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Guest Post by Madison Crader In an age where the general public rarely agrees about anything of importance, our mutual dislike of taxes is one of the few things we still have in common. And though it’s nice to share something, I think we can all agree that where taxes are concerned, less is more! We can’t make your taxes disappear, but we can offer a few valuable tax tips. Some are long-term strategies that affect your finances all year long, and others are simple tricks for when you sit down to file taxes. While these tips apply to personal taxes as well, they should be especially helpful if you’re wondering how to file taxes as a small business owner. Invest in quality bookkeeping Having thorough, organized financial records is the best way to reduce tax-related stress. Obviously, this is a year-round effort, and it isn’t easy — racking expenses, saving receipts from business purchases, monitoring company assets. It’s a lot of work, but it’ll improve your strategies, boost your bottom line, and make tax prep a breeze. If you’ve got a good handle on bookkeeping basics, you can do it yourself with QuickBooks, Wave, or similar software. Some business owners hire freelance or contract workers for their accounting or invoicing. Alternatively, a good accountant can help you catch up on financial backlog or offer more permanent help going forward. However you decide to do it, quality bookkeeping is a necessity. Verify employee information This is doubly important, since it affects your business taxes and your employees’ personal taxes as well. Before sending out W2s, 1099s or anything else, verify the correct spelling, address, and Social Security number of each employee. Obviously, we’d hope this information is already accurate, but it’s still good to double check before sending out sensitive financial information. Another factor to consider is employee classification. If you’ve hired any new workers during the year, now is a good time to ensure you’ve classified them correctly. The federal government maintains guidelines for full-time, part-time, and freelance/contract workers, regardless of the contract you create yourself. In fact, incorrect classification could lead to an audit and substantial fines, so it’s worth some extra attention. Gather necessary documents Every year, I sit down to do taxes only to discover that I’ve left one of my vital forms inside a book or under a stack of mail. You can skip that minor heart-attack by creating a designated space for tax documents and placing forms there as soon as you receive them. Some of your information will be better accessed in various software, such as your inventory management system, payroll records, or accounting software. Block out some time to extract the details you need. This includes a review of your finances, such as a cash flow statement, balance sheet, and an income statement. You’ll need mileage records for any business vehicles and a summary of your assets. Additionally, you’ll receive a form 1098 with the mortgage information for your workspace, whether that be an office or a section of your home. Prepare a profit and loss statement Some of those documents are prepared for you, like the 1098, but others require your input. Your accounting software may provide tax-friendly reports of your cash flow and income, and your inventory management software can help summarize your assets. If you don’t use comprehensive software, you may need to create these reports yourself. To draft your own income statement, you’ll need to know your revenue, expenditures, gross profit, operating expenses, and a few other details. You’ll report your own salary and that of your employees. Likewise, preparing a cash flow statement will require more details about your daily sales and spending, your investment purchases, or business loan activity. Meet with your CPA Obviously, you can choose to skip this step if you’re set on doing it yourself, but it doesn’t hurt to consider the pros and cons of preparation your own taxes, using tax software, or hiring a tax consultant. Especially if you’re filing small business taxes for the first time, hiring a professional is a smart idea. They’ll know how to file taxes for a small business owner like you, and can answer a lot of basic questions, such as “What percentage does a small business pay in taxes?” and more. If you do choose to hire professional help, keep in mind that not all accountants are tax-certified. An accountant can offer help, and may be cheaper than a CPA, but remember that only Certified Professional Accountants who have passed an extra exam can sign your tax documents and represent you in case of an audit. Remember deadlines After all your careful preparation, it’s a relief to submit those taxes and check it off your list. Yearly taxes are due by April 15, but it doesn’t hurt to plan for an earlier date. You never know what might come up as you’re wading through forms and financial records! And don’t forget — if you’re doing any kind of freelance or self-employed work, you’ll pay estimated taxes each quarter on January 15, April 15, June 15, and September 15. Once you’ve had a year under your belt to assess how much to pay in taxes each year, simply divide that number by four and pay that portion each quarter. As expected, the IRS will fine you if you don’t. The good news is that they make it easy to do with an online direct pay system. Whether it’s your first time filing small business taxes or it’s just been a long year, these reminders should help ease your tax-related stress. With some good bookkeeping, accurate employee and financial records, and support from software and CPAs, you can file in record time and move on to the business tasks you like best.  Madison Crader specializes in content related to small businesses building brand awareness and gaining access to capital to grow their business. She has a passion for helping entrepreneurs understand their financial needs and set long-term goals by sharing tips and tricks.

