Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with business and smallbusiness

good research materials on the subject of electric cars, 3d modeling and/or entrepreneurship?

groovinkim — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 14:40:29 -0800

good research materials on the subject of electric cars, 3d modeling and/or entrepreneurship? my boyfriend is the son of a mechanic and dreams of starting his own electric car company (not for the everyday consumer, more like higher end sports cars). he does a lot of online research. he's very intelligent and relatively knowledgeable about cars, engineering, etc. when he gets that dreamy look in his eye and starts rambling about the technical specifics i usually don't understand a word he says. his feelings were hurt initially because i was skeptical about the project. he has viable ideas, but he's more of an archetype of a creative genius/professor than a pragmatic businessman. but i do think that his business has potential.

his birthday's coming up relatively soon, and i'd like to help him by getting him some books and magazines on related subjects.

some things i can think of that i could possibly get him reading materials about:

- electric cars in general. manufacturing processes, the market overall, engineering of them, etc.

- 3d modeling. he's mentioned that he plans on acquiring dual lcd monitors, a 3d scanner and whatever else he needs to make clay models. i don't want to buy him any of that stuff (not that i could afford it anyway) because i'm sure he's very specific in what he wants/doesn't want and probably already has his software of choice picked out. but if there are good books or magazines for a beginner, that could be useful.

i'd much rather have him rent or share a workstation somewhere here in seattle than invest a bunch of money in equipment, but he's weirdly paranoid about using public workstations and the slight possibility of his designs getting disseminated without his knowledge. i really doubt that would happen but haven't been able to successfully talk him out of his paranoia. i'd really like to find local people doing it that would be willing to talk to him about it so he doesn't accidentally buy something crappy, but if there's a consumer reports type magazine that covers related products that could potentially help.

- starting a business, specifically the economic aspects (licensing, getting funding, attracting investors, patent laws and copyright laws, etc.) i do sales/marketing for a voip company currently. although it's not my passion in life and i plan on switching careers, i think i can help advise him on marketing, networking and related topics. but i know nothing about starting a business... i've always worked for other people's small/midsize companies.

also, if anyone happens to know about related college or non-credit programs in seattle, that'd be of interest too. he's currently a programmer making a good living but he never finished his bachelor's. he preferred teaching himself. although he's generally good at self-education, i really feel like it'd be helpful for him to get hands-on experience with 3d modelling, advice from someone knowledgeable on the subject etc. while i don't think you need a degree in business to start one, i've also seen several friends start small businesses that were great ideas that failed miserably. my outside opinion is that they failed in part due to lack of sufficent research/knowledge.

i also feel the need to include a rambling offtopic paragraph about how i <3 metafilter. i work full time and go to school full time so i don't have much time to spend here, but it inspires me that there are still little pockets online where intelligent people communicate in a usually-respectful way. i'm sad that there was no seattle meetup and i didn't have time to organize one myself.

Moxie Cinema blog is great -other examples in other industries?

bystander — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 04:51:02 -0800

What blogs/sites like Moxie Cinema offer similar insights and real discussion of the business elements of their operations? Cafes, restaurants, book shops, video stores, bars, widget makers, whatever! I think I've learned more about the cinema business from the Moxie blog than I know about my own industry. Which other blogs do the same for other industries? Also keen to hear about books that offer the same 'real world' insights, rather than idealized examples.

Do I have to assign percentages?

TungstenChef — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 15:06:04 -0800

Mixing business and pleasure as a small businessperson, I need a little advice regarding taxes and business travel. I'll be traveling to Minneapolis twice in August for personal reasons. A friend has asked about commissioning a web site and it may make sense for me to stay in Mpls for the intervening two weeks and create it. I assume that food and lodging during the business portion would be deducitble, what about plane tickets? Also, if I buy a cheap bike from Craigslist for local transportation, can I deduct that as an expense? Anything else obvious I can deduct?

$50k for a small business, what do you got?

ibechase — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 19:08:49 -0800

If you were starting a business in the current economic climate and you had $25k-50k start up capital, what type of business would you start? I'm in a situation where I have access to a large amount of cash, plenty of time on my hands and I'm looking to start a business. I have a list of ideas and I'm looking for input on what type of businesses *you* think should be started.

I'm a graphic designer and am comfortable in most facets of business (design, branding, marketing, advertising, bookkeeping, etc.). I'm very computer-saavy and have a very strong work ethic.

I'm going to start a business, so there's no need to tell me how I'd be better off saving the money. I look forward to hearing what you guys think would be great businesses that could be started for $25k-50k and could thrive in the current economy. Thanks for any and all input.

