Women Entrepreneurs: Keeping Business Professional on Payday

Payment Processing

Making it in the business world can be very difficult for any small business owner. Unfortunately, many women who own a business experience the additional issue of being taken less seriously than their male counterparts. In order to rise above all of the unfair generalizations about female business owners, it is important to take every step necessary to present yourself in a professional light. Although it is not fair that you might find yourself in a situation where you have to work harder to prove your worth, it is still an unfortunate aspect of life in the business world for many women. Therefore, it is best to accept this disparity for what it is and make sure that you do not inadvertently do anything that exacerbates the issue.

Importance of Payday

Regardless of how small your company is, you need to make sure that you adhere to certain guidelines if you want to be taken seriously as a business owner. For example, it is never acceptable to give your employees cash in lieu of printing paper checks. Even though some people would probably prefer this approach, it will make you look very unprofessional. It is also vital to ensure that you never miss a payday. After all, if your employees are forced to wait for even just one day longer than usual to get paid, the word is going to spread, and it will make you look like you do not have the necessary skills to make it in the business world.

Proper Tax Practices

The most important aspect of payday, besides actually making sure that your employees are paid on time, is to make sure that everyone is taxed correctly. Unfortunately, many companies opt to use an employee who has no previous payroll training as a way to cut costs, and this can lead to huge issues down the line. For example, if your payroll coordinator has not been properly trained, they might make a simple mistake at the beginning of the year that causes every employee to be under-taxed. When tax time comes, your employees will be very upset if they discover that they owe money because their payroll was not properly handled.

External Payroll Companies

If you want to ensure that payroll always goes smoothly, you should strongly consider using an external payroll company. These services will make your company look more professional, and they will also ensure that each employee is taxed correctly. Additionally, payroll companies will have the ability to cut paper checks and offer direct deposit. Most employees prefer to have their money placed into their bank account for them, so the direct deposit option is definitely a nice benefit of working with an external payroll company.

Taking the necessary steps to make sure that each payday happens without any problems is a major component of building a professional image. Therefore, you should definitely place a large emphasis on the payroll process. Working with an external company is a great option to help you meet this goal, especially if you do not have enough room in your budget to hire an experienced payroll coordinator.

 
A small business owner, Ann Bailey urges hiring payroll companies for any businesses with employees. Deluxe Checks is an outsourced payroll company that takes complete oversight of the payroll process and offers full service for mistake-free paydays.

5 Business Ideas for Shipping Containers

Shipping containers used for transporting goods overseas are an untapped industry for entrepreneurs that wish to take advantage of a green business. These sturdy metal containers, often 100 square feet or more in size, are in abundance at shipyards around the country, ready to be recycled into new products or for new uses. Shipping companies often “retire” these containers after a few uses because of changes import specifications, vendors or customers. Once retired, these containers sit there waiting to be re-purposed, otherwise they just sit and waste away.

Five Novel Business Uses:

Shipping container mallInnovative business owners and developers have found that these shipping containers are perfect for many different types of construction projects. With a little creativity, and a little reconditioning, these containers have been changed into some wonderful structures.

1. Coffee Stand  Starbucks, in an effort to be creative and stand by its environmental policy of being “good citizens to the Earth,” has taken a retired shipping container and changed it into a walk-up coffee stand in an area where they could not put in a stand-alone building. This experiment has been so popular that the company is planning to change many of their stores into this type of building.

2. Shopping Mall  An innovative developer in Michigan thought that these containers could create the perfect eco-friendly shopping mall. Each container is connected by walkways, and each one is an individual store. Of course, you will not see super-sized stores in this mall, but every unit is occupied, and there is no lack of business.

3. Apartments  Another developer in the Michigan area discovered that these containers could be easily changed into micro apartments, perfect for those with limited need for space or limited income. The units meet all health and safety standards and were quickly occupied.

4. Storage Facilities  Developers all over the country have discovered that is is more economical and more environmentally sound to re-purpose these shipping containers into self-storage units than to build these units from scratch. This is an incredible opportunity to save resources while providing a valuable service.

5. Tool Shed  These containers make great personal storage units on your own private property. A business has begun purchasing and refurbishing these shipping containers into personal workshops and tool sheds. Because these items are still considered to be “mobile” structures, many areas will not require special permits to have them on your property and they are not a built-in structure which will produce more taxes on your home.

