For Independent Professionals

personal time

How to Take Control of Your Personal Time as a Consultant

By MBO Partners

When you’re self-employed, one of the biggest perks is the ability to control when, where, and how you work. But running your own business also takes a lot of dedication. Finding a balance between your work and personal life is often easier said than done. If you find yourself getting stressed out or working long hours…

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business

How to Estimate Your Tax Returns as an Independent Contractor

By MBO Partners

Estimating your tax returns as an independent contractor is an important part of financial business management. If your net-earnings from self-employment are more than $400, you likely need to file an annual return and pay estimated taxes quarterly. Filing your annual tax return is pretty straightforward. Use Schedule C—this is where you will report your…

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consultant

4 Expense Tracking Tips for Consultants

By Ralph Carnicer

If you’ve been an independent contractor for more than a year, you know how fun it can be to gather up your expenses come tax time. This is definitely one of those times where an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of remedy. That’s why we’ve come up with four tips to help you…

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small business owner

5 Marketing Strategies to Grow Your Small Business

By MBO Partners

Operating as an independent professional means you are in the business of marketing yourself. As a business of one, you’ll face a lot of competition, and time and resources aren’t always on your side. The good news is, marketing a small business simply requires a bit of dedication and creative effort. Remember, you’re marketing your…

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net vs gross pay

Gross Margin vs Net Margin: Definitions and How to Calculate

By MBO Partners

Gross margin and net margin are two common profit margin ratios you should track on your company’s income statement. These numbers indicate how good your business is at converting revenue into profit and are important in assessing the financial health of your business. What is Gross Margin? Calculating gross margin will help give you an…

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consultant showing document

9 Self-Employed Tax Deductions You May Overlooking

By MBO Partners

As an independent professional, properly managing your expenses is not just good business, it’s also a good income strategy. As a business-of-one, you will likely incur fixed costs that can’t be billed back to a client. You may also need to take care of expenses such as healthcare and retirement. Each of these fixed or variable costs can…

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transition to self employed

6 Reasons to Choose a C Corporation for Small Business

By MBO Partners

When choosing a business structure for a small business, an increasingly popular option is C corporation status, which makes owners shareholders. What is a C Corp? A C corporation is the same status that Fortune 500 businesses hold—they are corporate entities separate from their owners. In the case of an individually owned C corp, you…

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consultants working in office (2)

Filing Self Employed Taxes: What You Need

By MBO Partners

Independent business owners file taxes differently than traditional, W-2 employees. If this is your first time managing taxes as an independent contractor, don’t worry. It may feel a bit complicated at first but you’ll get the hang of it soon enough! Below, we answer all your questions about paying taxes as a self-employed professional. What…

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consultants

How to Land Your Next Consulting Contract

By MBO Partners

If you’ve taken the leap and launched your independent career, congratulations! You’re on your way to big things, and millions of independent contractors, consultants, and freelancers are right there with you. But when your first contract or project starts winding down, reality sets in. You knew this contract wouldn’t last forever, but what seemed to be…

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consultant

5 Ways to Attract More Clients to Your Consulting Business

By MBO Partners

If you’ve been running your own business for years, you’ve probably already developed a strong reputation and a reliable list of clients, making it can be easy to grow complacent. Understandably, you appreciate your current clients, you feel comfortable working with them, and you feel secure. But things can change in a minute; clients can…

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