I love that Gen Z always finds a way to make things fun.
Small biz or side hustle tip: Manage appointments and rentals with these tips and tech tools
Running multiple small businesses can be overwhelming. You have to juggle scheduling, accounting and countless other duties. Talk about stressful.
Luckily, you can streamline your operations with a small business scheduling app like Google Calendar, Calendly or Acuity Scheduling.
Most useful tech tools for small businesses
I got this idea when Jennifer from Sioux Falls, SD called The Kim Komando Show. She wants to help her friend who runs two small businesses:
- One is a transportation service that drives Amish people to and from various locations.
- His other business involves renting equipment for summer events.
He takes calls for both businesses on his personal cellphone, which means it’s constantly ringing. Plus, he manages all of his appointments on his Android phone’s calendar app.
Not surprisingly, it’s tough for him to keep track of all the important details, from driving distance and gas costs to payroll and assigned staff for different appointments.
Jennifer saw her friend struggling and encouraged him to buy a computer so he can manage his business appointments and payroll more effectively. Since she didn’t know the right tools he needs, she reached out to me for help. What a good friend, right?
RELATED: Use these five apps to safely make friends online
First, use a small business scheduling app
While Jennifer’s friend currently uses the calendar app on his Android phone to keep track of appointments, there are better ways to organize.
There are several scheduling and calendar apps specifically designed for businesses. Some popular options include Google Calendar, Calendly and Acuity Scheduling. These apps let you schedule appointments, set reminders and share calendars with team members.
Small biz tip: How to set up an authenticator to protect your work accounts
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Your business accounts have tons of private data you don’t want hackers to see. Although two-step verification (2FA) keeps hackers out, you can’t rely on texts to prove your identity. Hackers can intercept your messages.
Get a FREE job post: Do you need to hire at your business? It’s tough. I’ve had great success finding really wonderful, hardworking people on LinkedIn. You can post a job for free right now using my link.
Small biz tip: Ways to make 2023 your best year yet
Prepare your business for the new year with these five small business resolutions for 2023. We’ll help you cut costs, gain new skills and find ways to optimize your work life. It’s time to be more strategic with your marketing goals, develop your online presence and whip your finances into shape.
How long should you keep records for your business, freelance job or side hustles?
So you decided to be on top of your paperwork and organize your business records. That’s a great start for small business owners, freelance workers and anyone with a side hustle. Over time, though, all those records can pile up, cluttering your file cabinet or digital cloud.
Want to make money podcasting?
Trying to start a podcast? Kim chats with the guy who started the very first podcast about podcasts. Now he’s helping creators grow their shows and make money.
The web is dying ☠️
Remember where you heard it first. With AI saving a click over to a website, it’s only a matter of time until we say RIP to surfing the web.
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.
Run a small business? Follow this end-of-the-year checklist before 2022 ends
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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.