If you run a small business, you will need to create and develop documents. I have often used templates from Microsoft office and very often found something that was not just quite right but was useful.

I was stumbling today and discovered Docstoc. This is a great resource of professional documents that are much more specific an detailed than Office templates.

Docstoc is in beta and is a user generated community where you can find and share professional documents. Find free legal documents and free business documents. Upload your documents for all the world to share.

This is a very nice resource

Edumax provides free “virtual classrooms” on various subjects and you can learn for free as long as you have access to the internet! Our “virtual classrooms” are a series of easy to understand lessons prepared by experts that I can be grasped by any learning pace. We also make sure that content is of the highest quality and substance so that we can impart valuable knowledge to you. Our “virtual classrooms” are you step-by-step guides so that you can understand the topics from the most basic concept to the advanced theories. We want you to improve your lives with the knowledge that you will get from Edumax.

Edumax wants to be your partner in improving your skills and get a better career. Our subjects range from personal development to web development and computer programming. With Edumax you will find easy to read and easy to understand guidelines on success, debt management, as well as tutorials on computer basics, Microsoft office, web development, internet basics, and programming.

As an Edumax user, you already have an edge. So start to maximize your education online today. Edumax will show the way.

Freelance Switch has some great ideas on improving the home office.

I have just completed moving into my home office and will definitely be using some of these ideas. I think the main idea behind this is that you should treat your home office as the same as the corporate office. Not many of use will put up with poor lighting, cable rats nest and such. Why put up with it at home.

There are some great ideas here. Let me know if you have any home office tips and I will port the best ones in a later article.

What is Joomla! ? l

Joomla! is an award-winning Content Management System (CMS) that will help you build websites and other powerful online applications. Best of all, Joomla! is an open source solution that is freely available to everybody.
Joomla! in Action

Joomla! is used all over the world to power everything from simple, personal homepages to complex corporate web applications. Here are just some of the ways people use our software:

* Corporate websites or portals
* Online commerce
* Small business websites
* Non-profit and organizational websites
* Government applications
* Corporate intranets and extranets
* School and church websites
* Personal or family homepages
* Community-based portals
* Magazines and newspapers
* the possibilities are limitless…

Joomla! can be used to easily manage every aspect of your website, from adding content and images to updating a product catalog or taking online reservations.
Joomla! for End Users

The basic Joomla! package is designed to be easy to install, even for non-programmers. Most people have no trouble getting our software up and running, and there is plenty of support available for newbies. We have a growing, active community of more than 40,000 friendly users and developers on our forums eager to help.

Once Joomla! is installed and running, it is simple for even non-technical users to add or edit content, update images, and to manage the critical data that makes your company or organization go. Anybody with basic word processing skills can easily learn to manage a Joomla! site.

Via a simple, browser-based interface you will be able to easily add new press releases or news items, manage staff pages, job listings, product images, and create an unlimited amount of sections or content pages on your site. You can try our simple demo to get quick taste of what Joomla! is all about.
Taking Joomla! to the Next Level

Out of the box, Joomla! does a great job of managing the content needed to make your website sing. But for many people, the true power of Joomla! lies in the application framework that makes it possible for thousands of developers around the world to create powerful add-ons and extensions. Here are just some examples of the hundreds of available extensions:

* Dynamic form builders
* Business or organizational directories
* Document management
* image and multimedia galleries
* E-commerce and shopping cart engines
* Forums and chat software
* Calendars
* Blogging software
* Directory services
* Email newsletters
* Data collection and reporting tools
* Banner advertising systems
* Subscription services
* and many, many more…

You can find more examples over at our growing Joomla! Extensions Directory. Prepare to be amazed at the amount of exciting work produced by our active developer community!
Joomla! for Developers

Many companies or organizations have requirements that go beyond what is available in the basic Joomla! package or in a freely available extension.

Thankfully, Joomla! offers a powerful application framework that makes it easy for developers to create sophisticated add-ons that extend the power of Joomla! into virtually unlimited directions.

Using the core framework, developers can easily build:

* Integrated e-commerce systems
* Inventory control systems
* Data reporting tools
* Custom product catalogs
* Complex business directories
* Reservation systems
* Communication tools
* Application bridges
* or any kind of application to suit a unique need…

If your company or organization hires a third party Joomla! developer or builds in-house software using the Joomla! framework, you are building on an open platform that does not tie you to any one developer or to a proprietary, closed application.

You can learn more about developing on the Joomla! framework over at our developer’s network. The beauty of Joomla! is that you can leverage our framework and user interface to deliver applications to your end users in a familiar, powerful environment.
So what’s the catch?

