Original text

The more time your sales team spends in meetings, the less time they have available to actually sell. Download this checklist to prepare for and lead an effective sales meeting—one that gets maximum results in minimum time.

If you run your business as a sole proprietor, you may need to pay estimated taxes to the IRS throughout the year. People whose income is subject to withholding (i.e., most employees) generally don’t have to pay estimated tax. These payments cover tax liabilities not covered by withholding.

Internet sales tax, or sales tax on goods sold online, is a complex issue. Forty-five states and DC require consumers to pay sales taxes on purchases. But the rules for online purchases are different from those made in brick-and-mortar stores.

Beginning March 3, Upper Shore SCORE business mentors will be at Chestertown HotDesks, 903 Washington Avenue, 10:30 am -12:30 pm on the first and third Thursdays through May 26. They will offer SCORE’s vast library of business resources, including helpful guides, templates and training materials and take requests for individual business counseling. SCORE is dedicated to helping small businesses get off the ground, grow and flourish through education and mentorship. Its volunteer mentors have provided free, confidential business counseling to aspiring entrepreneurs and small business owners for

Four times as many consumers would rather watch a video about a product than read about it. Seventy-one percent of consumers who viewed a video ended up making a purchase.

Need a great web address for your business? Simply enter in words below that describe your business, and we’ll return some suggestions you can choose from.

The U.S. Department of Labor requires you to keep records of the following information about each employee as long as he or she works for you. Download this checklist to help you maintain the proper employee records.

For small businesses, one late-paying customer could mean the difference between success and failure. Not only are late payments a big problem for small business, but the problem is getting worse.

Five metrics to watch!

With so many other things to pay attention to in your business, tracking your website's performance can be a daunting task. Web analytics platforms put an abundance of data at your fingertips. If you haven't the funds to hire someone to keep tabs on it for you, however, you may feel overwhelmed and under-inspired to dig into it.

So how can you avoid spending a lot of time and still get a decent grasp on the effectiveness of your website? 

Keep it simple by focusing on a few key metrics. Several that can provide beneficial insight include:

• Unique Visitors –

Our latest infographic highlights the growing impact of “corporate social responsibility” in the business world.

ThinkBig Networks is bringing high speed Internet connectivity to businesses and consumers across Kent County, Maryland. Almost unheard of outside of a few major metropolitan areas, the new fiber optic network currently being installed will provide incredible speed and bandwidth. Now businesses and consumers alike can enjoy congestion-free travel on both the asphalt and digital highways of the picturesque and business-friendly Upper Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake Bay.

That’s why Judy Morgan, ThinkBig’s Director of Sales, gets so excited when she describes what’s happening. There is no

Elon Musk said, “When something is important enough, you do it even if the odds are not in your favor.” That’s the way Tracy Davenport felt when she opened Tracy’s Smoothie Place in Chestertown a little over two years ago. With a recently earned doctorate in human growth and development in hand, she set out to provide a healthy to-go option to people in a rural community. 

While Tracy’s shop started out as a place for all natural smoothies (you can find 15 of them there), it has now grown into a go-to for Hawaiian shave ice, all natural soup and farm fresh grilled cheese. You can also pick