Guest Post by Angela Ash When building a brand, choosing the right image to go with it is an absolute must. For an image to be powerful and memorable, it must showcase your business’s story and promise. It is a well-known fact that visuals help people recognize and memorize things — that’s why they’re called visuals to begin with, right? And from our earliest days, we learn things by connecting them to appropriate visuals. Because of this, marketing strategies have evolved to incorporate aggressive visual campaigns. When thinking about your business’s future prospects, it is therefore necessary to brainstorm your visuals. What is a visual brand identity? First of all, visuals don’t begin and end with a logo. To be sure, a memorable logo is tremendously important, but it is by no means the only piece of the larger picture you need to come up with to create your brand’s visual identity. Proper visuals, as mentioned above, resonate with your brand’s identity and business culture and are, in that regard, way more than just nicely arranged shapes and colors. It is crucial to connect the dots and design appropriate visuals that will be easily connected with your brand. Each visual is an element that tells the story of your brand and is easily associated with it. The most common visuals contributing to a brand’s identity include the following: A logo Typography Image and composition styles Recognizable color patterns Branding and visual recognition As is the case with the success of so many factors when it comes to building a brand, visuals need to resonate with your audience. In order for them to do exactly that, you’ll need to define and get to know your audience well. Your brand’s visuals should appear attractive to your audience. They also need to be unique, memorable, and consistent. Only with the combination of these three factors can a visual be considered successful. Consistency, especially, is a crucial factor, as changing a brand’s style will only serve to confuse the audience, even if the design is more appealing. Examples of memorable visual brand identities Although it holds true that large businesses can allocate more substantial funds to brainstorm their visual identity, smaller businesses do not necessarily have to lag behind. Ultimately, all a brand needs in order to create memorable visuals is imagination. A simple freelance platform research will get you enough professional designers working for affordable prices to last you a lifetime. That being said, the saying “the sky's the limit” is only too accurate. Let's see some successful examples from companies both large and small: Oreo has chosen a bluish design consistent with their message. Can you imagine family-friendly cookies in black and fluorescent green? The collage appeared on Facebook and is consistent with the brand’s visual strategy. Next , Pixar is a great example of how banners can tell a story. This particular screenshot is from the brand’s Twitter page. As you can see, it tells a story at a glance by highlighting the studio’s latest release. Naturally, a new banner will pop up every time there is a new release. Finally, the visuals king: Coca-Cola! The brand has built its whole success strategy on visual marketing. Their posts are widely recognizable and always feature a detail in red — just like the namesake drink. Coca-Cola’s logo is the world’s most recognizable logo, closely followed by Apple. The distinction is, however, clear. The first brand has been around for a couple of decades longer than the latter, so it's had more time to establish its visual identity. As far as logos go, there is some wisdom to be learned from the leaders in the field. For example, a bright red color is known to trigger impulse purchases, according to a study undertaken by Strategic Factory. A color palette is sometimes more important than the logo itself. A great example of this is Marvel, which, let’s face it, doesn’t really top the list of most eye-catching logos out there. Another successful brand that goes for simplicity coupled with a red color scheme is Pinterest. Need we go on? Memorable shapes and colors Merely a glance will tell you how all these brands have become easily recognizable by relying on a consistent color strategy and typography. Going deeper than that, you will notice that they are also consistent in the tone and message they present. The combination of all these factors does wonders for a brand’s success, so take your time defining your visual strategy. First, you’ll need a memorable logo. Logos are omnipresent: they’ll appear on your homepage and social media profiles, in all emails you send and on all your products. Because of that, they are worth the pain of coming up with the ideal one (settle for nothing less!). Next, you will need a consistent color palette. Of course, colors may change during specific campaigns, notably those strongly related to certain color schemes (such as is, e.g., Halloween or Valentine’s Day). Remember that the color palette of your choice should reflect your brand’s message. Again, you may use the examples from above to make some general deductions. Oreo sells food, and not just any food — cookies! Taco Bell, by contrast, goes for a completely different set of colors (see below). The choice may appear a bit more aggressive, but the message is just as clear. After all, they sell Mexican food. What is the first association with Mexican food? Spicy, we’d say. Choosing typography Finally, there’s the proper font to consider. Not only does it have to be consistent with the message and imagery you wish to get across, but it also needs to remain consistent over time. Let’s consider Coca-Cola again. The company's logo has changed time and time again and has yet remained as recognizable as it was in the brand’s beginnings. Source: Turbologo.com Why? The single most important thing about typography is that it needs to match both your brand personality and the audience’s perception of your brand. Only by combining all these elements will you be able to come up with the best visual strategy for your brand. As you can see, visuals are so much more than just a temporary way to attract the attention of your audience. They speak a success story and reflect on your business promise. Because of that, take your time to ask yourself what kind of message you really want to send and what kind of imagery will best illustrate it. Once you know the answer to that question, your visuals are certain to become memorable, easily recognizable, and loved by your audience. Angela Ash is a professional content writer and editor, with a myriad of experience in all forms of content management, SEO, proofreading, outreach, and social media. She currently works with Flow SEO, a boutique agency founded by Viola Eva, which offers in-depth SEO analysis, custom SEO strategies, and implementation. Disclaimer: This article is not an indication that Best Company is affiliated with any of the companies whose logos are displayed.

Guest Post by Matt Shealy Most of us find ourselves complaining about our long commute to work, but what happens when you get a brief relief from it because you're going to be traveling instead? Then, we find ourselves complaining about how difficult it is to sleep in an unfamiliar bed. The good thing about this is that unlike a long commute, there is something you can do about sleeping in an unfamiliar bed.   Technology has made it easier than ever to find solutions for common problems. There are several apps available that can help you get better sleep when traveling for work. Here our four of our favorites: Sleep Genius The Sleep Genius app is the consummate sleeping companion. Plus, it has better manners than most sleeping companions. After all, you won't have to worry about snoring or cover stealing with this. Just a well deserved, excellent night of sleep. Music can be an incredible way to drift off. It filters out background noise and provides comfort while you head to dreamland. This app features gentle acoustic music that you can set to fade out, or that you can choose to have accompany you throughout the entire evening. When it's time to wake up, you'll have a pre-programmed alarm clock that is once again gentle. It's timed sound cycles can wake you up in an affable manner that won't jolt you shaken into your day.     It's available for $7.99 on both iOS and Android. Calm If you're one of those people who have a difficult time quieting your mind once your head hits the pillow, then the Calm app is for you.  It allows you the chance to incorporate more of a meditation style into your nightly routine. With soothing sounds, it aims to quiet your mind so that you can fall asleep quickly.   If you're a person who needs more than soothing sounds in order to fall asleep, then you can even listen to stories being narrated as you slip peacefully into your slumber. You can choose from stories by Stephen Fry, fairytales from Brothers Grimm, and more. It's available on both iOS and Android for free, with the option to upgrade. Sleep Cycle Power Nap Imagine you've just arrived at your destination. You're feeling a bit jet lagged from the trip and have a couple of hours to kill before you have to begin work. You think about taking a nap, but you're concerned you might sleep too heavy and wake up feeling even groggier than you do now. Well, there's an app for that.   Sleep Cycle Power Nap can structure your brief snooze, so that you don't drift off into a heavy REM sleep. It uses advanced technology to analyze your movements. When it senses you're getting a little too relaxed, it will gently bring you out of it. This app is available for $2.99 on iOS only. Rain Rain Sleep Sounds The Rain Rain Sleep Sounds app is perfect for the kind of people who run a fan in their bedroom. Not because of the cool air, but because they enjoy the white noise it provides. You can choose from over 100 white noise sounds until you find the one that best suits you. There are storm sounds, forest sounds, summer rain, a flowing stream, and a cackling fire, just to name a few. It's available on both iOS and Android for free, with the option to upgrade. So, what are you waiting for? It's time to download the app you think is right for you. You'll be glad you did.  Matt Shealy is the President of ChamberofCommerce.com. Shealy specializes in helping small businesses grow their business on the web while facilitating the connectivity between local businesses and more than 7,000 Chambers of Commerce worldwide.

