10-10-10: A Life-Transforming Idea

Have you read the book 10-10-10? This book is a very short read, but provides the basis from which we can more clearly evaluate decisions that impact our business or personal lives.  For each decision you make, think of the impact this decision will have in the next ten minutes, ten months, or ten years.  You might find from doing this little exercise that you gain better clarity on how to make wise decisions and may find that some decisions lose their relevance based on looking at them within this context.  Some decisions may have no impact in the next ten minutes, or even within ten months; others may have more relevance on the short-term, but no impact ten years from now.  This book should help one stress less over the decision one makes.  

This book was written by Suzy Welch.

Strength Finder 2.0

Do you know your strengths? Recently a friend recommended a book that she was reading called Strength Finder 2.0 written by Tom Rath. The premise of this book is to help you evaluate your areas of strength and focus more fully on the things that you are good at. The book is organized by 34 Themes, so when you know your strengths you can concentrate on the sections that are most relevant to you. This book provides insight as to what someone with this strength might sound like. It also provides ten insights on ways that you can increase your aptitude in your area of strength and who you might pair yourself with to become more successful.


The book does not encourage anyone to focus on their weaknesses. It also points out that from early childhood, we have been encouraged to spend more time on things that we don’t do well. A child who does not do well in math is instructed to spend more time in math to master the skill. This conditions us to focus on our weakest areas, which although makes sense in education, it might not be sound principles on which to build a life or a career.

In our network, 3 Degrees Connected, it is our hope that we will encourage you to seek out individuals who are good in the areas you either do not have skill or interest. For example, as a business owner, you might find that math/finance is not your strong suit. Instead of trying to master this skill, hire someone to help you who has been trained and has interest in this detail work. Spend your time on areas where you can be more productive.

When you purchase the book Strength Finder 2.0, read part one. Go to the back of the book and get the access code which provides access to testing on the Internet. Take the short 35 minute quiz and within minutes you will have a report listing your “top five areas”. For less than $25 (the cost of the book), you will gain new insights that can improve your chances of success. Enjoy improving skills in areas that you already have a natural talent.

If you are reading a book that has given you more insight on how to succeed in business, please don't hestitate to share it with us and tell us how the book inspired you.

Why Businesses Fail

Business survival rates are bleak . . .
I've seen figures between 80% and 90% of all business start ups fail within the first five years.  Knowing the reason why so businesses fail should help a new business avoid falling into the same trap. 

According to the author, Michael Gerber, when one becomes self-employed they take the "technical" mind-set into business which is the personality that is associated with getting tasks done.  When a "technician-turned-business-owner" runs  a business, the focus of the business is upside down.

There are three personalities that one must balance in order to succeed in business: 

1. Entrepreneur - the visionary
2. Manager - the pragmatist
3. Technician - the doer

As a new business owner, one believes that they are their business; however, according to Michael Gerber it is important to separate yourself from your business.  Your business must be customer-focused, because without a clear picture of your customer and what they expect from your business, no business can succeed.

Rather than paraphrase his book, read "The E-myth Revisited" to see if there might be a clue why your business is not progressing the way you think it should.

Have You Considered Going Online with Your Business?

Have you considered going online with your business.  Attached you will find a helpful link to show you the benefits of getting an online presence

Click the link:  Establish Your Online Presence to watch this video. 

Other helpful videos includes:

Display Imagery on Your Website
Engage Customers with a Website
Interact with Your Customers Using Free Marketing
Promote Using Free Online Marketing
Educate Your Customers Using Free Marketing
Grow with Paid Online Advertising
Measure Results with Web Analytics
Google & SBA

This video series is made available through the support of Google and the SBA

20 Ideas You Don't Want to Miss

Recently my husband, who is a tax accountant, share this article with me.  The article shared many things that I have tried, but it has shared tips that I had never heard about.  This informative article was written by Alan Half and published in the AICPA newsletter on March 15, 2010: 

20 Ideas You Don't Want to Miss

I especially like point number #16 Get More Clients.  The tip is "send out cards".  If you would like to know more about "Send Out Cards", come see me on Wednesday, April 14, 2010 at KP Galley in Spring Lake, MI at 5:30 p.m..  I will be showing the product, talking about the business opportunity and changing lives one card at a time.

For directions click on the map link below:
KP Galley

Networking - the "Don't List"

On the third Thursday of the Month, a local group called "Businesses Helping Businesses" provides a free program in support of small business entrepreneurs. This month's topic was networking where we had two speakers, one focusing on face-to-face networking, and the other focused on social media. With permission, I am reprinting a list that was provided containing the "Don't of Networking".


Don't Act Desperate - people prefer to associate with successful people. If they think you are desperate, they will avoid you like the plague.

Don't Sell - Never enter into any networking situation with the intention of selling. Networking is not sales; its relationship building.

Don't Monopolize - Respect the value and short supply of other people's time. Appreciate that your contacts are also attending to meet people and build relationships.

