Update on the (hopefully no longer) upcoming 1099 change.

I haven't had time to photograph or post last week's candle batches yet, due to a very busy last two weeks of summer, but did want to take 5 minutes to post a little update on the 1099 reporting change I wrote a blog post about in May. I read an excellent summary of the current status in this article today. It seems that nearly all business owners are in agreement that the increased reporting requirement places a ridiculous burden on small business owners. How do you get the tax information of businesses where your employees spend money while on the road? How do you figure out who to contact from a national chain store? How can you add the added cost of all that tax reporting time into your product without loosing all your customers? But, probably the most pertinent question is... how is the IRS going to handle the millions of additional papers they will have to process each year and make money to pay for the health care bill? Thankfully, the IRS's own National Taxpayer Advocate is in agreement with business owners' objections and included her opinion in her midyear report to Congress. Thanks to this report and the many questions and complaints received by government representatives, two amendment options are now being considered.

Option #1 (Republican): an amendment to repeal the 1099 change and eliminate it all together.

Option #2 (Democrat): this measure would scale back the upcoming changes. Businesses with 25 or fewer employees would be exempt from complying with the new requirements. Businesses with more than 25 employees would only have to send a 1099 to retailers who sell them $5,000 or more in goods (instead of $600) and they would be allowed to exclude credit card charges because the credit card companies would report the information directly.

I don't know about you, but I would be happy with either of these options. As a sole proprietor, I'd be exempt either way! The issue (as usual) is how the government will make up this lost revenue. The Democrats want to eliminate an income deduction for the five largest oil companies. To me, this sounds like a suggestion the Republicans will never accept and, furthermore, one which will directly effect the pocketbook of every American. I'd hate to see health care finally become affordable at the same time that fuel costs double. The Republican amendment claims it will be paid for with money from health care programs created by the reform law. Uhm... wait... I thought the 1099 change was supposed to pay for the health care. Now it can pay for itself? Hmmm...

The House and Senate are in recess right now, but will continue trying to tackle this issue after Labor Day. I'm glad it seems they are making progress, but hope they are able to come up with a solution that could be accepted by everyone.

Winter Preparations - Part 1

I had a little bit more time than usual to myself this weekend and told myself I would devote all that time to getting Homemade by Hoyt ready for winter.  I had plans to do a few more things than I accomplished (as usual), but managed to make enough progress to feel satisfied. 

My top priority for the weekend was to make more candles to post online.  My current online inventory is only 20 items... not exactly an enticing collection.  I was too tired to further that goal on Saturday as originally planned (on account of the fact that I picked up a catering shift to earn my "extra" income a bit quicker)... but, as I type, the final bit of wax is cooling on two sets of candles. 

Tonight I'm making batches of Tibetan Black Tea (green) and Sweet Honey Rose (mauve).  The rose recycled jar candles are pretty tea and lip gloss tins I saved from my personal collection.  The black tea jars are plain glass which I still need to choose decorations for.  The next big craft night I have available will be spent decopaging jars.  I already had four before tonight that were waiting for their finishing collage.

The other thing I "accomplished" this weekend may be nothing more than glorified procrastination... but I enjoyed it.  I have an embarrasingly large collection of yarn considering the size of my apartment.  So, I have been trying to come up with more things to crochet... small things I could make quickly and sell.  I noticed on etsy that there are multiple vendors selling "scrubbies" - crocheted cotton yarn squares to use like a wash cloth - and I decided to make one to sample.

My army colored square didn't turn out with perfect ninety degree angles, but it will be perfect for testing durability... if it sucks, I didn't waste my favorite yarn... and I practiced crocheting a uniform square with a cool pattern.  I'd say that's as close to "loose = win" as you can get.

I also looked at two other crochet products I would be interested in making: pot holders and rag rugs.  I started crocheting a pot holder sample, but haven't made it too far.  I also hunted down two old sheets which I want to use whenever I get around to trying out rag crochet.  What I really want to know is... how many of my friends and customers would be interested in buying any of the above?

The last thing on tonight's to do list is started, but probably not likely to be completed tonight.  I've chosen samples to be delivered to two locations, but still need to print price lists and informational material before I can wrap them....

My Newest Best Friend in Marketing

July hasn't been the most productive month of 2010 for my candle business. I got distracted by a new project of mine... poetry. At least once a week I post a new silly rhyme to my blog about something I saw on the internet or TV, in magazines, or better yet, in real life. Once I had my first 5 or so poems, I decided to send one to my favorite local newsletter, edhat.com. They send out a free newsletter every day with links to pertinent news, questions & comments from readers, event photos... all kinds of fun stuff that (for me) makes it feel like the new millenium version of a little old town meeting. And, ever since I sent my first blog link, edhat has been sharing my poems with their readers each Sunday. Thanks to blogger stats, I know that quite a few people have clicked through to Rhyme Me a Smile from edhat links.

This week I decided to finally getting around to sending out those prizes I displayed in my last blog post. I had intended one for edhat and one for someone else, but in the end decided to offer both to my new best friend in marketing. This week's newsletter already has a fantastic free ticket opportunity, but soon you shall see Homemade by Hoyt products being given away. It has turned out to be an even better marketing strategy than I expected. In exchange for the prize donations, edhat made me an advertisement for free and posted it to their website. It popped up earlier today at the top of the browser page while I was trying to figure out why the sheriff's hellicopter was flying around the Noleta neighborhood. It was pretty exciting to get answers to my breaking news question and see my brand new personal advertisement simultaneously! If you live in Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, or Ventura Counties, I highly recommend signing up for your local edhat newsletter and advertising through them if you are a business owner. If you don't live in the area... well, start searching for your best friend in marketing. He's out there.