legal

Checklist for Starting Your Home-Based Business

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Starting a home-based business can fill you with a full range of emotions. On one hand, you may be thrilled to get the chance to be your own boss and work from home, but you may also feel intimidated or even fearful about the unknown aspects of the process. While there are no guarantees that your venture will turn into a profitable success, thinking about a few important points up-front can help you to better prepare yourself and your home for the days ahead.

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Image credit: https://pixabay.com/en/write-plan-business-startup-593333/

Assess Your Qualities

As amazing as working from home and running your own business can seem, you need to be honest with yourself about your traits, work habits and abilities. Not everyone who wants to have a home-based business has what it takes to succeed. Spend ample time honestly answering these questions before you take any further action to launch your business:

  • How much money can I afford to invest?
  • How much time and energy can I invest?
  • Will my family and friends be supportive?
  • Are my goals realistic?
  • Do I think I can realistically run a successful business from home?
  • How will my strengths and weaknesses affect my home-based business?
  • Is there space in my home to set up a dedicated office area?
  • How will a home-based business impact family life?

In addition to analyzing honest answers for these questions, take a closer look at your skills and personality traits. The successful home-based business owner has personal drive, is self-motivated and is very disciplined. In addition, this person has exceptional time management skills, loves to work independently, enjoys solving problems and is eager to continue learning new things. Being tech savvy is also a beneficial trait for entrepreneurs who work at home.

Take Care of Legalities

After you have ensured that you have what it takes to be successful with your venture, you should reach out to a business lawyer to address the legal aspects associated with running your own business.

You will need to register your business name and determine what entity you will run the business as. For example, will you start a partnership, a corporation or another type of legal entity? Your lawyer may also help you to walk through the steps required to obtain a business license and will review business compliance requirements with you personally.

Prepare Your Workspace

Now that you have taken care of the necessary up-front work for your home-based business, you can start setting up your home office. Select a workspace carefully. In most cases, choosing a removed area of the home that is quiet and that can be dedicated entirely to your business activities is smart. However, if clients will visit your home office, setting up an office in the front of the house is a better idea.

After you have decided where to set up an office, make a list of all of the equipment, supplies and furnishings that you will need. Properly budget for these items, and measure the space so that you ensure everything fits properly. To save money, you may be able to buy some items on consignment or used. However, all items should be high-quality and functional. For example, you need to have a good task chair that is comfortable to sit in for long hours each day, and you need a fast computer that meets your requirements. Lighting is also a critical element to pay attention to. Your home office ideally will have a combination of task, ambient and accent lighting.

Remember to spend ample time exploring options for technology, equipment, supplies and more before you make any buying decisions.

Analyze Your Finances

In many cases, a home-based business owner’s personal finances will be directly affected by business activities. You must understand your personal financial situation. Running a business out of your home is a cost-effective way to keep overhead low while you are starting out, but there are plenty of other expenses that will affect your financial situation. This includes one-time expenses, such as office equipment and furnishings. It also includes recurring costs, such as accounting fees, insurance, supplies and more.

Estimate how long you think it will realistically take you to break even and to turn a profit. You should have enough personal funds available to make ends meet until your business produces enough income to support your personal lifestyle. If not, consider lining up funding through a partnership, a loan or another financing option.

Create Balance Between Work and Family

A home-based business can affect the entire family in different ways. One area of the home may be off-limits to your family members. Your family members must be respectful of your work time and remain as quiet as possible while you are working.

Try to set up a home office and a regular work schedule that decreases the impact on your loved ones. You may also discuss the business and your needs with your family members. By doing so, you could identify and address concerns up-front.

In the End

Remember that these are only a few of the many factors that require your attention before launching a business. For example, you also should prepare a thoughtful business plan, crunch numbers related to business operations and more. Your preparation in each of these areas can help you to lay the groundwork for a truly successful home-based business.

Author Bio: Joe Peters is a Baltimore-based freelance writer and an ultimate tech enthusiast. When he is not working his magic as a marketing consultant, Joe enjoys spending time with his family, reading about latest tech gadgets and binge-watching his favorite TV shows. You can reach him @bmorepeters 

3 Ways the Internet Can Make Your Life Easier

/ nancyrubin / 1 Comment

Are you someone who uses the Internet in some capacity or another? If so, include yourself among many people nationwide doing the exact same thing.

That being the case, the amount of Internet usage of course varies from person to person.

Someone who meets a lot of people on a regular basis can use the worldwide web to get more information on them.

