":false},{"pages":["article"],"location":"header","script":"<!-- //Connect Container: dummies --> <script src=\"//get.s-onetag.com/bffe21a1-6bb8-4928-9449-7beadb468dae/tag.min.js\" async defer></script>","enabled":true},{"pages":["homepage"],"location":"header","script":"<meta name=\"facebook-domain-verification\" content=\"irk8y0irxf718trg3uwwuexg6xpva0\" />","enabled":true},{"pages":["homepage","article","category","search"],"location":"footer","script":"<!-- Facebook Pixel Code -->\r\n<noscript>\r\n<img height=\"1\" width=\"1\" src=\"https://www.facebook.com/tr?id=256338321977984&ev=PageView&noscript=1\"/>\r\n</noscript>\r\n<!-- End Facebook Pixel Code -->","enabled":true}]}},"pageScriptsLoadedStatus":"success"},"navigationState":{"navigationCollections":[{"collectionId":287568,"title":"BYOB (Be Your Own Boss)","hasSubCategories":false,"url":"/collection/for-the-entry-level-entrepreneur-287568"},{"collectionId":293237,"title":"Be a Rad Dad","hasSubCategories":false,"url":"/collection/be-the-best-dad-293237"},{"collectionId":295890,"title":"Career Shifting","hasSubCategories":false,"url":"/collection/career-shifting-295890"},{"collectionId":294090,"title":"Contemplating the Cosmos","hasSubCategories":false,"url":"/collection/theres-something-about-space-294090"},{"collectionId":287563,"title":"For Those Seeking Peace of Mind","hasSubCategories":false,"url":"/collection/for-those-seeking-peace-of-mind-287563"},{"collectionId":287570,"title":"For the Aspiring Aficionado","hasSubCategories":false,"url":"/collection/for-the-bougielicious-287570"},{"collectionId":291903,"title":"For the Budding Cannabis Enthusiast","hasSubCategories":false,"url":"/collection/for-the-budding-cannabis-enthusiast-291903"},{"collectionId":291934,"title":"For the Exam-Season Crammer","hasSubCategories":false,"url":"/collection/for-the-exam-season-crammer-291934"},{"collectionId":287569,"title":"For the Hopeless Romantic","hasSubCategories":false,"url":"/collection/for-the-hopeless-romantic-287569"},{"collectionId":296450,"title":"For the Spring Term Learner","hasSubCategories":false,"url":"/collection/for-the-spring-term-student-296450"}],"navigationCollectionsLoadedStatus":"success","navigationCategories":{"books":{"0":{"data":[{"categoryId":33512,"title":"Technology","hasSubCategories":true,"url":"/category/books/technology-33512"},{"categoryId":33662,"title":"Academics & The Arts","hasSubCategories":true,"url":"/category/books/academics-the-arts-33662"},{"categoryId":33809,"title":"Home, Auto, & Hobbies","hasSubCategories":true,"url":"/category/books/home-auto-hobbies-33809"},{"categoryId":34038,"title":"Body, Mind, & Spirit","hasSubCategories":true,"url":"/category/books/body-mind-spirit-34038"},{"categoryId":34224,"title":"Business, Careers, & Money","hasSubCategories":true,"url":"/category/books/business-careers-money-34224"}],"breadcrumbs":[],"categoryTitle":"Level 0 Category","mainCategoryUrl":"/category/books/level-0-category-0"}},"articles":{"0":{"data":[{"categoryId":33512,"title":"Technology","hasSubCategories":true,"url":"/category/articles/technology-33512"},{"categoryId":33662,"title":"Academics & The Arts","hasSubCategories":true,"url":"/category/articles/academics-the-arts-33662"},{"categoryId":33809,"title":"Home, Auto, & Hobbies","hasSubCategories":true,"url":"/category/articles/home-auto-hobbies-33809"},{"categoryId":34038,"title":"Body, Mind, & Spirit","hasSubCategories":true,"url":"/category/articles/body-mind-spirit-34038"},{"categoryId":34224,"title":"Business, Careers, & Money","hasSubCategories":true,"url":"/category/articles/business-careers-money-34224"}],"breadcrumbs":[],"categoryTitle":"Level 0 Category","mainCategoryUrl":"/category/articles/level-0-category-0"}}},"navigationCategoriesLoadedStatus":"success"},"searchState":{"searchList":[],"searchStatus":"initial","relatedArticlesList":[],"relatedArticlesStatus":"initial"},"routeState":{"name":"ArticleCategory","path":"/category/articles/general-small-business-34253/","hash":"","query":{},"params":{"category":"general-small-business-34253"},"fullPath":"/category/articles/general-small-business-34253/","meta":{"routeType":"category","breadcrumbInfo":{"suffix":"Articles","baseRoute":"/category/articles"},"prerenderWithAsyncData":true},"from":{"name":null,"path":"/","hash":"","query":{},"params":{},"fullPath":"/","meta":{}}},"sfmcState":{"status":"initial"},"profileState":{"auth":{},"userOptions":{},"status":"success"}}
Logo
  • Articles Open Article Categories
  • Books Open Book Categories
  • Collections Open Collections list
  • Custom Solutions