How do I identify a company that develops online registration/scheduling software?

ewiley28 — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 12:09:11 -0800

How can I identify software for online registration for soccer training sessions? I'm thinking there are some solutions out there that are basically blackbox that can then be tailored to my site, but I haven't been able to turn them up. I don't want to use just something like regonline.com because I have people signing up for each session and there are dozens of different sessions in a week. I've seen a couple of software programs on website that look like they could work, but I wasn't able to find any information on the development of any of these, so I don't know if they are in-house software or if they are some sort of commercially available product.

Ideally, I would like to be able to show initially two months (current and next) when a person signs in with the date clickable if there are spaces available for them to register that day. Then, by clicking on the date, it would show the specific sessions available. There are 8 sessions most days and can be up to 8 individuals in a session, but the software would need to be able to note when 8 had been met and show that session as not available.

So, how do I go about identify a product that can be used to provide this type of service? I'm thinking that it's probably something that will need some development/tailoring to make fit my needs, but I'm guessing the company that has developed something like this would be designed to handle that.

People cooperating complicatedly?

zeek321 — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 17:22:06 -0800

I want to design a human system (like a small business) and then bootstrap/instantiate it. At the moment, I'm not focusing on psychology but more on franchise-esque/"operations manual" type considerations. I'm not interested in accounting or legal issues, yet. A "business" is the closest analogy I could find, but I'm interested most in bringing people together with similar values and doing something worthwhile and complex without failing or going crazy.

Ideally, I'm looking for in-the-trenches material that guides one through the mitigation of startup chaos into mild stability and how to evolve and institutionalize practices and procedures during that time. (I'm afraid or spending a month writing a manual or designing a flowchart and, on day one, instantly finding it completely useless and out of touch with reality.)

I know that you start chaotic and tiny with a small group of people and a gripping idea, but then you have to make a leap to complexity beyond what one control freak can handle, and that's what I'd like to learn more about.

What should I read? Who should I talk to?

The E-Myth books are too fluffy. Here's some potentially good stuff I've found so far:

Effective Operations and Controls for the Small Privately Held Business [amazon]

Construction Operations Manual of Policies and Procedures [amazon] (This one is way overkill, but it's sort of right, in spirit. How does a complicated system like a business or a school *function*?)

Close profitable busienss in bad economy?

blueplasticfish — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 13:44:25 -0800

Wife down about economy wants to close business. Now what? My wife has owned and operated a boutique clothing store for over 7 years. It has definitely had it's ups and downs, but it has largely been a very prosperous and rewarding experience.

Lately, the store has been slow, and the economy has really gotten her down. She doesn't like working, she feels the store is a drag on her psyche and moods. She's been having trouble sleeping and is just overall worn out. She has gotten to the point where she just wants to throw in the towel and close the store. The store has no debt and continues to operate fine, but the burden of operating versus the reward has become overly imbalanced.

More than anything, I want my wife to be happy. But I feel that if she can just make it through these crappy economic times, things will be much better in the long run. She is VERY resistant to thinking this way and has resolved herself to closing the store and finding a day job.

I feel that we are going through a once in a lifetime economic disaster and that she would not make this decision if things were good as they have been in the past.

Anything I say, she resists and just wants to close the store.

Should I even encourage her to keep the store? What could tell her to get her to wait it out a bit longer? Any advice?

Escaping the grind

simplesharps — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 01:31:44 -0800

My friend works in database applications each day to create in house reports. He's bored and wants to go it alone. He's mainly interested in consulting local small to medium size businesses on data trends and training staff in time saving strategies. MS Excel is his preferred weapon of choice.

What are some business websites within this field, so he can best learn how to structure his new solo effort?

Closest thing I could come to was this, but it's not really hitting the mark.

Help me make sense of small businss tax forms!

kmtiszen — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 20:09:14 -0800

Starting a small, part-time, home-based eBay business in New York. What are the implications of registering for a Sale & Use Tax certificate? It looks like I'm going to need this certificate (DTF-17, I believe) before I deal with most wholesalers. I'm having trouble wrapping my head around the purpose/implications of all these wonky tax forms, especially the "sales & use" tax. Could somebody possibly explain this one to me in my right-brained kind of English? What will it mean once tax time rolls around in April?

Unfortunately, I was not born with a gift for this kind of stuff, and I envy all of you who were. So thanks in advance for your big brains!

