Business Discussions

April is National Financial Literacy Month (FLM), but for entrepreneurs, every month is the perfect time to think about how to better understand your finances. As a small business owner, pretty much everything else comes second to accurately tracking every penny you generate or spend.   A brief history of FLM Financial literacy is important for everyone, not just people who work for themselves. In fact, in 2003, Congress asked President George W. Bush to declare April Financial Literacy for Youth Month (which he did). By 2006, FLM had been redefined as a priority for the whole country (not just for our youth), with a goal of helping Americans of all ages better understand things like how to save for retirement, manage credit or make smart investments.   As an entrepreneur, the more “literate” you are about all aspects of your finances, the better chance you have of running a successful, growing business. Throughout the month, we’ll be highlighting some important fundame

  When you work for yourself, you know cash is critical to the short- and long-term success of your business. As an entrepreneur, being financially “literate” includes understanding how much money you need to get your business off the ground, as well as to build and grow it. But for many of us, finding and securing those precious funds is overwhelming and stressful. Even worse? You can spend so much time and energy figuring out how to raise money that it takes away from the joy of actually running your business.   The good news is there are multiple funding options for you to consider. Before you start trying to secure financing or raise money, you need to know exactly how much you need today -- and how much you think you’ll need in the future.   Understand your needs If you’ve already developed a business plan (if you haven’t, you probably should), you’ll have a solid understanding of how much money you need to get your business up and running and to keep it going. Her

I'm doing some compliance work with a larger (not big 4) accounting firm. I'm on the client side and finding their collaboration platform to be a pain. Anyone else experience this? Do any firms have better software tools than what I'm dealing with?

Name: Fabienne Wente Business: The NU Creative Founded: 2008 When Fabienne Wente was a kid, her mom encouraged her to “get her hands dirty” by trying all manner of creative endeavors, from art classes and crafting workshops to computer science and technology courses. At the same time, Fab (her preferred nickname) was an active member of the Girl Scouts learning all sorts of do-it-yourself (DIY) skills -- including how to tie some really excellent knots. Fast forward to today, when Fab puts that diverse learning to use as an innovative graphic designer specializing in the intersection of high-tech computer graphics with low-tech print and paper arts. These days, Fab works for an independent advertising and social media agency in LA and devotes evenings and weekends to building her own graphic design business, The NU Creative. By all accounts, Fab’s multimedia work is fresh, fun and colorful. And sometimes, it all hangs together thanks to a few well-tied knots. Fab, your work incorporat

Everyone has a secret "if only" list of things they'd do with their business - if only there were more hours in the day or dollars in the bank. What's at the top of your list right now, and what do you think is holding you back?

Hello fabulous QB Community! Does any one have an incredible trustworthy Wordpress developer they work with? I'm in dire need! Or someone that can do a deep dive into my site and offer suggestions of what might best benefit my site?  I'm looking for some insight into how to upgrade/manage a 'Build Your Own' option as well as streamlining shipping.  Please note, I just got site redone on Wordpress, so am not wanting to jump to another other platform right now. Unless, anyone has a brillant reason why I should. :) Many thanks in advance!Warmly,Joanna

  Name: Erin Williamson QB Community member name: @258370 Businesses: Pier Coffee and Engender International Location: Seattle, WA Launched: Pier Coffee in 2014 and Engender International in 2017  Seattle-based entrepreneur Erin Williamson believes in supporting women workers, and she absolutely puts her money where her mouth is. As the owner of Pier Coffee, a cold-brew coffee company, she sources her beans from woman-owned or operated farms. And as the co-founder of a nonprofit called Engender International, Erin works to protect and promote women at every stage of the supply chain. We spoke with Erin about both her businesses, operating a mission-driven company and why economic stability is so very important for single moms and women in developing countries. Erin, what did you do before you worked for yourself? I have worked for myself for years, but previously I worked for nonprofit arts organizations. In college I studied Central Asian art history. Although I lov

What is better for application development?

I used to review time sheets and run payroll for about 20 staff on four separate teams. Our onsite GM (general manager) set an early day-of payroll deadline so he could go over our figures and have it done by 10:00 am.   I had to be very strategic with my time. We had a huge site, so chasing down employees that potentially needed timesheet corrections that morning was a chore, to say the least. I typically did my time sheet reviews the night before, in anticipation of the inevitable "day of" disasters in the cafe - essential production items, like ovens, had a habit of breaking on payroll day. Being in the back office made me a target for one-off questions, which broke my concentration and prolonged the task.   So, to get it all done as quickly as possible, to avoid distractions, I did my rounds of the cafe first thing in the morning and then set a 15-minute no-call window. I told my team to ask my fellow cafe manager if they had questions, shut off my phone and hid

What is Business Intelligence and how does it work?

