Are you guilty of continuing to use an Excel spreadsheet to manage your leads, customers, and sales channel? Do you think that a CRM is too expensive or not appropriate for your small or medium business? Wondering why you can’t increase your income? Customer relationship management (i.e. CRM) has been a key enabling technology for many successful businesses and has a very attractive return on investment.

A few years ago, my two business partners and I agreed that our product was ready for prime time and the task of putting together a sales and marketing strategy fell on my shoulders. He knew a thing or two about marketing, but he had no idea about sales. So I liked most of the sales leaders back then and created an Excel spreadsheet to start capturing our leads, customers, opportunities and creating a simple pipeline. I posted the spreadsheet on our company’s intranet so my partners and the sales team could access and edit it. He had no idea what a mess he had created …

Our sales team, myself included, spend most of our time traveling visiting current and potential clients; connecting to our VPN in our hotel room to access our intranet and edit our spreadsheet was a huge hassle. We didn’t have an automated way to notify the team when it was time to reconnect with a customer for a specific project. Creating a report for our Board meetings was a bummer. It was nearly impossible to analyze our data and figure out where in the selling stage our opportunities were stuck. Leads were not automatically assigned to the right salesperson and I had to manage them manually. And I could go on and on and I’m sure many of you have similar stories to tell. The bottom line is that our sales did not meet our expectations. Rather than creating a growth enabler, my spreadsheet was a growth impediment.

After two quarters of breakneck growth and two hellish council meetings, it was time for a change. I consulted with my team and called some friends with successful and growing businesses and asked how they handle their sales process. The answer was unanimous: a cloud-based CRM, with Salesforce.com the most popular option.

Sure, it wasn’t free as a spreadsheet. But the time I saved by not having to manually manage the spreadsheet, assign leads, and bother with pipeline reporting was spent in front of customers. According to Salesforce research, sales people spend 68% of their time not selling. I definitely fit that profile back then. For this reason alone, our CRM paid for itself. Also, keep in mind that most cloud-based CRMs, like Salesforce, offer monthly fees so you don’t have to fork out a costly sum up front; making it ideal for small businesses. And with Salesforce partners offering quick-start deployments, you can be up and running with an efficient system in less than 30 days at a reasonable price.

As you can imagine, our CRM ROI was felt in less than 2 quarters. No more VPN on our intranet for our sales team, they could access our cloud-based CRM and update their own pipeline. Back then, smartphones weren’t available, but today, sales teams can update their pipeline on the fly right on their phone. All pipelines were integrated into a company pipeline that we could share internally and with our board of directors. It allowed us to analyze our data and figure out how to adjust our sales strategy. We constantly reiterate our sales process based on the data we collect. For example, we define best sales practices and targeting based on the stage of the opportunity. This made the process of onboarding new sales reps easier. We shorten our sales cycle with automatic reminders to contact our customers and follow up on opportunities. And there you have it, our sales growth was solidly underway. Later we sold our company to the French multinational Schneider Electric.

In short, a CRM will pay for itself through better visibility, productivity, and intelligence. Our sales team had better visibility into their pipeline, spent more time selling, and were more efficient. The bottom line can be summed up with this equation: the monthly CRM license cost of $ 130 / per position is always less than the hours wasted by salespeople without a CRM * your hourly rate; factor in increasing your productivity and it’s a no-brainer. Are you sure you want to continue with your spreadsheet?

The Alternative Minimum Tax is a very important consideration for taxpayers who own real estate because almost all the tax rules that apply to real estate are different for the AMT than they are for the Regular Tax. This article on real estate and the AMT will address those situations where the person owns the property as an investment, usually as rental property. The differences in tax treatment between the Regular Tax and the AMT can be significant.

Interest expenses

The interests paid on the mortgage contracted to acquire the property are fully deductible, both from the Regular Tax and the Alternative Minimum Tax. Unlike itemized deductions that allow a tax benefit for personal expenses, tax law generally allows all deductions that a taxpayer must make to earn business income. Therefore, the limitations discussed in the previous article on home mortgage interest do not apply.

However, if the value of the rental property is used as collateral for an additional loan, such as a second mortgage, the taxpayer must analyze how the proceeds from that loan are used to determine the interest deductibility. If the proceeds are used for a car loan or to finance a child’s education, for example, then the interest is non-deductible personal interest. If the proceeds are used to improve the rental property, the interest is deductible.

