Although I’ve written about my hometown of San Manuel and my home security fail in in the past, I don’t usually make it a habit to share uber personal stories on this blog. Of course, there’s always an exception to the rule.

Meet Rollie

Rollie was adopted on June 23rd, 2006. He was part Dachshund and part mangy mutt—actually he was supposedly part Cocker Spaniel but we’re skeptical about that. We’re also skeptical of his age which is supposed to be 11 (human) years old; but since he was adopted, there’s no way of knowing whether the vet’s estimate was correct.

Rollie Has Left the Building

Life has been extremely busy as of late with business and personal stuff—which explains the silence on the blog—but never in a million years would I have expected to be dealing with a deathly ill puppy.

On Wednesday evening we noticed that Rollie’s appetite was gone and and he was drooling—Rollie was a big fan of being lazy, napping, eating, pooping, licking, and scratching but he was much too civilized for drooling so we knew something was wrong.

On Thursday he went to the vet and was diagnosed with stomach problems. On Friday, he went to the vet again after he started having bouts of diarrhea and his urine was found to be red-orange in color. That same day, he was rushed to the Animal Hospital after his blood count was found to be at a critical level. On Saturday he recovered slightly, but was experiencing neurological issues and couldn’t find his balance. On Sunday just before Noon, his heart stopped and any attempts at resuscitation were stopped shortly thereafter.

We still don’t know what caused him to get so sick and decline so quickly; we had him checked regularly and he was always found to be in tip-top health for his age. We’re still waiting on lab results which were slowed due to the holiday weekend, but even that tidbit of information doesn’t sound too comforting at the moment.

We knew that he was getting old and that one day he would leave us, but seeing him slip from us so quickly has caught us completely off guard. I know that grieving is part of the process of losing a pet, but I never expected it to be this hard. I know it sounds cliche, but I still wait for him to come trotting out from his favorite napping spot and plop down next to me wherever I may be sitting.

In Closing…

I just want to say thank you if you’ve read this far. I wrote this blog post as a tribute to Rollie, and I just wanted him to know how special and important he was to me and all those who met him.

For those of you who have lost a pet, I’m so sorry for your loss. And for those of you who are thinking of owning a pet…

• Do your homework and become informed.
• Be sure you’re ready to take care of a pet; there’s plenty of sacrifice and work involved.
• Please consider adopting a pet from a rescue agency—many of these innocent animals were abandoned due to no fault of their own.

Sincerely,
The Closet Entrepreneur

I usually don’t post things that I receive through email, but I really like this inspirational video that Siamak Taghaddos helped put together.

Mr. Taghaddos is setting out to inspire entrepreneurs to heal the economy and change the world, and his latest project is the awesome video you see above (please visit the blog if the video doesn’t appear in your feed or email).

Some Background…

Mr. Taghaddos is the CEO and co-founder of Grasshopper, a virtual phone service for freelancers and small businesses. Interestingly enough, Taghaddos is inspiring change within his own company as Grasshopper is the result of a re-branding of GotVMail; the company he initially co-founded in 2003.

Along with the re-branding comes the desire to help inspire entrepreneurs to heal the economy and change the world, which appears to be the rallying cry for many entrepreneurs these days.

For the Detail Freaks…

As you know by now, I’m a stickler for having all the details and here they are:

• The video was created by leading visual designer Ben White of the UK; visit Ben’s Vimeo page to see other videos he has put together.
• Carly Comando is the composer of the song used in the video, and is best known for composing the music for Noah Kalina’s “Everyday” video and the NBA’s “Where Amazing Happens” campaign.
• Last but not least, Sonja Jacob—founder of The Cultivated Word—wrote and produced the video. You can read Sonja’s thoughts on the project by visiting her blog.

For the Design Freaks…

Not only is the video inspirational, but I highly recommend taking note of the typography and visual design as inspiration for your own presentations.

Here are the design details just in case you were wondering:

• Software used: Adobe After Effects
• Fonts used: Swiss721BT and a custom handwritten font

In Conclusion…

I really hope you like the video, and feel free to share your thoughts in the comments!

