Smarter Office Blog

4 of The Best Business Books to Read From 2016

In an era dominated by online content, picking up a physical book can feel extra special. When it comes to books on business, you’ll be able to acquire some in-depth information straight from expert businesspeople themselves.

5 Business Tasks You Should Delegate

Every entrepreneur wants his or her business running in high gear. That said, you can't really streamline your company if you can't streamline your day.

5 Online Meeting Platforms

Ideally, a meeting platform should be dependable and cost-effective, while offering plenty of great features. At the same time, it should be easy for all collaborators to connect without joining difficulties and unexpected interruptions. So, which platforms offer the most bang for your buck? The following five offer impressive attributes for meetings, group collaborations and screen sharing.

Email Etiquette 101

Unfortunately, in the age of demanding schedules, it's quite easy to click "send" without paying close attention to what you've typed. To avoid embarrassing and costly errors, learn some fundamental tips for improving your netiquette.

5 Tactics That Could be Undermining Your Search Engine Optimization

If you aren’t seeing results from your Search Engine Optimization (SEO) efforts, there’s a chance you could be undermining your work without even realizing.

7 Keys to Success at Equity Crowdfunding

Tax Strategies for Those Who Work Remotely

Unfortunately, the tax landscape isn't always so clear for remote workers, who draw income from multiple sources and work from multiple locations. To avoid potential penalties and limit your tax obligations, consider the following tax strategies for remote workers.

What You Need to Know About Insurance When You’re Self Employed

Gender Discrimination and Financing

The research findings are contradictory — some studies suggest that there’s no gender discrimination in business financing, while others crunch the numbers and see an obvious gap in funding and loan consideration.

Year End Checklist for your Business

At this time of the year, I regularly ask myself if I’ve done enough to prepare my business for the New Year. Having a To Do list can come in very handy: (1) Write down a list of your company’s major accomplishments for 2016, and be prepared to share them with your staff. (2) Write out your plans and goals for next year. (3) Create realistic budgets for 2017 if you work on a calendar year fiscal basis. (4) Look at your Income Statement. Where do you come out? If you have a sizable profit, can you make major purchases that can be depreciated? Do you have the cash available to do this? Talk to your accountant if you are not clear on depreciation rules. (5) Review your loans and clean them up if need be. (6) See that your 1099 information is set up correctly in your accounting software. If you don’t have the proper information from your vendors, ask for it now. You’ll be able to use it every year. (7) If you have employees or third party support, think about year-end bonuses or special gifts. (8) Look for fringe benefits you should report on W2s. Some examples are health and life insurance, employee loans you’ve forgiven, school reimbursement programs, and transportation subsidies. (9) Complete a physical inventory of your products and make adjustments in your accounting software. (10) Check all links on your website to make sure they are active.*

Check Up on Business Goals Before the Holidays

With more time to plan, small business owners can more accurately foresee what will need to be accomplished and how best to undertake it so that 2016 ends smoothly and 2017 will be even more successful.

6 Mistakes to Avoid in Your Writing

Modern entrepreneurs spend a lot of time pecking away at keyboards. Unfortunately, many undervalue the importance of well-written internal and external communications. From emails and blog posts to client proposals and reports for management, poor business writing can undermine your success.

7 Ways to Get More Traffic to your Webinar

Webinars are an excellent way to convert traffic and subscribers into paying customers. That said, they only work if people show up.

Protect Against a DDoS Attack

5 Tips for Successful Facebook Contests

While some business owners credit Facebook contests for increased customer engagement, others view them as time-consuming endeavors that simply don't work. In truth, these social media tactics can be either, depending on how they're set up.

5 Tips to Build your Company's Credit Rating

Unfortunately, it can be difficult for unproven enterprises to secure credit from risk-averse banking institutions. The following tips can pave a clearer path toward accessing credit lines for your business.

How to Create Ad Copy for Different Social Media Channels

With so many options, however, it's not always easy for business owners to craft quality, actionable content across multiple unique channels. To better tailor your social media ads, learn a few best practices for some of the most popular platforms.