Business Discussions

I am preparing for QBOnline QuickBooks Certified User Online for December 2020.Some questions regarding online proctored QuickBooks Certified User exam: 1. Is there retake exam fees if I failed for the first time? US$ 149 testing fess will be used to cover how many free attempts? 3.Which type of books I can use during the exam if I am taking exams at home, online proctored? 4. How long  the test will be?50 mins or 66 mins? Thank you,

Hello Community! I hope this week has treated you well so far (and continues to do so). Before you head out for the day I wanted to talk about something that may come in handy during the upcoming gift-giving season. What is that you ask? It's a Spending and Savings Plan. Here are some pointers to keep in mind.     A spending and saving plan is very similar to a budget, which is intended to help you outline where income is earned and where expenses are incurred. When this plan is implemented as a tool to help you reach your financial goals, it can be used as a road map of sorts to monitor spending and show you appropriate methods for saving. Sounds like a win-win!   The first and foremost thing to remember when it comes to creating your plan is balance. Now that doesn't necessarily mean you're spending half of your income, and saving the other half. This more commonly means the amount is split in a few different percentages among spending, saving, donating or giving. Ev

Hello QuickBooks Community!!!! We are back again with another small business interview, but this time we will be taking a road trip to Pensacola, Florida. Here we can find the beautiful white sandy Pensacola Beach, a lot of history and adventures but also Harry Stanley III. A local entrepreneur with his marketing company called Spire Marketing. Just a brief history, he started this business in March of 2019 with the aim of helping small business owners from website creations to logos and so much more. I highly encourage you to check out his website and Instagram page @Spire_Marketing for more information about his business and services. Without further ado, here's how the interview went.   What is your business about?   Spire Marketing was created to help small business owners take their business ideas and turn them into a reality. From creating a website and logo to identifying your target market and developing a marketing strategy, Spire Marketing has you covered! &nb

Did you know that the average American spends about $1000 a year during the holidays?   It's easy to let control of your budget slip a bit this time of year, but if you are anything like us, you are probably looking for a few ways to keep costs down this holiday season.      Here are some of the ways that the team are keeping an eye on spending this year:   ++++++   @LisaNullar  I have a few different ways that I monitor my holiday budget, but my biggest change came a few years ago when I switched over to only buying presents for my immediate family (mom and sister,) and for the kids in my life - generally a mix of cousin's children and my friends' kids who I see the most.   This helped keep my holiday budget smaller, and let me focus on presents for the ones who still get that huge thrill of opening presents on Christmas day.      Instead of presents, I usually invite my friends out to lunch/brunch sometime in December,

"You must expect great things of yourself before you can do them." -Michael Jordan   Happy Friday, Community friends! The quote I mentioned above is pretty motivational for life in general, but today I wanted you to think of it in the context of pitching your product. Specifically to a retail store. I read an article from uschamber.com  about how to pull off a successful sales pitch. Here are some points they listed:   The benefits and challenges of pitching big retailersGetting your product on the shelves of bigger retail stores doesn’t just happen. There's a lot of work and complexity behind these arrangements and negotiations. If you haven't considered this path before, here are a few smart reasons to start pitching your product to a retailer:• Greater sales volume. The more stores and area your product is covered in, sales are guaranteed to increase.• Customers can see and experience your product in person. Having your product displayed in a physical location i

Happy Wednesday, QuickBooks Community, and yes, we can finally say Christmas is making her way down the aisle. In the spirit of Christmas and gift-giving, we should always remind employees how much of a gift they are to the company. In my opinion, most businesses are successful when employers take the time to appreciate their employees. Something as simple as giving a gift card, sponsoring breakfast or dinner goes a long way or developing their skill-set. Today, I would like to share with you ways to encourage your employees.     Trust them with more responsibilities.You can encourage employees by giving them more tasks at hand. It shows them that you believe in them and trusts that they would do a fantastic job. Even if they make a mistake, which we are all humans, still encourage them. Also, verbally saying I trust you to do this builds up their confidence.    Share their accomplishments and abilities with others.When someone spoke about you and mentioned how gre

  Good afternoon Community!  I chatted with a good friend of mine, Hannah Sowards, who recently made one of her most favorite hobbies into a business. In June of this year, Hannah started @Hfotos. She offers a variety of photography sessions consisting of family portraits, headshots, engagements, weddings, and so much more. Here's how our conversation went...   • What would you like for people to know about your business?  This business was formed on the difference, and beauty’s each individual.  It’s @HFotos’ goal to catch that uniqueness in a way that will make them fall in love with their self.   • Do you have a certain daily routine that sets you up for success? If yes, what is it?  Everyday I do my research for different poses, different locations, and create a playlist for the shoots I have coming up.  For example, if I have a couple shoot, I’ll play music that the couple likes to ease their nerves and help set the vibe. &nb