Don't Ask too Soon - Avoid asking for help until you've developed a relationship with your contact.

Don't Solicit Competitors - Don't ask for or expect help from those who are in direct competition with you. Be realistic.

Don't Show Off or Brag - Nobody likes braggarts and blowhards, except their mothers, and even that isn't always so.

Don't Interrupt - It's rude and turns everyone off. It tells people that you think that what you have to say is more important than what they have to say.

Don't Just Talk About You - Besides irritating others, you won't learn anything by talking only about yourself.

Don't Play it By Ear - Anticipate and be prepared. Have a killer 15-second "elevator speech" prepared to deliver along with the follow-up information that they might request.

Don't Misrepresent You - The purpose of networking is to build long-lasting, mutually beneficial relationships. If you pretend to be what you are not, sooner or later you will be caught.

Don't Promise What You Can't Deliver and Don't Pry - Be clear about information you need, but don't ask questions about areas that seem confidential.

Don't Linger with Losers and "Hangers-On" - Your time is valuable and if you let them, some people will take as much of it as you allow. They latch onto you, try to take whatever they can get that could help them and are hard to shake.

Don't Over-Extend - Select a few prime targets that you think you can realistically reach and put them on your "A" List. Be realistic; concentrate your utmost efforts on a few worthy targets, and place the rest on your "B" List. (All of your fellow group members should be on your "A" List. These are the people who will see you. Your meeting should be the most important appointment for the week.)

Don't Be Discouraged - Most good things take time, patience, and work. When you try to build relationships, you are attempting to become a part of someone’s life and many desirable people won't let you right in.

Source:  Networking Magic" - provided by Pamela Blake, Grand Haven Chamber of Commerce

How to Focus on Personal Success

Recently I was reading the book "When Money Isn't Enough:  How Women are Finding the Soul for Sucess" written by Connie Glaser.  In this book Connie tells of relevant stories where women learned to redefine their business success not by staying the course, but my expanding themselves beyond what they previous knew. 

A story about Debra Esparza talked she was voted "Most Likely to Succeed" by her high school classmates, and then shortly after her ten year reunion she realized that she had been living up to other expectations of her, rather than forging her own sense of what she would like to accomplish in life.  When the money she earned produced less satisfaction by the things it would buy, she decided it was time to re-evaluate her direction.

If any of you have asked "what am I here for?" or "what difference does my life make on those around me?", it might be time to re-evaluate your direction too. 

Esparza found her niche first by helping kids in a Young Entrepreneurs program helping kids form their own small businesses (similar to Junior Achievement, but probably more on an individual basis.)  As time went on she found herself working less with children, but more with small business entrepeneurs and the mission grew to help businesses grow and prosper.  This resulted in the development of the Business Expansion Network at USC in 1991.  From this basis, Esparza again refocused her energies and decided that working with kids had more of her heart and after being instrumental in building a program at USC, she returned to her passion to help kids.

Just because you head in one direction doesn't mean you have to remain the course.  Listen to your heart, listen to your calling, and respond to what is best for you.  This is the way to become a true success!

If you've written a business plan for your business endeavors, please read this informational article from Debra Esparza to see if you have developed a plan that focuses on all aspects of your business, not just the financial side.

Sales Tax - Avoiding Costly Mistakes

There are many responsibilities that come with owning your own business. Depending on the type of business you operate, one responsibility you may have is collecting and remitting sales tax to the State. The Michigan Sales tax rate is 6%. In Michigan, every individual or business that sells tangible personal property to the final consumer must obtain a sales tax license.
This is true regardless of the size of your business, the amount of sales that are made or whether your business has a net profit. This is a pass through tax that is collected from your customers and has no effect on your profitability.


To obtain a sales tax license, an application (Form 518, Registration for Michigan Taxes) should be submitted to the State of Michigan prior to or at the time the business begins. This may be submitted online by completing the registration form found on the State of Michigan website (www.michigan.gov/treasury). There are no fees associated with obtaining a sales tax license.


After completing the registration, you will receive coupons that are to be used when submitting your payments. These coupons are used to make payments for use and withholding taxes as well as sales tax. Sales, use and withholding taxes are due annually, quarterly, or monthly depending on your total tax liability for the year. Below are the annual tax liability thresholds that will determine how often you must file.

• Less than $750 – annually
• Between $750 and $3,600 - quarterly
• Over $3,600 - monthly.

Once a sales tax license has been obtained, you can make purchases for resale without paying sales tax on the items. To get this exemption, you must fill out Form 3372, Michigan Sales and Use Tax Certificate of Exemption, and provide it to the seller.


Due to the economic conditions in Michigan, the need to generate additional revenue has increased in recent years. One way the State is trying to accomplish this is through sales tax audits. The books, records and papers of any person liable for payment of sales tax may be examined by the State at any time. It is important that complete and accurate records of all sales are kept, regardless of whether or not the seller feels the sale is taxable or non-taxable. In the absence of adequate records, the State can use any information available to determine if an underpayment of liability exists. If it is found that additional tax is due, penalties and interest will be assessed on top of the liability. Therefore, it is essential for taxpayers to report the correct tax liability from the start.

