If you are going to start a business, don’t you want to make sure it is profitable? Who cares about revenues if there’s nothing left over after you’ve generated them? Forbes does a great job with the help of Sageworks, a Raleigh, N.C.-based accounting consultancy and private-company data provider, assembling a list of the 10 most profitable businesses–on a pre-tax basis–that  entrepreneurs might want to launch. The data is based on financial statements from nearly 100,000... Read→

Every Business Should Have This Service One of the services EVERY business needs is someone who will give them legal advice. Not their business friend, not their brother-in-law, and not after you need it – but before. If you’re wondering whether a lawyer is worth the cost, the answer is yes.  In my businesses, I need to review contracts, have liability issues, real estate issues, taxes concerns, and sometimes need guidance on what I should do.  For me, anytime I picked up the phone or met... Read→

Low Cost Products and Services www.TechSoup.org One-stop resource for nonprofits to find technology assistance, including software, hardware, and technology planning.  Once qualified with TechSoup, organizations can access almost 450 products and services, including high-quality refurbished hardware and software at a substantially reduced cost from 45 donor partners like Microsoft, Adobe, Intuit, and Symantec. Transparent Reporting and Research http://www2.guidestar.org Guidestar gathers and publicizes... Read→

If you haven’t already, go to 1and1.com and register your own domain. It costs about $7.00  to purchase your domain for a year. If you have been given a domain because you registered as a distributor, instead of the long domain given to you by [COMPANY NAME]. Try to find something you can easily tell someone that they will remember like – [MyChocoalte.com]. Once you have found a domain name, register it and go to the service at 1and1 and forward it to your long [COMPANY] web domain. (The domain... Read→

FaceBook – Personal networking www.facebook.com LinkedIn – Professional networking www.LinkedIn.com Social Networking Explained http://www.youtube.com One of the fast growing segments on the Internet is the community-building sites where like-minded people can network, communicate one-to-many, and share ideas. Look at Facebook, Linkedin, Selfhelp, etc. They are all groups of people linking together with people they like, are interested in, and trust! Understanding what the difference... Read→

This information is for small business owners who would like to be found on the internet and the new smart phones but don’t have a huge budget to pay someone to do it for them. Most small business will likely never be able to justify the ROI of hiring a professional SEO. And quite frankly… most don’t need to. SEO is becoming a very complex and complicated process for many small businesses.  For larger business, hiring a professional SEO makes sense. For a smaller business, on a... Read→

I am finding more and more people who need help understanding how to be found locally. Here are some steps I walk people through. First understand WHO your customers are. Do competitive research on listing services of high ranking sites for your key words that will attract the right types of customers and put them in place. google trends google keyword tool Make sure you have a website and your website is setup properly, easily accessible, and internet search ready. Having setup Google Analytics... Read→

How to set up a Google Business listing Estimated time – 15-30 minutes Cost- Free Benefit – Get your website info found on the first page of Google in your local area for Free. Example of final result: Step by Step Instructions: 1. Visit Google Places. 2. If you already have a Google Account, sign in with your email and password. If you don’t have a Google Account, click Sign up for an account now, or go straight to the sign-up page. Google Places accounts are not transferable,... Read→

A client asked me if she should use Squareup or Intuit’s gopayment. Before I could give her an opinion I had to go out and do my research. Accepting credit card is getting easier these days for small businesses and a great way to ensure that your business can meet the needs of their clients. For a small business, getting approved to be able to accept credit cards and its own merchant account can be difficult. That’s where Paypal, squareup and intuit fill the gap. I’m hoping Paypal will offer... Read→

What a super fantastic unconventional movie. This film will be very enlightening to people who haven’t researched why we are where we are as a species here on planet earth. This is a film that I think everyone should watch who wants to understand what is going on in our world.  THRIVE is a documentary that lifts the veil on what’s REALLY going on in our world. By following the money upstream and uncovering the global consolidation of power in nearly every aspect of our lives, weaving together... Read→

