Business Discussions

    When he lost his job as an architect during the recession, stay-at-home dad David found that making and selling wooden toys was an easy way to support his family.  Now he now spends most of his time in his workshop or taking care of his kids. With up to 150 orders a day during the holiday season, we had to know more about his experience wholesaling his products throughout the year and what he's hoping to learn next from all of you!   Name: David Minnery Business: Manzanita Kids Started: November 2010   How did you create your awesome job? I got laid off from my job as a structural architect during the economic crash, just two weeks after my son was born.  It was difficult to come to terms with at first, but it ended up being one of the best things that ever happened to me. I got to spend more time with my son, and it gave me the chance to start fresh. My wife and I both decided that we didn’t want to put our kids in daycare, so we started lookin

I'm running a small business by myself.  I need to hire some help so I have time to expand the business.  I've talked to a few prospects, but it's clear I have no idea what makes a good employee.  In your experience, what should I be looking for in a long term part time employee?  Personality traits?  Experience? I don't have time to get this wrong.

Is it possible to set up a checking account for my business using only the EIN and not my social?

    Cathy Iconis hosted one of our very first live chats in OWN IT just for accountantsback in September. Not only were we impressed by her in-depth knowledge of how to use Twitter to get new clients, we love Cathy's fresh perspective on everything from work/life balance to building a personal brand.   We asked Cathy to share with us the whole story of how she moved from working for a CPA firm to running The Iconis Group, providing accounting, bookkeeping and technology consulting services for a wide range of clients. She's also building a devoted QuickBooks Online Twitter community — and she's doing it all from her home office.       Name: Cathy Iconis   Business: The Iconis Group   Started: 2009   Tell us a little bit about your background. How did you get started?   I was a political science major in college, and everyone kept asking me what I planned to do with that degree. I wasn't into read

  Here in QB Community we highlight real stories from small business owners just like you who are deep in the process of taking a new idea or product to market. We're shining a spotlight on QB Community member Celeste Ruberti to find out what she's learned so far about customer research and bringing a new product to market.   After years of air drying hair as a successful hairstylist, Celeste discovered a niche opportunity for creating quality hair products specifically for air drying. Now, she's determined to create a new line of styling products customized for women on the go — and build a sustainable business along the way.   We invited Celeste to share her story with us so that together we can crowdsource some answers for her — and help each other out along the way!     Name: Celeste Ruberti  Business: Mane Island   Tell us a little bit about this business you're in the process of launching!   I’m a hairstylist

   Chris Turner thinks that most success stories out there about entrepreneurs compare to people’s flawless Facebook façades: they leave you wondering what *really* goes on behind the picture-perfect smiles.   That's why he's sharing his story here with us.    At first, it seemed impossible for Chris to quit his job and launch a business without any tech expertise, so he took matters into his own hands and enrolled in a coding class. With his newfound knowledge, he decided to create Tenrocket and build web and mobile apps for businesses in under 10 days for only $10,000 — a lot less than what his competitors charge.   Chris believes that the sky is the limit for his business, but it hasn’t always been a smooth ride. We talked to him about how he got Tenrocket off the ground and why he's encouraging other small business owners like him to tell the truth about their startup struggles.     Name: Chris Turner   Business: Tenrocket   S

Today, August 1 is the annual startupday. Congresspeople meet startups in their communities to promote small businesses. The twitter tag I used as the subject is trending today. Check out various articles around the net to see how this is celebrated and how it originated. Is there anything going on in your communities? Or is this the first you are hearing of this?joe

  When Vana started Le Papier Studio in 2008, she thought it was just a side job that would allow her to spend more time at home with her kids while still indulging in creative work.   But after her shop was featured on a popular blog and mentioned on The Today Show, Vana decided to dive in and start thinking like a small business owner.   We couldn't wait to learn more about how she strikes a balance between work and home (hint: it might have something to do with outsourcing) and why she recently chose to lower her prices so that she could keep her customers happy.   Let's hear from Vana!    Name: Vana Chupp   Business: Le Papier Studio   Started: March 2008   How did you create your awesome job?   I graduated with a master's in architecture and worked for two-and-a-half years before giving birth to my son. I knew I didn’t want to go back to work full-time, so I became a freelancer. Although it was good to spe

I have no credit and am seeking the fastest ways to build.

I see that many say no collateral. I'm new to the whole thing. I expect they will require that you've been in business with profit for two years.What if I don't have any credit?

