Idea of the Day®
December 28, 2024
The Right Safety Equipment in Construction?
OSHA found that 41% of women reported their personal protective equipment (PPE) did not fit them. OSHA issued a final rule on the property fit requirements for PPE in construction. This applies to hard hats, gloves, goggles, safety shoes, safety glasses, welding helmets and goggles, hearing protection devices, respirators, coveralls, vests, harnesses, and full body suits. #IdeaoftheDay
Big Ideas for Your Business
Resources For Your Business
December 27, 2024
By Dorothy Cooper
Lifelong learning is paramount to running a successful and thriving small business. The “Strategies for Increased Learning for Owners and Staff” post emphasizes how constant learning can help teams stay more engaged, likely become more productive, acquire new skills to use on the job, and even see cognitive benefits. It’s also crucial to ensure that you, […]
December 26, 2024
By Barbara Weltman
Many things happened in 2024—locally, nationally, and internationally. Some of these changes directly impact small businesses. Here’s a roundup of some key developments on the federal level of note. There are many more that are not included. Some key developments include: BOI reporting on pause The Corporate Transparency Act (CTA) of 2021 imposed Beneficial Ownership […]
December 24, 2024
By Barbara Weltman
“The foundation of every successful partnership is not just shared vision but shared values.” – Author unknown A partnership is… A partnership is not a taxpaying entity, but files an annual tax return, Form 1065, to report income, deductions, and other items. The same is true for a limited liability company (LLC) with two or more […]
December 20, 2024
When it comes to running a business, whether you’re a freelancer, small business owner, or part of a larger team, one thing is for sure: you need estimates. They’re a crucial part of how you communicate with clients, manage expectations, and, ultimately, get paid. But creating estimates from scratch every time? That’s a time-consuming hassle. […]
December 19, 2024
By Barbara Weltman
Between January 7, 2024, and November 7, 2024, there were 127 federally-declared disasters. It seems that the number of these disasters has been growing over the years. If your business is damaged or destroyed in a disaster, the government may be able to help, but do you know what to do to secure this assistance? […]
December 18, 2024
By James Thompson
Handling the realm of managing payrolls can be quite daunting for businesses as they strive to maintain precision and adhere to regulations while maximizing efficiency. Payroll software presents a solution; however, it is essential to choose the most appropriate one. Optimizing a payroll software free trial could play a role in making a well-informed decision. […]
December 17, 2024
By Barbara Weltman
The National Retail Federation predicts that gift card sales—a popular holiday purchase—could reach $28 billion this holiday season. “The average shopper will purchase three to four gift cards and spend $51.18 per gift card ($170.48 per person).” If you already offer gift cards or want to do so, be sure you’re doing things correctly. Benefits […]
December 16, 2024
By Jack Shaw
Team-building events can be an effective strategy if hosted correctly and everyone’s a willing participant. However, they can go wrong. Perhaps you’ve participated in a meet and greet followed by a barbecue and got nothing out of it, or maybe you’ve done an all-in challenge with group tasks to “beat” everybody into a unit. Nobody […]
December 13, 2024
By James Thompson
Businesses—even small ones—are going global, and money is changing hands. This can involve global mass payouts, which entail transferring substantial payment volumes to individuals or entities across international borders. Global mass payouts are crucial for firms operating on an international scale, reimbursing wages, vendor bills, or customer repayments across borders. Managing global mass payouts can […]
December 12, 2024
By Barbara Weltman
Several years ago, a Harvard Business Review study found that having a business plan makes you more likely to succeed. “Entrepreneurs who write formal plans are 16% more likely to achieve viability than the otherwise identical nonplanning entrepreneurs.” With the year drawing to a close, it’s a great time to revise an existing business plan or […]
December 11, 2024
As the holiday season and a new year approach, it’s the perfect time to reflect on all your business has achieved. Whether you’ve hit new sales milestones, rolled out exciting new products or services, or expanded into new markets, none of it would have been possible without the hard work and dedication of your team. […]
