“I wish they made days that had more than 24 hours in them so I can get all of this done.” If you find yourself saying this too often, it may be time to delegate some of the responsibility for running your business. Though it’s tempting to want to keep your finger on the pulse of every little detail, it becomes more and more difficult as the business grows. If you haven’t seen the recent movie, The Intern, with Anne Hathaway and Robert DeNiro, check it out as an example.

Trying to be everything to everyone can leave you unfocused. You may end up forgetting deadlines or glossing over details because you have so many other things on your plate. You may even be forced to re-do some of your work, adding another job to your ever-growing list. By assigning less executive-level or more routine tasks to others, you free up more time to use on the core aspects of your business. 

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If you’re trying to get your online presence established for your business, you may have come across the name ‘Fiverr.’

The site is one of a new breed of marketplaces that are changing the way things are done online. Similar to other more well-known sites like E-bay and Etsy, Fiverr is an online marketplace, where sellers offer their products and services to potential clients. The site gets its name from the practice of offering a service or “Gig” for an introductory cost of just $5. The reach is global, and the Gigs include copywriting and editing, logo design, video and animation and more. Whatever your needs, the site says, there is likely someone registered with Fiverr who has the skills to do it. 

The Christmas tree has been secured in its box for another year, the tinsel has been taken down and the colored lights are already a fading memory.  Yes, the holidays are over, and it’s time to get serious about your marketing for 2016. Right?

Well, not so fast. For smart marketing people, the holidays are never over. Even though the major ones like Christmas and New Years have passed, there are still plenty of smaller ones throughout the year. Each one of these presents an opportunity for creative marketing.

When you’re a small business owner at tax time, the bottom line is that you want that bottom line to be as small as possible. Here are some tips that can lower your tax liability this year:

• Health insurance. If you're self-employed, you’re allowed to deduct 100% of your health insurance costs covering yourself, your spouse, your dependents, and any of your children under the age of 27 at the end of the tax year. This deduction goes on the 1040, line 29.

As a business owner, you may attend seminars on how to move your product, watch videos on leadership, or listen to audio books on the Zen of being a Mom & Pop shop—but do you know where to find the resources for when and how to file Form 1099-Misc?

Often business owners think they know all there is to know about the 1099 Misc, and sum it up with “I only have to file one if a worker earns over $600.” While that is true, 1099s also need to be issued when you’re paying attorneys over $600, and paying rents to property owners for business space. You can read all about these other items in the 1099-Misc instructions on IRS.gov at your leisure, but for now let’s take a look at the form as far as your workers are concerned.

As you stare at the sinister stacks of papers piled up on your dining room table, you wonder: how long would it take me to locate my car title, the warranty on my air conditioner, and all the papers I’ll need to support my 2015 tax return?

How do you keep track of your important documents? Are they properly filed and labeled or are they sitting there like Mount Everest daring you to tackle them? While each of us has our own way of organizing our paperwork, it's not uncommon to be confused as to what papers we should keep and how long we should keep them. Here's a guide to help you decide what to save and what can meet its end in your shredder:

There’s a knock on your door. You walk past the leftover confetti on the floor from your New Year’s Eve party the night before, past the Christmas lights still blinking serenely on the mantle and go see who it is. In the back of your mind you already have an idea. As you turn the knob and open the door, you’re not really surprised. After all, you’ve been planning this visit for months.  

Yes, 2016 has come to see you. Are you ready for it?

Seriously?? You own a small business and you don’t have a membership site? Learn 7 reasons why you should reconsider and stop leaving money on the table and customers by the wayside — check out my latest article in GKIC's No B.S. Marketing Letter…

There are infinite ways to use a membership site. In previous articles, we talked about ways to externally use membership sites to make your business better. Have you thought about using one internally to improve your employees experience and productivity?

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FuseDesk was built for Your Business, Your Support Team, and Your Customers. With FuseDesk, it’s easy to get the key insights into how well your team is doing, delightful for the support team to use, and fast for customers to get care.

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JoomFuse has changed the rules of membership management. . . forever.

Joomla! + Infusionsoft = JoomFuse! JoomFuse integrates your Joomla! website with your Infusionsoft to content access and membership status, hands-free for you!

Manage infinite levels of paid (or free) membership using JoomFuse to integrate the automation of Infusionsoft with the power of Joomla. You control who gets access to what content... and when. JoomFuse manages access and action triggers for you, driven by Infusionsoft tags. No more duct-taping third-party software programs to try to get what you need to manage your membership (subscription) programs. Now you can sleep at night knowing it's taken care of for you.

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Yes, your membership site can make you more of the expert! All things being equal, people buy from who they know, like and trust. Use your membership site to increase your authority and therefore your level of perceived trust.

Increasing Authority

My mentor Dan Kennedy councils that as your reputation grows you move from charging for what you do to charging for who you are. Charging for who you are can command much higher fees. Well known marketer Frank Kern said last year, “Positioning, most importantly positioning yourself as an authority, is the single most important thing you can do increase your perceived value to the market place.”
 

Note: This article launches our January tax series and is intended to be generally informative. You should always consult your tax professional or attorney for questions specific to your own situation.

“One of these things is not like the others...”

Many of us remember this song from shows like Sesame Street or maybe from one of our elementary school teachers. And it is usually accompanied by a pile of triangles, squares and circles in different colors for us to sort out. Like those shapes and colors, businesses come in different shapes and sizes, too. There are several basic ways businesses are organized.