These are just a few of the most recent uses found for these retired shipping containers. With some imagination, these containers could be re-purposed into any type of business or structure. It is an environmentally friendly type of business that will draw a lot of attention from potential clients due to its uniqueness. What is perhaps the most impressive, however, is that they are very low cost in comparison, and the potential for profit is very high.

Jonathan Billings is a small business entrepreneur and offers this article to share unique and affordable uses of containers typically thought of as only temporary shelters for valuables on job sites and other short-term uses. At StorageContainer.com  you can either lease a self-contained job site office, or buy several for a cool community project!

Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/clhendricksbc/8459875381/

 

Why Your Internet Business Needs a Human Voice On the Line

office voice for internet businesses

The Internet has brought about many changes to the way a company can conduct business. One of the most significant changes is the change from brick and mortar to laptop offices. A business no longer needs to have a physical presence to conduct business. They can purchase from suppliers, contact remote employees, interact with their customers and ship their products all from their virtual location.

“This seems like the ultimate way to conduct a business!”

In most ways, this statement is true. You have reduced operating expenses, you can work from anywhere and you can produce a product or service with little effort.

However, consumers are starting to grow tired of computer generated customer service. They want to “connect” with a real person when they have a question or an issue. They want to know that the company they are dealing with is “real.” They are becoming disenchanted with live chat options and want to talk to a human being.

Is This The End For Internet Based Businesses?

Of course not, internet businesses are here to stay, they only need to adapt to their consumers. Any business that wishes to meet the needs of their clients will prosper, and Internet based companies can meet this need by investing in a virtual office.

An online solution like a virtual office from  ring central(dot)com provides that personal touch that laptop businesses often lack. They have “real” receptionists to take your calls and interact with your clients. The receptionist will be assigned to your company and you can interact with them as you would an answering service.

This one feature alone can set you apart from other online businesses that only provide online contact. It will also give your company live support for any time of the day, meeting the needs of your clients in different time zones.

Can You Still Keep Operating Expenses Low?

The additional benefits of using a virtual office are that you do not have to rent office space, pay for electricity, or pay employee related expenses. You will not be obligated to pay payroll tax, carry workers compensation insurance, or worry about someone calling off from work. Your virtual office will always be there and operating, increasing your business and profit margin.

The Internet has become a large part of everyday life. More people turn to the Internet now for information, advice, and shopping than ever before. It has become a tool that helps people find what they want, regardless of distance, and make connections with people all over the world.

As much as this technology has helped advance the world, the desire to communicate with a real human still remains. People want to place a voice behind their transaction to make sure that it is real. They want to hear sympathy when they are upset with a product or service, and they want to hear a calm voice when they are angry. By providing a point-of-contact for your clients by using a virtual office, you are providing them with that voice they desire to hear. This will increase your business while still giving you the freedom to operate your Internet based business on your own terms.

A small business operator, Ann Bailey presents these tips for new ways to save and succeed in the office. Having a virtual office from ringcentral.com is an easy way to provide all of the old fashioned charm of a typical store front office while only paying for the sleek, new streamlined business model of internet enterprises.

Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mwichary/2398196800/

 

 

U.S. Real Estate Investment – Will It Ever Bounce Back?

home-renovation-contractor-Atlanta-GAWhen the U.S. housing market began to crash in 2007, it looked like declining values and foreclosure activity would never end. By 2009, most of the country saw a 34 percent decline in their property values, with some areas seeing drops of 65 percent or more. Every day it seemed as if the news brought only more disastrous coverage of the housing crisis.

Investors were even shying away from purchasing these low priced properties. Why purchase today when values would only drop again tomorrow? This was the sentiment felt by everyone concerning the housing market. However, time heals all market crashes, and there has never been a better time to invest into properties and “flip” them for a profit.

The Trend Started In 2012

In 2012, the housing market began to take a turn for the better. Foreclosures activity, while still high, began to ease, which allowed home values to begin to rise. During 2012, home values increased each month, even if only by a fraction of a percent, creating the best year the market has seen in half a decade.

In fact, the housing industry even contributed to the gross domestic product (GDP) of the nation in 2012, which was a first since 2005.

