Is A Limited Liability Company (LLC) Right For Your Business?

Up until a few years ago there were only 3 types of formal business formations. These were the corporation, a partnership and a sole proprietorship. Each had both positives and negatives and depending on your situation, you would choose the right one for you.

The latest business type however has attempted to create like a hybrid with the benefits of sole proprietorship and protections of a corporation without the formalities.

An LLC (limited liability company) provides the benefits of liability protection, like a formal corporation but also features the tax design of a sole proprietorship or partnership. The biggest benefits of an LLC are in the taxation and liability areas, although unlike a corporation, an LLC can be set up for a limited amount of time only.

Unlike a corporation where income is taxed twice, an LLC business passes through income to the owners. That is, the income goes directly to the owners of the company who then are responsible for the taxes. Of course good business practices are a must and this doesn't mean that the company can be treated as a personal piggy bank for the owners.

As the rules that bind an LLC are more in line with a sole proprietorship, many of the corporate governance like a board of directors is not required. The LLC formation also makes it easy to dissolve without the filing and notice requirements of a formal corporation.

LLC's can usually be formed with a simple form filed with the state. Check your local authorities for more information on the type of filing, forms, and other information that may be needed. One identifying characteristic to note is that the name of any limited liability company needs to end with the letters "LLC." Here's an example: Joe's Shoe Repair,LLC.
Filing LLC business documentation though is not difficult and can be accomplished in several ways.

An attorney can generate the basic documentation and should cost a couple of hundred dollars. This is recommended if you're planning to change the business type of an ongoing business. If you already have a business in operation, it's necessary to cover all the details. Using an attorney also can give peace of mind should you be concerned.

If however, you're just starting out or have a brand new business, filing the necessary paperwork is really very easy. To set up an LLC, you file articles of formation or articles of organization with the state. This document is usually an easy to complete one-page form. It has areas where you can fill in the blanks with basic information about your new company including the name and other important information. The state agency that is usually charged with accepting LLC filings is the state department of corporations. If your state doesn't use this name, a quick call to the secretary of state office can point you in the right direction. Some state also have additional minor requirements to open an LLC company. The state department where you file the documents will let you know of any additional requirements.
After the state accepts your articles of LLC formation and you complete any other state requirements, you're done with your LLC formation.

How To Choose A Video Production Company For Your Business

Finding and hiring a video production company for your business can be frustrating and risky for a small business owner, often having to take a crash course in video technology and hoping for the best. But by following these three considerations when choosing a video producer, you can drastically increase the chances that your video project will be responsive, visually stunning, and pay for itself many times over.

1. Determine the size of the production company you need. Although there are many factors that determine the cost of a video shoot (as explained later), the first consideration for staying in budget is the type and size of the production company. Large production companies have multiple studios and sound stages, editing suites, and a sizeable staff. These are the people that television stations and Hollywood producers call on when they need a local production for television, cable, or film. They are very experienced and produce fantastic results, but a considerable price tag must accompany such overhead. Often they are unable to service small businesses because they cannot accommodate such small budgets, as they'd usually have plenty of calls and projects from clients with deep pockets keeping them busy. The next step down is a smaller, full-time production company. Small and medium sized businesses are the core of their clientèle, so they are compelled to keep a video project as lean as possible, yet deliver the best possible quality for the money being paid. These production companies may have a small, single studio and editing suite, or they may work out of their home studio and rent a sound stage when the project calls for it. There may be one or two full time employees, and the rest are contract crew on a per-project basis. This helps translate into lower production costs for you. The final category of video producers is part-time, weekend-only videographers. These producers have a camera and a computer, and want to make some extra money on their free time. They can often underbid anyone else in town, because they already have their full time job and any extra money on the side is fine with them. But their ability to understand corporate, commercial, and broadcast needs are limited, and often shows in the quality of their production...it just looks like really good quality homemade video.