This article is intended to provide some basic information regarding sales tax in Michigan. Additional information can be found on the State of Michigan web-site at www.michigan.gov/treasury

This article was submitted by Rhonda Herzhaft, CPA with Conn, Geneva, and Robinson CPA Firm. Rhonda has ten plus years of tax accounting related experience.

Are You A Blogger? Should You Be?

After several holiday vacation days from blogging it is time to get serious about content again.  As we approach 2010 and look for ways to increase the success of our businesses, you might ask yourself the question how can I get my message out so that others know about my products or services.

If you've considered blogging you may wonder about its benefits.

• Writing a blog is like building a brand. 
• Creating articles creates searchable content directing business to your specific niche
• As a teaching tool, you expose others to information they might not have acquired otherwise

An excellent article written by Matt Jackson called 10 Big Benefits of a Busy Business Blog (and How to Take Advantage) is an excellent resource article explaining how blogging might benefit your business.


If you are a blogger, you may wonder how to increase your readership.

• content is king, it is better to write original content than to copy from other sources; however, if you find an excellent source of information available on the Internet as you create a link, make sure you give credit to the author.
• ask relevant questions and create diaglog.  Without diaglog from your readers, it is a one-person show which can easily grow stale.   

If you've been blogging for awhile, you may wonder how do I maintain the readers I've acquired.

An excellent post called 34 reasons why people unsubscribe from your blog might provide some insight.  This article was featured on the blogsite "problogger" in 2007, but remains relevant today.  At that time it received 257 comments.  (not bad dialog.)

You may even wonder, if I have a website, why do I need a blog.  

After researching this question, it appears that having both might be advantagous for a business.  A website may be better suited to "static information" what doesn't require a lot of changes; whereas a blog is all about change with "new content".   There was some interesting dialog connected to this topic related to which blogging tool is best to use.  The top contenders seem to be "Wordpress" and "Blogger" followed by "Blogspot" which gives us new research to do for a future article.

Was this post beneficial to you?  Please leave your comments below.

Website - Design for Success

Have you ever entered a website with high expectations of finding something great only to be completely turned off by background music?



This is one of many mistakes that entrepreneurs make when setting up their websites. Getting someone’s attention, retaining their attention, and getting them to respond in the manner you want can be tricky; however, not so tricky that one cannot master success on the Internet.

The key to creating a successful website is simplicity and ease of navigation. Too much clutter through wordy text, inconsistency in font size and style, and multiple font colors can be very distracting. As you evaluate your own website, review the list below to see if you are adhering to principles of good website design.

1. Aim to capture the attention of your visitor's immediately.

2. Be consistent in your design from page to page.

3. Choose your color scheme wisely. Do you know the message of different colors?

4. Use plain text backgrounds, avoid textures or background designs as each browser will display a website differently.

5. Create contrast between background and font color (white background and black print is the best).

6. Optimize your page so that it loads quickly. A page that takes too long to load will lose visitors.

7. Don't make pages any longer than they need to be. Avoid the need to scroll down to obtain vital information.

8. Don't be afraid of open space. Too much clutter will confuse the message you are trying to share.

9. Create a link to your home page on every page. Do not use "forward" and "back" as you are never certain on what page someone may enter your site.

10. Include contact information on your site. Obtain a post office box if you are concerned about identity theft. Visitors need to know where you are located, especially if you are offering a service. Include a phone number, if at all possible.

11. Don't put a graphic counter on your website. Do you really want your visitors to know the number of visitors you’ve had? Add an analytical software counter that you can view this information through reports. Set objectives so you can determine where you need to place emphasis to obtain a greater market share.

12. Don't clutter your site with banners and advertisements. This will only reduce the uploading speed of your website and cause visitors to move away from your site.

13. Make sure your screen resolution is good in most search engines. Don't forget to look at how your site displays.

14. Verify that all your links work correctly.


15. Check and double check spelling and grammar throughout your site.

16. Never play background music on your site!

17. Avoid overuse of gadgets, page layouts, and a clear message will speak louder to impress your visitors.

18. Make sure that nothing on your website is greater than 3 clicks away from your Home page. A two-click rule to find anything on your site is optimal.

19. Don't indicate that your site is "under-construction"; bring it up when it is ready. An under-construction message does not encourage visitors to come back.

20. Don't use excess BOLD, CAPITAL, or Italic fonts and never underline text, this will only confuse your readers. (Underline typically denotes a link is available.)

21. If you have links, make sure they are visible. A common approach to indicate that a link exists is to use "Blue Underlined" text.

22. Avoid using the text "click to enter" your website, this adds an unnecessary step which wastes your visitors time. The only time this should be used is when you expect your visitors to have a userid and a password to enter.

23. Get others who use the Internet frequently to critique your site and give you some ideas on how to make improvements.

