Sunday, March 31, 2013

Our Latest List: Small Business Events, Contests and Awards

Our Latest List: Small Business Events, Contests and Awards

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Our Latest List: Small Business Events, Contests and Awards

Posted: 30 Mar 2013 02:00 PM PDT

Here at Small Business Trends we want you to have access to the most up-to-date educational resources to run your business.  That includes access to educational materials.  Below is our latest curated list of events, contests and awards for small businesses, for the next 60 days. 

We also invite you to submit your own event, contest or award listing to the community calendar, also. To see the full list or to submit your own, please visit the Small Business Events Calendar.

Featured Events, Contests and Awards

Affiliate Management DaysAffiliate Management Days
April 16, 2013, San Francisco, CA

Whether your company already offers an affiliate program, or you are considering offering an affiliate program, Affiliate Management Days offers insights into how other online retailers are successfully implementing and managing their affiliate programs. Learn about: affiliate recruitment techniques, communication with affiliates, affiliate analytics, landing page and conversion optimization, legislative issues, and mobile affiliate marketing. Twitter hashtag: #AMDays

Discount Code
SBTAM250 (Get $250 off)

2013 Content Marketing Strategies Conference2013 Content Marketing Strategies Conference
May 09, 2013, Berkeley, CA

Marketing and PR professionals from companies of all sizes will gather at the 3rd annual Content Marketing Strategies Conference, hosted by dlvr.it and Business Wire, to gain practical “how to” advice on content marketing SEO, content distribution optimization, content ROI, and learn from case studies by brands including Red Hat, New Belgium Brewing, FOX’s hit show Glee and much more.

Access to Capital ChicagoAccess to Capital Chicago
May 22, 2013, Chicago, Illinois

Join us at the Navy Pier to learn how you can raise capital for your small business. Meet 1:1 with loan officers. Attend panels on traditional and alternative lending options, start-ups, crowd-funding, and more.

Discount Code
sbtrends (Get 30% off)

More Events

More Contests and Awards

This weekly listing of small business events, contests and awards is provided as a community service by Small Business Trends and SmallBizTechnology.

The post Our Latest List: Small Business Events, Contests and Awards appeared first on Small Business Trends.

IRS: Dirty Dozen Tax Scams Threaten Your Business

Posted: 30 Mar 2013 09:00 AM PDT

tax scams

You’ve worked hard on your business, and don’t want all that hard work destroyed by scammers aimed at draining your company of profits and cash flow.

Identity theft continues to lead the Internal Revenue Service’s annual Dirty Dozen list of scams perpetrated on individuals and businesses.

The IRS issued its yearly list this week as tax preparation season reaches its peak, a time when scammers are more likely to defraud people of their money.

IRS Acting Commissioner Steven T. Miller said in a statement accompanying the release of the list:

This tax season, the IRS has stepped up its efforts to protect taxpayers from a wide range of schemes, including moving aggressively to combat identity theft and refund fraud. The Dirty Dozen list shows that scams come in many forms during filing season. Don’t let a scam artist steal from you or talk you into doing something you will regret later.

Despite heightened efforts in recent years to counter identity theft, this particular scam continues to claim new victims every year. At tax time, the IRS notes that people who fraudulently obtain another person’s Social Security number and other personal and financial information could file a tax return for that person and claim their refund.

The IRS notes in its reports on the Dirty Dozen list that is has take steps to prevent identity theft and detect refund fraud before it occurs, with enhanced systems.

Among the other most popular tax scams making the IRS list involving identity theft were phishing and return preparer fraud.

Phishing nabs sensitive personal and financial information through emails and bogus websites that pose as reputable sites from financial institutions. If an unsuspecting person enters information on this site, they’re greatly increasing the chances their identity will be stolen.

The federal tax agency also warned against fraudulent tax return services. While the IRS believes most tax preparers to be honest, reports of identity theft accusations, and other cases in which taxpayers were bilked out of their returns by preparers exist. The IRS adds a reminder that taxpayers should only use preparers “who sign the returns they prepare and enter their IRS Preparer Tax Identification Numbers (PTINs).”

Many other items on the Dirty Dozen list from the IRS impact small business owners directly. Hiding income offshore, falsifying and inflating income and expenses, filing false Form 1099 Refund Claims, claiming zero wages and disguising corporate ownership are the most commonly perpetrated scams at tax time.