December 10, 2024
By Barbara Weltman
On November 25, 2024, Walmart announced it was rolling back its DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) policies. This follows similar moves—abandoning or revising DEI policies—by Ford, Harley-Davidson, Lowe’s, John Deere, Toyota, and others. Some of these companies have also ended their participation in the Human Rights Campaign Corporate Equity Index, which reports on policies related […]
December 5, 2024
By Barbara Weltman
Retirement plans are an important way to help employees build financial security. There is great flexibility for employers in choosing the plan best suited to their company’s situation (e.g., number of employees, financial position of the business, corporate culture). Yet, Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported earlier this year that only 57% of companies with fewer […]
November 21, 2024
By Barbara Weltman
For more than 25 years, I’m proud to say my tax book for small businesses has been the go-to guide for owners and tax advisers. The 2025 edition for preparing 2024 returns as well as tax planning for 2025 has been updated to include law changes from earlier tax legislation (e.g., Inflation Reduction Act; SECURE Act […]
Multimedia
Resources For Your Business
Growing Your Business by Bringing In Investors
Growing Your Business by Growing Your Skills
Growing Your Business — Adding New Physical Locations
Good Reasons to Add Professionals to Grow Your Business
Barbara’s Books
By Barbara Weltman
COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE TO SMALL BUSINESS TAX WRITE-OFFS AND STRATEGIES FROM A LEADING NAME IN TAX If you own a small business, this comprehensive guide explains in easy-to-understand terms the essentials of business taxes to prepare you to work better with your CPA or other tax adviser or handle tax responsibilities on your own. Whether you’re […]
By Barbara Weltman
THE COMPREHENSIVE HANDBOOK FOR AMERICAN TAXPAYERS LOOKING FOR EVERY LEGAL TAX DEDUCTION AND CREDIT This edition of this popular book has been fully updated to reflect the latest law changes, rulings and court decisions impacting 2024 returns. It’s organized in a way that allows you to easily refer to the appropriate deductions and credits for […]
By Barbara Weltman
Ideas you’ll use everyday! With only so many hours in the day, it’s impossible to stay on top of key developments and opportunities to help you run your business better and smarter. 500+ Big Ideas for Your Small Business gives you quick access to resources and tips you can use every day. Whether you’re a […]
By Barbara Weltman
Your GPS to Get You Where You Want to Go in Your Business Do you enjoy driving and being your own boss with flexible work options? Are you looking for a part-time (or full-time) activity that earns good money? Maybe you’ve already discovered that there are great opportunities for making money with your car. Or, […]
By Barbara Weltman
A Step-By-Step Road Map–with Checklists–to Get You Started Up, Profitable, and Successful Whether you want to start up a part-time home-based business or jump in full throttle and work on it full time, you need a start-up guide. A road map! Home-Based Business Start-Up Guide will help you chart your course to work-from-home success. Written […]
What every self-employed person needs to know about their taxes! If you’re self-employed, chances are the majority of your time is spent finding new customers or clients, servicing existing ones, and handling each and every aspect of your business. Freelancers, independent contractors, gig economy participants, and other individuals working for themselves need to be aware […]
By Barbara Weltman and Harvey Bezozi
Created for Uber and Lyft drivers as their GPS — to help them get where they want to go in their business, safely and securely. Note: This e-Book has been updated with a new title and revised content (shown). Do you enjoy driving and being your own boss with flexible work options? Are you looking […]
By Barbara Weltman
Presenting a recently-launched, updated, paperback edition! Barbara Weltman takes an inspired look in Smooth Failing at the hard lessons learned when things go wrong. Through extensive interviews with entrepreneurs whose ventures failed for a variety of reasons — some stunningly unexpected, some painfully inevitable — Weltman gleans valuable insights about the small mistakes that can lead to large scale catastrophe. Smooth Failing seeks to save readers from similar disaster — while empowering those who are learning from failures and adversity to bounce back stronger and wiser on the often rocky road to success.
