When your business is succeeding, it can be tempting to reinvest your money into large asset purchases like equipment or a vehicle.  But it’s important to remember that those long-term assets don’t get fully expensed right away, and even if you’ve run out of cash – you will still owe taxes on your reported profit.

In this episode Lina Mills of Creative Ideas Catering talks about how she lost her first catering business because she didn’t save enough to pay her taxes, and how she doubled down to understand her finances before she launched again.

You can find Lina at:

https://creativeideascateringcafe.com/

https://www.instagram.com/creativeideascatering/

https://www.facebook.com/creativeideascatering/

https://www.instagram.com/creativeideascafe/

https://www.facebook.com/creativeideascafe/

If you'd like to join the book discussion with Climb - The Small Business Book Club, visit us www.climbbook.club. We'd love to meet you!

And a big thanks to our sponsors - The Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center of the San Francisco Bay Area.  If you would like to check out their classes and resources, visit them at www.rencenter.org.

There’s so much talk about the importance of passion, that it’s easy to believe that all you need for a successful business is passion for your product.  Unfortunately, passion is only one piece of the puzzle.

 In this episode, Eva Zermeño of Rustic Postres talks about loving to bake and thinking that was enough to run a business.  She quickly learned that wasn’t true.  By not budgeting and understanding her input costs, she underpriced her products and wasn’t making a profit. 

You can find Eva at:

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.rusticpostres.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rustic.postres/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rustic.postres

If you'd like to join the book discussion with Climb - The Small Business Book Club, visit us www.climbbook.club. We'd love to meet you!

And a big thanks to our sponsors - The Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center of the San Francisco Bay Area.  If you would like to check out their classes and resources, visit them at www.rencenter.org.

Collaborations can be great, but only if both sides are offering similar value and effort.  The wrong partnership for your business can lead to less-than-ideal outcomes.

In this episode, Tandia O’Neal of Sistah Music Snax shares her experience collaborating on an event with another organization and the not so great outcome of working with someone who wasn’t willing to put in the same level of effort. 

You can find Tandia at:

https://www.instagram.com/sistahmusicsnax/

https://twitter.com/sistahmusicsnax

If you'd like to join the book discussion with Climb - The Small Business Book Club, visit us www.climbbook.club. We'd love to meet you!

And a big thanks to our sponsors - The Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center of the San Francisco Bay Area.  If you would like to check out their classes and resources, visit them at www.rencenter.org.

Sometimes when we first start our business, it’s easy to let customers take advantage of us… giving them free or low-cost work to make sure they are happy.

In this episode, Brittany Hobbs of Hobbs Home Designs talks about letting customers call her back over and over for more options to choose from, and her concern about whether she should charge for that time.  And she shares great advice about how to stick up for yourself.

You can find Brittany and her beautiful interior design at:

Website:  https://www.hobbshomedesigns.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hobbshomedesigns/

If you'd like to join the book discussion with Climb - The Small Business Book Club, visit us www.climbbook.club. We'd love to meet you!

And a big thanks to our sponsors - The Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center of the San Francisco Bay Area.  If you would like to check out their classes and resources, visit them at www.rencenter.org.

Selling your services as a package is all the rage.  And for some entrepreneurs and business models, packages are a great fit.  But for other businesses, an hourly rate is the better option.

In this episode, Margot Nijsure talks about the confusion and complication that came with trying to use package deals for her elder care business, and how she turned it around by switching to the conventional hourly rate system.

You can find Margot at:

Website: www.montclairelderservices.com 

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/margot-nijsure

If you'd like to join the book discussion with Climb - The Small Business Book Club, visit us www.climbbook.club. We'd love to meet you!

And a big thanks to our sponsors - The Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center of the San Francisco Bay Area.  If you would to check out their classes and resources, visit them at www.rencenter.org.

While some entrepreneurs dive right in without any thought, others lean a little too far toward getting it perfect before they start selling.

In this episode, Stephanie De La Cruz of De La Creamery talks about waiting to have all her ducks in a row, and the great advice she received from a business coach to get out there and start selling.

You can find Stephanie and her small batch Mexican ice cream at:

Website: https://delacreamery.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/delacreamery

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@delacreamery

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Sd35

If you'd like to join the book discussion with Climb - The Small Business Book Club, visit us www.climbbook.club. We'd love to meet you!

And a big thanks to our sponsors - The Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center of the San Francisco Bay Area.  If you would to check out their classes and resources, visit them at www.rencenter.org.

Having a job is wildly different than being an entrepreneur. In this episode, Cherry Yates of Cherry Yates Communications talks about leaving her corporate position and the shock of having to do 'every job' as an entrepreneur.

You can find Cherry at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cherryjohalyates/

If you'd like to join the book discussion with Climb - The Small Business Book Club, visit us www.climbbook.club. We'd love to meet you!

As mentioned in the podcast, for a free copy of Allen Dib’s 1-Page Marketing Plan: https://successwise.com/sm-free-book/

Just because someone wants to hire you, doesn't mean that they are the right client for you and your business.

In this episode, Kristin Lobdell of KNL Co talks about her first big client and why they were not the right fit for her business.

You can find Kristin at:

Website: http://kristinnicolelobdell.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theintrospectiveentrepreneur 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kristinnicolelobdell/

If you'd like to join the book discussion with Climb - The Small Business Book Club, visit us www.climbbook.club. We'd love to meet you!

Follow CLIMB on Our Other Platforms

Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/climbbookclub/

Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/climbbookclub/

Twitter | https://twitter.com/climbbookclub

LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/company/climbbookclub

You can also listen to this podcast on Apple, Audible, and Spotify - Search for Climbing Together - The Small Business Experience.

Pop culture would have you believe that a write off means it free, and many small business owners have to learn the hard way that you still pay for write offs. In this episode, Amita Basra talks her confusion regarding business expenses, and how they impacted her bottom line.

You can find Amita at:

Website: www.unlockingthejoy.com

YouTube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCIgfrLloKaOa198vHZyhDOQ

Instagram: https://instagram.com/kreemshakti

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@kreemshakti

If you'd like to join the book discussion with Climb - The Small Business Book Club, visit us www.climbbook.club. We'd love to meet you!

You can also find CLIMB on Instragram, Facebook, and Twitter @climbbookclub. 

Or at Climb - The Small Business Book Club on LinkedIn.

And a big thanks to our sponsors - The Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center of the San Francisco Bay Area. If you would like to check out their classes and resources, visit them at www.rencenter.org.

"If it seems to good to be true... it probably is."  Words of wisdom we all know, but are so often tempted to ignore.  

In this episode, Dara M. Wilson talks about hiring a developer on Fiverr whose prices seemed too good to be true, and the ongoing headache that decision has caused. 

You can find Dara at:

Gallery: https://discover.artplacer.com/galleries/makeda-made

Instagram: instagram.com/makedamadeart/

If you'd like to join the book discussion with Climb - The Small Business Book Club, visit us www.climbbook.club. We'd love to meet you! 

And a big thanks to our sponsors - The Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center of the San Francisco Bay Area. If you would like to check out their classes and resources, visit them at www.rencenter.org.