Sincerely,
The Closet Entrepreneur

If you have ever struggled to swap business cards without coming across as a complete networking n00b, then this hack is for you!

I accidentally stumbled upon this hack at a conference; my pockets were full so I clipped my MOO MiniCard Holder to my lanyard.

Someone spotted the holder and asked what it was, so I flipped it open to reveal the MOO MiniCards inside; they got a kick out of it and asked if they could take a card—pretty slick don’t you think?

Why it Works…

The MOO MiniCards networking hack is pretty simple yet effective for two reasons:

• First, the holder is discreet yet unique enough to make someone take notice and hopefully wonder what it is.
• Second, the MOO MiniCards themselves are extremely unique; I have yet to see someone react negatively or indifferent towards them.

Obviously, not everyone asks about the holder, yet people still find amusement in seeing you reveal the unique cards that hide inside.

Also, there’s no substitute for old-fashioned networking and mingling—MOO MiniCards will help you make an impression but they won’t do all the work for you.

Designing Your Own…

Thankfully, MOO provides a myriad of ways to design your own MOO MiniCards; currently you can upload a custom design, you can select from a set of ready made designs, or you can import photos from Flickr and a slew of other social networking sites.

Personally, I went with a simple retro look based on Fruit Stripe gum; although I’ve seen some really neat designs like Jeff Moriarty’s MOO MiniCards.

The striped design was created in Adobe Illustrator, although you could easily do something like this using any image editing software like Photoshop—you could even try using PowerPoint or Keynote if your resources are limited.

Design Tips

If you’re a DIY kind of person, then here are some important things to note:

MOO provides a PhotoShop MiniCard Template for you to use. The template dimensions are 7.4cm by 3.2cm, but I would recommend creating your image 10 times larger at 74cm by 32cm and uploading the larger design.

The reasoning behind this is due to finding that a 74cm by 32cm generated image appeared sharper than the 7.4cm by 3.2cm image when reduced to the size of a MOO MiniCard and printed.

Of course, this is just a wacky theory of mine so feel free to tweak (or not tweak) your design’s dimensions.

Design Resources

It wouldn’t be The Closet Entrepreneur blog if I didn’t have some freebies to give, so here you go:

• MOO MiniCard PhotoShop CS Template - okay, maybe this isn’t truly a freebie since it’s provided by MOO.
• MOO MiniCard Adobe Illustrator CS3 Template - this is the standard MOO MiniCard template I created for Illustrator - that counts as a freebie right?
• Retro Fruit Stripe Gum Style Template - this is the actual MOO MiniCard design I created in Adobe Illustrator CS3—simply color in the stripes to your liking and replace my name with yours.

NOTE: The retro Fruit Stripe style template is being provided free under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 License. Basically what that means is:

• You’re free to copy, distribute, and remix the template.
• If you do alter, transform, or build upon the template, then please distribute the resulting work under the same or similar Creative Commons license.
• You may not use the template for commercial purposes.
• Lastly, give me some props by attributing the template to ‘The Closet Entrepreneur’ and provide a link back to this blog post on your blog/site.

Design Ideas

There are hundreds of business card galleries out there, but here are some of the latest ones I’ve come across:

• Card Observer is a gallery of great business card designs.
• Dailypoetics’ Business Cards Set on Flickr is a must see.
• The MOO MiniCards Pool on Flickr has a variety of designs specific to MOO.
• The SXSW Business Card Collective has some unique designs that were created just for the event.
• You can find more examples via my delicious business card bookmark.

In Conclusion…

I’m a huge MOO MiniCard fan, although I wish MOO would let us create MiniCards using their 100% post-consumer chlorine-free recycled paper. Regardless, the MiniCards are printed on elemental chlorine free (ECF) paper sourced from sustainable forests so I’ll remain patient for now.

So have you had any success with a unique business card design, or do you have any networking hacks that you’ve employed successfully? If so, then feel free to share your thoughts in the comments!

Sincerely,
The Closet Entrepreneur

I’m about to admit a dark secret that I’ve kept for many years; I’ve used a computer mic to record phone conversations!

