Consultant’s Corner
Consultant’s Corner: How to Optimize Your Google My Business Listing
This is Part 2 of two of our Google My Business series. Read Part 1 here. Q: What should I do after setting up my Google My Business listing? Creating a Google My Business account that includes your business’s basic information is certainly better than not having one; however, in order to make the most…
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Consultant’s Corner: Why You Need a Google My Business Listing
Q: What is Google My Business? Do I need to put my business on it? Today, Google and other search engines are more often than not a customer or client’s first step in identifying and evaluating products or services they are seeking. A business’s search result rankings, online content, and customer/client reviews are the main…
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Consultant’s Corner: Business Entities for Real Estate Investment
Q. I am a real estate investor. What type of business entity should I form? Real estate investing activities can potentially have mortgage financing, personal injury, workers’ compensation, debt collection, and other business risks that prompt business owners to form a business entity or entities, to hold their properties. Also, properties are often held in…
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Consultant’s Corner: Employee Cell Phone Use Policy
Q: I am looking for a basic policy for the use of personal cell phones by employees on company time. This is a major problem affecting productivity in our business. A: Increasingly, cell phone usage is becoming a problem in the work place. Usage of cellular devices takes focus away from the day-to-day operations of…
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Consultant’s Corner: Marketing Plans for Financial Advisors
Q. What are the best marketing strategies for financial advisors? Financial advisors and similar professionals use customer referrals, local Chamber networking, other professional networking, lead groups, direct mail, newsletters, a business website, social media networking websites, direct sales, and other methods. The best marketing plan will be the one that effectively reaches your defined target…
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Consultant’s Corner: Transferring Business Ownership to a Spouse
Q. I am currently the sole member of an LLC. I would like to transfer sole ownership of the LLC to my spouse. How would I do this? The transfer of the LLC ownership to your spouse will have to be properly documented for legal and tax purposes. In addition to the proper legal documents…
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Consultant’s Corner: Hiring Your First Employee
Updated January 2020 Question: I’m growing and am thinking about hiring my first employee. What should I do? When growing a business, entrepreneurs typically reach a point in the process where they must consider the prospect of adding staff. There are several important things to consider when hiring employees, which include: labor laws, compensation structure,…
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Consultant’s Corner: Do I Have to Pay Employees When Bad Weather Closes the Business?
Q. Are employers required to pay employees for days they could not come to work due to inclement weather and the building was closed? While you may want to consult your local labor lawyer to confirm your employee compensation requirements for particular business closure situations, as a general rule, exempt employees will need to be…
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Consultant’s Corner: Do I Need Liability Insurance?
Question: How do I know if and what type of liability insurance I need for my business? Essentially, every business needs some amount of property, liability, and vehicle insurance depending upon the business activities and other factors. Business insurance is generally based on the business activities and risks and not whether, for example, it is…
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Consultant’s Corner: Finding Angel Investors
Question: I am beginning a new business and would like to secure funding through angel investors. Where should I start? Of course, the angel investor category can include family, friends, and business associates. Also, the type of business venture and amount of capital needed can influence where to look for angel investors. For example, your…
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