So you've heard of Pinterest right?  Perhaps have signed up to reserve your name but aren't quite sure what to do with it?  Are you totally into it already?  I'd have to say I am somewhere in the middle as far as expertise but I am using it and loving it, have the icon on my website but still consider myself a newbie.  It is totally fun, can be way to totally loose yourself in time……but I am starting to see how it can really help your business gain more traction and get more eyes on your product!

I reached out to my friend Lynn Steinberg of Goodies For Gifts as she has really put Pinterest to the test over the past few months and has already seen over a 5% increase in traffic to her website coming directly from Pinterest…….which gives you more people to market to!

Click here to listen to our chat and learn how to maximize your Pinterest boards to attract your target market and gain more followers and sales.

Quick Navigation Tips for Pinterest:

1. Click on the red Pinterest logo in the middle at the top of the page and it will direct you to your home page where you can see all your friends pins.
2. While on your home page, look on the left and you will see a recent activity bar that shows you who is following you, suggestions of who you should follow, and you can see who has repinned, commented or liked a pin of yours.
3. Hover your mouse over your name on the top right corner and it will drop down a menu where you can easily go to your Boards, Pins, Likes, and more!
4. On most sites you have the option to “Pin it” straight onto your Pinterest board. You can pin anything onto Pinterest from articles to photos from an online catalog. You can even pin personal photos!
5. Be sure to add the "Pin it" button to your toolbar so you can easily grab any image you see on-line and Pin it.

***Lynn has arranged for a  yummy discounts from one her vendors in time for Mother's Day!
Use coupon code goodies for 15% off of any Cookies and Corks products at Goodies For Gifts

Follow Lynn and stay in touch on Pinterest  Facebook & Twitter

Love to know your thoughts, tricks and tips in using Pinterest……and of course……leave your handle so we can all follow you.

"In this world nothing is certain but death and taxes"  – Benjamin Franklin

I LOVE SAVING MONEY don't you??  I am always looking for new tax tips and any new loop hole I can poke my head into. 

Ok, so as I see it, we are divided into two main groups.  Those who are super organized and sort their receipts and kinda do "tax-prep" all year long, and those who show up with a shoe box and shopping bag at their CPA every year.  Well which ever one you are…..no matter.  It all gets done in the end!  

I sort of assume (eek) that most everyone uses some kind of accounting program like Quickbooks and I wanted to share some other things that you can use to make things easier on you, or if you are the super organized one already, perhaps you can take advantage of some new technology that is out there.

My friend Andrew over at Money Crashers is really into Shoeboxed and uses it to scan and track everything.  A lot of companies are moving to posting everything in some sort of "Cloud"  type thingy and giving remote access to files to their VA's, Accountants, and other employees that way.  So many cool things happening in our lifetime now – I find it so amazing and e so lucky.

There are so many entreprenette tricks and tips that I called upon my experts to give you some out-of-the-box ideas…..check them out.  There are some really cool ones that might help save you time and money.

1. Tax time-time saver!

My Best Tax Tip: I bought a small expanding file folder that is separated by month and fits in my bottom desk drawer. When I make a purchase, I place the receipt in that months section. This keeps my receipts organized and easily accessible at tax time.

Thanks to: Janet Majoulet-Foust of The Social Media Queen.

2. A Sane and Serene Strategy

My Best Tax Tip: The only way to stay sane during tax-time is to plan ahead-just a little.

You've all heard the standard suggestions. Gather all your paperwork. Keep records up to date ahead of time. What I'm talking about is staying sane whether you've been faithfully organized or not!

Add into your calendar an hour-long 'tackle my taxes' appointment each week starting in early-mid January. This way you can work on catching up your paperwork and records a bit at a time instead of last-minute insanity!

Thanks to: Elise Adams of Adams Organizing.

3. Think Green and Save!

My Best Tax Tip: A tax credit that many homeowners and business owners often over look is available for installation of alternative energy products such as solar electric systems, replacement windows and wind turbines. If you've installed any green or energy-saving products for your home or office over the past year, be sure to ask your CPA about tax credits associated with going green. It can really add up!