Choosing a medium-sized, full time production company will give you the most bang for the buck. This is not to say that large companies intentionally price themselves out of range for small businesses, some may be very willing to work with you. It's just that a large production house will probably not be as eager and excited to earn your business for a $2000 project when they're used to getting calls for $20,000 jobs on average. You don’t need to directly interrogate each company about the size of their business. Look at their website and see examples of their clients…if they seem to favor Fortune 500 companies, TV stations, and feature films, then you can assume that they’re a large production company. Or if you see a 30,000 square foot facility with immaculate furnishings, you can deduce that the price tag they give you will be sizeable.

2. Compare company demo reels to see who can give the best quality for your budget. Once you’ve determined the size of the video company to use, then it’s time to compare demo reels among the companies in your price range. One of the main factors that will determine visual quality in the portfolios is the format the project was shot on. Video technology changes drastically every 4-7 years, and what was broadcast quality 15 years ago with $50,000 cameras can be achieved with a $5000 HD camera today. The producer should match the video format with what provides the best noticeable quality for your budget.

There are many other factors that can determine the overall quality of a video production, but choosing the format is the foundation upon which many other costs are built upon. You have to ask yourself, "Will spending X amount of additional dollars on a higher-end format increase my response rate or accomplish my objectives better?" If you’re doing a TV spot, then quality is critical for that first impression. For an employee training video, immaculate image quality is probably not critical. That’s why it is the opinion of this author that the HD format offers the best balance of quality and cost, for any type of video production. As you watch the demo reels and portfolios of various production companies, pay attention to not only the mere image quality, but also the lighting, camera movements, and audio quality. One way to practice this is while you’re watching TV at home. Instead of zipping past the commercials of the show you’ve tivo-ed, watch and focus on the details of how national commercials are shot. Notice the smooth diffused lighting, the track/dolly camera movements (i.e., not much zooming!), and the deep contrast with vivid colors. Even if your video project is not a commercial spot, you can train your eye to notice quality by comparing it with the standard.

3. Consider the professionalism and business practices of the company. After a budget is finalized, the producer should create a treatment (blueprint for the video) upon which your contract will be based. You should know ahead of time exactly what will be done, what equipment will be used, what crew will be hired, and how each scene will be storyboarded. Granted there is an element of creativity that will vary and not necessarily translate directly onto paper, but strive to have everything in writing so that there are no misunderstandings or faulty expectations. Consider the personality and professionalism of the salesman, the director, or producer you are working with. Do you sense that he understands your industry or is eager to learn about it? Does he provide valuable input without being pushy or cocky? There should be a free flow of input into the project from both sides, without any ego problems. These traits may seem trivial, but video producers can be a creative and finicky bunch that take their art very seriously. It is paramount to have not only a creative team, but one who puts your needs and goals above their own.

Can a factoring company help you grow your business?

Sooner or later, every business will need financing to grow. Most owners will try to qualify for venture capital or angel financing. Others will try to get a business loan or line of credit, since business loans are popular with business owners.

All these business financing tools work well, but they also have a very important trait in common. They are hard to get and out of reach for most owners.

There is an alternative way of financing your business growth. Financing that is easy to qualify for, quick to set up and very cost effective. Not only that, it’s financing that grows with your business. And most of the time, you won’t get it from your local bank. This form of financing is called invoice factoring and you can get it from a factoring company.

Factoring is different than a bank loan and it works well if your biggest problem is that you can’t wait the 30 to 60 days that commercial clients take to pay their invoices. Basically, invoice factoring cuts the payment time to two days.

Factoring is simple. The factoring company buys your invoices (at a small discount) and pays you for them immediately. Then, the factoring company waits to get paid by your client. The net result: you get immediate working capital to pay business expenses and grow. You also eliminate the stress of having to wait to get paid and can count on a predictable cash flow.

As a form of financing, factoring offers two very distinct advantages over bank loans. First, it’s very easy to qualify for. Your main requirement is that you do business with strong commercial clients (or the government). Second, factoring financing grows with your business. As your invoicing grows, so does your financing. This enables you to easily cover the increasing costs of running a business that is growing.

A similar type of financing that is also offered by factoring companies is purchase order financing. Purchase order financing provides you with financing based on your purchase orders from large commercial clients. Purchase order financing is ideal for re-sellers and distributors that are growing quickly.

