Monthly Archives: December 2011

Make Your New Year's Small Biz Resolution Count!

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It’s that time of year again. Time to make your New Year’s resolution, or resolutions. Most of us make the usual resolutions, to lose weight, save money or go to church more frequently. Personal growth goals are certainly a great idea. However, what about resolutions you can make for your business? Taking a step back and evaluating your 2011 performance can help you move successfully forward into 2012. Here are a few tips to get you started.

Start up!
If you have been thinking about starting a business, or starting another business, now is a great time to do so! Business typically picks up a great deal during the first of the year. Use this momentum to help you realize your dream of owning a small business. Take time during your holiday vacation to create a business plan. Talk to friends and other entrepreneurs who have gone through the process to help you get started. When you’re ready, give MyCorporation a call. We can help you incorporate your business making your entrepreneurial dream a reality!

Go back to your business plan
When you first created your business, no doubt you had a business plan outlining company policies and goals you hoped to achieve. Take a minute and go back over your plan in the New Year. Have you accomplished the things you set out to accomplish? Is your business operating on a day-to-day basis in the way in which you intended it to? Your business plan is really the skeleton, the bones, of your business. If you have broken, or missing parts, you can’t hope you function successfully. Give your business a thorough once over to ensure things are functioning properly.

Focus
After reviewing your business plan, take a moment to focus. Think back over the past year. Ask yourself what worked and what didn’t? Are there certain policies that have become outdated? Are all of your employees performing to company standards? Is your business fulfilling its purpose? Are you doing everything you can in your role, whether it is owner or employee, to contribute to the success of the business? Focus on the other pieces of the business, outside of the business plan, and assess what is working and what isn’t. Staying in tune with the day-to-day happenings of the company will help you stay on track.

Look Ahead
Now that you have reviewed the inner workings of your business, take time to create new goals. How do you want your firm to grow this year? What new accounting or billing strategies are on the market that can help your business? What are your new hiring needs? Make a list of goals you hope to achieve each quarter, and by this time next year. Think of the business as a train, always moving forward.

This year, consider making a new years resolution for your small business. Whether it be starting your first business, or maintaining a current one, give your start up some love! Happy New Year from all of us here at MyCorporation!

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Our Top Ten Posts Of 2011

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As the end of the year approaches, it’s easy to find yourself contemplating the events of the past year; a great time of reflection for business owners. What was effective for your business? What wasn’t?
In the name of reflection, here are MyCorporation’s top blog posts from 2011:

MyCorporation on KCAL 9
January 11, 2011
We posted about Deborah being featured on KCAL 9 as a business expert. The post discusses the business tips she provided in the interview and attaches the actual clip. We always love when our CEO gets featured, and by doing so, helps audience member better understand the ins and outs of business.

MyCorporation How To: Branding Your Small Business
February 22, 2011
Branding is a constant factor of importance in owning a small business. Unless you’re a huge corporation like Pepsi (for those who think young) you’re going to need a little more than word-of-mouth marketing and a few commercials and billboards to define your brand to the public. Building your brand is a whole different game when you’re a small business and this post helps to lay that out.

10 Ways To Effectively Market Your Home-Based Business
April 27, 2011
Marketing is another important factor in small business success. This post gives 10 in-depth tips for sending your business in the right direction.

3 Reasons Why Small Biz Owners Deserve Summer Vacations
May 27, 2011
Everyone needs to be reminded every now and then to slow down and take it easy, especially those constantly on-the-go entrepreneurs.

Be Careful the Next Time You Order a Double Shot at Starbucks!
June 20, 2011
Remember when Starbucks announced that they were going to start offering alcohol at one of their locations? This post discusses whether that was a smart move on Starbucks’ part from a business standpoint.

How Start-Ups Can Save the World… or At Least Aid the Economic Recovery Effort
June 27, 2011
This relevant to the times post shows the benefits of start-ups in a time of economic hopelessness; a light at the end of the tunnel.

Four Ways to Completely Ruin A Skype Interview
August 22, 2011
As Skype interviews rise in popularity, this post is filled with good tips of what not to do when being interviewed via your webcam.

Top CEO Apologies and Lessons Learned from Them
September 26, 2011
Remember getting upset over the sudden price increase in your Netflix account this past summer? Netflix CEO Reed Hastings does. Along with Hastings’, this post looks at fellow CEO apologies to their customers and how their actions affected their business.

“Think Global, Act Local”
November 28, 2011
How could we pass up mentioning our post on small Business Saturday- the very best small business holiday of the year!

Happy Customer Appreciation Day!
December 19, 2011
Lastly and most recently, we wrote up a post thanking all of our wonderful customers for all of their overwhelming support through not just 2011 but all of the years MyCorporation has been in business. We wouldn’t be us without all of you!