Before you erase me from your contacts, just know that the person being interviewed had full knowledge of what I was doing.

Now, if you’ve ever tried to record a phone conversation using a computer mic, you know that the sound quality can be horrible!

Thankfully, the geniuses at drop.io have provided a free and easy way to digitally record your phone conversations for free—keep on reading to see how…

Before You Begin…

The minimum requirements are:

• A cellphone or regular phone with 3-way calling
• A drop.io account, or drop as the cool kids call it

If you don’t have a drop.io account, simply head over to the site and create a drop by typing a name in the Drop name field and clicking the big drop it button.

In the next screen, you’ll have the option of adding an admin password and recovery email address—it’s not necessary but recommended.

‘Drop’ in on a Call

Once you’ve logged into your drop.io account, locate your voicemail number and the five digit extension—write this number down, you’ll need it.

Next, call your drop.io voicemail and 3-way or conference in your other line and begin your conversation.

The recording will stop as soon as you hang up, and your voicemail will be converted to an MP3 and stored in your drop—easy peasy wiretapeasy don’t you think?

FYI: It is illegal to record a phone call without the other party’s consent! Some states require only one party consent, while other states require all party’s consent—do the research and stay out of trouble.

Disclaimer a.k.a. Don’t Blame Me if Something Goes Wrong!

Drop.io is great, but here are some things to keep in mind:

• The free account comes with 100mb of storage, which translates to approximately 400 minutes (6 hrs & 40 min) of talk time. Kiss the whole message goodbye if you go over.
• There is no warning if you enter the wrong drop extension; the call will go on but your file won’t be saved.
• Drop.io doesn’t charge for calling their 646 number (NYC), but your phone company might. Check your plan if in doubt.

By the way, lengthy conversation will take a few minutes before showing up in your drop, so don’t freak out if you don’t see your recording after you hang up.

Tips for Success!

If you don’t want to go through the hassle of entering your drop.io voicemail number and extension every time, then add it to your address book/speed dial.

Simply perform a Google search for pause for an extension and include your phone in the search—I can already tell you that iPhone and BlackBerry users are in luck.

Another tip is to perform a trial run; give your friend a call and make sure everything works. Also, delete any unwanted files from your drop when you’re done.

Last but not least, drop.io gives you a number for conference calls. In theory, you can 3-way your drop.io voicemail and conference call.

According to drop.io’s support staff, a conference call can handle an unlimited amount of people but they have only tested it with 20 people so far.

In Conclusion…

I used drop.io’s voicemail service to record my interview with Rich Sloan and it worked just fine.

Yet before you leave a note in the comments that Service X and Service Y works better, keep in mind that this is a free service with 400 minutes of recording time.

Of course, you can also use drop.io’s voicemail service to:

• record a podcast
• record an interview, speech, or lecture
• get rid of the My Lil’ Reminder that everyone teases you about
• record a conversation with your girlfriend to prove that she really exists

I’m hoping you can put this info to good use; and as always, feel free to leave a comment with any questions, ideas, or advice!

Sincerely,
The Closet Entrepreneur

I’ve given elevator pitch advice in the past, but I thought you might enjoy some tips from a seasoned entrepreneur who eats elevator pitches for breakfast!
 
I would like to introduce you to Rich Sloan; he is the cofounder of StartupNation and a lifelong entrepreneur who has raised over $70 million in Angel and early-stage venture capital investment for numerous consumer and tech companies.
 
Rich is currently seeking submissions for StartupNation’s 2009 Elevator Pitch Competition, and he wanted to share his insight on how to perfect your pitch.
 
Sincerely,
The Closet Entrepreneur

Why Should We Care About the Elevator Pitch Contest?

Rich: The StartupNation 2009 Elevator Pitch contest is an opportunity for budding entrepreneurs to get their business opportunity in front of a panel of illustrious Venture Capitalists who collectively manage over $1 Billion in seed funding.

Currently, it’s very difficult to get access to these investors and StartupNation is using its power and relationships to the advantage of the contestants.

