Posts Tagged ‘self-employed’

The Great Outbrain Challenge – Part I

Written By Steve Strauss, December 5, 2012

I am very excited to share with you today an exciting new venture that I have launched with a company called Outbrain that is designed to help you get more traffic to your website, and in the process, ultimately, to get you more business.

It’s called The Great Outbrain Challenge.

But before I share just what the Challenge consists of and how it will help your business, I first have to share some background about my business. As you may know if you are a regular reader of my columns (and if you are – thank you!), I recently launched a new website called TheSelfEmployed. The site took a year to plan and almost that long to launch, so it is both a labor of love and a significant commitment.

Looking back, the project can be broken down into two phases, and in that sense, it is like any new startup:

The pre-launch and launch phase, and
The startup

Both phases were interesting, fun, and challenging in their own way. Phase one consisted of vetting the idea of the site, working with the design team, and then getting sponsors on board. We were blessed to get great sponsors like EHealth, Elance, Greatland, SCORE, Verizon, LegalZoom, and Staples. An impressive lineup if I do say so, and a great group that is truly committed to your small business success.

Phase two has essentially consisted of adding more and more great content to the site and then getting people to visit it – getting customers. We have employed a variety of tactics to do this:

We have invested heavily in Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
We launched TheSelfEmployed Facebook and Twitter pages
We advertise on Facebook to get more likes
We launched an aggressive content guest blogger program
We invest in PR

And while it is all good and all works, like any new business, we want to continue to grow. That is why I was very interested when I was contacted by Outbrain. I had not heard of Outbrain before, but as they say, I was familiar with their work:

On my site USATODAY.com, or CNN.com, or Time or Rolling Stone and any number of other excellent content sites, at the end of any article you see links to other articles from both that site, as well as “From around the Web.” That app is powered by Outbrain. If you have valuable content on your own small business site, you can sign up with Outbrain and it will promote your content on these great channels to increase traffic to your site.

Does it work? Well, let’s find out, together.

I challenged the folks at Outbrain to see if what they do can help the typical small business, and to their credit, they not only loved the idea but offered to let me try out their service for free to see just how much it could help my small business, TheSelfEmployed.

So here’s the deal: Outbrain gave me a typical small business budget to play with for a month and we are going to see how much their services increases traffic to TheSelfEmployed. I hand-selected about a dozen articles from my site to start with – everything from our most popular content to a few things that are a bit more dry. These articles will now become part of the Outbrain arsenal that get’s promoted at the bottom of other articles around the Web.

In a month I will be posting and sharing the results. I am confident that what we at TheSelfEmployed learn will help you too.

Let the Challenge Begin!

Tags: Alerus SBC, outbrain, self-employed
Posted in Sales & Marketing | No Comments »

Self Employment: Is it the Right Time? Part II

Written By Steve Strauss, March 26, 2012

Q: Hey Steve, I have a friend who has been unemployed for about two years. His unemployment insurance is about to run out and he has this kooky plan now to go the self-employment route. I have tried to explain to him that this is no time to start a business. He won’t listen to me. He likes your column – can you steer him on the right path. Thanks.

Jerry

(Part 2 of 2)

A: I have a question for you: Let’s say that you have been out of work for almost 99 weeks and your unemployment benefits are about to expire and you have no real prospects of finding a job? What do you do? Or what if you are a single mom and need the flexibility of making your own hours but your boss doesn’t quite see things that way? Or what if you have simply have had it working for someone else and what you really long for is to be your own boss? What do you do?

You join the ranks of the self-employed, that’s what.

It is no secret that the nature of work is changing rapidly right now. Not only are more people working outside of an office, outside the traditional 9 to 5 job, and not only are companies finding that they can get by hiring freelancers instead of employees, but a whole new generation of workers are similarly discovering that they don’t need that job that they once thought was so indispensable.

It’s a revolution, a self-employment revolution.

There are many things that have coalesced to create this self-employment revolution, and not the least of which has been the challenging economy the past few years which has forced more than a few people to become entrepreneurs . . . whether they wanted to or not.

And fortunately, technology has made that doable. Not long ago, becoming self-employed may have seemed daunting – where would you find the work, how would you do the work, did you have the resources to do a good job?