    What will your new year bring? Are you hoping to launch a successful crowdfunding campaign, hire your first employee or simply get better at balancing work and family? Whatever your goal, a new year is always a great time to dream big.   Thing is, we know it’s tough enough to clearly define business goals, let alone meet them.     That’s why we’ve asked business owner and consultant Sarah Harrison to share some practical ideas for turning business dreams into reality. Sarah’s wisdom comes from experience: This former product-team manager left her full-time job feeling burned-out and exhausted. When she decided to start working for herself, Sarah applied the same systems she used successfully during her career to to create systems for her own goal-setting, planning and accountability.   Here, Sarah explains her tried-and-tested strategies for setting and achieving goals in your business -- or even in your life.    1. Commit to creating sys

  Chris Cornatzer spent most of his career as a sheet metal worker. He came up with the occasional business idea now and then, but nothing really stuck. Then, after discovering Etsy, he decided to create a side business making hilarious coffee mugs — and things are taking off in a big way!   We chatted with Chris about why SEO is important when you have an online store, making the transition from full-time work to working for yourself and the big open question he has for all of *you.*     Name: Chris Cornatzer   Business: TheMugLoft   Started: August 2015   What originally inspired you to create your business?   I'm a vendor on Etsy who, until about mid-2014, had never heard of it! I'd been working in sheet metal construction for over 30 years and I had tried a couple of times to start a business, but didn't have any success. For 10 years, I gave up even attempting to get something started.    Then, one

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      Right after Chantel Adams became pregnant with her first child, she was accepted into medical school. Having already deferred her place for a year, she decided not to pursue medicine after all, and instead she filled her life with four children. It was just as well — because it was one of her children who would give her the idea for starting her business, Forever We.    Forever We makes special dolls for children who have cancer and Chantel donates 10% of the purchase price to childhood cancer research. Here, Chantel shares with us what she's learned a year and a half into launching Forever We and what she's hoping to tackle next so that she can take her business to the next level.   Name: Chantel Adams Business: Forever We Started: September 2014   How did you create your awesome job? I have a degree in biology, but I’ve spent the past 20 years working at various nonprofit organizations. I’ve been a hospice v

    Love can make people do the strangest of things — including finding a new passion for making gluten-free sourdough bread! Such was the case for Sadie Scheffer, who started baking to win the heart of a gluten-intolerant love interest. Although that relationship didn’t work out, her enthusiasm for gluten-free baking soon went from a hobby to a full-time business.    Over five years later, the Bread Srsly brand can be found in grocery stores across San Francisco, as well as at craft shows nationwide. We spoke with Sadie about the benefits of a getting a business education, the challenges of expanding your production and why you should recruit your mom to help spread the word!   Name: Sadie Scheffer   Business: Bread Srsly   Started: August 2011   How did you create your business?   I first started baking to impress a gluten-intolerant boy who I had moved to California for!    Things didn't work out between us, but I determinedly

      Carly Burson always thought her legacy would be rooted in giving children a home. But after spending time at the Ethiopian orphanage where she adopted her daughter, she realized that parents weren’t giving up their kids because they weren't wanted — they just couldn’t afford to keep them.   Inspired by this revelation, Carly began to figure out a way to target poverty in developing countries and keep families together. She eventually founded Tribe Alive, a fashion retailer that employs skilled female artisans to create handcrafted items.   We recently caught up with the ethical entrepreneur to talk about pricing complications and how she calculates a living wage for her staff.   Name: Carly Burson   Business: Tribe Alive   Started: June 2014   How did you create your awesome job?   My husband and I flew to Ethiopia to finalize our daughter’s adoption three years ago. While we were there, we saw birth parents v

  When Jamie Smith left her teaching job to pursue a creative career, she realized right away there was demand for a support network serving Vancouver artists like herself. She'd always been interested in bringing people together, so she started THRIVE Studio along with a series of motivational speaking sessions to that she could share her work and experiences with like-minded people.   A couple of years on, her crew of female artists is alive and growing in beautiful British Columbia. We were thrilled to have the opportunity to talk to Jamie about building a business based on community, making a living from hosting talks and why getting out of her pajamas is so important when she's working from home!     Name: Jamie Smith   Business: THRIVE Studio   Started: 2013   How did you create your awesome job?   I used to be a high school art teacher, but I always knew that career path wasn't for me. I am an artist first and for

  How many times have you read a how-to and wondered, "How do I really use this for my business?"   We're rounding up real-life stories of how small business owners and self-employed professionals just like us are taking their businesses to the next level. So far we've covered how to tap into the power of Instagram to get new customers, tips for tracking cash flow and tried-and-true ideas for finding more time in your day.   With this new guide, we're tackling the social platform that just about everyone has declared the next big thing of 2016: Snapchat.   Read on to learn how other members here in the community are using Snapchat to grow their businesses + get our quick and dirty guide for getting started.   Hack 1: Start With Your Why Before we dive into the nuts and bolts of how Snapchat actually works, let's talk about why you should even consider adding Snapchat to the rotating arsenal of&n