Whether you need financing because your customers pay you in 60 days or because you have a large purchase order from your biggest client, a factoring company will be able to offer alternatives to traditional financing.

Choosing The Right Web Hosting Company For Your Business

Whether you are a first-time website designer looking for a parking place in cyberspace or you are a novice webmaster who is looking for new web hosting, there is no shortage of companies to compete for your business.

When shopping for web hosting, it is important to consider your primary use of a website. Will it be for business or personal use? How many visitors do you anticipate having each month? Each web hosting company provides a variety of packages, each of which has a bandwidth limit. This is the number of visitors that can access your website on a monthly basis and the price of your web hosting will be largely determined by this and other factors.

Many companies offer free web hosting services in exchange for them placing banner advertisements on the website owner’s page. The majority of free web hosting services, however, are designed for personal or small business use. The reason is because they offer a small amount of megabyte availability for website storage and do not provide a URL that is easy to remember.

Affordable web hosting services are ideal for new startup businesses due to the fact that they offer a modest bandwidth and megabyte availability for the website, along with FTP access and customized e-mail addresses. Most paid web hosting packages start at $20.00 per month and go up from there depending on the owner’s wishes.

An organization who plans to advertise their website and generate increasing amounts of traffic may want to go ahead and purchase a web hosting package that will fit their needs during the first few months of service. Once a website reaches it’s bandwidth, the web hosting company may suspend visitor access to the site until the owner upgrades to a more expensive package to accommodate the customers. It is always best to select a web hosting company that offers various packages so that, if you are pleased with their service, your website can grow with them.

As a final thought to choosing a web hosting company, it is best to deal with a business that offers a toll-free customer service number with extended hours. It is important to know that your web hosting company will be there incase of interrupted service or delays, advice and general questions. At the same time, it is important that your web hosting company have a toll-free number so that you aren’t spending your dime in the event that you are placed on hold while calling customer service.

Attitudes Training Will Increase Productivity In Your Company And Home Based Business!

That's right! Understanding the power of atttitudes training will increase the productivity of your company and home based business!

At the turn of the century, it used to be that employees learned they could get ahead at work if they checked their brains at the door. To get ahead, employees were encouraged merely to do as the employer dictated and not think while doing.

With the complexities of today’s multi-technological work environment, employees and entrepreneurs can advance their lot by checking their bad attitudes at the door and putting on positive thinking caps.

We’ve gone from worker robotics, to worker neurotics. Workers must now transform themselves from reliance on their IQs to self-reliance on their EQ (emotional quotient). The quickest way to emotional intelligence is to learn to control one’s attitude.

What is attitude? Attitude is disposition, demeanor; it is a manner of doing things. It is the spirit that underlies our behavior. It is the bearing and feeling that we put with our actions and the temperament that defines who we are and what we do. While a good attitude connotes a caring, positive and upbeat approach, a bad attitude is sullied by uncaring, rude and negative behavior. Bad attitudes in an organization can become a cancer that can drive customers and good employees away. As employers continue their efforts to downsize, merge, and streamline costs -- sped up by technology-- employees are caught up in the emotional squeeze.

How do we change the attitudes of employees and frustrated entrepreneurs? A training program on attitudes is a perfect solution. The right training program can help foster a more positive work environment for all employees, increase employee morale, improve performance and productivity and place entrepreneurs in the frame of mind necessary to be successful.

Overcoming the first obstacle – is naming the training program. When you want to change a persons attitudes through training, name the course so they will be excited and inspired to participate. Mandatory attitude training, for example, automatically causes resentment and resistance. Some individuals will say, I don’t have a bad attitude, why are they trying to fix me, or what did I do wrong to have to participate in this program. Like it or not, it is human nature to think the worst about these kinds of programs. Seminar titles like, “How to Stay Motivated all the Time” or “How to Be Better in All that You Do”, work well.

