The Top 7 Business Social Networks Of 2014

Are you still looking for a job? Think about creating your own. There are a lot of business social networks to help you connect with other entrepreneurs and get the business ideas off the ground.

Here are the top 7 business networking sites and apps. Each helps entrepreneurs succeed by providing them with the guidance, tools and resources they need to start a business and gain exposure.

1. StartupNation

Most social networks for business neglect the content aspect that makes StartupNation so useful. With articles, forums, blogs, on-demand seminars, and podcasts, entrepreneurs will be better prepared for their ventures and have the resources required to make better business networking decisions.

There are a wide range of topics being discussed on StartupNation right now, including business planning, marketing and web-based business. The site also offers a series of competitions, such as an elevator pitch business networking competition. If youre an entrepreneur or hope to become one, this site is definitely one you cant miss out on.

2. LinkedIn

Its difficult to leave LinkedIn off of any business social network list because its so useful for anyone whos either searching for a job, is trying to network with like-minded individuals, or starting a business. LinkedIn offers many resources for entrepreneurs, such as groups, including the very popular On Startups group that has over 54,000 members.

Entrepreneurs on LinkedIn should brand themselves properly so they can attract the right kind of business opportunities, and perform searches to find service providers or partners. As an entrepreneur, you should also be looking to participate in LinkedIn Answers, events and business networks to spruce up your profile and become a valuable member to your LinkedIn network.

3. Entrepreneur Connect

Entrepreneur Media, the company that produces Entrepreneur Magazine, started a business social network years ago specifically for small business networking. Like all business social networks, you have the opportunity to create your own profile, explore the community and network. Unlike most social business networks, this one frowns upon too much self-promotion and applauds idea sharing.

You can use this business social network to connect to service providers, suppliers, advisers and colleagues. Just like LinkedIn and Facebook, there are business groups that you can join or create. Another cool feature is that youre able to start your own blog and possibly have it appear on the main page of the business social network.

4. Biznik

This isnt another LinkedIn clone. Instead, Biznik brands itself as a business social network that doesnt suck. The Biznik community is composed of freelancers, CEOs, and the self-employed. Like the other business social networks, this is a place for you to share ideas, instead of posting your resume. It is mandatory for all members to use real names and provide real data, and Biznik editors actually review all profiles to ensure compliance with that policy.

5. Cofoundr

The Cofoundr business social network is made up of idea makers, entrepreneurs, programmers, web designers, investors, freelancers and executives. The primary purpose of joining this network is to start a new web venture. Unlike most of the business networking sites already listed here, Cofoundr is a strictly private network, which means that you cant view member profiles before you register for an account.

Membership requires having a valid university or work email address, which means high schools students and younger arent allowed. The first thing you have to do is sign up, then specify your abilities and the people you are trying to business network with and finally, post your idea on the bulletin board or in the forum.

6. Perfect Business

If you want to meet thousands of serious entrepreneurs, experts and investors from a variety of industries, then Perfect Business might be the business networking site for you. The type of people youll find are potential business partners, potential clients and advisers. Additionally, the site has leading business partners like Entrepreneur and Virgin Money.

From business social networking to a video center where you can learn from successful entrepreneurs, a business plan builder and even an investor center, youll have most of the resources you need to start a business.

7. CityHour

Much more than a contact manager, CityHour social networking app easily syncs with your LinkedIn and Facebook accounts to instantly transform a collection of static digital contacts into an actionable network full of new people and opportunities. So whether you are looking to jumpstart new business efforts, explore career opportunities or create new partnerships,

with CityHour youre just a few taps away from a meeting that could change your life.

Oh, did we mention that its absolutely free?

How To Get A Bigger Business Tax Refund

Business tax refund tips can help prevent you from overpaying taxes and increase the size of your refund check. The sad fact is most businesses overpay their tax liability each year. Overpayments can occur because deductions were not maximized, tax withholdings were incorrect or due to the change of tax laws.

Sometimes your refund can be the result of simply paying more cash than was needed to balance your accounts with the IRS.

It is imperative to go through your business tax plan to have a look at what you can do to reduce the income taxes you are required to pay, legally, and ethically. The following business tax refund tips will help you determine what deduction areas might need further focus with your accountant.

Claiming a home office deduction no longer entails a greater possibility to be audited, when done right, so you can utilize this deduction and still minimize the possibility of an Internal Revenue Service audit. The space you write off must be intended and used for business of course and to determine how much of the area in the home is used as a home-office and become requires the following computation. Measure the work space. Divide it by the number of square feet of the home. The percentage will be your business use percent of the home intended for business. This provides the percentage of business expenses from home expenditures such as rent or lease, mortgage, insurance, utilities, that can be safely claimed as a deduction thereby increasing your refund if you are not currently writing these expenses off.

