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8 Zero-Cost Invoicing Tools For SMB Startups

Every correspondence you send out has to look professional. Popular full service accounting solutions like Intuit and Freshbooks can cost well into the thousands, and when you’re bootstrapping or working with minimal outside capital, every dollar counts.

Free online invoicing tools

Every online invoicing tool listed on this page is completely free. You’ll find that most will offer “upgrade” options for value-added services like sending email reminders, tracking, and saving/downloading your invoices for future reference.

Generally the self-hosted tools like Simple Invoices, Fusion Invoice, and other open source freebies you can find on SourceForge, come with a very complete back-end, but they’re also less newbie friendly and any problems that arise may require extensive “Googling” to remedy.…

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Using the 3P’s (People, Process, Product) to Make Your Business Successful

I’m sure many of you have heard this standard uttered lately by billionaire entrepreneur, Marcus Lemonis of NBC’s “The Profit”.

Perhaps you mistakenly think he coined the phrase?

Mr. Lemonis is definitely someone to be admired, and he’s successfully used this event-driven business management tool better than most. He defines a good investment as one that has at least two of the three P’s covered.

3P for business success

The truth is, the methodology itself has been around for a long time now. It exists in every successful business, industry, niche, system, etc. Any successful business owner can likely identify this process in their own business, even if they’ve never put their management practises into this context.…

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5 Recruitment Tips to Boost Your Small Business

Employees are the lifeblood of any business.

Indeed, recent figures from the Federation of Small Businesses found 15 per cent of small companies are looking to recruit new employees in the next few months.

recruitment tips

What’s more, with business confidence on the rise, around two thirds of firms expect growth in the course of this year, with one in four planning to increase investment.

But what does this mean for your small business?

Well, with signs pointing to continued expansion, it’s unavoidable that your firm will be hiring new staff in the coming weeks and months.

However, if you’re a little uncertain about what to expect and how to cope with this projected growth, our top five tips are here to ease the pain …

Use a Recruitment Agency

Running a business takes a lot of time and effort – which is why you can relieve some of the strain by using a recruitment agency to source your new staff.…

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3 Loan Alternatives for Small Businesses

Financial capital is an essential but often elusive aspect of running a business. Capital is beneficial on several levels. The obvious is to meet overhead, such as lease payments, utilities and payroll expenses.

However, cash is also leverage to grow your company in ways not otherwise possible. This may be in direct ways that increase revenues, or indirect means that cut costs or taxes.

Alternative business loans

Examples include:

  • Supplier discounts for bulk purchases
  • Seize growth opportunities
  • Increase productivity with upgrades to personnel and equipment
  • Reduce or eliminate interest expense

The challenges to obtaining a business loan can equal the benefits. In particular, startups and new companies often don’t meet the rigid criteria of banks.…

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5 Predictions for the Future of Small Business Taxation

The financial ramifications of taxation are at the forefront of any small business owners mind, with the issue seemingly never far from the headlines throughout the commercial world.

Indeed, tax policies are certain to have a huge impact on the decisions SMEs make in the future, as expansion on a global scale and rising regulatory control become increasingly obvious.

Small business taxation

From the government’s perspective, tax will continue to grab its attention as they look to fill the coffers and get a grip on the levels of tax for which they’re liable.

As a small firm, there are several factors you should be aware of in the coming weeks and months that will have a marked effect on how you do business.…

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7 Reasons to Outsource Employee Management

Running a business is complex, a situation only complicated by globalization. Since World War II international competition has been steadily increasing in nearly every sector. Digitization has simultaneously simplified and further complicated the situation. Even small and medium-sized business can have employees on multiple continents, interconnected by conference calls and serving customers in several languages.

Outsourcing employee management

This presents its own challenges; following employment regulations in only one of the fifty states can often be exhausting. The peace of mind provided by consulting a trained individual in the complexity of employee resource management far outweighs the costs. Here’s a list of subjects that can be handled by a professional to outsource the stress.…

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Scams (Old and New) That Target Small Business Owners

Just because your a small business owner doesn’t make you safe from money-hungry scammers looking to separate you from your hard-earned cash. As technology improves, scams become more elaborate.

Following, you’ll find some of the most popular scams – those which seem simple on the surface, yet still dupe thousands of unsuspecting businesses each year.

scammer

Directory Scams

Criminals know how badly you want to increase/maintain your marketing reach, so they use the good ol directory scam.

They might call, fax, email or otherwise solicit you indicating that it’s time to get your business listed in the back of the local phone book, or an applicable business directory of some sort.…

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These 5 Amazing Tips Will Kill the Boredom of Running a Business

Starting a business is exciting! The thought of establishing new systems, achieving your short term goals, and seeing the baby steps that your business is taking towards growth is such a priceless experience!

But what happens when your business is all set-up? What happens when your business is already established to the point where you’re starting to feel that there’s not much left for you to do?

That’s right. You get BORED!

Bored business owner

The thing is, getting bored (although it’s normal) isn’t something that you should allow to happen. The moment you get bored, you lose the enthusiasm and the urge to improve.…

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6 Ways to Build Your Company’s Online Credibility

Businesses are paying more attention to their social media presence. According to Fast Company, 93 percent of marketers say they’re using social media as part of an overall marketing strategy. Good relationships on social media take an almost geological timeframe to develop, but when things go wrong online, the message spreads like wildfire.

Business credibility

Enrolling in a graduate program that teaches strategic communications from a modern perspective can help you survive and thrive on social networks; click here to review some FAQs and learn how good schools equip tomorrow’s PR professionals. Social media success is about more than putting the right content on the right channels.…

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How to Build a Business That Can Flourish Without You

“We don’t need you anymore.”

These five words can be a stinging rebuke if they come from a loved one, but if they come from those in the business you’ve founded, they can be golden!

Whether to spend time on other endeavors, for an exit strategy, or simply to maximize growth, building a company that can flourish without you is a fundamental business practice.

You have to delegate some authority!

Creating ‘walk away’ wealth

Creating real “walk away” wealth is a prime reason to build a business that can thrive without you. It also prevents succession problems.

Many successful family businesses go bankrupt as soon as they are passed from one generation to the next or internecine strife tears the family apart when it’s time to make difficult succession decisions.…

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