LLC vs Incorporating in California

Far too often, entrepreneurs are unaware that LLCs and corporations are very different. Although virtually the same from a liability protection standpoint, they are extremely different from a tax standpoint.  A lawyer and a CPA can help you  evaluate the pros and cons of corporations and LLCs, but in the meantime, the following are some basic guidelines:

• In our firm, we use LLCs as the entity of last resort, because of the extreme junk fees – called the “Gross Receipts fee” that apply to LLCs (but not to corporations) in California.
• In California, the initial $800 franchise tax is waived for corporations, but not for LLCs.
• Licensed professionals cannot operate through LLCs in California
• LLCs are best where the company will own real estate.
• S-Corporations are best except where the corporation will have shareholders who are foreigners or other companies

Scorecard

Design: D

This is really pusing the boundaries, and not in a good way, of what exactly an infographic should be.  The graphic portion of this is just text on sticky notes and a piece of ruled paper. It seems fair to say that the design effort was minimal and not quite passing.

Information: B-

Even though the design was lacking the information is actually helpful if you are looking to start a business in California and need help deciding if LLC is the way to go or should you incorporate. There are probably more things to consider and therefore more information should have been included.

FSC-Certified Recycled Paper Saves Trees

ForestEthics created a survey & asked people, “Why Do Forests Matter to You?” This is the word cloud infographic they created from those responses.

Source: http://forestethics.org/wfdsurvey

Conquest Graphics asks some great questions about why recycled paper is so important in the printing industry.

• What are the issues involved in using recycled paper?
• Why is it important that you deal with companies that are FSC-certified?

These are questions which may be viewed as separate issues, but in fact they are related. It’s important that you as a responsible buyer of printed products understand these issues and why they matter to you.

Let’s start with the basics. FSC stands for the Forest Stewardship Council, and companies such as Conquest Graphics which have earned the FSC certification are those who have proved to this independent certifying organization that they meet critical standards in using paper products which come from forests which are responsibly managed, and that they use a significant percentage of post-consumer (recycled) paper in their products.

What does this mean to you, the buyer of printed materials, in practical terms?

It means that in many if not most of your buying decisions, the use of paper which contains some recycled material may lead to cost savings without reducing the quality of your product. Some printed products may require virgin pulp, and you may not be in a position to compromise on that. But wherever possible, if you can save money and use partially-recycled paper, it may well make sense to do so.

Conquest Graphics will work with you and make sure that you are able to use paper which meets your needs from a pricing and quality point of view. We do have the leeway to use paper which does not contain recycled material, and this usage does not affect our certification.

There are plenty of companies you can find to do business with which claim to be FSC certified but are not, or which make no claims along these lines and are not concerned with the issue. The fact that you are reading this brief article on the subject means that you are probably conscientious enough to want to understand the issues and make the right decision.

And so this brings us to the second question. (See above.) Why is it better to deal with us, and who is it better for?

The second part of that question is easy: it’s better for the environment, and if it’s better for the environment that means it’s better for everybody. Does this point need any further elaboration ? Probably not. If you are in favor of making business choices which favor the environment, then you will want to work with companies such as Conquest Graphics which have already made that commitment.

Now that we have established that we are committed in this direction, and that this direction helps the environment, why is it better for you to deal with us? What do you get out of it?

Simple: for whatever product or service you offer, you can legitimately say that you too are doing your part to help the environment. That makes you a steward of the environment, an environmentally-oriented company. And you can use that fact in your own marketing efforts, and you would be perfectly justified in doing so.

And since there are millions of consumers who prefer to deal with companies who are environmentally conscious, then you reap the benefits, as you should.

Contact Conquest Graphics today to join forces in printing brochures and other paper products which are environmentally friendly.

Trading Desks and Digital Advertising

I have to admit, I was confused by this title.  I was still a little confused looking at the infographic.  I’m just going to break it down just as it is stated on the infographic and all will become clear.

Securities Market Ecosystem

The players that make up the Securities Market Ecosystem are Investors, Investment Management, Stock Brokers, Market Makers, Stock Exchange and Corporations.  Investors are buyers – they are companies and individuals with money.  Investment management provides investment advice and fall into the advisor category.  Stock Brokers are facilitators – they are the people who buy and sell stocks for other people.  Market Makers are part of trading technology.  They facilitate trades between buyers and sellers.  The Stock Exchange is a market – it is where stocks are traded.  Finally, corporations are sellers – they have stocks to sell.

Media Buying Ecosystem

The players that make up the Media Buying Ecosystem are advertisers, ad agencies, trading desks, DSP, ad exchanges, and publishers.  Advertisers are buyers – they have an ad message they need to get out there in order to sell their product or service.  Ad agencies provide media buying recommendations and act as advisors.  Trading desks fall into the facilitator category – they are people who buy and sell media via a DSP.  DSP fall into the trading technology category, they aggregate ad exchanges and data.  Ad exchanges act as markets, enabling the buying and selling of media.  Publishers act as sellers, they have companies with media to sell.

Scorecard

Design:  B+

It’s very attractive, and easy to follow, if you’re lucky enough to understand what they’re talking about.

Information:  A?

Food for thought.

Source:  Pretarget

UK Business Infographic

This infographic looks at UK business.  The design is understated, and the information communicated is simple, if you can wrap your head around it.

The heading says “If 27% of small UK businesses created just 1 job” but then jump to a section where they give us a little bit of data before  they finish that sentence.

A sample of small UK businesses was asked if they planned to hire anybody in the next year, and 73% of them said no.  That leaves us with the 27% from the header, so we know where that bit of data came from.

Apparently, there are 1,178,745 small businesses in the UK, so if 27% of those small businesses hired just one person, that would result in the creation of 318,261 new jobs.

The UK is at a 17 year high of 2.62 million people.  If those 318,261 jobs were created, it would reduce the UK unemployment rate to 2.3 million.

A graph shows you the unemployment trend from 2000 to 2011, with a projection into 2012, based on the information that 27% of small business plan to hire at least one person in the next year.

If all this comes to pass, 198,139 fewer people would claim a weekly Jobseeker’s Allowance, which would result in a £10.5 million savings for the UK government.

Scorecard

Design:  B-

I like the minimalist design, but believe the lettering could be larger without losing the impact of the data.  I also disagree with the color choices.

Information:  A-

The information is presented in an interesting way, and it is good information to know.

Source:  Simply Business

Fear of Starting Businesses in the UK Infographic

This infographic is pretty cut and dry.  It tells us that only one quarter of the U.K.’s working population believes there are good start-up opportunities where they live.  Of that one quarter of the working population, 1 in 3 are afraid of starting their own business.  So that makes it so that two thirds of one quarter of the U.K. working population that are brave enough to start their own business.

If 1% started their own business, and that business made a £1000 profit, the U.K. economy would receive a boost of £33 million.  5% would create a boost of £163 million.  If all 100% did it, it would create a boost of £3.25 billion.

That’s all it says, but that’s pretty powerful.

Scorecard

Design:  B+

It’s clean, it’s easy to read, and it’s straightforward.

Information:  A

While it’s a very little bit of information, it’s good information, and it’s succinctly stated.

Source:  New UK business from Business Link.