Thanks to: Taylor Fontane of Dallas Traffic Ticket Lawyers.

4. Stay Semi Organized

My Best Tax Tip: Keeping up with donation forms, receipts and other business write-offs over the course of a year is one of the last things a business owner wants to do. Make it a point in 2012 to stay semi organized and at least keep a big box full of receipts that can be sorted through at the end of the year. You can even hire a college accounting major over winter break to organize them all for you at the end of the year for a nominal fee. It's a win-win.

Thanks to: Seth Owens of Tucson Roofing Company.

5. Your Not Incorporated??

My Best Tax Tip: Even though you are a small business you should consider becoming an S or LLC corp for tax purposes. Yes, you have to file a second set of tax returns, but your savings could be 10X the cost. I was going to incorporate one of my business once it hit a certain volume, but didn't. Tax guy says, "You should have, it would have cut your tax bill this year by $1,700.00!"

Today all my companies are incorporated from day one. A side note, the legal protection is also very important.

Thanks to: Harlan Goerger of H. Goerger & Assoc dba AskHG.com.

6. Lower net income = less taxes

My Best Tax Tip: If you have cash in your business at the end of the year or beginning of the year, you can lower your net income by contributing to a SEP-IRA for employees, no matter if you're the only employee. You can generally contribute up to 25% of an employee's gross salary, and can make the contribution up until your tax filing date--March or April of the following year, I believe. Lowering your net income means you'll pay less in taxes--yay!

Thanks to: Greg Miliates of Start My Consulting Business.

7. Find a brilliant accountant

My Best Tax Tip: Personally I hate tax time. I'm a creative so I'd much rather be painting or creating something with my time. So each year when tax time comes around, I found the best way to get the most out of it with as little time out of my day as possible is to have a brilliant accountant (preferably one with a legal studies background) do his creative tax stuff which will take no more than 20 minutes of my time. It's even better if he can do your book-keeping for you too!

Thanks to: Kaja Zu of Precious Arts & Stones.

8. Outsource it!

My Best Tax Tip: Yes, outsource it! I know it is not cool, and hype but that is what saved me a lot of trouble and money. Find a reliable person or firm close to you. The best way by reference from somebody you trust. Do your homework/recon/due diligence on top of that before you meet and contract them.
I have two companies and over the years I built the relationships with my accountants to the level that I can come overseas for 5-6 months and manage my companies from here.

Thanks to: Attila Kovacs of The Solopreneur Mentor.

9. Spend the Money Honey!

My Best Tax Tip: Zero your checkbook balance as close as possible. Invest in something you wanted, pay yourself that bonus, and pay the bills down. These moves lead to a zero balance, shaves profit and that means less taxes paid. This is a tax strategy and if you are looking to look profitable for a business loan then your accountant can adjust your financials to look more appealing for the investors.

Thanks to: BeverlyD Dombroski of BeverlyD Luxe Organic Hair.

10. Cloud tools

My Best Tax Tip: I use a number of cloud-based tools for tax prep and lots of other things, which give me access to my data anywhere, and allow me to stay productive everywhere.

Tools like:
GMail
Google Calendar
Evernote
Dropbox
ToDoist
Google Voice (and Skype, though Google Voice is free)
EchoSign (for digitally signing documents)
FreshBooks (for time tracking, invoicing, accepting payments)
Basecamp (for project management)
GoToMeeting (for online meetings & demos)

Thanks to: Greg Miliates of Start My Consulting Business.

11. Don't wait for 1099s to arrive

My Best Tax Tip: Soon after the new year I start on my taxes. Getting the grueling part of it done BEFORE the 1099s come in. Like many of us, I have loads of work to do to tally numbers, get those property tax figures, get my 1099s out etc... So don't wait for your 1099's to arrive before starting on taxes and come April 15 you can already have your refund!

Thanks to: Corey Bornmann of AffPlaybook.

12. The government rewards you

My Best Tax Tip: The US government likes the idea of business so much that it lets us subtract our expenses from our taxable income. Remember that if you are using items you pay for in your business, you should deduct them. For instance, I constantly use my daily newspaper to prospect, congratulate clients and prospects, write articles based on info I find...and I deduct my subscription cost.

