Business Discussions

I don't take on clients, I help in the forums and locally for free, hoping to garner some good Karma <smile>.  But if I did, over the past decade I would have had to hire several accountants to handle the business owners that requested it.  I've considered it a time or two and that got me thinking.So for those of you who do take on clients, I am curious.1.  Do you do an in depth background check for a prospective employee?  And if so how often do you redo it? And if not then why not?2.  Do you carry a surety bond on the business and your employees?3.  Drug test as part of the hiring process?  Random tests periodically?4.  Data security is a big one.  How do you safe guard clients data files and receipts, that may go back years.  What access control policies do you use for that data?

Small business owners in the next town over from mine are third in line to receive $500K in a nationwide social media contest, and folks here are kind of freaking out. Amesbury, MA, has ranked in the top five of Small Business Revolution - Main Street, and local residents, along with those of Alton, IL; Bastrop, TX; Siloam Spring, AK; and Martinez, CA are voting online daily through February 20 in the hopes of snagging the $500,000 prize to re-energize their local business scene. As you can imagine, competition is FIERCE. I bring this up not because I want Amesbury to win (I do) or because I think you should, too, (although I wouldn't say no!) but because there's an awful lot of people-energy invested in this contest, and I think it's telling. In this age of globalization our local communities are looking for any opportunity to "root, root, root for the home team" - and that is a massive asset for small business owners everywhere.

   

Spend just a few minutes talking with Jeremy Malman, and it becomes clear he’s a deeply passionate guy. He admits he gets bored so quickly it’s practically a disorder, and he explains he left a highly competitive Ph.D. program in clinical psychology because his fellow academics didn’t share his “fire” to make things better for at-risk teens. Today, Jeremey channels his passion to help struggling kids through his non-profit, Worth Motorcycle Company. Staffed by a team of dedicated volunteers, Worth Motorcycles is a 501c3 with a truly heartfelt mission: to build and restore teens’ self-worth as they learn to build and restore vintage bikes. Nice. Since this is the month we officially celebrate love, we’ll leave you with this sweet story from Jeremy. “We bring in the kids you’d never typically see as an ideal work candidate – they’re not enrolled in school, they’ve been in foster care, in juvenile detention. They’ve never succeeded at anything, because they’ve never had the opportunity

    WIth the Olympic Games in full swing, we’re glued to our screens watching those medal counts grow. Sports like hockey or curling require a group effort to win the gold, while figure skating or ski jumping are solo endeavors.   Of course, every athlete -- and every entrepreneur -- has a team supporting them in one way or another. But it begs the question:   How do you prefer to work? Are you more of “solopreneur?” Do you like to gather the team for group projects? Maybe a little of both?

  Name: Rachel Bowes QB Community member name: @RachelBowes Business: Finch & Thistle Event Design Launched: 2008   When Seattle-based event and floral designer Rachel Bowes was laid off from her non-profit event planner job, she decided to be her own boss. She started Finch and Thistle with the goal of having greater flexibility at work -- a goal she definitely achieved when she slowed down her business following the birth of her first child.   That was three years ago. Today, Rachel is gearing back up big time, growing her business to include a new kind of design package -- and there’s even a from-scratch event venue in the works. We spoke with Rachel about leveraging social media to build her brand and coming up with creative and new ideas to serve her clients.   Rachel, why did you get into the floral/event planning business? When I was working in the non-profit world as an event planner, I learned I liked the more creative parts of my job the most -- the

    Name: Nikki Pendleton Bell QB Community member name: TheDomesticDiva Business: Domestic Divas, LLC    Launched: 2008 Nikki Bell was keeping very busy in TV advertising sales before she left to open her own cleaning business, Domestic Divas in San Antonio, TX. The economic downturn of 2008 meant sales had slowed, and, with two young children at home, Nikki figured it was the right time to transition to something she really loved: housecleaning. Now, Domestic Divas is a booming business. But Nikki does more than just create jobs. She’s instilling a lasting sense of confidence in her employees, many of whom needed a clean start in life. We spoke with Nikki about her passion for her work, her employees and what it takes to be the freshest boss ever. How did you decide to start a housekeeping business? In 2008, I was working -- a lot -- in TV advertising sales. I was also a mother to two elementary-school-aged children, and I needed to be more present for the

   

Tracen Gardner of Texas-based Reclaimed Space builds stunning custom-designed cabins out of reclaimed materials and ships them - often fully furnished - to destinations all over the U.S. Wow! What makes your business stand out?

