Friday, June 30, 2017

IR35 challenge campaign hits £10.5k target, almost

IT contractor on the cusp of enough funds to wave through a legal attack on the off-payroll rules.

Thursday, June 29, 2017

How To Overcome Common Online Business Challenges

When you start an online business, you quickly become aware of the challenges you need to overcome as a new business owner to enjoy any level of success. Despite your best efforts to resolve your challenges, your business is floundering. Perhaps things are so bad that you’re thinking of just getting a regular job and making someone else rich. You’re almost ready to give up your desire to create financial freedom.

Let’s assume, as an example, that you’ve set up a review website to sell other people’s products as an affiliate. Your challenge is that you aren’t selling enough products to earn a decent living. In fact, your costs far exceed your revenues. As far as you’re concerned, you’ve done everything you know to improve traffic and increase conversions.

3 Common Problems and Solutions

Here are 3 common problems that online marketers face and the solutions on how to fix them.  

1. You have no idea what to do to grow your online business.

The challenge: you don’t know what you don’t know:

If you’re not making money as an affiliate marketer, and believe that you’re doing everything as well as you can, then there is some critical piece of information that you don’t know. It could, for example, be a mistake you’re making with your Facebook ads, or with your landing pages, or with your newsletter emails, or with your reviews. In fact, it could be any number of things. While your metrics might give you some statistical information, the meaning of your numbers could be interpreted in many possible ways. Since you don’t know what’s holding you back, it’s difficult to correct it.

The solution: join an online training group.

Since you’re stuck on an affiliate marketing issue, then you should join a coaching program to get more training. You could be one skillset away from success. However, since there are so many affiliate marketing trainings available online, how do you decide what will work for you. If, for example, a friend recommended Charles Ngo’s affiliate training, how do you know if you should join his affelerator program? The best way is to do more than scan the website for details on how the program works, also look for affcelerator reviews to see what type of results his students have been able to achieve.

2. You feel overwhelmed by all the things that you need to do to run your online business.

The challenge: you just never get enough time to do the things that you need to do to make progress.

As a solopreneur, you have to wear many hats—CEO, business manager, website designer, copywriter, accountant, public relations executive, video technician, spokesperson, marketer, salesperson, customer service rep, and so on. If you’re not getting any traction in your affiliate marketing business, it could be because you’re doing too much … and not doing enough of the right things to bring in the money.

The solution: get some help

Although you may know how to do everything you need to do to run your business, you need to clone yourself. You could either hire people who already have the skills you need or you could train people on how to do the things that need to get done.

3. You have doubts about how you’ve set up your online business.

The challenge: you’re not sure if your current virtual infrastructure is working for you.

Perhaps you’ve done your best to build a website, a blog, and a social media presence, but you’re not sure about whether your system is working for you or not. Perhaps, one reason why your affiliate business is not working is because people don’t find all the pages and profiles you’ve set up to market your business as helpful as you had hoped.

The solution: get an outside consultant to do an audit.

You only have your own perspective on things. Perhaps, a consultant can notice some of the things you missed when setting up your website, creating your SEO, designing your Facebook fan page, etc. You may, in fact, just need a few tweaks here and there to transform your creaky cash machine into a well-oiled mechanism.

You May Be Closer To Success Than You Think

Although we’ve been using a hypothetical example of getting unstuck as an affiliate marketer, the same principles could apply to any type of online business you own that isn’t working for you. While challenges are easy to identify because they block the path of entrepreneurial success we have envisioned for ourselves, solutions often elude us.Try out these three solutions to common online problems to see if you can get beyond your stuck states and begin making some serious money.

 

Historic Lessons in Creating a Memorable Life

There is a lot to be learned from the most successful men and women throughout history. Those individuals who built thriving careers and business legacies or who revolutionized the way people think about creating a meaningful life were not simply inspirational to their contemporaries. Indeed, through the lens of history they often become even more motivational as it is possible to learn more about their origins and the challenges they faced to reach their success.

Presidential Power

Historically, presidents of the United States are some of the most inspiring individuals of their time. George Washington, Ronald Reagan, and Franklin D. Roosevelt all helped to make the nation what it is today and inspired generations of people from around the world.

One of the lessons to be derived from the life and service of George Washington is to seek service rather than power. While he eventually became the nation’s first president, it was not his underlying goal. In fact, he resisted the nomination of both his first and second term and it was his insistence that he not serve another term which eventually led to the two-term limit of presidential service.

Many people do not realize that the president who led the country through World War II had a paralytic illness that left him confined to a wheelchair. Because of the prejudice surrounding physical disability, he rarely allowed himself to be photographed in the wheelchair. But in a time when those with disabilities were often overlooked or thought of as having less value than those without a disability, it is remarkable and inspiring for him to have risen to the most powerful position in the world. It is a reminder that no matter what limitations you face, it is possible to do anything you are willing to work hard enough for.