That’s Nice, but What if I’m Not Ready for Funding?

Rich: You should still submit a pitch! The contest is a perfect way to learn how to create a great elevator pitch; we want everyone who participates to emerge with a sharper and more effective elevator pitch.

Plus, this is no time to be part of the audience; it’s time to step up on the stage and throw your hat in the ring—you’re going to learn much more by being fully engaged than sitting on the sidelines.

What Do Most Entrepreneurs Get Wrong When It Comes to an Elevator Pitch?

Rich: First of all, they don’t create an elevator pitch. They assume that they’re ready for show time by creating a business plan or a 10-slide PowerPoint presentation. The reality is that you’re never going to get to the audience unless you’ve got that killer elevator pitch.

Second, most entrepreneurs overlook using credible information. I’ve been a venture capital investor for many years and have looked at thousands of deals, and credible information in my book consists of third-party data such as:

• Real-world tests of your business concept in practice
• Sales figures showing a path to profitability
• A Board of Directors who bring their own measure of credibility

Ideas are a dime a dozen, so the moment I hear people say “my product is selling” or “my service is live and here’s the data”, it puts them in a different league because my risk profile for this individual goes way down due to the third-party validation.

Last but not least, most entrepreneurs are not willing to brag about themselves. This is a time when you have to lead and you have to impress. For example, you need to be able to say…

• “I have 15 years of experience in this industry.”
• “I know everyone in this industry.”
• “I know everything about this industry.”
• “I have XYZ talents, capabilities, et cetera.”

If you can’t say that about yourself, then you need team members who can bring that to the table so you can brag about them—a credible Board of Directors can also bring that halo to your business opportunity.

What Makes an Elevator Pitch Special?

Rich: Passion needs to be in every single elevator pitch; that’s just universal—you have to be real and you can’t be superficial.

Remember, you’re talking to another individual so try to keep them engaged and focused on your message—you can achieve a likability through a variety of social skills including simple things like humor.

Also substance, smarts, and confidence are key—if you immediately demonstrate command and control of your business sector, then investors are more likely to want to affiliate with you.

I’ve learned as an investor that you have to surround yourself with entrepreneurial superstars; and even if I’m not the right person to drop a half-million dollars into their business, I’m still likely to introduce them to one of my venture capital or angel investor friends who might be more suited.

What Are the Contest Details?

Rich: Your pitch can be in video or audio form, and up to two minutes in length—of course one minute is always better than two. You must upload your file by March 20th, 2009 to be considered for the contest.

Once you’ve submitted your pitch, we’ll give you promotional links that can be placed in your e-mail, website, Facebook page, et cetera—the links will also allow your friends and contacts to place a vote for your pitch.

Our panel of venture capitalists will review the top 100 vote getters and pick five winners from the group. The winning five will then have the opportunity to present their business solution to the panel of venture capital investors.

In addition, each of the five winners will also receive a Toshiba Satellite Pro S300 laptop computer and a GoToMeeting Annual Plan with unlimited usage, free of charge. Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc., and GoToMeeting are also sponsors of the Elevator pitch contest.

Any Startup Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs?

Rich: I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, stop standing on the sidelines and get into the game! You can learn more rapidly and gain more traction by just getting started!

-Rich Sloan
Lifelong entrepreneur and StartupNation cofounder

Be sure to visit the StartupNation site for more information on the 2009 Elevator Pitch Competition. While you’re there, check out the submitted pitches and links for more information on creating a great elevator pitch.

Sincerely,
The Closet Entrepreneur

It’s been a long time since I’ve had a prize giveaway, so I’ve teamed up with Roberto Hoyos to bring you the Throwboy icon pillow giveaway!
 
For those of you who don’t know Mr. Hoyos, he’s the Chief Nerd and Founder of Throwboy—an online company that sells OS X icon, chat, and web-inspired pillows.
 
Obviously I wouldn’t be The Closet Entrepreneur if I didn’t ping Roberto for entrepreneurial advice, so below you’ll find some startup tips from the Throwboy founder himself—as well as all the details on how you can get a free Throwboy pillow for yourself!
 
