The Isolated Entrepreneur

First class stamps will be 42 cents (17 cents for each additional ounce), Postcards 27 cents, and Media Mail $2.23 for the first pound (35 cents each additional pound). 

If you have Forever Stamps, you will not need to add the penny for the increase

A new web-based CRM application has been launched by the makers of Appointments Plus called the Virtual Assistant Manager.

I tried the application and found that it was a very convenient tool for virtual assistants to communicate with their clients.  As this is the first edition, I expect that it will continue to blossom.

• It is secure (uses SSL) and the company has a good backup policy for the application.
• The price structure is based on the number of virtual assistants.  You can give all your clients access and add unlimited number of activities -> something that makes most other applications such as Basecamp limiting for this profession.
• You can track your billable hours right in the application.
• You can setup repeat activities and setup a project with multiple tasks.
• Clients can submit requests, view tasks/projects, and run time billed reports.

Some current limitations are:

• A task must have a due date.  If you don’t select one, one is assigned when you save.
• The look-and-feel is still a bit choppy and you cannot customize it or move things around.
• No email integration.  It sends out going email notifications, but you cannot receive emails within the system.

Is Virtual Assistant Manager ready to be used?  Yes, the basic functionality is there, but there are current limitations which may be limiting depending on how your company is setup.

Just a friendly reminder.

Tomorrow is the deadline for 4th quarter 2007 estimated taxes. Envelopes must be postmarked January 15, 2008 or you can pay them online or over the phone through the free EFTPS system.

For more information, see the IRS Self Employment Tax webpage and make sure you check the deadlines for your estimated state income and unemployment taxes - if you have them.

Business Week released a great article that sums up the economic outlook.  It connects the recently announced reduction in short-term interest rates with the current unemployment rate, increased energy costs, and falling housing prices.

Just a friendly reminder.

Monday is the deadline for 3rd quarter 2007 estimated taxes. Envelopes must be postmarked September 17, 2007 or you can pay them online or over the phone through the free EFTPS system.

For more information, see the IRS Self Employment Tax webpage and make sure you check the deadlines for your estimated state income and unemployment taxes - if you have them.

In the news…

• OPEC will increase production by 500,000 barrels starting Nov 1.
• Health insurance rate increase slows to 6%.
• Baby boomers make up three times the market size than 20 somethings on the Internet.
• Foreclosure rates continue to increase to 0.65%.
• Anita Roddick dies.
• Dollar hits all-time low against Euro.
• Small business job growth decelerates. (more…)
   

Luciano Pavarotti died this morning. (NPR, 9/6/07)

Great Word-of-Mouth Case Study:  Marie Digby: How MySpace and YouTube is transforming the entertainment industry.  (WSJ, 9/6/07)

Apple reduced the price of the iPhone by $200 to $399 ahead of the holiday season. (NYTimes, 9/5/07)  Apple also announed that it added Wi-Fi and touchscreen to the iPod. (WSJ, 9/6/07)

For the holidays, Amazon and Google will try to tackle the electronic book industry.  Amazon is introducing a reader that connects wirelessly to Amazon’s eBook Store.   Google is releasing a plan that allows subscribers to access a library of ebooks.  (Google News Release)

Yahoo has struck a deal to acquire BlueLithium, the 5th largest online advertising network. (Yahoo News Release)

Vudu announces a $400 movie box available at months end that will download videos and play them with the picture quality of a DVD.  Also NBC struck a deal with Amazon about selling shows as video downloads on Amazon.  (NYTimes, 9/5/07)

Scientists in Britian have gained permission to, in theory, create the first human-animal embryos. (NPR, 9/5/07)

Excerpt from NASE’s Washington Watch, August 29, 2007.

According to the GAO,

• Two in five sole proprietors (6.9 million) made an error on the gross income line of Scheudle C and are underreporting about $53 billion net.
•  An estimated 73% of sole proprieters (10.9 million) are over-reporting their expenses by about $40 billion net.
• 55% of expense misreporting occurred in the car and truck, depreciation, supplies and other categories.

The GAO recommends increasing assistance to first time Schedule C filers, deny benefits/payments until tax obligations met (Social Security, Medicare), withhold tax to encourage tax compliance.

_______________

 With statistics like the ones above, no wonder the federal government is working on more legislation to increase the accounting requirements for businesses. 

Make Mine a Million $ Business announced last week that they were open for applications for their next contest.

This time, there are two categories:

• Make Mine a Million $ Program for women-owned businesses that have been in business for 2 years and have a current annual revenue of $200,000 or greater.
• Micro to Millions Program for women-owned businesses that have less than $200,000 in current revenues.

The finalists will give their presentation at the October conference in Texas.  The winner receives coaching, a financial loan, and other business tools.

See details.

Apple’s iPhone Learning Curve

Business Week, August 23, 2007.  The iPhone has about a 1% chance of having a defect.  The two most common complaints are a strip of the screen not responding to touch input and problems charging the iPhone.  Apple is fixing these manufacturing glitches as they appear.

Online Language Finds a Voice

Wall Street Journal, August 23, 2007 (paid subscription).  An article about the new language appearing in IMs near you.

Trouble in Toyland:  New Challenges for Mattel — and Made in China

Knowledge@Wharton, August 22, 2007.   As a parent of a 2- and 4- year old, I have gotten increasingly paranoid about anything my child about any object they put in their mouth thanks to the recent recalls.   As a business owner, I wonder how a toy company could have ever ethically let this happen.

This business article talks about Mattel’s troubles and how parents and grandparents are avoiding anything “made in china”.

Google Looks to the Stars

Wired Science, August 22, 2007.  Google Earth (a free desktop application that allows you to see aerial photos of earth) now has added a new component, Star.