All that has changed in the blink of an eye.

Today, it’s all possible. Whether it’s computers and software, smartphones and apps, websites and searches, or what have you, the fact is, being successfully self-employed today is quite possible.

Indeed, more and more people are headed down this path. Consider: Time Magazine recently said that 2012 just might be “The Year of the Entrepreneur”-

Jobs are in scarce supply, and underemployment is at an all-time high. Things look bleak. But, truth be told, there has never been a better time for individuals to start new businesses. Taking up entrepreneurship is now an extremely doable means to overcome unemployment and underemployment, and perhaps even get rich . . .Whereas a traditional office or retail space was a necessity less than a decade ago, today, thanks to the rise of virtual office services and co-working spaces, working from home or Starbucks is the new norm.

But whether you do or not, let me offer you some congratulations if you are, or are joining, the ranks of the self-employed. You are fueling the new economy, creating a work revolution, and I bet, having a great time in the process. Bravo.

Tags: self-employed, self-employment
Posted in Getting Started | No Comments »

Self Employment: Is it the Right Time? Part I

Written By Steve Strauss, March 19, 2012

(Part I of II)
A: I can, if you will agree with me that the right path is self-employment.

Pull up a chair and let me tell you a little story: I know of a guy who used to have a real cushy job on Wall Street back in the 90s. He analyzed other companies for a living, made the big bucks, had the sweet lifestyle – the whole enchilada,

Then one day his boss gave him the assignment to research a new industry and report back on what opportunities may lay there. He did, and found that the nascent industry was actually growing at something like 2,600% a year – some amazing number. So yes, he reported back to his boss, but also could not get that number out of his head.

Not long after, with an understanding mate and a big dream, he quit his job to become self-employed in this new industry. They packed up the car, and as his wife drove west, he pounded out a business plan on his computer. When they got to Seattle, they rented a little place, and he started his business in the garage.

The guy? Jeff Bezos. The Industry? The Internet. The business? Amazon.com.

Self-employment allows you to chase the dream.

Beyond that, there are all sorts of other reasons to go the self-employment route, and more and more people are opting to do so, but first, what do I mean exactly by “self-employment”?

The IRS says that self-employed people are freelancers and independent contractors, small business owners and partners – essentially anyone who earns their income from the operation of a business.
I would add that they are, for the most part, one and two person businesses, although they may hire contractors or employees on occasion.

There are many, many very good reasons to become self-employed, but let me begin with this one, this ironic one: Self-employment offers greater job security than working for someone else.

As we all know only too well, bosses can fire you. But when you are self-employed, hopefully you have a pretty good boss, and he won’t fire you (yes, he may work you too hard, but that’s a different issue.) Sure, you may lose a client – heck, you will lose a client – but when you are self-employed, you can go get another one, and likely, you already have other ones. When you are an employee, you have one “client”, and when that client lets you go, you are up a river without a paddle.

Other benefits of becoming self-employed:

Flexible hours
Creative work – you wear many hats
Ability to make more money
Chance to do something you love
Opportunities

And you can too. Next week, I will discuss how you can become self-employed and offer up some resources to make your journey easier, more enjoyable, more profitable, and fun.

Tags: self-employed, self-employment
Posted in Economy, Getting Started | No Comments »

Home Office Deduction Simplification Bill Introduced by Congress Today

Written By National Association for the Self-Employed, May 13, 2011

Bill Would Create Optional Standard Deduction

The National Association for the Self-Employed (NASE) is thrilled to lend support to legislation introduced today by Congressmen Kurt Schrader (D-OR) and Ron Kind (D-WI) which would simplify taxes for millions of small business owners.

The Home Office Deduction Simplification Act, HR. 1827, would allow home-based businesses to take a standard $1,500 deduction for home office expenses. According to an NASE study, more than half of small businesses are based out of a home office.

“Too many home-based business owners who are eligible for the home office deduction elect not to take it because of the complexity of the form and calculations required,” said Kristie Arslan, Executive Director of the National Association for the Self-Employed (NASE). “This means valuable tax refund dollars that could be invested back into the business are left on the table each year. The creation of an optional standard deduction will go a long way in easing the minds of these cautious business owners. The fact that this bill ensures that the standard deduction will be adjusted for inflation also ensures that future businesses will be able to take advantage of this tax benefit for years to come.”