  Paul Heffner has always had a knack for numbers. So when Finance Pals took off — the side hustle he launched to keep himself afloat while working on four other ideas — he made a smart calculation and turned it into his main focus.    We sat down with Paul to talk about playing to your talents, the importance of networking and how he learned to negotiate on pricing.   Name: Paul Heffner Business: Finance Pals Started: October 2015   How did you create your awesome job?   When I graduated from Duke University, I went into management consulting at Accenture. I liked figuring out which parts of businesses worked — or didn’t —and why.    I’ve always loved numbers, even back in middle and high school, so after six years I moved on to Cricket Wireless, a small cell phone company, where I eventually became the Director of Finance. AT&T bought Cricket, and when the merger went through I was given a severance package th

    Ever had a moment when you needed cash right away? So much so that you headed to your couch to see what might be hiding in the cushions?   Yeah, we've done that, too.    But here’s some good news. We’ve learned there's always a way to manage expenses better and, as a result, find extra cash when it's needed most. Over time, we’ve figured out how to ditch expenses we can live without. We’ve scrutinized where every dollar is going. We’ve cashed in on money hiding out in long-lost invoices. And that’s just the beginning.   Today, we’re sharing some of our go-to strategies for managing expenses and making the most of our moolah. Best of all? There’s no couch reassembly required :-)   Hack #1: Cut one expense right now (even pens count!)   When cash gets tight, pull out your chopping block.    We guarantee some of your precious pennies are hiding in sneaky places like high credit card interest rates, rent increases and unnecessary suppl

  Carolyn Phillips was always passionate about food and entrepreneurship. Yet, she wasn’t quite sure how to combine her two passions until her husband asked why she had two freezer chests full of homemade frozen pops in their dining room.    We caught up with Carolyn to ask about the journey to becoming a small business owner, the big lessons she's learned about pricing and the exact moment when she realized she had to start thinking like a CEO.       Name: Carolyn Phillips   Business: Alchemy Pops   Started: March 2015   What inspired you to start Alchemy Pops?   My undergrad major was in Entrepreneurial Management and I focused on the sustainability of food systems in graduate school. I always intended to start a business, but I weaved my way into creating Alchemy Pops completely sideways.   Originally, I threw a party at my house and combined ingredients from the farmers' market with my liquor cabinet to make a bunch

    Seth David is a master of maximizing profits and productivity — both within his own business and as a consultant for other accountants, bookkeepers and small business owners. Recently, we chatted with Seth to learn more about how he built his business over time by tapping into the power of YouTube and social networking channels like Twitter to reach a wider audience and automate his work via online courses and training sessions. Take it away, Seth!   Name: Seth David Business: Nerd Enterprises Consulting Started: 2003   Tell us a little more about your background and how you got to where you are now. I was a computer science major in college and, long story short, my interest in academics was waning. I'd been doing some acting at the time, and one of my directors said that he would write me a recommendation for a theater arts program in California.  I left school and planned on getting in my Jeep, driving across the country and working in restaur

Michelle’s business was almost over before it began when her relationship with her boyfriend — and his distribution network — came to an end. But that wasn’t enough to stop her from achieving her dreams.  Today, Michelle runs a successful jewelry business that she launched all on her own. We asked her to break down the exact formulas she uses to price her items and share her tips for experimenting with pricing when you have items that just aren't selling. Name: Michelle Chang   Business: Michelle Chang Jewelry Started: October 2007 How did you create your awesome job? When I lived in New York City, my boyfriend at the time owned a successful company that designed custom watches, which were sold across the US.  He had a good distribution network already in place, and he wanted to expand his business to include jewelry. He thought I had a good eye for design and asked if I’d start the jewelry section for his company. At the time I was doing illustration work and my

With clippers in hand and a keen eye on the financials, former accountant Ellie Pamphilon's quirky barbershop has become an Instagram star – and to top it off they're also beating all of their cash flow forecasts.  So, what's Ellie hoping to improve next in her business? Read on to find out!   Name: Ellie Pamphilon Business: Owner of Barber Streisand Started: May 2015 How did you create your awesome job? I’d love to say my move into barbering came from a lifelong passion, but actually, as an accountant, it was the logical outcome of my research. I loved working in retail when I was at college and knew I wanted to set up my own shop, so I looked into low-risk, financially viable small business models. I figured, people will always need haircuts – and technology won’t put me out of business anytime soon. I worked full-time at my accounting job while I learned barbering. I took a one-on-one course from the London School of Hairdressing so I could fit it around my