Donald Shampine

Some of the frustrations of running a small business are the tedious tasks that have nothing to do with your trade or profession. Yet, they are equally important and can often trip you up, stifle your growth, or possibly close you down. Knowing the potential ramifications for not addressing these tasks should make them a priority, but I still find many businesses ignoring them until they grow from a small task to a large problem. For example, in Michigan you have to file your business or corporation paperwork on an annual basis. This Annual Report comes with a $25 filing fee and is due by February 15 for your LLC and PLLC and by May 15 for your Corporation or PC. Late fees and reinstatement fees can be added if these are not addressed in a timely manner. The reminder letter and paperwork are sent to you automatically each year or you can file online at the LARA corporation’s division website. This is a tedious distraction but necessary to operate your business. Failu...

I generally do not use social media or restaurant review sites as the basis for my decisions on where to eat. The sites and information can often be misleading, inaccurate, and generally unhelpful. People feel they are qualified to serve as a critic for the simple reason that they eat food. Yet, most people lack basic kitchen knowledge, let alone the culinary expertise needed to truly be a restaurant critic.    Even a good review can be misleading as they often don’t give enough information to help you make an informed decision. Without a clear definition of the customers’ expectations and then a clear description of the product and how it met or failed to meet the definition, the reviews often lack substance on which to base an informed decision as to whether you should eat at the restaurant. Occasionally there are helpful reviews, but you must be careful on how you use them to base your eating decisions. Look to the quality of the review, the relevance to you...