12 Mistakes Small Business Owners Need To Avoid

Common pitfalls of the unsuccessful. Are you guilty?

by Alex Goumakos CPA
Being successful in business is a delicate juggling act of doing the right thing while simultaneously avoiding costly mistakes.

Unfortunately, many small business owners--especially new business owners-- make simple mistakes that could easily be avoided with a little diligence and some inside knowledge.

Here's a list of 12 of the more common errors I've observed during my years working with small business owners:

1. THEY UNDERCHARGE

When first starting out, many business owners tend to undercharge for what they sell. There are two reasons for this.

First, they don’t know how to correctly set an effective price, and second they think they need to have the lowest price in order to get business.

Both circumstances result in low profits and poor cash flow. These “bad habits” frequently continue even after the business has gone through its start-up phase.

In order to survive in business, it's crucial that a business owner receive maximum reward for their efforts. From my experience, many small business owners would easily survive--and be much better off financially--with a well thought out and properly implemented price increase.

2. THEY CONCENTRATE EXCLUSIVELY ON SALES

When first starting out or having a background in marketing, many business owners and self-employed individuals see only one line on their profit-and-loss statement: SALES! They think the more sales they have, the bigger and better their business will be.

Nothing could be further from the truth!

While no one can deny the benefits of having a boatload of business, focusing exclusively on sales is oftentimes a recipe for disaster. A "more sales only" mentality and growing too quickly are classic examples of how a business can fail during its peak growth phase.

Believe me, it happens.

Running and operating a successful business doesn't require exceptional talent, but it does require vital and basic business skills covering a wide range of areas.

To succeed in business you must focus on your whole business, not just parts of it.

3. THEY EXTEND CREDIT TOO EASILY

In an effort to increase revenues and grow rapidly, many business owners extend credit to customers who pay late, or worse, never pay at all.

While nearly all businesses have their share of late or uncollectible accounts, it's important to minimize bad debts and slow paying customers by reviewing credit policies and picking and choosing customers wisely.

If selling on credit, be sure to perform credit checks on all of your customers. Also, make sure your customers completely understand and agree to your payment terms before doing business with them. Many slow paying customers like to take advantage of ambiguities in payment policies.

While it may be attractive to take on as much business as possible--especially when bills need to get paid--keep in mind that it’s better to have no business than to give away free business.

4. THEY THINK ABOUT TAXES AFTER THE YEAR IS OVER

Taxes are a subject many owners put off until the last minute. This procrastination costs money in the form of paying more tax than is required.

One of the reasons business owners fail in their tax strategies--besides not having any--is because they neglect to seek knowledge and advice BEFORE they engage in any activity that has a taxable effect.

If you're serious about saving money on taxes, learn to consider tax ramifications BEFORE you act. Planning is the key to reducing the amount of taxes you pay each year.

Since taxes represent a large expense in any business, it's absolutely essential that you do everything possible to minimize the cost. This means getting a grip on your taxes BEFORE and DURING the tax year, not after.

5. THEY DON'T HAVE A PLAN OF ATTACK

You’ve heard the saying, “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.”

It amazes me how many business owners and self-employed individuals don’t have clear, concise and written goals. And the goals they do have are frequently vague and imprecise.

Would a homebuilder build a house without a blueprint? Certainly not.

Then why build a business without one?

If you don’t have some idea of the overall picture or end result, your efforts will be average at best. Its not that average is necessarily a bad thing; it’s just that I feel many owners are capable of even greater success. More than they originally imagine.

6. THEY'RE CHRONICALLY UNDERCAPITALIZED

A big mistake business owners make is to pull virtually all available cash out of their businesses. Of course, when confronted with mounting personal bills, slow business growth and lack of funding, business owners may have no other choice.

But a business must have adequate capital to continue its normal operations and to grow. If you’re pulling all the money out of your business--and there's no way to get a loan--you must re-evaluate your personal expenditures and find ways to cut costs and live with less. Otherwise, failure may not be too far behind.

