Business Discussions

Do you remember the last time you took a vacation? If you can’t, maybe it’s because just thinking about how you’ll keep your business running when you’re OOO (out of office) is overwhelming.   That being said, the only thing worse than not taking a vacation is taking one but feeling stressed about work and distracted the whole time. With this in mind, we want to know:   How do *you* take a stress-free vacation? What tips can you share about putting people and/or processes in place so you can focus on the important business of resting, relaxing and recharging?   We can’t wait to hear your strategies for successfully kickin’ back. And you can read this article for more tips about taking a truly relaxing vacay.   Not yet a QB Community member? No problem. Just click HERE to sign up in a flash. Then browse around and weigh in on questions like this one!

From woodworking to winemaking, hair salons to Heidi's salsa, QB Community has been celebrating National Small Business Week (April 30-May 4, 2018) by highlighting amazing small business owners from a wide variety of sectors.** Here they are rocking it, in case you missed them.   Alan Verma and His Five Jinky’s Cafes Celebrate 20 Years Originally from India, Alan started out in the hospitality industry there before moving on to managing kitchens in London. A move to California with his wife brought him the opportunity to operate a fast food franchise for nine years before opening his first Jinky’s Cafe in Los Angeles. Fast forward through 20 years of hard work, and Alan is now the owner of five Jinky’s Cafes throughout the LA area.    Brenda Maldonado Builds Business and Community at Bohemia Hair Studio Not long after opening her salon, Brenda was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. Buoyed by the support of her family, friends and her dedic

Hi! I want to ask some advice for my future website. I know that if I will hire a developer I will pay $2000 for my site. So I decide to try do it by myself. So, I want to ask is it a good idea to use ready-made templates, for example from https://www.templatemonster.com/? I found great reviews for their products, and price of template is around $70-100..I think I will use WP, and I like this theme https://www.templatemonster.com/wordpress-themes/53000.html..Thanks!

In just a few short years we've seen major shifts in how we market our products (hello, social media), purchase goods and services (one word: smartpay), and comparison shop (bookstore shoppers checking Amazon on your phones, we see you!). All this month we'll be exploring the many ways that technology has changed the landscape for business owners and consumers alike. What shifts have you experienced in your own business? Swipe to chip? More customization? Paper to cloud? How are you meeting these shifts head-on?   Want to weigh in but not yet a QB Community member? Click HERE to sign up in a flash!

   

I just became a ProAdvisor & opened a company for bookkeeping.  I think we will charge set fees, instead of hourly.  But I don't know where to begin.  Can anyone give me examples of what your pricing is?  Here's some basic client needs to tag a price on, or whatever info you have would be greatly appreciated!! - Simple individual tax prep - Teaching a client QBO - Monthly bookkeeping for a small business - Quarterly tax prep for a small business - Past years bookkeeping clean-up (3 years?), set up bank rules for future, & autopay bills I've done so much research on this, & can't get a grasp on where to start.  Please help!!  Thank you, Amber(I've taken many accounting classes, but I'm NOT a CPA)

  Name: Chris Rhodes Business: Chris Rhodes Construction   Milestone: Still in business after losing nearly everything in a wildfire Location: Santa Rose, CA Launched: 1986 Chris Rhodes has run his own construction company in Santa Rosa, CA for more than 30 years. A respected small business owner and community member, Chris remodeled existing houses and built new homes, including his own, all over the area. But in October 2017, wildfires tore through Santa Rosa, completely destroying entire suburban neighborhoods. Chris and his wife, Liz, fled for their lives. When the smoke finally began to clear and the embers cooled, Chris learned he’d lost his home -- and seven others he’d built nearby were gone, too. “An integral part of my career simply evaporated,” recalls Chris. “Losing all those homes I identified with so much was almost as tough as losing my own.” Chris’ personal and professional devastation was nearly unimaginable. But today, he and his crew are busy helping other

Share your favorite mnemonic device! 

Name: Diane Weiss Business: Board member and glass artist at Bay Area Glass Institute (BAGI) Milestone: Despite losing its lease in a scorching hot housing market, BAGI is still in business! Location: San Jose, CA Launched: 1996 Diane Weiss is an Intuit executive by day. By night (well, at least for a few evenings a week), she’s an active member of the Bay Area Glass Institute (BAGI). For Diane, “active” means more than just practicing her mesmerizing art of blowing glass. It also means teaming up with other dedicated BAGI members to keep the only glass-arts “hot shop” in the area open for business. That’s been particularly challenging since the institute lost its lease two years ago after 15 years in the same spot in downtown San Jose. But Diane and her fellow glass artisans were determined to help the center survive and even thrive after this tough break. Thanks to a financing loan from Intuit and some serious fundraising efforts by the BAGI team, the institute now has secured a new

