EXCUSE ME, MAY I BUY THAT CUSTOMER PLEASE?

November 23, 2011

By Kelli Hoskins, ActionCOACH MetroNorth
Preposterous! Buy a customer? Outrageous! Begging for customers, pleading for new clients, laying out breadcrumbs to lead unsuspecting customers in the door… Just how do you see bringing new customers into your business?
Have you ever just put an ad out there, whether it be on the radio, on TV, in a [...]

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2012 YEAR-END TAX PLANNING IDEAS

November 23, 2011

By Casey A. Mattson, Johnson+Mattson, P.A.
Year-end tax planning is especially challenging this year because of uncertainty over whether Congress will enact sweeping tax reform that could have a major impact in 2012 and beyond. And even if there’s no major tax legislation in the immediate future, Congress next year still will have to grapple with [...]

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ARE BANKS LENDING?

November 23, 2011

By Steven J. Huston, President, BANKWEST
I often hear the comment that banks are not making business loans. While I understand my perspective may be slanted from the banker’s side of the desk, I want to offer some clarification as well as information that should be helpful to the small business owner.
In recent economic times, the [...]

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CHAPTER 4: WHEN TO PATENT

November 23, 2011

By Michael S. Sherrill, Sherrill Law Offices, PLLC
You’ve just come up with an idea for a new product or process or an improvement on an existing product or process.  You’re convinced that if this invention works the way you think it will, you’ll be rich beyond your wildest dreams.  You know that you need to [...]

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BUSINESS VERSUS TECHNOLOGY

November 23, 2011

By Brian Zarzycki, MP Integrated Solutions
Did you know that not all computer consulting firms are the same? Most people would say that is a true statement. I usually ask those same people why they believe that statement is true, and many believe that most consulting firms are different due to their hourly rate. Lots of [...]

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HEALTH SAVINGS ACCOUNT RULES FOR 2012

November 23, 2011

By Gary Sorenson, CEA, CLCS, PLCS, President, Insurance Brokers of Minnesota
A Health Savings Account or HSA is tax advantaged medical savings account that is owned by the individual.  They are designed to be used in conjunction with a High Deductible Health Insurance Plan.  The money contributed to the account is not subject to federal tax at the [...]

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NEW INCREASES FOR SOCIAL SECURITY IN 2012

November 23, 2011

By Roben D. Hunter, JD, CPA, CVA, CFFA, Hunter Advisors, PLLC
There are new increases in Social Security that have been recently announced, both for the recipients and the employee/employers currently paying into the system.  For those of us paying into Social Security in 2012, the Social Security tax will be payable on the first $110,100 [...]

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Checklist for Avoiding Lawsuits for Overtime Violations

September 27, 2011

By Robert S. Halagan, Halagan Law Firm, Ltd.
One of the “hot” areas for Plaintiff’s lawyers to look to make life miserable for business owners are claims for overtime pay when an employer fails to properly follow the rules for calculating and paying overtime.  The rise in overtime lawsuits in recent years has been significant in [...]

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New Exclusions from Minnesota Estate Tax

September 22, 2011

By Roben D. Hunter, JD, CPA, CVA, CFFA, Hunter Advisors, PLLC
At the end of 2010, the federal estate tax exemption amount was increased to $5 million, which means that up to $5 million dollars worth of assets can pass from an individual to others at death without incurring a federal estate tax.  Unfortunately, Minnesota did [...]

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Additional Insured’s vs. Additional Named Insured’s

September 22, 2011

By Gary Sorenson, CEA, CLCS, PLCS, President, Insurance Brokers of Minnesota
Sometimes a contract calls for “naming” a party as a “additional insured”. On other occasions, it requests a “additional named insured” status.

So, what’s the difference and why is this important to my business?

In general, being a named insured gives that party greater rights [...]

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Minnesota Legislature Creates New Estate Tax Exemptions

September 22, 2011

By Kevin Lanigan, Carlson Estate Planning
Under a new law passed during Minnesota’s 2011 Special Session. An estate tax exemption is available for Minnesota decedents with estates holding qualified Small Business Property or Qualified Farm Property. Owners of such Minnesota property who die after June 30, 2011 can exclude up to $4 million of such property [...]

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Designing An Effective Compensation Plan That Rewards Performance

July 21, 2011

By Robert S. Halagan, Halagan Law Firm, Ltd.
I recently negotiated a labor agreement on behalf of an electric cooperative in which all of the compensation was based on achieving certain performance standards.  This type of compensation plan is extremely rare for a unionized company and reflects an approach to compensation that can serve as a [...]

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Grow Your Business and Build Your Wealth…Not Someone Else’s

July 21, 2011

By Kelli Hoskins, ActionCOACH MetroNorth
Are you the business owner who knows how to build your wealth, or are you the business owner who knows how to make other people wealthy?

Who has all the money?
If you listen to anyone commenting on, questioning or discussing the distribution of wealth in our country, in many cases the [...]

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TRADEMARKS – How to Establish Secondary Meaning for a Descriptive Term

July 20, 2011

By Michael S. Sherrill, Sherrill Law Offices, PLLC
To establish trademark rights in a descriptive term the user must be able to prove that in addition to its normal meaning, consumers have come to also recognize the term as a designation of source (i.e., the term has acquired secondary meaning or distinctiveness).  Specifically, it must be [...]

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IS YOUR CREDIT INFORMATION PROTECTED?

July 20, 2011

By Brian Zarzycki, MP Integrated Solutions
This is a story about the local reseller who did not think people were untrustworthy. This local reseller made an honest living selling from a store that had been in his family for the last 50 years. He did not make a huge profit from what he sold, but his [...]

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