On the Start Up Donut website, you can find categories on everything from business planning to tax and finance to formation. Mick Dickinson, from BHP Information Solutions, operates the website and says that Start Up Donut is suitable for anyone of any experience level.

Said Dickinson: “Just like Marketing Donut, Start Up Donut is all about practical advice that people can actually use. There’s plenty of theory out there, but our conversations with people in business tell us that what they really want is for an expert to say: ‘ok, here’s what you need to understand, and these are the steps you need to take.’”

While Start Up Donut is mostly focused on startup businesses located in the United Kingdom, it has useful information for startups based anywhere in the world.

What is your startup idea? (Image: Flickr)

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Startup Advice at Start Up Donut

If you have a startup business and you need a few tips on how to best deal with layoffs, here are a few guidelines:

Give Notice
If at all possible, give the people who are getting laid off as much notice as possible. This will lessen the shock of the layoff and give the employee more time to look for another job.

Explain the Reasoning
If you have to lay someone off, there’s probably a reason why. While it will still be a bad day for the person getting laid off, if you give him or her a valid explanation, they will be able to deal with it better.

Offer to Help
You don’t have to do the legwork but at least offer to help the laid off employee find a new job. You can give a recommendation if need be and perhaps even contact some other companies in your industry to seek job opening.

Be Honest
With the rest of the employees at your startup business, honesty is the best policy. Don’t try to hide financial woes or pretend business is better than it actually is at the moment. Instead, explain the exact situation in which the business stands.

Layoffs are Difficult (Image: Flickr)

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How to Deal with Layoffs in a Startup

Here are five common hiring errors made by startup businesses:

5. Hiring after short-term gains. A lot of startups make the mistake of making long-term hires after short-term gains. For example, if you have a business that has a busy season, don’t hire full-time employees due solely to that busy part of the year. Instead, consider adding part-time and temporary workers when needed. It’s always best to have employees with too much to do than too little.

4. Overpaying employees. As a startup business owner, it may feel good to give other people their dream jobs. However, do your due diligence to ensure that you are paying market value. Additionally, don’t hand out stock options or ownership percentages unless absolutely needed.

3. Hiring friends. The old saying says not to mix friends and money, and that’s especially true in the startup business world. When hiring, start each potential employee at an equal level during the interviewing process.

2. Not having a complete job description. When you hire someone, have specific jobs in mind. Hiring people to just help out means you haven’t done enough research. Each employee should have specific job details.

1. Hiring employees too early. Don’t get too excited too quickly. You should continue working with a limited workforce as long as possible. Hiring outside help should be an obvious last resort.

Is it time for your startup business to start hiring? (Image: Flickr)

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Common Hiring Errors by Startup Businesses

Here are the top five social networking sites to target for startup businesses:

5. YouTube
The YouTube community is huge and active set of million of users. With a hit video, you can go from startup to bigtime in a short period of time.

4. LinkedIn
LinkedIn is sometimes referred to as the “adult social network site” — and for good reason. It is built like any number of social networking sites but it’s geared toward a much more professional crowd.

3. Twitter
Twitter just continues to grow and grow. With a number of celebrities and high profile business people joining the Twitter craze in recent months, Twitter is a currently a must for any new business.

2. MySpace
Once upon a time, MySpace was regarded as the only social networking site businesses should care about. While it has lost some steam in recent months, MySpace is still a great place get noticed.

1. Facebook
Currently, Facebook is the most popular social networking site in existence. Getting a Facebook page for your startup business is a very smart move.

Facebook Logo (Image: Flickr)

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Social Networking for Startup Businesses

How can you avoid stress when involved with a startup business? Here are five tips to stay as stress-free as possible.

5. Don’t care solely about money. While we all need money to survive, you have to be reasonable and realize you won’t become rich overnight with a startup business. Focus on something on something other than the bottom line to begin with.

4. Remember to have fun. Stress is going to occur at some point in your startup journey. But you can lower the amount of time that stress stays with you if you continue to enjoy your hobbies and take time to relax.

3. Make reasonable goals. Each month, set a realistic goal for the end of the month. By keeping your eyes on what’s in front of you, the big picture won’t be as daunting.

2. Surround yourself with positive people. When hiring, personality should play a big role. Find people who you can connect with and who don’t add to the stressfulness of the startup. Having something with outside hobbies and interests is actually a good thing for a startup.

1. Don’t overwork yourself. If you’re like me, you could literally work more than a hundred hours a week on your startup business. However, you should force yourself to work reasonable hours per week. Doing so can help you stay mentally fresh and avoid burnout.

Remember to Relax - Source: Flickr

Post from: EveryJoe

Avoid Stress – Startup Business Tips

Recession Chart - Source: Flickr

Despite all that bad news, starting a business now is actually very good timing. It may sound odd but a recession is the perfect climate to be able to get your foot in the door. Here are five reasons why a recession opens doors of opportunity for startup businesses and startup business owners:

5. Supply chains not set in stone. When everything is going well and the money is flowing in, businesses tend to stay in their same patterns. But when things get rocky, businesses will evaluate their supply chains and are much more open to the idea of trying something new.

4. Other businesses are dying off. Many businesses that aren’t built on financially stable ground will simply die during a recession. Although one business dies, that niche remains and a startup company will be able to maneuver quickly to fill the void.

3. Better employees are available. It may seem harsh but the honest truth is that when more people are out of a job, it’s easier to find quality employees. Additionally, it’s easier to not have to pay an arm and a leg for quality employees.

2. Tax breaks. With the local, state and federal government looking to create jobs, they will bend over backwards during a recession for companies that can employ. Bending over backwards can come in many forms, with tax breaks being one of the most common.

1. Everything costs less. With businesses not able to spend as much as usual, the prices of business related items will naturally decline. That means that the needed money to fund a startup is less during a recession, which is notable because funding is oftentimes one of the main stumbling blocks of a startup business.

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Recession and Startup Businesses