When a business operator does not claim a home office deduction you can deduct the business or office supplies being purchased. Keep the receipts from these purchases so they can offset the business returns that will be taxed. Missed dedcuctions are the key to increasing your tax refund by reducing your expected taxable income.

Another business tax deduction underutilized is to write off the furniture used in your office. You can deduct 100% of the amount spent on furniture in the same year of purchase. You can also opt instead to claim the value depreciation over 7 years if this will net you a great refund. Run the numbers in order to decide. An IRS chart is available to keep track of depreciation from year to year. Additional supplies like fax machines, computers, photocopy machines, and computer scanners are also deductible and will help maximize your office deductions.

Keep records of expenditures with dates, mileage, toll fees, parking expenses, gas expenses, and the purpose of the travel as the IRS offers tax deductions for such business expenses. You can also add up your business expenses and deduct these costs against personal auto expenses like gas, maintenance and repairs, as well as insurance payments. If your vehicle is being leased, payments for this are also possible deductions to maximize your return. You can surprise yourself with a large tax refund simply by taking full advantage of the tax code.

For small-scale business travellers, the travel expenses and hotel accommodations inclusive of dry cleaning services, car rental services, and tips are deductible. For meals consumed while travelling, only 50% percent are deductible. However, business meals back home with clients are 100% deductible. Entertainment expenses with clients are 50 % deductible while gifts for clients and employees are totally deductible up to twenty-five dollars per person within a year.

Expenses incurred paying for personal health insurance premiums are deductible. Nevertheless, the deduction cannot be beyond the net profit the business makes and is not permissible if the person is qualified for some other health insurance coverage which also takes account of the medical insurance of a spouse who is employed. If the spouse works for the business owner, his or her medical premiums are totally tax deductible. This may include you and the children being dependents on his or her medical plan.

Improving your business tax refund can be done through planning your taxes to use retirement savings that are tax deductible.

Being self-employed and operating a personal business, a business owner is required to provide twice the amount an employee contributes for social security. However, 50% of the payments are deductible.

Business call expenses made from the house not including regular fees and charges if kept in record are also deductible, returning hard earned money back to you at the end of tax season. At years end, the phone usage cost amounts may be summed up and deducted.

Bigger refunds through tax organization. Salaries provided to kids below eighteen years old who work part time for you as a business owner or part of a partnership with your spouse can be deducted. This does not apply if the business is run as a corporation. Your tax organization strategy will help determine if this deduction is worthwhile to pursue.

Getting a bigger tax refund come IRS accounting day is a matter of taking advantage of the opportunities in that were created in the tax code to help you keep your hard earned money.

Payroll deductions, withholdings and deductions working in harmony for your business translates into ethical, legal savings on your taxes each and every year that you can bank on.

Ensure A Smart Purchase Of Business Insurance In Edison Nj

Buying insurance for your business, home, or auto is something you should never ignore. The simple reason being the importance of protecting your assets. After all, you never know when the tragedy might strike and the damage might at times get hard to recover. Having a comprehensive coverage ensures that your assets are protected well with minimum hassle. When it comes to purchasing insurance, the key always lies in finding a coverage that caters to all your requirement within an affordable price. To ensure making a smart purchase, you should shop around and compare the policies offered by different firms.

Whether you are buying a homeowners insurance and business insurance in Edison NJ, you can never undermine the importance of comparing between the quotes and finding a policy of worth. This is why you should seek the help of an independent insurance agency before taking the big call. Scheduling a consultation with a professional ensures that you get to choose a policy that caters to individual requirement. Business insurance can vary with the nature and type of the same. So, it is important to analyze the requirement and ensure a purchase in the same line.

The Importance of Buying a Business Insurance

If you are business owner, you should always work towards finding the best coverage catering to your needs. Simply because, even a single lawsuit can lead your business to bankruptcy by clearing all your profits paving the road to great business loss. Ensure complete protection for your business with a comprehensive business insurance in Edison, NJ and that too at affordable rates. Whatever be your needs finding coverage is easy with the help of a professional. Here’s a look at what is on offer –

Business Liability Insurance
Business Property Insurance
Business Auto Fleet Insurance
Group Employee Life Insurance
Workers Compensation Insurance
Group Employee Dental Insurance
Group Employee Health Insurance Plans
Group Employee Short and Long Term Disability Insurance

You can easily compare between the policies and purchase business insurance in Edison, NJ according to your needs with the help of a professional.

Buying Home Insurance How a Professional Helps

Similar to business insurance, you should also focus on buying a homeowners insurance in New Jersey for ensuring complete protection to the biggest asset in your life. Shopping for home insurance can get difficult especially with the availability of a number of coverage. Seeking help from a professional ensures that you get to compare, comprehend, and choose from multiple carriers with minimum effort.