Tip: Taxpayers better keep personal loans separate from business loans. Mixing the two creates record keeping challenges and can result in disputes with the IRS.

Property taxes

Property taxes paid on rental or investment properties are allowed in full for both Regular Tax and Alternative Minimum Tax purposes.

Planning idea: If you have the opportunity to pay your property tax bill either this year or next, do so in a year when you have enough income from the property not to result in a rental loss. This strategy can help prevent the passive loss of activity limitations described below from activating.

Example: In Florida, property tax bills are mailed in October and paid according to the following discount schedule: November – 4%, December – 3%, January – 2%, February – 1%. If you have a property loss in 2010 but expect to generate income in 2011, don’t pay your bill in November or December; Waiving that small discount could help you avoid the stop-loss rules.

Depreciation

Depreciation of property held for investment is allowed. The part of the cost attributable to the land is not depreciable, but for the building itself and the furniture, appliances, carpets, etc. you can take a deduction for depreciation.

Real property (this is the legal definition of the house or other building) held for rental / investment can only be depreciated for Regular Tax purposes under the “straight line” method, over a useful life of 27.5 years. Therefore, a property with $ 275,000 allocated to the building would depreciate at a rate of $ 10,000 per year.

Personal property (this is the legal definition of things like furniture, appliances, carpets, and the like) can be depreciated for regular tax purposes under an “accelerated” method over a useful life of five years. An accelerated method allows for a higher deduction for depreciation in the early years, in recognition of a factor of obsolescence or decline in value seen in new properties (automobiles are a good example).

However, for AMT purposes, personal property can be depreciated only using the straight-line method. Therefore, an AMT article will be generated in the first few years if the expedited method is used.

Planning Idea: For personal property, consider choosing the straight-line method for regular tax purposes. While forgoing a small tax benefit for the higher depreciation in the early years, it could mean avoiding paying the AMT.

Active / Passive Investment Rules and “At Risk” Rules

A taxpayer who is not “active” in investment property management cannot use rental property losses to offset other income such as wages and salaries, dividends, interest, capital gains, and so on. Instead, these losses are deferred until the taxpayer sells the property or generates passive income from this or other sources of passive investment.

Similarly, the risk rules deny the use of this type of loss to the extent that the taxpayer has acquired the investment with borrowed money and has no personal liability for the debt.

Planning idea

If these loss limitations apply, consider the planning ideas mentioned above to minimize the losses that occur each year. Anyway, they are not doing you any good.

Property sale

Several different AMT issues can arise in the sale of rental / investment properties. One is that your profit or loss may be different for the AMT than it is for regular tax purposes. This would occur if different depreciation methods were used. For example, if personal property was depreciated using an accelerated method for regular tax purposes, then the basis in that property when figuring the gain or loss on sale would be different because the straight-line method had to be used for minimum tax purposes. alternative.

Gains from the sale of investment properties are generally capital gains, although some of it may be treated as ordinary income depending on the accelerated depreciation method used. Capital gains per se is not an element of AMT, but can nonetheless result in payment of AMT. This is because the AMT exemption amount is phased out for taxpayers at certain income levels, so this additional income may result in exemption reduction, which in turn increases taxable income for the purposes of the Alternative Minimum Tax.

Many candle sellers are also active eBay users. Many of whom have also learned so-called online candle party tricks and auctions. Selling candles on eBay can seem difficult, especially if you are having a hard time getting started.

Many candle sellers began by searching for virtually all available data. Naturally, we are all familiar with finding or navigating information online, but not everything is served on a silver platter. Beginners and veteran salespeople alike need to find and understand the route to the right information highway extensively. That is, selling candles on eBay will always require a great deal of dedication and patience.

Below is a list of tips and steps for selling candles online.

1. Decide on the type of product. In this case, since you will be selling candles on eBay, you need to make sure that your items are original. That is, they need to have that distinctive look and make sure their products are made from high-quality materials. Try to create that lasting impression by producing new sets of candle types. It is also better to know the best and most preferred products of the competition.

2. The time has come to register your business online. Visit the site and follow the steps required to register. It is also advisable to have an email account along with your eBay account. It is also recommended to protect your own business or bank account.

