Business Discussions

Hi, friends! Thanks for joining me on this lovely Wednesday. It's great to have you back here on the Talk About Your Business board. There are a variety of topics to explore in this space, but today I want to focus on the customer-business owner relationship.     Connecting with your customers and establishing a relationship is a crucial aspect of business ownership. Connected customers tend to become repeat customers, which ultimately leads to success. I think this point can be easily overlooked, since business owners tend to focus on other points like marketing and advertisements. However, established customers don't visit your store or make purchases because of an ad they saw. They come back because they want to, because they consider themselves your friends, and because they fully support your business.   So now that we know how important the customer-business relationship is, you may be wondering how you can improve the association. Here are a few ideas to keep in

We're having fun with a lighter topic this week... superpowers!  Everyone has thought about it at some point, so we asked the Community team to tell us what powers they would love to have.       ++++++   @Ami_D, Community Moderator In a world that keeps a pretty fast pace, I would want the superpower to slow or stop time.   Imagine the scene: Halting time in the middle of a thunderstorm to touch the raindrops and admire the lightning frozen in the sky. Or slowing time to extend a long, fun weekend spent with family or friends. Even just an extra few minutes to enjoy my morning coffee is a superpower worth having to me!   For similar reasons, time travel is also tempting. Getting to relive happy or exciting moments, in my life or through history. But, I just don’t trust myself not to mess up the space-time continuum.           ++++++   @CoreyDenis1, Social and Community Senior Manager Every time this question comes u

    Ever pondered this 18th-century conundrum: “If a tree falls in the woods and no one’s around to hear it, does it make a sound?” Well, here’s a new version of the question, restated for folks who work for themselves: “If you’re open for business but no one’s buying, are you actually in business?”   Ouch!   Rather than think too hard on this brain-straining riddle, we’re here to offer up some strategies to ensure a steady stream of satisfied buyers are keeping your business not just open but booming. Maybe you’ve already read our checklist for getting ready for customers and our post about three key customer insights to help you build a better business. Now you’re ready to explore the next level of ideas and actions around growing and expanding your customer base.   Fact: A repeat customer is your cheapest (and best!) customer   Did you know you’ll spend five times more money attracting a new customer than you would satisfying an existing one? It’s not

Good Friday afternoon, Community! It's great to have you back here in the Business Discussion space. Before you head out for the day and switch over to weekend mode, I wanted to share a write-up I found on businessinsider.com. This particular article covers seven ways to surpass being just a good entrepreneur, to being a great one. Here are a few points mentioned...     Figure out first what you most want to achieve in lifeYou may have to dig a little deeper than you think to find the answer to this one. Do you want to be a work-aholic on the constant pursuit of more money, or are you looking to be successful with a balanced work-life balance spent with family and friends? Maybe you're somewhere in the middle, and that's ok too! Just make sure you're after your version of success and not somebody else's.   Stop dreaming about your passion and start acting on itAt the end of the day, month, year, don't you want to be able to say, "Wow, I remember when I did ____!" r

"Good business leaders create a vision, articulate the vision, passionately own the vision, and relentlessly drive it to completion." -Jack Welch   Happy Happy Wednesday, and thank you for joining us here in the Talk About Your Business discussion. Today, I wanted to share some tips about creating and communicating your vision while being an active listener and motivated. Without further ado, let's dive in!     As business owners, establishing where you'd like your business to go and how you expect to get there is an excellent first step to make when creating a vision. This is of paramount importance because you can't lead if you have no sense of direction. Once you have created that vision, the next step would be to bring the image to life and relay that information to the rest of the team so that the entire organization is on board with the plans to move forward.   Now that the vision is set. What are the ways to communicate and pitch this plan eff

What day do eggs hate most... Fry-day? Ok, ok, I know that was very cheesy, but welcome to the best day of the week. Happy Friday, my Community friends! I hope you are looking forward to a weekend of relaxation. Before you close up shop, I wanted to share an article by Forbes about three important metrics your business needs to track. Well, let's see what they had to say, shall we?   Marketing reach Marketing reach helps you better understand your customers, for example, who will purchase your product, and who is your target market, to list a few. You can use followers on social media or people who have engaged with your website or email subscriptions for your metrics. This will let you know if you are marketing skills are paying off. An important thing to note is your conversion number. If it is too low, more planning and different strategies would need to be implemented. The author mentioned this example. If you reach 1 million and expect .01% conversion, this is

