The Badass CEO

Photographer: Alex Kotliarskyi | Source: Unsplash Photographer: Alex Kotliarskyi | Source: Unsplash I recently heard about Elon Musk's People are Vector Analogy on a presentation by Dharmesh Shah (Hubspot's cofounder), where he talks about a personal interaction with Elon Musk. Elon explained to him the best way to optimize your team is to think of each employee as a vector. I thought it was a perfect illustration to demonstrate the difficult task every CEO has of overseeing employees. But first, a quick physics review of what a vector is. A vector is a given quantity that has two properties, magnitude and direction. Suppose you have ten employees or vectors for this analogy, and each is going in a different direction. In that case, your company will not be as productive if all your employees go in the same direction. So the trick is to get each of your employees or vectors going in the same direction because then you can add up each of their magnitudes to get the sum of y...

Emma Tessler, founder of NinetyFive Media If you’ve ever struggled with optimizing social media, you’re not alone. While we all wish it were as easy as posting & logging off, there are many nuances to the modern world of digital marketing - especially in 2021. I’m Emma Tessler, and I founded my digital marketing agency, Ninety Five Media, in 2015 at the cusp of Social Media’s rise in the marketing world. When sponsored videos and fashion blogs were still new concepts, I saw an opportunity for larger brands to optimize social media and monetize their online presence. Flashforward to 2021, and every small business in existence is on Social Media. But the difference between you & them? You have an incredible offer you need to get out into the world. And the way you’re going to do that is through strategic Social Media Marketing and optimizing your social platforms. What Platforms Do You Need? To start, consider which platforms you want to show up on. Begin with one and learn all o...

Photographer: Scott Graham | Source: Unsplash One of the perks of having your own business is being able to deduct business expenses from your income. If you are not doing this, you are missing the boat and you are leaving lots of money on the table. But the question is what to deduct ……It can be a bit confusing so I compiled a list below. I use Bench which helps me go through each item and tells me how to categorize it and if it is deductible. If you haven’t tried Bench , you are missing out! It has changed my life. No longer do I have to stress about my books….It is seamless, personable, and VERY reasonably priced. Best yet, you get 20% discount on your first 3 months when you click here. WHAT YOU CAN DEDUCT Technology Costs Software such as Later, Active Campaign Website Costs to hosting, domains, anything you pay to keep your website running Apps or services such as Zoom, Skype, Google, Office space Rent for office space or if you work from home see note below PO Box Shi...

Incorporating might sound like a fancy term that only applies to the big companies, but it is crucial for many small businesses to make their business official. Once I was officially starting to drive revenue and grow my company - I incorporated my business. When you incorporate your business, it means separating it from yourself, providing you with legal and financial protections. While incorporating your business entails documents and filling out forms online, the process is best done under the guidance of a legal counselor or a company such as Corpnet that guides you through incorporation, LLC, and follows up with you on compliance and financial due dates. This shift can lift an incredible weight off your shoulders and allow you to focus on the new opportunities within your business as a sole corporation. Listed out below are the top reason Corpnet believes small businesses should incorporate. If you wish to have someone else do it for you, Corpnet has kindly sponsored this post and...

Photographer: Kelly Sikkema | Source: Unsplash The thing everyone dreads- Tax Season. Ugh. I don’t know about you but my stomach drops when I think about it even being a CPA. If this is your first business and first time filing taxes for a business, the process can be daunting and confusing, but there is no need to stress. I have put together a simple guide that will walk you through the most critical steps now so when tax season comes along, you are confident and prepared. If you are like me - booked and busy - you might not have time to always think about your tax files and organize your bookkeeping; that is why today’s blog sponsor is a service that has personally helped me stay on track with all of my business expenses and tax information. Bench's online bookkeeping platform pairs you and your business with intuitive software that takes care of most financial tasks that come with being an entrepreneur. From filing taxes to organizing your expenses, you can sign up for Bench...