“I’ve built two small businesses from scratch,” said Schrader. “And I can tell you from experience that the complexity of our tax code hinders business growth. By making it easier for Oregon small businesses to pay their taxes you can encourage them to expand their operations and hire more workers – and job creation is exactly where Congress should be focusing our time right now.”

“Small businesses are the backbone of our economy,” said Kind. “They are generating two out of every three jobs right now, serve as important anchors in our communities, and are vital to our economic recovery. It is critical that we help these economic engines by providing the resources and tax credits to make it easier and fruitful to own and maintain a small business during this tough time. I will continue working to provide the resources our small businesses need to grow, hire, and drive dollars back into our local communities.”

Schrader and Kind introduced similar legislation in 2009 with Republican co-sponsors. However that legislation remained in committee when Congress adjourned. This year’s version, H.R. 1827, was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means for consideration.

The National Association for the Self-Employed (NASE) is the nation’s leading resource for the self-employed and micro-businesses, bringing a broad range of benefits to help entrepreneurs succeed and to drive the continued growth of this vital segment of the American economy. The NASE is a 501(c) (6) nonprofit organization and provides big-business advantages to hundreds of thousands of micro-businesses across the United States. For more information, visit the association’s Web site at www.NASE.org.

Tags: home office, Home Office Deduction Simplification Act, home-based business, NASE, self-employed, small business, tax deductions
Posted in Legal & Tax, News | No Comments »

Tax Time: Deducting The Business Use Of Your Automobile

Written By National Association for the Self-Employed, March 4, 2011

Small Biz Owners Often Overlook This Important Deduction

Business expenses come with the territory when you are an entrepreneur. Some expenses, however, can be easy to miss come tax time because they do not show up in your business checkbook. Use of your car for driving to client meetings, the office supply store, the post office and more are deductible expenses because you are using your vehicle for business purposes.

Here are a few tips from the National Association for the Self-Employed (NASE) to remember in regard to deducting expenses for business use of your automobile:

The Standard Mileage Rate is 50 cents per mile driven for business in 2010.
If you would rather calculate by hand, use the Actual Expense Method. Manually calculate costs of maintaining and driving the car as a percentage of total miles driven for business.
Calculate both to see which gets you the better deduction.

“The main thing the IRS will want to see in supporting this deduction is your mileage log.” says NASE National Tax Advisor Keith Hall. “You must keep track of the miles you drive for business, whether it’s on your computer or handwritten in a notebook.”

The NASE iPhone application TripAlly tracks, calculates and records miles driven to create the ultimate tax-deduction mileage log. Whether you need to track miles for your small business, charitable contributions, for employee reimbursement, or simply because you want to know, TripAlly can help. Download TripAlly at the iTunes App Store.

Click here for more details on TripAlly.

About the NASE

Tags: NASE, self-employed, tax deductions, taxes
Posted in Legal & Tax, News | No Comments »

Senate Passes Landmark Small Business Jobs Creation Bill

Written By U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, September 17, 2010

Landrieu-sponsored legislation will increase access to capital to America’s small businesses.

WASHINGTON – The United States Senate yesterday passed a landmark small business jobs bill that aims to boost billions of dollars of lending and investment to America’s entrepreneurs and provides $12 billion in tax cuts to small businesses from coast to coast. In addition, recognizing that less one percent of small businesses export, this small business bill expands trade and export opportunities, a real growth area for the near term. Finally, the bill increases small business access to Federal contracts and expands counseling and technical assistance programs by partnering with hundreds of non-profits throughout the country. The bill passed the Senate by a significant majority, 61-38, with Senators George Voinovich, R-Ohio, and George LeMieux, R-Fla., joining Democrats in passage of the bill. United States Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship Chair Mary L. Landrieu, D-La., made the following comment on the passage of the bill:

“The passage of this bill is a long-awaited victory for the 27 million small businesses in America. Upon signature by the President, these businesses will benefit from $12 billion in immediate tax cuts. $12 billion will transfer from the Federal treasury into the hands of small business owners to help them navigate these difficult financial times. It is the right thing to do and the smart thing to do. We could not have passed this legislation without the leadership of the Majority Leader, Harry Reid, Senators Cantwell, Boxer and Merkley and the entire Democratic Caucus who fought so hard for this legislation.”

