Thanks for reading or subscribing to The Wealth Spa Business Blueprint!  Over the last few months, I've finished my book and come to more clarity about how I can help you succeed in your business. 

I'm launching my new website, Grow Up Strategies for Small Business on November 1st.  Based on my upcoming book by the same name, Grow Up! Strategies teaches small business owners how to make more money, reduce their stress, and have more fun with their business — by getting their financial & legal situation in order.  This new website and blog will replace The Wealth Spa Business Blueprint Blog. 

I'd love to get your feedback about the main page, http://www.GrowUpStrategies.com, and the blog http://www.GrowUpStrategies.com/blog. 

Check them out and post a comment with any comments, feedback, edits, or ideas.

And, the forms are live so if you want to sign up for something, feel free! 

Thanks so much for your help!

Elizabeth

My book is due to my publisher on August 31st, and I'm starting to freak out.  To prevent a total nervous breakdown, I will be taking a break from my blogs until the end of the month — but don't worry, I will be back in September with more valuable information and tips to help you in your business.  More on Taking a break to finish the book.

Question:  Do I really need to get business liability insurance for my home business? 

Answer:  More on Do I need business liability insurance for my home business?

Do you want to fight less with your spouse about money?

Do you want to grow your business quickly, without having to look at the books more than the minimum necessary to get the job done? 

Whether you are the CFO of your family, your home business, or a Fortune-500, you must schedule a quarterly meeting with your board to analyze your finances and plan for the future.  More on Cash Flow Part 4: Your Quarterly Review

   A Random Walk Down Wall Street:  The Time-Tested Strategy for Successful Investing, 9th ed., by Burton G. Malkiel, is a classic and brilliant explanation of how investors make the same mistakes over and over again, and how you can avoid those mistakes.  If you want to understand how the stock market works, and decide for yourself if you should be investing in index mutual funds or picking stocks, this book is a must-read. 

This book is not short, but that's because it goes through the history of investing (starting in 1592! through the dot-com era), explains how professionals invest and modern portfolio theory, and how you can apply all that to your investment portfolio.

I read this book before I was an investment advisor, have re-read it since, and recommend it to my clients who want to understand how the stock market, and how investors, work. 

Pros:  More on Book Review: A Random Walk Down Wall Street

The question has two sides — is it legal to have a business in your home OR are you running your business legally?  The second questions deals with what you have to do to run your home business without getting in trouble with some government agency, but the first question asks if you are allowed to even have a home business in the first place. 

Answer:  It depends.  Don't you love lawyer answers?    More on Is it legal to have a business in your home?

"It takes money to make money" is somewhat true.  Whether you are just starting a new business, growing your business, or adding new products or divisions, you need financing to provide the money (or capital) it takes to realize your vision.  But what type of financing is right for you (and which can you actually get)?  Today's post discusses the first type of financing — self financing and bootstrapping.  More on Self-Financing and Bootstrapping to start or grow a business

How do you reduce your stress about your money?

How do you save more money for your goals?

The secret is in the system.  More on Cash Flow Part 3: The Secret to Checking Your Money

I advocate using independent contractors, such as Virtual Assistants, as a way to grow your business without increasing overhead and regulatory issues.  But the only way for this strategy to work is for you to be actually hiring independent contractors, and not accidentally letting the relationship morph into an employee relationship.   If the person is actually an employee, you must be paying social security taxes, FICA, unemployment, and withholding income taxes on them — and you are personally liable for those payroll taxes if you are wrong (even if you are incorporated). 

How do you keep this from happening?  More on How do you keep your contractors from becoming employees?

Question from you:  "Do I have to get a tax ID number to run my business from home?

Answer:  It depends.  More on When do you need a Tax ID number for your business?