While I’m focusing on our state with these series of articles, the processes described are generally applicable for other states. I recommend that you visit your state’s business developent center to learn your specific requirements.

Officially Starting Your Business with the State

Indiana, and other states, have made it very easy to file your paperwork online with the Secretary of State’s office. Before you file, take a look at this checklist to make sure you are ready.

• Determine the business type (See Part 1)
• Decide on a business name
• Decide about your principal office address
• Have the name and address of a Registered Agent
• Have all the names and addresses of principals involved
• Be prepared to pay the fee with a credit card

Business Name

Most state laws require that the name of a business must be distinguishable from the names of other businesses on the records of the Secretary of State’s office.  Most states have an online search tool that will let you search for your desired name. If your desired business name isn’t available, you may have to think of alternatives. Keep in mind that you will also want to use this name to register a web site address later on. A simple name is often the best.

Principal Address

Each state will want to know your principal office address. This is the physical address of your business. You may also provide a mailing address as well. If you are planning on running your business out of your home, you may want to get a post office box just for your business mailing address.

Registered Agent

Each business must continually maintain in the state of registration a responsible individual called the Registered Agent. An entity’s registered agent is the business’s agent for service of process, notice, or demand required or permitted by law to be served on the entity. The registered office address must be a street address. If an attorney is preparing your business paperwork, often that attorney will serve as your registered agent. It is permissible for you to be your own registered agent.

Other Persons

If you are the only responsible person in your business, then you need not worry about having the names and addresses of other persons. However, if you are entering into a partnership or there is more than one person managing your Limited Liability Corporation, then you will need their information. You should have available names and business addresses of any Incorporators and/or principal officers of the business. Principal Officers would be the highest executive officer, directors, and possibly the secretary of the business.

Paying Filing Fees

Have your credit card ready! Indiana will accept Visa, MasterCard, and Discover. Check with your state to verify what credit cards are acceptable. States have different fees based on the business type.

Next Steps…

In the next article, we will discuss additional filings that may be required (city and/or county), registering with the IRS and state taxing authoring, and more.

On Pinterest, you can connect up with others, follow others and search by keyword for ideas on just about anything you can imagine. You must receive an invite to join Pinterest, so find a friend who is already a Pinterest member and ask them to invite you. If you do not have a friend who is already a member, you can also sign up to request an invite. You will just need to wait for it, and there’s no specified timeframe to determine when you’ll receive the invite. In the meantime, Pinterest still allows you to search and look for ideas on the site. Just go to www.pinterest.com.

Happy Pinning!

http://www.google.com/search?q=images+of+recycled+magazines&hl=en&rlz=1R2ADFA_enUS465&prmd=imvns&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=G94IT8_5FMqJgwe46JCRAg&ved=0CDEQsAQ&biw=1440&bih=663

http://www.google.com/search?q=images+of+recycled+wine+bottles&hl=en&rlz=1R2ADFA_enUS465&prmd=imvns&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=Vd4IT8H1A8rgggf–5HXCw&ved=0CDUQsAQ&biw=1440&bih=663

http://www.google.com/search?q=images+from+recycled+stuff&hl=en&rlz=1R2ADFA_enUS465&prmd=imvns&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=b94IT4qsGMO1twf9msnPBg&ved=0CCAQsAQ&biw=1440&bih=665

http://www.google.com/search?q=images+of+jewelry+from+computer+parts&hl=en&rlz=1T4ADFA_enUS465&prmd=imvns&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=q94IT9PeLoyltwfAsJTQBg&ved=0CCkQsAQ&biw=1440&bih=665

http://www.environmentalsciencedegrees.net/blog/2010/15-crafts-using-recycled-materials/

http://www.makingfriends.com/recycle.htm

“Try this”, they say. “It will make your eyes look younger, your cheeks look rosier, and your teeth whiter. It will hide your cellulite and trim your waist line. It will even make your toilet clean itself!” “Try this!” is written in big, bold, hot pink letters – screaming from the latest magazine cover, the newest product packaging, and the most ridiculous infomercial.