“Specifically, we owe a special thanks Senators George Voinovich and George LeMieux for crossing the aisle and putting the country ahead of partisan politics.”

Specifically, the Small Business Lending Act will:

Provide $12 Billion in Targeted Tax Cuts for Small Businesses

Allows for a 100 percent exclusion of capital gains tax on small business investments made in 2010
Increases the maximum deduction for start-up expenditures in 2010 and 2011 from $5,000 – $10,000
Extends the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act bonus depreciation provision for 1 additional year for qualifying property purchased and placed into service in 2010
Allows self-employed taxpayers to deduct health care costs for payroll tax purposes on 2010 returns

Initiate a New Strategic Partnership with Healthy Community Banks

Creates a $30 billion Small Business Lending Fund that utilizes healthy community
banks as a conduit to increase lending to small business, a provision that will generate $1 billion for the treasury.
Provides $1.5 billion in grants to support at least $15 billion in new small business
lending through already successful state run programs

Strengthen the Core SBA programs

Extends certain SBA American Recovery and Reinvestment provisions that eliminate borrow fees and increases the government guarantees on SBA loans from 75 percent to 90 percent.
Permanently increases loan limits on SBA loans
Expands the SBA’s trade and export finance programs

Tags: American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, entrepreneur, SBA, self-employed, Small Business Jobs Creation bill, small business lending, Small Business Lending Fund
Posted in News | No Comments »

“25 Million Jobs And Billions To The Economy Is Not So ‘Bunny’”

Written By National Association for the Self-Employed, June 18, 2010

bunnyHero The National Association for the Self-Employed (NASE) launched a digital advertising campaign this week that seeks to raise awareness of the policy priorities of the self-employed and micro-businesses while combating the stereotype that the nation’s smallest businesses do not make serious contributions to the economy. The ads, which are running on inside-the-beltway news Web sites, depict a self-employed business owner wearing a suit, tie…and bunny slippers.

“We are undertaking this public awareness effort to shake up the unfortunate perception that if you are your own boss and work from home, your job is not as valuable as an office or factory job,” says Kristie Arslan, executive director of the legislative offices of NASE. “Not only do the self-employed contribute nearly a trillion dollars to our nation’s economy every year, but their businesses allow them to successfully provide for their families and contribute to their local communities.”

The vast majority – 95% – of all small businesses in the United States are either self-employed entrepreneurs or micro-businesses with fewer than 10 employees. There are about 25 million such businesses, which may have a storefront or be run out of a home office. Their small size makes them acutely aware of economic conditions and policy changes.

Though vulnerable to tough economic times, self-employed businesses have grown faster than all other segments of the economy in recent years and are historically a key driver of economic recovery after a recession. In fact, business startups reached their highest levels in 14 years during 2009, suggesting that laid-off workers are choosing to join the ranks of the self-employed rather than take their chances in a job market that remains unstable.

“With a growing number of Americans embracing entrepreneurialism, Washington should be finding ways to support self-employment and help them drive the country’s economic recovery,” continues Arslan. “Instead, we see a systemic behavior by our policymakers of publicly touting the importance of small business in this economic climate while they quietly issue backdoor rules and regulations that are ultimately pulling the rug out from under America’s entrepreneurs.”

Some examples of current policy issues that have dramatic negative impacts on the self-employed include:

New IRS reporting requirements that will force any business that pays more than $600 per year to a vendor for business services, inventory or property to issue a Form 1099 to that vendor;
Continued lack of a standard home office tax deduction that would allow millions of self-employed individuals access to tax relief to which they are entitled; and
Exclusion from the small business health care tax credit in the recently passed health reform law if you are self-employed or hire family members in your business, leaving the self-employed to face skyrocketing health care costs in the years ahead.

NASE’s “bunny slippers” campaign includes members of the organization, including a tax accountant, a graphic designer and a disc jockey. To learn more about the campaign and NASE’s legislative priorities, please visit http://www.NASE.org/campaigns/NotSoBunny.