Hello All! I am Quanteya Crowell owner of QC Financial Services, LLC. I am a realtor and tax professional. I earned my Master degree of Business Administration in 2013, bachelors degree in Liberal Arts in 2009. I have experience working in the banking and hedge fund industry. In 2013, while residing in New Jersey, a friend of mine mother, owned a childcare center, asked for my help with a tax issue her business encountered. I was still working full time as an accountant. However, I wanted more people experience. I enjoy working and helping people. Unfortunately, I had little experience directly with the IRS or tax liability. However, I knew accounting and I love research. After intense research on case studies and contacting the IRS I was able to resolve her tax issue. I became her accountant, she was my first client. She is still a client I work with regularly. Fast forward to 2015 my family and I moved to Georgia. The companies that I was servicing in New Jersey still

Hi Community friends! And welcome back to the Business Discussion board. Do you ever feel there are certain times throughout the year where your business and sales may fall into a bit of a slump? I feel like that time may be now, with the weather cooling off and not as many people being out and about. It also seems par for the course with how the rest of 2020 has been. Today, I want to share a few ways to get out of the rut.   Storefront Face-liftIf you have a brick and mortar store, maybe it's time for a refreshing redo. Since I started working from home, I quickly grew tired of the same old view of my living room area. My husband and I decided that after having the same setup for 4 years, it was time to redecorate! While it isn't a business, the new and improved atmosphere of the space really produced some positive vibes. I'm willing to bet the same would happen for you and your business with some simple updates.Mystery BagsThis idea came from one of my favorite local boutiques

"Despite being the first stage of the sales funnel, prospecting is one of the most challenging tasks for sales representatives. Generating prospects is often time-consuming and it certainly isn’t as rewarding as closing a deal, which means it’s not uncommon to postpone this task until it absolutely has to be done. However, with the right strategy and commitment, salespeople can refine their sales skills and learn how to identify promising prospects quickly."Hi, friends, and happy Friday to each of you! Thanks for joining me for another entry here in the Business Discussion space. As we cruise toward the weekend, I wanted to share a business write-up I read earlier. This article was presented by USChamber.com and covers strategies to start prospecting sales to grow your business, which is always a good thing! Shall we take a look? Utilize social networkingI've said it before, but here I am to say it again. Social media is your friend and can be a great tool when it comes to g

It's Friday once again, we made it! I hope you all are ready for the weekend. I'm hoping to spend some much needed time with my family and just relax. I think we all need a little more of that, don't you? Anyways, today as I was reading through some articles, I found one from Forbes.com that discussed how to determine who your key customers are. After reading the post, I figured this was great info any business owner would love to know. Here's what the article had to say...   Take InventoryNow, I know what you're thinking. But this is actually a different kind of inventory. In this first step, the writer suggests taking inventory of your customers. In this process you'll be making a list of each and every customer group. This is also referred to as market segmentation.   Segment CustomersOnce you made your list, it's then time to breakdown each group further, into segments: Key Customers: "These are the people and groups that you see align perfectly (or a

  Is your business growing faster than your systems can cope?  If your business processes are starting to hold you back, join business and bookkeeping experts Lynda Artesani and Matthew Fulton to find out how a few simple changes could have an immediate impact on the growth of your business.        And if you are looking for more like this, make sure to check out our Ask the Expert playlist on YouTube.      

Hey there, Community! Thanks for joining me again in another Business Discussion. In my area, the transition to the fall season is happening quicker than I expected. The temperature was in the low 40s when I woke up this morning! As the season changes, now may be a good opportunity to make some small changes to your business. Focusing on several smaller changes can help you and your customers both feel refreshed. Here are a few ideas to consider...   Community OutreachIf you aren't already, one small (yet very impactful) change to make is to participate in some form of Community outreach, and then make it a habit. There's plenty of room for creativity here. One way to help in your Community would be to rally your employees after work or on a weekend and do a park clean-up project. You could advertise the event in your store and on social media and invite customers to participate with you. Another idea is to hold a food drive with all of your employees bringing in non-perishable f