3. After registering, it is better to apply for PayPal. Securing one will ensure that all payments are properly facilitated online. It is like having a middle man in terms of sending and receiving cash. It is also advisable to get the PayPal premium account if you are interested in selling candles on eBay.

4. Once you have all the essentials prepared online, it is time to manage your seller account. Start posting your items on eBay. When preparing your ad, try to create a persuasive headline. It is also better to take photos of your products with a good camera. Product descriptions must be made in detail. You can also include information on materials, rarity of items, price, and shipping details.

Selling candles on eBay is a method popularly applied by many sellers. They know that advertising their products means visibility and creating that all-important access path. Selling candles on eBay is also a likely opportunity to expand and grow your home business. Because it helps you meet more people and new customer brands.

1. Limitations of Employee Credit Checks.

California employers have long enjoyed the right to conduct background checks that included reviewing applicants’ credit reports before extending job offers. This practice, as of January 1, 2012, will no longer be the case — without very specific conditions. This is because a new law has been enacted to avoid excluding applicants based on disparaging reports.

Specifically, the Consumer Credit Reporting Agency Act has been amended to prohibit everybody Employers to review consumer reports unless the employer is a financial institution or is reviewing an application / promotion for an exempt clerical position. If that employer is hiring a person to fill certain positions for the California Department of Justice, to fill a law enforcement position, or a position in which such investigation is required by law (i.e., teaching, etc.), it will be will allow credit checks. Disclosures and consent to obtain such information are still necessary and failure to do so could result in civil penalties and fines.

2. Commission agreements in writing.

Employers offering commission incentives in California can only do so if these agreements have been commemorated in writing signed by an employee. Failure to put commission agreements in writing can expose an employer to fines of up to $ 100 per day.

3. To classify as exempt or not?

Employee misclassification continues to be a focus of litigation, and the 2012 legal changes reflected in federal and state laws will likely raise more concerns than employers have seen in the past. Specifically, SB 459 proposes that California employers be penalized for misclassifying the status of employees to the tune of about $ 25,000 for intentional misclassifications. If the evidence shows that an employer should have known that an employer was not an independent contractor and / or “exempt” rather than “non-exempt”, the company may be required to post a public notice posting the violation. Intentional for up to one (1 year. Additionally, each and every employee found to have jointly participated in any employee misclassification may also be subject to fines and penalties. Federal regulatory agencies such as the IRS have agreed to work with local government to help identify employers who may be subject to penalties for wrongdoing. Without question, we at MMC continue to stress the importance of getting it right when it comes to identifying who in your workforce is an employee and if they are exempt or not Now, more than ever, it may be time to conduct a compensation audit.

4. Domestic partners / spouses entitled to equal protection: for benefits.

The Equal Benefits Act in California stands as one of the most important changes in state laws regarding obtaining benefits for same-sex couples. In the past, some employers limited benefits only to spouses who were in a recognized legal marriage. This meant that for those partners who were in unions reeling from Proposition 8 legal status, they might not be eligible for insurance benefits if they were linked to a partner’s employment. This will no longer be the case on January 1, 2012. Legal amendments to state benefit laws now require coverage to extend to any spouse or partner to also extend to all working spouses / partners, regardless of status. sex.

5. Bone marrow and organ donors entitled to 30 days of unpaid leave.

Organ or bone marrow donor licensing laws also have specialized legislation in 2012. According to AB 272, organ donors in California have up to 30 business days of license and bone marrow donors can enjoy a license of up to five (5) business days within a 12-month period.

6. Pregnancy disability insurance benefits with the right to special protection.

Prior to January 1, 2012, the law allowed women taking pregnancy disability leave to enjoy the same level of benefits as all employees with similar disabilities. However, following the enactment of [arguably] For increased protections for this class of women, California employers in 2012 must now sponsor health care benefits for women on pregnancy leave. In other words, if employees on non-pregnancy-related leave are entitled to employer-sponsored benefits for only up to 12 weeks and must bear all costs to continue benefits at week 13, this rule no longer applies. it will apply to women on maternity leave. . Regardless of the week of leave they have in connection with the delivery, employers must maintain the level of contribution to health care benefits until the employee returns from approved leave.