By Barbara Weltman and Jerry Silberman
12 surefire ways for your business to survive and thrive! Owning a small business can be a fulfilling and financially rewarding experience, but to be successful, you must know what to do while the business is up and running, and, most importantly, what to do when the business runs into trouble. This book is definitely […]
By Barbara Weltman
As Vicki Raeburn of Dun & Bradstreet notes in the forward, “…the successful creation of credit by small business has a significant effect on one of the most important business drivers, namely cash flow. … [This book has] the information needed to understand and build business credit.”
Testimonials
Thank you for all the helpful tips and ideas I’ve learned from your daily email!
– Sally Howard
You help me become better informed and to feel better connected to other small businesses even if just through knowing we’re all seeing your newsletter and paying attention to the same concerns.
– Sally
Barbara’s newsletter and the information she shares are always useful and topical. Always an excellent newsletter from you, Barbara!
– Bob Benowitz
I love the simplicity of your articles. — Marie
– Marie Porolniczak, CB
Jim Blasingame, Host of The Small Business Advocate Show, and author of the award-winning books, “The 3rd Ingredient,” and “The Age of the Customer” says: “At a time when working from home is becoming the norm, why wouldn’t right now be a perfect time to start a home-based business? If you’re still with me, here’s the next logical question: Why wouldn’t you want to learn how to do that from someone who was home-based before it was cool? Someone who was making being home-based look good before technology made it easy.
Well, that person is my friend, Barbara Weltman, and she’s put all of her experience, wisdom and perspective in a new book, “Home-Based Business Start-up Guide.” It’s a by-the-numbers tutorial on how to launch a successful home-based business.
Let Barbara help you get your home-based business going with her book, and all of the other awesome resources she produces in support of small businesses. She’s the best.” — Jim
– Jim Blasingame, Host of The Small Business Advocate Show
I love your ideas of the day! They have become an instrumental part of my learning!
– Gina Bertoletti
You should sign up for the “Idea of the Day®” by Barbara Weltman. This will give you great tips and help you with your daily business needs. She writes every article with consummate skill.
– Lesley
As a tax attorney and small business specialist, Barbara has a lot of great information to share. Barbara, your blogs contain information that everyone can use! Your newly-expanded ebook, “175+ Big Ideas for Small Business” ebook has lots of great recommendations for small business owners.
– Lisa Rubenfeld
For a small business owner, the information [in your book] is absolutely one of the best I’ve come across! Thanks so much for the break-down of information.
– Michelle Joe
I just wanted to reach out and give you a very big, truly heartfelt “thank you” for all the work that you do to help small business owners grow and succeed.
More specifically, I wanted to offer you some praise for your blog posts and Idea of the Day®. My email inbox gets so very cluttered. And honestly, on most days I will do a wholesale delete of many, many messages. But I literally stop and specifically look for your name and your small business Idea of the Day®. I don’t want to miss it! In fact, I look forward to reading it daily (even on weekends!) because I know I’m going to learn something new that saves me money, time or just adds to my professional knowledge in a way that helps me help others too.
So thank you, thank you, thank you for your efforts!
– Lynnette Khalfani-Cox, The Money Coach
Thank you for finding this important information. Getting your daily email is like getting an MBA in small business.
– J. S. Budnik
“Thank you, Barbara Weltman, for all of your articles and tax advice to small business owners! All the best.”
– Shane Madigan
I follow your blog religiously for the great tips you provide. I love the new look. It makes me smile to see that your blog got an update. Thanks for providing such useful information.
– Lee Drozak
She has been an advocate, public speaker, and resource for small business news since the release of her first book, J.K. Lasser’s Tax Deductions for Small Business, in 1995. Since then she has run her website, her Big Ideas for Small Business® newsletter, and her blog, not to mention written over a dozen books. Ms. Weltman is on this list twice because for many business owners, it is easier to scroll through her Twitter feed for trending topics and news events than search her website. However, if you don’t take a minute to read her newsletters or blog — you’re missing out.
– Meredith Wood, Fundera Ledger
Barbara Weltman is one smart cookie – I follow her on Twitter, and her content is always interesting and informative.