Guest Post by Gabby Miele Salespeople sometimes get a bad rap. Sometimes the word salesperson conjures an image of an unauthentic person who tells you what you want to hear instead of the truth.  Some say that salespeople are pushy and disingenuous. Some companies’ business plans are based upon the idea that customers don’t like salespeople, so they try to disguise their sales teams as “technical experts” who will help you choose the right product for your situation. If you are a salesperson, you have probably faced resistance from customers. Customers may put their guard up around you because they don’t want to be tricked into buying something they don’t want or need As a sales professional, how do you counteract these negative stereotypes and still perform the job that your company hired you to do? Here are some tips on how to win your audience on your next sales call. Quit talking The best salespeople aren’t those with the gift of gab. Instead, the best salespeople are good listeners. They listen as their clients talk about their business. They pay attention to the problems companies are facing and ask pointed follow-up questions to verify that they understand. They say phrases like, “so if I understand correctly . . .” or “I hear that your main issue is . . .” Good salespeople aren’t afraid of silence during a conversation, either. Sometimes a customer is more likely to open up during those moments and share their biggest concerns. Understand your client’s needs Again, part of how to win an audience is understanding a client’s needs. This can be completed by listening to them as they talk about their struggles, but it can also come by research that you conduct before the meeting even begins.  For example, if you are talking with a team of real estate agents, you need to understand how important it is that they are able to communicate quickly with clients. You also need to know how competitive the industry is — especially since websites like Zillow entered the scene.  Use account-based marketing to find the right contacts If you sell farm equipment, you wouldn’t visit law firms on Michigan Avenue to see if they are in the market for a new tractor. This would be preposterous, but similar techniques are used in sales every day.  Marketing teams and salespeople think that by throwing a wide net over a vast area that they will be lucky enough to find a few clients who need their company’s product or service. But if you can use technology to narrow down your list of potential clients into a manageable number. Then you can use account-based marketing to create an experience with those clients that they will remember. For example, what if you were able to provide individual, interactive communication to everyone who visits your website? What could that kind of service do for your sales numbers? Know your product better than the back of your hand Consider thinking of yourself as a product specialist rather than a salesperson. Whether or not it is part of your formal training, spend your own time learning the particulars of all the products in your portfolio. Think about what questions you would ask a salesperson of your product, and find answers to those questions. Spend time researching your competitors as well. Find out what makes their products or services better or worse.  Being able to answer customers' questions quickly tells your potential client that you care about their time. You won’t waste it by trying to find out information that you should already know. We have all experienced frustrating interactions with inept salespeople. Whether its the dishwasher salesperson who answers, “They’re all pretty good,” to the question “What is the most highly rated machine?” Or maybe it’s the copy machine salesperson who doesn’t know the cost of a service call. It’s excruciating dealing with people who don’t know their company’s products or services. No matter what you sell, know your product better than you know the back of your hand. End each meeting with a call to action A good salesperson is subtle when suggesting a call to action. He or she may ask whether Tuesday or Wednesday would be better to schedule your next appointment. Or they may speak as if there is an implied sale. This age-old sales technique is important to keep the conversation between you and your client flowing.  Don’t be arrogant or condescending Unfortunately, some people put off an arrogant vibe without even realizing it. This may come from subtle signs when answering questions or rushing to answer a question before the other person finishes speaking.  Be aware of your mannerisms and how they make other people feel. Are you ready to tackle your next quota? Use some of these techniques to improve your interaction with potential clients and watch your number soar! Gabby Miele is an Outreach Analyst and Content Manager in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 

Guest Post by Matt Shealy For most entrepreneurs, there simply aren’t enough hours in the day. Survival often means compartmentalizing, so you don’t get bogged down in the day-to-day struggles. Here are five productivity hacks that the busiest entrepreneurs can use to improve efficiency. Launch a bullet journal It’s not all about high tech, however. If you’re like most of the 5 billion people who have a smartphone, you’re probably using it as your central command center to keep track of appointments, to-do lists, and meetings. It can be a great tool, but it has downsides as well. Studies are showing increased anxiety and even signs of addiction for professionals. Here’s an alternative: put down the phone for a bit and try creating a bullet journal. It’s like a to-do list on steroids using a pen and a notebook. You’ll be less stressed, remember things more, and get that positive feeling when you manually cross things off the list. Use a free voice assistant  Whether it’s Siri or Alexa, Google or Cortana, voice assistants can help automate tasks and save you time. It’s so much easier to dictate a text or email or schedule a meeting using voice rather than firing up your computer and typing it out. Schedule everything Stop making lists and put things on the calendar instead. Start with recurring meetings. If possible, line them up for the same time and same day each week. Block off the time for the meetings and schedule the prep time you need separately. In fact, start scheduling everything. If there’s a deadline, get it on the calendar and break out the action steps and calendar them, too. For example, schedule the due date for that presentation, but also schedule the time to research, prep, and edit the presentation. Make time to plan Busy entrepreneurs tend to move from one thing to the next quickly. We can easily forget to block out time to think. According to the results of a study in the Harvard Business Review, 96 percent of business leaders reported they were to busy putting out fires to focus on strategic thinking. Yet, that is one of the single most important aspects of their jobs. It’s especially tough for entrepreneurs who may be wearing a lot of hats, especially in startups. Put it on your calendar and schedule it. Are you seeing a theme here? Hit the email snooze button The average professional has some 200 emails sitting in their inbox. When you consider that another 120 new ones show up every day, things can get backed up quickly. The backlog just keeps growing. Schedule time to go through your emails and stop responding all day long. If you use Gmail, you may not have noticed the menu options under the Inbox and Starred sections of your primary account. It’s labeled “Snoozed.”  