7. FEHA expanded to provide more protections.

Recently signed SB 559 and AB 887 have been amended to reflect changes to the California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) in 2012. FEHA will now prohibit employers in this state from discriminating against employees on the basis of genetic information and ” gender expression “. in addition to prohibiting discrimination based on race, religion, [apparent] gender, sex, sexual orientation, perceived medical condition and marital status, among others. The Legislature noted that the range of protection provided by the federal Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) is not comprehensive for California and may result in job loss or refusal to hire based on an individual’s genetic testing, Biological disposition to certain genetic conditions, appearance or behavior related to a person’s gender, whether stereotypically associated with the sex assigned to a person or not.

8. Procedural regulations foreseen by the DFEH.

Effective October 7, 2011, the Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) has instituted new regulations related to procedures for filing, investigating, and prosecuting discrimination and harassment complaints. DFEH is the state agency charged with enforcing the state’s Fair Employment and Housing Act and handling complaints of discrimination and harassment. In general, the regulations make it easier for complainants to file their complaints and initiate a DFEH investigation. This is because the Department will apply a liberal interpretation to complaints and an employer can no longer argue that an Open Door Policy never resulted in the employee filing the claims alleged in the complaint and thereby discounting the validity. of the employee’s claims. The result may be positive in the sense that fewer plaintiff attorneys can pursue automatic letters of right to sue, which give way to lawsuits, and the Department’s mediation services can make informal resolution more likely to serve as an option. than before. Let’s keep our fingers crossed with optimism that this is the end result.

9. Newsflash: Brinker’s Meal and Rest Periods Case Review.

On November 11, 2011, the California Supreme Court heard the long-awaited Brinker matter that has kept plaintiff and defense labor law attorneys on pins and needles. Briefly, the case raises the question of whether an employer is required to “monitor” the workplace to ensure that meal and rest periods are taken. Interestingly, the Court’s investigation into whether employees maintain more control over their workday when they decide to work alone during lunches or meal periods could indicate that the Court is unwilling to accept that employers have a duty to compel employees. employees to take their lunches and meal periods. . In other words, the suggestion that an employer should force an employee to go out and have lunch, so that they are not subject to penalties and fines, undermines workers’ control over their workday. The Court is not expected to publish its decision until February 2012. This decision is definitely one to consider.

10. Updated the IT Employee Exemption.

Bipartisan legislation introduced in the United States Senate in November could update the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) treatment of computer employee exemptions. Section 13 (a) (17) of the FLSA establishes minimum wage and overtime exemptions for computer systems analysts, computer programmers, software engineers, or other workers with similar skills, provided that specific job duties and compensation for these employees meet certain requirements. Specifically, to qualify for a computer employee exemption under current law, the employee’s “primary duty” must consist of:

• The application of systems analysis techniques and procedures, including consultation with users, to determine hardware, software or system functional specifications;
• The design, development, documentation, analysis, creation, testing or modification of computer systems or programs, including prototypes, based on and related to the user or system design specifications;
• The design, documentation, testing, creation or modification of computer programs related to the operating systems of the machines; gold
• A combination of the aforementioned duties, the performance of which requires the same level of skills.

In practice, the IT employee exemption does not reflect developments in IT and IT occupations. To remedy the coverage gap, new legislation has been introduced so that any employee who works in a computer science or information technology occupation (including but not limited to work related to computers, information systems, components, networks or sites web) as an analyst, programmer, and the guy would be considered exempt as long as he earns $ 27.63 per hour. This bill is also one to watch for approval.

Earn money early by developing a means of getting more work done than you can alone. People do not open businesses to work eighteen (18) hours a day; give up the benefits they had when they worked; or to earn less money than they did on a job. However, if you don’t plan how to make money, it’s easy to get stuck in a situation where you may be working alone and almost kill yourself trying to make something happen.

Even if you’re an accountant, you shouldn’t expect to go back to your home or office to do your own accounting, financial statement analysis, market research, and other administrative tasks that all businesses must do. A great first step is understanding that you can’t make a lot of money on yourself. Once you understand that philosophy, you need to plan what you are willing to do and the things that make the most sense to hire a professional to do it for you.