Article Categories

Book Categories

Collections

Explore all collections
BYOB (Be Your Own Boss)
Be a Rad Dad
Career Shifting
Contemplating the Cosmos
For Those Seeking Peace of Mind
For the Aspiring Aficionado
For the Budding Cannabis Enthusiast
For the Exam-Season Crammer
For the Hopeless Romantic
For the Spring Term Learner
Log In
  • Home
  • Business, Careers, & Money Articles
  • Business Articles
  • Small Business Articles
  • General Small Business Articles

General Small Business Articles

Wondering what forms you need to fill out to create an LLC? Or maybe you need some ideas for coupons in your Etsy shop. Regardless, we've probably got your answer here.

Articles From General Small Business

page 1
page 2
page 3
page 4
page 5
page 6
page 7
page 8
page 9
page 10
page 11
page 12
page 13
page 14
page 15
page 16
page 17
page 18
page 19
page 20
page 21
page 22
page 23
page 24
page 25
page 26
page 27
page 28
page 29
page 30
page 31
page 32
page 33
page 34
page 35

Filter Results

347 results
347 results
General Small Business Tapping into Five Free, Valuable Online Tools for Managing Your Business

Article / Updated 07-19-2022

No matter whether you’re just starting your own micro-business or you’ve been working for several years, you want everything to run smoothly and cost effectively. As a micro-entrepreneur, your focus is to meet your target market’s needs while staying ahead of your competition. These free resources can help you. Get a free e-mail account for personal or business usage. E-mail is indispensable for communication, marketing, and other pursuits. You can get free e-mail at Gmail, Hotmail, or Yahoo. Try Open Office Software Suite. This powerful suite of business productivity tools includes word processing, spreadsheet, presentation software, and other software programs. The software is free and regularly upgraded and refined by open source software developers. Network with LinkedIn. On this site, you can network with other businesses and professionals. You can make lots of valuable contacts, find prospects, and get answers to many of your questions from other professionals and specialists. Market through e-mail. Mailchimp is a free e-mail service to do e-mail distribution and marketing. You can send an e-mail blast for up to 2,000 addresses on your list at no cost, which is perfect for businesses just starting out and needing a good way to manage a list of prospects, customers, or e-zine subscribers. Use YouTube. This popular video platform gives you the ability not only to gain information and news (including lots of free how-to videos on a variety of business topics), but you have the ability to create your own videos (ranging from providing content to doing sales and marketing presentations) at no cost.

View Article
General Small Business Small Business Kit For Dummies Cheat Sheet

Cheat Sheet / Updated 05-03-2022

Owning and running a small business calls for a variety of skills, perhaps foremost among them organizational. If you’re going to incorporate your business, you need to explore the differences between becoming a C corporation and an S corporation. And if you want to attract investors or even apply for a loan, you’d better be familiar with the key elements of a business plan.

View Cheat Sheet
General Small Business Small Business Financial Management Kit For Dummies Cheat Sheet

Cheat Sheet / Updated 04-05-2022

Managing the finances of a small business is a multi-layered task. You need to become familiar with standard financial documents, pay attention to profits, and make the most of the business’s assets. And you always have to be thinking and planning ahead. You have some work to do, get to it!

