12/28/2012
As a small business owner, you want to do everything in your power to make sure your small business grow and become more profitable each year. Having a solid online presence is crucial for a successful small business.

So how do you establish a good online presence?

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12/27/2012
In 2013, small business owners will contend with many of the same issues that made it hard to run their companies over the last 12 months.

They are also heading into the new year with a lot of uncertainty. It is unlikely that negotiations in Congress will resolve all of lawmakers disagreements over tax and budget issues that affect small businesses. And there are still many questions about the implications of the health care law for small companies.

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12/22/2012
Staying competitive is not only a key component of any successful small business, but it is also one of the biggest challenges that small businesses face. Despite those challenges, small business owners say they have a number of simple and creative strategies that they employ to stay ahead of the competition.

In particular, new research has found that 88 percent of small business owners say they remain knowledgeable about their business by paying attention to changes so they can stay competitive.

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12/21/2012

12/20/2012
S: Sales Increases – less time dealing with administrative matters means more time selling and servicing customers.

M: More Control, Less Surprises – key business stats and metrics are available in real time; small businesses can make more informed decisions faster and never be out of touch with the most important business data.

A: Accelerated Profits – real-time information means better and more profitable decisions.

R: Real-time information means key business management data is only seconds away, whenever and wherever the business operator is.

T: Technology Enhancements — leads to decreased cost and expense of an IT department — everything is in the Cloud.

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12/19/2012
1. Reach out for help.
2. Tap the cloud.
3. Review your contingency plans.

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12/19/2012
Hawaii was ranked sixth from the bottom for its small business climate in an index by the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council that ranked states on their policy measures and costs that impact small businesses and entrepreneurs.

Hawaii was ranked 46th on the index, which ranked states according to 46 different policy measures, including tax, regulatory and government spending measures.

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12/18/2012
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie appeared Friday afternoon in the storm-battered beach town of Seabright to announce a series of measures to help small business owners get back on their feet.

The governor says his state will only fully recover from Sandy when its businesses recover.  He said the state has already given out more than $50 million dollars in small business disaster loans, and he noted that he has formed a cabinet-level Office of Recovery and Rebuilding to keep Sandy recovery on his radar.  He also said the state will begin conducting a Business Impact Assessment this weekend to survey small business owners about what resources and sorts of help they need, such as loans and changes to streamline the permitting process as they rebuild.

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12/17/2012
Going over the cliff could have a range of negative ramifications. If people have to pay higher taxes, they will likely spend less. Businesses will hold off on hiring or making investments that could help them expand. Federal budget cuts will put billions in government contracts in jeopardy. Economists and lawmakers warn that without an agreement, the U.S. could slip back into a recession. And they say that small businesses have the most to lose.

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12/13/2012
Google has ended a free version of its Google Apps online application suite for small businesses, saying it wants to provide a stronger and more uniform experience to users.
The Internet giant said Thursday in a blog post that now even small businesses with 10 or fewer users will have to pay to use its online app platform, a group that up until now has been free. All businesses will now be charged US$50 per user, per year, for the service.

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12/12/2012
With just a few weeks left in 2012, theres very little time left to implement ideas that will result in tax savings for the year.

But do not throw in the towel just yet, there are still some steps you can take

Section 179 Expensing:  Furniture, equipment, software, vehicles and capital assets are normally subject to a write off over their useful life.

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12/11/2012
Small businesses continue to fall short of their billing as the nation’s most prolific job creators, and the latest reports provide no reason to expect hiring to pick up anytime soon.

In the month since the general election, which many economists had hoped would alleviate some of the uncertainty they believed was restraining job growth, small employers have instead pulled back further on their already bleak hiring plans. In fact, a new Gallup poll shows that small business owners expect to add fewer new jobs in the coming year than they have at any point since the depths of the recession in late 2008.

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12/10/2012
November was a rough month for job growth at small businesses, according to results from two recent reports.

Employment in private small business (companies with one to 49 employees) payrolls rose by 19,000 in November on a seasonally adjusted basis, according to the ADP Small Business Report released today. In October, private small business payrolls rose by an adjusted 52,000.

The effect of Superstorm Sandy was hardest on small companies.

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12/08/2012
Clear and effective communication is key to winning business, so it's important to choose your words wisely. But for some small-business owners it can just be too hard, and it keeps on getting put off … until tomorrow.

The head of the Australian School of Copywriting, Bernadette Schwerdt, says writing involves the fine crafting of words, and many small-business owners make the error of sitting down to write off the top of their head without giving their selection of words enough thought.

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12/07/2012
Rose Wang looks at her staff of 70 employees and wonders if she'll have to lay off some of them to comply with the health care law.

The owner of Binary Group Inc., an information technology firm based in Alexandria, Va., is one of many small business owners who will be required to provide health insurance for her staffers under a provision of the law that goes into effect on Jan. 1, 2014. Wang already provides insurance, but she has struggled with premiums that have soared as much as 60 percent annually, so she requires employees to contribute to their coverage.

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12/06/2012
Logo Search is a great source for inexpensive but professional logo designs.

12/05/2012
As a certified public accountant and former Internal Revenue Service agent, I know firsthand the thrills that come along with a tax audit. And more importantly, I understand the eerie feeling when the IRS determines your business owes tax money.

The IRS audits only a small percentage of tax returns. But if your business is one of the lucky few, understanding the appropriate steps to take will determine whether or not your outcome is favorable.

First, it is essential to understand how a tax return is selected for audit. There are many reasons a tax return could be chosen for an audit, including the following.

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12/04/2012
If you like the Small Business Software Blog consider liking us on Facebook.

12/03/2012
You can find some great gifts for clients and customers on Zazzle or if you need somehting for specific professions have a look at other sources of  Gift Ideas

11/29/2012
This holiday season, small retailers are leaving Groupon off their lists as far as sales strategy goes.

This shopping season is the biggest one of the year, and small businesses often rely on sales made during this period to bring them into the black as the year comes to a close.

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