When you start your own business, most people are not used to interviewing potential employees, because not too long ago you were just an employee yourself.

You have to remember that the person being interviewed is probably nervous, so try and write your own set of questions, rather than only going the general what-are-your-strengths-and-weaknesses route. Ask the interviewee questions that would actually pertain to your business, if you work in an office that always has people walking in and out or loud music, ask your interviewee if they can concentrate in that type of environment, many people cannot, and although you may do  your best to accommodate someone who you think is good for the position, if that someone doesn't adjust well, they may leave, or be unhappy.

Also when interviewing, make sure you try your best to make the interviewee feel comfortable, the environment for an interview doesn't have to be uptight and by the book. I've had interviews where the interviewer asked what type of music I preferred or what my favorite movie is, questions such as these allow you to gauge the interviewees personality better to see if they are a good fit for your company, it opens up the invitation for chat, which can put the interviewee at ease.

I myself don't have much experience being the interviewee, and very little being the interviewer. I've only had a few jobs, and I didn't interview many times before I found somewhere I fit in, but there is one interview that will always stick out in my mind, and it's basically what not to do when conducting an interview. It could have been the uncomfortably quiet office that I walked into that didn't help put me at ease, but the company owner who was interviewing me also was cold and inviting. Part of the interview required me to do a basic math quiz, after the test, the owner came in to score it, I had got all problems but one correct, and the owner's comment was, "Well, you're not dumb." I pretty much wanted to leave right then, but I stuck around for the remainder of the interview, basically being given the rundown on how operations work. I left knowing that if I had got offered the position (even though the pay was higher than I was expecting), I would not take it. I was offered the position within the next week, I declined.

American Express is giving away free Facebook advertising for small businesses as part of their Small Business Saturday promotion. If there was ever a time to start a corporation of form an LLC, the time could be now, this isn't the first time American Express has decided to help out the small business community and it seems to be a growing trend among banks and credit companies. For this campaign, American Express is providing the first 10,000 business who sign up for the program, $100 in Facebook advertising. The promotion also is giving $25 to American Express users who vow to use their cards towards small businesses on November 27th, Small Business Saturday. Being tied in with the Facebook portion of the promotion, Amex is also giving away $1, (up to half a million dollars) for every "Like" they get on their Small Business Saturday page, to Girls, Inc., a charity that helps teach young women to succeed in business.

Though it might only bee a slight increase, the National Federation of Independent Business are reporting that small business optimisim is up as of last month. Though there might not be any new hiring going on just yet, the trend continues to slowly move in a positive manner. This is great news for any small buisness because when several small businesses are doing well the trend seems to grow, even if it's only slightly. If you have any questions about starting your own business, filing for a DBA or forming a corporation, please give us a call at 866-999-8200.

For many of us, record keeping is not a glamorous part of running a business, but just as your customer service and product or service quality it is important to your business. Although you may think that you're doing a great job keeping records, it's also important to backup the records your savings. Most hard drives will fail at some point, so it's crucial that you backup your files often either on an external hard drive, or a secure online backup service. It's also a good idea to back up your website locally, so it will be easy to re-upload if your server ever crashes. If you have any business related questions, don't hesitate to call us at 866-999-8200.

For every corporation that is formed in this country, each corporation must have a certain amount of shares outstanding.  The number of share must be one or greater.  Rarely will a corporation have only one share.  The implication of having just one share is that only one person can own the company since the corporation is owned by its shareholders.  Typically we default to 1500 shares when we form new corporations. 

There is one thing to note for those corporations that would like to issue millions of shares.  Most states will allow for your corporation to have that many shares but in some circumstances, the fees to incorporate with this many shares can be substantial.  Fees can range to hundreds or thousands of dollars depending on the amount of shares you authorize.  In most cases, having more than 1500 shares is not necessary.  Most companies don't go public and therefore wouldn't need that many shares. 

The only time where you would really need to worry about the number of shares is when the company is to go public or if they need to sell partial ownership of the company to raise capital.  In this case, many companies choose to add additional shares and to get advisement from lawyers. 

If you wish to form a corporation, please contact us.

Imagine if businesses like Starbucks or McDonald's opened at different times everyday, it would be a little annoying to know that some days you were able to get your coffee or breakfast and some days you aren't because they decided that their businesses will open when they're going to open whenever they feel like it. Many people who start a small business feel that they can do that, because you are a small business and may not have anyone to answer to about being inconsistent. The truth is, if you don't have employees and are working by yourself, your boss is the clients. If you work in a coffee shop or somewhere where you depend on word of mouth marketing or repeat clients, it's extremely important to set yourself a schedule, so that loyal clients will become familiar with it. If there's a day you will not be open for any reason, or will be opening late and if you're aware in advance, let you customers know in advance, they will be appreciative if they see a note on the door that states you will be closed on a certain date. This also gets rid of the confusion on potential new clients if they happen to stumble upon your business on that day you happen to be closed, if they see a sign "We will be closed on 10/28/2010" they know that they can come back on the 29th and you will be open. Whatever your schedule might be, be sure to stick to it, and only stray from it when absolutely necessary.