Thanks to: Shel Horowitz of Green And Profitable.

13. Keep it Simple

My Best Tax Tip:
The best change I ever made was having a dedicated business credit card. No more muddling through receipts and transaction lists. Also, I go in once a week to upload the bank info and reconcile the account. That saves lots of time at month end.

As a professional organizer I've seen first hand the dangers of procrastination! Don't wait until the last minute. It won't be any easier, and it will be much more stressful.

Worst case scenario? Move to Dubai where there are no taxes!

Thanks to: Sharon McRill of The Betty Brigade.

14. Write On! Saving Your Receipts

My Best Tax Tip: As you accumulate receipts for your expenses throughout the year, make sure to document in ink the date, amount, and reason for the expense. You will find that years later, the ink will fade on certain ones and you will not remember what or when the expense occurred, or why, rendering the receipt useless at a time when you may need it most.

Thanks to: Cora Parks of Tax Today.

15. Scan and Toss - Go Paperless

My Best Tax Tip: The IRS is encouraging taxpayers to scan their documents and receipts and save them to an external hard drive, mail them to a relative, or write to a CD.
The hurricanes in the South destroyed thousands of tax records that can never be recovered. Why not use the current technology and go paperless?
Use a scanner to save receipts, contracts, and other documents in one place to avoid that "Oh, my Gosh" (or whatever expletive) moment.

Thanks to: Denise Marinacci of Flaunt Inc..

16. Don't Forget Tax Deductions!

My Best Tax Tip: For my small business, I have three major categories: job-related expenses, unreimbursed medical expenses, and home-based business write-offs. Knowing these on the front end will help you categorize your receipts as they come in throughout the year, which will streamline the process of paying taxes. Remember that deductible job-related expenses are things like dry cleaning bills and travel costs, while deductible home-based business expenses involve hardware such as personal computer expenses.

Thanks to: Andrew Schrage of Money Crashers Tax Deductions.

17. Get a Big Tax Break For Saving

My Best Tax Tip: As we near the end of 2011, now is the time to be thinking about opening up and contributing to a tax friendly retirement plan now or before April 16, 2012 (April 15th is a Sunday). The cheapest option is to open a Solo 401(K) Plan granted you don't have any employees other than your spouse. You can personally contribute up to the lesser of $16,500 or your earnings plus 20% of your net self employment income for a total of $49,000 and if you’re older than 50, your limit is $54,000.

Thanks to: Ryan Himmel of BIDaWIZ.

18. Tax Time Secret: Be Organized!

My Best Tax Tip: One year, I decided to file my own taxes using Turbo Tax. I learned a lot about various business deductions that could apply to my business that my CPA at the time never told me about! So since then I've created a spreadsheet of all the possible business deductions that apply to my specific business and record my expenses monthly by category. Being organized saves me valuable time and makes it easy for me to send my tax files to my CPA.

Thanks to: Rekha Krishnamurthi of Divine.

19. QuickBooks' Insides

My Best Tax Tip: Press F2 or Cntl-1 within QuickBooks to bring up a window with all sorts of information about the inner workings of your QB file. This window will tell you the location of the file on your computer (if you want to copy or send the file), the total number of accounts, names, vendors, and employees, the size of the file, your latest release version, and your license and product number.

Thanks to: Sheila Rickard of Loggins & Associates, PC CPAs.

20. Automatic Pilot Cash Receipts

My Best Tax Tip: Mobile warriors have a lot of cash receipts. To save time, in my car have a mini-plastic file labeled with receipt categories such as food, tolls, advertising, facilitation, etc. Cash receipts are immediately filed. Each quarter, I tally them, enter dollars into accounting system and file them away. During the last 10 years, I have saved hundreds of hours in sorting and organizing not to mention saved accounting fees. Once the habit is established, automatic pilot takes over.

Thanks to: Leanne Hoagland-Smith of ADVANCED SYSTEMS.

