Author: BizSieve Team

Balancing Your Side Gig & Family Life

Spending quality time with your family is important, but working is also important so that you can provide for your family. Sometimes, we take on side jobs to help add to our savings or make a larger purchase that we need. Working these side jobs, however, can often interfere with our family life, so how do you balance the two?

Talk about it.

It is important to talk openly with your family about your side job, especially if you have children. Tell them that you have taken on another job and your family time may be limited for a while. Let them know when you will be available and/or how long the job will last. This way, your children will know when to expect you home and when not to.
It is also important to talk about your responsibilities with your spouse. If your side job requires you to be on-call 24/7, you need to make them aware of this. If your spouse is unaware of your schedule, it could cause stress and conflict between the two of you.

Try to be consistent.

If you have the option of scheduling the time your side job takes place, try to make sure it is consistent on a day-to-day basis. This way, your family will not have to try and remember your varying schedule. Plus, your children will know that you will be home at a certain time every day, so they can try and schedule some quality time with you.

Spend quality time with your family.

Make sure to schedule quality time with your family. For example, if you only get to see your family on weekends, try to schedule some quality family time during those days. Take a special trip to the zoo, plan a picnic, or even have a family movie night. Making time for your family will help relieve your stress level, and it will also make them happy.

Have a family dinner.

Sharing a quality dinner with your family is important. It allows everyone to be together and lets everyone share the happenings of that day. If your side job keeps you from having dinner with your family during the week, make sure to always have a family dinner on the weekend. Anything from a big family dinner to ordering take out is perfectly fine, as long as everyone is there together.

Don’t bring work home.

If you are constantly bringing work home, you are erasing the line between family and work. When you bring work home, you tend to focus on work, and your bring the stresses back to the house too. This will impact your family, as you will not have time to spend with them. Make sure that when you leave the office, you leave everything at the office too.

Hire an associate.

If your side job becomes too overwhelming, hire an assistant or an associate to help you out. Even if they only fill in for you one day a week, that is one more day you have to spend with your family instead of coworkers. Sometimes that small break is just what you need to keep a healthy balance between your side job and your family.
Side jobs can interfere with your family life, but keeping an open line of communication with your spouse and your children as well as always carving out time during the week to spend with them will help maintain the balance.

About the Author: Michelle McCurdy is an author of children’s books and a mother who loves to blog and give advice in her spare time. She is only able to keep her busy schedule and balance the needs of her children and work thanks to her trusty Nissan.

Choosing a Business Structure for Your New Startup

You’ve just started your small business and are a bit confused as to which structure you should choose. It can be very confusing for a small business owner to know which business structure will be best for them, especially for those that never took business courses. However, it’s important to know that the structure you choose can greatly affect your taxes. That’s why it’s important to make the best choice. Here is a bit of advice for choosing a business structure for your new startup.

Types of Business Structures

The first type of business structure also happens to be the most popular. The sole proprietorship is a business structure ran by one person, the owner. Many small business owners prefer this method because it is easy to setup and doesn’t require any special licenses, other than the license to run your business if your jurisdiction requires it. The second business structure is the partnership. There are two forms of partnership and the most popular is the general partnership in which the partners share the liability and profits of the business. A limited partnership requires one partner to take responsibility of the debt. The last structure is the corporation, which can be one of three types (C, S or LLC). This business structure is for major corporations and the exact requirements and definitions will vary from state to state.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Each

For the sake of this article, we will focus on the sole proprietorship and partnership structures. A sole proprietorship offers many advantages. First of all, it’s easy to set up. Other advantages include being able to file your taxes on a Schedule C rather than having a drawn out form. It’s also the most popular methods among small businesses, especially those ran from the home. However, there are a few disadvantages. First of all, everything falls on the owner. This means that any debt the business acquires will be a personal debt. Last, but not least, it can be much harder to get financing.

The partnership also has many advantages. First of all, the business may be easier to run due to the fact that each owner may excel in different areas. There will also be someone to run the business should one of the partners become ill. Last, but not least, a partnership is easier to run because the liability of the business may be shared among owners. However, a partnership also has disadvantages. The first disadvantage is that a partnership is harder to set up. Another disadvantage is that the partnership may come to an end due to the partners becoming unhappy with each other. Last, but not least, one partner may end up being liable for all the debt.

Which Should You Choose?

The only people that can honestly help you make this decision is your attorney and accountant. There are a number of legal and financial issues that go with each business structure. This means that using the wrong business structure could end very badly.

As a new startup, you have the chance to pick your business structure, but you must do it carefully. Choosing the wrong business structure can lead to bad financial and legal consequences.

Inexpensive Marketing Tools Any Business Can Utilize

There are thousands of ways to market your business, but giving customers promotional items is a way to put the marketing into the customers’ hands. However, not all promotional items work and you need to make sure this is something the customer actually wants. Here are just a few inexpensive marketing tools any business can utilize.

T-Shirts

One of the best marketing tools you can use are t-shirts. However, there are some things you need to consider. First of all, design your t-shirts to fit your target market. For example, if you own a music company, create a design that’s fun with bright colors. When the t-shirt matches the personalities of your customers, they will be more likely to wear it.