    We love the Olympics around here! Watching athletes from all over the globe is not only inspiring, it’s educational as well. How many times have you pulled out a map or read about another country’s customs while taking in an event? We know we have!   The Games have got us thinking internationally, so we want to know:   Have you taken your business beyond your country’s border? What were some of the complications you faced bringing products or services international? What insights can you share about going worldwide?

Name: Hanna Broer QB Community member name: @HannaB Business: Hanna Broer Design Launched: 2011 Craftsbury, Vermont-based designer, Hanna Broer, is a one-woman operation -- from design to sewing to racing packages to her tiny town’s post office before the 2:30 closing time. Originally from Canada, Hannah got her professional start working as a seamstress for a designer in Montreal. But she always knew she wanted to strike out on her own. She made herself some underwear one day and thought, “I should sell this!” -- and the rest is history. We spoke with this lingerie lady from her third-floor sewing studio (where she sits atop a village grocer and a tattoo parlor) about loving your body, eco-conscious design and how she staves off the loneliness of working solo. Hanna, how did you get started in the clothing business? I worked for a fashion designer in Montreal who had a women’s clothing shop. I was the shop assistant and a seamstress. I really enjoyed it, but I was very much planning

Hi Everyone, How must a business gear up to face Holidays and Special Days? Any ideas? Ever thought of making a calender at the beginning of every year and marking out the Holidays and Special Days and having a strategy for such days. Businesses can do well if they plan out these special times and work sales strategies around them. Holiday season is big time for most businesses and so are Special Days such as Valentines Day. Planning for such days one must consider Stocks and Labour. Also this is the time when Employees too want offs.  Having a plan and working out all the details over and over before the rush starts could be a good way to be one step ahead.  Above all this is also the time when the very very special people around you want to spend more time with you. So plan for that too.  Have a Great time everyone.  

Where I live in Massachusetts, no amount of signage or other early-warning systems seem to prevent trucks from getting stuck in our notoriously low-clearance tunnels and underpasses. Know what they use in Australia? Holograms. Holograms and also waterfalls. You see, you need an actual surface to project the hologram on - one that can be lowered and raised easily regardless of passing traffic. When a too-tall vehicle approaches the Harbour Tunnel in Sydney, Australia, it trips a sheet of falling water that serves as the projector screen for a giant stop sign. You kinda can't miss it. Do you know what this means? Among other things, it means that someone, somewhere had a really great boss. I imagine a meeting about the problem of too-tall trucks, and a raised hand: "How about we use a hologram of a stop sign?" Better yet, someone suggested this new application for hologram technology and the person next to him said, "That might work, but you'd need a giant waterfall to pr

  Artist and illustrator Emily Rose Thomson designs colorful critters to hold, wear or display. Whether it’s a hedgehog totem, a bird necklace or a plush Loch Ness Monster, her pieces are cute, quirky and adorable. We caught up with the New York-based maker to talk about why asking for help from her fellow small business owners is so important, what she's learned about making your product photography stand out and — most importantly — the big questions she has for all of *you* here in QB Commununity! Read on to hear her small business story, and help her out by sharing your own tips in the comments below!   Name: Emily Rose Thomson Business: PeriwinkleNuthatch Illustration and Art Pieces Started: October 2011   How did you start your awesome business? I thought I was going to lose my day job, so I decided I could try selling my art online. As a kid, I always made a profit selling art — I used to paint pictures of people's pets on rocks! My mom was actuall

   