21. Make the Most of Credit Cards

My Best Tax Tip: If you use a credit card in your business, make sure you record the expenses when you make the purchase, not when you pay your credit card bill. This will help make sure you get all the tax deductions you are entitled to for the current year. The best way to do this would be to set up a credit card account in QuickBooks. If you go to your Chart of Accounts, and click on "Account" and then "New", choose "Credit Card" as your account type, and QB will lead you through creating the account.

Thanks to: Kim Fourman of Loggins & Associates, PC CPAs.

22. Make Two Appointments

My Best Tax Tip: Make two appointments with your accountant or tax preparer — we all have the usual one some time after the first of the year to get your taxes done, but I also make an appointment early in December to run my numbers by my CPA and see if there are any last minute steps I can take to improve my tax situation, such as investing money in a retirement account, before the end of the year.

Thanks to: Thursday Bram of Hyper Modern Consulting.

23. Taxes on Cloud Nine

My Best Tax Tip: The whole world is moving to the cloud, why should your taxes be any different? Instead of collecting all of your financials in various folders and desk drawers all year and then panicking in early April, scan your receipts, bills, and invoices into the cloud over the course of the year. Then, around tax time, shoot that digital data to your favorite online tax prep service and you're done! Plus your scanned data will be saved in the cloud in case of audit, which could occur up to 7 years after.

Thanks to: Jake Brereton of Shoeboxed.com.

24. Tax time saving tip

My Best Tax Tip: Outsource your bookkeeping and taxes. Plain and simple.

Thanks to: Shane Fischer of Shane E. Fischer, P.A..

25. Bookkeeping Made Easy

My Best Tax Tip: My two favorite tools to prepare for tax season are Freshbooks and Outright. I use Freshbooks for invoicing and collecting payments from clients and managing my expenses. Then Outright integrates with Freshbooks and other accounts like my bank, Paypal, and credit cards to import and categorize all of my transactions automatically. Best of all, Outright always shows my gross income and the estimated amount of taxes I will need to pay so I won’t be caught off guard when tax season comes around.

Thanks to: Alba Figueroa of Savvy Studios.

26. Organize a Filing System

My Best Tax Tip: You can make tax time super easy by putting together a filing system. Using a tool like Dropbox, all you need to do is simply scan and "file" away all your tax-related paperwork into a folder titled, "Tax". Then, when the time comes you don't need to hunt for anything. Just open the folder and print away. You can do the same using a traditional filing cabinet. However, remember to schedule time to review it. A weekly date with your filing cabinet will ensure a happier, stress-free tax season.

Thanks to: Prerna Malik of Social Media Direct.

27. The Secret Is Neat Receipts

My Best Tax Tip: The best tax tip we have for any entrepreneur is to always have meticulous records of your receipts. For me, I make sure that I scan any important receipts or documents so I will have multiple copies (physical and computer files). With so many items paid for in a single year, you need to keep everything in order when you are either doing your own taxes or handing the paperwork over to an accountant. Keep it organized and you won't have a problem.

Thanks to: Ian Aronovich of GovernmentAuctions.org.

28. When In Doubt, Save It!

My Best Tax Tip: Most Entrepreneurs eat, sleep and breath their business. In many cases there are so many possible deductions and business expenses that suddenly become 'mundane' and are easy to let slip on the expense sheets and the daily tax filing. What I've found works best, is to literally keep every single receipt even, those that are 'personal' and later take the time to go through the receipts (both printed and digital), it's amazing how many business expenses would have otherwise been overlooked!

Thanks to: JP Jones of Collipsis Web Solutions.

29. Tax Start-Up Exps..Must Knows!

My Best Tax Tip: If you started a business, how you treat your initial expenses can make a big difference in your tax bill. You can not write off any of your expenses until you have your first customer. Then you can elect to write off $5,000 of start-up expenses once your business begins and the rest is deducted over 180 months beginning with the month the business starts. Careful tax planning is needed as it may be better (or not) to save your expenses. Remember, it is not now or never...it is now or later.

Thanks to: Gail Rosen of Gail Rosen, CPA, PC.