Purchasing a retail business

Anonymous — Wed, 28 May 2008 19:31:41 -0800

Specific questions, and general advice and suggestions, on purchasing a very prominent, locally owned, retail business. For the past decade, I have been a regular customer at a local retail business. It's a single location, but it's very prominent and well known in both our city and on a national level (think in terms of The Strand in NYC). The owner has recently announced that they are looking to sell the business and retire, and have retained a local business broker to manage the process. The price has not been made public, nor have the financial records of the business (both will be to serious bidders), but the owner says it is very profitable and in great shape. They have also said that they will not sell to a chain, but only to a local person who will keep the staff and not make substantial changes to the business.

I have non-retail business experience, strong ties to the community, a familiarity with the store and industry, and no desire to substantially change the business or the (fantastic!) staff. But, as much as I know about business, I know next to nothing about buying a pre-existing one.

A few questions:

1 - If you've purchased a pre-existing business (retail or not), what’s the best advice you received in the process? What do you wish you had known ahead of time that you learned the hard way?

2 - I'll need to take out a business loan to cover the cost of the purchase. In a situation like this, generally how much, if any, of the total cost is the buyer expected to put down? Is a loan for the total cost of the business normal, or even possible? (Not yet knowing the cost of the business, I want to understand my full spectrum of options!)

3 - I can get general financial information from D&B. I can get general operational information by watching the business for a given period of time. What else can I find out before approaching the broker or owner and starting a conversation with them?

Any other advice, suggestions, or words of wisdom would be appreciated. Emails can be sent to a throw-away account at AskMeBusiness@gmail.com. Thanks!

What's the perfect app to track expenses?

mathowie — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 14:04:39 -0800

Is there an expense reporting app that's flexible, handy, and will help me finish next year's taxes quickly and easily? I know about excel, quicken, and various financial transaction apps, but what if I drive 100 miles to a tech conference and want to note my mileage? And what if I'm out entertaining clients and I want to pop onto my iPhone to note the total bill for the evening (before I forget the next day to open excel). Are there any web-based flexible apps for doing all the expense reporting you might need for a small business' bookkeeping needs?

What cheap software or webapps can I recommend to help my friend manage her small business?

abkadefgee — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 02:04:09 -0800

What free or cheap software, or webapps, can I recommend to help my friend manage and build her small business, a salon? Although there is software out there specifically made for this purpose, it seems out of her price range and shares a lot in common with more general software. I've recommended using Google Calendar to manage her appointments and suggested that her basic inventory needs can be tracked with Excel. However, it would also be helpful for her to be able to track the contact information for her clients and what type of services they receive at each appointment, and perhaps including pictures would be helpful as well.

I would think that someone who has experience in managing a business might have some suggestions for software without having specific knowledge about the salon world. Any advice would be helpful.

Looking for financing to start a small business

amysk — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 11:52:34 -0800

My husband has been given the opportunity to purchase a small business. He knows that the company will be sucessful. We need about $10,000 to start it up. Here is the problem: he has a great credit rating, but he is currently unemployed and we do not own a home to put up as collateral. Are there any creative financing solutions out there for him?

Help me find insurance for my home-based ebay business

nmogno — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 21:07:38 -0800

Help me find a insurance company that will cover my home-based ebay business. I run a small business out of my home, selling used cellphones online, primarily on ebay. The business has really been taking off in the past few months, and I have been trying to get a small business insurance policy.

From what I understand, (please tell me if I'm wrong or missing something) the coverages I'll want are general liability, product liability (occasionally I do some light repair and refurbishing in-house, so as I understand, I am exposed to product liability risk) and business property to cover loss from theft, fire etc.

I've contacted all the big insurance companies I can think of (Farmers, All-State, American Family, State Farm), but they've all told me that they can't write the policy because:
A) They don't do home-based businesses, and/or
B) They don't do online businesses

I also tried to see if I could cover the business through riders on my renters policy (with State Farm), but they wouldn't do it.

The only speck of hope I found was through an insurance broker (Keller-Lowry) who told me they might be able to find coverage through a "surplus line," but they also told me that this would a good deal more expensive.

So, does anyone know of any insurance companies that specialize in home-based or online businesses? I've tried looking online without much hope. Or is the surplus line my only hope?

A few random facts in case they're relevant - I'm based in Colorado, the business is an S-corporation, right now I'm the only employee (I'll probably be hiring somebody before too long.)

Thanks in advance!
-Nick

Do I have to be a citizen of the US to register a small business?

carthik — Sun, 13 May 2007 11:39:18 -0800

Do I have to be a citizen of the US to register a small business? I want to keep everything legit and above-board and recently I have been thinking of registering a small business to represent all the online activities that make me money, like hosting a couple of people, designing and fixing wordpress blogs etc. The question is - do I have to be a US citizen to register myself as a small business. Extra points for anyone who has been through this process who can explain why registering is a good idea.