View Cheat Sheet
General Small Business Small Business Marketing Strategies All-in-One For Dummies Cheat Sheet

Cheat Sheet / Updated 03-23-2022

All customers are not alike. Knowing how they differ — what their individual and group needs and preferences are — is key to successful marketing efforts nowadays. Marketing strategy involves segmenting your customers into groups and researching and studying those groups to tailor your messages specifically to them. Social media is a great way to do that because the various types of social media already have their own quirks and styles associated with them, and that can be an aid when it comes time to hone specific marketing messages. Another important modern-day piece of the marketing puzzle is content marketing, which adds value by providing real content that consumers can use, but which also promotes your business.

View Cheat Sheet
General Small Business Marketing Your Small Business For Dummies Cheat Sheet

Cheat Sheet / Updated 02-23-2022

Being smart with marketing ensures the success of your business by attracting more customers, and keeping them coming back. Whether you own a bakery or a finance business, you need no-nonsense marketing strategies to secure a greater share of the market. This Cheat Sheet includes essential marketing tools, tips for marketing on a low budget, and much more.

View Cheat Sheet
General Small Business Small Business Taxes For Dummies Cheat Sheet

Cheat Sheet / Updated 02-17-2022

Small Business Taxes For Dummies assists both current and aspiring small business owners with important tax planning issues, filing issues, dealing with IRS audits and notices, getting help, and more. To get started, you can discover some strategies to make informed tax moves and ask a few important questions if you're thinking of hiring a tax advisor.

View Cheat Sheet
General Small Business Limited Liability Companies For Dummies Cheat Sheet

Cheat Sheet / Updated 02-01-2022

Individuals are now, more than ever, realizing the power of the limited liability company (LLC). If you’re like many people, you probably understand that an LLC can benefit you in one way or another; you just don’t know the next steps to take. Read on to find out the benefits of LLCs, get help naming your LLC, and get the lowdown on the different tax types for LLCs so you can make the best decisions for your business.

View Cheat Sheet
General Small Business Small Business For Dummies Cheat Sheet

Cheat Sheet / Updated 01-20-2022

From managing to marketing and everything in between, the world of small business can be both exciting and overwhelming. It’s a place where no two workdays are exactly the same and where unpredictable things happen. If you’re thinking about starting (or you already run and manage) your own business, check out the following list of tips to improve your chances of success.

View Cheat Sheet
General Small Business How to Price Yourself as a Sole Proprietor