  Throughout March’s Women’s History Month, we’ve been celebrating female entrepreneurs. We’ve highlighted the tremendous growth of woman-owned businesses in the last two decades (up 114%!) and profiled some amazing female go-getters. While there’s no doubt women entrepreneurs have come a long way, baby, there are still plenty of obstacles on the road to achieving equal representation and opportunity - but these strategies can help.  Mind the funding gap The 2016 Small Business Credit Survey published by the New York Federal Reserve Bank found big gaps in how women’s and men’s businesses are funded and scaled:   Only 22% of women-owned firms had scaled to $1 million or more in annual revenues in 2016, compared to 36% of men-owned firms Women-owned firms tend to start small and stay small Women-owned firms are more likely to experience financial challenges and growth limits than firms owned by men 90% of women-owned firms relied on the owner’s personal credit scor

Name: Dr. Pauline Leong (@PaulineLeongOD) Business: OptimEyes Vision of LIC and Vernon Gantry Eyewear Founded: 2014 and 2016 respectively Pauline Leong, O.D., is a self-professed non-conformist. Admitting she craves “freedom on all fronts,” Pauline likes setting her own schedule and her own priorities, both at work and during her off hours. Fortunately, Pauline has always had 20/20 vision about her desire for independence, which explains why, after earning her degree, she opted for self-employment. As an independent contractor at various practices for nine years, Pauline conducted vision screenings for kids, co-managed LASIK surgery clients and worked with patients suffering from serious eye disease. Eventually, Pauline realized opening her own practice was the best way for her to keep on doing things her way. The one thing she didn’t see coming? Opening a business in Long Island City, in the heart of own her hometown borough of Queens, New York. Pauline, you’ve always worke

Name: Salif Keita Business: Oui, Oui Crepes and Pizza Founded: 2007 When Salif Keita left his native Mali nearly two decades ago, his first stop was France. His cousin lived in Paris, which is where Salif discovered melt-in-your-mouth crepes. Eighteen months later, Salif moved again, this time to Harlem, NY. He worked countless hours as a pizza delivery guy so he could “save and save and save” to start his own small business. Salif’s dedication and determination paid off. Bringing together two of his favorite circular foods, today Salif is the proud owner of Oui, Oui Crepes and Pizza. Although his days are long and he gets by without much sleep, running his own business lets Salif achieve two dreams at once. He’s officially his own boss – and he wouldn’t have it any other way. Just as important? Salif is deeply committed to giving back to his community by building a safe (and scrumptious!) haven for kids to gather when school lets out. Salif, have you always wanted to run your own s

Louisiana artist and mom Mia Kaplan of Mia Kaplan Studio has built a studio in her backyard so she can continue creating her paintings and wall sculptures and still run to meet the schoolbus at 3 PM. Her commitment to her art and to her family means pulling a lot of all-nighters before a big museum show, but the setup works for her. Here's how.     How has working for yourself empowered you to design your life around what matters most? What does flexibility look like in your home or office (or home office!)?

  Right now, women are making their voices heard like never before. But women have always been making history, chipping away at the glass ceiling, proving they belong anywhere they choose to be. Breaking barriers is what we do! In business, education, military and elsewhere, women are making their mark and helping others do it, too. While we love to look forward, where would we be if we didn’t recognize those who came before us? Read about these inspiring way-pavers (all from the U.S.), and then tell us: who inspires you? First woman to graduate medical school Elizabeth Blackwell (1821-1910) was the first woman to graduate from medical school and become a doctor. She did so at the top of her class in 1849, even as she faced administrative pushback. Elizabeth was inspired to become a doctor by a terminally ill friend who wished she could be treated by a female physician. She went on to open clinics serving poor women and children. First woman to lead a military expedition Harr

  "She got paid on time."