When an email arrives, you can send it away until a later time when you want to deal with it. For Outlook users, Boomerang for Outlook can park emails until you want them to arrive. You can also pause email delivery so you only get emails at certain times. Wrap up Successful entrepreneurs are some of the busiest people in business. Their schedules can often start very early in the morning and not end until late evening for weeks on end. These productivity hacks can ensure those entrepreneurs aren’t bogged down in tasks that don’t move a business forward.  Matt Shealy is the President of ChamberofCommerce.com. Shealy specializes in helping small businesses grow their business on the web while facilitating the connectivity between local businesses and more than 7,000 Chambers of Commerce worldwide.

Guest Post by Lilly Miller Not every successful business strives towards expanding to a foreign market — maintaining a dominant position in a domestic market is not easy but it's less difficult because you’ve picked up some tips and tricks along the way. However, those who dare to dream bigger often find themselves drawn to foreign markets and new prospects because going global is the ultimate goal for many business owners. This is why every undertaking towards a foreign market needs to be cautiously taken and skillfully managed to avoid the domino effect and ruining your other projects. With that in mind, here is a short guide to help you prepare for expanding your business to foreign markets successfully.  Research, research, research Although courage is a praise-worthy characteristic in an entrepreneur, when aiming at something significant, such as to push through a foreign market, it needs to go hand in hand with proper preparation: that is, research. Diving into such a venture headfirst is tantamount to self-destruction in the business sense because you cannot follow your gut when you don’t know the market. If you wish to prepare thoroughly, you need to learn about the current state on that market regarding competition so that you know what you are up against. Since it would be best to learn from other people’s mistakes instead of your own, you may also look into some ideas and practices that have been unsuccessful for them in the past, so you know that they don’t work for that market. The end goal is to gain a competitive advantage over business rivals.  Do everything by the book In the early stages of your research, you may discover that your target market has some legal requirements that you haven’t counted on. You set your eyes on an exotic market that looks promising, such as Indonesia, for instance, and although you know that such an endeavor can be lucrative, you soon learn that a foreigner cannot personally own land there.  Although your entrepreneurial spirit will quickly scan the options on how to acquire land and property in this new market, you need to double-check every action taken to ensure that you won’t experience legal issues or lose your investment to fraudulent individuals. This is why investment companies, such as Invest Islands, are your best choice, because they have extensive knowledge on the local market (in this case, Indonesia), ownership structure, as well as rights and obligations that apply to you as a foreign investor. This will help you find the optimal solution and gain peace of mind.  Prepare your budget  Your strategies, head, and heart might be there, but is your budget ready? The last thing you want to do is start a venture in a foreign market and along the way realize that you don’t have the necessary funds. Such negligence may not only result in the loss of the budget you invested in the new undertaking but it might also shake things up at home because news about your unwise business decisions can travel quickly.  If you assess that your current budget might not cover everything, it is best to obtain the necessary means in advance than to risk failure because of an untimely reaction. Although many entrepreneurs go straight to the traditional source, that is, banks, if you do some research into companies that offer business loans, you might find yourself pleasantly surprised by their versatility: some don’t ask for a collateral, some take but a few minutes to apply for, while some boast high maximum loan amounts. Be open for change A German company would, for instance, find the Asian market to be worlds apart from their own. Depending on your domestic market and how far you wish to venture, you might experience the same but even if the market in question is to a certain degree similar to your domestic, you might still need to change some things.  The trick is in knowing how to adapt your message so that it hits close to home even on foreign soil and to be able to do that, you need to get to know your new target audience. Even if it is a neighboring country and the language might be similar, some changes would be necessary to make the message and your brand more appealing. These changes encompass both the content and the visuals which need to be adapted based on the preferences of your audience. In that way, you stand a greater chance of success in that market.  Final thoughts If done strategically and cautiously, expanding your business to foreign markets can bring a lot of interesting prospects, business contacts, and substantial revenue. Modern technology and the internet have allowed us insight into other markets and financial possibilities, and it is up to us to find the best manner to use those pieces of information.  Naturally, not all businesses should opt for going global, especially if they are not ready to take such a step but for those who have such aspirations, it is of the utmost importance to prepare well before taking that leap. They need to research the new market in detail as well as their local laws and regulations while obtaining the necessary budget should also be a priority. Now that you’ve informed yourself, it is time to act! Lilly Miller is a Sydney-based graphic designer and a passionate writer. She loves everything about home decor, art history, and baking. Miller shares a home with two loving dogs and a gecko named Rodney. You can find her hanging out on Twitter.

