Micro Business Idea: Singer/Songwriter and Band Manager

March 19, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Doug Mains and the City Folk

 

Doug Mains and the City Folk

Doug Mains began his indie folk band micro business as a junior high student with a guitar he got for Christmas.

In high school, he began playing more seriously and developing his lyrics.  By his late teens and early college years, he had added vocals and instruments with many more venues.  At 25, he is now nationally known on the indie folk music scene, has offered the world the band’s first CD (Mountain’s King) and you can hear him on Spotify, Pandora and iTunes.

From a business perspective, he has gone from being a starving artist to managing a band that is making money (at least enough to pay for gas and food on tour!).  He boasts of merchandise that can be purchased at his concerts  like t-shirts, bumper stickers and personally screen-printed ware.

He has learned much about the music industry, money management, professional business etiquette and development of his trade.  Making music is work.  Promoting it, selling it, working with vendors and scheduling venues are all part of the business of making music matter.

Now, he gives young students seminars in lyric development and becoming a musician.  He is all heart, but he is  also serious-minded about being a storyteller in this generation.  His rich lyrics and the band’s layered rhythms and harmonies fuse to make his band more than a micr0 business, but less than a job.  Doug makes music a reputable idea for young people to invest their lives in as a profession.

 

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http://www.dougmainsmusic.com
http://www.reverbnation.com/dougmains
https://www.facebook.com/dougmainsmusicpage

Money_smallI hope Doug’s story inspires you that you could start a micro business being a singer, songwriter or band manager!

Doug learned a lot about money management. What do you need to learn?

My book Money and Taxes in a Micro Business is on sale during tax season. The ebook version in only $4.95.

Download your copy today!

 

Filed Under: Blog, Ideas, Starting a Micro Tagged With: , , , ,

What’s an income statement and why should you care?

March 5, 2013 By Leave a Comment

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In Money and Taxes in a Micro Business,  you can learn about the importance of good record keeping and an important financial statement called an INCOME STATEMENT:

  • An income statement is a very popular financial statement for business owners because it is easy to understand.
  • An income statement (sometimes called a Profit and Loss or P&L) is a listing of business income and expenses over a period of time.
  • An income statement has a bottom line called net income (or sometimes, unfortunately, net loss).  Net income is total income minus total expenses.
  • If you have been keeping good records then preparing an income statement is very easy.
  • Balance Sheets are not usually a necessary financial statement for a micro business.  They are very useful for larger businesses.
  • Profit is not the same as the balance in your checking account.

 

It pays to prepare an income statement every month or at least several times a year to see if your micro business is profitable.
Carol Topp, CPA

Filed Under: Blog, Money & Taxes, You Can Do This Tagged With: , , , , ,

Raising Great Men

February 19, 2013 By 1 Comment

I had a fun interview with Marie Roker-Jones host of the podcast Raising Great Men.

We talked about how a teenager can start a micro business this summer and pitfalls to avoid.

Listen to internet radio with Marie Roker Jones on Blog Talk Radio

Marie does a great job encouraging parents raising boys to become men of character, inspiring and preparing them to change the world.

Her website is RaisingGreatMen.com

 

Filed Under: Blog, Starting a Micro Tagged With: , ,

Business at 19. President at 56!

February 18, 2013 By Leave a Comment

            Harding, Age 17

Many of our Presidents have made their millions owning their own business, but none so inspiring as

                                               President Warren G. Harding.

He learned the basics of the newspaper business by age 10 at The Argus, his father’s newspaper business.

                                                               By age 17, he was a college graduate.

At age 19,  he pooled his money together with others to purchase The Marion Daily Star (Marion, Ohio)  newspaper

–a fledgling & struggling newspaper for $300.

newspaper

By the age of 21, he was the sole owner — working hard to make it successful & the city’s primary paper.

At the end of his presidency, knowing his journalism career would not be revived, he sold the business for $550,000.  

His newspaper was a powerful platform for him to become President at age 56.

Moreover, it taught him hard work, determination and perseverance through trial.  

                                                            We make heroes of our Presidents.

Today, you can become a teenage micro business owner and some day, it might lead to bigger things!

Filed Under: Blog, Running a Micro, Starting a Micro, You Can Do This Tagged With: , , , ,

Teens and kids starting nonprofit organizations can learn a lot

February 12, 2013 By Leave a Comment

?Evelyn Pinnow

Teenagers starting and and running nonprofit organizations are using many of the same skills as running a micro businesses.  Often these nonprofits  are begun as a way to benefit those in need.

Evelyn Pinnow, age 12, has been packing shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child since she was 8 years old. Shoeboxes are packed with hygiene items, school supplies, small toys & candy for the neediest children in 110 countries around the world.

She is the founder of the ‘Shoebox Club‘  packing about 1000 boxes a year.  Club members can be 4-12 years old. The club now has a staff of about 100 members and a board of directors.

In December, Evelyn traveled to the Dominican Republic to pass out shoeboxes!   She had the privilege of passing out Operation Christmas Child’s 100 millionth shoebox!