Sincerely,
~The Closet Entrepreneur

4 Startup Questions for Throwboy Founder, Roberto Hoyos…

Q: What’s the most unexpected thing you’ve encountered while starting Throwboy?

Roberto: I was a little surprised at how long it took to get a website up and running, a lot of beta testing goes into making something that works.

I’m really used to just banging things out quickly and the site wasn’t really something that came together as fast as I had hoped.

It’s good to be detailed, but don’t let your project take forever or people may lose interest, or someone could steal your idea while you’re obsessing over perfection.

Q: How did you bootstrap your startup?

Roberto: My bootstrapping technique was to give up sleep. Why not, right? It’s so overrated. Honestly, if you’re going to build something from an idea to a business, you’re going to have to sacrifice something.

The way Throwboy really got rolling was when I quit trying to do things the professional or sane way (i.e., getting a loan, hiring workers, getting a factory to sew) and just did everything myself—sewing, cutting, pattern making, shipping, customer service, you name it.

The point is if you want to start something, just do it. Whether you start your company with $100 or $100,000, money shouldn’t be a factor on whether or not you make things happen. And if you still need money, you could always play credit card roulette and get yourself into a heap of debt! It’s definitely a motivator to be successful.

Q: What’s your advice for entrepreneurs wanting to sell things online?

Roberto: If you’re looking to start selling products online, I highly recommend using PayPal’s shopping cart. It’s simple to implement and it’s trusted. Also, your buyers don’t need a PayPal account to use it, and it handles currency conversion and sales tax.

Really think about the user’s buying experience and what’s going to make sense to the average buyer? Don’t try to reinvent the wheel when creating your buy page/shopping cart. These things are standardized for a reason.

Use that to your advantage and use services like PayPal to get you off the ground with a comprehensive shopping cart and checkout experience. Sure, PayPal isn’t the most professional looking thing in the world but people trust it and know it.

Also, visit sites that sell physical products and see how much effort it takes to pay them, you may be surprised. Bottom line, people should be able to make a purchase with a few clicks and be done with a receipt waiting in their inbox. To paraphrase Kevin Rose, “Make your site clean, lightweight, and easy to use.”

It should be so damn easy that grandma can figure it out. For example, check out Woot.com and Amazon.com—each has a great buying experience.

Q: What has been the most important startup lesson you’ve learned so far?

Roberto: I’ve learned to get things in writing! Even if it’s your best friend, you need to get things in writing. If you’re honest and upfront with the people you choose to work with, they’re not going to take it personally. You shouldn’t worry that they will because it comes down to the bottom line.

If the terms of your working relationship are not properly laid down when the money starts flowing in, then you’re going to wish you took the time to get everything in writing. You’ll hear this a lot, and that’s because it’s truly important.

I also learned that having a niche audience is very powerful. Throwboy has a very targeted product but that’s the beauty of it; we’re able to focus on a specific group (in our case, geeks like us) and give them what they want.

It’s also very important to communicate with your audience to make sure you’re doing it right; after all, this is a business and (cliche alert) the customer is always right.

-Roberto Hoyos
Throwboy Founder

Alright readers, I hope you take Roberto’s advice to heart! Now it’s time to get in line for the giveaway! The process is simple—to be entered in the random drawing for a Throwboy OS X Icon pillow of your choice, simply leave a comment!
 
Now keep in mind that multiple comments from the same person will only be counted once! Yet if you really want to increase your chances of winning, simply click the link below to tweet:
 
“@tomascarrillo is giving away a free @throwboy icon pillow! http://is.gd/lxwA - please retweet!”
 
…and I’ll enter your name twice! Also, be sure to leave your Twitter handle in your comment so I know who you are!
 
The deadline for this giveaway is Friday, March 6th at Midnight (Pacific Time Zone), and the winner will be announced on Sunday, March 8th. Happy commenting and good luck!