There is no catch. Joomla! is free, open, and available to all under the GPL license. We don’t claim to be perfect, and can’t promise to meet every requirement in the world. But for many web applications, our software is perfectly suited for the job. We are adding great new features with each release, and with the help and advice of our incredible user community we plan on delivering award-winning software for years to come.

1. New Preferred Customer Program -
Name may change at some point. Imagine 1.5 million books, including music CDs, movies (DVDs), textbooks and video games in 2008. Bookwise has contracted with Baker and Taylor, founded in 1828, and currently the largest distributor of books and media with 385,000 titles in inventory and 1.5 million available. They have 11 distribution centers; 2,500 employees and various shipping options.

Beginning December 2007 you can simply go to your Bookwise website for HUGE selection, BETTER service, and a whole new preferred customer program!!

2. Your Very Own Customizable On-line Bookstore
Amazon.com and Myspace.com comes together to provide

Bookwise will share 50/50 of all profits with associates. 40% to Bookstore owner; 10% to the enroller. 42% Off on bestsellers to the customer, so the ‘profit’ is less on these.

3. Bookwise 100 Classics -
The 100 Greatest literary works in the world. This is the same benefit that is available to your preferred customers FREE with every order. It is included FREE to each Associate as part of their monthly enrollment fee. Each month a new classic will be made available in three separate formats:

4.Wisdomlink -
Wisdomlink, containing 4,000 ebooks and 100,000 source documents, will be available to all Bookwise Associates. This resource is fully searchable. Stanford and Yale pay thousands of dollars each year for this resource. It is the same tool used by presidential writers when writing the presidential speeches. This Bookwise benefit can only be promoted on a person-to-person basis– NOT to schools.

5. Additional Bookwise Trainings
The secret is to get this powerful information into your busy world so that your life can be transformed.

Successful People = Relationships * Money * Inner Wealth

Beginning in January Bookwise will offer three, four-week trainings taught by experts in the Bookwise areas of focus and delivered via conference call and available for replay in your back office.

6. 2 Day LIVE seminars
World experts will hold live training in locations around the country. These events will be FREE to all Bookwise Associates.

7. Global Leadership Bonuses.
No specific details available, but they are working on this. $1 of every membership fee will be directed to a quarterly, leadership, bonus pool. This will be paid to leaders in BookWise. Details to be disclosed as they become available

8. Quickwise On-line Training
Already available in your back office. Updated and revamped training to assist you in getting your business up and running fast. *General training for new Associates.

9. Bookwise Pro Business Builder
This is an additional business building tool to help you market online. The cost is $19.95 per month and is fully guaranteed to work for you.

10. BookWise Publishing
Richard Paul Evans and Robert G. Allen will coach you to discover your unique book idea. You will be assigned to their personal book producer, an experienced, top-notch book producer to walk you through the process from beginning to end — idea to manuscript, book to bookstore, reader to success.

They will coach you to complete your manuscript and have it ready for publication, including the editing. Rick and Bob will endorse the book and you will be able to use their endorsement for advertising and promoting your book. Rick and Bob will write a foreword for your book.

Bookwise will be your literary agents to major publishers. Bookwise guarantees to publish your book. You receive 50 copies of your finished book to give out to friends and family.

Rick and Bob will escort you to the Book Expo 2008 to personally introduce you to the world of publishing. They will teach you their step by step plan to help your book become a best-seller, attracting media, craft a “WOW” press release, they will coach you through a ‘mock’ media audition test for media readiness.

You will be interviewed on a live Bookwise webcast and provide you with a copy of the webcast. They will give you autographed copies of all of their books, and you will provide them with a case of YOUR autographed book to be given out as gifts.

You will have a special photo taken with Rick and Bob to promote your book.They will include you in the acknowledgment of one of their future books. A web designer will create a special website to host and promote your book. They will teach you everything you need to know about the book business and mistakes to avoid. You will have the professional design for your book, both inside and out, which will include two cover designs.

They will get your book to people– the right people. Your book will be listed in the Bookwise catalog. Your book will be made into an E-book and made available to other Associates. Your book will be made into an audiobook as well. Form a partnership with Bookwise Publishing and will share in the success of other authors in your Bookwise class (specific details are yet to be determined).

11. Canada -
Bookwise is coming to Canada. Specific dates will come soon.

For more information and to sign up please click here

Mashable hes put together a great list of some 30 sites that can teach you a thing or two. Maybe even 3 or 4.

There is a huge selection of free tutorials on the web for just about everything you can think of. We’ve put together 25+ sites that should help give you a good start on learning about the web itself and web-related tools you wish you knew more about.

The sites are technology related and some charge for the lessons. However, for the business who is just stating out, this could be a great way of keeping up to date on the latest technology

Many people are confused about whether it’s legal to hire their children and grandchildren. Follow my advice to satisfy both the IRS and employment laws - while saving on your own taxes. Assuming it’s a true payment for services performed (and the paperwork is handled properly) it’s totally legal and acceptable to pay family members.