  Dealing with late payments from a client or customer is simply no fun. And when your client is a chronic offender, financial tardiness is more than just annoying. Consistently late payments can severely curb your cash flow and put your whole business at risk.   Good news is your invoice can be a powerful tool of persuasion when it comes to addressing the late-payment plight. These five strategies related to invoicing and more can help keep your cash coming in.   Send your invoices on time. We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again. Nothing gets you paid faster and more reliably than sending your invoice as soon as it’s due. Whether your payment cycle is weekly, monthly or something else entirely (50% payment upfront with the rest when the project is done? Great!), stick like Velcro to your agreed-upon schedule.   Negotiate terms up front. Speaking of payment schedules, make sure you and your client agree to one during your initial contract negotiations. Put al

  "It takes as much energy to wish as to plan"  ~ Eleanor Roosevelt   A quick internet search will show that being more organized can help you be more productive at work.  And there are endless ways to go about it, so many in fact, that it can be a little overwhelming.   By sharing our tips and tricks for organizing, we hope that you will find something that resonates with you.        ++++++   @CoreyDenis1, Social and Community Senior Manager Everything I needed to know about organization, I learned from Schoolhouse Rock. Specifically, the song “3 Is a Magic Number.” I didn’t realize it during childhood, but the magic of three would become my secret sauce to prioritization.   I’m a to-do list kind of person, but I have found when I include personal to-do items with work related to-do items, I am more easily stressed and a lot less organized. Every morning, coffee in hand, I make 2 to-do lists. One is for work, the other

As Gratitude Week comes to an end, I ask you to step outside the box and put a connotation to the word. The dictionary tells us that Gratitude is the quality of being thankful, and readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness. Simply put, it’s the warm, fuzzy feeling you get when you’re happy to know a person, humbled to be in a place, or glad to have a thing. It’s the definition’s latter half that I find most interesting: readiness to return kindness. If kindness breeds gratitude, and gratitude breeds kindness, are they really any different? I’d argue they’re one and the same. Every end is a beginning, and every beginning is an end, it’s a nonstop chain reaction!   Chemistry teaches us that reactions require a catalyst, or energy input to kick things off. ‘Get the ball rolling’, so to speak. That energy will remain in motion until it meets resistance. Think of it like a chain of cars in a fast-food drive-thru, where one car pays for the order behind it. The trend co

Good Thursday afternoon! As you may have noticed, we’re celebrating Gratitude Week. With that, today I wanted to share a little about the people, a place, and thing I’m grateful for and ultimately get me through my day. PeopleTo put it simply, my people! My people are my husband and two year old son. My husband, Nathaniel, is let’s just say what husband material is made of. He’s strong, supportive, really handsome, and somehow puts up with my nonsense. Not to get too mushy but he’s my best friend and I really don’t know what I’d do without him. Then there’s our two year old, Rhett. Now Rhett, he gives me a run for my money! As you can imagine, he’s rowdy, adventurous, wild, silly, hilarious, and so much more. His smile is always a great reminder to be my best, everyday.PlaceI'm from a small town in Southwest Virginia. So my place I'm grateful for is this region in general. On my profile, I've added a beautiful picture of what our area is best known for - the Appalachian Mountains. I'm

Welcome back to the Talk About Your Business  page! Happy Wednesday, and I hope you guys are having a productive day! I was wondering, how do you show your customers your appreciation? I know some businesses do this in the form of thank you letters or emails. However, have you ever thought about showing your appreciation through your social media?   By now, we all know that social media has been effective in communicating with customers. If you have any updates, new merchandise, or a sale, this is an excellent means of sharing information. I recently followed a small business profile on Instagram, and lately, they have been doing "Customer's Appreciation" posts. They created a poster with the customer wearing their product and their testimonial of what they thought. I thought this was a neat idea and a great strategy to increase brand awareness and display your product or services.   This could be a grand gesture to incorporate into your social media platform.

