MMCA Marketplace

Is it easy being 'green'?

Guest Blogger:  Roxanne Mendoza of Roxi Designs

A few weeks ago in my inbox just like many of you I received my newsletter from Stampington & Co and had a fun idea I wanted to share with the Marketplace readers.  Volume 3 of the GreenCraft magazine was available for pre-order and if you saw Volume 1 & 2, I am sure you were looking forward to the August 1st release of Volume 3!   I love the photos and they always seem to inspire. As I was checking out a preview of their new GreenCraft issue I started thinking about being 'green.'

 

Now, most of us have probably been 'green' before being 'green' was even trendy. I'm sure most of us and our moms included saved every little bit of fabric, ribbon, and scraps of paper because we knew we could use them again one day! We didn't know at the time what we would create but we knew we would create something in the future and couldn't bear to part with the items that some might call scraps.

Recycling bits and pieces may have seemed frugal to some but now it has turned into an art form. It does take a certain vision to create something whether it is from entirely new products or from our saved bits and pieces that have been waiting to see the light of day.

Is it easy being 'green'?  Have you created something out of your recycled bits and pieces you have been saving in your workspace? If so, please share and inspire us!   Send Debbie an email ([email protected]) with an image of your ‘green’ creation, a short description telling us how you made it 'green' and don't forget to include your blog link so we can check out your other 'green' creations and in a future Marketplace post Debbie will showcase your artistic creations! 

And in the meantime don't forget to check out GreenCraft.

You didn’t think I would leave you without sharing one more of my ‘green’ creation using bits and pieces I have been saving, did you?

 
Guest blogger Roxanne Mendoza, owner of Roxi Designs ~ Vintage inspired with a modern twist. The mixing of old and new elements are the inspiration behind most of Roxi's designs. Most recently, Roxi is inspired by vintage earrings which are given new life and turned into stylish fashion accessories. Her designs are limited editions or one-of-a-kinds.

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To publish/reprint this interview you must respect the copyrights of the author and MMCA Marketplace by publishing the entire article as it is with no changes, including title and content with ALL links active and clickable.  You must include the following (between the dashed lines) in the same font size at the end of the article.  Without adhering to ALL of the above is a violation of copyright laws.  Common courtesy is to let the author and MMCA Marketplace know when you reprint this article.

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This article is courtesy of the MMCA Marketplace Blog, a place to connect, promote, inspire and share resources to help others live a creative life in their artful journey!  The MMCA Marketplace Blog is a subsidiary of Debbie Overton Designs LLC.

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Are you ready for coffee with the I.R.S. Man?

The following article was written by Harriete Estel Berman of “Ask Harriete” and reprinted with the author's permission.

 

My morning coffee with the I.R.S. MAN - Tips to prevent or smooth your audit with the I.R.S.

Coming up is my "anniversary" of my I.R.S. audit. Three summers ago, I was "invited" for a morning visit with the I.R.S. What a petrifying experience!  Coffee was politely offered but my adrenaline was pumping already.  Everything turned out fine...but perhaps you may gain some insight from how I survived economically unscathed and on excellent terms with the I.R.S.

Here are 3 basic tips based on my experience that you should implement immediately (if you are not doing this already).

1) Keep your business banking accounts COMPLETELY SEPARATE from your personal banking. I mean completely separate! For years I had my business bank accounts at a different bank than my personal bank accounts.  I often grumbled and chafed at this extra deposit and bookkeeping effort with two different banks.

I'll never complain again. It paid off BIG when the I.R.S. MAN casually asked questions to glean if my art business funds were co-mingled with my personal funds. One of the first levels of inquiry (even before the audit) is to discover any commingling of business money with personal money. Once the I.R.S. man found out that I not only had separate business and personal accounts, but further separated them at different banks ..that topic was OVER. He saw no glimmer of possibility of catching me in a wrongful accounting of my business income or expenses with personal checking and savings or credit cards.

Consuming Conversation © 2001-2004
A series of 200 cups.
Recycled tin cans, brass, s.silver,
Artist: Harriete Estel Berman
View the entire series on my web site.

2) Keep detailed and accurate records. The I.R.S. asked for specific categories of receipts in advance. I was required to bring this portion of documentation to the I.R.S. office that morning.  In this case they wanted to look at my Advertising Expenses for the year. While it was a tremendous amount of effort to separate my Advertising Expense receipts (month by month) from all the other receipts (it took about fourteen hours), I was prepared to show each and every receipt. 

He started out asking for the Advertising Expenses for a particular month in random order. He jumped around, March, August, October, etc. Each and every time I had every receipt (already organized by month) ready to go without hesitation or excuse.