The IRS notes on disguising the ownership of a company to avoid paying taxes:

These entities can be used to underreport income, claim fictitious deductions, avoid filing tax returns, participate in listed transactions and facilitate money laundering and financial crimes. The IRS is working with state authorities to identify these entities and bring the owners into compliance with the law.

 

The post IRS: Dirty Dozen Tax Scams Threaten Your Business appeared first on Small Business Trends.

“Business Model Generation” Offers Profitable, Creative Ways to Make Money

Posted: 30 Mar 2013 06:00 AM PDT

make moneyWhat do you think is the most powerful component of a successful and profitable business? You might say marketing or technology – but I think it's the business model.

When you think about all the companies that shifted and transformed how we consume products and services, you'll notice that it was the creativity of the business model that made the difference – Blockbuster, Netflix, the Internet, Circue De Soleil and countless others that I'm sure you've thought of.

I realized this a long time ago and have always looked for some kind of book or resource that would give me this magical list of business models that I could choose from.  I never did find a good one – until now.

About two weeks ago, I went into the local book store on a whim and was immediately grabbed by Business Model Generation: A Handbook for Visionaries, Game Changers, and Challengers by Alexander Osterwalder & Yves Pigneur.  It literally took a village to put this book together as it was co-created by 470 Practitioners from 45 countries and designed by Alan Smith.

Business Model Generation is a high quality book; slick, high quality paper, full color and graphics that will knock your socks off.  It's definitely not what you might associate with a book about dry and boring business models.   I'm not sure if Wiley, who published the book in 2010, or maybe the authors thought that the subject required an extra "Ooomph" of graphics to attract readers or if this was an experiment. But whatever the reason, I can tell you that this is a book that I would have picked up regardless of what it looked like.

Just as I Suspected – There's a Model for Developing a Business Model

Aside from the sheer visual and tactile experience, you're going to love Business Model Generation for the simplicity and accessibility they create around the subject of deconstructing and reconstructing business models.  Of course, there's a model for that and the book is written, designed and constructed around this model. Here's a quick overview.

Canvas: The first element is the Canvas.  This is a sort of map or chart of all the elements that you will need to create your business model and it includes:

  • Customer Segments – who you are selling to
  • Value Propositions – what you'll be selling
  • Channels – how the offer is delivered to the customer
  • Customer relationships – how you will connect with your customer
  • Revenue streams – how you will make money
  • Key resources – what you'll need to make it all happen
  • Key activities – what actions HAVE to take place
  • Key partnerships – who will help
  • Cost structure – how you'll pay for it
  • Patterns: The next level is to use the canvas as the platform to brainstorm as many possibilities as you can for each component.  This is the most critical activity because truly elegant, creative and profitable business models come from this kind of thinking.
  • Design: Profitable business models aren't born, they are created and designed with purpose.  This part of the process gives you tools to give your ideas structure.
  • Strategy: The next phase is to take your model into the real world.

Business Model Generation by the Numbers

I don't normally share this kind of information, but this book is different because it's an example of a true global effort:

  • The book took 9 years to write.
  • It had 470 co-authors.
  • There were 8 prototypes.
  • The contributors spanned 45 countries.
  • There were 1,360 comments on the book.
  • 137,757 views of the method before publishing.
  • It consumed 4,000 hours of work and 28,456 Post-It™ Notes.

There are many more numbers involved here. I just thought I'd share just a few of what made this book an experience all the way around – to create, to read, to use and to share.

Do I Need to Read This Book?

  • Do you see yourself as having an entrepreneurial spirit? (Yes/No)
  • Are you constantly thinking about how to create value and build new business or transform a business? (Yes/No)
  • Are you trying to find innovative ways of doing business to replace old outdated ones? (Yes/No)

You know what comes next don't you?  If you said "Yes" to any of these – this is a book for you.

We all work the most basic of business models. Some charge by the hour and others sell products and have set up some kind of pricing or process for doing business.  But seriously, be honest, how many of you have actually dedicated serious strategic thought of how your business is going to best achieve its mission in the world and make money?

If you are a fan of the classic Blue Ocean Strategy then you may recall that a solid and creative business model can transform an industry and knock out the bulk of your competitors simply because they have invested and built an infrastructure that the competition simply cannot get around.

Business Model Generation is one of those books that's going to serve as a reference and a guide to help your business make more money, serve more customers and become a bigger expression of your mission.

The post “Business Model Generation” Offers Profitable, Creative Ways to Make Money appeared first on Small Business Trends.
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