  It's time for the 2018 Winter Olympics and we couldn't be more excited! Olympic athletes have a lot in common with entrepreneurs. They all have a laser focus on a goal, a singular dedication to do whatever it takes to succeed and a never-wavering determination to beat out the competition. Sounds like the formula for “Starting a Business 101,” right? Given their familiarity with these fundamental business concepts, it should come as no surprise when Olympians “retire” and go into business for themselves. Here are nine who made a successful transition from winning in sports to winning in business. • Jim Craig, Hockey: 1980 Olympics This legendary hockey goalie from the 1980 “Miracle on Ice” team that bested the Soviets now runs Gold Medal Strategies, a marketing and promotions firm based in Boston. • Jesse Lumsden, Bobsled: 2010, 2014, 2018 Olympics Training is expensive, so this Canadian athlete started his business a few years ago as a way to help fund it. He makes “Olympian

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  Name: Steve Lawrence Business: The Chocolate Maker’s Studio Location: Based in Portland, OR but sold all over the US Founded: 2008   Portland-based chocolatier Steve Lawrence has been in the food business since he started washing restaurant dishes as a teenager. Now he’s ascended to the top of the heap of fine chocolate makers in the United States. We were able to grab a few sweet moments with Steve during this busy time of year - Valentine’s Day is nearly upon us! - to talk about his growing business, the science of chocolate and how much his wife loves his job.   Steve, how did you get into the chocolate business? Many years ago, when I lived in Denver, I was a pastry chef. I’d always enjoyed working with chocolate but found it challenging. For such a simple food, chocolate is very complex in the way it responds to time and temperature and movement. When my wife and I moved to Seattle in the 1990s, I went to work for Fran Bigelow, whose business, Fran's Ch

Name: Kevin Gambini QB Community member name: @kevingambini Business: Breakaway Bikes Founded: Kevin took over an existing business in 2014 Kevin Gambini was on his way to becoming a licensed land surveyor when he noticed something funny going on in his favorite bike shop in his hometown of Santa Rosa, CA. Inventory was unusually low, so Kevin, a mountain-bike enthusiast and weekend racer, asked the owner what was up. Turns out the owner was getting ready to either sell off all the inventory or find a buyer for the business. Something clicked -- and Kevin decided to buy the store. Suddenly, in addition to being a newly minted business owner, he was also a manager, a merchandiser, a salesman, a marketer, an accountant and an HR department. “It was a shock to the system,” says Kevin, thinking back on his early days of entrepreneurship. Kevin tells us about the challenges he’s faced and why learning to accept his own shortcomings was critical to his success. Kevin, you were passion

   

We all know there's no "I" in team, but yakking about the Super Bowl with @Racecar75 got me thinking that there are several reasons why star quarterbacks should rush - not run - toward self-employment post-NFL.   1. They know how to prepare. Quarterbacks watch miles of footage during the season, studying the competition for gaps in coverage and other weaknesses they can turn into opportunities come game day.   2. They have a padded playbook... Quarterbacks must memorize novel-thick books of set plays designed to address every possible circumstance on the field.    3. ...but can think on their feet. If Plan A doesn't work, there's always a Plan B.    4. They delegate wisely. Quarterbacks know exactly where their guys are on the gridiron and must decide within seconds who gets the pass.   5. They learn from, but don't dwell on, their mistakes. Mid-game, there's no time to fixate on a fumble. The best qu

If you can't find it, make it! Friends Kyrra and Lauren of Myabetic founded their one-of-a-kind line of fashionable totes for diabetes supplies when nothing else would do.  Does your product or service solve a problem? If so, what?

Have you considered hiring a business or marketing coach?   For some people it is a no-brainer, they are dilligently saving up for one. While for others it is a strange thought. They are cool with simply googling away and trying new things.    What are your thoughts on the matter?   -Jessa Hargrove

what did you do to start your own business? i have tried a business plan and grants to get funding. all turned down and unable to get funding due to my bad credit. even had opportunities to start a couple of businesses with friends but those fell through. once again because of money. i dont have money saved up because i am unable to save much from what i make at work after paying bills. i am not happy working anymore. i want to leave my job and stop working for others in general and start my own business. i dont know what to do. i would appreciate any advice. thanks.