Who’s Who in Crowdfunding

  Sponsored by, CrowdFunding USA 

Sydney Armani CEO and Publisher CrowdFundBeat Media @Sydney_armani

Crowdfunding USA put out the list of Who’s Who in Crowdfunding and I am on the list!

The truth is, crowdfunding as an industry is changing. There are many people who still think you can just throw your project up on a website and then millions will come and give you money. Our industry is dedicated to educating people as to how it works as well as obtaining new clients.

This summer I will be teaching at the Small Business Administration in Los Angeles as well as CSISB. I look forward to sharing with people about crowdfunding and how it works.

If you need to learn more about Crowdfunding, please visit

www.getcrowdfundednow.com for free videos and other educational information.

Take Advantage of IRS Free File

Comprehensive tax preparation and e-filing is available to 70 percent of taxpayers, thanks to Free File – a partnership between the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and a coalition of industry-leading tax software companies called the Free File Alliance.

Every taxpayer with a 2013 Adjusted Gross Income of $58,000 or less may visit www.IRS.gov/freefile to prepare, complete and e-file their federal tax returns at no cost using software from Free File Alliance members. Free File also offers a basic federal e-filing service – called “Free File Fillable Forms” – which has no income limitations.

“Free File is here to make tax time less taxing for 70 percent of Americans,” said Tim Hugo, executive director of the Free File Alliance. “If you made $58,000 or less in 2013, Free File is your portal to free tax software from more than a dozen of the country’s top companies. It’s all online at www.IRS.gov/FreeFile, and unlike commercial products, there are no pop-up ads when you use Free File to access tax software.”

Hugo continued, “Software from the Free File Alliance provides step-by-step help and calculations to make tax-filing quick, simple and convenient. After you e-file, you’ll receive a confirmation email so you can rest assured that you’re done for the year, and you’ll get your refund in as few as 10 days. Free File is fast, safe and – most importantly – completely free.”

Free File is available at www.IRS.gov/freefile, which provides a list of free tax software offered by Free File Alliance member companies. Users may either choose the company that fits their tax situation or utilize the “Help me Find Free File Software” tool. After selecting a company, users will be transferred to the company’s website to prepare, complete and electronically file their federal income tax returns. The service is also available in Spanish.

Free File Fillable Forms, which allow taxpayers who are familiar with tax law and need no preparation assistance to complete and file their federal income tax electronically, are also available at www.IRS.gov/freefile.

Free File has already saved taxpayers an estimated $1.2 billion in preparation and filing costs since the program began in 2003. Free File Alliance member companies have continually worked with the IRS to strengthen the Free File program, and taxpayers have consistently reported that it is user-friendly and efficient. Responding to a 2009 IRS survey, 96 percent of users said they found Free File easy to use, while 98 percent said they would recommend the program to others.

Small Business Resources that Matter

Small Business Resources that Matter
The one thing that anyone can find a great deal of on the Internet is information. Whatever you are looking for one quick Google search later and you will almost certainly have found it. Or will you?
What is a Small Business White Paper Really?

Small Business Resources
By dictionary definition a white paper a white paper is ‘an authoritative report or guide helping readers to understand an issue, solve a problem, or make a decision’. They originated in government in the 1920s but over the years were also adopted by individuals and businesses as a way to disseminate a larger amount of information to a wide audience. They are also a marketing tool for the authors but that does not mean that the information they impart is not hugely valuable which is why I, and many others, find them to be such a great resource.
Although there are a great many white papers published all of the time finding them is not always easy. The nature of the search engine is to push certain results, the ones with the right keywords, but not necessarily the best information, to the top of a search, making it harder to find these long form pieces that do offer the in depth information you were searching for.

A Wealth of Resources in One Place
Imagine a place where you can find a huge number of white papers and similar long form informational pieces all in one place, covering a vast array of industries. Resources that have been pre-vetted to weed out the spam and the poorly written, inaccurate information that the search engines do not. That is exactly what I did happen upon and it is fair to say the site has become one of my go to resources for information and education in my own field as well as a place to learn something new. It is also an excellent resource for those seeking new career challenges and those who are looking for people who are. The fact that the white papers are free to download is an extra bonus.
I am not claiming that white papers can solve all your problems or give you all of the information you need but as a way to as their definition suggests solve problems, make decisions or simply become better informed about your industry, your career or your future career they can prove invaluable. And addictive, so don’t say you haven’t been warned. Although when can there ever be such a thing as too much learning on the way to reaching your goals?

« Previous Page — Next Page »