If you have been in business for a while or you are just getting started with your start-up, you want to make sure you are having the right business structure that not only allows your business to grow in the short-term but brings enough flexibility to help you make serious business decisions in the long run. There are many types of business structures that you can choose for your business. All of them have their advantages and disadvantages. What you don’t want to do is taking your business structure for granted and leave yourself open to tax, legal, and business liabilities. These are some of the business structures that you can choose for your business:

• C-corporation
• S-corporation
• Limited Liability Company (LLC)
• Limited Liability Partnership (LLP)
• Professional Company
• Non-Profit

I don’t know about you, but I am not a lawyer. I am not a professional when it comes to knowing what structure works best for a business. I can guess, but it is always great to have someone who can guide you through that process. Thanks to Intuit, you don’t have to guess. These guys are the creators of TurboTax and Quicken, but they don’t stop there. They have created mycorporation to help small businesses and startups launch their businesses without too much hassle. Mycorporation helps you file your article of organization or incorporation fast. You can also access to the legal documents that are pre-written for you, so you can use them to develop your own LLC agreement and LLC minutes.

You can also use mycorporation services to take care of trademarks and patents. You can always buy a book to help you do these things, but why spend time doing things that are not related to your core business activities when you can use your time to make money for your business.

What I like about mycorporation is the fact that they help you create your company and stay atop of your reporting requirements at the same time. Most states require you to file an annual report, which means unless you want to deal with late fees and liens against your business, you want to keep up with your requirements. These guys do that for you, and you’ll have one less headache to worry about.

I strongly recommend mycorporation as not only it saves you time, it saves you from reading all kinds of legal books or paying a lawyer $200 an hour to give you an advice. All the information that you need is available, and mycorporation’s customer service walks you through the process. It can’t be easier. And you have the backing of Intuit which should give you the piece of mind that you are leaving your company in a credible hands.

*for a limited time, you can form your corporation or LLC free of charge (+ state fees) on mycorporation.com. This is a very limited time offer, so take advantage of it while you can.

The social media has changed the way people communicate and do business. A few months ago, a lot of people would laugh at the idea of businesses using Twitter, Digg, and other social networking sites to drive leads and increase their business. But if you are still ignoring the social media sites these days, you are leaving money on the table. Sites such as Twitter are amazing channels to reach out to customers, prospects, and even partners and build and expand your business. And best of all, there is no monetary cost for using these sites. You don’t have to pay to build a Twitter profile nor do you have to pay others to follow you. All you have to do is communicate and provide value to others and folks will follow you.

If you are a business owner, you should not live without a Twitter profile. A couple of years ago folks didn’t know about Twitter, and the opportunity wasn’t that huge. But today, folks are searching out for companies on Twitter. They want to contact you. They want to reach out to you. If you are not on Twitter, you are missing out big time. Sites such as Twibs allow businesses to announce their presence on Twitter to the world. There are thousands of businesses already listed on Twibs, and if you are a business owner, you should list your business there as well.

Whether you are an individual or a small business, you can still benefit from Twitter. But Twitter is different from anything you have dealt with. The community is smart and can see through your efforts to make quick bucks. That’s why you should have a real plan to succeed on Twitter. If you are a small business owner, you should:

• Create a professional profile: your profile helps you make a good first impression on your followers. You should take time to write an catchy bio about your business (what you do, …). You should also change your background and put your business and website information as well as your logo on it(read our logo piece here).
• Link to your website: when you create your bio, don’t forget to give your followers a link to follow if they like what you do. I can’t tell you how many small businesses forget to include their contact information on their Twitter page.
• Create your business avatar: your avatar helps you make an instant connection with the Twitter community. You should take time to design an avatar that is attractive and portrays an image of what your business is all about.
• Not be stingy: a lot of folks decide to protect their updates from others. That’s the worst way to approach Twitter. Twitter is all about openness and contributing to the community. By locking up your updates, you are depriving yourself of Twitter’s full potential.
• Update regularly: a lot of small businesses set up their Twitter account, update it a couple of times, and then forget about it for a month. Your business doesn’t stop going on for a month, right? Then, your Twitter account shouldn’t either. You should try to post at least 5 valuable tweets each and every day. That’s really the bare minimum.
• Provide Value: the more you add to Twitter, the more you get out of it. People follow you for a reason. Give them valuable information, and they keep coming back for more.
• Throw Giveaways: giveaways are one of the best ways to go viral on Twitter. People like freebies, so why not give them some to spread your name and brand all around Twitter (see Twitaway for ideas).
• Network with others: don’t be scared to communicate with others and respond to their updates. Twitter is a networking site. It’s a many-to-many communication service. It’s not just about you!
• Know the limits: if you are a business owner, you should know that what you say on Twitter can help or harm your business name significantly. Don’t say anything you don’t want others to hear about in a professional situation.
• Put it all together: if you are involved in other social communities, you should use the twitter tools available to link your twitter account to those sites. Sites such as Friendfeed and Facebook provide you with the opportunity to do just that. By connecting your accounts on multiple networks you can realize synergies and further expand your following.
• Listen!: that’s probably the most important step in your Twitter journey. You’ve got to listen to what others are talking about, what products they are interested in, and what their needs are. Not only you can get product ideas from Twitter, you can address your business’ shortcomings as well. Be a good listener on Twitter, and the sky’s the limit.