It can seem like ancient history sometimes, but the influence of past American presidents is easily felt to the present day. The reverence and demand for documents featuring presidential autographs signed at the bottom reveal a continued respect and admiration for many former inhabitants of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue despite how much their approval ratings fluctuate while in office. Furthermore, these documents reveal the engines of progress at work within the administrations of the past on matters relating to immigration, foreign policy, economic reforms, healthcare, and many other issues still making headlines today.

Groundbreaking Scientists

Albert Einstein is perhaps the most well-known scientist the world has ever produced. His story has led to numerous books, movies, and television shows and he continues to inspire people to embrace their unique intelligence and think outside the box.

Marie Curie is another familiar name when one considers the history of science. She was the first woman to be recognized with a Nobel Prize and is perhaps most well known for the invention of the mobile X-ray machine which was used to determine the severity of injuries of soldiers on the battlefield. She is also something of a cautionary tale. Her work in radioactive materials is often credited with the development of atomic bombs and was what ultimately led to her early death. The lesson of caution and not putting discovery before safety and understanding is a less pleasurable one to remember but nonetheless important.

Technology Pioneers

It is almost unfathomable for the modern person to imagine a time before the telephone. More specifically, a time before a smartphone was their ever-present companion. The power of the telephone simply can’t be overstated. But only a decade ago smartphones were uncommon and it wasn’t until the early 1900s that telephones were more than a novelty.

The popularization of the old fashioned landline is credited to Alexander Graham Bell and Thomas Watson. However, the creation was ultimately the result of innovation, research, and experimentation by a larger group of people. Bell is an inspiration to many not because he popularized the telephone but because of what he did with his subsequent wealth. He went on to help fund other scientist’s work and helped the journal Science and the National Geographic Society.

Steve Jobs is often credited with taking the telephone to the next level. While there were cell phones prior to the 2007 release of the iPhone, they were essential mobile versions of the original iteration of the telephone. Jobs took the basic idea of a communication device and created something far more valuable that went on to dramatically shape modern culture. One of his most famous quotes is, “Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.” If you want to be a leader in your industry don’t be afraid to take risks.

History is filled with inspiration if only one is willing to look. By taking the time to examine the past it is possible for modern workers to learn more about what it takes to achieve greatness while maintaining humility in their own capabilities. 

Contractors' Questions: What if the in-between weeks aren't on my new rate?

Legal aid for a contractor stuck on his lower rate at a time when an uplift was due.

Taxman to wipe £1.5bn off Entrepreneurs' Relief

Fresh curbs on the perk when selling a company are 'part of general squeeze' on PSCs.

Wednesday, June 28, 2017

IR35: Substitution

Solicitor Jonathan Wright continues his rewrite of ContractorUK's section on IR35 status factors.

Heads HMRC wins on status, tails contractors lose

A light-hearted look at HMRC's stance on status, and how it can all change like the flip of a coin.

Tuesday, June 27, 2017

Monday, June 26, 2017

Friday, June 23, 2017

Thursday, June 22, 2017

IR35 changes go ahead despite no Queen's Speech mention

Plus, the six other areas you need to know about if you're a contractor now, and over the next two years.

Wednesday, June 21, 2017

Friday, June 16, 2017

Wednesday, June 14, 2017

Monday, June 12, 2017

Friday, June 9, 2017

Thursday, June 8, 2017

3 Challenges Every Startup Business Must Face

Being your own boss comes with some benefits and challenges. This can be a very rewarding position that can help you achieve personal satisfaction along with monetary gain. However, nothing worthwhile is easy, and this is also true when it comes to being a startup company. You may have to work a bit harder initially to receive the results you’d like to have in the long term. Being aware of some of the challenges you may face when beginning your company may be helpful to you.

Seeing Returns on Advertising

One of the first things you will need to do when you start a business of any type is to rely on Internet Marketing to help your website get noticed. Choosing national seo companies that can do this job for you is essential to helping you get the word out about your company.

Relying on search engine optimization is one of the most efficient techniques used in this day and age to assist you with getting the right amount of traffic to your website. There are various ways to make this possible and one of these includes using specific keywords in all of your content and blogs.

In fact, studies indicate that 93% of online searches begin by using a search engine. This shows the importance of implementing SEO in all of your initial advertising efforts

Creating a Unique Website

The key to having success may rest in creating a website that stands out and gets the recognition it deserves. Of course, there are numerous online places to shop or look for a variety of services these days and creating the right one to meet the needs of your clients is always important.

Some of the ways you can help make your website appear more unique are listed below:

  1. Fonts – You can choose from a wide variety of fonts to make your site look attractive. It may be a good idea to use both large, small and even Italic fonts to assist you with getting a unique look.
  2. Colors – Of course, choosing bold colors can instantly grab the attention of individuals that may be in the market for what you have to offer. Consider relying on red, orange and yellow for making your startup business get noticed quickly online.
  3. Borders – Adding creative borders to your website can allow it to look even more creative and unique. This is sure to be an option you will want to consider doing.