If you can convince me that registering as a small at-home business is a bad thing, and save me work and trouble, then I will personally eat a huge bowl of ice cream in your name :)

How do we split profits for our startup?

xyberspam — Wed, 20 Dec 2006 20:01:48 -0800

SmallBusiness Filter: I need help with how my business partners and I get paid. My partners and I have formed an startup LLC to do one line of work. Partner A has expanded into another line of work. While this is a good thing, since he does a majority of the work, he wants 80% of the profits. Partners B and C just provide the tech support and money to run the operations, so they get 20%. A needs the money to live, while B and C are taking their cut and reinvesting it into the company. How do we make this situation work for the company? We had planned on not taking any pay from the company until at least 6 mos. out, now we have to give a significant portion away, leaving us to wonder how to ensure that the business can grow. I hope I have related this clearly, and if not please ask me more questions so I can explain more. Help me hive mind, your my only hope.

Sales leads for small biz?

swiffa — Thu, 19 Oct 2006 15:13:09 -0800

Any recommendations for a no b.s. sales lead service for a one person mortgage broker biz? Was burned by a service recently. Looking for a reputable company providing pre qualified (not some list for me to cold call) leads for my mortgage broker biz (people looking to refi, etc) only need leads for the state of MA...does such exist?

help me help the man

luriete — Fri, 08 Sep 2006 09:55:59 -0800

I'm trying to make my new web project legal in California. After reading through the Nolo press book(s), we thought that perhaps the LLC was the best corporate structure (we are going to issue stock and give the primary developer a portion in lieu of payment). While the Federal government taxes LLCs like sole proprietorships - you aren't taxed unless you make profit, and I don't see our profit outpacing our costs for a year - the State of California charges an LLC "tax" (really a fee) of $800, due almost immediately after your incorporation paperwork goes through, so... Is there a way to legally put off the incorporation until we can afford to exist as a corporate entity? If we have $799 in startup costs before then, can we defer the deduction of those until after we incorporate and pay the $800? Is the $800 in California state tax fee deductible as a business expense on our federal return?

I'd like to consult an attorney but of course cannot afford to, as this project is, at least during its early development, on a shoestring budget. Any suggestions on other tax resources for small businesses?

Best small-business accounting software?

YoungAmerican — Sun, 03 Sep 2006 17:27:07 -0800

Number-crunchingFilter: What's the best small-business accounting software for a non-accountant? I recently started accepting donations for my podcast, and they're amounting to enough money that it seems like I should be accounting for them, both for tax purposes and... well... accounting purposes.

I also have some income from the sale of show t-shirts, and I've been tracking my expenses related to the show (capital investments, marketing costs, etc), and saving receipts.

All the income comes in through PayPal, and I use one bank account, set aside for this purpose, for everything.

What software should I be using to track all of this? I use a PC, and have strong "computer skills" and a decent head for numbers, but no accounting background. I'm looking for something that costs no more than a couple hundred bucks, and is easy to use.

IANABM (I am not a business major), but...

Alterscape — Sun, 27 Aug 2006 18:32:24 -0800

What books and websites should a non-business-major read to learn about the legal and practical aspects of starting a small business partnership in the US (MD, to be exact)? An employer I've interned with recently offered me the right to "franchise" their business in my local area -- I set up a business entity with a couple of my co-interns; we license their name and proprietary technology to operate in our home state in exchange for a share of our profits. I don't have a business background, and want to learn what I need to know to evaluate this offer and make a decision about the profitability of such an endeavor. I'm looking for books, websites, etc, that cover the details that go into this -- lawyers and the issues surrounding their care and feeding, estimating overhead costs, market research, finding insurance, working out the legal details of hiring employees/payroll/social security/medicaid/etc, and anything else relevant. Basically, I need a crash-course in small business. Help me, hivemind!

Corporate governance, esp. for small business

oissubke — Sat, 15 Jul 2006 15:23:13 -0800

How does corporate governance work in a small- or micro-business environment? (Note: This post is somewhat US-centric, but I'm certainly interested in hearing perspectives from other nationalities/cultures as well!)

In a small, privately-owned business, how are the various corporate duties and responsibilities typically divided up?

As I understand it, there are basically three groups of corporate leadership:

Group 1:
- Chairman of the Board
- Director
- Director
- etc.