Guest Post by Lauren Wiseman You may realize that your internal team cannot handle the entire workload or you just need a team for occasional hire — in any case, a group of freelancers might just be the perfect answer. These individuals are usually experienced because they have the freedom to work with multiple companies during their careers and that experience and knowledge is something you can leverage. Many entrepreneurs are interested in hiring freelancers but have questions about how to supervise the work and manage the payments for an external team. Here are a few tips on how to successfully work with freelancers:  Establish good communication All business relations are maintained through good communication. From interviews to weekly reports and feedback sessions, the freelance team needs to feel like a part of your company in order to perform to the best of their abilities. However, this doesn’t mean that you should have daily video calls if there is no need because you would be wasting your time and theirs.  Regular purposeful communication does more than just help freelancers feel like they belong; it also facilitates the exchange of ideas with your internal teams and helps the freelancers know they are on the right track. Without regular communication, freelancers may miss important details and inadvertantly stray from their tasks. By ensuring that everyone’s doing exactly what they are supposed to, you will also make sure that no funds are wasted and that everyone gets paid for the work they've done.  Let the software do its trick It is said that trust is the basis of a good relationship; however, in business, trusting people is often characterized as naivety. Wanting to know that your employees are actually working during business hours doesn’t make you an overly strict employer but a prudent entrepreneur. Most remote employees will fill in their time logs honestly, but some might try to bend the truth a bit and put in some extra hours. If that happens each month, you would be giving away funds you can put to better use and grow your business. To keep the business relationship with your external team fair and square, you should find a software solution that will help you monitor their work and track time spent on projects. Available software includes features that help the freelance crew keep track of their to-dos, deadlines, and the hours they’ve planned on setting aside for each project segment. Use the benefits of the payroll card One of the biggest perks of hiring freelancers is that you are not limiting yourself to your local pool of talents. The last thing you want is to hire people who are not cut out for that position simply because you have run out of options. It's not enough just to hope that with enough training and patience, they would be able to perform well. Hiring freelancers gives a shot to individuals with the enthusiasm and efficiency your business desperately needs, even if they're from different cities or even countries.   Many business owners are reluctant to hire remote workers because they believe that the process of payment would be too complicated and not worth the hassle. However, if you give each freelance employee a personalized payroll card this doesn’t necessarily have to be the case. Many entrepreneurs opt for this solution because it allows for the automation of the entire payroll process while the freelancers don’t have to be a member of any particular bank and they can use the card internationally.   Prepare a detailed contract Regardless of whether you are hiring a particular external team for a one-time project or if they will be your go-to people for all similar tasks, signing a contract with them is crucial. This contract will protect both parties. If they don’t wish to sign it, then you should rethink your decision about hiring that particular person or team because there might be other reasons they don’t wish to make a legal commitment.  The contact should contain basic information on the two parties such as legal names, physical addresses, detailed description of what they are hired to do, deadlines, as well as the payment terms. The contract should include what would happen if either party doesn't live up to their side of the bargain. Having these terms on paper can eliminate misunderstandings or any intentional fraud attempts. Don't let fear stop you from hiring freelancers and advancing your business. Lauren Wiseman is a marketing specialist and contributor to bizzmarkblog.com. She helps clients grow their personal and professional brands in the fast-changing and demanding market, strongly believing in a holistic approach to a business.

Guest Post by Matt Shealy Hiring new employees is a costly and time-consuming job for most companies. Although deciding who is a good fit for each new position can be difficult, here are the top 10 traits hiring managers tend to look for in new hires: 1. Expressing a natural curiosity Some people are naturally curious about almost everything in the world around them. They want to know why ants build bridges with their body, why dew sits on leaves, or why sticky notes don’t stop sticking. This type of interviewee makes a hiring manager smile because it’s an easy decision to hire a curious person. 2. Fitting into company culture Each type of company has its own culture, mood, and requirements. For an individual to fit in, there are certain parameters of both strengths, self-awareness, and individuality that can help grow the company without disrupting the existing culture. That is why you often hear a hiring manager declare the person wasn’t the right fit for the job. It was all about fitting into the existing company culture. 3. Earning advanced degrees A person that loves to learn can enter the workforce with enthusiasm and new ways of thinking. That is why hiring managers offer special consideration for individuals with an advanced degree. As a person works through the educational atmosphere, he or she often learns how to solve problems and think in unique ways. This can be vital for some distinctive positions within a company. 4. Showing integrity Having integrity covers a huge spectrum of values, including honesty, trust, honor, and goodness. Although many hiring managers claim it’s difficult to judge a new hire’s integrity after only a 30-minute conversation, other interviewers assert that some people have an air of goodness around them. No matter which side you believe, integrity is high on the list of most sought after traits in a new corporate hire. 5. Having a creative mindset The creative mindset is a rare thing in a world that likes cookie-cutter solutions. The creative mind tends to look at the difficult scenarios and ask himself or herself, “What am I meant to learn from this experience?” and then creatively change the outcome. This mindset is not something easily understood, so when a potential hire comes in with a creative mindset, they are almost always employed when they leave the interview. 6. Approaching life positively If two possible hires are interviewed and found to have the same experience and skill levels, the one with the most positive approach to life is seen as more qualified for the position. Speaking about previous bosses, team members, or positions within a company can demonstrate a pessimistic or negative attitude — and the attitude speaks volumes. Positivity can get you hired! 7. Working well in a team Finding a person who can work well with others is often difficult in this world of self-importance and personal focus. Interpersonal skills and team building can be critical to a properly functioning workplace environment. A person who knows how to communicate within a group is a valuable asset to any department in the corporate world, and hiring managers know it. 8. Demonstrating persistence When asked to describe themselves, few hiring candidates offer the term persistent, yet that is one of the most sought-after traits that a majority of hiring personnel look for in a potential employee. A persistent person finds a solution to the problem or situation, even if it is a difficult challenge. They are dedicated to a seemingly impossible task, which makes them invaluable. 9. Being loyal Turnover is a huge problem no matter how large or small your business is. Training an individual only to lose him or her to another company can deal a huge blow to the flow of your business. Although job-hopping is frequent, hiring managers are quick to point out that there are some people who show brand loyalty, and just like their parents before them, they want to work with a company for the foreseeable future. These individuals are the backbone of many corporations. 10. Spreading happiness Sometimes you run across a person who exudes happiness, no matter what they are doing. When hiring managers encounter this type of person, they want to hire them on the spot. Enthusiasm spreads, and the eagerness to participate with joy in each new adventure can help bolster a team and improve attitudes when a project gets bogged down. Thus, this type of employee spreads happiness. The above list is only a few of the many traits hiring managers look for in a new hire. How many of them do you possess? Matt Shealy is the President of ChamberofCommerce.com. Shealy specializes in helping small businesses grow their business on the web while facilitating the connectivity between local businesses and more than 7,000 Chambers of Commerce worldwide.

