NASE, National Association of Self Employed

BRANDING

A clear part of your start-up costs should involve branding. Logo, color choices for your brand, advertising signage or wraps on your vehicles all create the basics of your initial brand. Branding is YOU as well as the image you portray in your community. Choose a sign company in your area that fits your budget. They will help you every step of the way with extending your brand with dynamic signage. Also, being aware that the places you frequent, the manner you carry about your day to day living is also a part of your brand. Be mindful of the image you portray, ultimately YOU are your businesses brand.

ACCOUNTING/CPA

Many important tax savings for the small business owner can help your year-end tax reporting be less stressful. If you begin your business in your home, the mileage you drive for business, the portion of the home office space you use, a portion of utilities, cell phone expenses, gas, meals and travel expenses while conducting business are all tax deductions. Keep your records neatly organized, in a month to month file, in case of an audit you will be protected! I have used QuickBooks software for years, and suggest considering the basic software package in the beginning. It is very inexpensive and setting up the software is simple. There are many online tutorials free via youtube.com to help you get started. In the beginning talk to a local CPA for tax support and also for year-end tax assistance to be sure you are covering the legal requirements as a small business.

TECHNOLOGY

If you know that design and technical expertise willbe your weak spot, or setting up a basic website has you puzzled, don’t be alarmed. There are many websites such as upwork.com which offers freelancer opportunities you can hire and work with virtually! These professionals are located all over the US and abroad and can help you with nearly any task you can think of from designing your logo, virtual assistants, data entry, creating professional brochures to starting an e-commerce store. Mapping out a plan for small business success involves

just a few critical areas:

• Setting Goals that are attainable.
• Assigning a Timeline for those goals.
• Ability to accept you will make mistakes.
• Foresight to change course when needed!

Don’t be concerned the micro-business you are about to start may never become anything more than a hobby! All big businesses started small. If you are passionate about your business, there is a true need for your service or product and you can manage the business as it grows, it will grow. The company I founded in 2006, is a Business-2-Business service company which gives companies a new sales channel and income stream. It is known for using innovative strategies and sophistication to bring buyers and sellers together. We strive in getting best return for our client in a timely manner. Enriching community’s one sale at a time while educating the public about secondary market price, avoiding scams while selling big ticket items daily keeps us busy. CSS is a further extension of my passion for assisting entrepreneurs with buying as often the assets we sell for local clients help them start-up lean! For more information about my entrepreneurial journey follow my blog at vickiwiederkehr.com. Connect with LinkedIn, or follow our company page on Facebook!