January, 2009

Eight Great Tax Tips for Businesses and Self-Employed Individuals

Below is the annual Eight Great Tax Tips for Businesses, by C.P.A. Bernard B. Kamoroff. It is excerpted from the 2009 Edition (8th Edition) of Mr. Kamoroff's book 422 Tax Deductions for Businesses and Self Employed Individuals.

Tax Tip #1. Your business expenses are deductible even if you paid them from your non-business bank account, personal credit card, or cash. Take a few minutes and go through all of your expenses for the year. If the expenses were for your business, deduct them. (Does not apply to corporations).

The grant winner votes so far

The poll for deciding the winner of the Idea Cafe Innovation and Originality Grant has been online for almost a month now, and we have received a significant number of votes. Below you can see the current distribution of votes. Trends are starting to appear, with one company pulling ahead as the strongest candidate for winning the grant, but there is time until January the 15th for the overall picture to change. See the preliminary results below.

WOMbeat! is the Winner of Idea Cafe's Innovation and Originality Grant

WOMbeat!, an online source of recommendations for local businesses from people you know and trust, and an enterprise sparked by a dream, is the winner of the latest Idea Cafe grant. Congratulations! WOMbeat! submitted their nomination in November, and during the month-long voting phase of the grant they emerged as the leader, with 25.66% of the votes. They are followed by another exceptional business, PALS with PAWZ, who got 20.86% of the votes.

Small Businesses Respond to Obama's Emergency Relief Plan

The majority of small business owners approve of the economic measures proposed by Barrack Obama, found a survey by SMB software-as-a-service provider Smart Online. Here are some key findings:

Need hosting for your business' web site? Take your pick from the best providers

Every small business needs a web presence. Often, the quality of a website and its ability to attract and retain customers is directly dependent on the web hosting provider. Take a look at our sister site's Annual Web Hosting Awards, and choose the best company for your web hosting needs.

Some general tips for being an entrepreneur during a recession

The recession is real, but it, like any other difficulty, should also be seen as an opportunity. Here are some tips on keeping the entrepreneurial spirit high, and starting (or running) a successful business in a rough economy.

  • Start with Your Passion – The French writer Francoise de Motteville once wrote, "The true way to render ourselves happy is to love our work and find in it our pleasure." Those words ring true with any entrepreneurial enterprise, because if you start with an occupation or vocation that drives our passion, then you’ll never have to worry about losing interest.