  Since 2012, the first Tuesday in December has been recognized as "Giving Tuesday," a global movement that encourages people to do good things for their communities and the world.  Traditionally the day is celebrated by donations to charitable groups, but there are almost limitless ways to join the movement.    If you aren't familiar with Giving Tuesday, this post will offer some resources and things to keep in mind as you participate.       Donating money The Giving Tuesday website has a list of resources to help you find the perfect organization to donate to.   I personally tend to use the Charity Navigator site as it lets you search by name, region, or keyword, but any site in the resource list will help you find a nonprofit group to donate to.         Pro Tip: Check to see if your employer offers donation matching, if they do you can make even more of an impact with your donation dollars!     Donating

  With the holiday retail apocalypse upon us, many employers -- especially those in customer-facing businesses and in retail -- will be hiring temporary employees to get their companies through this crazy time of year. Hiring new people isn’t always an easy undertaking. There are job ads to place, interviews to conduct, onboarding and training to oversee, payroll updates … the list goes on. We understand the irony of taking on all the extra work of hiring new employees in order to lighten your workload by … yep, hiring new people.   We’re here to help with some quick tips for hiring high-quality temporary help over the the next few months so you can have a jolly holiday and a happy New Year!   1. Good help doesn't have to be hard to find   You may be tempted to go cheap on the job listing fees since you’re hiring temporary workers, but know that you will attract high quality employees if you spend a little cash to find them. An ad placed with a site like ZipR

Welcome to the Talk About Your Business segment! As we approach Thanksgiving tomorrow, I found it fitting to ask a few family members what they have been thankful for in 2020 despite all the changing environment and share it with you. Here's what they had to say:   Joshua, my little cousin,  mentioned how he is thankful for his mother because she makes the best food. Of course, he would say something like this because he loves his food.   Adreana, my other cousin, mentioned that she is thankful for her sister. The reason being,  whenever she is sad, her sister comforts her and plays with her. Also, when she gets in trouble, her sister is always there to defend her.   My aunty expressed that she is thankful for even being alive today. She mentioned that she is grateful for her husband, who gives her literally everything she needs. And mostly her family, for being a strong support system, especially during her health issues.   My sister explained how she is

  When asked, Desiree will tell you that she "makes custom made crafts, for loved ones, special events and home", but that is really just part of the story. In a world where more and more businesses are trying to focus in on a specific market, Desiree is more of a generalist. Her niche is that she doesn't have a niche. She will design and make everything from wooden signs to banners and party decorations and even wedding decor, all customized for you. Business Name: DEZigns Where can you find it: Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/DesireesDEZigns Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/desireesdezigns/ Etsy - https://www.etsy.com/shop/desireesdezigns/   How did DEZigns get started? I have always been crafty, and I enjoy making things with my hands. It started with friends or family seeing something they liked and asking me if I could make it for them. My usual response was "I don't know how yet, but I can figure it out!"  And as I started trying to recrea

    It's an understatement to say that getting paid is important to a small business owner because it's super important! We count on our revenue to keep the whole operation afloat, to pay bills and to pay employees and ourselves.    So, how do you process payments from your customers? Do you use Square, PayPal, Apple or Google Pay, Venmo, Elavon, checks, or something else? What would you recommend using to someone just starting out in your business?   Let us know in the comments below...

We've reached the time of the year where the holiday season is coming in fast and time is becoming a more and more valuable - and rare - commodity.  So we thought we'd check-in and see what everyone's tips and tricks are for multi-tasking.       ++++++ @CoreyDenis1 In a digital world, there is often a misconception that digital tools enable massive amounts of multi-tasking, because so many tools (or tabs & windows) can be opened and utilized simultaneously.   The hard truth about multitasking is that there’s no such thing. Dividing focus is not focus, it’s a method of ongoing distraction and can result in a lesser quality of work across tasks rather than the highest quality work, focused on one outcome.   To do my best work, I focus on priorities, one at a time. Much like Ami, I use the Pomodoro method to organize my time. One of the most used apps on my phone is an app which sets my Pomodoro Method timer: 50 minutes of focus, 10 minutes to get u

Hey there, friends! It's your weekly Friday edition of the Business Discussion page. I hope you've had a great week so far, and I wanted to finished up this workday before switching over to weekend mode with an article I read earlier. This post was shared on Forbes.com and discusses three things to know before turning your passion project into a full-time commitment. Let's break it down...   Details Matter There are so many details and aspects that go into starting a business. Thinking about them all before diving in can be crucial to your success. However, I believe most entrepreneurs would admit there are a few things they didn't think about when starting their business. Product and/or a service to sell and location, whether it be physical or online are given, but there's more. "For starters, entrepreneurs have to think about their financial goals and how to fund their business. How much will you need to start the business? How will you secure those funds? How much w

