You are currently browsing the archives for June 2010

Best iPhone Business Professional Accessory

  • Posted on June 25, 2010 at 9:26 am

As a business professional, you require accessories and other equipment in order to make your business life run smoother. One of the top ways to streamline your business communications is through having a cell phone that is dedicated to keeping you connected with your business world. The best cell phone for this type of use is the Apple iPhone. The reason for this is because with the iPhone, you are able to not only have crystal clear voice communication with your business contacts, but you are also able to check your e-mail, surf the Internet and text message quicker than you ever thought. Of course, when you’re tired of dealing with the business world, you are able to listen to your favorite song and relax after a grueling day at the office.

However, having an Apple iPhone isn’t enough to make your professional life streamlined and compact. There are many accessories for the iPhone that have been developed with the business professional in mind. You will find that with these various accessories, you will be able to become more productive as well as allowing your iPhone to better suit your individual needs. If you use your iPhone constantly, than you are probably tired of having to hold the device up to your ear, and you do more than likely not want to fill your ear with a headphone or Bluetooth set. If this is you, than you will want to have an iPhone accessory that not only frees your hands to type on the computer or make notes, but also your ears so you can hear what is going on around you, which is very important when driving in the car.

Perhaps the most unique professional iPhone accessory is the Blueant Supertooth II Speakerphone for the Apple iPhone. This unique accessory not only has the same benefits of a Bluetooth device, but it also frees your ears and your hands from any responsibility to the iPhone. This wonderful iPhone accessory provides you with chilling vocal clarity, even though the sound is being produced through a loudspeaker. It doesn’t matter if you are in your office, at home, driving in the car or sitting in a coffee shop, this Bluetooth speakerphone will give you the freedom that you need to get your work done smoothly. With this product, you are given fifteen hours of talk time, as well as up to 800 hours of standby time.

One of the coolest features about this Bluetooth speakerphone is the fact that you can attach it to your sun visor within your car, allowing you to drive safely while still holding a crystal clear conversation. The reason why this accessory is so useful in the car is because unlike normal in-the-ear Bluetooth devices, your hearing is not obstructed in any way. If you have ever tried to have a conversation while driving with a Bluetooth device in your ear, it is easy for you to become distracted and you are also not able to hear your driving environment.

This poses a driving risk, and is not suggested. However, with this device you are able to drive in pure safety, without having to worry about becoming distracted. Also, this device is extremely portable, set up time for car use is literally less than five seconds. You are able to attach this device through a magnetic clip, thus making the transfer from car to car extremely easy. With this device you will not have to worry about your words not being heard by the person on the other end of the line, because you are given one of the best noise cancelling microphones in the industry. The individual you are talking to will be able to hear you, and only you, which is very important when holding critical conference calls.

Continue reading Best iPhone Business Professional Accessory

Basic Business Attributes, Do You Have Them?

  • Posted on June 18, 2010 at 9:26 am

How many times have we heard the saying we learn from our mistakes. I have to agree with this saying, and also that the lessons we learn hardest we learn best! I have learned a lot from my mistakes, sadly (for me) most of them were made before the Internet existed as the fantastic networking tool it is today. Today it is possible to read articles or join a forum and get great advice (and not so great advice) from forums.

While it is great to learn from our mistakes, it is better to learn from the mistakes of others, or by standing on the shoulders of giants as Newton said.

These are my ‘business mistakes’ I have learned from.

1) Keep your monthly fixed costs as low as possible, and make your number one priority to arrange an equal amount of regular income on a regular monthly basis to cover this amount.

If there was one piece of advice I would give it would be the above, as more businesses go bust due to poor cash flow than anything else!

2) Thoroughly research and work in your mind and bounced off other trusted people, your idea. Market test it as much as possible while keeping the idea as quiet as possible.

3) Get a business plan on paper (not the sort the bank or enterprise agencies use as they are by and large a load of rubbish (although you will need this for the bean counters). Go to (1) above, and set in stone a solid plan for achieving this. After you hit break even continue it on to the next target, and so on.

I just used the magic word there, ‘target’. you MUST be sales orientated in business as the owner, if you are not then you are failing in your main duty which is to ensure the continued existence of the business.

4) Do NOT care what others think about you, i.e. what car you drive etc. ALL of this will change if you stick to the plan and keep your focus on short term targets and longer term goals.

I just tripped another magic word in business ‘ Focus’ .