Group 2:
- President
- Vice President
- Treasurer
- Secretary
- etc.

Group 3:
- CEO
- COO
- CFO
- CTO
- CIO
- etc.

While I generally understand the where the Board of Directors fits in, I'm less clear on, say, the difference between a President and a CEO. One person can have both roles -- but what's the difference between the roles?

Similarly, what does the Treasurer do, exactly? How does that differ from, say, a CFO?

And apart from taking minutes and signing things occasionally, what exactly is a Secretary's role? Do they do other things as well?

I'm particularly interested in how these roles relate to the small-business environment. Is it "okay" for the same person to be Chairman, CEO, and President? When the time comes for the group of leadership to grow, which of those responsibilities should be given to someone else? If there are only 1-2 owners who actively run and participate in the business on a daily basis, is a board of directors even needed?

I've looked over Wikipedia, various business books, etc., and I can't seem to find a clear explanation of these relatively simple things. It's as if it's assumed that everyone already knows these things. I must have missed that day. :-)

(Sorry for the big batch of questions, but they're all basically about wanting to better understand corporate governance.)

Thanks!

Small Business Health Insurance?

richardhay — Sun, 04 Jun 2006 05:28:47 -0800

Health insurance targeted toward small business owners and their employees? My wife and I own what used to be a home based business but what is now a small busines with seven full-time employees (and about a dozen part-time employees). Our full-time employees have been, rightfully and understandably, asking us to provide health insurance.

So, I first turned to AskMe and read every thread tagged with health and insurance. I also googled various incarnations of "small business health insurance policy," but really found very little. I did submit an online interest form for United Healthcare.

My questions are these... do you know of any policies/carriers that I should contact? Is there any type of insurance plan specifically targeted for small business owners to offer their (few) full-time employees? What companies offer the most reasonable coverage for the most reasonable premiums? If you have been in a similar situation, do you have any advice for us as we embark on this process?

If it helps, the business is located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. My wife and I are covered by a plan at a university where I teach, so this would just be for our employees.

How to find business partners to put up funds to buy a bar?

scody — Thu, 18 May 2006 12:21:23 -0800

What are good resources, books, etc. on how to find investors/business partners for buying a bar? A friend of mine who's worked in bars/restaurants for 15+ years (as a waiter, bartender, etc.) would love to own his own place... trouble is, he's got no money to put up, and very little collateral for a bank loan. So he needs business partners who can put up the funds so that he can go about doing the work (he's got subcontracting experience, too, so he could also work on rehabbing). Neither of us have much of an idea how one goes about finding partners/investors; the complete extent of my knowledge is to say "I guess you'll need a business plan." What other resources can I point him towards?

Business-starting for idiots

medusa — Wed, 17 May 2006 17:39:38 -0800

I have several questions about starting a business. For some time I have been considering starting a part-time side business as an outdoor educator/mountain guide. I have been considering forming a corporation to limit my personal liability if someone got hurt and sued me, and to allow deductions for guide training and certification (an expensive process).

However, I know very little about the legal and tax implications of forming a business. (I have read this and this.) Further information: the business would only involve me (for the forseeable future) and would not necessarily make money for years.

Some specific questions:

Is forming an LLC a good idea?

Can I deduct training/certification expenses even if I don't yet have any revenue? Is there any benefit to me "lending" the business money to get it started, so the corporation then officially owes me money?

Is there anything I should know about doing this in Colorado specifically?

What are good resources to learn more about all this?

Why should(n't) I officially start a business?

cortex — Tue, 28 Mar 2006 15:24:40 -0800

What are the advantages, disadvantages, and Important Things To Know about officially starting a business? I am doing a thing on the web right now. I have made a very, very small amount of money off of it, but I'm seeing the possibility of making more.

I know nothing about the mechanics of officially establishing a business. Incorporating may be the word I'm looking for—taking Cortex Doing Some Stuff and turning it into Cortex Productions, Inc..

I'm in the United States. I'm a one-man operation working out of my kitchen in my spare time. Check the profile if you need to see the site for context.

I have minimal costs, but I am spending a little money—web hosting, musical equipment and software, (tiny, experimental) advertising expenses.

I have minimal revenue (very modest Adsense revenue from modest daily traffic) but hope to improve that—through merch sales; site donations; I'm talking to someone about licensing music from the site, too.

So should I jump through hoops and create, say, Cortex Productions Inc? Why should I? Why not? When should I? Are there distinct tax benefits to be had at this point? Deductions for business expenses, capital, etc? Incentive to have any income going to a business rather than my personal checking account?

Enlighten me!