The National Association for the Self-Employed (NASE) is the nation’s leading resource for the self-employed and micro-businesses, bringing a broad range of benefits to help entrepreneurs succeed and to drive the continued growth of this vital segment of the American economy.

For more information visit the website for the National Association for the Self-Employed: www.nase.org

Tags: awareness, Bunny, Micro-business, NASE, self-employed, stereotypes
Posted in Getting Started | No Comments »

Mr. AllBiz weighs in on the health care reform bill

Written By Steve Strauss, March 26, 2010

Q: Steve: What do you think of this health care reform bill? I think it stinks.

Sam

A: I agree it stinks, but do you know what stinks worse? What we have right now.

Of course watching this bill wind its way towards law has been an unappealing sight, and yes, it was full of pork and kickbacks that verged on obscene. But then again, our system was designed for gridlock, give and take, checks and balances, and all that. But no one said it was pretty.

So this is the bill we have. Is it good for small business? On the whole, I say yes. As I say, it beats the alternative, the status quo, and that is what this come downs to – a crappy bill with some good stuff, or nothing.

For the small business owner, one of the best things about this bill is that it will insure an additional 30 million people. While it is good and proper for a country like ours to do so, it is also good business, and here is why: While you may think that the uninsured are the needy, the young, and the impoverished, the fact is, many of those uninsured work for small business.

Why are they uninsured? You know why: It costs the average small business owner too much to insure them.

Consider these sobering statistics:

Only 49% of businesses with 3 to 9 employees (the vast majority of all small businesses) offered any type of health insurance to their employees in 2008, down from 58% less than a decade ago
29% of employees at businesses with 25 employees or less were uninsured altogether in 2007, and the number is certainly higher today

So for starters, that small businesses may be able to get more affordable health care insurance is no small thing, indeed, it is a big thing. The main reason that health insurance is so expensive for small business is that there is a very narrow pool of people being insured. Bigger companies with more employees are better able to spread the risk around so premiums are lower, and they also have more buying power due to their size.

To counter this, starting in 2014, small businesses and the self-employed will be able to shop for plans offered through new state-based purchasing pools called exchanges. By pooling small businesses together, these purchasing cooperatives are expected to offer rates that should be lower because 1) of increased group purchasing power, and 2) bigger pools.

What about these mandates to buy insurance?

For the most part these will have little effect on small business. Businesses with fewer than 50 employees will be exempt from the mandate to buy employees insurance, though it is expected than many companies will nevertheless try to offer it for two reasons:

The exchanges should create a more affordable option than available now, and
The plethora of new tax breaks and credits written into the law as incentives

Another expected benefit of the bill for business is that employees will likely be more willing to change jobs and join smaller firms because, either, there will be coverage at the new firm via the cooperatives, or the employee him or herself will be able to get affordable coverage through the exchanges. The so-called “job lock” – where employees fear leaving a job so as to not lose their insurance – should hopefully be a thing of the past.

Will the bill keep costs down? Of course it is debatable, but what is not debatable is that the status quo had become untenable. Something had to give. Hopefully this bill will deliver the changes small business owners so desperately need.

And yet . . . they say that if you are squeamish, it is best not to watch sausage or legislation being made. Me thinks that this process has given sausage making a bad name.

Today’s Tip: What do buyers look for when looking to purchase a business and what should entrepreneurs be doing if they want to eventually sell their enterprise? If you want to know, I strongly suggest that you pick up a copy of a great new book called Built to Sell, by John Warrilow.

Covering every important aspect of the process, from attracting multiple bidders to getting the most for your business, this book easily explains what you must know and do if you want to create a business you can sell. Steve says check it out!

Steve Strauss is one of the world’s leading business experts, a popular speaker on the business lecture circuit, and is sure to leave any audience thrilled. A columnist for USA TODAY, lawyer, and author, his latest book is The Small Business Bible: Everything You Need to Know to Succeed in Your Small Business. You can sign up today for his free newsletter, “Small Business Success Secrets!” at his website – www.mrallbiz.com

Tags: health care reform, health insurance, self-employed, small business
Posted in Human Resources | No Comments »