The Launch Blog: Expert Advice from the CorpNet Team
The Fail Proof Process for Incorporating in California
Have you considered incorporating in California but you're just not sure where to begin? As a California business owner, I’m excited to help guide other entrepreneurs get their companies up and running in this fine state. In this post, I’m going to walk you through...
5 Tips to Help You Manage Your Books
Bookkeeping is a big concern for small business owners as many don’t have past experience managing the books. However, being smart about how you deal with it will save you a lot of time, effort, and headaches. In this article, we’ll cover 5 tips to help you manage...
How To Stay In Good Standing
What Is Good Standing? While definitely not the most glamorous aspect of running a business, complying with applicable rules and regulations is a must. Business compliance (known as “corporate compliance” for incorporated businesses) is critical for keeping your...
How to Legally Structure Your Business To Secure Financing
All the pieces of your entrepreneurial dream are finally falling into place. You have a name for your business, a product or service that makes you super excited, and you’ve even started noodling designs and logos. Before you can go much further, however, you’re...
What Can Employers Not Discriminate Against?
As a business owner, it’s exciting to hire employees and watch your company grow. But there are legal risks if you give job candidates and employees reason to believe your staffing decisions and policies are discriminatory. The first step in avoiding a job...
Avoiding A Job Discrimination Law Suit
Hiring the right people to be part of your team can greatly affect your business’s ability to succeed. It’s an important process—and a tricky one! When considering job candidates, you need to be careful or you could find yourself facing legal problems. If at any...
Best Practices For Interviewing Job Candidates
Hiring the right people requires a sure-fire interviewing process. To effectively interview job candidates, you need more than a little dedicated time and a list of questions; you need an understanding of how you can draw out the information you need about an...
Six Tips To Help Business Leaders Gracefully Handle Adversity In The Office
In an ideal business world, everyone working at a company would always get along famously and harmoniously collaborate day in and day out toward shared objectives they all believe in passionately. Sounds nice, right? Unfortunately, it’s not very realistic—neither...
Should Your Company Use a Professional Employer Organization?
Small business owners may be new to the phrase professional employer organization, but PEOs have been around now for several years and changing the face of human resources management. According to the National Association of Professional Employer Organizations...
Four Ways Busy Entrepreneurs Can Show Their Loved Ones They Care
Although Valentine's Day has passed, it doesn’t mean the time has expired for us busy business owners to show our family and friends we love them. Building and nurturing relationships never goes out of season. And now more than ever, with the divide among people...
Five Steps To Becoming An Empowered Woman (Or Man) Business Owner
As a woman business owner, I’ve found that empowerment comes to us in two ways: Access to external sources of inspiration and knowledge Self-respect and self-confidence You can sit around and wait for someone to empower you, or you can take the bull by the horns...
Should You Buy A Business Or Start One From Scratch?
Hope your New Year is off to a great start! As you’re looking to make 2017 a year of prosperity, have you set your sights on becoming a business owner? If so, you’re probably wondering whether buying an existing business or starting your own company will offer the...
How to Attract and Retain Skilled Workers Through Culture
If you want your startup business to succeed, it is vital to cater to millennials, now the largest generation in the American workforce, according to Pew Research Center. Professionals born between 1980 and 1996 crave engagement at their jobs, and if they aren't...
Setting Up a Corporation – Top FAQs
Happy November! We are excited to bring you another post in our monthly FAQ series! When starting a business, one of the first questions an entrepreneur must ask themselves is, "What entity type should I register?" Here at CorpNet, we are often asked to explain the...
Running Your Business: Do You Know What You Don’t Know?
With school back in session, students of all ages are learning new things—and discovering how much they don’t know in the process. Whether you’re an aspiring entrepreneur or long-time business owner, one thing is certain: like the kids who are back to school, you...
Back To Basics: The Difference Between Copyright and Trademark
As the kids are back to school and studying new things, it’s also a wonderful time to revisit some basic elements of business. Whether you’re starting a business or are already running your company, knowing the difference between a copyright and a trademark is one...