7. THEY DON'T KNOW HOW TO HIRE AND KEEP GOOD EMPLOYEES

A common problem business owners have is their inability to effectively manage their employees. Not only do they make hiring mistakes, but they also don’t know how to keep good workers.

Besides the owner, a good employee can be a company’s most valuable asset. In fact, in a small business employees can actually make or break the business. That's why it's essential that you hire the right person for the job.

When hiring an employee, think real hard about whom it is that you're actually hiring. An employee's lifestyle is definitely going to affect their performance on the job.

Likewise, if you want to keep good employees, be sure you have a system in place that rewards their efforts.

8. THEY DON'T TAKE STEPS TO ENSURE QUALITY-CONTROL

Small businesses and self-employed individuals frequently bite off more than they can comfortably chew. In an effort to get work out the door, they sometimes forgo quality-control procedures that could easily eat up profits.

For example, a home improvement company I once knew used inexperienced personnel for construction contracts because they wanted to cut corners on labor costs. The result? Customer jobs were shoddy and rife with mistakes. The company regularly dipped into profits to redo its work. Legal fees skyrocketed as a result of customer lawsuits.

It’s in your best interests to take the extra steps to ensure quality sooner rather than later. If you wait until later, it could cost you dearly.

9. THEY DON'T PROVIDE OUTSTANDING CUSTOMER SERVICE

The fact is, any business can provide good customer service. But if you want to build a highly successful business, make sure your customer service is "beyond industry standards".

While numerous factors are responsible for success, by far the easiest way to expand your business is to provide customers with customer service that is beyond industry standards. Doing so is like planting money seeds that will grow and yield basketfuls of profit.

Sadly, many business owners don't provide the level of service that is frequently the difference between mediocrity and success.

10. THEY'RE ECONOMICALLY DEPENDENT ON A SMALL GROUP OF CUSTOMERS

The easiest way to give away financial control of your company is to grow your business on a small group of customers. While this may look tempting and free of hassles at first, relying on a small group of customers is not a good thing and it should be avoided at all costs.

Unfortunately, many business owners did just that and paid the price for it when the customers stopped doing business with them.

11. THEY LET EMOTIONS GET IN THE WAY OF SOUND BUSINESS DECISIONS

Some people get consumed with their emotions and frequently make business decisions for the wrong reasons.

Examples of this include spending money on sexy, expensive advertising such as television or radio just to boast or beat their chest. Other examples include keeping unproductive employees because they feel sorry for them, or going out and spending crucial capital on equipment that isn’t needed yet.

To make good decisions, make sure you rely on the facts and sound business judgment.

12. THEY FAIL TO DEVELOP AS LEADERS AND MANAGERS

Many business owners limit the amount of success they attain by failing to continue learning. As I said earlier, running and managing a successful business doesn’t require exceptional talent, but it does require basic business knowledge. Without this knowledge you’re at a substantial disadvantage.

You should do everything possible to learn whatever you can about the complexities and nuances of your industry or profession, and not just once, but regularly.

Of the many things I've learned from highly successful business owners, one thing stands out: they never quit learning about their business.

© 2005 Alex Goumakos  All rights reserved.

About the Author

Alex Goumakos CPA is the author of "Gold Mine Tactics: The Business Owner's Success Manual". To learn more about this powerful "insider's" training manual---and to sign up for his complimentary newsletter and how-to articles, visit http://www.goldminetactics.com

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VistaPrint and Special Olympics Announced Four New 2005 Holiday Card Designs

Washington, DC and Hamilton, Bermuda (PRWEB) October 31, 2005 -- Special Olympics and VistaPrint(Nasdaq:VPRT), the leading online supplier of high-quality graphic design services and customized printed products to small businesses and consumers, today announced the availability of four new Special Olympics holiday cards designed by two additional athletes, Vicki Clark and Nate Gerharz. Special Olympics holiday cards are the perfect way to express holiday cheer while donating money that will help provide sports training and athletic competition opportunities for people with intellectual disabilities. Prices start at just $12.99 for 10 athlete designed cards.

