This guest post is brought to you by Outright.com, the easiest way to track your business finances online.Happy New Year! Well, not quite yet, but it’s coming soon. And also coming soon is an opportunity for you to totally rethink your business model.Why would you do that, you may ask? Well, there are undoubtedly components about your business that you may not like. Whether it’s your website, shipping model, or even your products, something about your company may not sit right with you. What better time to fix what ails your business than a brand new year?Here are our suggestions on what to look at when revisiting how you do business in 2012:Revisit InventoryWhile in the thick of the busy selling times, it’s tough to take enough time to really look at WHAT is selling. But you’ve undoubtedly noticed some patterns, and the beginning of 2012 is a good time to act on them.Unless by some miracle every single one of your items is a best seller, you probably have some low hanging fruit you can pluck. Check your sales records and look at what items just aren’t moving. Are you wasting valuable time, marketing and space by offering them? Cut your losses and get rid of them for bigger and better things.On the other hand, what are your big sellers, or at least the ones one the rise? Consider featuring them more – with advertising, featured listings, or offering them as samples to prominent bloggers or journalists – to take advantage of the sales trend.Give Your Website a 2012 MakeoverSpeaking of featuring items, now is a good time to look at your company’s website or online store through fresh eyes.How prominent are your best selling products?What is the first thing new customers see?Where is your contact information and is it fully updated? Have a friend or five (preferably friends who fall into your target audience) look at your website and watch how they browse. Do they miss the menu bar? Are they fascinated by the FAQ rather than the featured best sellers? Then you may have a design problem.Don’t neglect any part of your website – revamp the entire thing if you have to. Make sure there is accurate contact info on every single page so your customers are never left in the dark. Check every link and look at every picture.Also, have you thought about creating a blog (if you don’t have one already...for all those Meylah storefront owners, it's automatically included...yippie!).  With a blog, you can feature new items, company updates, and general fun stuff to bring new customers in. Just make sure to regularly update your blog...even hire a blogger if need be.Look Up Shipping AlternativesBelieve it or not, you may be spending too much on shipping. But there are several options available, and all it takes is figuring out where your customers are.Are they more local? Do they all come from the same area in the country? (If you’re not sure, check out Outright’s Sales by State report to find out!) Do they typically not need your items right away and choose the slowest shipping option? If so, then you may be able to negotiate discounted shipping rates from one of the major carriers.You may also be able to save money on packaging materials. Do you find you spend half your day stuffing boxes? They may be too large, and you may be able to go to a smaller size and save money. Small details like that add up, so pay attention to every aspect of your fulfillment.It’s all up to you to determine what your business needs to make 2012 a great year. Taking an honest look at even the smallest facets of your online business can give you an idea at least where your money comes in and goes out. Only then will you be able to take your company to the next level in the New Year!Is accounting and bookkeeping one of the facets of your business that needs a face list this New Year? Outright automatically imports your financial information from your bank account, PayPal, Meylah, Etsy and more. Sign up today for free Outright.com account through tax season 2012!

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Between nagging my kids to get their shoes on and find their backpacks, breakfast time can be hectic and stressful. I’m always trying to think of quick, tummy-filling breakfasts to give them a good start for their day. That goes for school days and school holidays. My kids are out now for 10 days and [...]

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We all know it...an organized business is a productive business.  Since the end of this year is coming and it's time for new year resolutions, we thought we share some suggestions that will help you get on track in 2012.Here are 4 great ways to get you and your business organized in the new year:1. Clean Out Your Email InboxOrganize your inbox emails by moving them into folders or groups so you can maintain a clean inbox.  This will help you stay organized, reduce any frantic email searches and increase your productivity.2. Create 'To Do' ListsCreate a to-do list either on paper or electronically, detailing what you need to get done.  This is a simple and effective way to keeping you and your business on track.3. Set Your PrioritiesReview your to-do lists and prioritize your tasks by importance. This will force you to focus your energy on the tasks that need your attention the most and reduce distractions from others.4. Build A RoutineBuild a routine with your business schedule...select a daily time for you to create products, review emails, return phone calls and manage your social media.It's a constant battle, but with these helpful tips we hope you're on your way to getting more organized!  And, please let us know if you have any secrets to keeping yourself organized.Main image courtesy of Uwe Hermann

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Download, print, assemble. More...

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I hope all your hustle and bustle is going well. Things are going pretty smooth at the LeBaron house. Still a few gifts to get, but hope to have it all done by Saturday, you know, just in time ;) Here are few things we have been doing this week, like visit Santa, baking brownies, [...]

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Shelley Klammer is an online expressive art teacher, creativity coach and a registered psychotherapist with a strength for coaching women to express their deeper feelings and life purposes through creative spiritual practices. More...

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I have been very fortunate to work full-time in what I consider is one of the largest and most beautiful art studios in Canada. I facilitate art projects and classes for seniors with dementia. More...

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All year I kept hearing a theme of, “narrow your niche”. I jumped on this bandwagon rather quickly but was really unsure what it actually meant. I tried focusing on my ideal customer, my product types, even my industry within an industry. Yet all these left me less focused and rather lost. If narrowing your focus is so important how come I can’t seem to make it click? Then I had a minor breakthrough.It’s not about narrowing your product, or your industry type. It doesn’t even have anything to do with my ideal customer--focus is about your message. And when you find the root of your business you’ve discovered your message. This message is magical! You can funnel everything through it like what product to build, what customer to go after, even the type of marketing you want to do. In honor of us coming up on a brand new year here are 3 tips for your focus. I discovered that focus feels really good because, well, I can actually think clearly!Tip #1: Find where all that passion stems from. You are already rooted in something--think back on an inspiration moment, when a brilliant idea popped in your head, or the exchange you had with a customer that made your day. What was it about? For me, watching my client say with their facial expression, “Oh, I see it now and know how to get there.” This is what my message is about--connection and confidence.Tip #2: Determine what you do really well and that you can over deliver on. This is something that is already a part of you. Instead of thinking customer service, think innovation for my customers. That in itself is great customer service. For me, it’s listening. I know I can always listen and hear things my clients don’t. That will never go away and so I strive to be really great at it.Tip #3: Listen to that little voice that enjoys oversimplification. There is a little voice that always says things like, “It’s as simple as…” or, “Basically, it’s about…”. When you hear this, don’t jump to covering it up! We want to make it more complicated than it’s needs to be. We want to be “unique” sometimes to a point where we aren’t even recognizable.Be simple because your customers have a reference for simplicity. For example, my simplest way when asked what I do is to say, “I am a dream business maker.” Because at the end of the day that’s basically what I do and we all know what having our dreams come true feels like.Less is more, be simple, and still pack a punch. Find focus you can think clearly about and have a wonderful New Year!Andrea Mansfield is the owner of Brand & Bloom where she guides creative women using clarity about their purpose and passion for a successful business.Main image courtesy of toolstop

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Janlia Chong's innovative paper crafting gift package templates (partner product). More...

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With the new year just around the corner (ah, where has 2011 gone?!)… I’ve been thinking a lot about goals for me and my family. Each year we try to think of a new motto that my family can focus on that year. The theme we decided on for 2012 is: Together we can do [...]

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