Recent studies have shown that industrial supervisors are working at less than 60 % of their potential. Basic management skills training is guaranteed to change all this and at such little cost

There’s a saying that half of all marketing efforts are wasted, but it’s impossible to tell which half!
I know from hard won experience how easy it is to waste money on marketing.
When I first set up my own business in 1998, I spent tens of thousands of dollars employing the best graphic designer and printing […]

If you work from home, chances are you already know that you’re really pulling “double duty”. You probably work on your business while doing the laundry, corralling the kids, or fixing dinner… and let’s not forget all the phone calls from family and friends expecting you to run errands or just "go out" for an […]

Do you ever wonder how some businesses always seem to be doing so much business? And how they seem to do all that business without really trying that hard? Most of us would like to have business come to us, rather than chasing it. Think of a magnet – pulling business towards your company, effortlessly […]

A Federal Tax Lien (FTL) is a legal instrument that secures the claim of the United States in the right, title, and interest of a debtor taxpayer’s assets. It is a public document and is recorded at the County Clerk’s office or the Secretary of State, depending on local law. This is done to serve […]

Newlyweds and the recently divorced should make sure that names on their tax returns match those registered with the Social Security Administration (SSA). A mismatch between a name on the tax return and a Social Security number (SSN) could unexpectedly increase a tax bill or reduce the size of any refund.
For newlyweds, the tax scenario […]

An early distribution from an Individual Retirement Arrangement (IRA) or a qualified retirement plan need not be a “taxing” experience. Fortunately, there are exceptions to early distributions.
Any payment that you receive from your IRA or qualified retirement plan before you reach age 59½ is normally called an “early” or “premature” distribution. As such, these funds […]

Hit a big one? With more and more gambling establishments, keep in mind the IRS requires people to report all gambling winnings as income on their tax return.
Gambling income includes, but is not limited to, winnings from lotteries, raffles, horse and dog races and casinos. Unfortunately, gambling income also includes the fair market value of […]

Media reporting of a new EU savings tax directive has left many people wondering whether European tax havens could soon become obsolete.
The July directive requires banks throughout Europe, including low and no tax areas such as Gibraltar, Monaco, Malta and Andorra, to disclose bank account owner information to their home country’s tax authority.
But Roger Munns, […]

The federal tax code is complex. This complexity generally arises from two factors: the use of the tax code for purposes other than raising revenue, and the feedback process of amending the code.
While its main intent is to provide revenue for the federal government, the tax code is frequently used to direct the behavior of […]

What’s in a brand name? Everything! Think of these brands: Coke, Barbie, Hershey, McDonalds, Madonna, Pepsi, Bono, Microsoft, Kleenex, Xerox, Steven Spielberg, Dell and GM. Did you notice that brands can be things, replicas of people and actual people? Brands are the public perception of a thing or person. Companies work very hard to establish […]

If you own a web-based business, you’re probably aware of the need for things like link exchanges, lead-purchasing, SEO copy, banner ads and all of the "traditional" ways to get exposure on the World Wide Web.
But did you know that article marketing is by far the best way to build your brand while at the […]

I love Pepsi. It’s that slightly sweeter taste and the all-American logo combined with the non-conformist statement that, well, it’s not Coke.
Yet Pepsi has been consistently #2, and there’s nothing wrong with being #2 if that’s your goal. But Pepsi’s goal is to be the #1 preferred brand (notice I didn’t say ‘taste’ – we […]

What’s Your Brand?
A brand is a product/company personality that helps distinguish it from the competition. It evolves out of the product essence. So, what’s yours? Quality? Service? Price? Whatever it is it’s something your marketing must reinforce across all communication channels, from business card to TV spot. Even your office space. You can’t brand yourself […]

Companies have been branding their collateral materials such as letterhead, envelopes, business cards, etc. for years. In fact, we often identify a company by its familiar logo or special color scheme. Branding works!! At the same time, many companies send customers and vendors large files, proposals and presentations on CD-Rs. Since CD-Rs have become the […]