Special Olympics is a year-round sports organization that changes lives by promoting understanding, acceptance and inclusion between people with and without intellectual disabilities. With more than 170 million people worldwide, people with intellectual disabilities make up the largest disability population in the world. Intellectual disability crosses the lines of racial, ethnic, educational, social and economic backgrounds, and can occur in any family. Currently, Special Olympics is nearly 2 million athletes strong in more than 150 nations around the world.

As with all of VistaPrint’s products, these exclusive Special Olympics holiday cards are completely customizable, full-color, printed on high-quality paper and are available for a low-cost. Customers can choose glossy or matte finishes and quantity options range from just 10 all the way up to 20,000. Fifty percent of the purchase price from all Special Olympics cards will be donated to Special Olympics.

Those wishing to create their own holiday card designs and yet still donate to Special Olympics will have the ability to choose sponsorship levels ranging from $1.00 up to $249.00. Sponsorship levels will be printed on the back at the supporter, bronze, silver or gold medal levels. A platinum level is also available.

Clark and Gerharz join an impressive group of athletes who have already provided artwork for our 2005 holiday cards. Cards designed by Tonia Johnson from Platteville, Wisconsin, Kendra Catenacci from Appleton, Wisconsin, Jennifer Idelberger from Arvada, Colorado, Kate Lampert from Arvada, Colorado and Molly Berry from Old Town, Maine have been for sale at www.vistaprint.com and are still available for purchase.

These new Special Olympics cards join a full line of holiday printed products available at VistaPrint, including VistaPrint’s brand new photo cards as well as popular products such as holiday cards, gift tags, magnets, return address labels and gift stickers. Customers can choose from hundreds of holiday templates, upload their own photos and designs or utilize VistaPrint’s free Design Services via a toll-free hotline at 1-800-721-6215 for a professionally designed product. Products can be designed and received in as little as three business days and VistaPrint’s printed products are satisfaction guaranteed.

New Athlete Bios
Vicki Clark, Leander, Texas—Twenty-six year old Vicki Clark has been part of Special Olympics for 18 years and participates in bowling, golf, softball and track. She has enjoyed her time with Special Olympics and feels it allows her to be herself while being part of a team and meeting new friends. She also appreciates the feeling of accomplishment she gets from her involvement with the organization A budding artist, Vicki discovered her talent in high school and is both excited and honored to share her work on these Special Olympics holiday cards.

Nate Gerharz, Sheboygan, Wisconsin—Twenty-six year old Nate Gerharz has been participating in Special Olympics for 10 years. A Global Messenger, Nate not only coaches basketball and bowling, but also participates in aquatics, basketball and bocce. According to Nate, Special Olympics has given him self-confidence and has taught him how to trust his judgment and believe in himself.

For detailed information on this promotion and donations to Special Olympics, please visit www.vistaprint.com/specialolympics.

About VistaPrint
VistaPrint (Nasdaq:VPRT) is the leading online supplier of high-quality graphic design services and customized printed products to small businesses and consumers. VistaPrint offers custom designed, full-color, low-cost printed products even in small quantities. Over 5 million small businesses and consumers have already chosen VistaPrint for products ranging from business cards and brochures to invitations and thank you cards. A global company, VistaPrint employs more than 450 people and operates 16 localized web sites serving over 120 countries around the world. A broad range of design options are available online at www.vistaprint.com. VistaPrint’s printed products are satisfaction guaranteed.

About Special Olympics
For more information go to www.specialolympics.org.

VistaPrint and VistaPrint.com are registered trademarks and the VistaPrint logo is a trademark of VistaPrint. All other brand and product names appearing on this announcement may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.
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Big Brother Has Arrived

(c)opyright 2005 Walt Lange

Where are we as a country headed now? Have we totally given away the rights our forefathers so carefully drafted into the Constitution? Given over our lives to a bunch of incompetents that no longer have any sense of direction or understanding of the job that “we the people” gave them. Or better put, the job that they paid millions of our dollars buying.

