Manage a Small Business

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Soft Skills in the Workplace: Top Skills and How to Improve Them

By MBO Partners

What are soft skills? Soft skills, often called people skills or emotional intelligence, are defined as the ability to interact amicably with others. They are personal attributes that can affect relationships, communication, and interaction with others. Soft skills can be invaluable to business success, but why are they so important? While soft skills can at…

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gifts for clients

10 Great Holiday Gifts for Clients

By MBO Partners

The holiday season is always busy and taking time to find the perfect little something for your client can be an added stress. Rather than settling for a last-minute gift card or fruit basket, take advantage of our annual holiday gift guide.  We’ve scoured the web and polled our team members to find some of…

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Ideas for Special End-of-Year Thank-Yous

By MBO Partners

It’s the time of year when we express appreciation in a big way—to family members, coworkers, clients, and the service providers who make our lives easier. Even though you might mass mail (or email) thank-yous in your business, you may have some contacts or associates who deserve a more custom message. They could be fellow…

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Preparing for the Holidays as an Independent Professional

By MBO Partners

The year-end holiday season is upon us! From now through New Year’s Day, many of us will juggle additional activities. School events, family visits, and social commitments get added to our usual workload and home responsibilities. For some, stress levels increase as to-do lists get longer and time gets shorter. An added stressor for independent…

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The Support Team Every Independent Professional Needs

By MBO Partners

As an independent professional, you will spend part (or, in some cases, all) of your career as a solopreneur. With a high degree of flexibility, autonomy, and control, being your own boss has a lot of advantages. The choice to go solo does have challenges. Respondents to our 2023 State of Independence survey cited unpredictable…

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Financial Management Tips for Small Businesses

By MBO Partners

Financial management is an important part of starting your own business. As an independent contractor your job isn’t just about keeping your clients happy and moving from project to project. It will also involve taking on an administrative role to help make sure your business runs smoothly and compliantly. Here are eight financial management tips…

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How to Become a Freelancer for Big Companies: 12 Tips

By MBO Partners

Becoming a freelancer for big companies comes with many benefits. Higher-value contracts, bigger budgets, and the opportunity to gain credibility with a recognizable name—just to name a few. However, to be attractive to larger organizations, freelancers and independent professionals must first ensure they have a reliable, trustworthy business in place. Follow these 12 tips to…

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S Corp: Advantages and Disadvantages for Small Business

By MBO Partners

S Corporation business structure advantages and disadvantages.

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Are you an Open Innovation Novice? Here Are Some Tips for Beginners

By Keaton Swett

Adding open innovation to your independent business might seem daunting if you are just starting down that path. It can even be scary. While you may be an expert in your field, brilliant at writing winning proposals, and have mad marketing skills, open innovation solving requires that and more. With all your professional accomplishments, stepping…

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Tax Planning Tips for Independent Contractors

By MBO Partners

Tax planning and prep is an important part of your job as an independent contractor. Paying quarterly estimate taxes throughout the year is a good practice that helps eliminate a big tax burden and possible fine at the end of the year. Quarterly payments are due on April 15, June 15, September 15, and January…

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