Tune In This Saturday - Running An At-Home Business

Update: Listen to the Show!
Running An At-Home Business
This Saturday Diane will be joined in the studio by Pat Algiers, President of Chemistry In Place, and Timothy Gill, promoter for the Milwaukee Home Business Expo, to discuss starting and managing a successful home-based business, along with how to overcome working-at-home challenges.

Pat and her company, Chemistry In Place, specialize in helping clients set-up new households resulting from life transitions, whether it is a move to a different residence or staying in an existing home. She has helped many company Presidents and CEOs establish successful home offices. Pat and Diane will discuss how your home office should be set-up and designed to facilitate productivity. Learn about not only where in your home your office should be located, but tips on how to operate while working from home in order to maximize your time and provide clients with the best experience.  

Tim runs his own home business, Gill Enterprises, and is working with the Milwaukee Home Business Expo to bring direct selling companies and work-from-home business opportunities to everyday people. The Expo is next Saturday, June 4, 2011, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Wisconsin Products Pavilion at Wisconsin State Fair Park. Purchase advance tickets online at a buy-one-get-one-free rate (2 for $10).

Listen to the show to hear Tim and Diane discuss the Expo and how you can utilize these great and affordable resources for stay-at-home business owners, including:

• Book "The 4-Hour Workweek" by Timothy Ferriss
• RingCentral
• Elance.com
• Evernote
• Constant Contact 

What's In a Name?

Basic Trademark and Intellectual Property Issues

Last week Diane was joined by Claude Krawczyk, an attorney with O'Neil, Cannon, Hollman, DeJong & Laing S.C., to discuss basic trademark and intellectual property issues. Claude and his firm work with entrepreneurs, start-up businesses, corporations and the like. O'Neil, Cannon, Hollman, DeJong & Laing S.C. has been around since 1972 with a main office in downtown Milwaukee, and offices in Port Washington and Sheboygan. The firm's 32 attorneys are specialists in a wide variety of general business law issues and handle all aspects of the business world, working with everyone from start-ups to fortune 400 companies. 

Naming a business is one of the most exciting things you get to do as a business owner, but it can be difficult. If it's not going to be your name, how does it describe your business? How does it build a brand? What is the right name? Is it going to be memorable? Easy for people to say? And, how does it relate to what you do? Claude and Diane discussed when it's appropriate to register your name or the names of your products and other legal implications - all of the ins and outs of protecting your intellectual property.

They also reviewed the types of intellectual property, how they're different, and when each is used:

• Trademark
• Copyright
• Patent
• Trade Secret

This Week - Credit Specialist, Carie Nachreiner

Update: Listen to the show! Credit And Your Business


President of One Choice Credit Repair, Carie Nachreiner, will join Diane on the show this week to discuss what you can do to maintain or improve your credit score and how your credit score affects your business. 

Topics will include:

• Your credit score
• Increasing and repairing your credit
• Bankruptcy
• Foreclosure

Call into the show to ask about other topics and get your questions answered. 

Terry Frett - New Health Care Reform

Terry Frett and Health Care Reform

Last Saturday's show featured resident benefits expert and "Business Solutions" return guest Terry Frett of Frett Barrington Ltd. Diane and Terry picked up from a discussion last fall and discussed the new health care reform, which "celebrated" it's first anniversary in March. Some of the new legislation was phased in beginning on September 23, 2010, with the renewal of employers' and individuals' plans, but new pieces of the legislation will be taking place this year and business owners will have to understand these changes and how they might affect their business.

Terry and Diane will review parts of the legislation that are already in place, as well as what is coming up in the near future.

More information:

• Frett Barrington Ltd.
• Healthcare.gov - Understand the Law

Spring Updating

A little like Spring cleaning, "Business Solutions" is doing some Spring updating. Below is a list of past shows that haven't been added to the blog yet. Hopefully you'll find something helpful for your business.

Apr. 23, 2011 Social Media
Diane Chamness and guest Steve Kabelowsky, content strategist with Platypus Advertising + Design, discuss social media. What is it about social media that is important for business today? Why and how you should be using it for your small business.

Apr. 9, 2011 At Home Business
Home-Based Businesses: 12% of all households have an at-home business and billions of dollars are made through home businesses each year. Discussing running a successful at-home business and how to overcome challenges.

Mar. 19, 2011 New Technologies
New technologies – what’s hot and what’s not with Jason Kayzar of MC2, a voice and data network business.

Feb. 12, 2011 IT Strategy
Guest Darren Fisher runs an IT consulting firm and helps companies strategically from a technology perspective.

Feb. 5, 2011 (Part 2 of 2) The New Normal Part 2
The “New Normal” for Business

Jan. 29, 2011 (Part 1 of 2) MP3 file coming soon...
The “New Normal” for Business: What is normal now? Discussing the current economic climate and how you can successfully operate in the “new normal.”

Dec. 18, 2010 Save on Your Taxes
Legal expert Barry White with certified public accountant Paul Wild discussing year-end tax planning that you can still do in 2010 to save on your taxes.

Dec. 11, 2010 Mark O'Connell and American Transmission Company
Mark O’Connell, Executive Director of the Wisconsin Counties Association, will be talking about energy with American Transmission Company’s Manager of Corporate Communication.

Dec. 4, 2010 How to Have a Great 2011
What are you doing differently in 2011? How you should approach your business differently this year.

Nov. 20, 2010 Top 12 Trends for 2011
Top 12 Trends for 2011: Staying optimistic and coping with the current economy; where and how to shift your business; businesses that are vital right now and how to tap into them; driving revenue.