A bookkeeper can be an integral member of your small business team. He or she can manage your books, oversee payroll, follow up with late payments, prepare your annual files for your accountant, and a lot more. Whether you have a one-person shop or a fully staffed business, having a bookkeeper on your team and save you a significant amount of time when it comes to your operations.

Like all relationships, though, it takes an effort to outsource a part of your business and then work efficiently together. Miscommunication, lack of collaboration and mistrust can not only ruin the relationship with your bookkeeper, but you could also end up damaging your business in the process.

Today's feature article provides 10 tips for finding and working successfully with a bookkeeper, so you can become more productive and improve your ongoing financial processes.

Feature Article:
10 Things You Need To Do To Build a Successful Relationship with Your Bookkeeper

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If you are a small business owner who isn't completely confident that you will have a solid retirement savings to carry you through your golden years, you are not the minority. Unfortunately, most small business owners don't take the necessary steps to secure their financial future.

This happens for many reasons, the biggest being that most small business owners, especially in the early stages of business, are financially strapped. There simply isn't an excess of money that can be easily rolled into savings. But this doesn't mean retirement planning should wait. The opposite, in fact, is true. Now is the time to start thinking about your financial future, even if it is decades away.

The best thing you can do when it comes to retirement planning is talk with a financial planner who can advise you on the actions you can take right now to get the ball rolling. But the second part of the equation involves changing the way you think about retirement planning and saving. Today's feature article addresses both of these challenges and provides some tips to get you moving in the right direction.

Feature Article:
How to Plan for Retirement as a Small Business Owner

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Social media isn't for every small business owner, but there are certainly many who are benefitting from the communication and engagement that is happening constantly on various social media platforms.

If you have been dabbling on a social network or two, if you're brand new to social media, or even if you have a relatively established social media presence on one network but are ready to expand, today's feature article will give you some tips that will help you effectively integrate social media into your marketing strategy.

Feature Article:
The Ultimate Guide to Using Social Media for Small Business

More Social Media Resources:

• 5 Tips for Getting Started with Twitter in Your Small Business
• 7 Ways to Use Pinterest in Your Small Business
• A Guide to Using Facebook for Business

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If you are a small business owner who is ready to get started with social media, you may be considering Twitter  as a way to promote your products and services and find new customers.

There are a lot of reasons to use Twitter to expand your reach and grow your business, but it's not something you can expect to be successful at overnight. In fact, it usually takes some trial and error before you find your comfort zone on Twitter, or any social network.

To help you get started on the right foot, today's feature article provides five essential tips for using Twitter in your small business.

Feature Article:
5 Tips for Getting Started with Twitter in Your Small Business

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