These facts should become critical parts of your business plan. Because as soon as possible, ideally before opening the business, you should have an idea of ​​what your work day will be like. Make no mistake, no matter how well you plan, you will be in for surprises. In many cases, addressing those surprises can add additional tasks to your day that you hadn’t planned. And, this could result in you having to do more work than you had planned just to earn a living.
Regardless of the type of profession you choose to build a business, it will take more than just practicing your profession to make the business work.

Needless to say, you will need to practice the profession around which you started your business. But in addition, all companies have administrative tasks that must be performed such as accounting, strategy development, website maintenance, tax planning and compliance. None of these things earn you a penny, but they must be done in order for your business to run efficiently, or not at all. And that is just the beginning. You need to market to get new customers, and you need to take steps to stay in constant contact with existing customers. Neither of these stocks pay you anything and in situations where small amounts of money can be made from promotions, they never pay what you could have earned in hourly fees for doing the work you set up the business for. When you open any type of service business, a good place to start may be to use subcontractors.

Along with all the other tips we’ve tried to offer, using subcontractors may be the sign you’ve been looking for. However, its use will change any ideas you may have had about doing your best to try and earn your small fortune alone. It may require you to spend more time selling your service and less time buried under a pile of work that you have been able to obtain. If you have professional credentials, you may have convinced yourself that you don’t need help. But, without it, you create a limit to your ability to generate income. Many people believe that they can overcome this problem by spending large sums of money to get started. I absolutely do not agree with that approach.

You should be able to start your business for a few hundred dollars or no more than a few thousand. When you work alone, you may find yourself pouring money into your business just to keep it open. This is a situation where you have to put your ego aside. Your goal should be more than making your business self-sufficient. Your goal should be to earn enough to pay yourself attractive earnings, with a strategy to increase earnings often.

Outsourcing can offer you that possibility. Few people would question the reality that getting your first customers is difficult. If you are marketing correctly, you will find that some of the business you were unable to accept was due to being out of your area. Some jobs may require more labor than you could provide alone. In other cases, you may have to turn down the job simply because you just can’t handle any more work alone. And this is where outsourcing can make a difference for you.
Outsourcing will help your business do what you set up.

Many entrepreneurs believe that the only way to grow or expand is to hire employees or open another location. Either of these options would require additional expenses. The last thing you need is to incur additional expenses for a new business. Or, to dramatically increase the expenses of an existing business, especially if it means having to pay less. An even worse option would be to try participating in any of these options before your business becomes profitable. In situations where you work alone, the business model requires the business owner to do everything. Since you cannot be in two places at once, both your administration and your work that generates fees must suffer. This can take long hours to get everything done. Or creating a profit ceiling, or worse, borrowing to get your business started and keep it going.

Outsourcing will help your business do what you set up. To produce substantial income and give you more free time than you would from a 40-hour-a-week job. And remember, if you work in the professions, you will rarely work just 40 hours. And if you work as a salaried worker, you will likely have to work a part-time job to make ends meet. So you never have much free time. To get the most out of outsourcing, you need to determine how powerful you are to make your business a success. Your strength could be the ability to focus on outstanding tasks, making sure they get done. Some people are great at reviewing work and defining ways to improve it. Others can sell successfully. Any of these skills and more can make you a great candidate to use outsourcing.
What Your Business Plan Should Include To Prepare For Outsourcing

Once you have decided on your strengths, you must determine how you will use them. Outsourcing agreements must first be designed or designed. Many of these agreements can be found online for free or for very little cost. If you have a lot of money to work with, it is sometimes best to hire an attorney to design your agreements. Accomplishing these tasks should come down to writing in your business plan. Next, you need to identify several potential subcontractors that you would like to approach. No matter what your field is, you will find that most people just want to get the job done. Marketing for most of them is a necessary and costly evil. Therefore, if you approach them with the possibility of contributing additional work, most will be receptive.

Your agreements and the results of your meetings with them should clearly indicate that you plan to do a technical report on your services. Which means you will represent this is the job of your company. Since they will receive business in excess of what they had to market and would not have to package the final product, they should be willing to offer you a discount at work. This discount is what you would earn on any work performed for you by subcontractors. Now they would pay him just to bring them new work.

