Accountant vs. Bookkeeper: Small Business Financial Differences | Business News Daily

June 18, 2015 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Given the many problems small business owners encounter every day, recording and understanding the sales and expenses and other basic business data should be easy enough. But understanding the accounting needs of a business is not always so easy. Consider the difference between bookkeeping and accounting. Is there even a difference?

There is, and the difference is simple: bookkeepers record a company’s day-to-day transactions; accountants tell them how to do it, and then the accountants periodically make sense of all the information by turning it into useful reports .

Sarah Kauss launched S’well to rid the world of plastic water bottles | Money Cnn

June 17, 2015 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Plastic water bottles are a divisive issue for many consumers, but not for Sarah Kauss.

The defining moment happened at Kauss’ five-year business school reunion in 2009.

“A professor did a presentation about the global water crisis and the impact on the planet from plastic waste,” said Kauss. “I knew then that my bottle idea had to happen.”

Before then, Kauss would carry other metal water bottles with her but wasn’t happy with their look.

In 2010, Kauss launched her startup S’well, a line of insulated reusable stainless steel bottles that are designed to keep drinks cold for 24 hours and hot for 12 hours.

Since then, the New York-based firm has sold 4 million bottles. The business is profitable and saw revenue surge 400% between 2013 and 2014 — hitting $10 million last year. “We expect revenue to grow exponentially again this year,” she said.

How To Create Successful Employees |Small Biz Trends

June 17, 2015 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Imagine you hire some employees, show them to their workstations, and leave them to it. What do you think their chances of success would be? I’m thinking pretty low. And yet, this kind of thing happens every day.

Employers hire people mostly for skill set. With this practice can come the belief that the person is ready to roll on day one.

So, once they’ve filled out all of their paperwork and been shown where the bathrooms are they are let loose to do their job. The result is usually less than stellar performance and everyone ends up unhappy.

Hiring is the first step to future success. The second, and equally important, step is onboarding. Onboarding should include a couple of activities that set the new employee up for success.

Weekly Economic Update | LAEDC

June 17, 2015 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

v.19 n. 25 – Released June 16, 2015

This Week’s Headlines:

California Financial Report for May
Strong Rebound in May Retail Sales
Events of Interest
- Stayed Tuned for Upcoming Events

What CVS buying Target pharmacy means for prices | Business Insider

June 16, 2015 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

CVS is buying Target’s pharmacy business for $1.9 billion.

The deal means the discount retailer’s 1,660 pharmacy locations will become CVS-branded units.

CVS’ acquisition could set off a series of similar deals as cost pressures hurt profits at grocery-store pharmacies, Reuters reports.

“Target pharmacies helped drive overall sales at the chain but lost money, as the government healthcare program known as Obamacare expanded ranks of insured and increased pressure on cost,” Reuters writes.

While outsourcing operations to CVS could help the bottom line at companies, it could be bad news for consumers.

Here Are the 12 Best Facebook Marketing Campaigns From the Past Year | Adweek

June 16, 2015 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

The Ice Bucket Challenge was the past year’s best use of Facebook marketing, according to the social network, which just announced its ad award winners. It’s no surprise the viral campaign got so much praise—Mark Zuckerberg even participated.

Zuckerberg was one of the millions of people to douse themselves in ice water to raise awareness for ALS in what became a powerful moment for online marketing. The best part was that it cost the ALS Association no money to generate all that attention—440 million people saw the videos.

The lesson was not lost on Facebook, which is holding it up as an example of how to use the platform for maximum impact.

This year marked the fourth Facebook Awards, which are timed to coincide with the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity—starting next week—where the ad world assembles to honor its top creative work.

5 Things to Know Before Using Wikipedia as a Marketing Tool | All Business

June 15, 2015 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Wikipedia has been, and will continue to be, one of the best marketing tools for your business. Having a Wikipedia page will not only help lift your brand to the first page of Google, it will also help increase the page rank of your website after it’s linked to your Wikipedia page.

Marketers have been using Wikipedia for years to help clients climb in rank. After all, Google gives quite a bit of authority to Wikipedia; even having a simple link will help with your marketing efforts.

I make my living editing Wikipedia, spending countless hours each day creating and cleaning up entries for various clients. Throughout my time, I have run into the dangers of using Wikipedia as a marketing tool. If not done properly, a page can cause more harm than you can imagine.

Before you jump into editing Wikipedia for yourself or a client, there are a few things that you should familiarize yourself with:

Eight Ways Goofing Off Can Make You More Productive | Forbes

June 15, 2015 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

One of my colleagues used to head to the men’s room and brush his teeth every time he felt a surge of writer’s block. He swears it did the trick. Another exits the building and walks around the block to clear his head. I sorely miss the mid-day yoga sessions that Forbes offered in its old offices in Manhattan. After an hour of downward dog, shoulder stand and corpse pose, my body was relaxed, my mind was clear, and I attacked my work with new energy.

A growing body of research suggests that the longer you keep your rear end in your chair and your eyes glued to your screen, the less productive you may be. Getting up from your desk and moving not only heightens your powers of concentration, it enhances your health.