Sincerely,
The Closet Entrepreneur

I’ve received a lot of questions from individuals who have run into trouble with their LLC’s and have tried to answer them to the best of my ability. Unfortunately I’m not a lawyer, but thankfully I know someone who is, so this guest post is brought to you by Andrew Flusche and I really hope you find his advice useful!
 
~The Closet Entrepreneur

You and your two best buddies have finally decided to start a business together. You have a great business plan, a killer idea, and even some cash to get started.

But what happens when one of you wants out? Or what if somebody is in a tragic accident? This is why your business needs a written agreement.

Plan for the Unexpected…

Everybody is friends when a business is started. Who would start a business with their enemy? But crazy things can happen while running a business, and many friendships are unexpectedly broken.

Even if you remain great friends throughout the venture, other things can happen. One of your business partners might pass away. Or somebody might want to sell their share in the business.

Part of your startup planning should cover these situations. You can’t plan for everything, but you can catch a lot of possibilities. This is where you can get advice from experienced business people: ask what types of problems they’ve had to deal with. Make sure you’re ready for anything they’ve been through.

Put It in Writing…

The best planning in the world isn’t going to matter if it has no legal force. This is where a formal agreement is important.

I know you’re best buddies with your business partners, but that’s no reason to neglect entering into a proper agreement with them. In fact, if you are friends, it should be easy to sit down and sign the paperwork.

Agreements by Business Type…

Depending upon the type of business you setup, your formal agreement will have different names–but it still covers the major issues.

Partnership - This is the most informal business comprised of more than one person. You don’t have to jump through any legal hoops. You just operate the business and share the profits in some way. Since the entity is informal, you really need to make sure to have a Partnership Agreement. Specify how profits and losses will be shared, how a partner can leave & enter, etc. Have all the partners sign it.

Limited Liability Company - LLCs are great business entities. They provide limited liability, but they are flexible. You still want to have all the LLC members sign an Operating Agreement that covers the key issues of operation, dissolution, share valuation, and other topics.

Corporation - If you’ve formed a formal corporation, you still need to have Bylaws. This is the corporation’s formal agreement that explains how the company will be run.

Don’t Fail to Plan!

If you fail to plan, you’re doomed for problems down the road. But the future will be smoother if you plan, put your plans into an agreement, and sign it. Every business has problems, but don’t let a lack of an agreement be one of yours.

Consult an Attorney

It’s always tempting to save money by drafting contracts and agreements on your own. These days you can even find lots of samples online.

But do you really want to cut corners with something that is integral to your business? There’s a reason lawyers go to school, get licensed, and take continuing education courses. This stuff isn’t easy. If your business agreement isn’t properly drafted, it could actually create more problems than it solves.

You should always consult a lawyer when you need important agreements drawn up.

About the Author…

Andrew Flusche is a University of Virginia School of Law graduate and runs his own law firm in Fredericksburg, Virginia. He focuses on estate planning, businesses law, and defends people charged with Virginia reckless driving. You can learn more about Andrew, as well as get in contact with him at his website andrewflusche.com.

Sincerely,
The Closet Entrepreneur

Written for The Closet Entrepreneur by Suzanne Turnbull…

Working from home may seem like a luxury, but your home office setup can actually get in the way of your productivity and performance.

The Benefits Of Being Organized…

Most people prefer an organized workspace to piles of papers and office tools, yet it’s easy to fall into a cluttered routine while working hard to get the job done. To avoid clutter from accumulating on your desk, take simple steps like…

• Organizing documents by investing in a filing cabinet, folders, labels, storage bins, and tab divided desk drawers
• Writing out a to-do list to determine your workload and prioritize the tasks at hand

The Benefits Of Being Comfortable…

If you’re going to be spending the majority of your day sitting, your office chair is what you want to focus on most. The chair you choose can have a large impact on your comfort, safety, and work performance throughout the day depending on its ergonomic design and lumbar support.

The Benefits Of Décor…

Your home office should also include inspirational décor and office accessories to ease the home office working rut. When searching for desk or wall accessories, keep a balance a mind.

Elaborate items may prove to be more of a distraction, whereas something as simple as framed photography or a plant next to your computer can create a welcoming environment each time you enter your home office.