Ok so who doesn't get a bit nervous walking into a room when you don't know very many people, or even worse, not a soul?  I know I do!  Networking events can get a bad wrap just thinking about them right?  I love meeting new people, but do admit that I find it a lot easier (and less nerve wracking) at a dinner party when a seasoned host is a master at mixing and mingling the right guests.  And of course, a cocktail usually helps loosen up the crowd!  I like to think I am fairly practiced at walking up to strangers, and yes, I do sometimes practice in the mirror to polish a few new ice breakers of my own! 

I find that the most boring approach is asking someone what they do……OY already right?  Depending on the event and my purpose for being there, I try to come up with some questions that feel appropriate and will help me attain my goal.  My goals vary from event to event and I might be looking for different outcomes like meeting new friends, scoping out potential JV partners, learning some new techy trick, just gathering business cards, and sometimes just meeting people who can refer a client down the line.  I like to make friends and get to know people to see what happens down the line.

I reached out to my Entreprenette Experts for their tips on awesome Ice Breakers so read on……they have great tips!

Who wants more media coverage, more website page views, bigger mailing list, more Facebook Fans and more Twitter followers?  I know I do and assume you do too!  If you had a chance to listen to my interview a few weeks ago with Megan from Blogger Black Book, you might already be on the blog review bandwagon….. looking for those lucky reviewers who get to sample your products and write a review for you.   Finding the "right" reviewers for your line can be a tedious job but if you google blogs and take the time to go down the rabbit holes and see who they like and so on…….you can build yourself a mighty fine and valuable list. 

I reached out to my Entreprenette Experts and asked them to give us some of their favorite blog that do reviews so you can check them out an add them to your list.

Some of my top favs that weren't mentioned below are:

http://www.stylecaster.com
http://mommyandmegiveaways.com
http://coolmompicks.com/
http://www.purseblog.com/

http://www.refinery29.com/

Love to know your favs too!

Dear Sarah,

If you've had a placement in a magazine, how long should you wait until you approach the magazine again?  Should you continue to pitch them as long as you have noteworthy news or product updates?

Thanks in advance,

Erika Deady-Wohlers    Tutu Pour Mon Deux

I saw a video the other day with my good friend and mentor Mike Michalowcz and it got me thinking…….

How can bootstrapping really make you a better business woman?

A lot of us dream of a big investor coming in (our knight in shinning gold coins) and solving all our problems, bringing a lot of savvy to the table, helping the business run more smoothly, and giving us that long awaited salary……right? Hey, I have been there with you……several times……in fact, I did bring on investors, and did hope they'd do all those things I mentioned above.  But did they?

Not really.  I did get a salary for a short while, and that was fabulous and all, but my business was still in it's terrible state of being mismanaged.  All the money really did was give me a longer leash to keep doing more of the wrong things the wrong way.

If I'd never gotten the money, I know I'd still be in business today!  

Bootstrapping really does keep you thinking on your toes (all the time), and in a different way than you would if the sand wasn't pouring out of the hourglass.  Being honest with yourself, and your bank account, is one, if not the most, important thing about your business.

Bootstrapping doesn't mean you can't grow.  It just means you grow more slowly, which believe me, is usually better.  Being "forced" to be more creative with your money, usually results in you becoming more innovative. Perhaps you are inspired to contact old friends with influence, approach the famous person you see at the drugstore, reach out to the unreachable, take that leap of faith your family thinks you are nuts for doing.

In order to find the things that will work for your company, you must be committed to trying everything.

As a true bootstrapper you will:

Only use the money you have in the bank today
Brainstorm creative sales strategies
Call buyers more than once
Present incentives that a buyer cannot turn down
Create more interesting press releases
Print and package everything yourself
Reexamine your production costs more often
Call the people you can ask for free advice (even if they never offered)
Drive the extra mile to save on your bottom line
Work late into the night
And pay yourself at least 10% of every dollar you make

What are your Bootstrapping tips?

If you want to check out the video with Mike…….It's worth the 3 minutes.