In conducting a background check, you learn more about each person you meet. So, are you ready to have the Internet play a role in making your life easier?

Put the Worldwide Web to Work

Remember these three ways to put the worldwide web to work for you:

  1. Searches before meeting people

As mentioned, doing online searches can benefit you in ways you might never have known before.

For instance, are you getting back into the dating world? If so, you want to make sure that the person you agree to go out on a date with is who they claim to be.

A fair number of people behind computers are not always honest with those on the other end of online dating. As a result, the latter can be victims in more ways than one.

When you do a background search of the person you are contemplating going out with, you are more informed. By knowing their name, you can plug that into the computer and start searching away.

Another example would be if you are considering rooming with someone.

As many Americans look to save money these days, the idea of having a roommate or two has picked up.

Once you have a potential roommate’s name, do a quick online search of them to make sure they check out. In doing so, you will feel better about your decision to go with them or move on to someone else.

  1. Securing your family

When you have a family to protect, you will do anything it takes to keep them safe and sound.

With that in mind, you can use the Internet in more ways than a background search to protect them. As valuable as that search is, it can’t help your child when he or she is sick or injured (see more below).

That said medical emergencies with kids do not always come at the best times of the day. As a result, you can’t always get in touch with your family doctor.

There are online medical sites offering basic tips to care for a child with various symptoms. As such, you can make them more comfortable until they can get in to see your doctor.

Such online information can also prove quite valuable in a medical emergency. Sites provide info on dealing with everything from the flu to if your child ingests poison.

By using the Internet at a moment’s notice, you could improve your child’s condition, even save their life.

  1. Knowing your rights following a vehicle accident

Unfortunately, many American families will be in vehicle accidents this year. With that being the case, it is important to know where to turn for both medical and legal help.

When it comes to the former, those injured in your family may need long-term physical rehab to recover. Countless medical facilities offering services in the rehab business are online with informative websites waiting to assist.

Once you have done some searches of those in your area, you can whittle them down. From there, decide which one best suits the needs of the person or persons requiring them.

With your legal rights, what happens if a family member is in a serious accident where the driver leaves?

With a hit-and-run accident, you could end up footing the bill. That is unless you get their license plate and/or have an eyewitness.

In a license plate lookup following a vehicle accident, you can pin down a responsible party.

When it comes to the Internet, these examples are but a smidgen of how the web can make your life easier.

About the Author: Dave Thomas covers business and technology topics on the web.

How Not to Let Your Pop-Up Shop Dream Burst

/ nancyrubin

A pop-up shop is a short-term venture that makes temporary use of a physical space in order to create a long term, lasting impression with potential customers, but if you’re already thinking about running a pop-up, then you probably already knew that.

If you haven’t already considered it, then are a number of reasons why you should. A pop-up shop allows your business to communicate with a larger audience and make them aware of your brand’s promise and everything that offer. It is a highly engaging and immersive way of marketing and selling a business, and it beats sitting in the office all day marketing online (although that is crucial in this day and age) or sitting on the telephone. If it is your plan to set up a pop-up venture, or if you haven’t considered it all, make sure to check the hints and tips below to make that when, or if, you do it, the idea doesn’t burst.

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Use flags and banners

An interesting way of grabbing the attention of the passing public is by utilising flags and banners, those if which found at selbys.net. This is a marketing and advertising option that differs from the run-of-the-mill use of billboards for promotion as it’s something a bit different, and people like different. Different is more likely to catch the eye of the general public.

Hand out your information personally

Going old school by handing out flyers and posters is a way to personally ensure that the general public are getting your information. Of course, they may just scrunch up your flyer and throw it in the bin as soon as your back is turned, but at least you know the information got to them in the first place. This strategy is most effective for businesses that are heavily involved with the local area and are oriented around it.

But don’t become intrusive

Before setting up a pop-up, however, you must be aware of everything that you will be taking on. Firstly, you have to keep on the right side of the law. When being in such an immersive and communal environment, it’s easy to get caught up in the moment and become a bit too intrusive. Retaining a distance from prospective customers, knowing who should and should not approach and always knowing when you’re beat are just some of the way that you can remain as far away from the boundaries as possible.

Important points to remember

Remember, it is still a business, and should be treated as such. This means no slacking off in the nearby coffee shop (or pub), and no finishing early; you wouldn’t do that in an office, so why do it here. Also, do not even attempt a pop-up venture if you have difficulty speaking to people. If you haven’t got the courage to approach somebody and try to sell them your product, then unfortunately, this idea just isn’t for you.