Article / Updated 09-01-2021

You've finally made it! After many months or, perhaps, years of planning and saving, you're now the sole proprietor of your very own business — woohoo! But now the real work begins, and one big question lies ahead: How much should you be charging? Start with addressing how you should charge, then move on to determining an appropriate rate. Charging by the hour vs. the project Most self-employed service providers charge in one of the following ways: By the hour: You establish an hourly rate, keep track of your time, and bill clients for hours spent on their behalf. This is the standard pricing approach for service businesses handling small-project jobs. By the project: You and your client agree in advance on a fixed price for a defined amount of work. This is the standard pricing approach for service businesses handling large-project jobs. A combined approach: A building contractor, for example, may bid on a set of plans and establish a fee for the project. But he may also stipulate that additional client-requested work over and above that covered by the estimate is to be paid at an established hourly rate. Other businesses follow other billing approaches. For example, authors often receive a royalty, or a percentage of the cover price, for each book sold. Freelance writers may charge by the page or word. A photographer might sell rights to photos based on the way the purchaser will use them. And some professionals are paid retainers, or upfront payments, in return for their availability to work on an as-needed basis. Whatever payment arrangement you settle on, you still have to figure out exactly how much to charge. Establishing an hourly rate If you provide a service of some sort, begin by establishing an hourly rate. Even if you end up charging by the project or product, when you know your hourly rate, you can estimate the number of hours a job will take and multiply that number by your hourly rate to arrive at your project or product cost. One way to establish an hourly rate is to find out what other people doing similar work charge. In some cases, you can discover this information simply by talking to other independent contractors or by looking at their websites or marketing materials. You can also check with professional organizations to get an idea of what people charge in different parts of the country. Rates do vary. For example, freelance editors may be able to charge $35 an hour in St. Louis or Cedar Rapids and $50 or more in pricey places like New York or California. To be competitive, set your rates within a similar price range. If you’re just starting out, you may want to begin at the lower end of the scale. If you have a long list of credentials and have earned rave reviews from clients, you can shoot for the upper end. Another way to arrive at your pricing is to consider the following: How much customers will be willing to pay for your product or service How many hours a year you think you can spend on billable activities How many hours a year you need to devote to running your business How much it costs you to run your business Whether your projected revenue minus expenses equals an adequate profit Say that you’re a consultant who wants to personally make $80,000 a year. Further, assume that your overhead costs total $22,000 a year, plus you want to earn at least $8,000 profit annually to fund future growth. That means your consulting business needs to bring in at least $110,000 each year. Next, say that out of each 40-hour workweek, you’ll spend 12 hours running your business (doing the banking, networking, making new business calls, working with accountants, and on and on). That leaves 28 hours a week, 50 weeks a year (assuming that you give yourself two weeks off for a well-earned annual getaway) for billable activities — or a total of 1,400 billable hours a year. With all of that information in hand, you can divide $110,000 by 1,400 hours to arrive at an hourly billing rate of $78.50. If that’s more than you think clients will be willing to pay, you have a few choices: You can reduce your overhead costs, you can reduce your earnings and profit expectations, or you can spend more hours on billable activities, which probably means working longer weeks. Determine your tasks, time, and expenses To get a good idea of how you spend your working days, use this form. This information will be useful as you work to set your hourly rate. Even if you’re self-employed, plan to make and set aside a profit above and beyond what you pay yourself. Doing so allows you to expand and develop your business when times are good. It also provides an important safety net, should your business experience an unforeseen setback. Take time to figure the hourly rate you need to charge to cover your salary, overhead, and profit projections. You may want to use this form to make sure that your rate covers all your business expenses. Check all categories that apply to your business and enter the rough amounts you expect to spend. In your business plan, include information on how and what you intend to charge for your service or product. Show the calculations behind your pricing decisions.

View Article
General Small Business How to Start Your Own Etsy Team

Article / Updated 08-02-2021

If you don’t find an Etsy team that meets your needs, you can start one of your own. For example, you may want to start a team for other Etsy members who share your passion for your medium, who live in your geographic area, who are devoted to a particular style of design, who share similar goals with their Etsy shops, or what have you. Note that when you create a team, you automatically become its captain, so administrative duties fall to you (unless you delegate them to other members). To create a team, click the Create a Team button in the top-right corner of the main Etsy Teams page. Etsy prompts you to enter the team details. The name and team type A short description and (optionally) a long description Rules about team access and (optionally) who can join Application questions (if needed) The team’s logo Tags to describe your shop Related links (for example, you may include a link to your own personal website or to some other relevant page online) After you fill in the requested information, click Create Team.

View Article
page 1
page 2
page 3
page 4
page 5
page 6
page 7
page 8
page 9
page 10
page 11
page 12
page 13
page 14
page 15
page 16
page 17
page 18
page 19
page 20
page 21
page 22
page 23
page 24
page 25
page 26
page 27
page 28
page 29
page 30
page 31
page 32
page 33
page 34
page 35

Quick Links

  • About For Dummies
  • Contact Us
  • Activate A Book Pin

Connect

Opt in to our newsletter!

By entering your email address and clicking the “Submit” button, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy & to receive electronic communications from Dummies.com, which may include marketing promotions, news and updates.

About Dummies

Dummies has always stood for taking on complex concepts and making them easy to understand. Dummies helps everyone be more knowledgeable and confident in applying what they know. Whether it's to pass that big test, qualify for that big promotion or even master that cooking technique; people who rely on dummies, rely on it to learn the critical skills and relevant information necessary for success.

Terms of Use
Privacy Policy
Cookies Settings
Do Not Sell My Personal Info - CA Only