Ultimately, your home office is not a place for clutter. The time spent digging through documents and Post-It notes is unproductive and can steal your attention away from the important tasks; so take the necessary time to invest in an organized and comfortable workspace.

About The Author…

This post was written for The Closet Entrepreneur by Suzanne Turnbull, an SEM Specialist at CSN Stores.

Sincerely,
The Closet Entrepreneur

Written for The Closet Entrepreneur by Steve Sildon…

From small businesses to large corporations, it is vital that each one efficiently track their expenses and responsibly manage their finances. Whether it is for tax purposes or expense reporting, a business must be able to account for all expenditures. For an entrepreneur operating a home-based business, failing to keep business expenses separate from personal purchases can be particularly problematic, leading to bookkeeping and accounting challenges that will inevitably lead to money management issues. Even though small businesses are one of the largest contributors to our nation’s economy, at a time of fiscal crisis and declining economic activity, this is a responsibility that no company can afford to neglect. Fortunately for entrepreneurs, a business credit card is a readily accessible tool that can go a long way in assisting business owners with this particular problem.

There are many advantages to using a business credit card to manage expenses more effectively for both small and large businesses. For tracking purposes, many of the most popular cards provide a detailed monthly statement, breaking down each expense individually in line-item fashion as well as breaking out the expenses into specific categories. Having the expenses categorized in this manner provides a much clearer vantage point of potentially problematic spending areas. Even easier still, if the company utilizes business accounting software, such as Quickbooks, the credit card statements can easily be downloaded into the software, simplifying the process and making the reconciliation of your monthly and yearly statements much more palatable for business owners and their bookkeepers. You can even setup Quickbooks to download the information automatically at a set time to simplify the process even more. Automating some of the accounting process for small business owners can save a substantial amount of time, and that reason alone might justify the proposition of having a business credit card entirely. Less time reconciling expenses might mean more time for developing new products and increasing your sales. This type of automated reporting capability can also make the task of producing financial statements at a moment’s notice for investors or lenders considerably easier, ensuring a much higher level of accuracy.

The average business might only have a few select employees who are authorized to make company purchases, but there are other organizations whose employees must make company purchases on a daily basis. For those companies, these statements can significantly reduce wasted company time by employees filling out an expense report that may not even reveal all the details of their purchases. Would you rather have your highly paid sales people filling out detailed expense reports or selling your products? Obviously, it should still be mandatory that hard copies of all receipts be submitted for record keeping purposes but also to document any and all employee expenses for tax authorities should that be necessary (knock on wood). Additionally, when an employee is required to use a credit card for business expenses, knowing their supervisor and the owner will see each and every purchased item is a constant reminder to keep their purchase activity on the up and up. By having each category clearly outlined, this also enables the business owner to target areas of overspending or non-essential spending.

Before choosing a business credit card, it’s imperative to do research. Online comparisons and reviews of most major credit cards as well as an outline of their vast array of options and special offers is readily available. These websites clearly explain and outline the details to look for low or no annual fees, low interest rates, special discounts, credit limits, and hidden fees such as late-pay penalties, set-up fees or finance charges. Some major credit card companies offer special discounts offered only to businesses, such as air miles and hotel discounts for frequent travel. One popular offer is credit towards a business’s favorite office supply store, accumulated from purchases made with the card. By taking advantage of a frequent flier program, a company could reduce their travel expenses for out-of-town conferences or training seminars. This type of program can trim the cost for companies with Pharmaceutical Sales Representatives, Regional Sales Directors, Insurance Producers, and those whose employment consists of daily or frequent long-distance travel.

If you are concerned about the thought of giving your employees credit cards, you are in good company. As the primary cardholder on the account, small business owners have the ability to set much smaller credit limits on any of the individual company cards used by employees in order to minimize the risk of abuse. You will not have to lose sleep with the thought of employees running around with credit cards on your dime. You can assign credit limits to your card holders based on need, but you also have the flexibility to make the monthly credit limits as small as you want to increase your comfort level.