At the same time, you would choose some of the higher paying work you generated and keep it to yourself. This will keep you informed if you plan to review the work of your subcontractors. If your strength is focused on your to-dos, you shouldn’t mind packing your subcontractors’ work, in their packaging, and being able to discuss it with clients who believe this work was done by your company. If your strength is sales, I don’t think I need to tell you how well you could do it. Using subcontractors gives your business a look of depth. Although you may be working at your kitchen table initially, this may put you on a faster path to working at your successful company table.

Playing hard to get it is not a game, it is simply a woman with a full life who puts herself and her needs first. This confident woman would never dream of putting anything on hold for a man. She is not the woman who waves her arms and yells “pick me up, pick me up.” She is the woman who makes her own decisions. This says “I’m sure”. The best way to end a man’s attraction is to be the opposite of being secure, that he is needy and attached. Hard to get is a positive attitude that inspires a man to fall in love with himself to be with you.

A woman who is hard to come by but easy to be with has shown a man that she is happy with him, but can be just as happy without having anything to do with him. This intrigues him and that is when he will not leave his side. It’s hard to get women not to wait by the phone, not to change plans to fit their schedule, to not get late night calls or last minute appointments. They have their limits and standards set and this earns their respect. She is happy in her life and a happy woman is really very sexy.

Think of it as the prize. There are different types of awards. There are the ones in the jack cracker box. That’s the easy prize. All they have to do to get it is open the box and throw it away and there is the prize. What about this award? It is usually thrown away or thrown away somewhere and forgotten. If they come across this award later down the road, chances are they won’t even remember where it came from. That is easy, it is not difficult to achieve.

Then there is the award he had to work for. Your new BMW or sports car. He had to work long hours and save for years for this award. What do you do with this? He doesn’t let anyone else drive him, he keeps it clean and under his garage, he takes pictures of him and treats him with affection because he values ​​him, he had to work for it.

So playing hard to get there is really easy. Just live a wonderful life, put yourself first and he will follow. As long as you see yourself as the prize, he will see you that way too and will enjoy putting in the extra effort – after all, he wants the prize.

Subtitle is the text used on televisions to represent the words and sounds heard on a television show or commercial. Closed captioning is intended to allow the hearing impaired to easily interpret the show, movie, or commercial on television. Captions are recorded on a hidden video line in the program. The text is only visible when the viewer activates the cable box on their cable or television set-top box. The option is usually found on the menu. You can also temporarily turn it on with the mute button depending on how your TV is connected. Open captions, on the other hand, are always visible to all viewers.

Closed captioning can also be useful when the viewer needs to mute the TV and still wants to know what is going on. It is ideal for use in a public environment such as a restaurant, bar, doctor’s office, etc. without being too distracting. Closed captions are a great tool to help people learn a new language.

Almost all countries seem to use the words Subtitles and Subtitles interchangeably. Except in the US and Canada. In the United States and Canada. Captions are used to display all spoken words on the screen and to describe sounds or music in the program. The captions are intended to help the hearing impaired understand what is happening. It can also be useful when you need to press the mute button for whatever reason and you still want to know what is going on. While subtitles are used for when the audience can hear the program, but does not understand what is being said. This is used a lot for different languages ​​and sometimes even when the speaker is difficult to understand.

There are two ways closed captioning works. For pre-recorded shows, the files are inserted into the video before going to the TV station. This allows words and sounds to be placed in the program exactly when the sound should be produced. Captions can also be checked for errors. In the case of live television, the captions are written by a steno catcher. The stenographer types shorthand into a shorthand machine which is then passed to a computer which translates it back into readable text on the screen. This type has a slight delay and usually only includes the words that are spoken.

Generally, a trademark is defined as “a word, name, symbol or device that is implemented in the trade of goods to indicate the origin of the goods and to distinguish them from the goods of others”. A trademark is product-specific: A service mark is the distinctive word, name, symbol, or device used to identify specific services. However, the term ‘trademark’ is often used to refer to both trademarks and service marks, as they are essentially the same.

A trademark gives its owners the legal right to prevent other companies from using a trademark similar to yours. But trademarks cannot be used to prevent competing companies from producing or selling the same goods or services under a completely different trademark.

Registration of a trademark

Smart business owners often register their own trademarks with trademark officials to obtain a certified record of their rights to an individual trademark. When a trademark is registered, the owner gets the legal right, although subject to some conditions, to prevent other companies from using his trademark without permission.