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What To Do During… Holidays in the Office Edition

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The holidays are currently in full swing. If you haven’t already, it’s time to break out your tacky Christmas sweater, wrap your presents and start brewing the wassail. We know that many of you have probably already attended a work holiday party, but many parties can often extend well over into the New Year. For those of you with last minute holiday parties to attend, we have a few “what to do’s” for you to keep in mind.

What to Wear
Ah yes, the age-old question. What should I wear? Our first tip: if you have any doubt about wearing it, don’t. Of course you want to break out your festivus spirit during the holidays but keep in mind you are still at the office. Even if you have an off-site party, this is still a work function. Leave the short dresses, ripped or dirty jeans and the low dipping tops at home. And remember to step it up a notch from your normal dress routine! Shine your shoes or put on a dress. Use this time to put your most stylish holiday foot forward!

What to Bring
Beware of the dreaded fruitcake! OK, we kid. Consider bringing a bottle of wine or even an appetizer to your holiday party. If your party is catered or at a restaurant, skip the appetizer in favor of a bottle of wine for your boss as a thank you for hosting the event. If the party is less formal, for example, actually at the office, bringing in food is a great idea. When deciding what to bring think about the time of year and what is in season. A cheese plate with local cheeses, meatballs with different dipping sauces or mini cornbread muffins are all crowd pleasers. If you can’t decide, ask someone at your local grocer or look online at holiday party blogs for inspiration.

What to Discuss
Holidays in the office are definitely a departure from the everyday grind water cooler chat. Still, there are certain topics that should be off limits. Politics, for example, can easily cause tension. Religion is usually also a no-no. Also, even though it is a work party, take this time to talk to your colleagues about something other than the office. Ask about their families or holiday plans. Get to know your colleagues outside of the office. Who knows, you may share similar hobbies or find yourself a new tennis doubles buddy! Bottom line: keep the conversation fun, festive and far from tension causing topics.

Even though the holidays are winding down, there is still plenty of festive fun to be had. If you are a last minute partygoer, keep the above what to do’s in mind. We here at MyCorp hope you and your family enjoy the rest of the holiday season!

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Upcoming Webinars

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The next upcoming webinar from Ventureneer:“Time Management for Busy Business Owners,” will be instructed by President of Pro Way Development Laura Jacob and will take place Wednesday January, 18 2012 at 12 noon – 1 pm ET.

“Time Management for Busy Business Owners” will cover how to:

  • assess your time management skills
  • distinguish between what’s important and what’s urgent
  • apply tools to determine priorities
  • examine new time management strategies and techniques
  • make good decisions under pressure
  • choose the right time management tools and techniques for your job
  • do more in less time

Following “Time Management for Busy Business Owners” are these webinars in the new year:

“Don’t Let Slow- or No- Pay Customers Ruin Your Business”

January 23, 2012 at 12 noon – 1 pm ET

“Grow Your Business Through Certification and Contracting”

January 24, 2012 at 12 noon – 1 pm ET

“100 Free Marketing Ideas for Small Businesses”

January 24, 2012 at 2 pm – 3 pm ET

“The Next Revolution is in Your Pocket”

January 25, 2012 at 2 pm – 3 pm ET

All webinars are free of charge.

Read more about them and register early here.

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Happy Customer Appreciation Day!

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It has been an absolutely amazing year at MyCorporation; we’ve seen hundreds of our customers start following us on Facebook and Twitter, we won a Stevie Award, and as always, we are absolutely amazed at how many small businesses get their official start right here with us.

And, of course, none of this would ever have been possible without our customers.

As an a thank you to all of our customers, we are giving away free Employer Identification Numbers with every incorporation. Any business that wants to open a bank account, hire employees or incorporate has to have an EIN.

Normally an Employer Identification Number costs $69.00, but choose any of our incorporation packages and we will obtain an EIN on behalf of your new business for free as our way of saying thanks for choosing MyCorporation.

All of our customers have made this year outstanding, and we can’t even begin to articulate how thankful we are for everyone who has contacted us for help with their business. We wish you all the best of luck with your business ventures, and hope everyone has a happy holiday season!

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8 Steps to a Successful Google Places Listing

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Here at MyCorp, we are very proud to have introduced our readers to our affiliate StarterSuccess. StarterSuccess provides small business solutions such as the ability to write a business plan, business marketing and employee management. They also provide Google Place listings. Google Places helps business be found on Google in order to promote the business. StarterSuccess provided us with 8 steps to a successful Google Places Listing. Millions of businesses are already using Google Places proving it is an invaluable tool. Use these tips to help your business get started!