Buy more stuff! Let’s fill up our cosmetic drawers, our bathroom cabinets, our closets, the trunk of our cars, our junk
drawers. Fill everything up because we can’t throw it away. We can’t let go of that false sense of hope – a miracle cream for this, a fantastic spray for that, and a pill to make the world go away. We don’t need endless kitchen gadgets or robot vacuum cleaners. It is possible to bake bread without a bread maker and check the temperature of a roast without an electronic talking thermometer. Filling our houses with unnecessary clutter takes up valuable space in our lives, budgets, and cupboards. Simplify!

Has anyone stopped to consider why we feel a need for most of this “stuff” to begin with? We need eye cream because we
don’t get enough sleep or eat well. We need cellulite cream because we don’t take time to exercise and we stuff our faces
with processed junk that our elders wouldn’t even consider to be food. And that vacuum robot serves to provide us with an extra twenty minutes to spend answering our cell phones and emails, or staring wide-eyed at the latest reality TV show.

Think of the last time you just sat in a room free of doodads, gadgets, and distractions and thought to yourself  ”I like my life” or “I’m content with myself.” This should be the primary goal: to aim to be content with our lives instead of raiding convenience store shelves for the latest quick fix, or promise of instant gratification.

There are no quick fixes, only innovative “blankets” to throw over problems so that we have problem after problem and blanket over blanket. That won’t get us anywhere- though we might have more baggage for the trip and smell a little better, depending on whom you ask. It’s time to stop, slow down, and make time for the things that really matter. Breathe deeply, calmly, and consider the simple order of nature and the way things should be in our lives. Just think about it. What do we really need? What is taking up more of our time, energy, and money than necessary.

It is easy to get caught up in a dizzying pace of life. It is easier to ignore problems in our lives and hope they go away than to deal with them. It is much more difficult to be honest and true to ourselves and face life head on, with eyes open, keeping in mind that life is a work-in-progress.

Your life can change, but making that happen is up to you. The next time you are tempted by the monumental claims of an infomercial or product, consider why you believe that you need it. Changes don’t come out of jars, at least not the kind that last. You may discover that it isn’t a true need at all – your life, and your wallet, will be a bit richer

So, what are your options when emergencies such as this occur? Appliances are thousands of dollars now, and they can’t easily be worked in a budget. We were fortunate enough to have a family member that worked at our local Lowes and he talked to us about their scratch and dent area. This was a lifesaver to us. I rarely go into scratch and dent areas because I’ve never seen anything of interest that the discount warranted purchasing, but it’s a bit different with appliances. We were able to replace our dryer with an energy efficient, $1100 dryer for $425. You’d think from that price it would be in really bad shape, right? It was in near perfect shape with one dent in the bottom that you had to bend over to see. Otherwise, it was unnoticeable. With our washer, same deal. There was a small dent in the side on the bottom. It would be in the side next to the dryer, so no one would ever see it unless they moved either of these. We had originally hoped to get the match for our dryer so we could stack them, but considering that we got a great washer with a sensor on the water fill that had been marked down from $899 to $329, who cares if we can stack? Both these appliance have been great so far, and I only wish we’d known about scratch and dent when we purchased the dishwasher!

Next time you have appliances breaking on you right and left, give scratch and dent a try.

• Plan a get-together with other single friends
• Find a nearby pottery place that offers pottery painting and get a head start on making a birthday or Christmas gift for a friend or family member.
• Keep the television off and resign yourself to cleaning a closet, or maybe cleaning out your email files.
• Schedule a massage, or a hair appointment, so you’re doing something to pamper yourself on this day.
• Check the calendar of events in your local community to see if there are any singles events on Valentine’s Day, then considering giving one of them a try.
• Spend an evening doing your favorite hobby
• Volunteer at a local soup kitchen, or other charity

Whatever you decide to do, don’t choose to dwell on your lack of romantic involvement on this day that celebrates love. Love comes in many ways and many forms. Share yours with others, and invite others to share their love with you.