Nevertheless, many small business owners are hesitant to use any type of credit card in their business. However, the bottom line is this: a business credit card can be an incredibly useful, cost-effective, time-saving tool, if used properly. By putting in place smaller credit limits on individual cards, establishing clear guidelines for card use and properly reconciling all expenses made on the cards each and every month, many of the potential pitfalls and concerns that small business owners have about the prospect of utilizing credit cards in their business can be effectively minimized.

About The Author…

Steve Sildon is a featured writer for CreditCardAssist.com and frequent contributor in the personal financial community on business finance topics such as small business loans, credit cards and alternative financing.

Sincerely,
The Closet Entrepreneur

Wouldn’t it be nice if you could export an Excel list of addresses to Google Earth and Google Maps? Thankfully, there are several ways to do this but the only question you need to ask yourself is, “How secure does my data need to be?”

Although Google Maps gives you the option to remove your saved maps from search results, a public URL of your map still exists and can be accessed by anyone with that URL. If in doubt, keep your map’s URL to yourself or use Google Earth instead.

Mapping Excel Data Using VBA

Process Trends created an Excel spreadsheet that incorporates the work of Juice Analytics and simon_a to geocode addresses and prepare them for Google Earth and Google Maps. To begin, download the MapExcelData.xls file and follow along.

**Attention Excel 2004 for Mac users, the MapExcelData.xls spreadsheet will not work due to the missing VBA Split function. Unfortunately, you’ll have to run MapExcelData.xls on a Windows version of Excel.

Step 1: With macros enabled, open the MapExcelData.xls spreadsheet and go to the KML_details tab. Change the document name in cell C3 to whatever you wish, and update the file path in cell C2 to indicate the name and save location of your KML file.

For example, if you want the file to be named digdug.kml and saved to your desktop, the file path will look something like this:

Step 2: Go to the data tab and starting at row 6, paste your address data in columns D through I. Leave columns A, B, and C blank since the macro will find this information for you.

Step 3: Select the rows you would like geocoded, and click the Geocode button at the top of the spreadsheet. The latitude and longitude values will begin to fill columns A, B, and C.

Step 4: Once geocoding is done, click the Gen KML File button and your KML file will be created. If you have Google Earth installed, then click the Run Google Earth button in the spreadsheet or double-click the newly generated KML file to see your addresses plotted on the globe.

In the interest of time, I’ve created a pdf that shows you how to export Google Earth locations to Google Maps if needed, or…

Bonus Tip: You can open your KML file in Google Maps without the help of Google Earth. First, upload your generated KML file to a public web space like your blog or Dropbox public folder. Next, copy and paste the URL of the file to the maps.google.com search field—click the Search Maps button and you’re done.

Feel free to give it a try with this URL:
http://theclosetentrepreneur.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/digdug.kml

Once your addresses are in Google Maps, you can click the Save to My Maps link and have them available whenever you need them.

Other Ways To Map Excel Data

If you don’t want to use the MapExcelData.xls spreadsheet, then batchgeocode.com allows you to create a KML file from your Excel data using their online form.

Another option is to use Dabble DB, an amazing online database tool that can generate KML files for Google Earth. Unfortunately, your data is public when using their free plan so either pay for a plan if you need privacy, or take advantage of the free 1 month private trial.

In Conclusion…

I’m hoping you can make use of this blog post, but If you’ve read this far and feel that you have no use for this information, then consider…

• Creating a map of your delivery locations
• Mapping out a road trip
• Creating a map of foreclosures or homes for sale
• Map your favorite art galleries or hole in the wall restaurants
• Map local coffee shops, cafés, and coworking spaces that offer free Wi-Fi
• Create a map of local arcades that have coin-operated Galaga machines
• Create a map of local restaurants that offer 24 hour service
• et cetera…

See any uses for exporting Excel data to Google Maps that I may have missed? If so, feel free to leave a comment!

Sincerely,
The Closet Entrepreneur

Post Scriptum: A big Thank You goes out to the guys at REsolved LLC for the tips on their Get Your Data on Google Maps For Free video!