One of the main objectives of any company is to maintain a good reputation for its goods and services. Owning a registered trademark can help in this process: it serves to inform potential infringers of your company’s intention to maintain its position in the market. If your trademark is properly protected and supported, it has the potential to be a valuable asset to your business.

Generally, a trademark is protected for a decade and can be renewed indefinitely.

The true value of trademarks

Every successful company has given careful thought to the visibility and profiling of their business.

The difference between a company name and a company’s trademark

The name of the company, trade or company is the name by which a company is identified. It is the name used for business registration, tax, financial reporting, and government deal purposes. A company or trade name does not contain any identifier other than the name itself.

Most company names are not eligible for trademark registration due to the confusing similarities between them. For a company name to be a registered trademark, it must be distinct enough to be recognized from other companies in the marketplace.

Your business name may be registered as a trademark, but only if it is used to signify specific goods or services.

An eligible trademark must:

1. Distinguish the types of goods and services you advertise.
2. Refrain from cheating or ignoring morals and the law.
3. Be unique: it cannot be confused with other brands that identify the same products and services.

When starting a new business, you need to consider what to name it – what kind of name will attract customers? And more importantly, will your trade name infringe on a competitor’s trademark?

If you are considering registering a trademark, you should undergo a thorough examination of current trademark registration, company name records, business records, domain registrations, and even phone books, to ensure that your business name does not infringe other registered names. . You might consider contacting an attorney or trademark attorney to assist you in your search – a professional can give you the peace of mind that you are not infringing on the rights of others.

Please note that even an established business name or domain title does not mean that your name is automatically registered as a trademark. Acceptance of the registration is essential.

International trademark registration

Generally, you cannot be approved for an international trademark registration. Trademark registration is generally granted within individual regions. However, an intellectual property attorney or trademark attorney can provide you with specific trademark information – contact a professional today for more information on all of your trademark questions and inquiries.

Equity Financing means the owner, equity and financing. Small-scale businesses, such as partnerships and sole proprietorships, are generally operated by their owners through their own finances. Public limited companies operate on the basis of capital shares, but their management is different from that of shareholders and investors.

Merits of equity financing:

The following are the merits of equity financing:

(i) Permanent in nature: Stock financing is permanent in nature. No refund required unless settlement occurs. The shares, once sold, remain on the market. If any shareholder wishes to sell these shares, they can do so on the stock exchange where the company is listed. However, this will not pose any liquidity problem for the company.

(ii) Solvency: Equity financing increases the solvency of the business. It also helps to improve the financial situation. In times of need, share capital can be increased by inviting the general public to subscribe for new shares. This will allow the company to successfully cope with the financial crisis.

(iii) Credit capacity: High equity financing increases credit worthiness. A company in which equity financing has a high proportion can easily apply for bank loans. Unlike companies that are heavily burdened with debt, they are no longer attractive to investors. A higher proportion of equity financing means that less money will be needed to pay interest on loans and financial expenses, so much of the profits will be distributed to shareholders.

(iv) Without interest: No interest is paid to any third party in the case of equity financing. This increases the net income of the business that can be used to expand the scale of operations.

(v) Motivation: As with equity financing, all profits remain with the owner, thus giving them motivation to work harder. The feeling of inspiration and care is greatest in a business that is financed with the owner’s money. This keeps the entrepreneur conscious and active in seeking opportunities and making a profit.

(vi) Without danger of insolvency: Since there is no capital borrowed, no repayment is required on a strict schedule. This frees the entrepreneur from financial worries and there is no danger of insolvency.

(vii) Settlement: In the event of dissolution or liquidation, there is no third party charge on the assets of the company. All assets remain with the owner.

(viii) Capital increase: Corporations can increase both the issued and authorized capital after meeting certain legal requirements. Therefore, in times of need, financing can be obtained by selling additional shares.

(ix) Advantages of the macro level: Equity financing has many social and macro benefits. First, it reduces the elements of interest in the economy. This makes people panic and financially worried. Second, the growth of public limited companies allows large numbers of people to share their profits without actively participating in their management. Therefore, people can use their savings to earn monetary rewards for a long time.