When it was obvious that I was well organized (thanks to Emiko Oye, my studio assistant) and he could find no mistakes, he ceased this line of questioning. 

  Consuming Conversation © 2001-2004
  Recycled tin cans, brass, s.silver,
  Artist: Harriete Estel Berman
  Photo Credit: Philip Cohen
  View the entire series on my web site. 

3) The primary test is whether you act like a business. I was surprised to come to the realization that the I.R.S. is not interested in whether I was a professional success or a financial success. They did not care about my exhibitions or gallery representations.  They did not care about my education, publications or professional visibility. They only wanted to determine whether I performed like a business.

The I.R.S. measures business standards with definitions that have nothing to do with art or craft. While my advertising expenses must have been a red flag since they were so high for a small business (professional photography is a significant expense). The I.R.S. only wanted to see that I kept complete and accurate records like a business.

  Consuming Conversation © 2001-2004
  Recycled tin cans, brass, s.silver,
  Artist: Harriete Estel Berman
  View the entire series and video.

My advice:
-Keep your business checking account separate.
-Never co-mingle personal and business money.
-Get a separate credit card for your business.
-Keep detailed and accurate records of every business expense.
-Act like a business. 

Do all of this before you have coffee with the I.R.S.

Harriete

  Coffee Φ: The Golden Ratio © 2004
  Recycled tin cans, brass, s.silver,
  Artist: Harriete Estel Berman
  Photo Credit: Philip Cohen

Here are the 9 criteria from the I.R.S. used to figure out if you are a business (copied directly from the I.R.S. web  site.

The following factors, although not all inclusive, may help you to determine whether your activity is an activity engaged in for profit or a hobby:

• Does the time and effort put into the activity indicate an intention to make a profit?
• Do you depend on income from the activity?
• If there are losses, are they due to circumstances beyond your control or did they occur in the start-up phase of the business?
• Have you changed methods of operation to improve profitability?
• Do you have the knowledge needed to carry on the activity as a successful business?
• Have you made a profit in similar activities in the past?
• Does the activity make a profit in some years?
• Do you expect to make a profit in the future from the appreciation of assets used in the activity?

About the Author:  Harriete Estel Berman is a Metalsmith creating everything from jewelry to large sculpture with recycled tin as well as the author of ASK Harriete where she offers advice for artists, crafts people and the arts community. 

******************************

To publish/reprint this article you must respect the copyrights of the author and MMCA Marketplace by publishing the entire article as it is with no changes, including title and content with ALL links active and clickable.  You must include the following (between the dashed lines) in the same font size at the end of the article.  Without adhering to ALL of the above is a violation of copyright laws.  Common courtesy is to let the author and MMCA Marketplace know when you reprint this article.

-----------------------------------------------

This article is courtesy of the MMCA Marketplace Blog, a place to connect, promote, inspire and share resources to help others live a creative life in their artful journey!  The MMCA Marketplace Blog is a subsidiary of Debbie Overton Designs LLC.

-----------------------------------------------

Coming up is my "anniversary" of my I.R.S. audit. Three summers ago, I was "invited" for a morning visit with the I.R.S. What a petrifying experience!  Coffee was politely offered but my adrenaline was pumping already.  Everything turned out fine...but perhaps you may gain some insight from how I survived economically unscathed and on excellent terms with the I.R.S.

Here are 3 basic tips based on my experience that you should implement immediately (if you are not doing this already).

1) Keep your business banking accounts COMPLETELY SEPARATE from your personal banking. I mean completely separate! For years I had my business bank accounts at a different bank than my personal bank accounts.  I often grumbled and chafed at this extra deposit and bookkeeping effort with two different banks.

I'll never complain again. It paid off BIG when the I.R.S. MAN casually asked questions to glean if my art business funds were co-mingled with my personal funds. One of the first levels of inquiry (even before the audit) is to discover any commingling of business money with personal money. Once the I.R.S. man found out that I not only had separate business and personal accounts, but further separated them at different banks ..that topic was OVER. He saw no glimmer of possibility of catching me in a wrongful accounting of my business income or expenses with personal checking and savings or credit cards.

Consuming Conversation © 2001-2004
A series of 200 cups.
Recycled tin cans, brass, s.silver,
Artist: Harriete Estel Berman
View the entire series on my web site.

