Monthly Archives: November 2011

How To Get From Start-Up To Millions

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Don’t miss tomorrow’s webinar: It’s Your Biz: How to Get From Start-up to Million $$$ Plus by Susan Solovic.

Susan is an award-winning journalist and entrepreneur who specializes in helping potential business owners find their way to entrepreneurship.

Tomorrow’s webinar will include how to:

  • Evaluate your true motivation.
  • Assess your personality: Do you have the right stuff?
  • Understand the difference between creating a job and building a business.
  • Write the last chapter first: building a vision
  • Understand that passion doesn’t equal profit.
  • Channel purpose, promise, practice, persistence and process -the 5 “P’s” you need.
  • Come to know people matter. Make smart choices.

The webinar Takes place Thursday, December 1, 2011 12:00 – 1:00 ET and is free of charge. Register here.

“It’s your business. Enjoy it and share the rewards.” – Susan Solovic

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"Think Global, Act Local"

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While we haven’t seen the numbers from this year’s small business Saturday, we can probably assume it was a rousing success. The campaign garnered over 2.7 Million “Likes” on Facebook and had the Twittersphere buzzing with thousands upon thousand of tweets tagged with #smallbusinesssaturday.

President Obama’s campaign even gave the event the presidential push.

All of this is extremely heartening to see, especially during harder economic times. The phrase “Think Global, Act Local” is more than just a cute rhyme that fits well on t-shirts and placards. Working locally to improve your community is one of the most effective acts of kindness that you can undertake, and the results of working locally are typically felt right away. Even if you don’t have the time to volunteer or help out, you can do your part by putting a little thought into where you shop and buying from local, small businesses. Small businesses create jobs, pump money into the local economy and helps everyone in the community.

eLocal put out an awesome and highly informative Info-Graphic that shows exactly how doing something as simple as buying from local, small businesses instead of giant chains can both help your community and the natural environment:

Click to See the Entire Info-Graphic

As the graphic shows, buying from locally owned stores does more than just help your hometown. It really can have far reaching effects both economically and ecologically! So instead of buying groceries at Wal-Mart, drive out to a Farmer’s Market. And instead of doing your holiday shopping at Target, try and throw a little business to smaller, specialty stores.

Yes, doing this can take a little more time and energy, but the effects are wide reaching and, as eLocal’s graphic shows, well worth the effort. Hopefully we can extend the amazing reception Small Business Saturday received and continue to help local stores get a piece of the ever coveted market of holiday shoppers.

So enjoy your holiday shopping, and remember to give a little love to your local small business.

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Small Business Saturday Sale!

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Black Thursday, Black Friday, Cyber Monday and now Small Business Saturday.

There is no end to the ways you can spend your cash this week! But Small Business Saturday has a bit more of a mission than getting the cheapest flatscreen TV; it seeks to help out smaller businesses that sometimes get left out in the cold while big box stores draw in millions of early holiday spending. AmEx is supporting the event’s second year in existence by offering a cool $25 dollars to any AmEx card owner who decides to throw a little love to the mom and pop stores. So far the campaign has been a smashing success with a 28% increase in sales during the event’s first year in 2010 compared to the Saturday after Thanksgiving in 2009. Consumer Affairs has a great write up on the 2011 campaign, and if you’d like to get your own business involved you should definitely give it a read.

But what if you don’t have a small business? Well fret not loyal follower, for we are holding our own sale to help you get everything you need to start your own corporation or LLC.

We will be offering all of our incorporation packages on sale, potentially saving you hundreds of dollars. It all starts with our Just the Basics package which will get you your articles of organization for just $49 plus government fees and shipping/handling. From then on the bigger package you purchase, the more money you save! Be sure to take a look at our ‘Start a Business‘ section to see all the bundle deals that we offer.

The sale will take place all Saturday and, best of all, is entirely online. That means no traffic, no lines and very little likelihood of rioting.

Finally, in the spirit of Thanksgiving, we would like to thank everyone for their continuing support of our own business venture. So good luck to all of you startes and have a very happy Thanksgiving!

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Happy (Early) Thanksgiving From MyCorp!