OMG are you as confused as I am at times with blog reviewers and if they are a good idea or not?  I just had to have a chat with my friend Megan over at Blogger Black Book and ask her to share her insider info with me (us) on how to best use bloggers to promote your brand.  As usual, Megan comes through with awesome info on how to find the right bloggers for your brand, how many to work with at a time, and how to get a blogger marketing strategy in place.  The most important thing, is to be clear with your objectives for having the blogger review your product – it is to drive FB fans, build your mailing list or direct sales to a certain retailer…….whatever the objective, be sure they are aware and can fulfill your requirements.  The other big take away for me was a great reminder – that the blogger must mirror your target market in order to be successful in reaching them!  Don't forget to register your blog for FREE at Blogger Black Book.

Megan is generously offering a 50% discount on her Blogger Black Book year long subscription for only $750 to get her monthly updated lists of bloggers.  Or, if you want to get her one-time download today, it's only $500.  Email Megan directly and be sure to mention ENTREPRENETTE for the discount.

When you hear the word press release what is the first thing you think of?  Somebody has great news to report right?  I think the same thing, and sometimes we can even be jealous of them and wish it was us right?  Did you know that the first thing most people feel when hearing the word press release is fear……of writing one.  Well I can relate to that as well can you?  It can be really hard to write about yourself, especially when needing to sing your own praises – you are sooooo not alone in that sister!   That is why god invented copywriters!  Yahooey! 

So what can we do to get ourselves great news to report? 

1. Getting products to celebrities
2. Reviewed in an on-line magazine
3. Mentioned in the newspaper
4. Landing a really big account
5. Portrayed or profiled in a glossy magazine
6. Hosting a trunk show
7. Doing an in-person event
8. Writing a book
9. Being on TV
10. Getting your product into a movie

My Entreprenette Experts give some great ideas on how to write a great press release that will help you get more eyes on it, more interest, and give you a better shot at some action! You will also find tons of leads for free and paid websites to post our release……and even a few places that will do it all for you…….loving that!  Don't be shy – let the world know what a superstar you are.  It's all in the spin.  And like I mentioned earlier, Copywriters are there for a reason……I use them all the time.

As the end of the year rapidly approaches for everyone, I know us product minded people are scrambling to make it the best quarter of the year, and some rely on 4Q sales to make their entire year!  My mind has been working overtime these days coming up with some out-of-the-box ideas for my clients and myself as I'm sure you are too. 

I want to share a few ideas that I have for you along with my Entreprenette Experts who offer some great tips too!  I'd love to hear your ideas too, so please share them in the comments so we can all have a great 2011 and encourage each other.

On-Line offers: I like to create a rush to purchase during the holiday season.  One thing I find to work well year after year, is to offer a different item on sale each day from Black Friday until Christmas.  If you don't carry enough items to cover that many days, you can make up different offers like 2 for 1 or buy one get 50% off on something else…. be creative and cross promote your own products.  You can even find other lines that compliment yours and offer something from theirs, and they from yours – gives you more exposure.

Wholesale Sales:  While stores are offering their own buying incentives to their retail customers, it's a good idea to find ways to entice buyers on your end to help them sell more of your products.   You might offer free shipping with a minimum order, offer a free extra item if the order is over a certain dollar amount, find an inexpensive promotional item that you can include for free with large orders.  If you are feeling really confident, offer a money back guarantee on orders placed by 10/31.

Trunk Shows:  Pick a cool store in your neighborhood and offer to do a trunk show.  Engage the surrounding stores and restaurants in participating as well with raffles, give-a-ways and special offers the same evening making it into your own "Fashion night out".

Home Parties: Everyone wants to give to charity especially at the end of the year.  If you can find a person with a nice big home who has lots of friends (hopefully wealthy ones),  and is passionate about a specific charity, offer to do a sale at their home and donate a percentage to their charity of choice.  They invite their circle, the charity will usually help promote it, and you can invite your list too.  Everyone wins!  This is also a great way to get rid of old samples and slightly damaged seconds……make a basket (or table) of the discounted stuff and watch it fly out the door at super low prices.

Have fun and good luck!