Pop-ups are a great and fun idea when it comes to business. Make sure to click here for more information on setting up a pop-up.

 

Keeping Your Business On The Right Side Of The Law

/ nancyrubin / 2 Comments

Any business that wants to stay in business for as long as possible needs to think about how to legally protect itself. If you are a business owner, this is something that you might want to learn about as early on as possible after you set up the business. Legally protecting your business ensures that no disaster can befall the business, and you would be surprised at just how common they can be for businesses which do not go out of their way to seek protection. There are a number of things that need considering here, and in many ways it is quite a complex issue, so we have put together this post to help you understand what you need to think about. Let’s take a look at the ins and outs of protecting your business from legal issues.

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Protect The individual; Protect The Company

It is often all too easy to forget that a business is made up of individuals. In essence, much of what you need to do to protect your business is really more about protecting the individuals within that business. As long as you are doing that, there should be no problem. It is particularly important that you protect those individuals high up in the company, such as yourself and your fellow management staff. This helps to keep the image of the company positive, something which is important for all businesses. So if you or a colleague have trouble with the law, ensure they have a decent lawyer on their side. And don’t forget to look for a lawyer who will deal with their type of case. For example, Scheiner Law Group will defend against wrongful DWI, so they might be your option for that type of accusal.

Know The Regulations – And Stick To Them

There are all manner of legal regulations and red tape which a business needs to adhere to. Making sure that you do is bound to help in the long run, as a business which remains within the law at all times is always more safe in the eyes of the law. If you are unsure about whether or not your business is remaining legal, then it is always best to check. There are many ways to accidentally skirt the law, and it is definitely in your interest not to do that, so make sure you always check with the experts on all matters which might have legal restriction.

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Patenting & Other Methods

The other form of legal protection is in the protection of your business’ ideas and other assets. There are many ways that you can use the law to protect your intangible assets, and it is worth getting to know those methods as well as possible. The most popular and one of the most effective of these methods is patenting, for obvious reasons. Patenting an idea protects your business in that it stops other businesses and individuals from using that same idea for their own profit. Clearly, this is a vital thing for any business to engage in, so make sure that yours does.

Is Your Startup Making Any of These Huge Legal Mistakes?

/ nancyrubin

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The last thing you need when you’re starting a business is legal trouble. And that’s why you shouldn’t underestimate the task of making sure you’re compliant with the law! Unfortunately, a lot of new business owners make these sorts of mistakes. We’re going to go through some of the most common.

Incorrect legal form

Before you operate as a business, you need to decide what kind of legal form you will be operating as. This is also known as deciding your legal entity type, or your business legal structure. It’s absolutely vital that you get this correct. This isn’t always a safeguard that prevents you from filing your company incorrectly. If you’ve filed as a partnership when you, in fact, operate as a corporation, for example? Then you could find yourself in big legal trouble. Make sure you pick the legal form that works best for your business and keeps you on the right side of the law!

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Dealing with diversity incorrectly

Okay, so you probably know that discriminating against job candidates is against the law. Unfortunately, what a lot of modern employers are doing is trading one form of discrimination for another. In an attempt to increase diversity, many employers are reducing the amount of white males they’re hiring. The end, of course, is a more diverse workplace. A good thing in theory, right? But hold on – what you just did was discrimination! You should be hiring people based on merit alone.

Not treating safety as a priority

You may be under the impression that there are a million other things to be more concerned about than employee safety. Wrong: employee health and safety is your top priority. After all, employees are basically compelled to work for you by their need to pay their bills. They have to spend hours in the building you’ve arranged to do business in. And if that workplace puts them at risk, then you’ve messed up pretty bad! Law firms such as Strom and Associates take special aim at those who violate employment law. So make sure your workplace is safe.

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Misclassifying workers

How do you misclassify a worker? Well, put broadly, there are two types of workers. There are employees. They work for you either part-time or full-time. They’re on your payroll and must be paid minimum wage. They have more laws protecting them. The other kind are contractors or freelancers. They don’t have to be paid minimum wage and don’t have as much legal protection. Some business owners may classify an employee as a contractor. Sometimes, this is a simple mistake. Other times, however, employers have done this in order to get away with paying someone less.

Neglecting data protection

Data is a pretty big thing in business these days. The average modern company has an absurd amount of data on both employees and customers. Of course, you need to make sure that data is protected. If your security negligence results in a data breach that releases private information to others? Then you could be in a world of legal hurt! Ensure that your business is properly secured from such threats.

Build Your Business Defenses One Step at a Time!