1. Answer all questions on the questionnaire. These include hours of operation and methods of payment. Make sure to double check answers as any misspellings or incorrect information may affect your listing visibility.

2. Include your main phone number. This should be a local number, do your best to avoid toll free numbers.

3. Include a business address. This should be the actual location of your business. P.O. boxes are not acceptable.

4. Your business description should have keywords relevant to your business. For extra help on keywords, click here. It’s better to use more keywords rather than having a more literarily pleasing description. Example: “Joe Smith Car Care in Dallas, Texas. Highly respected mechanic in Dallas. Car Care mechanic specializing in domestic and imports. Joe Smith has been in business for 25 years in Dallas.”

5. Categories. Based on your businesses keywords, select categories relevant to your industry. Simply start typing your keywords. Each business listing should use all five available categories. An example of keywords for a mechanic would be: mechanic, car repair, domestic import, transmission repair, engine repair, brake repair and Dallas repair shop.

6. Add images. Try to upload 10 images, the max number allowed. Make sure to optimize your photos. By optimizing your images you increase the value of your business listing. Name your image using keywords. For example, a photo of Joe Smith would be named ‘Dallas Mechanic Shop Joe Smith.’

7. Add videos. Add all five that are allowed if you can. Make sure the videos uploaded are high definition and have inscribed meta-data in the file. Meta-data is a term that refers to the video details that are added when the video is created. These details would include a video title (keyword rich) and video tags or keywords. Use keywords used with your images and in your description.

8. Include additional details. This is a good place to add details about your business that didn’t fit in other categories such as notable recognition or your business has received.

Additional Tips for Success
The Google Places Business Listings are ranked according to many factors. One major factor that contributes to your success is your company’s website. By optimizing your website, Google and other search engines are better able to see what your company represents and thus may rank you higher on search results pages.

If you would like to know more about Google Places and claim your Places Page for FREE, click here.

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Catch Deborah Sweeney's Trademark Protection Free Webinar Today!

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Don’t forget! This week our very own Deborah Sweeney will be featured on Ventureneer for a free webinar on “Protecting Your Brand: Trademarks, Copyrights, and the Internet.”

In this webinar Deborah will explain simply (minus difficult legal jargon):

  • Checking out competitive brand uses
  • Determining trademark availability
  • Nationwide protection for your brand and logo
  • What needs to be protected when it comes to your brand

“Protecting Your Brand: Trademarks, Copyrights, and the Internet” is open to anyone interested in business but is highly recommended to those newly forming.

The webinar will take place Wed. December 14, 2011 at 12n – 1pm ET and is free of charge.

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Gift This… Not that.

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If there is one thing internet blogging outlets have become increasingly good at, it is telling you what to buy. Once the holidays roll around nearly every, single business blog begins to look like a Sky Mall catalog. Did you know that your boss wants a personalized business card case? Or that CEOs everywhere are clamoring for the fancy vinegars and expensive laptop stands?

Neither did we! But, judging from what we’ve been reading online on holiday office shopping, your best bet is to just walk into your closest Brookstone and just grab a handful of the shiniest gadgets. Since Christmas is getting closer, we thought we’d help everyone out by giving our suggestions on what you can get your favorite CEO or entrepreneur. While our suggestions aren’t as cute or whimsical as others, we feel that, at the very least, they can be used without causing any embarrassment.

Don’t buy them a tie/a skirt/a pair of shoes. Offer inspiration instead!

Every year people all across the world are given ugly ties, ill-fitting skirts or some other awful piece of clothing that’d they never, ever wear. People don’t really like to be dressed once they get past the age of three, so clothes are often a risky purchase to make during the holidays. Even if you pin the receipt to the gift bag and assure them that you understand if you don’t like it, really, just go back and return it… clothes still aren’t the best gift idea. Instead, give them something to inspire their style. The Sartorialist, one of our Social Media department’s favorite style blogs, released an awesome book back in 2009 of the top fashion photos from the blog. It is only $16.50 at Amazon, and is a great alternative to another sweater. Not only is it a cool book to have, but it can give some great ideas to more fashion-forward entrepreneurs.

Go for something practical, not gaudy.

A CEO’s office has to breath a certain air of personality. It doesn’t necessarily have to be rigid, stiff and regal, but it should allow for the maintenance of mutual respect when other people come in for meetings or conferences.

If there is a Family Guy calendar of Peter Griffin telling a fart joke on the wall, then that maintenance is pretty difficult.

People love to give others gifts that they can use, but sometimes you have to step away from the more… personal ones and opt for practicality and style. So instead of a Fireman’s calendar or a book of kitten pictures, give them something that they will both use AND look good while using it. Moleskin, just as an example, sells a very minimalistic desk calendar that is practical, easily movable and stylish. It won’t tell your boss what the various qualities of being a redneck are, but it will do its job and look good while doing it.

