Category: Tools and Information

Top 20 Tax Deductions for Small Business | Small Biz Trends

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On Wall Street, there’s a saying that past performance is no guarantee of future results. When it comes to taxes, however, past performance is a great indicator of the types of deductions that businesses typically take each year.

Last winter the IRS released data on Schedule C filers. Here are some of the most popular tax deductions for small business that were claimed by sole proprietors as determined by the dollar amounts, starting with the largest category. The same types of deductions can be claimed by other entities — C corporations, S corporations, partnerships, and limited liability companies (LLCs) (although there may be slightly different rules for some deductions). See which of these tax deductions for small business apply for your 2015 tax return.

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Why Does the Sound of Water Help You Sleep? | Live Science

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The crash of ocean waves, the babbling of brooks, the pitter-patter of rain on shingles — many people swear by these watery sounds to help them fall asleep and stay in la-la land. Why does flowing “agua” apparently have such a powerful and popular drowsing effect?

Part of the answer lies in how our brains interpret the noises we hear — both while awake and in the dead of night — as either threats or non-threats.

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6 Reasons Not to Go Back to School | Page19

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You may be looking for a new challenge, you may be bored of your job and want to switch career, you may want to enhance your job prospects, or you may just want to quench your thirst for knowledge. No doubt, there are many good reasons for going back to school.

But, wait—before you consign yourself to poring over books in dark libraries all day long to churn out abstract essays of questionable value or choose to suffer the pain of reckoning with your intellectual limits, expressed through test scores, and alongside people, what, 10 years younger than you?—consider that, while going back to school might be the conventional choice, it might not actually be the best one.

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Why You Should Ditch the Keyboard and Meet in Person Instead | Entrepreneur

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Face-to-face communication is a dying art, or so it seems in the digital age. The majority of our communication with clients now takes place over email and instant messaging. While digital communication certainly has its advantages, experts warn their overuse may lead to some fundamental flaws that could derail your success.

Michael Diettrich-Chastain, a business consultant in Asheville, N.C., who helps business leaders understand the human side of their business, says while digital communication now prevails, we should beware the consequences of avoiding face-to-face meetings altogether. Diettrich-Chastain says some important elements of communication are lost in digital exchanges. Although phone conversations now sound an intimate way of connecting, even these don’t allow for body language and eye contact that are only available to you in an in-person meeting.

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 7 Common Misconceptions Business Organizations Believe About Customer Service This 2016 | Getentrepreneurial

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We all do know and are aware of the fact that how difficult it is for the business organizations to stay ahead of their competitors when it comes to customer service trends. Consumers continue to demand a change and evolve unless and until your organization continues to stay current and the customers move ahead without even noticing you. Given below are the 6 major common misconceptions the business organizations generally believe about customer service this 2016.

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Taking Care of Business by Taking Care of Yourself | All Business

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Are you the type of person who thinks of everyone else before yourself? If you are, you probably don’t even realize it. Business owners are particularly prone to this trait. We have a responsibility to our team and our customers, and that can become a singular focus.

But when your weekly date night starts to become monthly, and your evening workouts are replaced with late night office hours, you might be putting yourself on the back burner–and that doesn’t help anyone.

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This Super Bowl Ad Thinks Buying Mortgages on Your Phone Will Save America | Bloomberg Business

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Sometimes, it feels as if we just can’t stop thinking about the financial crisis. Every macro event is the next “Lehman moment;” every retreat in stocks marks the early innings of the next crash.

Other times, it’s as if we’ve all forgotten that the financial meltdown ever happened. Quicken Loans’ 2016 Super Bowl ad falls into the latter category.

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Detavio Samuels Left Global Hue to Start an Agency That Speaks to Black Consumers | Adweek

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Adweek: You’ve launched a branded content studio that targets black consumers. What is different about marketing to this demographic?

Samuels: In an ideal world, the story will come out of culture that will be relevant for more than just people who are of African-American ethnicity.

Stories that are coming out of black content and lifestyle are hot right now. If you look at things like Unsung, Empire and Blackish, you can see that those stories are very popular. Black culture has always been hot, but now it has a platform that maybe we haven’t seen in the past. Content is not just relevant for black people—it’s relevant for mainstream culture.

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9 Smart Reasons You Need to Be Using Facebook Ads Now | Inc.com

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Social media is a tremendous way to increase exposure and traffic for your business, create loyal customers, and generate leads and sales.

Spoiler alert: Facebook remains King Social Network. It is the social media platform of choice for the majority of marketers–and for good reason.

It’s never been cheaper to build your brand and create new demand for your products and services.

If you aren’t already advertising on Facebook, you’d be crazy not to. Especially if you want to grow like crazy in 2016.

Here are nine reasons Facebook ads will help make your business super successful in 2016, starting right now.

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