Seth Godin discusses how to avoid mediocrity and to have the mindset of a winner.
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JC Support Services
info and ideas for small business owners
Archive for ‘Miscellaneous’
The Mindset of A Winner
Reputation Management Expert Andy Beal on Saving Your Online Reputation
When someone tries to trash your company on the Internet, there are some things you can do about it, that is, replace negative webpages about your brand, your company name, or your personal name with webpages and profiles that outrank them and push them off the first page of search engine results. In this video interview, reputation management expert Andy Beal explains how.
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Rock Art vs Hansen Natural – Who’s Right?
Yesterday I wrote about the use of new media by Rock Art Brewery in their trademark battle with Hansen Natural Beverages over Vermonster beer. I didn’t get into very many specifics of the case because that wasn’t really the point of the article. This morning, as more articles appeared in my feedreader, most of them wild rants and some bordering on libelous, I thought I’d write a little more to help you understand what is going on.
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The Best Place to Buy TN570 Toner, or any other kind
I can’t believe it but I need to buy a Brother TN-570 Toner Cartridge
Let me say, I’ve got a great laser printer that I’ve used for several years. It’s a Brother HL-5140 and it has been a workhorse. When I changed locations and business model 18 months ago, my printing requirements went way down. Since I had a spare cartridge, I haven’t had to buy a replacement for almost 21 months.
I was completely shocked when I started looking around to buy a replacement. Since there’s a Staples nearby I went to their website and was amazed at how much they wanted. The more I searched, the more I found out just how expensive they had become. I even checked out ebay but the only thing there was in an opened box. By the way, you’ll find some good products for your business on Ebay. Just make sure you carefully read the description and make sure it’s what you really want. Keep on eye on the shipping charges also as they can really drive the price up.
To get to the point of this post, after being disappointed at the lack of decent pricing, a light bulb went off. AMAZON. That’s right, Amazon. If you haven’t visited Amazon lately, you need to check them out. They’ve expanded so far beyond just books that it’s amazing. I was able to get my Brother TN-570 Toner Cartridge
Don’t get me wrong, it’s not just toner. You’ll find prices on almost everything are cheaper there than anywhere else on the internet. Next time you are looking for a product, check out the deals you can find on Amazon.
How Big is Your Club?
Let me tell you a story about having the right club to achieve success in your business.
A hunter walking through the jungle found a huge dead rhino with a pigmy standing beside it.
Amazed, he asked: “Did you kill that?”“Yes,” said the pigmy.
The hunter asked “How could a little bloke like you kill a huge beast like that?”
Said the pigmy: “I killed it with my club.”“That’s incredible,” said the hunter, “How big is your club?”
The pigmy replied: “There are about 60 of us.”
While a cute story, there’s a lot of truth to it. You need a big club to make your business successful. By club, I mean a group of people that are willing to help you in your business, while you help them in theirs.
By “helping you” I don’t mean you buy their product and they buy yours. I’m talking about people you can share ideas with, talk about what has worked for you and what doesn’t work.
This is especially true if you are running your business online. You need to find others who are doing the same thing so that you can learn from their mistakes, and more importantly, so you can share what works.
I’ve been a member of a couple groups like this for the last year and have seen a big increase in my online income. Good groups do cost something to join, but the two I belong to don’t cost that much. In fact, since I got in at the start, I pay less than $25.00 a month in membership fees. I assure you that they more than pay for themselves.
At this point, neither of them is taking new members but I’ve heard they may reopen next month. If they do, I’ll post about it so if you are interested you can get in.
5 Ways to Save on Your Taxes Before December 31st
It may seem too early to think about taxes, but you can possibly save hundreds of dollars or more by getting your deductible ducks in a row before the year ends. As with most deductions, income restrictions may apply so check with the Internal Revenue Service to get details. For starters, see if you can take advantage of these five tax-saving moves:
1. Donate. Spend a Saturday morning going through stuff you don’t want. “Take those clothes and items [in good, used condition] to your local charitable organization right away,” says Sally Herigstad, a certified public accountant and author of Help! I Can’t Pay My Bills: Surviving a Financial Crisis
2. Pay deductible expenses early. Make your January house payment in December so the interest deduction is included in your 2008 tax return. And, in December, pay your property tax that is due in January (for the same reason).
3. Tax-loss harvesting. In light of this year’s stock market struggles, you may want to consider taking some of the losers and selling them to realize the loss for tax purposes. Check with your tax advisor regarding your situation.
4. Put money toward retirement. If you haven’t started contributing to a 401(k) or similar retirement account, now’s the time to begin. Your 401(k) contributions are not deductible, but the money you put into them comes from pretax dollars. So, in effect, you’re reducing your taxable income. If you have an IRA, don’t forget that contributions made to Individual Retirement Accounts may be tax deductible. And, in many cases, you can claim IRA contributions made after Dec. 31, 2008 — right up through tax day, April 15, 2009. For 2008, taxpayers under age 50 can contribute up to $5,000; up to $6,000 for those 50 or older. For accurate information based on your personal financial situation, you should consult a tax professional or get more tax tips online from the IRS.
5. Make smart moves — now. Pondering a job move? Decide quickly if you want to deduct it from your 2008 tax return. You can deduct job-related moving expenses in any given year if you move at least 50 miles from your old home and remain employed full time for at least 39 weeks after the move. If you haven’t met the time test by tax day, you can still deduct moving expenses on your 2008 return, provided you expect to stay in the job for at least 39 weeks. But if you quit or get fired before the time period is met, you have to report it to the IRS. See IRS Publication 521 for details. Military moves due to a permanent change of station also qualify for the deduction, but don’t have to meet the distance and time requirements, says J.J. Montanaro, a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER practitioner.
