iZania Blogs

As a business owner, one of the most important decisions you will ever make is how to structure your business.  Will you operate as some type of legal entity, like a corporation, limited liability company, or partnership?  Or will you operate as a sole proprietorship?

Your primary goals when choosing how to structure you business are asset protection and tax mitigation.  The business structure you choose should provide maximum protection of your assets in the event you are sued.  Additionally, it should afford you minimal tax liability.

Although your CPA may provide you with some advice in this

Whenever we are faced with a crisis in this country, be it a natural disaster, a stock market crash, or a terrorist attack, one thing is certain.  Crooks will find a way to take advantage of those who are already at or near rock bottom.  The current foreclosure crisis is a perfect example.

Many homeowners, facing foreclosure as a result of the crash of the sub-prime mortgage market, are desperate to save their homes.  They seek assistance from foreclosure rescue companies who promise to help the homeowners avoid foreclosure, but ultimately, these companies do nothing and the homeowners lose

In the previous installment of The Freelance Advantage, I shared with you how to write a headline, sub-headline, and lead paragraph for a press release.  This installment will cover what goes into writing the remainder of the press release.

The remainder of the press release should build on the headline, sub-headline, and lead paragraph.  Recall the sample press release in the last installment of The Freelance Advantage dealt with a lawsuit over a fuel additive.  Therefore, the remainder of the press release should include a quote from the plaintiff and his attorney.  Additionally, testimonial

One of the best ways to draw attention to your business is with a press release.  Your goal in writing a press release is to demonstrate to editors and reporters the importance and newsworthiness of your business, product, event, opportunity, or service. 

Every press release should include who, what, where, when, why and how.  Think in terms of answering these questions:

1.  Who did the event? or Who said what? or Who is offering the product or service?

2.  What was said or done? 

3.  Where did the event take place? or Where is the service offered? or Where can the product be found?

4.  When did

I can't begin to count the number of times I have heard my friends, family, and acquaintances complain about how difficult it is to do business with black people.  As a small business owner (I ran a successful law practice for over 10 years), this sentiment always dismayed me.  But I certainly understand why folks feel this way.  It's sad and it's shameful to automatically be at a disadvantage with our own people.  So, how do we, as business owners, overcome this stereotype?

Well, in my mind, there are four cornerstones around which we must build our businesses.  First, be reliable.  Have set

Many small business owners mistakenly believe that using a professional to write their marketing materials, form letters, website copy, ad copy, etc. is beyond the limits of their budgets.  But that couldn't be further from the truth.   Rather than turning to the big marketing and advertising firms to fulfill their writing needs, small business owners should consider taking advantage of the benefits offered by using a freelance writer.

The advantages of using a freelance writer are numerous, so I will share my top four with your here:

1.  Increase Efficiency - A freelance writer can help a