Every one of us knows that there are a multitude of national problems facing us in the upcoming decades. The economy sucks, oh yeah, the stock market may have moments of looking fruitful but that is not the real gauge of the strength of the economy. The real gauge is the buying power of that dollar bill in you wallet or purse. The commitments to bettering the education of the American child, the costs of Medicare, and Social Security are just a few. Are those who bought their jobs with our money honestly addressing these issues? Not on your tintype.

Instead of controlling their spending, making and sticking to an honest budget, like we individuals must do to survive. Instead of working out a REAL solution to the potential crisis of Social Security. What do they do?

They call a special two-day session of Congress in interfere in a family squabble of ONE family, the Teri Schiavo situation. What makes these people so much more important than the rest of us? This is a misuse of power “Lord” Tom Delay and then “King” George W. should hide his face in shame at signing a bill that had the expressed purpose of interfering with the personal life of one family. It is a travesty no matter how you look at it. They not only involve the full force of the government in a case of personal lives they usurped the power of the judiciary.

Did someone forget to tell them that the job of the Congress is to enact laws, not interpret them, which is the domain of the Judiciary Branch of the Government? Even the highest court of the land, until this special intrusion, had previously ruled that the ruling of the lower courts should stand. I am not a heartless person, I feel for Teri’s parents and I feel for her husband, God willing I hope I never am put in that position of choice. It cannot be an easy one for anyone. But lets look at the facts, this woman is severely brain damaged, numerous doctors had testified over a period of 15 years and over 20 court cases that this body will never improve. I say body because with the severity of brain damage I find it hard to call it a person any longer

People will say, “Well this is only one special case.” Not so, it is precedent setting, that means similar situations can be ruled upon in court based on this Congressional Ruling, in short, the right to make any personal decision for any one of us has become a fact and now our most fundamental right, the freedom of choice, has been placed in jeopardy.

Centuries of tradition and legality, social, political and religious, have just been negated. It has always been, even in the bible, that once a woman marries she leaves the rules of her parents behind in favor of the rule of her husband and his family. This has been the way of things since before this Country was even thought to exist. Congress and “King” George have just set themselves up to be a higher authority that any pre-existing authority since the beginning of time.

And to all those people who need to “GET A LIFE” out there with their placards and cute little candles in Dixie cups. What gives you the right to put your two cents worth into what, in fact, is a private family dispute. Go home! Care for your own children! If you are out on the street, chanting, singing, holding signs you are not home caring for your family. If you feel you must do something, then pray for guidance at home or in your church or synagogue. Let what happens happen. It is really NONE of your business and shame on you for making it your business.

In the majority of my commentaries I keep saying something about allowing someone else to make decisions for us, individually. I am going to say it some more; we have lost ourselves, people! We have become so busy text messaging on our blackberries, being glued to our cell phones 24/7 that we have forgotten what life and family is. We buy homes that we can barely afford and allow “Homeowner’s Associations” to make the decision as to what color to paint our house, what type of shrubbery we plant, what we are allowed to do in our own backyard, where we can park and what type of vehicle we are allowed to have parked in our driveway. The sad thing is we have become so far removed from personal and individual responsibility that we see nothing wrong in letting these “Others” make decisions for us.

America the Land of the Free, for now. Continuing on the path we have been treading who know for how much longer. In case you haven’t noticed, each and every year some branch of Government, federal, state or local enacts law and ordinances which further restricts our “FREEDOMS” and in most cases we were unaware that these laws were even being considered by the Governmental Entity.

January 1, 2006, pick up your newspaper and really read it, not scan the headlines in a hurry to make a phone call or to text message your boss or employee. You will find pages of laws and ordinances that have been enacted while you were busy doing whatever it is you do that take effect on that day. Then there are the fiscal laws that come in June. Not all are bad, I am not saying that, but you will begin to get a picture of just what limits or restrictions are being put on your freedoms.

