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Posts Tagged ‘England’

Article by Cathy Shaver

If you are self employed and are looking for information and resources to help you become more successful or to help answer important questions about taxes, laws, and other aspects of ownership, you might be surprised how much information is available. When you know where to look, you can find information regarding many facets of self employment. What follows is a short list of some of the best books and blogs available for people who are self employed.

BooksMinding Her Own Business by Jan Zobel- This book is ideal for all small business owners. While written for women, the book offers highly valuable information for entrepreneurs of both genders. With tax information, recordkeeping guides, and more, this book is a must have for entrepreneurs and the self employed.

Getting Business to Come to You by Paul Edwards- Following in the footsteps of other books by the author, this book is geared towards helping business owners learn new ways to bring in customers through different methods of networking and advertising. While the book was published a decade ago, the research and marketing principles still hold true. The author also offers books on maintaining an entrepreneurial venture while balancing a family and many other aspects of business ownership and self employment.

422 Tax Deductions for Businesses and Self Employed Individuals by Bernard B. Karmaroff- This book is a valuable resource for any self employed entrepreneur. Offering a number of common and uncommon deductions that can help you lower your taxes or even see a larger refund, the tips and help in this book can be of great benefit to business owners.

Blogsshaboominc.com/blog/- By far one of the best self employment blogs on the net. This blog has links for many different types of business owners, from artists and craft makers to niche marketers and more. Beyond that, there are excellent articles that span the entire gamut of business ownership and the blog is well researched and informative without reading as dry or boring.

Selfemployedmum.co.uk- This blog is based in England but offers excellent advice and tips that certainly have a global appeal. From learning new ways to ensure that your hobby is profitable to the latest gadgets and items to keep you organized and running smoothly, this blog has something for every self-employed individual.

These are certainly only a few of the many resources available, yet I find that they offer some of the most practical advice. The books are no nonsense guides to the facts and information you need to know to be successful, and the blogs offer a great mix of information, resources, and lighthearted humor to keep you reading. If you are looking for more ways to improve your business, these links are certainly a perfect start.

About the Author

FairsandFestivals.net is your premier online resource for information on craft shows, fairs, festivals, and more. You will find all of the latest events as well as articles and information on how to market your craft and fair business. To learn how you can increase your craft show profits, visit FairsandFestivals.net today.

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Article by Direct Line for Business – Public Liability Insurance

After some of the most severe snow for 20 years, insurer Direct Line for Business is urging business owners to ensure they limit the possibility of customers and staff slipping and getting injured.

According to Direct Line for Business, if members of the public were to slip on ice on a business? premises and the owner had not undertaken the appropriate action, such as clearing the ice or placing relevant warning signs, they could potentially be liable if a claim was made. Businesses need to ensure they are able to demonstrate due care had been taken to minimise the likelihood of an accident.

Kate Syred, Head of Direct Line for Business says: ?With the recent snow fall now turning into ice, it is essential that business owners think about how to mitigate any potential dangers for their customers and staff. It is also worth ensuring they have the appropriate insurance in the event of any accidents, as although employers? liability insurance is compulsory by law, public liability is not.?

In addition to potential accidents such as people slipping on ice or water, melting snow drifts and ice can also be hazardous. In order to mitigate the risks, Direct Line has the following tips for businesses:

? If members of the public or employees use any part of a business? premises such as a walkway, it is essential any ice is cleared or gritted accordingly. Even if a pedestrian walked across a shop?s forecourt or a pub?s car park and slipped, the business owner could be liable.

? Ice and snow also mean wet floors, so it is essential it is either mopped up or warning signs are placed notifying people of the potential risk. Remember, if a floor has been mopped up it may still be slippery so warning signs should still be used.

? Snow melting and falling from roofs can also be a danger. Whilst no attempt should be made to climb onto a roof to remove it, action should be taken to cordon off the area where the snow might fall onto unsuspecting pedestrians and appropriate warning signs placed around the area.

? Staff should be appropriately trained and aware of the correct action to take. The business owner may not be there all the time, so it is essential employees are aware of any potential dangers and how to deal with or avoid them.

For more information contact:

Simon HenrickDirect Line Press office020 8313 596507833 166717Email: Simon.henrick@rbs.co.uk

Notes to editors:

Direct Line for Business

Launched in 2007 Direct Line for Business provides a range of insurance products for the small business sector direct by phone or on-line.

Direct Line for Business is part of RBS Insurance, the second largest general insurer in the UK and is wholly owned by the Royal Bank of Scotland Group. Customers can find out more about Direct Line for Business products or get a quote by calling 0845 303 1760 or visiting http://www.directline.com

Direct Line Insurance plc is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority. Registered office: 3 Edridge Road, Croydon, Surrey CR9 1AG. Registered in England and Wales no. 01810801. The Financial Services Authority’s Register can be accessed through http://www.fsa.gov.uk/register

About the Author

Visit http://www.directlineforbusiness.co.uk for more information on their public liability insurance offers and get an online.

