Admit it, you have eyed those shiny laptops and important looking gadgets a neighbor business owner uses. Armed with their laptops and a small arsenal of chirping blinking iPod/Phone/whatevers they treat themselves to long lunches away from the office or week long business trips. You know if you had the means, you could put those items to much better use but there are the bills to pay, taxes to file, and those pesky inconvenient costly repairs.

However, the rigors of owning your own business does not have to doom you to an existence subsisting off stone age equipment. The newscast linked below shares the secrets of the must have gadgets for small business, affordable and functional.

Best Gadgets for Small Business

Discover Shasta Consulting & Web Design’s excellence as Redding’s web design professionals.

With Live Web Systems, you to edit a majority of the content yourself. You can delegate others to update specific pages or the entire site. You decide who changes what. That is one reason our slogan is: “You’re In Control”.

The process is straightforward. We get your pre-approval of a nice design template, then we add some initial content provided by you. You get individual coaching (if you even need it) so you can take advantage of all the great DIY features. We specifically created Live Web Systems without a bazillion bells and whistles so the learning curve is small, but the productivity is great!

You’ve though of it, daydreamed, tossed ideas with friends but it’s a bigger reality than you realize, taking your business global. This article by Alessandra Bianchi explains the process of take your business up a notch and increasing the range of your demographic. Ever kick yourself, “If only I’d known?” Now you do.

“Has your small business gone global yet? In an increasingly wired world, adding an international dimension - whether through importing, exporting, outsourcing, manufacturing overseas, or forming a strategic partnership - is now the province of both mom and pop ventures and large conglomerates. It is becoming almost as easy to do business in Peru as it is in Peoria. Result: The number of startups venturing overseas is skyrocketing. One recent study found that the number of multinational companies has swelled from 7,000 in 1975 to approximately 40,000 today. In addition, the net income of U.S. companies from operations outside the States now accounts for about half of income earned at home, compared to just 10 percent in 1950.”

So, you think you had a rough year in 2007? No worries, you’re not alone. Sit back and be glad you’re not on this list…

• Eli Lilly wins FDA approval to put Prozac into chewable, beef-flavored pills to treat separation anxiety in dogs.
• A video clip showing hordes of rats in a closed-for-the-night KFC/Taco Bell outlet in New York City gets nearly a million hits on YouTube.
• Diebold tightens security after it is revealed that a simple virus can hack its electronic voting machines. Months later a hacker uses a picture of a key from the company website to make a real key that can open the company’s machines.
• “The police, since my trouble, have not worked out for me.” — O.J. Simpson, on why he took matters into his own hands to reclaim memorabilia he says were pilfered. He is charged with kidnapping and armed robbery.
• Rapper Jay-Z, founder of the Rocawear clothing line, is taken to task by the Humane Society after it finds that the “faux fur” in jackets sold by his company is actually dog fur.

Afraid of tax season? You are not alone. Kay Bell with Bank Rate explains the top reasons people fear filing taxes- why you should or shouldn’t be concerned. Beat the phobia.

7 reasons taxpayers tremble
1. Afraid I can’t do my taxes myself
2. Afraid I’ll overlook a tax break
3. Afraid I’ll make a mistake that will cost me money
4. Afraid that my tax adviser is incompetent or a crook
5. Afraid I’ll get audited
6. Afraid to e-file because my personal info could be lost or stolen
7. Afraid to file because I can’t pay

Fear not the blog, it’s your friend. A blog is an excellent way to keep your site active and updated. It adds fresh content and gives visitors a chance to become better acquainted with your company. This is a crucial tool for feedback, as well.

Uncertain what to add to your blog? No worries. The following is a list of ideas to keep your blog updated.

• What’s new at your business? Maybe you’ve moved recently, added a new stellar employee, you’re having a special or have something new to market to your clients. The blog provides a great place to advertise that information.

• Articles and tips related to your business. The news is a treasure-trove of blog fodder. For instance, a carpenter could update their blog with a quote and link to an article on a new more durable material available for use, maybe it lasts a life time. That would catch a consumer’s eye. Or perhaps the carpenter could post tips on preserving and caring for handcrafted items. It is important to quote your source but that’s as simple as pasting the source’s link to the bottom of your blog entry.

• Pictures! What better way to show off your business? It’s an amiable way for potential and current clients to get to know the face of your company. Maybe you have an amazing project to show off, maybe your business plays on a softball team, had a great Christmas party, donated time to the community, or maybe the office mascot just needs some more adoring fans.

• Community Participation. Does your business give back to the community? Post it in the blog! Maybe your company helps sponsor a local junior soccer team, visits schools, helps disaster victims, throws picnics, or builds home for the less fortunate. Posting these in your blog not only gives a shout out to organization you’re helping but lets site visitors know you’re a good company.

• Testimonials. Did someone have something nice to say about your company? Write it in your blog. Not only does this give an accurate time stamp of the compliment for later reference, it’s also another way to point out your business excellence.

Things are picking up for your business and suddenly you realize you’re spread a little thin. Between marketing, accounting, and business, how does an entrepreneur settle on the perfect addition, their first employee?

“After determining what you’re looking for, talk to at least two applicants, Lehman advises: “Don’t marry the first person you kiss!”

Check references and really sit down with the applicant you like best.

“Communicate what you’re looking for, that you’re a small business, but you’re growing. Tell them that it might just be the two of you for now, but give them somewhat of an incentive if you can,” Lehman says.”

“George Ireton was one of the first persons I met in the Greater Redding Chamber of Commerce. His Integrity and personality were forefront in his character, and was easy to see. I knew that this would be the professional who would help me in my efforts to achieve success. He rebuilt my website in 2007 and has given me an ongoing education on internet marketing that will not only make for my continued success, but also that of all who market with me. The future is very exciting with Shasta Consulting and Web Design, and I encourage and promote this fine man and his business.”

It’s that time of the year once more, New Years is over and business owners everywhere gird themselves for battle with their accounting software. How well does your accounting software work for you? If it’s, “Great!” “Fantastic!” “Amazing!” then please read no further. The following article is only for those who want expert advice on finding the software that fits their individual business needs.

• “We outgrew our software almost as soon as we bought it.” Spontak notices that many startups begin with Intuit’s QuickBooks (which has the majority of the market share) but quickly grow out of it. “Consider the growth that you expect and the type of business that you are in so that you can choose something that is going to adapt to that growth,” she suggests. “You’ll want to have available to you specific solutions for the needs of your business so you avoid having to just go so far and then change software.”

 - Solve 5 top accounting annoyances

by Susan G. Hauser, Fortune Small Business

Ever wonder if a message is saved after you send it? What should the work policy be on messaging at work? And how much information is okay to give out in an instant message? Instant messaging is a powerful tool for businesses and its capabilities are growing, it’s a significant part of communication at the work place.

“A technology designed initially for conducting one-on-one personal chats has permeated the workplace. Many business people are choosing text-based IM over phone calls and e-mail — preferring its immediacy and streamlined efficiency in getting real-time information from partners, suppliers and colleagues working remotely.

Instant messaging is essentially the text version of a phone call. At businesses large and small, more and more people are using it as a communications tool. For many, it serves as a backstop for e-mail problems and other emergencies…”

The article is by Monte Enbysk, he describes instant messaging as a valid tool for businesses today and includes some great pointers on how to use it safely and efficiently in the work place.