Food

Food is an excellent way to promote your business. There are a number of different methods you could use. For example, you might opt to place a coupon on the boxes of a local pizza place. Another method would be to sponsor a charity and have a coupon for your business added to their product. You could even have a local bakery design cookies or cupcakes for a customer appreciation day.

Store Receipts

Another method that businesses are using is shopping receipts. Many grocery stores print out coupons and advertising when a customer checks out. However, you don’t want to just advertise your company, because customers will just toss the paper in the trash. Offer a coupon. If your local stores don’t offer this service, ask about having your ad placed on their receipts. Some receipts features business ads and coupons on the back of the receipt.

Tote Bags

Tote bags have become a popular advertising method over the past few years and with good reason. With more and more people opting to use tote bags instead of grocery bags, your ad can be seen by people throughout town.

Bumper Stickers

Bumper stickers are another great way to promote your business, but this is another promotional item that has to be designed to suit your target market. For example, if your company is a bakery, create a design and statement that stands out and appeals to your customers.

Magnets

Magnets are another great marketing tools because customers and postential customers will see your customized magnets on a daily basis. This makes them more apt to shop with your company when they need your products or services again.

Stainless Steel Water Bottles

Last, but not least, people are turning to stainless steel water bottles to replace plastic water bottles. This is another chance to put the advertising in the hands of the consumer. Create a fun ad and make sure it’s something your customers want to carry.

There are a number of inexpensive ways to market your business. Best of all, your customers will think of many of these promotional items as gifts, rather than advertising.

About the Author: Stephen McCarl loves working with small businesses as they strive to develop their marketing campaigns. He can usually find solutions for any budget and loves watching new groups grow.

Finding the Cash to Start a New Home Business

You may have an excellent business idea, but lack the funds to get the business off the ground. This can be frustrating and often results in many people giving up on their dreams. While it may be difficult to find funding, it’s not impossible. There are a number of funding sources for small businesses. Whether you opt for something traditional or something new, you can find the money you need. Here are just a few tips for finding the cash to start a new home business.

Social Lending

If you’re afraid to approach a bank about lending, why not approach your peers? Social lending is a great option for new businesses. With social lending, you put in a request for the amount of money you need and then other individuals will fund the loan with interest rates that vary from less than 7% up to 35%. You will need a good credit score in order to get the money you need (660+) and it may take a while to get the funds you need. However, this a great, non-traditional option that is on the rise.

Local Investors

Another non-traditional method is to find local investors. A trick for doing this is to explain your business and offer free services for a period of time in exchange for start-up money. For example, let’s say you want to start a beauty salon from your home. You could offer free haircuts for several years or even a lifetime.

Government Programs

Small business has become big business with the government. There are a number of grants, loans and other financial programs that have been created to help small businesses. Start with your city government then move on to the state level and then the federal level. Chances are you’ll find at least some money to get you started.

Banks

Last, but not least, banks are the most traditional option. However, you will need to have all your ducks in a row before applying. This means having a great credit score and creating a business plan. You should also practice what you’ll say so that you are able to present your business idea in a professional manner.

There are a number of funding sources when it comes to small businesses. However, knowing about several different sources can make it easier to get all the funding you need. Just remember to only borrow what you need and not get in over your head.

About the Author: Brandon Reauish loves working with small businesses as they work to get their projects off the ground. He works closely with a logo design company to ensure each business he works with has a clearly defined brand.

Management 101: Dealing with Politics in the Workplace

Politics can be a tricky subject and are often one of those subjects that people choose to keep off limits. As a manager, you probably know that some subjects can cause tension and reduce productivity. Politics are one of those subjects. Not only may employees spend the day trying to prove which candidate is best, but they may begin to argue and neglect their duties. You may even find that some team members are unable to work together because of their differing views. Here are just a few tips for dealing with politics in the workplace.

Create a Policy About Discussing Politics

First things first. You should create a policy that forbids the discussion of politics. You may think this sounds a bit extreme, but an ounce of prevention can go a long way. The policy may state that workers are forbidden from discussing any aspect of the campaign. You should also implement a punishment for breaking the policy. For example, the first offense may be a warning and the second offense a day off from work without pay.

Have a Meeting with Employees

One you’ve created a policy and decided on the punishment, you need to have a meeting with your employees to discuss the new policy. This is a good time for your employees to ask questions and have their voice heard. However, it is important to stick to your guns and explain that this type of workplace discussion will not be accepted.

Follow Through

Chances are there will be at least one employee who doesn’t want to follow the rules. You must act quickly and have a meeting with the employee to discuss his behavior and why it is not acceptable. This will serve as a warning. Unfortunately, many will not take your warning seriously. This means you will need to follow through and send him home for the day. The good news is this will serve as an warning to other employees that you are serious.

Politics are a nasty subject that can lead to arguments. While we all have different opinions, that doesn’t mean we should openly talk about them at work. Creating a policy that outlines your stand on the discussion of politics and meeting with your employees are the first steps. However, you must follow through by enforcing the policy. Otherwise, your employees will ignore your policy and continue their discussions on the campaign.

About the Author: Shala Bortle used to managed a large team of people with varied political beliefs and had to ban political propaganda from the workplace. She now uses virtual office space – the perfect solution for working with a team of individuals who don’t really need to be in the same office building!