Do You Sell Products Online? You Need to Know About Nexus
Until recently, a business was said to have a nexus in a state if it maintained a physical presence there. Where nexus existed, a business was required to remit taxes to the state. This understanding served until digital commerce wholly revolutionized the global economy. Today, a retailer can operate from their living room, selling goods without any physical presence outside their own home. Clearly, the old definition of nexus is obsolete. New definitions—offered up mostly by states looking to recoup lost sales tax revenues—rely on murky rationales of “economic nexus” and “factor presence.” Unfortunately, neither the Supreme Court nor Congress has offered to clarify the issue, leaving...
How to Conduct “Smart” Meetings
Despite the expansive evolution that the business world has gone through in the last few years, one thing is still the same: time is money, and wasted time is wasted money. It’s this mindset that’s driven the “smart” meeting revolution among organizations of all sizes. In the last few years, many studies have shown that meetings are minimally effective and actually cost the organization thousands of dollars annually—a collective 37 billion annually, according to Fuze.com. (This will hit home when you use the Meeting Costs Calculator from Harvard Business Review to get a rough estimate of your company’s meeting expenditure.) When your head stops spinning from the number...
Honoring Memorial Day
Glad to honor those who passed away to defend the great United States of America, and those who are in the armed forces to sustain our freedom. In observance of Memorial Day, Office In America Co. is closed on Monday 2017 MAY 29. We will resume the following day. Happy holidays....
5 Ways Your Online Presence Can Boost Your In-Store Sales
As many as two-thirds of in-store visits are inspired by something the shopper originally saw online, the National Retail Federation reports. Since so many shopping trips begin online, your business’s online presence is a key factor in driving foot traffic to your brick-and-mortar store. Here are five steps you can take to ensure your online presence boosts your in-store sales. 1. Include essential information on your website. You'd be surprised how many business websites fail to include key information that shoppers look for when deciding, whether or not to visit your store. That includes your address, directions, hours of operation and phone number. Consumers expect your website to...
16 Steps to Starting a Business While Working Full Time — STEP 11: Manage Your Money
Does the thought of starting your own company excite you, but you break out in a cold sweat at the prospect of giving up the steady paycheck from your current job? If yes, know that you’re not alone! Many entrepreneurs worry about the financial risks of launching a business. Fortunately, it’s possible to continue working for someone else while working on the business of your dreams. SCORE and The UPS Store have partnered to create an Ebook to share how you can do that. “16 Steps to Starting a Business While Working Full Time” offers detailed steps to guide you. In step 11, we cover how to...
Use a Loyalty Program to Grow Sales at Your Retail Store or Restaurant
The long-term success of your retail store or restaurant depends on repeat customers. One of the best ways to encourage customer loyalty is with a loyalty program. Here are four steps to using a loyalty program to grow your sales. 1. Choose the right loyalty program. Loyalty programs have come a long way from paper punch cards. Today’s digital loyalty programs incorporate customer relationship management and marketing functions as well. Belly, Loyalzoo, Perka and Spendgo are a few of many programs tailored to small, independent businesses. Factors to consider include: Costs: Consider both monthly costs and setup fees, plus the costs of training time for your employees on the...
Business Entrepreneur Networking
The event this week was a turnout, with many new entrepreneurs. Every other week, Office In America Co. hosts an event covering special topics entrepreneurs can learn more about. This weeks speaker was Kathryn Crawford Wheat and she discussed, how to make networking work. She shared personal stories of how she used networking to build her own business, and where she now enjoys the benefits of long-term networking. Kathryn will give you tools you can use now to grow your business. During the event, we usually ask entrepreneurs to introduce themselves and the area of business they are in, as a ice breaker. There may be business owners who share a common...
Do I Need To Copyright My Website To Protect It?
Your business’s website can be one of the most powerful marketing tools you’ll ever have at your disposal. Unfortunately, the better it is, the better the chances it will catch the eye of unscrupulous competitors. They might have no qualms about hijacking your written content, images or other elements and presenting them as their own. How can you prevent people from stealing content and images from your website? Copyright! Copyright protects the rights of creators of original works—such as literary, dramatic, musical and artistic works (for example, play scripts, movies, poetry, books, songs, photography and even computer software). It protects the way things are expressed/presented in works (e.g.,...
Business Entrepreneurs Networking
Despite the rain, Business Entrepreneurs Networking went great. Every other week, Office In America Co. hosts an event covering special topics entrepreneurs can learn more about. This weeks speaker will be Victoria Garcia Studios. Her talk is titled "How to use photography to create a cohesive personal brand." Personal branding photographer, Victoria Garcia, teaches you how to create a recognizable and trustworthy brand using photography. Attract your dream clients today using this easy to implement system. Personal branding means to establish a reputation and an impression in the mind of others. It can set you apart from your competition. Personal branding allows you to establish an identity while maintaining a...
How Hard Small Business Owners Work
Having your own business has many upsides. Being able to work for yourself, building an asset, calling the shots – those are all powerful motivators. But the reality is a little less glamorous. Small business owners work hard – everybody knows that. But how hard they work might scare some people off. One survey from New York Enterprise Report found that small business owners work twice as much as regular employees. It also found that 33% of small business owners reported working more than 50 hours per week, and 25% said they work more than 60 hours a week. That’s hardly the only study reporting those kinds of...