  Name: Heidi Withers (left) & Nikki Dougherty (right) Business: Heidi’s Salsa (Luko Foods LLC) Milestone: Seven yearsLocation: Los Angeles, CA Founded: 2011 Heidi Withers grew up in Los Angeles as part of a large, extended Mexican family with a passion for food, fun and entertaining. When she won a salsa contest using her family recipe in 2009, she was encouraged to launch her own business making and selling her salsas. Today, Heidi and her longtime friend and business partner Nikki have been making “The Freshest Salsa in a Jar” for seven years. They’ve gone from selling their homemade goods at farmers’ markets to selling their three salsas in over 1000 stores nationwide. QuickBooks celebrates Heidi! In honor of Small Business Week, QuickBooks wanted to lend a hand driving new customers to stores that sell Heidi’s delicious salsa. By providing new engaging social and digital content so more people than ever will be able to dip into Heidi’s treasured family recipe. Heidi

  Name: Sarah AlexanderBusiness: East Pine Milestone: One Year Location: Los Angeles, CALaunched: 2017 Sarah Alexander is celebrating one full year as the owner of her handcrafted planter business, East Pine. While still holding down her day job as a product manager for a social media collaboration platform, she sells her made-with-love products on Etsy. Impressively, Sarah’s venture has grown from making gifts for friends into running a full-blown business that is now taking over her Los Angeles home. Sarah’s passion is fueled by her happy customers, and she’s looking ahead to further expansion so she can bring even more of her modern wood creations into the world. QuickBooks celebrates Sarah! In honor of Small Business Week, QuickBooks created a “shoppable carousel” for Sarah’s growing Instagram account. This beautiful, engaging, interactive showcase of Sarah’s planters will help boost the visibility of her products – and highlight the love she puts into every piece. East Pine

  Spring is traditionally a time of renewal and reinvention. What's your one-word theme for driving your business this month?

Name: ​Karen “Ms. Karen” Dycaico Business: ​Dance Magic Milestone: One year Located:​ Palo Alto, CA Founded: ​2017 Karen Dycaico once co-owned one of the most successful dance studios in the San Francisco Bay Area. After leaving for personal reasons, Karen spent the next 20 years working for other people. Now she’s celebrating the one-year anniversary both of her studio, Dance Magic, and her return to working for herself. For Karen, owning and running Dance Magic has created an exciting opportunity to expand her business beyond the mirrored walls of the studio and bring her passion for dance to local preschools and children’s centers. QuickBooks celebrates Karen! In honor of Small Business Week, QuickBooks wanted to bring attention to Karen's ballet studio through local posters and print ads. The team also equipped Karen with everything she needs to share her well-known puppet shows digitally, from a new tripod to an opening animation sequence. In short, QuickBooks helped make Danc

Name: Geoff & Chantelle Mace Business: Calerrain Wine Milestone: Second year in business, 15 years dreaming about it! Location: Gilroy, CA Launched: September 2016 Geoff and Chantelle Mace have long shared a passion for wine and for exploring California’s wine country. As a young married couple, they loved to buy a new or unknown wine from their local grocery store, try it and then visit the winery that produced it. Traveling up and down the coast to sip and better understand their favorite beverage inspired Geoff and Chantelle to set a lofty goal for themselves: One day, they vowed, they’d own and operate their own winery. The dream, says Geoff, was 15 years in the making – which makes achieving it even sweeter. Today, as owners of Calerrain Wine, Geoff and Chantelle are building a sustainable family-run business and producing wines they hope are “intriguing and delightful” and perfect for sharing with family and friends. We say, cheers! Calerrain Wine is a featured vendor at In

Name: Alexia Burke Business: Izza Pops  Milestone: Eight months in biz! Location: San Francisco, CA Founded: September 1, 2017 Alexia Burke never imagined a decision to watch what she ate would change the entire course of her life. But that’s what happened when, after deciding to try the Paleo diet, Alexia started paying careful attention to the ingredients in her food. Struck by how many processed ingredients and “fillers” were in practically everything we consume, Alexia decided she’d had it with all these additives. Homing in on dessert, she started making her own ice cream and popsicles with coconut milk and cashews. One she’d nailed the recipe, she shared her confection with her friend Lisa – who instantly signed on as a business partner. One month later, Alexia became a bona fide small business owner – and she was ready and rarin’ to go. Izza Pops is a featured vendor at Intuit’s Small Business Week celebration this week in Mountain View, CA, April 30 to May 4. Al

Here is the scenerio:  Landscaper purchases materials for a project.  The landscaper pays sales tax on the materials.  When the project is completed the invoice shows plants, trees, mulch, etc as taxable.  The client pays amount which includes the sales tax.   Question is:  Why am I having to report sales tax collected to the State when in reality the client just payed the landscaper back for the sales tax that they payed for in the beginning? Should it not be the difference of the sales tax of the landscaper and the client because of % of markup?  ex: (landscaper price with a 6% sales tax: $100.00*6%=106.00  Client price is: $110.00*6%= 116.60)  So the difference is 10.60.  Would that be the amount to report to the State for sales tax?