There are many other factors that are creating a good housing market at this time. Unemployment figures have steadily dropped over the last year and a half, consumer sentiment is on the rise, and interest rates remain low, making purchasing a home even more attractive.

What This Means For The Investor

If you are interested in investing into the distressed properties that still remain on the market, or if you are already a real estate investor, this news should make you happy. Even slight increases in home values means that you can easily purchase a distressed home, complete any necessary renovations, and flip it for a great profit because the market is now moving to benefit the seller.

If you are new to this type of business, you may wish to consider partnering with a cash-for-homes business that will help you learn the tricks of the trade. Why would a company be willing to share this type of information? Simple, because there are more than enough opportunities around that will allow everyone to profit.

Will The Trend Continue?

There are people who may wish to invest in this type of venture but are afraid that they will not be able to turn a profit because home prices are steadily increasing. This is, however, the farthest thing from the truth.

Even though home prices have been steadily increasing over the last 15 months, they are still on average 28 percent below their peak values in 2006. Some areas, such as Florida, Nevada, and parts of California are still 50 percent or more below their 2006 values. This leaves an extraordinary amount of room to generate a profit.

Additionally, there are still over 2 million homes in the Shadow Inventory. The Shadow Inventory are homes that are either severely delinquent in their mortgage payment, somewhere in the process of foreclosure, or have been seized by the lender but not placed on the market for sale. With this amount of property still looming, there will still be pliantly of properties available for investments.

Blogger Brady Sullivan is a tradesman and knows that certain types of updating and improvements actually do help your home sell faster. PDXRenovations.com has been transforming the Metro communities of Phoenix and Portland with high-quality property faceliftss, achieving quicker home sales at higher prices.

Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/arnoldmasonryandconcrete/7517687932/

 

How to Keep Your Best Employee Focused When Their New Baby Arrives

Best Employee Focus

A major goal of any small business owner is to hire intelligent, hard-working people and keep them around for many years to come. If you run your own business, you already know that attempting to find good employees can be a tiring and frustrating process. People can sometimes seem amazing during the interview, only to begin demonstrating a poor work ethic a few weeks into the job. Other times, major life changes, such as health problems, having a baby or returning to school, can drive your good employees away. If you have a beloved employee that is pregnant, you may want to consider doing some things to help keep her around after the baby is born.

Throw an Excellent Baby Shower

Throwing an office baby shower is a good way to support your employee during her pregnancy. Not only will the effort warm her heart and provide her with numerous gifts that she will need for the baby, but it will also show her that she is a valued member of your team. Just as it can be difficult to find good employees, it can also be difficult to find a good place to work. A baby shower could remind your employee just how special your place of business really is.

Be Understanding and Generous With Time Off

It’s important to understand that your employee is going to need plenty of time off both during her pregnancy and after the baby is born. Allow a good amount of time for pregnancy leave as well as plenty of sick days in case anything unexpected should come up.

Provide a Reasonable Work Load

Being a new mom can be quite distracting. If your employee has just returned to work after having the baby, understand that she may be more tired and spaced out than usual. Therefore, you may want to provide her with a less-demanding workload than she is used to. Start slow and help her ease back into her regular routine by adding a bit more work each week and talking to her about what she’s comfortable with.

Make Room for the Baby at the Office

Finding a babysitter can be difficult, and many new moms don’t feel comfortable leaving their newborn right away. By allowing your employee to bring her baby to work, you’ll be helping her get back into the swing of things without having to suffer the distraction of wondering how her baby is doing while she’s away. Plus, you’ll be making your other employees happy, because who wouldn’t enjoy having an adorable baby around? To help make the new mom comfortable, consider purchasing a sanitary changing table and play yard for babies and placing it in her office. That way, she wont have to waste time taking the baby to a different place to change him or her.

Running a small business is like being the leader of a tribe. When the leader is kind, generous and understanding, the entire group does well. The more love and support you give your employee during this changing time in her life, the more she will appreciate you as a boss and want to continue doing a great job.

Having been a TV reporter with a new baby on the job, Ann Bailey encourages support for any employee coming back to work as a new mom. A clean, modern play yard for babies is a powerful statement of support that business owners can easily provide for seamless continuity for their employees with new family additions.