Obtaining Financial Funding

Being a startup founder means you will need to have the necessary money to get your company where you want it to be. There are sure to be some expenses when you’re first getting going with any new venture.

The key to having the funds you need may rest in securing a loan. This can be one of the biggest challenges you may face because of the newness of your company. Not being able to show any past profitable records can make it difficult for you to get the results you need when working to get a loan.

Some of the things you can do to make getting the loan less challenging may involve having a business plan ready to present to the lender. This could enable you to work towards securing the money you need and will make an outstanding impression to most bankers.

Of course, you will want to give an estimated time-frame for making a profit and the amount of money you feel you think you can make in the process.

The benefits of being self-employed typically outweigh the disadvantages for most people. It’s a very good idea to know initially what the difficulties are you may be faced with and work to overcome these on at a time. The more planning you can do the more like you will be able to achieve success with your company and allow it to continue to grow in time. This is by far the best way for you to enjoy what you do and to ensure you can make a decent living at your job in the process!

Free Online Citation Generator

When you’re writing a paper within the world of academia, citations are necessary. Many excellent essays have received failing grades due to an improper citation. For those who have embarked on these endeavors know just how time-consuming citations can be.

Additionally, it is important to follow the proper citation style, whether it’s APA, MLA, Chicago or Harvard style; not adhering to the structure can diminish the overall value of your paper. Remembering the format of each of these styles are also quite difficult for those who do not consistently use a particular style.

However, with the advancement of modern technology, there is a free resource that can assist you with your citation issues.

The Free Citation Generator by CustomWritings.com will reduce the menial task of proper citation by automatically adhering to the particular style you need to follow. As a result, this will cut the time of creating the bibliography of your work allowing you to focus on the substance of the actual paper as opposed to trying to follow the style guide of your particular citation style.

With this free web-based software, you simply have to fill out the corresponding information and everything else will be automatically formatted for you. It ensures that you won’t get critiqued on improper formatting or using the wrong citation style.

How Does It Work?

As mentioned, the software is quite simple and easy to use. When you land on the page, you’ll notice a form with a variety of fields for you to fill out. These areas include;

  • Fields Form: This provides you with two options, ‘default fields and style fields.’ Selecting either one of these will change the fields below.
  • Style Search: This option gives you a broad range of choices for the citation style you need to follow. Whether you are using APA, MLA, Chicago or Harvard style citations, this options provides you with the possibility to choose your preferred style.
  • Source: In this option, you have the ability to choose from, ‘Book, Journal, Web page or other.’ Clicking ‘other’ will pop up a list of potential sources you can choose from it.
  • ISBN Search: If you did pick a book, this option would allow you to search for the ISBN code of the book that will help you fill out the rest of the fields within the form.
  • Author: In this section, you simply have to fill out the name and last name of the author.
  • Editor: Additionally, you can add in the editor credits as well below the author field.
  • Title: Simply fill out the title of your book in this area.
  • Series Title: If the book or source is part of a series, you can fill it out in this section.
  • Series number: If the book is part of a series, you can fill out what number the source is on the show.
  • Pages: Depending on what part of the books your sourcing, this will allow you to insert the actual page where the citation occurred.
  • Edition: Simply fill out what version of the source you’re using.
  • Publisher: Fill out the editor of the book as is required by most citation styles.
  • City Published: This section will fill out the geographical location of where the book or source published.
  • Posted Date: This section provides you with a drop-down menu where you can select the publishing date of the source.
  • Access Date: This article gives you a drop-down menu where you can select the access date of the source.

Once all of these fields have been filled out, there is a box to the right of the form where the proper citation style will automatically generate for you. Just copy and paste this in the bibliography section of your paper and move to the next source.

Making Citations Easy

As mentioned, at times it can be quite time-consuming to adhere to the proper formatting styles of your particular paper. This web-based tool will allow you to cut down time on this critical step and enable you to focus on the context of your work as opposed to worrying about whether or not you’re following the correct protocol.

With tools like this at your disposal, you’ll find that creating a paper that excels is quite simple. It is an excellent resource for students, full-time academics and anyone who needs to follow correct citation styles. No longer will you have to worry about whether or not you mixed up the order of the information since the software will do everything on your behalf.

The online citation generator is a free resource anyone can access to assist them with their academic works. For people who value their time, this software is something that every academic should have in their arsenal. Check out this generator here.

Contractor agencies divided over Brexit's impact

Most predict a boost for contractors; others aren't so sure and foresee 'devastation.'

Contractors, off to vote? Know before you go

Everything you need to know about voting in today's general election 2017.

Wednesday, June 7, 2017

Who I'm voting for tomorrow and why

Contractors speak up about which political party -- and leader -- deserves their cross.

IR35: Control

Get to grips with perhaps the most determining factor of your IR35 status as a PSC.  

Tuesday, June 6, 2017