What does your online storefront look like? How are you attracting customers to purchase a product they can’t touch, feel or try until it arrives on their doorstep? This is a common, yet often overlooked, problem for small business owners who sell exclusively online through their own site or a third party site like Etsy or eBay. You might sell the most exquisite artisan product, but if you don’t present it effectively, shifting inventory might be harder than you think. The lynchpin of small business success, whether online or off,...

Cash flow is the lifeblood of a business and critical in its growth. Small businesses are hugely dependent on their cash flow, and must either cut costs or scramble to find alternative funding when they are not being paid on time. With money tight and bank loans hard to get, a cash-strapped company can easily be pushed to the brink. But what are the basics of good cash flow management? Are there any cash flow templates you can leverage? Where does your breakeven analysis fit in? And, what strategies can you use to ensure cash is flowing,...

If you are a sole proprietor, any earnings you make or expenses you incur as a business owner are included as part of your individual annual tax return (Form 1040). To calculate exactly what to report on Form 1040, you must itemize all operational income and expenses on one of two forms – Schedule C or Schedule C-EZ. But which one should you use and how do you file? Here’s what you need to know. Who Should Use Schedule C? Schedule C (Form 1040) Profit or Loss from Business is the federal tax form filed by most sole proprietors or...

Have you ever considered extending your small business storefront to Facebook? According to The New York Times, small retailers are having more success than their larger counterparts when it comes to selling socially with Facebook storefronts proving to be a successful outlet for small businesses with less than $100,000 in revenue and fewer than 10 employees. Yet Facebook storefronts present business owners with a number of challenges. For example, if you have a business page on Facebook, you do not own it; Facebook does, and as such, it is...