Guest Post by Jessica Huhn When was the last time you had an amazing experience that you just had to tell your friends about? Did you talk to your closest friend about a breathtaking vacation destination? Post a picture of a restaurant’s mouth-watering food on social media? Share a glowing review of a new local business? These are all examples of word-of-mouth marketing, so you’ve likely engaged in this technique multiple times without even thinking about it. Why not take advantage of word-of-mouth for your brand? Whenever customers positively share your brand with their friends, family, or peers, that counts as word-of-mouth marketing. Happy customers will spread the word about your products to their friends, online or offline. Their recommendations will likely convince these friends to become your new customers, because their peers trust their word. And the best part? Word-of-mouth marketing is organic, and can be totally free. You’ll want to take advantage of word-of-mouth. Word-of-mouth happens spontaneously, so it can be hard to predict or control. However, things aren’t out of your company’s hands. Your brand can take steps to motivate people to talk about your brand, products, or services. Read on for tips on increasing word-of-mouth about your brand, and why this buzz is so incredibly important. Word-of-mouth is all about trust and credibility. People trust other people and the experiences they have to report, far more than they trust messages that come directly from your brand. A person who recommends your product knows that they’re putting their credibility on the line, so they will only recommend you if they truly love your products. And the person who’s listening or reading trusts that their peer isn’t misleading them, so when they hear from a friend or other consumer who has already used your product or service, someone is more likely to buy. Statistics have proven that people trust their friends, family and peers more than they trust advertisements. 83% of customers say that word-of-mouth recommendations from people they trust make them more likely to purchase a product or service. 92% of consumers trust word-of-mouth more than traditional ads. The fact that so many consumers prefer suggestions from their friends and peers proves that word-of-mouth is the most valuable source of marketing. Plus, word-of-mouth doesn’t stop after just one interaction. Instead, one person will tell another, and that person will share with someone else. Then that person will continue the chain and spread the word further — the cycle goes on and on! Now that you know just how valuable word-of-mouth marketing can be, let’s check out some strategies your brand can use to get people talking: 1. Provide exceptional products and customer service First thing’s first — people will only recommend your brand if they think you’re worth talking about. Make sure your product or service is top-notch and offers true value to your customers. If your product fulfills a unique need, solves a problem in an intuitive way, or surprises your customers with its quality, even better — you’ve already got a leg up when it comes to word-of-mouth. For example, Under Armour drove initial word-of-mouth through features that no other athletic apparel brand had considered; the apparel is made from microfibers that keep athletes cool and dry, and stay light, no matter how much they sweat. You’ll also need to deliver A+ customer service. Offer value through your overall brand experience. Carefully and attentively meet all your customers’ needs. Everyone remembers an experience and will often pay for it because of the value. Come through with gestures that go above and beyond. For example, if you have a brick-and-mortar store, offer free refreshments for your customers, or have a system to carry customers’ purchases to their cars. If you have an online store, consider surprising customers with small gifts or handwritten notes of appreciation in their packages, or with free upgrades to their shipping. Listen to your customers’ feedback, both about what you’re doing well and what you could improve. When possible, implement this feedback, and let your customers know you listened. Develop solid relationships with your customers — don’t just forget about them after you make a sale. Support them at all stages after their purchase. Make sure they know how to reach you if they have any questions or concerns. If customers have any pain points, work to resolve them quickly and professionally. Often, this turns things around when customers have doubts about you. And periodically check in yourself, to see if your customers have any inquiries or struggles. This is especially important if you offer a service, such as software. 2. Encourage customer reviews Your potential customers value personal experience more than any other source of information. They’re turning to trustworthy review sites to see what others have to say about the brands they’re considering. So, when existing customers put in a good word for you, through positive reviews, this benefits your business greatly. A customer review of autopom!, as showcased on the Best Company Twitter page The secret to getting more positive reviews is simple: just ask! But be sure to ask the right people at the right time. The real key is to find the “sweet spot” when your customers are happiest. Ask for a review at these ideal times: Immediately after a customer has made a purchase Right after a customer has given you direct positive feedback If possible, ask in-person, after you’ve delivered a top-notch experience Ask for reviews from these types of customers: Customers who have just made repeat purchases. Or, if you offer a service, customers who have paid for your service for the longest consecutive amounts of time. Customers who share that they’re most likely to recommend you. Run a Net Promoter score survey (NPS survey) to determine which of your customers are most likely to recommend you. Then, reach out directly to ask them for a review. Customers who have left unprompted positive feedback on your social media account. And make sure it’s easy for customers to leave reviews, whether you’ve asked them to or not. Set up business accounts on Yelp, Google My Business, and other popular review sites, as well as major review sites for your niche. Provide links to review sites on your website, as well as in newsletters and promotional emails. Include a CTA button that says “Leave us a review.” 