Just for an example, instead of doing something effective to clean the pollution of our ocean waters, our bays where we swim and are exposed to who knows what form of bacteria, medical waste, industrial waste or doing something effective about the pollutants in our air quality, diesel fumes, exhaust fumes, industrial pollutants they pass another anti-smoking law because the second hand smoke out in the open air on the beach MAY be hazardous to the health of the beachgoers. Hmmmm?

I am not writing as an advocate either for or against smoking, I was just making a point that these other things we are exposed to are just as much, if not more, of a health hazard or risk. Think also about this one, it takes ¼ of an inch of water three times a day or less to keep an average size lawn green, yet there are ordinances in various parts of the country that during the peak summer season the sight of a green lawn is assumed to be wasting water and people are cited for not conserving. More water is used at Starbucks than on many of these green lawns don’t they have to conserve water too?

We have let them get into the habit of legislating “Lifestyles”, fines for your type of dress, anti-smoking, who can marry whom, whether you can hold a student back or not, giving rights where rights do not exist, i.e.: Individual minority rights v. parental rights, “you don’t dare lay hands on me or I will call a cop”, if I had said that to my parents you can bet that I would need more than one pillow to sit on for awhile. I am not advocating beating your children, but the psuedo-psychology of today’s lawmaking is no longer tempered with reason.

Big Brother is watching.

Until next time, truths (or facts) are merely perceptions, these were my perceptions, my opinion. What is yours?

(c)opyright 2005 Walt Lange

Walt Lange is a regular columnist at Local Biz Alliance.com, a freelance writer, researcher and independently published author, who's latest book series, including 'Trawlaine's Land' is now on sale. His opinions and comments are his own. Email Walt with your comments. Or visit his website.!

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What Check 21 Means for Your Small Business

The new Check 21 law is in now in effect. Any business operating a business deposit bank account in the U.S. must know the implications of Check 21. Learn "What Check 21 Means to Your Small Business." This is an excellent article and group of resources to learn about the new law and how it will affect YOU.

Check 21 a No Show?

In the article above, you'll find a link to an article on the 'Check 21 law', passed at the end of last year. While we at Local Biz Alliance feel that it's important to pass these kinds of laws, and even more important that businesses and consumers take note of them, honestly, we believe either it has not been put into practice yet by the banking industry, or it's a one way law designed to benefit a lobby group. Right now, we're not sure which. We have not noted banks crediting deposited monies into our accounts any faster than they ever did, when supplied with the paper documents. In fact, we have noted that sometimes it STILL takes up to 72 or more hours for the banks to 'get their business done' and get the actual funds in our account. Perhaps with the passage of time, this system will truly speed things up. Or perhaps these institutions have found yet another way to generate interest on funds for a day or two. Again, we aren't making any statements one way or the other, here. We dont know what's going on with the practice of the 'check 21' law, or if it was all as important as it sounded when there was so much coverage devoted to it. It may mean nothing at all. We commit to continue to cover the practices affecting small business issues where possible, and we submit that this may be a non-issue. Right now, we're not sure. But if You have any thoughts on the 'issue', we'd love to hear from you about it. email us with your thoughts.

-editors

Firefox Still on Track to Claim 10% of Browser Market?
Firefox's growth in the Web browser market has slowed down, and a security advisory was recently released about a vulnerability in the browser. Can the browser reach its goal of 10% of the market?
Just two months ago, eMarketer reported in its article, "Spreading Like WildFirefox", that the new Web browser Firefox had hit the 2 million download mark, and according to WebSideStory, the new Web operating system (OS) claimed over 4% of the US Web browser market, jumping from just 2.65% of the market as of October 8, 2004.
Read More

We have to say...Firefox is a huge relief after struggling with IE for so long....IE has so many holes in it, ways for scripts to attach, and vulnerabilities that it is the preferred browser of hackers and virus writers. You can neat little features like AdBLOCK and many others that really work, and surf pretty much trouble free. We're optimizing redesigning all of our websites and pages for firefox viewers & surfers. At Local Biz Alliance, we recommend this browser over IE, hands down. It takes up less space, is easily personalized, and has far fewer security issues... we recommend you make the switch... and soon.

