5 small biz freebies to save you some cash, from shipping materials to logos
Owning or working for a small business is full of joys: Seeing your business take off, working closely with a small team and watching your ideas flourish.
It’s not all a walk in the park, though. Small teams, limited budgets and not enough time in the day can make things challenging.
When every dollar counts, you have to take advantage of all the freebies you can get. Here’s a list you should take advantage of now.
Shipping materials
Need to ship something out? The United States Postal Service offers free shipping materials. Get free boxes, forms, stickers, envelopes and cardboard tubes. The USPS also provides templates for creating your mailing pieces.
If you want to save on shipping costs, you can do that, too. You’ll find information on bulk mailings, shipping rates and classes of mail.
Office software
Microsoft Office is pricey. You don’t need to pay for it if you know about this free alternative: LibreOffice. It’s a free, open-source office suite compatible with Microsoft Office files. Since it’s open-source software, the program is continually updated at no charge. Tap or click for details.
LibreOffice offers six programs that will feel instantly familiar to you if you’ve used Office before. Writer, Calc and Impress are equivalent to Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint. They have most of the same features. You just might need to poke around to find some of them.
Even better, LibreOffice can open and edit the documents you made in Office and save new files in Office formats. Download Libre Office here.
Custom logo
If your branding could use a makeover, check out logobee. Its free web-based platform, Logo-Maker, has hundreds of templates that you can customize with your brand name, colors and slogans.
Run a small business? Follow this end-of-the-year checklist before 2022 ends
The new year is right around the corner, which means it’s time for New Year’s resolutions, paperwork filing and holiday vacations. For busy business owners, there’s a lot to keep track of. Make sure you don’t forget anything important with this small business checklist.
Have a website? Run it through these free online tests
You could spend a lot of money designing the perfect website. But if you don’t have the right back-end systems in place, your website will go nowhere. Unless it’s intended to be a private website where only a select few can see it.
3 work from home mistakes you're making
We’re beyond the two-year mark of working from home here at Komando.com. There’s a good chance you’re not far behind.
All these months later, you might still be making a few mistakes that make getting your job done harder than it needs to be. Hopefully, by this point, you’ve figured out Zoom or whatever video chat program your company uses.
When to hire an employee vs. a contractor
So you need new talent to lighten the workload, but you aren’t sure about how much you should commit. If you’re wondering if you should hire an employee or an independent contractor, you’ve come to the right place. First, you need to break down exactly what you need and what you can afford.
Own a business? 3 places to run ads
Digital marketing makes advertising your business more accessible than ever. But that doesn’t mean it’s easy, especially if you’re diving into online advertising for the first time.
Along with where to advertise, you have to put a ton of thought into who your primary audience is and what ad types you want to use. You’ll also have to consider analytic capabilities, targeting strategies and — of course — the dreaded budget. It’s time to dust off your spreadsheets and get ready to look over every number.
Don't make the same mistake that cost me $90K
I’ve been a small business owner for 25 years. Along the way, I’ve had some great successes, along with my fair share of mistakes.
Sometimes those mistakes are easy to recover from. You recognize what went wrong, regroup and try something new. And sometimes you realize, “Uh oh. This is something I can never let happen again.”
Hiring? How to write job postings to attract better candidates
If you’re looking to hire new talent, one of the best places to put your job opening with our sponsor, LinkedIn. It has nearly 800 million members, which means you have access to an enormous pool of talented workers. Employers like you love it for its detailed features that let you weed out poor matches and hone in on the best possible candidates.
Our best tips to find employees for your business
If you want to attract new employees, you’re in luck. The Labor Department says 4.3 million people quit their jobs in August. Thanks to “The Great Resignation,” many skilled workers are looking for their next best job.
Don't make this big mistake e-commerce companies often make
It’s a great time to sell online. Last year, many people didn’t want to venture out of their homes to shop at physical stores. That’s why they used online stores to get their essentials.
Statista studies found over 2 billion people bought goods or services online in 2020. Not only that, but sellers made 4.2 trillion U.S. dollars in e-retail sales worldwide. Good news: The online shopping gold rush is nowhere near stopping.
Finding the right person is hard. Here's why your job ad isn’t getting any results
If you’re looking to attract new talent to your company, there’s no better time to publish a job listing. There are a ton of talented people out there looking for their next great role.
Let’s say you posted an employment ad and no one is biting. Is it you? Is it the description?
These versions of QuickBooks are no longer supported - Time to upgrade
Each year, Intuit discontinues older versions of its QuickBooks line. As of May 31, these versions are no longer supported:
If you were using one of those editions, it’s seriously time to upgrade. We say it’s time to ditch the spreadsheets altogether. Don’t let QuickBooks and spreadsheets slow you down, making things harder than necessary. It’s time to upgrade to NetSuite.
Hiring? 3 questions to include in your next job posting
If you’re looking to attract new talent, it’s essential to have a social media strategy. After all, 79% of job seekers say they turn to social platforms when looking for new jobs, Zety data says. This number jumps to 86% if you’re specifically targeting younger talent, so if you don’t have a presence on some of the big job search websites, it’s time to hit the ground running.
Small biz tip: 3 mistakes tanking your profits
When you’re an entrepreneur or a small business owner, you know that every penny counts. There are so many regular costs, plus you have to spend even more when life throws things like weather damage or a global pandemic at you.
The 10 most in-demand jobs right now
If you’re looking to start a new career, you need to keep an eye on job trends. When you’ve got a finger on the job market’s pulse, you’ll know just where to look for new positions. You can cut down on the dreary months you’d otherwise spend job hunting.
5 simple ways to keep your employees happy and productive
In the age of COVID-19, the benefits of being in the office can be reduced across the board or eliminated. Many are even working from home. Now, more than ever, it’s important to keep your employees happy and productive during what can be a confusing time.
Ready to hire? Find great candidates the way Kim does
Every small business has its own unique needs. And, despite the uncertainty of the world right now, one thing that remains unchanged is the importance of having the right people on your team.
Some business owners turn to free job boards or sites like Craigslist. That’s a big mistake. You never know what you’re getting from sites like that. They simply don’t have the tools or screening systems in place to find quality employees, and you’ll never get back the time you waste doing that work yourself.
Small-biz essential: How to pick the best VPN
Blocking threats online feels like a neverending game of whack-a-mole. That’s why it’s important to take safety precautions before it’s too late and a criminal already has compromised your system. The best way to protect yourself is with a virtual private network.
Working from home? 8 tips for managing remote employees
The coronavirus pandemic has turned the world upside down. Millions of people are trying to help flatten the curve by practicing social distancing, among other things.
While this is a great way to help slow the spread of the virus, it’s taking a huge toll on the economy. Companies have seen a sharp decline in business and some have even had to close their doors. Others have been asking employees to work from home (WFH).