I was researching self improvement resolutions, and I ran across an article on About.com that listed top nasty habits for married couples. I’ll have to say that a few of these intrigued me.

Calling your partner a baby name in public: No kidding? People actually do this?

Responding in baby talk: Again, people actually do this? When is this ever appropriate in an adult conversation?

Inability to read a map correctly: Who cares? Type the destination into your GPS.

Showing fear when watching a horror film, especially by the guy in the relationship: Isn’t this part of the fun of watching horror films? 

The one below is my favorite.

Packing too many items on a trip: This one was my favorite. This one had to have come from a guy complaining about his wife. I can say that I’m guilty of this as well, and I know how firsthand how this scenario plays out. The guy gets a duffle bag and throws in a few T-shirts, a couple pair of jeans and some underwear, then complains because his wife’s suitcase is so big and heavy, and he can’t understand what in the world she could possibly need while on vacation that would make the suitcase weigh so much. Upon reaching their destination, the guy suggests they relax in the hotel pool, but he needs to first run to the local Wal-mart and purchase a beach towel because he forgot to pack his. The wife assures that isn’t necessary. She not only packed her beach towel, but she packed his as well.

Once back in the hotel room, the guy informs his wife that he needs to run to the local Wal-mart and pick up some shampoo. He doesn’t like the hotel shampoos, and he needs something better to make his hair more manageable. The wife assures him this is not necessary. She has packed his favorite shampoo.

Later, after a dinner of spicy Mexican food, the guy informs his wife that he needs to run to the local Wal-mart to pick up some acid reducers. The wife ensures him this is not necessary. She has packed his antacid, pain relievers, antihistamines, vitamins, and a travel size first aid kit.

The next morning the guy informs his wife that he has to go to the local Wal-mart to pick up some deodorant and a cheap pair of beach shoes. He forgot to pack his. The wife informs him that a trip to Wal-mart is not necessary. She noticed he hadn’t packed his beach shoes, so she threw them in her suitcase on the way out the door, and she also packed a travel size kit of deodorant, toothpaste & a toothbrush for him.

Fast forward to the end of the trip. The guy is once again complaining about how big and heavy his wife’s suitcase is. Her response? She simply looks at him and asks if he would like to lighten the load of her suitcase a bit by transferring his stuff to his own bag.

Marriage issues: http://marriage.about.com/od/difficultissues/a/nastyhabits_2.htm

After doing some research, the twelve most common resolutions are listed below, but not in any particular order. When I first reviewed the list, it seemed pretty mundane, so I have taken each resolution and put a statement beside it that, to me, seems more of a goal to achieve, rather than a resolution to break.Take a look and see what might work better for you –the original resolution, or the alternative statement, then decide what you would like to add to your focus for self improvement for 2012.

Weight Loss – I will eat healthier
Stop smoking – I will reduce my risk of heart & lung diseases
Fitness – I will add more activity to my life
Save money – I will be more conscious of my spending habits and focus more on what I need and not what I want.
More family time – I will plan at least one extra activity with my family each week
Volunteer – I will be more aware of the needs of others, sharing my time and resources where I am able
Eat better – I will add more fresh fruit and vegetables to my diet and restrict my sugary desserts to one reasonable serving a week.
Gain weight – I will add more protein and healthy fats to my diet to give my body the proper nutrition it needs
Work-life balance – I will learn how to prioritize my work and better organize my tasks
Get organized – I will clean out one closet a week and throw away, or donate anything I haven’t used or worn in the last three years.
Read more – I will read one book, or magazine a month/one newspaper per week
Finish home improvement projects – I will make a list of projects that need to be done and resolve to complete one of those each month
Have more fun – I will spend at least one hour a week doing something I love.