Instead of the latest business book, maybe get them something a little more… hot.

Now don’t misunderstand us on this one; we love business books as much as the next person. However, business books have a habit of flaring in and out of existence. The must have book of the year in January may be completely forgotten by March, and it is pretty difficult to gauge the lasting potential of a book when you first buy it. So instead of adding yet another tome to clog up desk space, think about something with a bit more lasting potential.

Something like the new Kindle Fire. Now this is a bit more expensive, but could work well as an office gift – everyone pitches in a little bit of money and the entire office can give an awesome gift without breaking the bank. Or, if the entrepreneur in your life is someone you wouldn’t mind spending a little more money on, the Kindle Fire may be right up your alley.

Of course, you could also enter our contest for a free Kindle Fire by liking our Facebook page. It couldn’t hurt, right?

Whatever you decide to get, remember our advice on style. Edge away from overly personal (unless you’re already very close to the person you are gifting to) and instead try to find something practical and stylish. Finding a gift should be a bit more involved than running into Target and grabbing the first thing you see labelled with a “PERFECT FOR CHRISTMAS!” sign.

Of course, you could always just ask them what they want. But where’s the fun in that?

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How Do You Give Back to Your Community?

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December marks the heart of the holiday season. Christmas parties, family gatherings and decking our halls with decorations are synonymous with the season. In the midst of all this merriment, millions of people find that an additional activity goes hand in hand with the holidays: giving. Giving of our time, funds, and resources to others who are less fortunate mark an important part of the holidays. What about businesses? In addition to office holiday parties, do businesses give back to their communities?

The frustrations of the past months put into the spotlight by the Occupy Wall Street protests, suggest that corporate America is one thing: greedy. Chants involving “the 99%” and “wealth distribution” have left a mark on corporate America’s arguably already tarnished image. For many, the holiday season represents a time of giving back to others. Despite corporate America’s blemished profile, many corporations give back millions of dollars each year.

The Chronicle of Philanthropy, a magazine that monitors the charitable giving industry, tracks donations from the largest corporations in the Untied States from the annual Fortune 500 list. The magazine reported that the most generous donor in 2010 was Kroger, with $64 million. Kroger, the largest grocery chain in America, was the only corporation to give more than 10% of its previous year profits to charity in 2010. The 2nd most generous was Macy’s totaling over $41 million dollars. In addition to hosting the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Macy’s provides over 1,000 grants to organizations in low-income communities where the giant retailor operates. The list continues with Safeway coming in 3rd, Dow Chemical taking 4th and Morgan Stanley taking 5th. So yes, many large companies do in fact give back to their community, quite generously!

Giving is not only important to large corporations, it is also important for 501(c)(3) companies, or tax-exempt non-profits, in a somewhat different way. Non-profit companies rely on donations, or giving, so that they may fulfill their charitable purpose, usually giving back to their community. In order to qualify, the company must be organized to use its revenues for a charitable purpose, rather than distributing them as profits or dividends.. None of the companies’ earnings may inure to a private shareholder or individual.

Most charitable organizations are allowed to receive tax-deductible contributions. Contributions over $75 dollars must be documented. For many non-profits, these tax-deductible contributions keep them in business. Think about companies like the Salvation Army and The Red Cross. They operate mainly on charitable donations and in some cases use social media to further the process. The Red Cross, for example, raised over five million dollars to support Haiti solely through text message!

The business community, both large corporations and small start-ups, are all, in some way, affected by charitable giving. Here at MyCorporation we encourage our employees to give back to the community through local canned food drives, and other seasonal programs. Take some time during your holiday celebrating and consider giving back to your community, or even your favorite non-profit. You know the saying, a little really does go a long way!

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Ventureneer's Free Branding Webinar

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Are you a small business owner, entrepreneur or solo-preneur? Then you should attend Ventureneer’s webinar: What Do You STAND For? Why Branding Matters to Small Businesses on December 12 from 2 – 3pm ET!

This free webinar will be instructed by Alan Siege- CEO of Small Business Management Consulting as well as an instructor the NYC Department of Small Business Services Entrepreneur Boot Camp and an adjunct professor at the Center for Continuing Education and Workforce Development at the Borough of Manhattan Community College and the School of Continuing and Professional Studies at NYU.

What Do You STAND For? Why Branding Matters to Small Businesses will challenge your assumptions; give you best practices that are practical; and help you solve real-life problems. Alan will give you understandable information that you can use immediately to make your business more visible and more highly regarded.

Register here!

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