Minor Children Save the Most Taxes

Child labor restrictions don’t apply to a parent (unless it’s in manufacturing, mining, or any hazardous occupation defined by the Department of Labor) - even under 16. I hired my own daughters from the ages of 7 and 9 without a hitch.

You need not pay withholding income taxes, payroll taxes (including Social Security) and Workmen’s Compensation (in most states) until the child turns 18. Just remember to complete quarterly payroll tax returns, as you must for any employee. Forget about paying federal unemployment taxes until the child turns 21.

However, if your business is an S or C Corporation, you must pay Social Security and Medicare taxes regardless of their ages.

To Survive IRS Scrutiny

1. The children actually have to work
2. Pay them consistently
3. Pay them according to what you’d pay someone else
4. Keep detailed records
5. Issue a W-2 at year end and file a tax return for the child, even if no tax is owed

Example:
Wages paid to 13 year old child $6200
Less: Standard deduction for 2005 (5000)
Taxable income $1200
Tax Due (10% x $1200) $ 120

While for the parents:
Wages paid to the child $6200
Tax Savings (40% x $6200) $2480

For a net savings to the family of $2360

The income tax standard deduction is $5000 for every person in the country, including each of your minor children. So unless you pay them more than that, they won’t have any tax obligation at all. And since they really earned it, the “kiddie tax rules” do not apply.

When hiring adult family members you can justify larger salaries. And they can participate in benefits like qualified retirement benefit programs and fringe benefits (like medical insurance and childcare).

Working for You Teaches Children about Managing Money and Saving

The income has to be earned by the child, so the amount needs to reflect the value of what’s done. And the money does belong to them, even if it’s being saved for college.

Many of the benefits of involving your children in your operation aren’t tax-related at all. They’re gaining practical experience, learning the value of work, and maybe how to carry on the family business down the road.

If you’re wondering whether to trust my advice, I’ve sat on both sides of the desk. I worked for the IRS, and since leaving there have conducted almost a thousand seminars on financial planning and taxes. I speak to real estate and banking professionals all over the country, and have found that everyone wants to learn smart strategies that bring reliable financial returns - without getting them into tax trouble. In my opinion, hiring your family is one of them.

The site is free to join and has a community of experts for every aspect of your business. This is similar top other social network in that it share some contact information and allows networking of members.

The Small Business Online Community allows small business to exchange ideas and information, and benefit from the experience of others. It’s easy to connect with other members - try starting or joining a conversation in the forums or posting your thoughts in a review. Many users also learn valuable insights and tips from our expert articles and the success stories of other members. Please share your own expertise by participating regularly in all areas of the community. Contributions and members that are rated by the community as the most helpful may be prominently featured across the site.

Some of the main aspects you have to concentrate on when you have business ideas are the abilities and gifts you can pour into the business. It is very important for you to be identified with your business project. Those ideas should be based on activities and actions you take pleasure in doing. For example, if we suppose that you dislike working in the open, landscaping business would not suit you. On the other hand, if you like working with children, setting up baby-sitting or tutoring business would be an excellent idea. In this case, without any doubt you business will be more successful because you will have put your mind, effort and also your heart on it.

Another vital step is to analyze the needs of a specific product or service in your region before setting up your business. Do people of your area need your product? Are there other business like the one you are planning to start? You should ask yourself whether or not you are the only one offering that service or product. If you are not, you will have to analyze the competence you will have to face. You have to think whether the service you are offering is one that customer would repeat, or if it is a one-time specialized service. Obviously, the former are more likely to succeed than the latter.

There are other aspects you have to take into account. These aspects are described below:

- One of them is that if the idea is unique, you will reign the market. But if there is much competition, it will be difficult to enter into the market.

- A second point would be if you can offer quality from the very beginning, otherwise, you won’t succeed.

- Finally, you have to think about your capital to start your own business. There are many business ideas that require little investment and bring great profit. Some demand research, such as daycare service, and others need a large amount of money to begin the business. So take this recommendation into account before investing all your money in a small business idea.

70 % of the US households have web connectivity.

In 2004 worldwide online population was 801 million worldwide.

Of these 36% used English as the language. Of this U.S. alone accounts for close to 200 million.

The next major group was European languages with 38 % and major single language next to English was Chinese accounting for 14%.

Home web users were generally affluent, literate, and belonged to the younger age profile. This means the web presence for any business is necessary if you want to succeed in promoting your products and services to a population who can afford them and also willing to buy them online.

The household that did not own a computer or who were were not connected to the web, generally felt it is not useful or needed and cost too much.

What this means for a small business owner is that they are better off promoting their products to people who were online.

You small business success is undoubtedly linked to your online presence