Home Business Review Place

Over the past twenty years, the retail store that I have been working at has had a purely paper based training program consisting of forms to fill in and papers to read.  Though this has been effective up to this point, it was decided at a recent board meeting that we needed to have a more environmentally friendly training program.  It was decided that I come up with the training materials and implement the new training across our stores.

It took me nearly six months to come up with a training curriculum that would work in a digital format and that would meet the goal of the company on having a greener training methodology.  I created interactive testing as well as video based learning for the trainees.  When I was finished creating the project, I was quite happy with my work.

Now, I have been assigned the task of going out to all of our stores to run the program with our staff.  In order to facilitate the learning, I have been using laptop rentals and LCD projector rentals while on the road since the company did not want to invest in new equipment.

So far, the response to the training program has been great and it looks like it was a smart decision of the board.  I just wish I didn’t have to travel so much – I miss my family.

Technorati Tags: laptop rentals, LCD projector rentals

Are you having trouble paying all of your bills? If so, then you really need to deal with your debt problem. Have a look at the four best ways to deal with debt:

1. Make a plan and stick to it. If you can create a budget and repayment plan on your own then this is the best option to take for paying off your debt.
2. Look into debt consolidation. There are a lot of good debt consolidation plans to choose from. These lower your total monthly payment and streamline your bills down to a single monthly bill.
3. Consider negotiating a lower rate. You can work with a debt settlement company to do a credit card debt negotiation which lowers the total amount that you have to repay.
4. File for bankruptcy. If you are in over your head then you may want to file for bankruptcy. This should always be considered a last resort for dealing with debt.

These four options are laid out in an order from best choice to last choice. You should work from the top down to repay your debts in the best way possible for you. You’ll be so glad that you took care of this once it’s done!

Technorati Tags: credit card debt negotiation, debt consolidation plans

Well, I always wondered what you do if you want a permanent brick barbecue out in your yard.  I thought maybe you bought a rolling one and then built around it or something.  But I finally found out that the answer is one of those drop in grills!

This is such a wonderful solution because, unlike the built in barbecue I had as a child that would only accommodate charcoal briquettes, these grills have burners and use gas or propane just like you might expect.   You don’t even need to leave an opening in your brick structure because you can go ahead and just get some outdoor kitchen cabinets.

It is so handy and actually encouraged now to get all this barbecue paraphernalia-it’s quite the cultural expectation any more.  But I don’t know, it still seems easier to me to just broil steaks in the oven.  I know, I’m a spoil-sport.  But the whole bbq thing seems like it’s an event in and of itself:  everyone is enjoying the outdoors and shooting the breeze, drinking beer or something.

That’s great, but for the other 363 days a year, I guess I’m just lazy.  Still, when you want to use a bbq, you really need one, so you’d better get one.

Technorati Tags: drop in grills, outdoor kitchen cabinets, paraphernalia

I was recently notified by the company I work for that I would need to pack up and move from Arizona where I currently live and head down to Georgia. While it came as a bit of a shock, I have been to Atlanta and do, truly, enjoy the area and its people. One of the main reasons they are sending me there is to be closer to the Atlanta colocation web hosting facility we use.

photo credit: rockmixer

While they have their own professionals on staff 24/7, my bosses boss feels that we’d be better served if I was closer, nonetheless.

So, in addition to having to completely uproot my life, over the next 3 months I need to become a web server expert. The reason for this has to do with the money savings our business is hoping to attain when they convert all of our server packages to unmanaged dedicated server hosting plans.

And this basically means that I will be THE person that is responsible for all aspects of our company’s online existence. The great thing about having our server boxes in a colo center, as they are called, has to do with the fact they always have professional technicians on duty. This means I’ll never really be all that alone to take care of the challenges that may arise.

Technorati Tags: Atlanta colocation, unmanaged dedicated server hosting

When you have a home business, it can be really tempting to deduct things you really shouldn’t be as business expenses.  This can be really dangerous, though, because the IRS is bound to notice if you are going overboard on your business deductions — and you can get in a lot of trouble if you get caught.

I worry about people I know doing this.  For instance, deducting personal vehicles, or a cell phone that is not really just for business.  Or taking the home office deduction when it really isn’t justified.

Now, it’s not a strong argument, but if you can legitimately say, “I didn’t know,” you may be okay taking the risk.  But it has to be an honest mistake.  For instance, if you have a home business and you try to deduct your hot tub spa as a cost of doing business (i.e., so that you can relax), I really don’t think the IRS will be too understanding of your “mistake” if you get audited — no matter what a cheap hot tub it was.

I guess one of the best things to do is use common sense.  If it feels like you’re trying too hard to justify an expense, if it’s not obvious why it’s a business expense, you probably shouldn’t be taking it.  Now that obviously isn’t the only determining factor, and you probably should consult a professional for more specific advice, but it’s a start!

Technorati Tags: business expenses, cheap hot tub, home office deduction, hot tub spa