3. Leverage social media Most modern word-of-mouth marketing happens on social media because it’s the easiest way to communicate with friends. It’s only natural for people to share brands and products on social networks, usually with all of their online friends at once. Plus, this information can quickly spread to friends of friends, if those friends decide to share further. So, a single social share can reach hundreds, or even thousands, of potential customers. Use these strategies to effectively increase your word-of-mouth on social media: Create a viral campaign that people can’t help but share Most marketers dream of having a campaign that goes viral. Even though you can’t control when content goes viral on social media, you can carefully set up a campaign aimed at sparking virality using these tips: Know your audience and the content they’re looking for. Are you targeting college students? Businesspeople? Parents? Another group? Do they want to be informed? Entertained? Inspired? Or do they want something else? Plan a clear message, so your audience has no doubt what your campaign’s about — and so it’s much easier to share. Include a compelling visual element (image or video) to draw your audience in. Make sure it fits with your brand values. Through its masterful animation, Chipotle’s video “The Scarecrow” promoted buying locally sourced food, tying in perfectly with the Chipotle philosophy. The video only featured the Chipotle logo at the very end, so the content felt less like an ad and more like art. Encourage and repurpose user-generated content Be sure to take advantage of user-generated content — reviews, branded images and videos, and other social media posts created by your customers. Ask for user-generated content through a contest, campaign, or feature. Incentivize sharing by holding a contest with an enticing prize for the winner, or by reposting the best content (with permission) on your brand’s social media pages. Create a branded “challenge” where fans are encouraged to complete a certain task with an associated hashtag to prompt sharing. Even if people don’t participate directly, they’ll tag their friends if they like what they see. You might frame the “challenge” around charitable giving, like the TOMS “One Day Without Shoes.” For this challenge, every barefoot picture posted with the hashtag #withoutshoes in a given period resulted in a donation of a pair of TOMS to a child in need. Post glowing customer reviews on social media. Respond to customer comments and questions in a creative way, like Old Spice did with their “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like” video series. Enlist the help of advocates Think about recruiting influencers or ambassadors through a brand ambassador program. These advocates agree to promote your brand in their own authentic voice on their own social media accounts because they love your brand and think it will resonate with their audience. They don’t necessarily have large numbers of followers, but they hold solid sway over the followers they have. Both influencers and brand ambassadors have some sort of authority in your niche or among members of your audience, so it’s easy for people to trust them. But, you’ll want to choose your advocates carefully; there are major differences between influencers and ambassadors. Length of promotion — Influencers promote your brand in the short term; ambassadors promote you in the long term. Show vs. tell — Influencers focus on showing how they authentically use your brand, using social media. Meanwhile, ambassadors tell others why they love your brand online and offline (they also spread the word about your brand at events and through networking). Payment — Influencers always expect compensation, while brand ambassadors are often more than happy to promote you without compensation. Relationship with your brand — If you want an influencer to promote your product, you’ll send them a message and product samples. This “ask” could be their first exposure to the product. In contrast, ambassadors have an established history of loving your brand. They’ve likely shared your product before, without prompting. 4. Tap into triggers Think about what your customers like, need, and do, and strive to tie your brand in as a regular part of their routine. If you associate your brand with your customers’ existing habits, needs, and hobbies, this will make it easy to remember you, and thus talk about you. Emotional triggers also prompt sharing. If you can create some sort of emotion through your branding and content, you are likely to get someone to share their experience with others. People share what makes them happy, sad, hopeful or fearful, and what they think is funny or inspiring because their emotions lead them to. Emotional sharing often goes hand-in-hand with social media sharing and virality. Here are two prime examples: Red Bull — The brand knows how to surprise people with extreme stunts and events that generate plenty of buzz. From a motorcycle backflip over London’s Tower Bridge to the famous Flugtag flying machine competition, Red Bull experiences always get people’s adrenaline pumping and hearts pounding. Followers can’t help but talk about the rush Red Bull delivers. Wendy’s — Their on-point Twitter feed has gone viral multiple times, for their roasts, their famous “Nuggs for Carter” response, and other on-point pop culture references. Wendy’s knows how to make people smile and laugh with content their followers share naturally. Exclusivity is another big trigger. If people feel like they have insider information about something amazing, they want to let other people in on the secret, so these peers can also benefit. In-N-Out’s “not-so-secret” Secret Menu is a prime example of how exclusivity lets the word travel fast. 5. Start a referral program Referral programs are a great way to encourage customers to spread the word about your brand. These programs formalize word-of-mouth, simplify the sharing process, and reward customers with incentives for sharing your brand with their friends. They give your brand some control in generating trusted recommendations from existing customers. And referral programs work: According to Nielsen, your potential customers are four times more likely to purchase from you after a friend refers them. If you decide to start a referral program, following these tips will help you maximize the word-of-mouth that your referral program generates: Make sharing simple Referral programs make word-of-mouth marketing easier for all involved. The sooner your customers understand what you want them to do and how, the sooner they’ll spread the word to their friends. Your referral program description must be streamlined and easy-to-understand, not cluttered. Make sure customers can find your referral program, and share with their friends, in as few clicks or taps as possible. Anyone should be able to find your referral program easily on your website’s homepage, regardless of whether they’ve purchased from you before. Some people might share before buying because they think the product is valuable to them or their friends. Include multiple sharing options, such as email, social media, and text. Let customers copy and paste a unique referral link directly. This way, each customer can share the link however they want based on what’s most convenient for them. Give customers a reason to share