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We hope you find this arcthve useful. A subscription to The Small Business Advisor Newsletter is free. Subscribe now - it's easy! The Small Business Advisor Newsletter for October, 1996 All recipients of this e-mail have requested to be placed on our mailing list. If you do not want any more of these newsletters just let us know (webmaster@isquare.com) and we'll remove your name from the list! Visit our site, The Small Business Advisor. We're constantly adding new information! For example, check out the latest information on the new 1996 tax laws. Check our site for newsletter archives (click on "The Advisor") ADVERTISE IN OUR NEWSLETTER. Interested in an advertisement or announcement in this newsletter? E-mail for details to bobs@isquare.com NEW BOOK AVAILABLE FROM THE ADVISOR: Marketing without Megabucks by Shel Horowitz. 384 pgs., The definitive single-volume reference resource for a wide range of inexpensive & easy marketing strategies. A "must-have" for the small business owner on a limited marketing budget! $12 plus $3.00 s/h. Order through the Small Business Advisor site or call toll-free: 1 800 375 8439. THINKING OF INCORPORATING? Consider Business Filings Incorporated who will setup your corporation (in any State) at a fraction of the cost of an attorney and will do it in about 10 minutes! Call them for free information at 1 800 981 7183, ext 201. ADVERTISE YOUR BUSINESS ON THE SMALL BUSINESS ADVISOR website. We are now accepting advertising on our website. Visit the website (see URL in signature at end of this newsletter) or e-mail for details. Briefly, banner advertising is available at rates ranging from $40 to $80/month and text advertisements are only $25/month. COLOR! IT'S IMPORTANT! The use of color in your website design, brochures, catalogues, and other marketing literature can be a powerful way to get your message across ...if used properly. Color always produces an emotional response in the reader. You can use this emotion in your message by the choice of color. Color background is particularly important since it can represent the majority of color used. Consider the following when choosing a background: RED is the warmest color and immediately attracts the eye. It elicits impulse, passion, action and stimulates the viewer (in fact, studies have shown that by merely looking at the color red, both blood pressure and heart rate increase!) GREEN is a "friendly" color and stimulates the desire to interact. It sends a precise, analytical message to the viewer BLUE represents security, loyalty, friendliness. It is a conservative color and is good for sending a "you can trust us" message. GRAY is neutral, sort of a "default" color. YELLOW is a happy color but elicits anxiety in the viewer. Be careful to ensure that any foreground color generates a good contrast. PURPLE (MAGENTA) represents a mystical or fantasy quality. Therefore it is not taken seriously by the viewer. BROWN is a passive color and creates an uneasy feeling in the viewer. BLACK is interesting in that any foreground material will tend to float towards the viewer (sort of a 3D effect). It is a powerful color and represents permanence to the viewer. It can provide "shock" value but not any specific emotion. 20 FACTORS TO SHOW YOU ARE AN INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR (Excerpted by permission from "101 Tax Saving Ideas" by Randy Gardner and Julie Welch, CPA's) ****NOTICE. Remember that the Small Business Advisor is not in the business of giving professional tax advice. Always consult your own tax professional.**** You can use the following 20 factors to structure your work arrangements with your customers and help prove you are an independent contractor. These factors are the tests applied by the courts in determining employment status. No single factor is controlling, nor is any particular weight given to any one of the factors. 1. Few instructions are given to you about how, when, and where you are to work. 2. Little training is provided by the company. 3. Your services are not integrated with the company's operations. 4. You are not required to perform the services personally. 5. You hire, supervise, and pay assistants. 6. Your relationship with the company is not continuing or is infrequently recurring. 7. You set your own working hours. 8. You do not work full-time for the company. 9. You do not work at the company's location. 10. You set the steps in which the work will be done. 11. You are not required to submit written or oral reports. 12. You are paid by the job rather than by the week or month. 13. You are not reimbursed for your business or traveling expenses. 14. You provide your own equipment and supplies. 15. You invest in the facilities you use for doing the work. 16. You can realize a profit or suffer a loss as a result of your services. 17. You work for many different companies at the same time. 18. Your services are available to the general public on a regular basis. 19. You cannot be fired as long as you produce the requested work. 20. You cannot terminate your relationship with the company until your work is complete. TOP 10 TIME WASTERS excerpted from Arthur A. Hawkins II's book "THE Self-Employment Resource Guide" (Contact Mr. Hawkins at A_Hawkins@nwu.edu) 1) Procrastination & Excuses If you don't start you can't finish. Reach your goals & objectives by continually working toward them. Don't put things off! Never make things more than they are. Do not wait until the last minute (also see #8). ACT! 2) Running Errands & Traveling Plan ahead. Arrange tasks in order of importance and need. Make only one trip or as few as necessary. Don't waste time making duplicate or unnecessary trips. Combine tasks and trips. Know what you need and who has it (phone, fax or e-mail ahead, if appropriate). Find a good time to get it. Notify them, so they can be prepared and you don't have to wait. Avoid heavy traffic times like rush hour (including on the Internet). 3) Rushing Oops, you forgot, now you must hurry; Something important just came up (at the last minute). . . Don't try to do everything at once or wait until the last minute. List what must be done and the time it takes to do it. Schedule and plan ahead but allow for the unexpected. Avoid the costly mistakes and oversights of rushing. Do it right the first time. Slow down and take your time. Relax. 4) Telephone, Mail & E-mail Why are you calling/writing? Clearly define: your purpose and what you want to accomplish, exactly who you are addressing, the best means of getting what you need. . . Prepare a brief telemarketing script (practice before calling) or rough outline. Don't waste time. Set a specific time to call/write/log on. Take and return calls/mail when it's convenient for you. Screen calls with an answering device. Give out your phone number and address only to those you want contacting you. When you accomplish your objective, hang up and move on. 5) Paperwork, Reports & Memos Have a purpose for writing. KISS it- keep it short and sweet. Get to the point immediately and be clear about it. Avoid unnecessary writing and duplications. Screen incoming paperwork carefully. Continually purge that which is of no use to you, but be careful. Keep everything where it can be easily located and used. 6) Meetings Why meet? What's covered- purpose, subject, scope? Schedule meetings carefully- time, date, location, length, type, attendees. Address the issues. Prepare everyone. Avoid unnecessary meetings. 7) Television Informed viewer or couch potato? Why are you watching? Determine what's really important to you. You can always videotape or watch it in rerun. ALTERNATIVES: Be a self-starter, find a hobby, start a business, exercise, read a book, do something productive. Turn it off! 8) Planning & Decision Making "No one plans to fail, they just fail to plan." But this can lead to the classic "paralysis-by-analysis". To accomplish what you want, you must ACT! Gather the facts. Weigh both sides. Plan it out in detail ahead of time. Combine tasks. Delegate. Prioritize. Bottom line: Get the job done. Decide! 9) Computer Why you are using it (purpose). What's available- why make entries already there (stored, on paper)? Plan- Know what you need and where & how to get it. Back it up- prepare yourself for crashes, reusage and accidental erasures. Limit your time online, it's expensive. Keep a record of it. Get what you need and log off. Avoid excessive game playing. The computer is a productive tool, but only when used wisely. 10) Just Say YES Don't bite off more than you can chew. Be honest with people (and yourself) about what you can take on and they will respect you for it. Use time wisely. Schedule your day. Know what needs to be done and the time it takes to do it. Prioritize on importance and need. Delegate. If you can't fit something into your schedule, no matter how tempting, don't accept it! Don't be a "YES man". Just Say NO! How To Avoid Wasting Time
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