24. Pay attention to the "fold" line in your website. Make sure your pertinent information is placed in the visible area which doesn't required that they scroll down. The "Buy Now" button is the most relevant component of most E-commerce sites.

25. When designing a website, focus on your primary marketing demographic and design it based on their interest, not yours. This being said, the "About Us" content on your website should not take a prominent position on your site. If your visitors are interested in learning about you, they will look for this.

26. Use a font size that is easy to read, the largest consumer group in America is now women born before 1964. Vision can be an issue. Also, electronic gadgets are getting smaller so make sure your font isn’t too large to be viewed on a cellphone.

If you have additional tips, please feel free to include them in the comments section below.

Year End Planning - Record Retention

It’s hard to believe another year is coming to an end. For many, the end of the year is thought of as a time to spend with friends and family during the holidays. However, even though people don’t like to think about it, the end of the year is also an important time to begin preparing for the upcoming tax season.


While gathering the paperwork needed to file the current year’s tax return and beginning to start a new file for the upcoming year, it is sometimes hard to know what information should be kept and for how long. Retaining and storing your income tax records is an important final step of your tax filing responsibility. This article will provide you with some of the rules for keeping your tax records, along with some information on storage options.


First of all, almost everyone knows that tax returns should be kept indefinitely. However, it is not necessary to keep documents supporting an item of income or deduction on a tax return that long. Generally, there are two things that should be considered when determining how long a supporting document should be kept;

1. the time frame over which the IRS can audit the return and assess a tax deficiency, and
2. the time frame you have to file an amended return. For most taxpayers, this period is three years from the original due date of the return or the date the return is filed, if later.

For example, if you filed your 2008 Form 1040 on or before April 15, 2009, the IRS has until April 15, 2012, to audit the return and assess a deficiency. However, if a return includes a substantial understatement of income, which is defined as omitting income exceeding 25% of the gross amount reported on the return, the statute of limitations period is extended to six years.

A good rule of thumb for keeping tax records is to add a year to the IRS statute of limitations period. If you use this approach, you should keep your income tax records for a minimum of four years. However, it may be more prudent to retain your records for seven years, which the IRS informally recommends. State tax rules must also be considered, but holding records long enough for IRS purposes will normally be adequate for federal and state tax purposes, assuming the returns were filed at the same time.


There are certain tax records that should be kept much longer than described above and some, indefinitely. For instance, records relating to the cost basis of property that could eventually be sold, such as investment property and business fixed assets, should be retained based on the record retention period for the year in which the property is disposed. Also, along with tax returns, there are other records that should be kept indefinitely. These records include IRS and state audit reports, business ledgers, financial statements, and corporate records. Attached is a schedule listing some recommended document retention time periods that may be a good reference to keep handy in case you ever have some questions on a certain document.


Even though a document may no longer be needed for tax purposes, keep in mind that there may be non-tax reasons to keep certain tax records. Examples might include documents such as insurance policies, leases, real estate closing statements, employment records, and other legal documents. It’s always a good idea to make sure documents will not be needed for any other purpose before disposing of them.


It’s also important to know that the IRS permits taxpayers to store certain tax documents electronically. Although the rules are aimed primarily at businesses and sole proprietors, they presumably apply to other individuals as well. The rules permit taxpayers to convert paper documents to electronic images and maintain only the electronic files. The paper documents can then be destroyed. However, certain requirements must be met to take advantage of an electronic storage system.


Hopefully this brief overview helps you understand the income tax record retention rules a little better. However, it may be a good idea to seek guidance from an accountant or attorney if you are ever unsure about whether or not a certain document can be discarded.

Recommended Document Retention Time Periods

This article was submitted by Rhonda Herzhaft, CPA with Conn, Geneva, and Robinson CPA Firm.  Rhonda has ten plus years of tax accounting related experience. 

Setting Up An E-Commerce Shopping Cart

Have you ever heard the phrase, or have you ever used the phrase "you don't know what you don't know"? 

I think this is a common phrase uttered a time or two by small business entrepreneurs.  That is why we are always on the look out for good mentors, good books, free classes, and sometimes good articles on the Internet.

Lately I've been trying to learn a little more about e-commerce, driving traffic to my website, creating a simple, clean presentation of my products, and resolve the dilemma of what is the best shopping cart experience I can give my customers without costing an arm and a leg.  I'm sure I'm not much different than any other new entrepreneur faced with this same task.

Making the decision on whether to process credit cards or continue to use a PayPal solution has also surfaced a time or two.  Comparison shopping takes time and how do we know that there isn't a solution we haven't evaluated that would be better than the best we've looked at thus far.

While considering all these questions, I came across a well-written article that provides a great outline of what to look for when considering an e-commerce shopping cart that I will share below.  Although this article was written in 2005, the outline and topic is still very relevant today.   I know that I will answer all the questions in this article before talking with anyone about a lasting solution for my website. 