Usually, a typical homeowner’s coverage includes the following aspects –

Liability
Home structure
Replacement costs
Personal possessions
Living expense following a disaster

To an usual home insurance in New Jersey, you can also add other supplemental policies like –

Flood coverage
Earthquake coverage
Umbrella insurance policies i.e. additional liability
Before buying a coverage, you should understand that your needs are different and what had worked for your relative might not bring the same kind of results for you. This is why, you should always shop around for the best homeowners insurance in New Jersey and make a confident purchase with the help of a professional.

Background Of Franchising Business

Franchising is known to be among the available options that businessmen and entrepreneurs can use as business opportunities without having to go through the usual motions of having to brainstorm and hypothesize on studies that most business tycoons would initially make. Franchising can be seen today in local food chain stores like McDonald’s, Burger King and Subway. They are practically seen in all countries of the world.

Mixed Origins of Franchising
Franchising does not really have a clear trace of its background. There has been various information as to where the franchising business originated. These include countries like China, England, and Europe and of course the United States. It is even traced as far as the Middle Ages where the business opportunity issues back then was more on the lack of transportation for the goods to be transferred from one place to another. Other considered franchising as well as a means of establishing stands, vendors and a better means of being able to offer goods towards customers in other places within the coverage area.

Franchising at a Glance
Franchising is not a new term for defining business opportunities. It extends as far as home business opportunities for people who would want to be their own boss and hold their own business hours. Franchises would usually depend on the location to which franchisees would want them to be located, ideally in populated and commercialized areas for maximum exposure. Depending on the product or service to which the franchise caters, people can even do business from their own footsteps at home. This way the expenses to be incurred such as rent or warehouse allocation expense can be avoided, an expense that is certainly something tough on the budget allocation constraints of franchise owners.

Think Big but Start Small
A franchising business does not have to start big. Just like any ordinary business, it can start from the simplest and smallest business. Like most business endeavors, as long as they are managed properly, business can grow at an instant at any time. Franchises are not different from conceptualized businesses and the varying factor would be the people who would run it and how they would view such a business at a glance.

Placement and Scope of Target Market
Placement of franchise establishments, just like any other product that most people would be interested in today would have to analyze and survey the market class to which they would want to serve. It is not merely a place and operate venture. It requires gathering strategies and putting minds into action, the usual backbone towards success in business ventures.

There will always be issues concerning the target market and identifying what product or service to serve. This has always been the issue that makes businesses different from others and unless it is properly defined, a franchise or business will falter eventually if franchising business owners are not careful.

Key Business Objectives Behind Using Promotional Gifts

It is known to all that no businesses these days can do without promotional gifts. Whatever be the size of the organisation, promotional gifts is a must that needs to be employed. In this age of cut throat competition and rat race, if you want to stay and survive in the corporate scenario and aim at achieving your business aspirations, make use of promotional gifts. Use of promotional gifts has several business objectives.

Promotional gifts are distributed to clients and customers at any occasions or events or at store visits. The recipients of the gifts are very happy getting promotional gifts free without any obligation attached to it. However, the gifting gesture on the part of the companies has some objectives in mind which are popularly known as business strategies and objectives. Promotional gifts carry the business logo, company or brand name embellished on the products. As the promotional gifts are handed over to the customers and prospective clients, the brand message gets disseminated. Promotional gifts are gifted with the aim of building brand awareness, increasing brand popularity and sales. In todays age, branding is one of the key aspects of business growth. People these days are more inclined towards branded goods and services. Once your brand name and fame gets established in the corporate scenario, there is no looking back. This brand publicity is best done by promotional gifts.

Compared to the conventional modes of advertising like television or media ads and direct mail, promotional gifts have a much deeper and larger impact on customers and potential clients. Promotional gifts act as direct company representatives and the prospects also easily get convinced by the promotional gifts. Useful and practical promotional gifts are great advertising agents and with regular usage the brand name and the logo is noticed and remembered on a regular basis. The goals behind using promotional gifts are to offer a greater exposure and visibility to the brand. Only brand popularity and creating awareness cannot take a business to achieve its mission. Customer and client loyalty and establishing a strong customer-vendor relationship is a precondition to climb higher ladder of success in business. Promotional gifts are proficient in pleasing customers and motivating clients towards the brand.

No business can prosper and succeed without an army of dedicated and skilled workers. Monthly salaries and regular payments are not always sufficient to keep the employees dedicated and tied to the organisation. Promotional gifts with the brand logo and message work miraculously in keeping the company staff loyal to the company. The warm and heartfelt message on the promotional gifts makes them feel a part of the organisation and they get motivated to work better and harder. Promotional gifts are the most economical means by which businesses can satisfy their business objectives and achieve their aspirations.

Make use of useful, practical and durable promotional gifts to gift your clients, customers and employees. Log on to www.ideasbynet.com to get the best and reliable promotional gifts. Climb up the ladders of success with promotional gifts having your company logo from Ideasbynet.