-editors

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Bonnie Kay Florea

Jan 24, 2006

Here we all stand in the dawn of a New Year.
Have you had time to reflect on what happened upon the year that has gone by and reevaluate from that past year? So as to improve upon the new one?
I have taken the time to do this in the last couple of days. Mostly because I was forced to. I have been offered a place in the publishing business that I am highly honored to have been given.
Being an Author is my main goal and really is what's closest to my heart outside of my family, God and pets.
I write to you in this commentary to encourage those with dreams that you must keep on, keeping on. Then when you least expect it. You will perhaps find more then even you had dreamed for your self.
I read once that it is easy being a writer, however in saying that it is hard to achieve success. This is a true statement and anyone who is a writer knows the full impact of what this statement is referring too.
Sometimes you have to go on without success, in order to keep reaching for the dream. While not tainting it at the same time.
I hear those that are famous, who have come into money, that they never had before, say all the time, that success can corrupt, which means that money corrupts.
The person you was before money, may be a different person after money. The thing to do is not let it change you in a negative way. Not to let it be negative to yourself or to anyone you know, or come in contact with. Keep your heart and mind focused on not allowing success and, or business to come between those you love and those you call friend.
Which now brings me to the next thing I want to mention.
Money blinds. It's as simple as that. Aspiring writers/authors ask about the money issue all the time, in varying forms, (How much does it cost to publish? How much will I get paid in royalties?, etc.) but they can't see beyond that issue to think about the thing that will truly decide the money question.
When you aren't clear, you can make poor decisions that won't line up with your goals. For instance, many authors have a goal of making a lot of money, but they won't consider self publishing.
The fact is that unless you can immediately sell on the level of a Famous Book Club selection or have a really famous spokes person and, or sponsor, it's going to take a very long time before your royalties add up to much.
When you self publish you take on risk, but you stand to gain much more because you get to keep all the profits (unless your agreement with the publishing company you use is a royalties-based one).
If your dreams of authorship include larger audiences and the literary status that comes of being published by one of the many arms of Random House, Warner or Simon & Schuster, that's fine, just know that this route isn't exactly free either. Although, you don't have to pay a traditional publishing house and, they do everything for you (design, distribution, some advertising and marketing), but these days a writer is expected to spend a little on promoting the book.
If you're serious about marketing your book, you'll need to set aside at least $10,000. That amount can go as high as $50,000 depending on the amount of travel and other advertising you intend to use.
The bad news is publishing isn't free. The good news is you have a choice as to how much you spend and where you spend it. Be an educated consumer as well as an educated--and talented--writer. You'll find that to have a book published in the way you want it published is still in the end--priceless.
Reaching your dreams and your goals is never a straight and even road to success. In the form that the world measures it. This does not mean that you are not a success if it is not the worlds measurement of it. Success is found in the heart of a individual person. We decide what are success is in our heart of hearts. Keep on, keeping on is the thought that what we dream of for ourselves is the road to our success.
Shades of Gray

Bonnie Kay Florea

Bonnie Kay Florea is the Author of "Shades of Gray" and webmaster for Writers & Poets

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Lily Pad Home Furnishings - Always Original

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WhyDoWork.com Launches Work at Home Review System

Building on the strength of its member community, WhyDoWork.com now offers a review system where members may read, review, and rate any work at home opportunity or product.

(PRWEB) December 8, 2005 -- According to the founders of WhyDoWork.com, the most important information regarding the legitimacy of a work at home program or product rests in its users. With so much uncertainty in the telecommuting and home based business industry, the launch of the product review system at WhyDoWork.com will help unlock the mystery and uncertainty surrounding many work at home opportunities with genuine reviews posted by members of the site's user community.

With the addition of the reviews system at the site, members will have the ability to upload their own products for review, post reviews regarding existing products, and get the information they need to make an informed decision before spending any money.