10 Things You Should Know About Shopping Carts by Robert Speyer was published on the Best Syndication website.

Developing a Press or Media Kit

If you've wondered about getting the word about about your business, products, or services, have you considered developing a press or media kit?

According to an article published  on the website "All Business.Com" the following article lays out the steps to create a press kit for your company.

The article entitled "Developing a Press Kit" highlights five steps to developing your press kit which include:

1. Letter of Introduction - this letter should quickly describe your company and your products or services and provide a compelling reason why it is important for the recipient of the letter to learn more about what you have to offer.
2. Corporate History - this basic information about your company from its founding to the current state should include a brief history, your mission statement, significant goals you wish to achieve and information about the owners.  You may also wish to include photographs if they are relevant. 
3. Single Sheets - this information provides greater details about your products or services and it may include items like business brochures.  Consider including a list of frequently asked questions, your marketing demographic information, and upcoming events (be sure to keep this current if it is included).
4. Press Coverage - include anything positive that has been written about you in the media or outline appearances you have made, CD's or DVD's. 
5. Photos and Other Images - if you have a business logos, product demonstration DVD's or anything that promotes your business in visual form, include it in your press kit.

Remember to keep all this information in order as you may need to access and present it to further the cause of your business, products, or services.  This is your business resume.  Make it as elaborate as you like and provide plenty of information to create an impressive image for your company.

Do you know about Google Alerts?

Do you know about the feature in Google, called “Google Alert”?

You query a topic and ask Google to send you “alerts” any time this topic is discussed in the news, or on the web. These alerts are sent to your email inbox based on the frequency you wish to review them.

Why would I do this?

You might ask, and my response would be, to become better informed about topics that interest you.


As an inventor, it has been important to me to take notice of topics relevant to my business demographic.  It is also useful to see who has discovered you and what is being said.  Often times you may find your own promotion showing up.  This as well can be useful.  You see first hand how well you are presenting your products or business in a sentence or two.  Is you message intriguing enough that others will open and read more about you, your products, or services? 

See what your competitors are doing by setting your Google Alerts to learn how they are being promoted.  The ability to become better informed is endless.


Warning:

It will take a little practice to get the Google Alert set to your liking. When I first used this feature I found my inbox bombarded with emails. I would clear the clutter and refine my search criteria. I also found that reducing the frequency of these updates made it a more useful tool rather than an annoyance.  I would get fewer emails with more content.  Honing in on your own preference is well worth the effort.

You can learn more about Google Alerts by accessing this feature through the attacked link. Setting a Google Alert

If you are currently using Google Alerts and are willing to share how you use this tool, please share comments; it is always good to get more than one perspective.

What is a Trademark

This article has been provided by Jeff Jacobson, JD, LLM (Parmenter O'Toole, Muskegon).  If you have any questions related to this topic, a link to their website has been included below.  Jeff has given 3 Degrees Connect™ Women's network permission to publish this article.  Stay tune to more "expert" articles of this nature in the future.

What is a Trademark?

Trademarks and service marks can consist of names, logos, phrases, colors, sounds, packaging, and even building designs. These items are trademarks if they tend to designate the source of the goods or services sold. However, trademarks can not merely describe the good or service sold. For example, if you sell pens, you can not have a trademark for the name “Pen Company”. The protection provided by a trademark gives you the right to limit the use of marks that are likely to confuse customers as to the source of the goods or services. This means that you can limit the use of a mark that is similar to your mark.

Trademarks are created by use of the mark, and not by registration. This means that you must be using the mark in the sale of goods or services in order to claim rights to a trademark. The first to use the mark has superior rights to such mark. There are advantages for registered trademarks, and you may get superior rights by applying for registration before you start using the mark.

What are the Advantages to Registering a Trademark?


The legal advantages of registration are as follows:

• Constructive notice to the public of your claim of ownership of the mark. In other words, the public is deemed to be on notice of your claim to the right to use of the trademark and exclude others from use;
• Once the mark is registered, you are presumed to be the owner of the mark, and that you have the exclusive right to use the mark nationwide in connection with the goods and services listed in the trademark registration. This means that if your right to use the mark is challenged, a court will require the party challenging you to prove that you are not the rightful owner;
• Triple damages for intentional infringement and attorney fees for clear intentional violations;
• The ability to bring file a lawsuit concerning the trademark in federal court;
• Superior rights to a domain name or similar domain names; and
• The mark will become incontestable (i.e. no one can challenge your right to the mark) after it is registered for 5 years.

The business advantages are as follows:

• People associate a registration with value in a mark;
• People respond better to a demand letter to stop using the mark when the mark is registered;
• It deters people from using your mark or something similar; and
• It can help with marketing your brand (people recognize the ® symbol, and it makes the goods or services associated with the registered mark seem special or better than a competitors goods or services not using a registered mark).

This article was written by Jeff Jacobson, JD, LLM of Parmenter O'Toole
Jeff handles a broad range of matters related to business law, e-commerce, and intellectual property law including all facets of trademark registration and protection and registering copyrights.