5 Avoidable Mistakes Real Estate Investors Make With Their LLCs
With any investment property, liabilities come with the territory—faulty electrical wiring, broken stairway railings, black mold, and other possible flaws are all inherent threats. It’s no wonder savvy real estate investors decide to form LLCs (Limited Liability...
21 Things Our Dads Teach Us That Make Us Better Entrepreneurs
Every year around Father’s Day, I reflect on the profound impact my own father had on my self-confidence and work ethic. His encouragement and the fine example he set forth have contributed to my ability to succeed in business. And every day, I see Phil—my husband...
Business Name Registration Or Trademark: Which Is Best?
One of the most valuable assets your business will ever have is its name. Your business name is more than what your company is called—it represents your brand’s identity and it’s a way for you to distinguish yourself from your competition. With your business name...
Eight Must-Haves To Include In Your Freelance Work Proposals
As a freelance professional, establishing a solid working relationship with your clients often hinges on mutual understanding and clear expectations. New entrepreneurs learn that very quickly upon starting their businesses! That’s why having a proposal that covers...
What To Do When The Luck Of The Irish Isn’t On Your Side
With certainty every year, the celebrations of all things Irish in honor of St. Patrick’s Day go into full swing on March 17. But when you’re starting or running a small business, nothing is ever completely certain. Sometimes all things go according to plan...
How to Rekindle Your Love for Your Business
This time of year, a lot of us are thinking about romantic love, or in my case, romantic love + business partner. But what happens when something you love — i.e. your business — isn’t bringing you the joy it once did?
4 Gifts You Give Every Day as an Entrepreneur
While your focus this time of year might be on giving your clients gifts, don’t overlook yourself. This year, you don’t need to put a bow on a present and put your name on it under the tree; you’re already reaping the benefit from some pretty fabulous gifts to yourself.
Small Businesses & Retirement: What You Need to Know
Did you know that 68 million employees don’t have a retirement savings plan at all? This is often due to the fact that their employers — often small businesses — don’t offer employer-sponsored retirement plans. And small businesses aren’t eager to offer retirement plans for employees, either because they don’t know how to go about doing it or they can’t afford to.
Where to Start a Business if You’re a Millennial
Have you ever noticed how some cities seem younger than others? Some seem to offer more entertainment and opportunities than others, and therefore appeal to the Millennial generation. And when it comes to entrepreneurs, Millennials are ahead of the pack: more than 25% of them are self-employed.
Where to Start Your Business? Look at the Fastest Growing Economies
When it comes to determining where you want to start a business, you want to choose a city that has a thriving economy and plenty of potential for you to corner the market in your industry. If you’re not planning to open a business in the town you live in, consider one of these, from WalletHub’s 2015’s Cities with the Fastest Growing Economies list. (And if you’ve already started your business, see how your city stacks up).
5 Ways to Lower Your Risk When Starting a Business
It’s important to understand when starting a business: there is no 100% guaranteed way to eliminate the risk that entrepreneurship brings. You can’t be sure your customers will pay you on time. Your employees can quit without notice. Your vendors might deliver damaged products. All of these, among other risks, make it difficult for you to know what’s going to happen tomorrow, much less next year.
Did You Overlook Trademarking Your Brand?
You probably didn’t come up with the perfect business or product name overnight. Most likely, you brainstormed. You sought the advice of colleagues and friends. You tested out a few options, and checked what domain names were available. In short, you’ve invested a...
Get Back Your Time: 5 Tools to Help You Manage Your Small Business Tasks
I have to be really disciplined to ensure that I make the most of my time at work. After all, there’s so much to do and so little time to do it! For business time management, I’ve discovered a few cool tools that help me do more with the time I have.
Is your Business Structure Really Working for Your Business?
There may come a day when, after everything in your small business has been chugging right along for a while, that you start to wonder if the business structure you first chose is still a good fit.