Happy Wednesday, and welcome to the Talk About Your Business page. It is the middle of the week, and I could use some motivation. How about you? Today's post is going to be sweet, short, and to the point. I decided that I would share some motivational quotes to keep you going. Here are a few of my favorites:   "If the window of opportunity appears, don't pull down the shade." - Tom Peters.   "I have not failed, I've just found 10,000 ways that don't work."- Thomas Edison.   "If an opportunity doesn't knock, build a door"- Milton Berle.   "The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing."- Walt Disney.   "Success doesn't come from what you do occasionally. It comes from what you do consistently."- Maria Forleo.   "Don't worry about being successful but work towards being significant, and the success will naturally follow"- Oprah Winfrey.   So the question of the day is, What is your favorite inspirational business quote? And what a

 Is it ever too early to start counting down for Christmas? I think not! We are only 37 days away! How exciting is that!   Welcome back to the Talk About Your Business segment, and I hope you are having a wonderful day. Today, I wanted to share a few pieces of life advice that will hopefully brighten your day. Here are a few of my favorites and what they mean to me:   "Always stand up for what you believe in, even if no one stands beside you."   I will admit that this can be hard and discouraging in certain situations, but always be true to yourself and do the right things despite the consequences you may encounter.    "Focus your efforts on lifting people up, not putting them down.”   You never truly know what someone is going through. We have moments where we feel very low and sometimes very high. It is important to be kind and show compassion to everyone, including the despisers.   "Don't spend so much time plotting the path that you forget t

Good morning my QuickBooks Community friends, and how are you? Today I wanted to introduce you to our new series called "The People In Your Neighborhood". This series will be centered on interviewing local and international small businesses and sharing their business journey.       I would like you to join me in this adventure as we travel over to the beautiful island of Antigua and Barbuda. Do you have your passport ready? Let's go!   We will be interviewing the lovely Remy Richards, a friend, and a recent entrepreneur, as she discusses her journey.   Just a little background about her business, it is located in the heart of the island, which is St. John's, Antigua. The name of her company is Just A Deal, which began in March 2020. The type of business she operates in is strictly electronics but has goals to expand. You can view her business page on Facebook called Just A Deal 268. Here is what she had to say:   What would you like for people to know ab

No matter which video conferencing tool you use, the idea of “Zoom fatigue” is one that has been on people’s mind more and more lately. With the move for many to work/school/everything from home, chances are that your virtual calendar has become much busier the past few months, and you may be feeling the effects.   So what is it, exactly? Basically, it comes down to the fact that while video conferencing is a great way to keep in touch, it does require more effort on your part than traditional in-person meetings. There are more distractions to pull your focus; your brain has to work harder to pick up on nuances in tone, you see your own face on video and become hyper-aware of your microexpressions, technology issues can cause distractions when you can’t hear someone or there is an annoying echo whenever you speak, and let's not forget about the random walk-ons from pets, children, significant others, etc. And on top of all that, you have to pay attention so that you don’t miss out

Well, ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the first Friday of November! Can you hear the Christmas bells already? Haha, just playing; let's get through Thanksgiving first. Thank you for joining us here in the Business Discussions. Today, I found an interesting article by SmallBizTrends that addresses warning signs a deal will fall through. I want to share with you my top 4 indicators from the list.      Inconsistent CommunicationInconsistent interactions and no strategy are indicators of problems waiting to happen. Everyone should know that communication is the key to any situation, especially when making important decisions. If there is an issue where the client is continually shifting route or otherwise unable to make a decision, don't waste your time and money.   Lack of CollaborationOne thing to observe is the lack of cooperation. If the partner is not involved and does not include you in potential future plans, they are uninterested. A good business partner would

Welcome to the Talk About Your Business discussion!  This week I have been doing some training sessions, and it got me thinking that I should pose this to question to you guys. Do you believe training sessions are practical?   Training sessions are a regular part of businesses for many companies. Some types of training sessions, such as those covering safety practices, are often undertaken to meet legal requirements and now more than ever protocols for this pandemic. Other types of training are undertaken to improve employees' skillsets resulting in higher company performance. The key to creating lasting change in your company is not merely putting on employee training but also doing these sessions effectively. That brings up the question, what are some steps to make training sessions more effective? Well, let's find out!   Be ConciseA training session should only be long enough to cover what needs to be taught. If it can be done in two half-day sessions, do not stretch

   

   

   

Yabba Dabba Do and happy Friday to you, my  Community comrades! I am so sorry I have not been able to get the Flintstones out of my head after seeing a meme about it and can't stop saying the famous phrase. Moving right along... Quick question though, do you have insecurities validating your business ideas before you execute them? I most certainly have! During conversations with friends, there would be times where I would communicate my ideas but rarely act on them. Today, I found a gem from Medium on how to validate them. Let's see what they had to say.     Check if there is an existing market.The author states, "If nobody else is offering the product/service you're thinking about, it's pr

Hello,   What CRM do you use to keep track of your clients? And how do you like it? I'm looking for the way to have all info about clients in convenient way and to get reminders about upcoming deadline. I do not need to increase my sales and keep records about phone calls.  Thank you in advance for your thoughts!