How to Transfer Titles for Commercial Motor Vehicle

How to Transfer Titles for Commercial Motor Vehicle

As a virtual assistant I am asked to do a plethora of different tasks. If I don’t already know how to do something I have to learn on the spot and do it right the first time.  Most of the time I am able to research online and find the answers I need.  Sometimes though I can’t find anything useful or accurate so I have to do the research myself.  I've decided to share what I learn with you on my blog.  So bear with me if my blogs are all over the place, that’s what I do though, I help different business owners in different industries.

Contact Number for Help TX DMV: 1-888-368-4689 ext 2.

TxDMV.gov

I called and spoke with Starla, she was very helpful and this is what I learned:

To change/transfer the title for a commercial motor vehicle, we need a list of items to take to the County Tax Office (you can call 1-888-368-4689 ext 2 and they can tell you which one is your County Tax office).

www.TxDmv.Gov

Items you need:

Title. 

Your seller will mail this to you, you will have to sign the back of the title.

Title Application.  

In Texas, the title application is called “Application For Texas Title” or “Form 130-U”.  Make sure the seller fills out sections 1-12, 18, 21 and 22.  You may need other sections depending on if it applies to you or not.

Proof of Insurance.  

Ask the customer service rep what the minimum requirements are, it all depends on if you are operating Intrastate, interstate, what you haul etc.  That’s a whole different blog.

Picture ID.  

If the buyer is an individual vs a corporation or company.

For vehicles purchased from OUT OF TEXAS: 

If your title DOES NOT LIST the weight of the vehicle, you MUST go through a Texas Weight Station and obtain a legible weight receipt and take that with you to the County Tax Office.  This is how they determine what to charge you.

If your out-of-state title has a weight listed, they may not require a Texas Weight Scale.

Best of luck and feel free to share any additional tips & information you may have based on your experience on transferring a title for a commercial motor vehicle in Texas.

Have a great weekend!

Nancy

Austin’s Virtual Assistant

Blogging- #1 Mistake to Avoid

The number 1 mistake business owners make when it comes to blogging is NOT blogging.  That's right, about 33% of business owners are not yet blogging.  That's the minority, if you still don't incorporate blogging into your marketing efforts now is the time to do it.  Don't be left behind and lose out on precious visibility and interaction with potential customers.

There are plenty of things you can blog about.

You are the expert at whatever you sell or offer.  Everyone is different and even if you think someone else already covered your field of expertise pitch in anyway!  You may be surprised at the response you may receive even if you blog about something that has been blogged a million different times, you are unique and the way you see things through your eyes will resonate differently. Keep in mind blogging is not writing and essay or a book, you can write as little as 25 words and as many as 1,000.

Blogging isn't time consuming and there are plenty of ways to schedule your blogging.

If you have a smartphone blogging just got easier.  Some of the things I do when blogging is I write down my ideas at the beginning of the week then throughout the week I think about the topic I outlined.  When inspiration strikes, no matter what I'm doing, I pull out my smartphone and start voice recording away.  When I have time to sit down and write my blogs, I go back to the voice recordings and start transcribing.  I use Google Blogger and the scheduling feature is perfect for me.  Sometimes I let about 5 topics accumulate then I schedule them a few days apart.  This way when more topics pop up I have time to write them while my pre-scheduled blogs are slowly released.  This process saves me a lot of time, you don't have to dedicate time to voice recording, you can do that while watching tv or cooking or with headphones, on the way to a meeting.  Many of the blogging websites offer the schedule feature.  

Audiences reach you by search engines, links from your social media profiles and even from your e-mails.

Google has changed the way they search and pull up relevant information to their customers.  It seems everyone is freaking out about this because rather than being able to list a string of keywords, now we have to create relevant content.  That is great news for us!  That means that only legit companies are left to compete for customers.  Now is the time to start posting blogs full of relevant information that pertains to your field.  As I said before you are the expert in your field, show your customers just how good you are.  Make sure to include your blog link to your e-mail signatures, your social media profiles and also share your blogs with your social media friends/connections.

Customers will either contact you directly from your blog or will end up at your website to inquire about your services or products. 

Don't blog to become rich, instead blog to stir your target audience's brains a bit.  Invoke some emotion out of them.  Call for a conversation or discussion about your topic, connect with them. Consumers are now looking for something different.  We've never really liked pushy sales pitches but when we are offered free information that can help fill our needs, we want more from that company or provider.  Just look at Pinterest and Wikepedia.  Blogging is a very important part of marketing these days, it helps connect consumers to you in a passive way.

Get some Help.

Virtual Assistants are great at helping with blog management and even writing the content.  Even when you handle your own blogging at some point you may be stuck with nothing to write about and that's ok, don't be afraid to ask for help. We all sell here so I have to at least sneak this in here and try.  :)

To sum it all up: Blogging=good, not blogging= not good.

Have a great weekend everyone!  

Nancy Valdez

Multiple Conflicting Professional Advice

Multiple Conflicting Professional Advice, not cookie cutter for all, take what works best for you and stick to it.

Last year I decided it would be a great idea to add “Entrepreneur” magazine on my timeline on Facebook mostly because I would much rather read about growing and managing my business that reading about cats and chain letters.  At first I nodded in agreement with just about everything they shared until I started noticing conflicting messages and advice, such as “successful people don’t read email first thing in the morning.” Then a couple of days later, “successful people tackle email first thing in the morning.”  That was head-scratching and confusing for sure.  Of course you have the commenters on the posts ranting about the confusion and others promising that this method is what works best. 