Sensible Life would like to wish everyone a happy and blessed new year for 2012!
http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/new-years-resolutions/2011/12/30/gIQAQfEzQP_gallery.html#photo=1

Black Friday used to be a day when merchants could count on sales that would leave their books in the black instead of in the red. Now, it’s more of a reality show waiting to happen -something like a cross between The Amazing Race and World’s Wildest Police Videos.

I actually went out on Black Friday -once. It wasn’t even for me. It was for my step-daughter who wanted a scanner that was marked down from $60 to $10. She was determined to go out shopping that mornding to get this item. Okay, so it was a good deal, but here’s the caveat.  You had to pay full price, then send in a rebate and wait for your money. You didn’t actually find out this information until you got to the register to pay. That great deal was just one of many lures to get shoppers in the stores, and the only reason me and my husband went out that morning at 5:00 a.m. was to make sure she didn’t get trampled in the stampede of greedy, ruthless shoppers. As soon as we got in the store, it was a madhouse. My husband went straight toward the scanners, reached over the crowd, picked one up from the stack, and said “Let’s go”. We were more than ready to get out of there. We paid for our purchase, and as we sat in the car waiting for traffic to clear so we could get out of the parking lot, there were angry shoppers coming out of the store, and some even crying and wailing because they didn’t get the deal they came for. Unbelievable. If I hadn’t seen it myself, I wouldn’t have guessed that adults would act that way over a sale item.

I will say that since that time I’ve taken advantage of deals online for Black Friday, but over the years, that has become almost as ridiculous. Some merchants are now trying to get a jump start on other merchants by offering deals earlier, or  in the brick and mortar stores, they are offering to open their doors hours earlier than others. Now, the merchants who didn’t think of this first are complaining about the merchants who did. It’s absurd that a simple tradition of exhcanging a gift at Christmas to celebrate the birth of Christ has turned into a fiasco of bickering and complaining merchants and shoppers.

To make your holiday season less stressful, consider the following tips that will hopefully take the edge off your stress level:

• Plan your budget way ahead, so you won’t be depending on getting that Black Friday deal. If you get it -bonus! If you don’t, no harm, no foul.
• Consider shopping at your local merchants, rather than the big chain stores and build that relationship. Having such a relationship can be a benefit to your budget in that you may be offered discounts for being a loyal customer, or you may be able to get something that all the chain stores are out of -all because no one thought to shope at the smaller merchant.
• Local merchants may have unique items that you can’t find anywhere else, so it makes it easier to find that one-of-a-kind gift to send the message to your friend or loved one that they are truly special in your life.
• Let Black Friday pass you by and wait for other specials throughout the season. You may actually run across a better deal as merchants become more desperate for sales
• Have a list of options in case you can’t find the one thing you were counting on getting for someone

Most important, remember the spirit of the season is to exchange a gift to let someone know how much they mean to you. It’s not to impress the recipient with expensive gifts. Putting more thought into your purchase is more important than the dollars spent.

Happy Thanksgiving, and best wishes for Black Friday!

During the holiday season, non-profit organizations tend to see an increase in those needing services, whether it’s just extra food, assistance with heat for their homes, or just to participate in the Angel Tree program so their child can have a more traditional Christmas. While gifts are not a necessity to celebrate the true meaning of Christmas, I would encourage you to imagine how special a child would feel receiving that magical token that sends the message of how special they are, and that someone is thinking of them.

This holiday season, I encourage you to not add this to your budget, but rather make it part of your existing budget. Many of us tend to overspend during the holidays, and unlike days of old, rather than just exchanging one gift with friends and family, we are likely to do two, or three, or more. If every person would set their budget for each loved one they plan to give a gift, then shave off 10% and dedicate that to a non-profit, that could add up very quickly. For example,  if the average person spends $1000 on gifts every year, $100 of that could be huge to a non-profit organization, but that reduction in your gift spending would likely go completely unnoticed by your friends and family.

Think about giving outside of your traditional sphere of loved ones this holiday season and bless someone with the true spirit of Christmas.