Question from you:  "Do I have to get a tax ID number to run my business from home?

Answer:  It depends.  More on When do you need a Tax ID number for your business?

Question from one of you:  Once you get a business logo made and have a domain, do you still need to register the service or trademark?

Answer:  More on Is Registering Your Domain Enough, or Do You Also Need to Register a Trademark?

In the United States, you automatically have some trademark and copyright protections if you meet certain conditions.  However, to get international protections, and to be able to really enforce your trademarks and copyrights, you will need to register them.  But if you had to register everything, it would be expensive and time consuming — so when do you draw the line?  More on When Do You Need to Register a Trademark or Copyright?

A trademark is a word(s) or symbol you use in commerce in conjunction with a product or service.  A copyrighted work is a original creative work that has been memorialized in tangible format.  But how does that apply to you as a small business owner?   More on What's the difference between a trademark and a copyright?

Did you miss out on any tax deductions for 2005?

Would you be nervous about defending yourself in an audit? 

When you are creating a system to manage your personal or business cash flow, keep in mind that it has three purposes: More on Managing Cash Flow Part 2: Your Books, Bills, and Receivables

Perhaps you have just a business idea, or you have been in business for a while and are breaking even, or maybe you have start to make it big …

… are you confident that you have all of your ducks in a row? 

Did you move too fast, or treat your business too much like a hobby or temporary project, and not structure your business, finances, and procedures, as you should have? 

Do you have liability holes, money leaks, or potential problems lurking in the corners just waiting to bite you when you least expect? 

If you are not 100% sure, check out the following checklist to give your business (and your personal affairs) a holistic self-audit: More on Do You Need a Holistic Business Self-Audit?

Need money to start your business, or take it to the next level? 

Financing Your Business Made Easy by Ralph Alterowitz and Jon Zonderman is an excellent overview of how small business owners can get money to start or grow their business.  

Unlike many financing books, this book does not assume you are going for venture capital or to go public — frankly, few of us are in that league (nor do we want to be).  But this book gives a great overview of all the ways to finance your business, including personal savings, SBA loans, credit cards, bootstrapping, factoring, and getting friends and family as investors. More on Book Review: Financing Your Business Made Easy

What's the #1 concern of small business owners?

How to manage up's and down's in business income each month.

What's the #1 concern of individuals?

How to save more money & have more money available to spend on improving their lifestyle.

Either way, it's all about managing cash flow.

Whether you put it under the category of budgeting, cash flow management, pro forma's, financial planning, or balancing your checkbook, it all comes down to creating a system to achieve your goals by managing and strategizing the cash coming in and going out each month. In Prosper! this month, I will be disclosing my 4 Step System to Manage Cash Flow. You can use this system for your household finances, your small business, or a multi-million dollar corporation — the same universal principals apply. More on Managing Cash Flow #1 - Send Paperwork to Worker Bees