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It’s here! Well almost here anyway- we’re talking about Thanksgiving this Thursday! Most of us look forward to Thanksgiving due to the large amount of food associated with the holiday. However, there are multiple other reasons to put a gobble in your step come Thursday, such as family time, cooling temperatures, changing leaves and football! Here at MyCorp, we want to make sure that you and your family enjoy Thanksgiving to the fullest and we’ve rustled up a a few fun Thanksgiving facts just in time for the holiday.

History

According to the History Channel online, though many competing claims exist, the most familiar story of the first Thanksgiving took place in Plymouth Colony, in present-day Massachusetts, in 1621. More than 200 years later, President Abraham Lincoln declared the final Thursday in November as a national day of thanksgiving. Congress finally made Thanksgiving Day an official national holiday in 1941. This year, Thanksgiving falls on Thursday, November 24th.

Travel

As we mentioned, Thanksgiving, for many families, means traveling in order to join their families. In 2010, the American Automobile Association (AAA) estimated that 42.2 million Americans traveled 50 miles or more from home over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. No wonder the day before Thanksgiving is one of the busiest travel days of the year!

Turkey

Of course, we all know that turkey goes hand in hand with Thanksgiving, but exactly how much turkey does America consume each year? The National Turkey Federation estimated that 46 million turkeys—one fifth of the annual total of 235 million consumed in the United States in 2007—were eaten at Thanksgiving. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Minnesota is the top turkey-producing state in America, with a planned production total of 46.5 million in 2011.

Pumpkin Pie

According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the largest pumpkin pie ever baked weighed 2,020 pounds and measured just over 12 feet long. It was baked in Ohio, and included 900 pounds of pumpkin, 62 gallons of evaporated milk, 155 dozen eggs, 300 pounds of sugar, 3.5 pounds of salt, 7 pounds of cinnamon, 2 pounds of pumpkin spice and 250 pounds of crust! Illinois, California, Pennsylvania and New York are the major pumpkin growing states. Together they produced 1.1 billion pounds of pumpkin in 2010. Total U.S. production was over 1.5 billion pounds! That’s a lot of pumpkin!

Whether you are with your family or at home watching football this Thanksgiving, enjoy the holiday! We hope these fun facts inspire the turkey spirit within. Happy Thanksgiving from MyCorporation!

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Awesome Affiliates: InsuranceWebstore

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The 101 on How to Buy Insurance Online During the Holidays

Knowing how to choose your insurance policy online is the key to obtaining good quality insurance coverage.  Insurance websites regularly provide insurance quotes for home and automobiles, pets, trip cancellation and travel medical insurance with many additional specialty insurance products included. Most online insurance websites do not sell insurance though, and often they will take your information and sell it to insurance agents to contact you and offer you a quote based on what you told the online insurance website. In those instances where you are truly able to obtain a quote and buy instant insurance coverage, the insurance agency relies more on the technology and less on the customer service.  The best way to look for insurance online is to understand who the online agency is offline (you can find out what they offer and more in the About Us or FAQ section).

Here’s what you need to insure for the holiday season:

  • If travelling make sure you obtain trip cancellation and travel medical insurance for any unforeseen weather, health or logistical travel plan issues
  • For all those gifts, such as smart phones, iPhones, iPads and tablets, purchase separate insurance for theft and damage which most warranties do not cover.
  • If you are hosting a party at a hall, community center , city park or rented location may need to and should  obtain a one day special event insurance policy to protect against bodily injury or property damage caused by you or one of your guests.
  • Kiosk and concessionaire insurance coverage should be obtained and usually required if you are selling holiday gifts or other items at a temporary location.

See if an insurance company can offer you a pre-determined insurance product that is already user friendly and financially sound with the ability to handle claims. Anything other than that is usually just a website that makes money by selling your information.  Live chat on the insurance site to find out how long they have been selling insurance, if you working with a licensed individual, and what state they are licensed in.  And most importantly embrace the online insurance experience! Be sure you know where your information is going and who will ultimately be working on your behalf to provide you with the most comprehensive and honest assessment that meets your specific insurance needs.