It is helpful to take a measure of key attitudes that you want to change with the training. It is also useful to take the position that this effort is not just employee training for example, but long-term development because you want to change behaviors in the long run. You will want to assess the current state of the organization or your business that leads you to want to change employee or your own attitudes. Ask the questions: What behaviors are occurring that is symptomatic of poor attitudes? It may be that you have observed or experienced behaviors such as short tempers, poor customer treatment, or disrespectful treatment of others, which may lead you to conclude that attitudes training would benefit your organization. A short survey (using a rating scale) of employees for example prior to training, works well with questions that pertain to how they view the present environment and their own behaviors. This same survey can be administered several months after the training has been administered to see what gains have been made.

What is the content for effective attitudes training? – Individuals will enjoy training that is applicable to their whole lives, not just the workplace. Training should be interactive and participatory and use practical examples for learning, focuses on the individual and then the organization. Training objectives for participants:

You may not like your job or others around you. You may not even be able to change your position at the present time. But the one thing you can change is your attitude.

You may not be able to control your feelings but you can control your attitude. Attitude management is the ability to control how we act out our emotions.

Some useful elements of an effective attitudes training program include:

Self-assessment and personal inventory- to include personal assessment of how well an employee feels they interact with others inside and outside of the work environment

Developing Personal Effectiveness- to include opportunities for participants to visualize success and their own capacities and abilities, to strengthen inner resources and mental attitude

Assessing Limitations and Strengths – to include taking a realistic look at limitations and strengths and assess opportunities to capitalize on personal strengths. Identify those limitations that may not be rooted in fact but affect individuals capability to fully contribute, create or apply skills.

Understanding the Dynamics of Positive and Negative Attitudes-to include developing an understanding between the relationship between thoughts and actions.

Transition and Change Model – Incorporate a process to help individual employees identify attitudes they want to change and timetable that will let them transition plan.

Lasting change – Can be accomplished if we give individuals adequate time to adopt new attitudes, positive rewards and celebrations for demonstrating positive behaviors. Using the measurement tool to conduct a post assessment of training impact and rewarding participants for positive change will be reinforcing.

True empowerment is the ability to take control and avoid knee jerk emotional responses to hostile work environments or the challenges associated with your home based business. Remaining optimistic and positive are challenges that we all face in these circumstances. Attitude management is the ultimate productivity enhancement. Mastering the ability to maintain a positive outlook will draw others toward you and keep you motivated to achieve more with what you do.

Warm regards,

Dr. Devona Williams
Kenny Anderson

Agel Home Business Opportunity: What it’s like to be on the TRUE Ground Floor of a Revolutionary Company…

Have you ever wondered what it’s like for those people who were there when companies like Amazon started and they were able to be a part of that sensation? How about those people smart enough to see that the Ipod was going to be a huge success and bought stock in Apple early enough to ride the initial wave?

If you have ever wondered about those people and wished you could have been one of them then it’s your turn now. It’s your turn to, not too long from now, be one of those people who other people wonder about. Unique and revolutionary opportunities come around very seldom, and only those who put themselves in the position to capitalize and be rewarded by the success…those early worms that catch the bird, truly benefit.

Right now, there lies an opportunity for you to be privy to a very unique and truly ground floor opportunity to rise as the cream of the crop within two industries. Those industries are the network marketing and health and wellness industries.

Agel Enterprises is the company, and their unique health supplement that’s revolutionizing the way that people absorb extremely beneficial nutrients is what makes them a company that’s frankly one of the hottest most exclusive opportunities of all time. Right up there with the Ipod and Amazon in fact!

Here’s why…

Agel Enterprises is a network marketing company that’s growing at record speeds, but is just barely getting started to build its brand. Network marketing is one of the greatest industries in the world to obtain great wealth by the average person who wants to better themselves but doesn’t have a ton of experience, money, or a business background.

Network marketing in essence levels the playing field for everyone, and to make it an even greater opportunity, Agel has gone to great lengths to make it even easier for the beginning network marketer to see success quickly…whereas it’s not just the experienced guys with the best chance at greatness.