  April is National Financial Literacy Month, but for entrepreneurs, every month is the perfect time to think about how to better understand your finances. We’ve got information, strategies and tools to help you do it, so dig-in -- and start boosting your financial literacy pronto.   What is Financial Literacy Month (FLM) and why is it important? A very brief history of FLM and how it’s evolved over time.   Financial Literacy Basics When You’re Just Starting Out Find out which three financial statements can tell you everything you need to know about the health of your business and understand why you need “permanent assets” to survive and thrive. Check out our handy guide to key accounting terms and equations.   Financial Literacy Basics When You’re Planning for Retirement It’s never too early to start socking away your pennies for retirement. We explain why it’s important to start saving now, and we take a look at the pros and cons of four popular retirement-saving

Name: Gopi Shah Business: Gopi Shah Ceramics Founded: September 2014 When Gopi Shah relocated from Los Angeles to Austin, TX for her partner’s new job, she found herself unemployed, with no network for continuing her career in environmental issues. Instead of panicking, Gopi decided to nurture her life-long passion for working with clay. She reached out to Austin’s ceramics community and quickly found a mentor. Jennifer Prichard is a respected fine arts professional who knew all about running a successful art business. She quickly encouraged Gopi to open her one of her own. Sure, she was nervous. But deep down, Gopi knew she was ready for the challenge. Gopi, your very first decision was to find a mentor in your new community. Why was that important? I’d worked with clay in an academic setting, taking classes in high school and at various colleges. I knew that experience was very different than running a ceramics business. I figured being an apprentice was a low-risk way for me to see

Name: Brenda Borboa Maldonado Business: Bohemia Hair Studio (Instagram handle: @brendabhair) Milestone: Celebrating 20 years as a hairstylist! Located: San Dimas, CA Launched: 2014 Hairstylist Brenda Borboa Maldonado has been doing what she loves for 20 years – a rare achievement these days. Four years ago, after spending 15 years working in other stylists’ salons, Brenda decided she was ready to “dip her toes” into salon ownership herself.  Although she was already plenty busy working fulltime and raising a young daughter, Brenda opened a small salon. She brought in two hand-picked stylists and an assistant and set out to run and manage every aspect of her new business. But, not long after, Brenda was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. Knowing she was facing surgery, treatment and a challenging recovery, she thought seriously about closing the business. Instead, buoyed by the support of her family, friends and her dedicated clients, Brenda was able to keep Bohemia Hair Studio open

  Name: Alankar “Alan” Verma Business: Jinky’s CafeMilestone; 20 years in businessLocation: Five cafes in Los Angeles Launched: 1998  Alan Verma is a true US immigrant success story. Originally from India, Alan started out in the hospitality industry there before moving on to managing kitchens in London. A move to California with his wife brought him the opportunity to operate a fast food franchise for nine years before opening his first Jinky’s Cafe in Los Angeles. Fast forward through 20 years of hard work, and Alan is now the owner of five Jinky’s Cafes throughout the LA area. He always believed he could do whatever he set his mind to, and Alan’s determination and success has built a culinary empire that put his daughters through college. It’s also made him an LA-eatery staple -- no small feat in a city with rapidly changing tastes. QuickBooks celebrates Alan! In honor of Small Business Week, QuickBooks updated Jinky’s presence on Facebook and Instagram with a top-to-bot

What is the customary interest charge on a late payment

My start up business is brand new, yet to have filed taxes. Would you look at that? Tax Season is here already :smileysurprised: Lol.  I'm looking for a little guidence in my first year filing. With a few simple questions to start, such as:1.) What am I supposed to write off as a business?2.) How many times do you file every year? I've heard every 3 months, 2 times a year or just annually like usual. 3.) Am I filing individually as one person or person + my business? 4.) Tax write off's, how do I print in quickbooks a summary of my taxes to be written off? I.e - fuel, food, travel, maintence, utilities.    Thanks for your help and guidence!

  As an avid DIY entreprenuer, marketing has become a stress relief for me that allows me to be creative in a very analytical profession.  Appreciating the importance of advertising to every business, I always recommend consulting a web development specialist to accomplish your marketing goals.    In the interest of sharing knowledge I hav included screen shots of our actual results including the areas that we still need to improve.   Note: All of the websites listed below offer some form of free trial or limited use free account. While I absolutely believe in the value that each of these sites provide with a paid subscription, I find that most apps within the SEO industry charge more than the value they are providing, or my own ability to capitalize on the results provided. Nibbler: Overall performace based with great feedback information Nibbler has to be my favorite website to use due to the amount of in

Well, I've official gone from finance to flowers! After years of pursuing a career in banking I've finally decided to go into business for myself doing something I truly love: flower design. What do you like most about being a small-business owner? Is it what you expected?

Two days ago, supermarket shelves throughout the U.S. Northeast were again denuded of milk and bread as residents battened down the hatches for "Four'easter": the fourth nor'easter storm to dump heavy snow on the region in as many weeks.   But you know who really got socked? Our local restaurants and small businesses.   The storm never materialized, and neither did all the potential shoppers and restaurant-goers who might have opened their wallets this past Wednesday but for an increasingly dire series of weather forecasts emanating from every local and social media outlet. Restaurants in particular took a big hit, with receipts down 20%-50% for the day, the Boston Globe reports.   Foot traffic and public get-togethers are fair-weather friends. An overblown weather forecast is more than just an inconvenience - it can actually cost communities money. Just something to think about.     Has your business ever suffered from the "weath