5) Keep your focus, decide what the targets are, work out how to get them, and focus on doing that. If you need 1000 a month to pay the bills, then this is what you MUST do. If you lose focus of your core objective, you are going to lose out big time, and end up failing.

If you doubt the power of focus, then try this test:-
Get a friend to hold 3 tennis balls in their hand
Get the friend to throw all three at you in one go
Try to catch the balls
Repeat three times. I bet you will not catch many, if any at all.

Now get them to throw them again, and this time focus on catching one ball.
Repeat three times
Now you will have caught one ball three times.

It is true in business that you must focus on the core objective, just as with the balls once you catch one, you move onto the next, until you have achieved all your goals, or at least your most important ones.

Of all the skills needed to succeed, I would say focus is up there with the top 3 along with enthusiasm and determination.

Continue reading Basic Business Attributes, Do You Have Them?

A Clothes Encounter In The Business World

  • Posted on June 11, 2010 at 9:26 am

Do you ever wonder where all the dress rules have gone? Depending on when and where you are on any given business day, the words “distant past” might come to mind. It’s difficult to decide if people don’t know what to wear to work or if they have lost sight of the relevance of appearance to professional success.

The Queen of England is reported to have told Prince Charles, “Dress gives one the outward sign from which people can judge the inward state of mind. One they can see, the other they cannot.” Clearly, she was saying what many people are reluctant to accept; that people judge us by the way we dress. In all situations, business and social, our outward appearance sends a message.

Try going to a busy restaurant at lunchtime. Look around you at what people are wearing and see if you don’t make judgments about who they are, their line of business, their personalities and their competencies. Think about how you feel when you are dressed in your usual business attire as opposed to casual dress. Your choice of business apparel speaks to your professional behavior and credibility. It is important to understand how to dress for business if you wish to promote yourself and your organization in a positive manner,

How you dress depends on four factors: the industry in which you work, the job you have within that industry, the geographic area in which you live; and most importantly, what your client expects to see.

Professional Dress for Men

In men’s clothing, fashion does not change significantly from season to season but business attire is about being professional and not about being fashionable. It’s about presenting yourself in a way that makes your clients feel comfortable and confident with you. Dressing for success is still the rule. The professional businessman should keep in mind these few points when deciding what to wear to work.

Choose a conservative suit in navy, black or gray either pinstripe or solid. The quality of the material speaks as loudly as the color and can make the difference between sleaze and suave.

A solid white or blue dress shirt with long sleeves offers the most polished look. The more pattern and color you add, the more the focus is on your clothing, rather than your professionalism.

Ties should be made of silk or a silk-like fabric. Avoid the cartoon characters and go for simple and subtle if you want to enhance your credibility.

Socks should be calf-length or above. Make sure they match not only what you are wearing, but also each other. A quick glance in good light before heading out the door can save embarrassment later in the day. Check for holes as well if you’ll be going through airport security and removing your shoes.

Shoes should without question be conservative, clean and well polished. Lace-up shoes are the choice over slip-ons or flip flops. Don’t think for a minute that people don’t notice shoes. Many people will look at your feet before your face.

Belts need to match or closely coordinate with your shoes. Once again, quality counts.

Keep jewelry to a minimum. In a time when men sport gold necklaces, bracelets and earrings, the business professional should limit himself to a conservative watch, a wedding band and maybe his college ring.

Personal hygiene is part of the success equation. Freshly scrubbed wins out over heavily fragranced any day of the week. Save the after-shave for after hours, but never the shave itself.

The finishing touch for the business man is his choice of accessories: briefcase, portfolio and pen. When it comes to sealing the deal, a top of the line suit, a silk tie and a good pair of leather shoes can lose their affect when you pull out the ball point pen you picked up in the hotel meeting room the day before.

Professional Dress for Women

When women entered the workplace in the 1970’s and 1980’s in greater numbers than ever before and began to move into positions which had traditionally been held by men, many of them believed that they needed to imitate male business attire. The result was women showing up at the office in skirted suits or coordinated skirts and jackets with tailored blouses finished off with an accessory item that looked very much like a man’s tie. Happily those days are gone. While the business woman may now wear trousers to work, she does it out of a desire to appear professional and at the same time enjoy the flexibility and comfort that pants offer over skirts. Her goal is no longer to mirror her male colleagues.