In fact the leaders, both Corporate as well as top representatives have come together to come up with the very best compensation plan known to the industry…well… ever! This is because in the vain of not fixing what’s not broken, they’ve taken the four best compensation plan types of the past, and selected what’s great about them, kept that aspect, and discarded everything else that just never made sense. Doing this has led to the revolutionary Quadra Plan that’s brought some of the greatest, most productive network marketers alive on board.

What this means is that not only do they have a unique and revolutionary system to pay their hard working distributors handsomely, but also they have the greatest people in the world showing people exactly how to get the most from that plan. That’s a 1-2 punch that you rarely see in this industry…if ever.

The driving force behind all of this however is the revolutionary product line that Agel has developed. The health and wellness industry is about an $80 Billion dollar a year industry as it is, and growing rapidly.

What the industry hasn’t seen much of however over years and years is change. Pills and shakes have basically been the extent of it and even so has done well. However, just like the Ipod has changed the way that people listen to music – or UFC has changed the way that people watch fighting competition – Agel is set to do to the health supplement industry by revolutionizing the way that people consume their health supplements.

Agel has developed an innovative line of natural nutrition products that come in gel serving packs, in which the nutrients is suspended and therefore becomes much more quickly and efficiently absorbed into the body. On top of that, the single serving packs allow consumers to take very easily whether at home or on the run without a mess, and without bulky rattling bottles. It’s turning the industry on its head, yet it’s in such an infantile stage that the opportunity to get in is comparable to getting in with Starbucks when they were still spreading across the Seattle area.

Now is the time for you to see what it’s like to be on the cusp of a revolution and to reap the rewards that being in that position has to offer. Don’t miss your chance!

Business Articles Can Help You Grow Your Company

Whether you already own a business or anticipate launching a business, it pays to do your research and stay abreast of issues that could affect your company. In the past, understanding business management and trends may have required an MBA degree or attending expensive seminars. Today, however, the Internet provides a wealth of information completely free of charge. By regularly reading business articles, you can gain insight into a variety of issues affecting companies like yours.

Taking a Cue from the Experts

Experts, business owners, and consultants routinely post valuable information on a wide range of topics to article content hubs, also known as article directories. For example, you can find dozens of articles about customer service, with topics ranging from how to effectively resolve customer complaints to using customer service to build customer loyalty to the pros and cons of using retail greeters. If you're getting ready to launch a business, you can find step-by-step guides to writing a business plan, how to incorporate flexibility into your strategic plan, and how to diversify your revenue streams.

Similarly, you can keep abreast of the specific issues affecting your business by reading business news articles and business ethics articles. Likewise, small business articles can help you avoid many of the pitfalls that besiege owners of small companies, and prompt you to adopt best practices for your industry.

Valuable Marketing Tips

It's always a challenge to stay a step ahead of the game and market your business in a way that gives you a competitive edge. This is especially true when it comes to Internet marketing, since cutting edge strategies quickly and fluidly changes in response to the needs of the marketplace. An article content directory that emphasizes business articles can provide a wealth of information on topics ranging from email marketing, pay-per-click advertising, traffic building, Web design and development, and copywriting.

Scouting for Business Opportunities

Whether you're ready to launch a new business or simply wish to diversify your revenue streams, a business-oriented article content directory will showcase new business opportunities. It will also contain business articles that will help you evaluate opportunities and provide benchmarks to determine whether or not you are achieving your goals. Other articles will help to motivate you by giving you pointers on setting goals, visualizing success, and convincing those around you to buy into your dream.

Sharing Your Knowledge

If you have experience in business issues - whether on general business topics or in a narrow specialty - consider using an article content directory to share your knowledge. Your advice, tips, and roadmap to success are certain to help others who are seeking guidance. When you do, you have the added benefit of being able to promote your business or website by including a hyperlink in the resource box of your article.

Expanding Your Website

Your company's website serves to both create brand awareness and to provide visitors with valuable information that will encourage them to return often. Article content directories often allow website owners to reprint articles on their own sites, as long as proper attribution is given and the author's resource box remains intact. Reprinting business articles and other articles on topics of interest to your visitors can help you add high-value content to your website and expand its reach.