Hey there, my Community people! While I was grabbing some breakfast and gathering my thoughts on today's post, the term Kindness came to mind. I decided to go on an adventure and ask each member of my family what act of kindness have they done this week.     The first person I asked was my aunty. She mentioned that she made little potted plants to distribute to her neighbors. She said that when she gave them the plants, their smiles made her smile. She revealed that it warms her heart to see how much they appreciate it.   I asked my little cousin next what act of kindness has he done this week. He expresses that he shared his peanut butter cookies and honey bun with me was his act of kindness. He stated, "This made me happy to share my snacks with you."   My uncle was next on the agenda. His act of kindness was that he helped an elderly couple by getting a scooter and brought it to their car, to help them get into the store. He said when they said, "Thank

“Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.” ~Robert Brault     World Gratitude Day began rather simply, with a gathering of people deciding that there should be one day out of the year that the entire world could express gratitude and thanks together.    The driving idea behind this being that by starting with one day of mindful gratitude, you can begin to develop a habit of expressing gratitude and thanks regularly.     It's been shown that practicing gratitude regularly has a positive effect on the chemistry of your brain.  And in a year filled with constant change and challenges, being grateful for the things that we have can help us deal with the things that we can't control.        I'm a big fan of using post it notes as reminders - my walls are all white, so I often leave a bright pink or electric green note when I want to make sure I see something.  I'm going to s

Hello, hello and happy Friday! Did anybody catch my attempt at a movie reference in the title? Anybody? No? Ok... moving on. Earlier this week I read an article presented by Entrepreneur.com covering some great tips on how to reduce business debt. I don't know about you, but these kind of pointers are always welcome. Let's take a look.   Identify ‘good’ vs. ‘bad’ debtFirst things first, begin by evaluating your checkbook with the mindset that not all debt is going to be bad. The article provides a great example of how you can identify good and bad debt: "For example, if a company has a significant amount of liability associated with the ownership of an office space, that could be considered good debt due to the long-term benefit of potential appreciation and taxable offset opportunities. If a large portion of a company’s current debt is associated with revolving credit not backed by collateral (e.g. credit cards), that is likely something to identify."Tack

Learn common accounting terms used in QuickBooks.  You don't need a degree in accounting to keep up with your bookkeeping. However, it's good to know basic terms so you understand what goes on behind the scenes in QuickBooks.    Here are the basic accounting terms you'll see in QuickBooks.    A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z    A   Accrual Method Accounting   The simple definition: An accounting method that reports money from completed as well as pending transactions.   Tip: When you start your business, you should pick one accounting method and stick to it. Changing methods will require help from your accountant.    Textbook definition: With the accrual method, you record and report your income and expenses when they’re billed. You record money when it's billed, whether or not you receive it. This includes accounts pa

  Having the right bank account for your small business can make all the difference when it comes to making money work harder and faster for you.     Join the Ask the Expert live Q&A this Thursday. We’ll share tips on the benefits of integrating banking and accounting.        And if you are looking for more like this, make sure to check out our Ask the Expert playlist on YouTube.  

In our first Community Chatter installment, we shared some of our work from home hacks, and this week we are taking the next step and sharing pictures of our workspaces.    With so much going on, it's more important than ever to have a dedicated space that is relatively free from distractions and lets you focus on being productive.   It's even better if your space is comfortable and out of the way, but as this year has shown time and again, sometimes it's all about being adaptable and using what you have to create what you need.     There is no "one true way" to set up your work from home space, after all, someone who lives in a studio apartment will not have the same issues as a mother of four living in a 3 bedroom house.  And as you'll see below, (and in our Intuit Accountants and TurboTax communities) our workspaces vary as much as we do.      I'll start us off by sharing my kitchen table setup.  "I’ve always been a bit o

Hi all, I have developed a SaaS product SubscriptionFlow an AI-Based subscription management software. I need suggestions for marketing and how I can improve my product critics are also welcomed.

Happy Fri-yay, I mean Friday, everyone! I hope the work week has treated you well. Today I wanted to share an article I came across, published by Forbes.com, that discusses simple philosophies to becoming a successful entrepreneur. Here are a few points that caught my eye... Prep Your MindsetPreparing your mindset encompasses thinking long-term regarding your business. We're offered a reminder that entrepreneurial success doesn't happen overnight and your ways of thinking should reflect that. "Prepare your mindset. Entrepreneurship is a work of heart and not a perfect, straight line to success. It’s supposed to feel crazy at the beginning. You have nothing to lose." When you think about the long-term success of your business, this includes answers to questions like what you want to get out of the entire venture, as well as how much time will you spend working? How much will you be paid? How many employees will you have? Where do you see yourself in 10 years?Be Unapologetically Yo