Unlike what some businessmen want you to believe, Twitter does matter. It matters for small businesses, big businesses, and individuals. It’s a great branding tool, and it can drive lots of traffic to your website. But you have to connect with prospects/customers, provide value and listen to others to get the most out of Twitter. If you are not doing that, you are wasting your time and hurting your business.

Are you a Twitter believer yet?

For more information on how you can expand your presence on Twitter, read the Twitter Report to find out marketing angles which can help you drive thousands of leads to your business every single day.

If you own a blog or business, you know how important it is to have an attractive logo on hand for branding purposes. But there is a misconception that you need to pay a fortune to have a logo designed for you. And no. You don’t have to be a super genius with Adobe products either. DYI logo solutions allow you to design your very own logo for a fraction of the cost that you have to incur to have a custom logo designed for you by a design company. And you don’t have to be a techie to work with these do-it-yourself logo design solutions.

Here are the top DYI logo design solutions that you can use to build a logo for your blog or business:

• LogoYes
• LogoMaker
• VistaPrint

LogoYes is an innovative service by Web.com that allows you to design your own logo without too much fuss. The interface is very easy to use, and LogoYes has some of the best abstract logo images that you can use to develop your very own custom-made logo.

The first step in the process is to figure out what type of company you own. If you are a high-tech company, you are going to like the high-tech images. You can also use the modern designs to design logo for your established company.

Once you have chosen your logo type, you get a chance to choose the industry that you operate in. There are plenty of options to choose from, so there is a good chance you’ll find images related to your industry.

Once you have chosen your industry, you are provided with a set of abstract images that you want to show in your l0go. You also get a chance to switch between high-tech, bold, and flair logo types here. You can also add text to your logo, if that is what you have in mind.

So far, everything that has been done is in black and white. In this step, you get a chance to change the color of your log (text, image, or both). You can also rotate things or change the size of portions of your logo.

Once you have chosen your favorite design and customized it, you can check out and purchase your logo and receive your files (jpg, gif, EPS, …). You can also create a business card, using the wizard made available by LogoYes.

Verdict: A. LogoYes has some of the best abstract designs that you can use to create your own logo. The wizard is simple and very easy to follow, and the business card maker is a nice bonus.

LogoMaker is another innovative solution that allows you to create your own logo in a flash. The process is very similar to the above process, but there are a few subtle differences.

With LogoMaker, you get a set of industries that may apply to your business. You can go through these industries to figure out which ones apply for your business the best.

Once you have chosen your industry, you are provided with three logo types. You can choose among abstract, letter-based, and symbol logos.

The abstract logos are general logos that are not related to any specific industry. You can use them to create your own unique logos. The letter-based logos are logos that have letters embedded in them. The symblos are industry specific.

Once you have chosen your logo type, you get a chance to customize your logo and add text to it. You can also rotate and resize your logo as well.

With LogoMaker, you get to try your new logo for a while before buying it. You can copy the script provided by LogoMaker and put it on your website to see how your users react to your logo. You are not allowed to change the code snippet, but you’ll get a chance to try your logo out and change it as your heart desires. When you decide to buy a logo, you can download it in popular formats such as GIF, PNG, and JPEG.

Verdict: A-. LogoMaker is very easy to use and provides you with lots of options to choose from. You can always change your logo and try it out on your web page before purchasing it. The wizard is very easy to use, and you don’t have to be a genius to get LogoMaker to work.

VistaPrint is yet another online solution that allows you to create your own logos fast. VistaPrint allows you to create your logo fast, without really too much fuss. All you have to do to get started is enter your business’ name.

Once you have done that, you are asked to enter your industry or choose a style. When you do select an option here, you are provided with a set of designs that you can use for your own logo.

You are then provided with a step by step wizard that helps you optimize your logo and add to it. Your logo can be used for free on other VistaPrint products (e.g. business cards). You can also purchase it for a small fee and and download the files to your computer for future uses.

Verdict: B+. VistaPrint provides you with the easiest process to create your own logo. But the software solution is not as complex as that of LogoYes or LogoMaker. The logos are very affordable and you can use them for free on other VistaPrint products.

Designing your own logo may sound complicated but you can design it by yourself in minutes using one of the above solutions. Do-it-yourself logo solutions allow anyone to design attractive logos fast. And you don’t have to pay a fortune to get your hands on your logo. A  business without a logo is like a person without a face. Don’t let lack of technical knowledge or design skills to keep you from getting your very own business logo.