InsuranceWebstore.com is the first online insurance E superstore that allows you to receive a third set of eyes and an expert opinion.  After all it is our job as insurance brokers first and leaders of technology second. We understand that you want your insurance on your time, not ours, so we have tried to include products that meet our standards in areas such as underwriting, ease of obtaining coverage, pricing and claims handling ability and can be quoted, issued and paid for with a credit card all online when you need it. We are excited about offering the broadest array of insurance products within one platform and multiple participating insurance carriers. If you have any questions on how to protect yourself this holiday season or as you need it, please look up the team at InsuranceWebstore.com.

Interested in becoming an affiliate with MyCorporation or finding out more about InsuranceWebstore? Contact Cindi Sokoloff, Affiliate Manager at MyCorporation at (818) 746-2264 ext 320.

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MyCorporation Wins Stevie Award for Best Woman Owned Business!

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We are extremely proud to announce that MyCorporation has been voted as the “Best Overall Company in Business Services under 100 Employees” in the Stevie Awards for Women in Business. The Stevie’s role in the business world has been likened to the role of the Oscars in the  entertainment industry. There may be a little less glitz and glamour, but receiving an award is a huge honor given to entrepreneurs and business owners by their peers.

Deborah would like to thank the academy...

Winning one took us all completely by surprise, and we are understandably very excited to have been chosen.

Our CEO Deborah Sweeney accepted the award during the ceremony in New York on Thursday, expressing her gratitude both for her team back in Calabasas and all of our customers. MyCorporation prides itself on supporting women entrepreneurs in getting their business started by incorporating and forming LLCs throughout the country.

All of us would again like to thank the Stevie Awards for this amazing honor, all of our customers and everyone involved in helping our small business grow. It has been an absolutely amazing year and we are sure the best is yet to come.

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Twitter vs. Print Media: Which is the Better Reading Route to Go?

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At MyCorporation, reading is one of our favorite pastimes. Even if it’s not your cup of tea, you probably don’t realize how many times during the day you read! The cereal label, the TV guide, traffic signs and email are all examples of how much reading influences our lives. In addition, social media has changed the face of reading in that we now have access to vast amounts of information displayed in a simple sentence. Although we usually sing social media’s praises, has the new snapshot based information model taken away from our love of reading? Does it matter?

Literacy statistics in America are extremely telling. For example, according to the US Department of Health and Human Services, it is estimated that more than $2 billion is spent each year on students who repeat a grade because they have reading problems. According to the National Department of Education, from 1983-2001, more than 10 million Americans reached the 12th grade without having learned to read at a basic level. In the same period, more than 6 million Americans dropped out of high school altogether. Why does this matter? Research suggests that low literacy rates correlate with higher crime rates.

We’re definitely not suggesting that reading your Twitter feed will lead to increased criminal behavior. However, we are saying that reading is important! This begs the question, is shortening our news stream to 140 characters a positive or a negative? The benefits of having access to a large amount of information in a compact and streamlined format are clear. In fact, we would argue that Twitter provides access to more knowledge than traditional newspapers; with the click of a button you can get information from Fox News, The New York Times and Al Jazeera!

While the efficient access to knowledge is amazing, we want to remind you to click on the link every once and a while and actually read the entire story! You know what they say, reading is knowledge and knowledge is power.

To help you get started, we are offering a free Kindle! Just like our iPad giveaway, all you have to do is head over to our Facebook page, click Like, and you are immediately entered to win! Plus becoming a fan of our page is a great way to hear about our other promotions and follow any newsworthy stories we post.

We will do the drawing at the end of the year so be sure to like us and check your Facebook pages at the end of December. In the meantime, we wish you luck and happy reading!

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Awesome Affiliates: Promotionalcodes.com

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As the holiday season approaches, what better way than to start getting your spending budget in line than my looking into small ways to help save big money? From travelling expenses to even seeing some of the biggest holiday blockbusters, our awesome affiliates of the day, Promotionalcodes.com, have the necessary tips you need to save in spades this year.

While the politicians fight amongst themselves about how to help get everyone out of the current economic crisis, we all need to do what we can to save where we can. Here are our tips:

  • SITUATION: BILL PAYMENT

SOLUTION: By utilizing your online banking services to pay your monthly bills you can save close to $50 per year. This eliminates the cost of postage, check reorder fees, and/or additional charges for paying by phone.