2) Keep detailed and accurate records. The I.R.S. asked for specific categories of receipts in advance. I was required to bring this portion of documentation to the I.R.S. office that morning.  In this case they wanted to look at my Advertising Expenses for the year. While it was a tremendous amount of effort to separate my Advertising Expense receipts (month by month) from all the other receipts (it took about fourteen hours), I was prepared to show each and every receipt. 

He started out asking for the Advertising Expenses for a particular month in random order. He jumped around, March, August, October, etc. Each and every time I had every receipt (already organized by month) ready to go without hesitation or excuse.

When it was obvious that I was well organized (thanks to Emiko Oye, my studio assistant) and he could find no mistakes, he ceased this line of questioning. 

  Consuming Conversation © 2001-2004
  Recycled tin cans, brass, s.silver,
  Artist: Harriete Estel Berman
  Photo Credit: Philip Cohen
  View the entire series on my web site. 

3) The primary test is whether you act like a business. I was surprised to come to the realization that the I.R.S. is not interested in whether I was a professional success or a financial success. They did not care about my exhibitions or gallery representations.  They did not care about my education, publications or professional visibility. They only wanted to determine whether I performed like a business.

The I.R.S. measures business standards with definitions that have nothing to do with art or craft. While my advertising expenses must have been a red flag since they were so high for a small business (professional photography is a significant expense). The I.R.S. only wanted to see that I kept complete and accurate records like a business.

  Consuming Conversation © 2001-2004
  Recycled tin cans, brass, s.silver,
  Artist: Harriete Estel Berman
  View the entire series and video.

My advice:
-Keep your business checking account separate.
-Never co-mingle personal and business money.
-Get a separate credit card for your business.
-Keep detailed and accurate records of every business expense.
-Act like a business. 

Do all of this before you have coffee with the I.R.S.

Harriete

  Coffee Φ: The Golden Ratio © 2004
  Recycled tin cans, brass, s.silver,
  Artist: Harriete Estel Berman
  Photo Credit: Philip Cohen

Here are the 9 criteria from the I.R.S. used to figure out if you are a business (copied directly from the I.R.S. web  site.

The following factors, although not all inclusive, may help you to determine whether your activity is an activity engaged in for profit or a hobby:

• Does the time and effort put into the activity indicate an intention to make a profit?
• Do you depend on income from the activity?
• If there are losses, are they due to circumstances beyond your control or did they occur in the start-up phase of the business?
• Have you changed methods of operation to improve profitability?
• Do you have the knowledge needed to carry on the activity as a successful business?
• Have you made a profit in similar activities in the past?
• Does the activity make a profit in some years?
• Do you expect to make a profit in the future from the appreciation of assets used in the activity?

How To Calm The Butterflies So You Can Close The Sale

The Marketplace welcomes Kelly Watson of Womenwise Marketing as our Guest Blogger today.  Kelly shared with our readers a great interview a few weeks ago and in response to the comments we are excited to share with you Kelly's follow up.

How To Calm The Butterflies So You Can Close The Sale

by Kelly Watson

Insecurity sucks.

Sure, I could embrace my meek side, or count the ways it's benefited me over the years. But insecurity and business rarely mix.

It makes you appear less confident. It fogs your head with anxious thoughts so you can't remember people's names. I can't count the times when insecurity has caused me to stumble through a speech or a phone call.

Women are especially prone to insecurity in business because we place a high value on relationships. Anything that could disrupt those relationships -- closing a sale, for example, or asking for a raise -- feels dangerous because it creates the possibility for rejection.

That doesn't mean that you're destined to be less successful than men. But you may need to keep your mindset in check. Here are five tips for insecure times:

• People need your value. Whether you sell a product or a service, you provide value. If you're an artist, perhaps you bring more beauty to people's lives. If you're a graphic designer, you help clients create a polished image. Remember the value in what you do, and you'll have an easy time projecting it to others.
• Tap into your passion. Recalling your passion for a particular topic can not only numb your insecurity, it can give your message the energy needed to get people excited about what you have to offer.
• You're deciding whether you want to do business with this person, too.  Some situations just aren't a good fit. Even when asking for a sale or a raise,  you still have authority to accept or reject the outcome. Ultimately, you must do what's best for you.
• Your circle of comfort expands every time you step outside. The more you do things that make you feel nervous or insecure, the less nervous you'll feel. Each time you venture outside your comfort zone, you create opportunities for new experiences.
• Failure isn't so bad. Author Alan Weiss wrote, "If you're not failing, you're not trying." When you think of failure as just another step on the road to success, you'll have an easier time separating your ego from the outcome.

If you missed Kelly's interview go here.

Kelly, thank you once again for sharing with our reader's.  We look forward to having you as a guest blogger again in the near future.