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Article by Donald Mitchell

At the end of the American Civil War, journalist Horace Greeley gave this often-quoted advice in an editorial, “Go West, young man!” and many Americans heeded his call. Greeley correctly identified that the American West contained vast potential for winning a fine living by taking advantage of free land, inexpensive resources, and good growing conditions.

Twenty-eight years later the best of that opportunity was gone, and historian Frederick Jackson Turner declared that the United States’ frontier was finished as a social influence.

In every generation, there’s an opportunity to move from places of limited opportunity for the average person to lands of much greater potential.

In the nineteenth century, many left their homelands in Europe and Asia for a fresh start in the United States. After legal immigration was greatly restricted there in the twentieth century, people still left their homes in droves. Much of the aspiring human tide flooded instead into other parts of North and South America. And illegal immigration continually flowed across the border from Mexico to the United States.

Near the end of the twentieth century, the fall of communism in many parts of Europe and Asia opened new floodgates for people there to escape devastated economies and to find a new beginning in countries offering more freedom and opportunity. As evidence of this trend, you’ll find Russians, for instance, as a major immigrant community in many nations around the world.

Let’s move to the present. If you are willing to pick up, to move, and to start afresh elsewhere today, where should you go for more opportunity? In thinking about that question, I also wondered what advice Horace Greeley would offer today to ambitious business people.

One possible answer is provided by well-known investor Jim Rogers, cofounder of the Quantum fund, who has moved to Asia and arranged for his daughters to learn Mandarin Chinese. That decision also seems to have been endorsed by the many ethnic Chinese from other countries who have turned their attention from other countries to focus much of their time, money, and effort into establishing new enterprises in China.

In considering opportunities, much can be learned by looking at individual cases of people who have been following a particular path. To understand the business opportunities in Asia, let me tell you a little about the opportunity-seeking experiences of Dr. David Ledger, an expert in successful small business practices, who earned his Ph.D. at Rushmore University.

Shortly after he started working, Dr. Ledger was drawn to Hong Kong from his native England by an attractive short-term assignment. One opportunity led to another, and he eventually spent fourteen years in Hong Kong.

The pace there was hectic, work days were often sixteen hours long, and travel was extensive. I was struck by the parallels in his experience to the millions of immigrants who work seven days a week, night-and-day, seeking to grasp as much opportunity as possible.

Eventually, Dr. Ledger’s goals changed: He wanted to find agreeable colleagues, an environment that better suited his outlook on life, and a community where there would be less stress. Without seeking Australia, Dr. Ledger was delighted to find just the job, environment, and community there that he was looking for.

In moving well south of China to Australia, Dr. Ledger was responding to a better informed sense of what kind of opportunity he would benefit from. The place of maximum opportunity for any individual may not be the best place to go: The personal price there may be too high.

Dr. Ledger’s desire to learn wasn’t satisfied by the time that he arrived in Hong Kong. His work there involved many international business issues, and he determined that knowledge gained from an MBA program would increase his effectiveness.

In an earlier time, that desire to grasp more opportunity would have been a problem. Earning such a degree in prior years was only available by sitting in daytime classes in a few countries, none of which were near Hong Kong.

Fortunately, Dr. Ledger was able to find an appealing program that flew in professors from elsewhere so that he could study in Hong Kong. During his last two years there, he earned the coveted MBA degree. This credential added to his knowledge and expanded his business career options. This educational step was in its own way a bit like going his earlier move from England to Hong Kong to gain more opportunity.

During his MBA studies one of Dr. Ledger’s professors made an observation that startled him: “You know that in 10 years the MBA will no longer be enough in a competitive environment like Hong Kong; you’ll have to think doctorate.” Even in the land of opportunity, you cannot do too much to gain distinctions that provide business-career advantages.

Following that advice fit well with Dr. Ledger’s long-held desire to earn a doctorate. He had been working independently for many years on his observations about how to be successful with small businesses.

Having decided to enter a doctoral program, the next question was where to earn his degree. Because of his success with gaining an online MBA degree, he realized that an online Ph.D. program would suit his work schedule and career plans very well because he could change countries and not lose any momentum.

Dr. Ledger is now enjoying the business career fruits of moving to new lands and gaining distinction. He finds himself in a hospitable environment where there is plenty of opportunity to employ his international development skills as much as he wants and while being buttressed by the credibility of his Ph.D. degree. His life now provides “a feeling of pure satisfaction.”

What advice should you follow for your career? Two centuries of opportunity seeking and today’s global business environment suggest these lessons:

1. Move to where you can gain lots of practical experience very quickly.

2. Expand the scope of opportunities available to you by adding knowledge and academic credentials that complement your work interests.

3. Use online education, as appropriate, to allow you more flexibility to learn and grow anywhere you are or want to go.

4. Achieve a good balance between seeking opportunity and enjoying a lifestyle that is attractive for the long run.

For many people in Europe and North America, these four lessons can be summarized as: “Head Southwest, young person, and gain distinction.”

About the Author

Donald W. Mitchell is a professor at Rushmore University, an online graduate school, who often teaches people who want to work on improving small businesses and the economies of lesser-developed countries. For more information about ways to engage in fruitful lifelong learning at Rushmore to increase your effectiveness and improve your career, visit

http://www.rushmore.edu