Starting a Business? A Blog of Free Plans and Ideas

BookFresh.com's blog about starting and running your own business

• How Will the Health Care Bill Affect Your Business?

  March 23, 2010, by Staff Writer

  Many small business owners have been asking exactly how the health care bill will affect them. We don’t have a crystal ball but we will do our best to try to answer some of your most important questions.

  In 2011, the law will require individual and small group market plans to spend 80 percent of premium dollars on medical services. Large group plans have to spend at least 85%.

  By 2014, employers who have more than 50 employees must offer health insurance benefits or pay penalties. Companies with 25 or fewer employees who meet certain wage requirements will also be able to get credits toward health insurance purchases.

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  Posted in In the News | 0 comments
• Does Uncle Sam Pay More?

  March 10, 2010, by Staff Writer

  According to a recent study by USA Today, federal employee average salaries are higher than their private-sector counterparts. The study includes a range of professions- some of which are nurses, graphic designer, janitors, marketing managers, IT managers, secretaries, financial analysts and lawyers.

  Some Interesting Findings

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• Prevent Your Employees from Two-Timing You

  March 03, 2010, by Staff Writer

  2010 has already seen a few trends that stem from the 1981 recession. Tammy Erickson of the Harvard Business Review discusses some of the effects this recession will leave on the way employees do their work.

  Two-Timing

  Because so many employers have used pay decreases and furloughs to cut costs, a good portion of the American workforce have chosen to maintain two jobs; their salaried and benefits job as well as an entrepreneurial project or part-time work at another company. The result of this is a buzzword for organizational managers everywhere- disengagement.

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• Customer Service Trends

  February 22, 2010, by Staff Writer

  This may be the Year of the Tiger but for smart entrepreneurs and small business owners, 2010 is the Year of Customer Service. After discounting, slashing prices, and offering everything short of the kitchen sink, the only real competitive advantage your business may have is customer service. To ensure you stay on top of your competition, check out the latest trends in customer service.

  Full-Transparency

  With social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter, it is not easier than ever for a disgruntled or happy customer to share his/her thoughts with thousands of people. Use this as motivation to keep disgruntled customers few and far between while showcasing positive reviews on these forums.

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  Posted in In the News | 5 comments
• Help for Haiti

  January 27, 2010, by Staff Writer

  As a small business owner, it is important to give back. Technology has made it very easy and effortless to donate money to great causes. In the wake of the tragedy in Haiti, there is a great opportunity to do good and help our neighboring nation. Not only will this foster a good reputation with your local community but it is for a worthy cause that needs help.

  A few things you can do to help Haiti:

  Include donation information on your website. A simple link for customers to donate money is a great way to help. Two trustworthy sites are Clinton Bush Haiti Fund and American Red Cross

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  Posted in In the News | 1 comments
• Google’s Local Business Listings: Monitor Carefully

  January 13, 2010, by Staff Writer

  Google has been all over the news lately- first their Google Phone released last week and now their threat to withdraw from China over censorship and cyberspying. Aside from those two front-page stories, Google is also at the forefront of small business news. Small Business Trends reports that last week, many small business owners started receiving emails about their local business results from November. In addition to their own results was information about other local businesses that they had no affiliation with.

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• The Smartest Products of the Decade

  January 08, 2010, by Staff Writer

  Inc., a magazine geared towards entrepreneurs and small business owners released their list of the “Smartest Products of the Decade”. All of these products have revolutionized the way we communicate, spend our time, and entertainment. Here are the winners…

  iPod

  On October 23, 2001, a digital music device called the iPod was launched by Apple. Since then, it has changed the way we live. With over 220 million of the devices sold since its introduction, it paved the way for iTunes and a spot in American culture.

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  Posted in In the News | 3 comments
• “Bring Your Own Business” Holiday Party

  December 04, 2009, by Staff Writer

  Like every other business this year, caterers and party planners were bracing themselves for a bleak holiday season as companies cut back of extravagant holiday parties. But thanks to the innovative concept of company holiday party sharing, caterers may have a merrier holiday season.

  New York Times writer Mickey Meece recently wrote about the trend this year in corporate America. Instead of pulling a Mr. Grinch and cancelling your company’s annual holiday bash because of the cost, think about sharing it. By sharing the cost with 3-9 other small businesses, even companies of a tight budget may be able to have some holiday fun!

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  Posted in In the News | 1 comments
• Tis the Season to Give

  November 18, 2009, by Staff Writer

  For most small business owners, community outreach and philanthropy seem like great ideas but are usually put on the back burner due to lack of time. Well, this holiday season you make a difference using the same social media tool that provides your business with cost-effective and highly targeted advertising.

  On Monday, Chase announced a partnership with Facebook to power the finance company's inaugural "Community Giving" campaign, which will allocate a total of $5 million to small, local nonprofits voted on by Facebook members.

  Facebook users can vote for their favorite small charities on the Chase Community Giving Application. Once you vote, you will have the option to publish your vote on your status feed for all of your friends to see.

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• BookFresh and Homethinking Come Together To Offer Real Estate Agents Online Booking Functionality

  October 29, 2009, by Staff Writer

  We are very excited to announce our recent partnership with Homethinking, an online service for homeowners! Real estate agents can now accept bookings from homeowners on their website and on HomeThinking. For homeowners, this adds a new dimension of convenience with the ability to book appointments online 24 hours a day.

  Homethinking is an online service that helps homeowners choose a realtor to sell their house. True to their mission of helping consumers make better real estate decisions, home owners can browse through realtors, review their performance, and now book appointments online! Performance of their realtors is measured by monitoring transactions such as houses sold, price of houses sold, and how long it took them to sell their houses.

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