Offbeat Jobs at Startups

Does innovation and variety inspire you? Are you the type of person who thrives around driven, intelligent, creative, passionate people? Then a job at a startup just might be in your future. Be warned though. If you’re going to help build a business from the ground up, you’ll most likely be part of the team building the foundation. In other words, be prepared to get your hands dirty.

It’s not likely that you’ll be hired on as ‘Engineer #1’ and walk out of the office after your first day with a forklift injury, but when you sign on with a startup, be ready to tackle the ”other duties as assigned” part of the job. New companies, especially those with little to no capital, don’t have the means to hire multiple people right out of the gate. So, they rely on the sparse work group they can bring on board to come to work with their A-game every day. As the sayings go, you will have to wear many hats and become a jack-of-all-trades, but the tradeoff can be immeasurable.

What the “Fiscal Cliff” Resolution Means for Personal Estate Planning

At the end of 2012 one of the most popular media and water cooler topics was the so-called "Fiscal Cliff."  The Fiscal Cliff was such a frequent topic of discussion and debate because it referred to the serious financial ramifications that the United States would face if the Budget Control Act of 2011 went into effect on December 31, 2012.  These financial changes would have meant an end to the temporary payroll tax cuts, resulting in a 2% tax increase for employees, the end to several tax breaks for businesses, a change to the alternative minimum tax, a rollback of the "Bush tax cuts", and the beginning of taxes related to the Affordable Care Act. However, mere hours before midnight on December 31st, a deal was struck to avoid a financial crisis, and President Obama signed the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 (the "Act").  Among other things this resolution impacted taxes related testamentary and inter vivos gift-giving that may impact estate planning for some.  

  

The Dot-Com Boom: Perils and Promise of Rapid Growth through Incorporation

The year was 2008 and a new startup called Groupon took the Web by storm.
Groupon’s introduction into the marketplace spawned countless copycats and by 2011 it had already raised more than $1 billion in funding. However, as quickly as it grew … it just as rapidly fell.
The rise and fall of Groupon is but one of the many instances of a business growing too quickly in this dot-com era. Rapid expansion without a firm revenue method has seen the demise of many exciting tech startups but troubles in profitability are but one element of the equation.

Rapid growth often leads to quick, brash decisions in areas such as:

Social Media Gifts for Fundraising: 3 Methods to Boost Your Strategy with Promotional Gifts.

Social media is the taking over as the place for fundraisers looking to generate interest, conversation and increase engagement with their cause. It is the ideal platform for communicating with supporters, potential and existing. Twitter, Facebook and Google+ are among many of the online tools now at your disposal. However, social media is yet to make other forms of traditional marketing obsolete and focusing your efforts on an interconnected strategy is imperative to success. The promotional gifts industry is well recognized in the fundraising sector but there are new ways it can be utilized with modern marketing tools.

In a study by the BPMA they found that promotional gifts can increase visibility more than most other forms of promotion.

Review of Best Socially Conscious Business Apps

After carefully reviewing and testing hundreds of apps suggested by The Business Insider, PC Mag, and Information Week, the apps below are the ones which offer the most to the socially conscious business person. Check out the reviews of these useful apps for the modern socialpreneur, most of which can be used by people with only a basic understanding of mobile technology.

Apps for Reducing Waste

iRecycle, iOS, Android

This app lets you locate local recycling locations for various types of materials. iRecycle offers over 1.5 million ways to recycle over 350 types of materials. Businesses which produce any type of waste will discover how to immediately reduce their carbon footprint by keeping their trash out of landfills.

5 Things and a Prediction

I was recently invited to contribute to the series "5 Things and a Prediction" for a group called Digital Marketing Unwrapped. I thought I would share my response with everyone here. Let me know what you think.

Why Use LinkedIn?

With what seems like a new social media site popping up every day, it is sometimes hard to realize what platforms are relevant and which ones you should put your efforts (and marketing budgets) into. If you are a professional, want to be recognized in your industry, or have a service/product you are trying to get noticed,  I would HIGHLY recommend LinkedIn.

Social Analytics

Everywhere you go online someone is professing the benefits of Social Media and how it can help you business. Consultants and Social Media firms are popping up left and right declaring they have the answer and can show your business how to use these online platforms. I agree, Social Media can greatly help your business build a stronger client base; expand your business reach, engage directly with users, and so much more. But the million dollar question is “HOW” do you track this?

Why Do We Use Social Media?

As I sit on my deck, overlooking the water, listening to Lightnin’ Hopkins and other great Blues musicians it puts me in a philosophical mood.  The question that I am pondering this evening is “why do we use Social Media and how did it get so expansive?”

The Best Marketing Strategy Ever

The economy is shrinking, the cost of goods are increasing, the market is becoming over-saturated, and your marketing budget is next to Zero. You understand that if you don't stay in front of customers your business will cease to exist. Sounds pretty dire! Thankfully this story does have a happy ending and I have some good news for you. One simple and constantly underutilized strategy can literally increase your bottom line by $10,000 or even $1,000,000 all without increasing your marketing budget.

Video Podcasting & How It Can Revolutionize Your Business

Video Podcasting by Andrew Miller

Miller & Miller Consulting


Even with the increased recognition of online terminology, many people are still confused when the word "Podcasting" is mentioned. Their response may be something to the extent of "ummm isn't that like a radio station online or something?" Now, tell them you work in Visual Podcasting and you will see the all too familiar "deer in the headlights look" you get every time you try to explain your online endeavors.

Why Is Your Business NOT Using Social Media Correctly?

In the day and age that we live in Social Media has changed the industry standard of how business is done. The 80 page business plan has been replaced with a single page CrowdSourcing page. The requirement to pay a huge marketing firm for graphic designs and advertisement slogans has been replaced with freelancer.com and guru.com, just to name a few. The ability to grow a business and compete with the "Mega-player" in your industry has never been so tangible as it is now.