Name: Kat Gordon Business: The 3% Movement Location: Palo Alto, CA Launched: 2010 Since we last spoke with Kat Gordon in 2017, the The 3% Conference has become The 3% Movement. What hasn’t changed is Kat’s intention to boost the visibility of women creative directors in advertising and increase the number of positive portrayals of women in the media. In 2017, Kat launched a successful ad agency certification program for firms that are doing right by women. Today, she tells us about her outlook for the year to come and how women are changing the advertising industry. What first inspired you to launch this movement? My background is in advertising as a creative director. I worked in advertising for 25 years, and the higher up I got, the more keenly aware I became of how few women were in creative leadership roles. I realized that only three percent of creative directors were women, despite the fact that women control the majority of consumer spending and social sharing. There was bett

To me, organization is super important. Especially when the days are very busy and my desk gets filled full of papers everywhere. :)I'm wondering what does everyone else uses to help with streamlining things? Right now, I do the accounting for three businesses (owned by our family). I am trying to figure out what is the most efficient way to keep on top of bills, invoicing, etc.. Right now, we use Wunderlist. I copy all the bills onto a list and add the due dates and that has been working well except for the extra time involved in doing that. Also is there an efficient way to add vendor bills into QBs without having to manually enter? I get them all sent to my email. Just curious what everyone else uses? Thanks so much!! :) 

Hello, I'm trying to grow my business and want to create a brochure with the scope of services I offer and create contract for services.  Can anyone offer what they have created?  Thank you in advance!Best, Tina

QB Community members love exchanging ideas, insights and inspiration. Not a member here yet? Click HERE to register, and join the conversation today! Name: Scott Beylik Business: Beylik Family Farms Founded: 1971 (yes, you read that right) Scott Beylik was just a toddler when his dad and his grandfather built their hydroponic tomato farm in Fillmore, CA. Although farming was practically in Scott’s DNA, he wasn’t always keen to join the family business. When he graduated from college, Scott headed overseas to Hungary. But after spending two years in bustling Budapest working a 9-5 job, Scott returned home to the farm. He was ready to dig in – literally – to the 24/7 work of running the family business. In 1990, Scott’s grandfather retired after a 20-year career. Fifteen years later, Scott’s dad followed suit. Now it was Scott turn to run, manage and grow this three-generation legacy business. Scott, what’s it like continuing a tradition that’s been in your family for three generations?

Jamaican-born Dawnet Beverley (@DBeverley) once dreamed of being a lawyer. But, after studying business education at Jamaica’s University of Technology and then teaching high school, Dawnet left her island homeland for the United States. Here, she earned a degree in sociology and economics and then worked in various industries including education, banking and financial services. Eventually, Dawnet earned a Master’s degree in Organizational Development. Today, she channels her expertise and insights as a senior executive at Donnelley Financial Solutions, a global financial software and services company. Throughout her career, Dawnet has been widely recognized for her natural communication skills, leadership abilities and strategic thinking. In fact, her super power is helping companies – and, most importantly, the people who work at them – thrive. She deeply believes that protecting and preserving professional dignity and integrity is paramount to successfully running a business. We c

  "Financials statements are your business BFFs."                  - Julie Gordon White   Sometimes we could really use a little help from our friends. Would you love some help with your financials? Julie Gordon White and the QB Community are here for you. Want to know more? Keep checking back...   Julie Gordon White Helps Businesses Owners "Think Big and Grow Big" So They Can Sell Big  

Many of us self-employed folks put in long days, and some of us work at odd hours - which can make for some pretty poor sleep/work balance. In fact, QB Community Senior Member @BobbySingler just posted about this recently, and the responses were as varied as our respective professions.    Today is World Sleep Day, an international celebration of sleep and an effort to highlight some of the health and social impacts of not getting enough shut-eye. So...   Are you sleeping enough these days? If so, how do you prioritize to make time for getting some rest? If not, what are the effects on you, your life, and your business?

Hi everyone, not sure if this is the right place to post ... I have a few questions about my taxes like is the health care monthly premium tax deductible? Where can I find easy tax questions for self-employed people answered? IRG.gov is just to confusing and unhelpful.   

When you think back on your life, what milestones stand out as moments when you “pivoted” and deliberately chose to move in a new or unexpected direction? Maybe your pivot was inspired by something personal -- you got married, had a baby, moved to a new city, lost a loved one. Maybe your pivot was based on a professional experience -- you got (or, perhaps, didn’t get) a promotion, your beloved boss retired, you were laid off, the company you worked for relocated.   Whatever the milestone, we know people who work for themselves embraced the opportunity to reset a traditional career path and strike out alone. In fact, we’re constantly wowed by the “can-do” attitude of our inspiring QB Community members. That’s why we asked you to share what persuaded you to turn your passion, hobby or side gig into a full-time job. Turns out everyone has their own reason for making the pivot!       Goodbye corporate world, hello startup Plenty of folks consider stable, long-term, we