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Written by Globe and Mail

Created: 09 February 2015

Hits: 1929

After working in the glossy world of corporate life, a business professional who goes it alone might at first find the change a shock.

Here are a few of the things nobody thinks to mention until you’ve already set up shop.

1. Being an entrepreneur is lonely. Because the company is a startup, there’s no HR division, accounts department or administration team. So it’s just you, the company founder, overseeing all these administrative tasks.

And when you’re out on the road meeting potential clients, nothing gets done because you’re not there to do it.

With several key departments missing from your workforce, outsource some of these tasks. These contractors will need to be fully briefed to work to your specifications. That saps time but, without the manpower to get things accomplished in-house, you have no choice.

If you need someone to brainstorm with, find a business partner or hire your first team member.

2. Talent doesn’t queue up. As passionate as you may be about your enterprise, the person you might try to hire may not be. Top people rarely want to join a company they don’t know for less pay, fewer benefits – and less certainty.

You need to market yourself and your brand. Share your vision and woo potential employees so that they will see the positives of a startup: more responsibility, the opportunity to learn new skills and possibly an equity share.

Once you have an employee on board, keep that person.

It’s crucial for the team to bond, otherwise discontented employees will quit.

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Written by Small Business BC

Created: 06 February 2015

Hits: 1825

 Let’s face it - Winter can be a bit of a downer! The big build up to the holidays, the pressure to stick to your New Year’s Resolution, the time away from your business with your family and the mountain of work when you return. We’re all dealing with it.

What you need is a healthy dose of positivity. By making a conscious decision to change your thinking and accept that there will be bumps in the road will lead you to live a more purposeful, hopeful and fulfilling business life. 

Here are 5 ideas to get started.

1. Accept the Challenge

Don’t let fear and nerves overwhelm you. Take a breather and see each problem as a challenge you can conquer. Remember: Each challenge won, means that your business is moving forward and growing. 

2. Laugh More

Life gets busy and schedules get full, meaning that it’s all too easy to take life too seriously. But living life mechanically in order to get things done can result in living under a black cloud without even realizing it. Remember to take breaks, no matter how short your break is and find the humour in life, even if it means laughing at yourself! Part of being human is accepting you’re not a machine. And even machines have regular shutdown and maintenance schedules.

3. Help Others

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Written by Small Business BC

Created: 06 February 2015

Hits: 1857

 It’s no secret - starting or growing a business can be stressful.  While a small amount of stress can help motivate you, when it becomes unmanageable for either you or your employees, that’s when it becomes a problem.

Fortunately, there are many strategies you can use to help battle workplace stress. 

Try sharing these weekly challenges with your coworkers to help each other make the small changes you need to take control of your stress.

Week 1: Move More 

Physical activity is one of the most effective stress remedies around. Exercise releases chemicals in your brain that make you feel good, boost self-esteem, help you concentrate and improve your sleep and digestion. 

There are lots of ways to include more activity into your work day. Try some of the following this week:

• Schedule an appointment for physical activity – don’t miss it. 
• Go breathe in some fresh air, literally. Bring walking shoes and take a 10-minute walk at lunch or walk on your break. 
• Need to have a quick meeting or brainstorm session? Try a walking meeting with a co-worker.

Week 2: Practice Healthy Habits 

Simply keeping up with the daily demands of work, home and family life can often leave you feeling spread thin. Making a conscious effort to practice healthy habits every day to take care of yourself will help you to manage and reduce your stress. 

Try to practice these healthy habits every day this week: 

• Do something you enjoy—read a book, go for a walk, spend time with friends or family or indulge in any other healthy activity that is special to you. 
• Eat a balanced diet. Concentrate on fibre-rich foods, such as wholegrain bread, fruit, vegetables and fish. Limit caffeine and alcohol and drink plenty of water.
• Laugh a little. The act of laughing helps your body fight stress in a number of ways, so share a laugh with someone you know!

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Written by Digital Journal

Created: 04 February 2015

Hits: 3339

Brandon, CA -- (ReleaseWire) -- 02/03/2015 -- With Quickbooks revenue up 13% overall for the year, small businesses are continuing to make the switch from Sage 50 with support from E-tech's data conversion services.

As Quickbooks continues its trend as the leading financial management solution for small businesses, consumers and accounting professionals for 2014 by raking in $4.5 billion in revenue for the year, it comes as no surprise that many small business owners are still choosing to transition to the more user-friendly system in 2015.

"Simply put – Quickbooks has become very advanced and easier to use compared to Sage 50. Not only that, but a large majority of third-party tools work only with QuickBooks. Because of these factors, we're still seeing a steady flow of customers converting from Sage 50 to Quickbooks," notes the CIO of QuickbooksRepairPro.com, John Rocha.

Rocha's partner company, E-Tech, is the leading file repair, Quickbooks data recovery, and Quickbooks data conversion services provider in the United States and Canada. The company has experienced an increasing number of businesses moving to QuickBooks with the help of their team. They offer a "quick and painless" conversation by converting all core accounting information from a company's former Saga 50 files with 100% accuracy.

Intuit's Quickbooks does not offer a seamless path to convert from Sage 50 to QuickBooks Desktop (Pro, Premier or Enterprise) or QuickBooks Online, so E-Tech works by filling this gap with an affordable and seamless service offering. E-Tech offers a variety of services including Sage 50 to Quickbooks Conversion, Enterprise to Premier or Pro Conversion, Sage BusinessWorks to Quickbooks Conversion, and Quickbooks Enterprise to Quickbooks Online Conversion.

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