The same overall rules apply to women’s work attire as apply to men’s. Business clothing is not a reflection of the latest fashion trend. A woman should be noticed for who she is and her professional skills rather than for what she wears. Her business wear should be appropriate for her industry and her position or title within the industry.

Start with a skirted suit or pants suit for the most conservative look. A skirted suit is the most professional. With a few exceptions, dresses do not offer the same credibility unless they are accompanied by matching jackets.

Skirts should be knee-length or slightly above or below. Avoid extremes. A skirt more than two inches above the knee raises eyebrows and questions.

Pants should break at the top of the foot or shoe. While Capri pants and their fashion cousins that come in assorted lengths from mid-calf to ankle are the latest trend, they are out of place in the conservative business environment.

Blouses and sweaters provide color and variety to woman’s clothing, but they should be appealing rather than revealing. Inappropriate necklines and waistlines can give the wrong impression.

Women need to wear hose in the business world. Neutral or flesh-tone stockings are the best choices. Never wear dark hose with light-colored clothing or shoes. Keep an extra pair of stockings in your desk drawer unless the hosiery store is next door or just down the street from the office.

Faces, not feet, should be the focal point in business so chose conservative shoes. A low heel is more professional than flats or high heels. In spite of current fashion and the sandal rage, open-toed or backless shoes are not office attire. Not only are sandals a safety hazard, they suggest a certain official agenda.

When it comes to accessories and jewelry, less is once again more. Keep it simple: one ring per hand, one earring per ear. Accessories should reflect your personality, not diminish your credibility.

Business attire is different from weekend and evening wear. Investing in a good business wardrobe is an investment in your professional future. For those who think it’s not what you wear but who you are that creates success, give that some more thought. Business skills and experience count, but so does personal appearance and that all-important first impression.

2005, Lydia Ramsey. All rights in all media reserved.

Continue reading A Clothes Encounter In The Business World

A Great Shelter from Taxes Your Own Business!

  • Posted on June 4, 2010 at 9:26 am

If tax time equals sleepless nights for you, as you wonder what kind of bill youre going to be socked with this year, and how you will ever pay it, then you should know that there are ways to take chunks out of that bill before you even pull out your checkbook. Educate yourself about all of the tax deductions out there, and take advantage of every single one that applies to you. While things like homeownership and charitable donations make great tax deductions, the best tax relief going comes in the form of your own business. If you are self employed, then your business may be the key to making sure you dont have to turn too much money over to Uncle Sam every April, or better yet, may help you make sure Uncle Sam is writing a check to you instead.

When it comes to looking for things to deduct from your taxes, the trick is to find a way to make as many of your normal expenses as tax deductible as possible. That is why your own business makes such a great tax shelter. Almost every penny you spend can be considered a business expense. If you run a home based tutoring service, then everything from your pens and pencils to snacks for your students to the electricity you use can be written off of your tax bill. If youre a self-employed carpenter, then your van, your gas costs, your tools, your phone, and your home even if you are a renter are all tax deductible. The IRS only requires that your business expenses be reasonable and the courts have been extremely lenient in terming what is reasonable and what is not. One recent case involved a teacher who was allowed by the courts to deduct his golf expenses from his taxes, because he claimed golf was a business networking opportunity.

Of course, you cant just wake up one day and decide that you are a business owner. The process of setting up a business does not have to be difficult or costly, but there are a few requirements you will need to fulfill. First, you will need to file a so-called DBA form Doing Business As with your local courthouse. All this involves is filling out a form stating your name and address and your business name. For an extra layer of protect, file a 5213 form with the IRS; this form will prevent the IRS from challenging any of your business deductions for the first five years of the business.

The test the IRS uses to make sure your business is legitimate is to ask if you have a profit motive. This does NOT mean you have to make a profit; you only have to demonstrate that you WANT to make a profit. This is what separates hobbies from tax-deductible businesses. Your intentions are determined by the way you approach your business do you treat it like a profession and spend a consistent amount of time working on it? Note again that your business plan does even have to show a reasonable hope of making a profit anytime soon; as long as you are motivated by making a profit, then your expenses are tax deductible.

If these deductions sound too good to be true, you should know that claiming them requires a lot of work on your part. You must save and organize all of your receipts and keep meticulous records, in case you are ever audited. If youre serious about your business deductions, get a qualified financial advisor to oversee your tax preparations to make sure you are claiming everything you can and going about it correctly.

Continue reading A Great Shelter from Taxes Your Own Business!