First I need to say I love capitalism – it is a great system .. but right now, there is a lot of talk about  how “capitalism” is evil.   I’m not so sure it is capitalism that is being abused – there are a lot of small businesses, entrepreneurs, non-profits and social enterprises that are doing great things in the world!   Rather,  I think “corporatism” is allowing consolidation of money and power to be so centralized, without any accountability,... Read→

There are three parts to using social marketing to help build your business – A strategy, a campaign and search engines on the internet.  The first step is a Social media strategy. You must have your business easily found by customers these days. People are moving quickly to the internet and smart phones to find services rather than the yellow pages. Business Accounts should be setup at the following: Google Places http://www.google.com/places/ Yahoo Local http://local.yahoo.com/ Microsoft... Read→

BUSINESSES WORTH A LOOK IN 2011 What are the best business opportunities of 2011? As always, those that best meet consumers need! 2011, like 2010, is another year where consumer markets will be dominated by the demand from of baby boomers, so you’ll find that many of the best business opportunities target that group. From medical technology to health products, it’s hard to find an industry not impacted by the boomer population bulge. Here are my predictions for the best business opportunities... Read→

To earn the “certified organic” label, a product cannot contain any GM ingredients, so buying organic foods is the easiest way to ensure your food is GMO-free. This applies even to products labeled “made with organic ingredients,” which must be 100% GMO-free, even if not all their ingredients meet other organic standards. In many groceries, fruits and vegetables are marked with a produce look-up (PLU) code. You can identify different types of produce with the following rules: Conventional:... Read→

YES, you’re eating them. NO, they may not be safe. Our food supply is getting  full of genetically modified foods (GMO) foods that are sprayed with pesticides and more. Are they conventional or organic? Did you know… since 1996 we have been eating genetically modified (GM) ingredients in most processed foods. Did you know… GM plants, such as soybean, corn, cottonseed, and canola, have had foreign genes forced into their DNA. The inserted genes come from species such as bacteria... Read→

Throughout history silver has been used  to fight infections. Colloidal silver is a suspension of the element silver in a solution, usually water.  Silver was used as a medicine starting in the late 1800s. Its primary application was as a topical antiseptic. We use Nature’s Sunshine Silver Shield… We know that silver is nature’s antibiotic, but what about the concerns? What is Silver? Ya, me too…I didn’t know what it was either but I sure glad I know now! This is not... Read→

Why does one  person trust another person? Why would you trust one sales person over another? Trust is a perception and a realization. It’s based on initial feelings and perceptions. Who do you trust? Why do you trust? Who trusts you? Relationships are based on a foundation of trust. Trust is built through interactions over time, words and deeds. They’re based on a past history and past performance. Trust is earned not given, nor assumed. And trust is not earned in a day, it’s earned... Read→

Every day thousands of people are suffering needlessly, receiving only symptomatic relief through the modern disease-care system. Many people are dissatisfied and searching for prevention and alternatives that will lead them to real health and vitality. Unfortunately there is a shortage of trained Preventative Health Practitioners who can show individuals how to use low cost screening tool, simple tests, herbs, and natural supplements effectively. Help end the shortage of skilled preventative health... Read→

The economy and our communities need more local entrepreneurs and successful businesses then ever before. The more successful they are, the better the community. My #1 goal is to help you succeed in your business! I believe that everyone -small business owners, entrepreneurs, homemakers, single parents, and retirees have the ability to make more money through a successful business. We just need to capitalize on technology, our networks, skills and passions. My typical client needs help with... Read→

From the Desk of Dr. Sawyer… Here are Significant Details You Should Know About Soy Products: Fermented soy products are good for you. Examples are Tempeh, Soy Sauce, Nato. FYI: Hexane (a neurotoxin), is a processing agent for many unfermented soy products. Unfermented soy contains isoflavones that are clearly associated with reduced thyroid function. All unfermented soy products should be avoided; they are not good for you. Examples include soy milk, tofu, soybean oil, soy burgers/sausages,... Read→