Parmenter O'Toole
601 Terrace Street

Muskegon, MI 49440

Jeff Jacobson, JD, LLM

Learn More about Cost Saving Strategies as a Small Business Entrepreneur

Mark Buikema, Trispective, LLC, shared ideas with 3 Degrees Connected Women's network on Thursday evening, October 15th. His advice was to keep things simple and build your Information Technology system as your business grows. He noted that he has worked with clients who felt it was necessary to spend large sums of money on fancy computer technology systems, but who had failed to build their customer base with the same gusto.


Mark has worked with small business entrepreneurs from 1 to 5 employees as well as clients who have 75 to 100 employees. He said that each client is unique in their needs and one size does not fit all. As he was giving advice on how to set up a system that works for your company, he indicated that it would be necessary to look at your specific needs rather than try to recommend a universal system based solely on the size of your company or number of employees. In this discussion he also talked about clients who felt that they had outgrown their current communication (phone) system only to be relieved when he shared the news that their current system could be modified to more closely match with their current needs. He has saved clients as much as $500 a month.


As small businesses, we are often constrained by income. We must closely evaluate what we spend our money on. Mark's message echoed that same philosophy having experience operating his own business for the past 15 years. One thing he recommended is that we periodically look at what we are spending our money on to determine if it is matching with the current needs of our businesses. We should call our cable, Internet, and telephone provider and renegotiate the terms of service, and often times due to competition, the provider will give you a better price. He recommends that we do this as often as every six months.


Mark talked about using a virtual phone system. We need to think outside of traditional means of communication through a phone system which may also include a fax machine. Many services are available over the Internet and many are reasonably priced. Mark talked about his own phone service; for as little as $30 a month, he can run his business without being constrained to an office. Whether he is at Starbucks talking with a client, or driving his car, his customer calls can be forwarded to him without knowledge of his whereabouts. He can also forward calls to several other employees who allow them to work without a specified schedule or location restrictions. Fax machines may also be an option that you can live without. Using a virtual phone system will allow a PDF file to be forwarded through email, the same as a traditional fax machine would have been delivered in printable form to your office. Even a hardcopy document can be scanned into your computer system and sent via email or through your 800-number service.


Women, or really any small business entrepreneur who might be working from home, may find it difficult to shut their business down at the end of the day. Mark indicated that the typical 8 to 5 job that once existed is no longer the norm for businesses today. Using a virtual phone system which you program according to your specific needs can allow you the flexibility of communicating with your customers after normal business hours. When you decide to end your normal workday, your customers can be routed to "live" operators to take your calls. These are all very important things to consider as a small entrepreneur so that your work does not create an unstoppable work environment which doesn't allow you to enjoy an evening with your family.


Thank you to Mark who provided valuable information to us all. Mark can be reached either by phone at 888 825-2001, or through his website which is found on the attached link: Trispective, LLC

Try out his "click to call" method found on his website to learn about one of the available features he has created through a virtual phone system. Mark is married to his wife, Sonya, and a father to two children who have taught him to "keep things simple and have fun."

Branding Discussion - 3 Degrees Connected

Thank you to everyone who participated in our second 3 Degrees-Connected Event held at the beautiful Spring Lake District Library.  I'm humbled by the enthusiasm and the expression of gratitude that I have received as women are uncovering the potential for this organization. Although this organization has only been in existence for a short time, the women with whom I've become acquainted have truly been inspiring and a personal blessing to me.
This organization is bound to make some great connections for our business endeavors, but we also hope that it will help women avoid some costly mistakes when embarking on new business ventures and learning new skills. The advice given within this organization will be the expressed opinion of the individual giving you information; please use each an every piece of advice with wisdom and not as though it was written in stone. It is still important to evaluate what works best for you and your company.

Last evening we asked Sarah Kallio, co-author of the Stocked Kitchen to speak about Branding. Her prior experience in Purchasing and Marketing has provided her with a wealth of insight into this topic, but her diligence and hard work along side her business partner, Stacey Krastin has given them a formula for success. As stated Sarah’s current business is not focused on “branding” products or services; but her wisdom after having developed a brand and then revising it based on accumulated knowledge makes her input a valuable resource to all of us.

Sarah talked about how she and her business partner developed their product and business brand. Although she told a very simple story, a fifteen minute talk could not reveal all the effort it took to develop their strategy. Stacey could tell you about how they uncovered the confusion over their initial product name which made people turn the word “host” into “toast”, so to avoid further confusion they changed their name to “Stocked Kitchen” which involved changing logos, business cards, email addresses, Facebook pages and the list probably goes on and on.