Referral programs must give customers a reason to share your products with their friends — and referral incentives offer the most effective reason to share. Choose the incentives that will best motivate your customers and that make the most sense for your brand. You can choose from discounts, cash, credits, free products, branded swag, or other rewards. Consider cumulative incentives — the ones that give credits, free products, or discount coupons to your customers every time they successfully refer a friend. And don’t forget about dual-sided incentives. These incentives reward both the person making the referral and the friend(s) they shared your brand with. Company-focused incentives (like credits and discounts) motivate customers while providing added benefits for your brand. They encourage customers to keep your brand top-of-mind, and promote continued customer loyalty. Make sure that your referral program’s call-to-action clearly advertises the incentives you offer. Target existing customers Your satisfied existing customers provide a strong testimonial to others about why they should purchase from you. So, your referral program must be especially easy for existing customers to find. Consider programming referral banners and pop-ups to appear more prominently for returning site visitors. You might enable referral programs for a visitor only after they’re signed into a brand account, or after they’ve entered their email to sign up for your email list. Think about including referral program info in your emails to existing customers, including transactional emails. Integrate social media Your referral program should seamlessly integrate with social media, where your customers naturally do the most sharing with larger groups. Let customers instantly share a referral link via Facebook, Twitter, and other popular social media channels. Supply a prewritten message to simplify social sharing. Make sure it sounds conversational (it’s coming from your customer, after all). But also let users personalize the message that they post, if they wish, so it sounds authentic. Your referral program must be mobile-friendly, because most people access social media (and shop) via mobile devices. Wrapping things up Even though word-of-mouth marketing can be hard to control, there are so many ways for your brand to be proactive in encouraging your customers to spread the word. Now that you know five ways that you can increase your word-of-mouth, it’s time to apply these tips and tricks, and start harnessing your customers’ trusted recommendations. Jessica Huhn is a marketing content writer at Referral Rock, where they believe that every business has the potential to increase their word-of-mouth marketing. When Jessica is not writing, there is a good chance that she is singing, arranging songs, or sharing and enjoying content on social media.

Guest Post by Matt Shealy Entrepreneurs and small business owners know that having a business can take time to grow. You need resources to help cover start-up costs and overhead. But, as your business grows and expands, you should think about getting an 800 number. From increasing your level of professionalism to improving your brand, here are five reasons to set up an 800 number for your business: 1. It increases your level of professionalism Starting small is how some businesses begin. But, that doesn't mean you have to stay small. Some business owners use their landline or their smartphone for their business calls. But, this isn't always the best way for customers to reach you. Reasons why you shouldn't use your landline or smartphone: After-hours calls would go into your personal voicemail There's no way to track calls You can't record calls (for compliance and training purposes) You can't gauge caller data Toll-free business numbers start with common prefixes like 800 or 866. About 22 percent of small businesses use toll-free numbers, and you should consider it. Why? Your toll-free number is like having a domain name for your website. It's unique to your business and you don't need to change it. 2. Customers can reach you without being charged for long-distance When customers can reach you at a toll-free number, it can open the lines of communication. They know they don't have to pay for a long-distance call. This is especially helpful for customers in remote areas that might be using a landline to reach your business. It's also helpful if you use voice over internet protocol (VoIP) phones. With VoIP phone service, you can use your 800 number as your primary work number and route calls to your employees based on their extensions. You can even route calls remotely to employees working out of the office or traveling. 3. You can improve your brand Think of 1-800-FLOWERS, 1-800 GOT Got Pain, or 1-800-GoFedEX. These are all vanity or custom 800 numbers. They are popular and can raise your brand equity. These types of 800 numbers include the following benefits: A custom 800 number is easy for customers to remember. Your customers can readily share your contact number with others. Customers don't have to look up your number online or search for your business card. 4. It's easier for your business to scale, and you'll save money Having an 800 number in place means you won't have to discard all your stationery products that have your landline or smartphone number listed. It may have been fine to list your smartphone initially, but as you hire staff and expand your locations, you'll need a professional phone number. It's also easier for you to expand your sales and marketing. Here's an example: Let's say you have an 800 number set up through VoIP service. Your 800 number and site details can be used across multiple sales channels to help customers reach you on any channel they choose (voice, text, email). You can also use your VoIP phone service to forward calls to the marketing department or sales department, all from one primary 800 number. 5. You can work anywhere without customers knowing your location When you have an 800 number, you can create a national presence. You can work anywhere and customers will assume you're a bigger business or brand. If you have a number local to your area, customers might assume you're only a local business. An 800 number gives the impression that your business has a global presence. So, even if you're still in the startup stages, your customers won't know. Scale your business professionally An 800 number is convenient, and it can help you grow your business. It's also professional and when you use it with VoIP phone service, it's easier to track caller data and improve your brand. Talk with your phone provider about setting up an 800 number for your business. Matt Shealy is the President of ChamberofCommerce.com. Chamber specializes in helping small businesses grow their business on the web while facilitating the connectivity between local businesses and more than 7,000 Chambers of Commerce worldwide.