– An eBay Radio listener – purplejaime1976
You help me become better informed and to feel better connected to other small businesses even if just through knowing we’re all seeing your newsletter and paying attention to the same concerns.
– Sally
Barbara’s newsletter and the information she shares are always useful and topical. Always an excellent newsletter from you, Barbara!
– Bob Benowitz
I love the simplicity of your articles. — Marie
– Marie Porolniczak, CB
Jim Blasingame, Host of The Small Business Advocate Show, and author of the award-winning books, “The 3rd Ingredient,” and “The Age of the Customer” says: “At a time when working from home is becoming the norm, why wouldn’t right now be a perfect time to start a home-based business? If you’re still with me, here’s the next logical question: Why wouldn’t you want to learn how to do that from someone who was home-based before it was cool? Someone who was making being home-based look good before technology made it easy.
Well, that person is my friend, Barbara Weltman, and she’s put all of her experience, wisdom and perspective in a new book, “Home-Based Business Start-up Guide.” It’s a by-the-numbers tutorial on how to launch a successful home-based business.
Let Barbara help you get your home-based business going with her book, and all of the other awesome resources she produces in support of small businesses. She’s the best.” — Jim
– Jim Blasingame, Host of The Small Business Advocate Show
I love your ideas of the day! They have become an instrumental part of my learning!
– Gina Bertoletti
You should sign up for the “Idea of the Day®” by Barbara Weltman. This will give you great tips and help you with your daily business needs. She writes every article with consummate skill.
– Lesley
As a tax attorney and small business specialist, Barbara has a lot of great information to share. Barbara, your blogs contain information that everyone can use! Your newly-expanded ebook, “175+ Big Ideas for Small Business” ebook has lots of great recommendations for small business owners.
– Lisa Rubenfeld
For a small business owner, the information [in your book] is absolutely one of the best I’ve come across! Thanks so much for the break-down of information.
– Michelle Joe
I just wanted to reach out and give you a very big, truly heartfelt “thank you” for all the work that you do to help small business owners grow and succeed.
More specifically, I wanted to offer you some praise for your blog posts and Idea of the Day®. My email inbox gets so very cluttered. And honestly, on most days I will do a wholesale delete of many, many messages. But I literally stop and specifically look for your name and your small business Idea of the Day®. I don’t want to miss it! In fact, I look forward to reading it daily (even on weekends!) because I know I’m going to learn something new that saves me money, time or just adds to my professional knowledge in a way that helps me help others too.
So thank you, thank you, thank you for your efforts!
– Lynnette Khalfani-Cox, The Money Coach
Thank you for finding this important information. Getting your daily email is like getting an MBA in small business.
– J. S. Budnik
“Thank you, Barbara Weltman, for all of your articles and tax advice to small business owners! All the best.”
– Shane Madigan
I follow your blog religiously for the great tips you provide. I love the new look. It makes me smile to see that your blog got an update. Thanks for providing such useful information.
– Lee Drozak
She has been an advocate, public speaker, and resource for small business news since the release of her first book, J.K. Lasser’s Tax Deductions for Small Business, in 1995. Since then she has run her website, her Big Ideas for Small Business® newsletter, and her blog, not to mention written over a dozen books. Ms. Weltman is on this list twice because for many business owners, it is easier to scroll through her Twitter feed for trending topics and news events than search her website. However, if you don’t take a minute to read her newsletters or blog — you’re missing out.
– Meredith Wood, Fundera Ledger
Barbara Weltman is one smart cookie – I follow her on Twitter, and her content is always interesting and informative.
– An eBay Radio listener – purplejaime1976
It’s BRIEF, concise and timely. Funny, I do a quick scan of my bloated mail box, quickly deleting what I feel is a time waster. But I NEVER delete Idea of the Day® until I’ve first opened it. Both you and Napoleon Hill’s Thought for the day ALWAYS get read. You’re in terrific company. Thanks.
– Don Aronowitz