The new review system has been integrated with the sites current offerings, therefore existing members will not be required to sign up again or change any settings in their account, and new members will enjoy the same free sign up process. With WhyDoWork.com growing at a rate of over 200 new members per week, the reviews section will give both new and existing members a chance to voice their opinions on a wide range of products and services including affiliate programs, eBooks, popular telecommuting employers, high yield investment programs (HYIP), and more.

Vital to the success and impact of the reviews system at WhyDoWork.com is the contributions of the member community. The active user community will enable the reviews section to grow into the Internet’s largest work at home product review database, where essential information is available free of charge, 24 hours a day.

About the Company:
WhyDoWork Inc. is a Toronto based company responsible for the publishing of www.WhyDoWork.com, a foremost online resource for stay-at-home parents, entrepreneurs, and those looking for quality work at home businesses, resources, advice and job postings. WhyDoWork.com is committed to providing its users with the best online resources available to work at home entrepreneurs totally free of charge.

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Even cool introverts can become hotshot sellers
Houston Chronicle, TX -
Sales skills might not come naturally to all small-business owners, but they can be learned. ... Stay on top of business and industry news and send pertinent ...

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On the Flat Tax Question

"Dump the current system. It's all a massive failure. Federal sales tax...? Lets do it! Can't be worse than what we have now. And when I say Dump the current system... I mean it! Right down to the state, city, and county taxes. Dump it all!! This nation has turned into the very disease that drove our forefathers to rebellion in the 18th century. The founding fathers are rolling." - Liam, Columbus, OH

"The more I hear about changing the tax code to something WE can understand, the better I like the idea. I would like, as a small business owner, to be able to do my taxes on a single form of paper in 10 minutes, instead of taking everything to my C.P.A... who charges and arm & a leg, and always makes a week long ( or longer! )ordeal out it several times a year. Anything in the way of simplifying the process would be welcomed.at this point. " - Denise M., Keene, Tx.

"Now is not the time to be playing with the Tax System! We have a war going on, a mess with Social Security, and other problems that are just too tied into it, I say just leave it alone. That's my opinion" - William R. Allen, Tx.

"I dread paying taxes, but I have not a clue what a flat tax would do to our business. I'm not so sure we should change the system all the way. A Flat Tax sounds like it could cause a mess as big as the one we have now" - Emily R. OKC.

Writing for Free

"Brenda Coxe's article on writing for free was timely for me, in that i would like to become a paid writer on a more regular basis Getting a job to pay my bills outside of writing is still something i have to do. And if getting a few of my articles "out there" for free is what it takes to get noticed, I'll still do it." - Sean,. Frisco, Tx.

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Alexa Digital Radio Seeks Indie Artists
Xtvworld Media Junction (press release)  Alexa Digital Radio, one of the top internet radio stations on the Live 365 Network, is seeking quality indie artists to play alongside major label artists. Submission includes website promotionfor ALL who apply. ...

InvestorIdeas.com Launches New Portal for the Music Industry ...

The newly launched portal (MIS) offers investors a global news portal and research resources to track NASDAQ, AMEX and OTC music industry stocks, an industry that generates revenues to the tune of $40 billion annually, with the US recording industry accounting for one third of that number. MIS features a directory of public and private music industry companies, music stocks, music instrument/technology/sound reproduction manufacturers, music retailers, production and broadcasting companies, service providers, music related funds, as well as exclusive MIS articles. Read More...

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MPFREE.COM GIVES AWAY 25,000 FREE MUSIC DOWNLOADS IN ITS
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MPFree estimates that it will give away 100,000 free music downloads in its second month. Read More

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The Music of Business

by Rob Spiegel

What kind of music do you listen to while building your business at home? One of the great pleasures of an at-home business is your freedom to choose the nature of your business environment, including its sound. When you’re working with others, music is always a compromise. You don’t end up with music that anyone actually likes. Instead, you get music that nobody really hates. Thus you end up with elevator music (sweet strings playing the Beatles) or soft rock (How many more times can you listen to Rod Stewart’s Maggie Mae?). >>>Read more

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