Just picturing Sarah and Stacey sitting cross-legged on the floor of Barnes and Nobles looking at book covers and talking about what they liked and didn’t like, what attracted or repelled their attention, and what they thought would be useful information made me realize how brilliant these gals actually are. The hours they spent writing words, and phrases that came to mind as they discussed their market demographic showed their diligence in getting to the right solution. Sarah indicated that building a brand is not looking at "what colors and fonts" you like, but thinking about your market demographic and what is appealing to them. Sarah talked about large industries and their approach to spending billions of dollars on advertising and promotion. By looking at what these companies have developed, we have a wide array of free information available to us as we develop our brands. Sarah indicated that it is okay to copy someone else, that it only makes sense to leverage your small business off the success of large corporations.

Sarah indicated that as they developed their product line that they chose a broad social-economic approach to defining their demographic. They didn’t want to appeal only to the affluent household, but also to the household that had to consider each and every dollar invested in groceries. They tried to find examples of other companies who appealed to the same demographic. By using the example of “Crate and Barrel”, Sarah was able to show how their marketing strategy matched the ideal they had for their own product line. Not only do you see “Crate and Barrel” products in college dormitories, in expensive lofts in New York City, but also in the average residential households.


Sarah indicated that the approach you take to marketing your own products should not be about "being cleaver" with your taglines, but to be clear with your message. Their tagline, “one grocery list . . . endless recipes”, tells you everything you need to know about their product in under two seconds which is the average attention span of today’s consumer. Sarah and Stacey’s message is clear, but these gals are also cleaver; both Sarah and Stacey’s initials are S.K. which matches the initials of “The Stocked Kitchen”. It makes you think that they are destine to run this business and be a great success.


Sarah and Stacey are both wonderfully talented ladies, and they could tell you as much about publishing a book, or operating a partnership-based business, as they can tell you about branding. The great message here is that these ladies want to share what has worked and not worked for them. They strongly believe in not paying for services that you don’t need and to look within for some of the answers you may be inclined to pay others to muddle up for you. The more informed consumer you are as you approach each facet of your business the closer you will come to the vision you have locked somewhere inside of you.

Thank you Sarah (and Stacey) for speaking about your business endeavors with hopes to help others achieve their own success.

Sarah and Stacey are the co-owners of Stocked, LLC.  To learn more about their products visit their website at http://www.thestockedkitchen.com/

Organizations Designed to Help Small Business Entrepreneurs

Here is a list of relevant organizations established to help the small business entrepreneurs setup their business strategy and/or link you to services that promote business growth and development. The internet links will take you either to an "about us" or a "history" page so that you may learn more about the mission of each organization. Whenever possible I've included a contact name, email address, and contact phone number to help you get "connected" which is our mission.

3 Degrees-Connected™
www.3degreesconnected.blogspot.com
Rhonda W. Geneva
P.O. Box 495
Spring Lake, MI 49456
866 587-2963
rhonda@genevagirlsdesigns.com


(AWE)
Alliance of Women Entrepreneurs
http://www.awe-westmichigan.org/whoarewe.html
Kim Schwamberger
PO Box 68512
Grand Rapids, MI 49516
616-719-5382
info@awe-westmichigan.org

(GLEQ)
Great Lakes Entrepreneur’s Quest
http://gleq.org/gleq.nsf/page1?openview&count=100
Diane Durance
3520 Green Court, Suite 450
Ann Arbor, MI 48105-1579
734 527-9151


(GROW)
Grand Rapids Organization of Women
http://www.growbusiness.org/history.html
Patricia Duthler
25 Sheldon SE
Grand Rapids, MI 49503
616 458-3404

(GRIN)
Grand Rapids Inventor’s Network
http://grinventors.org/GRINpages/AboutGRIN.aspx
Bonnie Knopf
2100 Nelson Avenue, SE
Grand Rapids, MI 49507
grinventors@gmail.com
(IW)
Innovation Works of West Michigan
http://www.rightplace.org/innovationWORKS/
The Right Place
161 Ottawa Avenue, NW,
Suite 400
Grand Rapids, MI 49503-2701
616 771-0325


Lakeshore 504
http://www.lakeshore504.org/
Grand Haven Lakeshore 504
One South Harbor Drive
Grand Haven, MI 49417-1385
Phone: (616) 846-3153
Fax: (616) 842-0379
David Miller, Business Development Manager
dmiller@grandhavenchamber.org

Lakeshore Advantage
http://www.lakeshoreadvantage.com/about.asp
Lakeshore Advantage
201 West Washington
Suite 410
Zeeland, MI 49464
Phone: 616.772.5226
Fax: 616.772.5602
E-mail: info@lakeshoreadvantage.com

Lakeshore Professional Network
http://lakeshorenetwork.com/about.html

Michigan Business – One Stop
http://www.michigan.gov/business
Michigan Business One Stop
Phone: 877-766-1779
Lansing, Michigan


(MIN)
Muskegon Inventor’s Network
http://www.muskegoninventorsnetwork.org/
Irmgard Cooper
c/o IMC PRODUCTS INC
2743 Henry Street, #130
Muskegon, MI 49441-3509

