Small businesses may be hurting, but that doesn’t mean they’ve stopped being charitable! Plus, now that the winter holidays are done you may want to relax. However, now’s the time to plan your holiday schedule, starting with Valentine’s Day! All this and more in our weekly round-up!
Small Business News of the Week
While small business success has varied over the years, one thing hasn’t wavered: their charity! Just because small business owners have struggled doesn’t mean they wallow, and in fact giving to charity and sponsoring charities has been on the rise in the small business community.
Many companies use this as a way to expand their name throughout the community, as it gives them exposure through everyone who participates. It’s not just about giving money, either: Tom’s Shoes sends a pair of shoes to underprivileged children when anyone buys a pair for themselves.
This is an instant win-win for everyone. The customer feels good about buying from the shop, Tom’s Shoes gets good karma points for being awesome on a consistent basis, and a child gets a pair of much needed shoes. In a time when we hear about how small businesses are struggling, it’s nice to also hear what they’re doing to fight back against the negativity.
Around the Entrepreneur Web
New Coalition Encourages Businesses to Go Paperless – Companies like Xero, Manilla, and Expensify are teaming up to make the world a little less paper-filled.
Customer Testimonials as Marketing Tool – What your customers say can have a huge impact on your success. Wield this power wisely and you’ll go far with your marketing efforts.
6 Things About Money You May Not Think About But Should – Putting your financials out of your mind may help you sleep better at night, but it all could come back to haunt you!
Outright Community Speaks
Our users surprise us every day with questions and concerns. Here are some of the latest:
One user wants to know if they can get away with not sending in paperwork with their quarterly estimated payment if it’s low enough.
Did you forget to collect sales tax? You still need to pay it, so how do you figure out what you owe? Find out here!
Have more questions or concerns? Stop by our Outright Customer Care forum!
Outright Pro Tip: Remember Your Valentine
Now that the winter holidays of 2012 are done for, does this mean you can sit back and relax? Just chill and wait for the world to warm up before you get started on another promotion?
Heck no, there are a ton of reasons to celebrate your business! You may be a little tired from dealing with the stress of the holidays but you’ve got to stay up on your feet and ready to go. Valentine’s Day is right around the corner and it’s just one of many holidays coming up you can take advantage of as a business owner.
Even if you sell resume paper there’s a way to tie what you sell into any holiday. It just takes a little ingenuity! For example, you can say “Is your special someone looking for that perfect job? Give them a gift of our Hand-Crafted Resume Perfection Paper!” Just a smal touch to tie it into Valentine’s Day – and of course offer a sale to go with it for a little extra pull.
That’s it for this week’s Round-Up! Make sure to come visit us at one of our tax events next week!