POTENTIAL SAVINGS: $50

  • SITUATION: TRAVEL

SOLUTION: Comparison shopping on travel websites for transportation and accommodations can immediately save hundreds of dollars on just one trip. Take your travel savings even further by comparing rates for hotels and rental cars; then applying promotional codes for additional savings. When you get to the checkout page of a travel site, don’t skip over the little box that says “Enter Promotional Code.” Visit us to find codes to really maximize your savings.

POTENTIAL SAVINGS: $300 per trip

  • SITUATION: GOING TO THE MOVIES

SOLUTION: As a nation we all go to the movies about eight times per year, which can cost a family of four around $60 a pop! By renting movies at a lower cost, families can save approximately $480 annually. And you can save even more by finding codes for services like Netflix at PromotionalCodes.com.

POTENTIAL SAVINGS: $480 per year

If you’d like more information on PromotionalCodes.com, please contact Tori Stiles, Account Specialist, at 424-214-5470.

Interested in becoming an affiliate with MyCorporation or finding out more about PromotionalCodes? Contact Cindi Sokoloff, Affiliate Manager at MyCorporation at (818) 746-2264 ext 320.

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Kindle Your Passion with MyCorporation!

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November is a great month to be a reader! In the spirt of NaNoWriMo, and our own theme of “Reading” for this week, we are announcing a new sweepstakes for November and December.

We are giving away a brand new Kindle Fire!

Just like our iPad giveaway, all you have to do is head over to our Facebook page, click Like, and you are immediately entered to win! Plus becoming a fan of our page is a great way to hear about our other promotions and follow any newsworthy stories we post.

We will do the drawing at the end of the year so be sure to like us and check your Facebook pages at the end of December. Thank you all for your continuing support and good luck winning the Kindle!

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Balancing Sleep and the Mid Afternoon Lull

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Sleep. Just the word is fabulous, right? Despite our love for sleep, it seems to be the norm that most adults don’t get enough sleep. Sure, we can all pull the occasional all nighter, but running on three to four hours of sleep night after night will definitely start to take its toll. So what can you do about it? Believe us, we know that there are not enough hours in the day. We wish we had more time to sleep! Unfortunately, taking a quick catnap under your desk probably isn’t an option. Next time you feel the urge to doze, nod off or “rest your eyes” at the office, keep these helpful hints in mind.

Eat small nutritious meals

Yes, you have heard this before. Eating small meals throughout the day is not only a good tool for weight loss. By nourishing your body periodically during the day, you are also nourishing your mind, thus keeping yourself alert. The common cure for the mid afternoon lull is usually a choice between a snack and caffeine. Instead of boosting your body once a day, consider feeding it gradually. This way, you will avoid the dreaded 3pm crash and you may even lose a few pounds!

Avoid too much sugar or caffeine

We here at MyCorp love our coffee, so don’t sound the alarm quite yet. Remember, too much of anything can be a bad thing. Yes, coffee in the morning is vital to the vast majority of adults. However before reaching for your third or forth cup, or your second soda take a second to pause. Sugar and caffeine will give you a boost, but only for a short while, after which you will crash. This creates a caffeine roller coaster. Get off that ride! Consider instead, as mentioned above, eating smaller meals or snacks such as almonds and celery. Also, try drinking additional water. Although it does not have caffeine, water is vital to healthy brain function and it will give you a boost!

Get your walk on!

We all know the benefits of exercise. Many forget the benefits of taking a simple stroll. Set out a chunk of time each day, maybe 10-15 minutes, to walk around your office building or outside. Standing up and moving around will get the blood flowing in your body, increasing both your circulation and body functions. When you start to feel yourself doze off, stand up! Walk off that tired feeling and prepare yourself for a productive end of the day.

Love thy neighbor.

Love thy neighbor, in our opinion, simply means strike up a short conversation with your co-workers. Take a few minutes to look away from you work and take your brain out of the office. What is Sarah cooking for dinner? Do John’s kids have soccer tonight?  Breaking the monotony of the day by engaging a different part of your brain through conversation will help you to snap out of the funk. Who knows, you may learn something new, make a new friend or establish a better relationship with your coworkers. Loving thy neighbor is clearly a win win!

There you have it. Now you are prepared to fight your afternoon nemeses. Keep these tips in mind and enjoy a day full of productivity!

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