The skills she has has learned by running her Shoebox Cub:

networking
promotion and advertising
developing volunteers and staff
people skills
managing donations
working with the parent organization
time management

Read more about kids and non-profits in the links below.

Nonprofits started and run by kids
Kids Wanna Help
Child-founded charities

I hope Evelyn inspires you to volunteer at a charity or even start one! You’ll learn a lot and help someone else in need.

Carol Topp

Filed Under: Blog, Ideas, Running a Micro, You Can Do This Tagged With: , , ,

Micro Business Ideas: Back to the Basics

February 5, 2013 By Leave a Comment

It is February.  Likely, you have either gotten a jump-start on your New Year’s resolutions or your goals  have fallen off.

It doesn’t have to be hard, complex or labor-intensive  to start and run a micro business.

A teenager can do more than a lemonade stand and they can do it on their own.  The Micro Business for Teens books are written with that in mind–simple, effective & easy-to-read.

Your micro business doesn’t have to be the next Apple or Microsoft.

 Try going back to the basics.

Babysitting, lawn care (or snow shoveling) are GREAT first micro businesses for teens.

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They never run out of style as long as there are parents who want a night out and as long as grass grows.

New ideas are great, but the tried-and-true ideas can you give you a first-start to making an income and practicing business skills.

February can seem cold and lifeless but getting back to the basics will put life into your business goals.

Filed Under: Blog, Ideas, Running a Micro, Starting a Micro, You Can Do This Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Teens and taxes radio interview

February 2, 2013 By Leave a Comment

I had a great interview with David Holland a fellow-CPA and host of Real Money Radio

Listen here

We talked about:

The entire interview lasts about 30 minutes, so listen in and learn a lot!

Carol Topp, CPA

Filed Under: Blog, Money & Taxes Tagged With: , , ,

Last day to get Money and Taxes in a Micro Business for free

February 1, 2013 By Leave a Comment

 

 

This is the final day that Money and Taxes in a Micro Business will be available as a free Kindle ebook.

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Get your free ebook here

No Kindle? No problem! Read the book on your computer, phone or tablet.

 

Money and Taxes in a Micro Business is part of the Micro Business for Teens series.
-Ways to increase your profits
-What taxes you might owe
-How to reduce your taxes
-How sales tax works
-What to do about hiring employees
-How to work with an accountant

 

“If you want to start a small teenage business, this is the book for you! ”

“ If your child wants to start her own business, things can turn into a spaghetti factory very quickly if she is not aware of what taxes she will owe. ”

(but a lot of adults read the book too!)

 

Available for free  only until midnight February 1, 2013 here

 

Please forward this to your friends.

 

Carol Topp, CPA

Author Money and Taxes in a Micro Business

Filed Under: Blog, Money & Taxes Tagged With: , , ,

Money and Taxes in a Micro Business free Kindle book today

January 31, 2013 By Leave a Comment

For the next 2 days Money and Taxes in a Micro Business will be available as a free Kindle ebook.

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Get your free ebook here

No Kindle? No problem! Read the book on your computer, phone or tablet.

 

Money and Taxes in a Micro Business is part of the Micro Business for Teens series. In it you will learn
-How to measure your success
-Ways to increase your profits
-Manage your cash flow
-What taxes you might owe
-How to reduce your taxes
-How sales tax works
-What to do about hiring employees
-How to work with an accountant

 

 ”I believe that Carol Topp’s book is a great resource to help a teenager to learn about business and to ultimately start their own business. I found this book to be a quick read yet it is still very thorough. I strongly recommend this book and its very practical, doable approach to any aspiring young entrepreneur.
-Michael P. Licata, Ph.D,Accounting Professor Villanova University

 

 

Available for free January 30-February 1, 2013 here

 

Please forward this to your friends.

I hope you enjoy the book!

Carol Topp, CPA

Author Money and Taxes in a Micro Business

Filed Under: Blog, Money & Taxes Tagged With: , , , , ,

Get a free copy of my book Money and Taxes in a Micro Business!

January 30, 2013 By Leave a Comment

 
For the next 3 days Money and Taxes in a Micro Business will be available as a Kindle ebook for free.

Money_small

Get your free ebook here

 

No Kindle? No problem. Read the book on your computer, phone or tablet.

 

Money and Taxes in a Micro Business, is the third book in the Micro Business for Teens series and follows Starting a Micro Business and Running a Micro Business.

You should read this book if:
1. You’ve been running your micro business for more than a year or
2. You sold or earned over $500 in any 3 month period and will probably owe taxes or
3. You sell a product and need to know now-not at the end of the year-about charging and collecting sales tax.

 

“ Packed full of real examples of successful teen businesses alongside doable, practical advice”

“This is a great resource not only for teens starting their own businesses but for adults needing practical advice on their side jobs or start-up businesses as well.”

 

Available for free January 30-February 1, 2013 here

 

Please forward this to your friends.

I hope you enjoy the book!

Carol Topp, CPA

Author Money and Taxes in a Micro Business

Filed Under: Blog, Money & Taxes Tagged With: , , ,
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