(MISBTDC)
Michigan Small Business and Technology Center
http://www.gvsu.edu/misbtdc/index.cfm?id=DA4EFB52-AD40-75BE-9DCBAC2037FFFDEE
GVSU DeVos Center
Grand Valley State University
Seidman College of Business
401 W. Fulton Street 414C
Grand Rapids, MI 49504
(616) 331-7370

Mommy Millionaire
http://www.mommymillionaire.com/about/


SBA
Small Business Administration
http://www.sba.gov/aboutsba/index.html
US Small Business Administration
409 3rd Street, SW
Washington, DC 20416
1-800-U-ASK-SBA (1-800-827-5722)
answerdesk@sba.gov


SCORE – Grand Rapids
http://www.scoregr.org/
Grand Rapids SCORE
111 Pearl Street NW
Grand Rapids, MI 49503
Phone: (616) 771-0305
Fax: (616) 771-0318
score@grandrapids.org

SCORE - Muskegon
http://www.scoremuskegon.org/
Muskegon SCORE
380 W. Western
Muskegon, MI 49440
Phone: (231) 722-3751
Fax: (231) 728-7251
Score@muskegon.com

(TED)
Technology, Entertainment, Design
http://www.ted.com/pages/view/id/5
Ted Conference LLC
55 Vandam Street, 16th Floor
New York, NY 10013
212.346.9333 Tel.
212.227.6397 Fax.

(UIA)
United Inventors Association
http://www.uiausa.org/Default.aspx?page=93
United Inventors Association
999 Lehigh Station Road
Henrietta, NY 14467-9311
Toll-free (800) 701-8595

(VAGTC)
Van Andel Global Technology Center
http://www.gvsu.edu/vagtc/index.cfm?id=489571DA-B93C-167E-94B562D45701D72E
Grand Valley State University
1 Campus Dr.
Allendale, MI 49401-9403
(616) 331-5000


(WDCC)
Women’s Division – Chamber of Commerce
http://womensdivision.org/
Chamber of Commerce
P.O Box 1665
Muskegon, MI 49443
231-798-4244
memberswdcc@cs.com

Starting a Business in the state of Michigan

According to the website http://www.business.gov/stes/michigan/start.html, there are ten guidelines to starting a business, some of which are legal requirements. I have provided an outline below of steps you will want to take when starting a small business. The website above will go into greater detail for each of these steps to guide you into what is required within the state of Michigan.

1. Research and plan your business – learn about writing a business plan
2. Get business training and expert advice - taking advantage of free training and counseling services in your community.
3. Select a location for your business - get advice about complying with zoning laws.
4. Financing your business – learn about government backed loans, venture capital, angel investors, or grants that may help you get started.
5. Select your business name - file an assumed name certificate with your county clerk’s office.
6. Determine the legal structure for your business - register this with the state of Michigan
7. Get an employer identification number (EIN) which is also known as a federal tax identification number. You can apply for this number online.
8. Register for state taxes - learn about registering for one or more tax-specific identification numbers, licenses or permits including income tax withholding, sales and use tax (seller’s permit), and unemployment insurance tax.
9. Obtain business licenses and permits - to operate legally, most businesses require a business license or permit issued by the state and your local government.
10. Research legal requirements for adding employee – research steps to understand any legal requirements you must take before hiring employees
    
    Go to the link at the beginning of this post to obtain more information related to each step outlined above.

EIN - What Is It?

As a vendor on ETSY and a member of a local sellers group, one member was confused about whether she needed an EIN and why. She already had a sales tax license to collect sales tax on purchases made within the state of Michigan and felt like an EIN was assigned only to businesses that had employees. After reading her question and some of the resulting answers, I felt like it was a good topic for discussion in our women's network.

First EIN is an acronym for Employer Identification Number and is issued by the IRS for the purpose of identifying an organization for tax reporting purposes similar to how a SSN (social security number) is used to identify and individual. If you have filed documents to organize your business whether you are a sole proprietor, corporation, partnership, non-profit organization, trust, estate, LLC, or S-corporation, you should apply for an EIN. Many people who run small E-commerce businesses on sites such as ETSY do not look into legalizing their business through registering with the state. In many cases they use their social security number to report any income they receive. I would caution against this approach. If you are running a business, you really should research what your state requires and follow their requirements to the T.

Obtaining a sales tax license is different than applying for an EIN number; however, once you've applied for an EIN, your sales tax license number will be the same. An EIN is a nine-digit number in the format of 00-0000000 versus the format for a SSN which is 000-000-0000. Based on how the number is assigned the IRS can tell the difference between these two nine-digit numbers. The first two digits in an EIN indicate where the business is located, so if you are in the state of Michigan, your EIN will begin with 26. In larger states where more EIN's are issued, not all numbers will begin with the same two digits. At one time numbers in Philadelphia also started with the same two digits as Michigan businesses.

EIN's will never expire, they are assigned for life, and so once an EIN is assigned to an entity, that number will never be re-used even if the entity no longer exists.

The IRS assigns all EIN's once they have accepted your application. For more information on obtaining an EIN visit the IRS website through this link.