Anytime I fly, the biggest question I have is: What do I take? Well, here’s a little snippet of what’s to come tomorrow.
Remember the Minitrekker Video? Well that up there is an Airport Security bag, by ThinkTank Photo. And surprisingly, when it’s closed, it doesn’t bulge at all. But if a picture is worth a thousand words, what’s a video worth? [Read more →]
It’s almost 2am, but I’ve had a long week, and I’ve got a lot to take care of., so I’m sneaking in a post real quick. Wednesday night we covered the state Little League tournament, specifically Blue Ridge, a team from the White Mountain area of Arizona. They didn’t fare well against the Tempe Guadalupe team. Thursday night, we saw Blue Ridge fall to the eventual state champions, Mountain View.
We mixed it up Friday, catching a Mercury game, as they squared off against the Seattle Storm. Diana Taurasi led all players with 31 points and 9 rebounds, and the Mercury defeated the Storm 94-80. Great way to end the week, but the weekend was just beginning.
Most businesses owners are familiar with their Federal Employment Identification Number, or FEIN. What they aren’t familiar with is that this number does not give you any license to be in business. It only identifies your business with the federal government, similar to a social security number.
Most cities require businesses to have a city business license. Think of it as a license to drive your business within city boundaries. If you drive your business into other cities, you will need a separate license for each. You pick up most license applications at the city’s Planning and Zoning Department. [Read more →]
I have a Mac Pro desktop, recently acquired, but my laptop is a Dell running XP. Yes, networking allows them to talk and share files, but it’s not always that easy. I like to consider them digital acquaintances. I need to connect to the network and sometimes enter my username and password to conect to the other computer. Not a big deal.
But it gets worse. What if I have a document, image, or file that I need on my laptop (which I worked on while I was out of the home/office), and I turned off the laptop. When I get home, I now have to get that laptop, boot up, log in, connect to the network, check to make sure my Mac can see the laptop on the network, then pull the file. Fun, huh? Even if I left the laptop on, I’d still have to log in, connect, check the connection on the Mac, etc. It’s not so much that it’s difficult, but it is tedious, and a waste of time, which I value very much.
Wouldn’t it be nice if I could just put my files on my laptop or Mac in a folder, and have that get pushed to the other computer? And I’m not talking about running a program, and putting a file in there, or uploading to an FTP. I’m talking about opening your standard Windows or Mac folder, and dragging and dropping your files in, and that’s it. Now you check your other computer, and it’s there. Better yet, what if I put the files in the folder, and then turned off the computer, but it doesn’t matter, because the other computer can still access the file? And what if I’m at a different computer altogether, and I need to access it via a web interface.
Enter Dropbox. They do exactly what I said, and more. Of course, this kind of timesaver is something I regularly find over at Lifehacker, and they are running a poll comparing five different file and folder sharing applications, which Dropbox is winning. The problem is that Dropbox is so popular that it’s now in closed beta. You can sign up at the Dropbox site, but only to be notified when they open the beta up to the public again. Or, you can be invited, if someone (cough cough, me) has invites to give.
Read on to find out more about dropbox, including a video that shows the features (oh, I forgot to mention, the file syncing is just one of MANY features Dropbox has), a chance to get in on the beta, and how I use it.
There is no clear-cut answer. The answer is depends. It depends on your knowledge base. It depends on you business experience. It depends on you comfort level.
Most people believe they can setup their Sole Proprietorship or LLC by themselves; install, setup and implement their QuickBooks program by themselves; properly account for all monies in and out by themselves; and transfer such business information to the proper tax forms to accurately reflect, “under the penalties of perjury”, their individual tax liability.
If you can do all of these, you do not need an accountant. If you need help with any of these, you might need an accountant.
The question then becomes not if you need one; the question is how often. [Read more →]
EDIT 06/17/08: The Free Download is over. From the site itself:
This software was available as a giveaway on June 16, 2008, this giveaway is not available any more. You can download the trial version of this software at http://www.macrium.com.
They have a “free” edition that’s a bit more feature limited. I’ll be looking into alternatives. Thanks!
I found this on Lifehacker, an excellent resource for random tips and tricks that can make life easier. I get at least one time saver a week, if not more, by checking out the site. It’s not a site everyone here will like, but sometimes the Lifehacker world will crossover into photography related subjects. Like today, and today only, Macrium Reflect is offering their full version (not the free version) of their software, totally free, but today only. I’m sure you have to sell your soul (give them your email address, or a kitten), but it is a $40 piece of software. [Read more →]
The majority of non-profit organizations survive by receiving tax deductible cash and property donations. Many non-profits also survive by having professionals “donate” their time and/or services. However, this type of donation, while benefiting the non-profit, is not tax deductible by the individual or business.
Internal Revenue Service guidelines strictly prohibit deducting the value of services rendered. Why is this? Because while everyone’s time is valuable, there is no standard in determining what that time is worth.
So my friend Joseph Tames is not only a fellow photographer and good friend, but also happens to be my accountant. Being able to pick his brain has really enlightened me as to best practices for my business. But me being me, I’ve asked more of him. I hoped he could occasionally write an article with tips for small business owners, who only hire an accountant on a limited basis, as well as prospective small businesses who want to start off on the right foot.
Joe will be posting an article very soon, so stay tuned!