Startup
Tailfin Marketing: Small Business Hiring Strategy
Greg Abel from Tailfin Marketing says his company is built on letting the workplace develop organically. They don’t have a rigid organizational chart with positions to fill when hiring; instead, they hire based on personality and individual skill. They emphasize having a diverse group of people, searching for a wide range of skills that will…
Read This Article
C Corporation: Pros and Cons
This is an excerpt from our free downloadable guide on incorporation and business entity types. Download the full guide here. Previously, we looked at the LLC entity type, a common choice among small business entrepreneurs. This week, we examine the C Corporation. A C Corporation (also referred to simply as a corporation) is the most…
Read This Article
Consultant’s Corner: Should I Use QuickBooks?
Question: It costs over $100 per month for an accountant to do payroll for my business. I could use QuickBooks and do it for under $50. What are the pros and cons of using QuickBooks for small business accounting? With user-friendly software such as QuickBooks available, many business owners feel they should be able to…
Read This Article
Sole Proprietorship: Pros and Cons
The sole proprietorship is the default entity type for a business with one owner. If you start a business by yourself and don’t take any steps to adopt a formal business structure, you have a sole proprietorship. It’s the simplest business entity for an entrepreneur to operate, since there are no requirements to form or…
Read This Article
Keep the Organization Simple
Organizations of all kinds have a bad habit of growing more and more complex. But an important feature for an organization focused on growth is keeping things simple. Whenever a big business fails, we often hear about problems with their organizational structure. It’s a similar story almost every time: The organization grew so big, and…
Read This ArticleTailfin Marketing: Be a Partner
It might be cliché, but no company wants to be thought of as just a “vendor.” Greg Abel and Tailfin Marketing place an emphasis on bringing value to their clients and building relationships—ensuring that they are seen as a partner and not just a vendor. Their best successes, he said, come when they are really…
Read This Article
Small Biz Stories: The Pre-Revenue Stage
Louie Northern’s company Ascend Aerials is currently pre-revenue, meaning they have not yet marketed to the point where they have customers. But that is intentional as a result of working to meet FAA regulations to operate commercially. While still in the pre-revenue stage, Ascend Aerials has had great success finding clients, even high-profile ones, who…
Read This Article
LLC Documentation: Required vs. Needed
In the world of business entities, the Limited Liability Corporation (LLC) is a relative newbie in the United States. Unlike the corporation, which has been around since before the birth of the United States, laws concerning LLCs can still be a bit vague and controversy can arise when legal issues concern the LLC. Due to…
Read This Article
4 Smart Relationships That Will Accelerate Your Small Business’ Success
Walmart and Sam’s Club founder Sam Walton was a master relationship builder. As my mentor and friend, he taught me that the mark of a successful entrepreneur is strong relationships. Sam once said, “We let folks know we’re interested in them and that they’re vital to us, ’cause they are.” This couldn’t be truer. Without…
Read This Article
How to Patent Your New Idea
Once you’ve come up with a great idea for a product or service, it’s important to find ways to protect your invention. Not only do you want to make sure people know that it was you who invented the product, but you also want to prevent anyone else from copying your idea and profiting off…
Read This Article