Demerits of equity financing:

The following are the demerits of equity financing:

(i) Decrease in Working Capital: If the majority of company funds are invested in fixed assets, companies may experience a shortage of working capital. This problem is common in small-scale businesses. The owner has a fixed amount of capital to start with and most of it is consumed by fixed assets. Therefore, there is less left to cover the running costs of the business. In large-scale companies, financial mismanagement can also lead to similar problems.

(ii) Difficulties in making regular payments: In the case of equity financing, the entrepreneur may have problems making regular and recurring payments. Sales revenue can sometimes drop due to seasonal factors. If insufficient funds are available, there will be difficulties in meeting short-term liabilities.

(iii) Higher taxes: Since no interest must be paid to any third party, the taxable income of the company is higher. This results in a higher incidence of taxes. In addition, there is double taxation in certain cases. In the case of a corporation, all income is taxed before any allocation. When dividends are paid, they are taxed again on the recipients’ income.

(iv) Limited expansion: Due to equity financing, the entrepreneur cannot increase the scale of operations. Business expansion requires large financing to establish a new plant and capture more markets. Small-scale companies also have no career guidance available to them to expand their market. There is a general tendency for owners to try to keep their business at a limit in order to maintain affective control over it. As the business is financed by the owner himself, he is very obsessed with the possibilities of fraud and embezzlement. These factors make it difficult for the business to expand.

(v) Lack of research and development: In a company that is run solely on equity finance, there is a lack of research and development. Research activities take a long time and a large amount of funding is needed to come up with a new product or design. These research activities are undoubtedly expensive, but eventually, when their results are released to the market, there are huge revenues. But the problem arises that if the owner uses his own capital to finance long-term research projects, he will have trouble meeting short-term obligations. This factor discourages investment in research projects in a company financed with its own resources.

(vi) Delay in replacement: Companies that operate with capital financing face problems when modernizing or replacing capital equipment when it wears out. The owner tries to use the current equipment as long as possible. Sometimes you can even ignore the deterioration in production quality and still use old equipment.

Entrepreneurs know that our business is only as good as our relationships and our relationships are our responsibility to cultivate and nurture. One of the ways we do this is by sending out December holiday cards to customers. Showing appreciation for the businesses that have been awarded is a small but important gesture that is a good pillar to build a good relationship.

Sending physical holiday cards, as opposed to email greetings or electronic cards, shows that you are a caring and caring professional who is willing to take the time to properly acknowledge and thank your clients at this special time of year. When you send your customers a genuine Christmas card, you show that you understand and respect business etiquette. Sending holiday greeting cards is good for your brand, as well as your business.

Holiday cards are an inexpensive and effective marketing tool. They don’t take long to write. Your customers will be flattered to receive one from you. Many Solopreneur business owners and consultants no longer send Christmas greetings to their clients (and some never have).

When you make the effort to send a card, you communicate an important statement about who you are and your approach to doing business. Your holiday card helps you distinguish yourself from the competition, prevents them from seeing you as just another supplier, enhances your brand and shows customers that you value them.

When purchasing your card, take extra care to select one that represents you well and leaves the desired impression on the customer. Because you may have non-Christian and non-religious clients on your list, avoid cards that depict a nativity scene or other Christian images, or cards that contain a religious message.

Poinsettias, or winter scenes, for example, and “Seasonal Greetings” or “Happy Holidays” messages printed on the inside is the right choice. Spend the money to buy a good quality (but not fancy) card. A small and tasteful card will be perfect. Expect to pay around $ 20.00 for a box of 8 cards.

Next, decide who should get a card. Along with the clients I have worked with throughout the year, I include everyone I have worked with over the past five years, as a way to keep my name in front of them and to remind them that they have not disappeared from my radar screen. . .

Later in the new year, when you are thinking about who to call for a project, I want my name to be the most important thing, if possible. By the way, check that past clients are still on the same post. A visit to the organization’s website or a call to the main switchboard will save you from wasting a card.

If you are a highly organized Solopreneur and had the foresight to order holiday cards printed with your name and organization at the beginning of the fourth quarter, remember to personally sign the card and include a short message as well.

In that regard, do not use pre-printed address labels. Keep the personal touch by handwriting the envelopes. Remember to use honorary titles (Mr. or Mrs.). Lastly, stamp your cards (no religious stamps, holiday stamps, yes) and send them to the post office no later than December 15th.

Have a very happy

Kim