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Building defenses for your business is hugely important. You have to come up with a way of looking after yourself and the company. And the way to do that is to look after the business as much as you possibly can. Here are a few ideas you can use to build your business defenses.

IT Support

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What’s the most important area of your business? Well, this is likely to be a subjective question, but for most people, it will be your IT network. This is the basis of how you run and grow a modern business. And that means you have to protect the digital platforms on which your company operates. The way to do that is through the likes of IT support. Bringing in people who are IT experts, and who will be able to take the time to sort out your computers is important. You have to look after your sensitive information, as well as ensuring that your company is always operational on a virtual level. And the only way to ensure that is to make sure you have a really strong IT support team working for you.

Secure Premises

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Your business premises matters just as much as any other part of your business. So you have to understand why it’s so important to protect the premises. There are a lot of things you need to get right if you want to look after your commercial property. First of all, think about the design and layout of the place. Does it suit your needs? Are there many inherent security risks? You might need to consider moving to alternative premises. But, it’s also important to look at how much you can make the property more secure. This is imperative for ensuring that you’re keeping your employees safe at work. Getting a security system installed is a wonderful way of doing this, but you also have to make sure you take more practical steps too. Get someone to examine the structure of the building and make sure there are no inherent safety risks to worry about. Defending your business from the outside world, as well as intruders, is very important.

Attorney

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Why is an attorney so important for protecting your business? Well, the reason is that there are so many things that pose a risk to your company these days. For instance, you may have a customer who received a personal injury while on your premises. And you’ll need a lawyer to protect the legal interests of the company. One of your trucks may have been involved in a road traffic accident. This will mean visiting http://queenerlaw.com/ and getting in touch with someone who can help. Lawyering up in a business sense is not only sensible, but it’s also necessary. So you have to make sure you do this now, and don’t put it off. Lawyers play a huge part in business, and they can ensure that you keep the company on the straight and narrow, and fulfill your legal obligations.

As you can imagine, keeping your business safe and protected is really important. The good news is that there are a lot of different things you can do to go about achieving this. That’s why so many companies these days are so we’ll run and looked after. You can use some of the ideas on this post to help make your business better defended and more secure.

 

Ease The Load – Don’t Take On These Business Tasks Yourself!

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Many solopreneurs and small business operators try to do far too much themselves. Handling business tasks without hiring someone can feel more practical sometimes. After all, it saves you money and can be convenient. But while it’s easy to handle things like cleaning and admin work, some jobs should be left to the experts.

There are certain daily business functions you should never try to take on yourself. Although it’s possible, it can cause you a lot of stress. It can also prevent your business from reaching its potential if you can’t handle them as well as an experienced professional. When it comes to these tasks, you should try and ease the load.

Accounting

Every business needs to keep track of their financial matters. Small business owners might find it easy at first to track all their incoming and outgoing funds. But as your company grows, you’ll find it much harder to manage finances on top of everything else.

It’s much wiser to have an accountant to help your business with these matters. Although you’ll need to pay, they can help identify financial patterns and bring in more money. It also eases the load for you a great deal- finances can be stressful!

Having a financial expert on hand is also invaluable when it comes to filing taxes. A mistake can cost you a lot.

Information Technology

IT is one of the most vital operations for every business. You need your computer and network to be up and running at all times. But these things are prone to error. While it’s easy to fix certain problems yourself, it’s much better to have an expert on hand in other cases.

Many businesses benefit from using managed IT services. Many companies can help with all your technology needs, such as ProviDyn. You can run your business with much more efficiency and have peace of mind you have computer experts to call on.

Having the help of IT professionals is ideal for keeping all your technology running smoothly. It’ll also help make your business fit for the 21st century. They can assist you in implementing technology such as cloud computing and disaster recovery. These things can improve your company’s performance massively.

Employment And Staffing

Small businesses need to take care of all their employees and staffing issues. It may be easy to recruit the right people and put them to work at first. But as your company develops, it’s something that you’ll want help with.

There are many professionals and services which can assist you. You may want to use a recruitment firm to fill important roles. Having an in-house HR manager can help with many things. Human resources staff can handle the whole hiring process as well as staffing issues. They can also assist with employee training and satisfaction.

Legal Matters

You might know the fundamental laws and legislations when it comes to business. But there’s so much more to consider. From health and safety to employment laws, accidentally breaking one of these can cripple your business.

Make sure you find a law firm specializing in business. Enlisting the help of a business lawyer can ease the load for you when it comes to legal matters. They can give you advice on handling everything in your business. They can also help prevent any costly legal battles for you.