Of course all the methods work best, conflicting or not, because it works.  The advice given on sites geared towards free spirited, unemployable, entrepreneurs like myself have to be conflicting because not all of us operate the same.  Being one of those people myself,  I know very well how we have to roll with the punches, be flexible with last minute changes in our ‘routine’ and use the methods that are fool proof for us to be able to function on a daily basis.   It’s great to see what other people are doing and having all sorts of ‘could-be’ handy tips to improve our productivity but not everything is cookie-cutter perfect for all.  I suggest you try something you are interested in trying a few times, then drop it if it doesn't facilitate your day or if it doesn't feel natural to you.

 Some examples are:

• Thou shall exercise in the morning.  Um, no.  I’m not a morning person.  I can workout in the morning once a week and that works for me, the rest of the week I have  to workout  after I pick up my daughter from school, otherwise I use up a good chunk of my ‘free childcare’ morning that I could be using for work. Thus resulting in a half productive day.  Plus they have daycare in the gym and she loves socializing and playing in the kid's club area while I workout.  Win-Win.

• Thou shall network after work.  Again, due to my schedule, I can only network during breakfast or lunch.  I have met many great individuals networking early in the day, we are all alert, fresh, optimistic and not under the influence of liquor.  To me it fits in perfect with my schedule and it becomes a part of a productive day.  

• Thou shall read emails only two times a day or first thing in the morning or not early in the morning.  Depending on how you conduct business, you have to check email when you have to.  I don't keep any email notifications on any devices, I check my emails whenever I can and respond to urgent message and leave the non-urgent ones for later.

               

End of rant.  In summation, not everything will be perfect for you, take what helps you be the best YOU and leave the rest of the others.  

To clarify: I LOVE Entrepreneur Magazine and I LOVE their Facebook page, they offer so much more than just tips and tricks.

Have a happy and productive week everyone!

-Nancy Valdez

Austin’s Virtual Assistant

Walking into a Wall- General Biz Rant

Do you ever feel as if you keep running into a wall?  Like no matter what you come up with as your next service or product, it just isn't good enough?  I do, all the time.  I actually think that I have blocked so many great ideas for fear of failure.  I'm not going to lie, I don't have time/money to 'experiment' but what if...just what if I could risk it all and see where that idea takes me.  Women and men tend to business differently, we risk differently and we lead differently.  Why is that?  What is the difference between men and women....(grow up, we covered sex-ed in elementary)   I will not speak for all women and for the sake of this blog I have not researched the differences between women entrepreneurs and men entrepreneurs.  From experience looking back at all my business partners the men jump in with both feet without parachutes, why? Because I'm in the background ready to catch them if they fail.  The woman is the safety net but the woman has no safety net for herself.  Are we wired so that we nurture and care for everyone else around us in every way including in business?  Why can't we just disconnect the maternal nurture hard-wire for just a minute and do business like men?  I would love to jump higher and into deeper coves than my previous partners have and see where it leads me.  I would love to see just how far I can go without hesitation, without fear and without a care in the world if I have a parachute or not.  I want to be the next Jobs, the next Stewart, the next Zuckenberg.

Another thing my previous business partners do is that they promise the impossible.  Many times promising the impossible blows up in their faces and I used to be so annoyed to have to deal with angry customers or investors because the promises were empty, but in most cases those promises were also a way to light themselves and our team on fire in order to maintain a deadline in which to make the impossible possible.  In the end the majority of the time we were able to keep the promises but not only that, we would 'wow' our client or customers.  I can't bring myself to do that, in the back of my head promising something I can't deliver is unethical and bad business, but whether he believes in himself that much or leaves the rest of the team to pick up the slack, is that unethical?  To this day I still wonder which one was it.  Did he believe in himself that much that he could promise the impossible, or did he know we (I) would pick up the slack and slave until the impossible was possible?  If it's the former, I want to learn to bring that self confidence out of hiding and use it daily to bring my ideas to light, but if it's the latter I need to find a strong team that will work with me and carry my business to the next level.

How can one disconnect that maternal nurture and be a complete risk taker without fear?  How can a woman adapt the traits that men exhibit when doing business?

(Edit)
Quickie list of links I found on several sites/blogs/articles)
Differences Women/Men
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/the-hot-button/turns-out-men-and-women-really-do-think-differently-study-finds/article15739805/
http://www.itbusinessedge.com/blogs/from-under-the-rug/are-female-and-male-ceos-wired-differently.html

Business Plans & Why You Need One

Business Plans & Why You Need One

Everyone in the business of business will ask, “If you were planning a road trip, would you travel without a map.”  The answer is often “No”.  If you are starting a business, would you start one without a plan?  Many people are intimidated by business plans and instead look away and start without one anyway.  They are agencies that offer business plan writing for those people and although it is a great way to have a professional plan created, it will do you no good if you do not know your business plan inside and out.  A business plan isn't just a few sentences explaining what your business is about.  It’s a great tool to refer to when putting together your marketing campaign.  It’s also great when looking for a loan or investors.  Don’t be overwhelmed, hire someone to do it and learn it, or do it yourself but take it one step at time.  A business plan will also make you see things laid out in front of you and help you determine if your business idea to open a Shark Tank Petting Zoo is a great idea after all.

     DO NOT start a business without a business plan, I beg of you.  There, I warned you.  Even if you do hire someone to write it for you, look over a business plan outline to familiarize yourself with what sections will be included in the plan. Also, once you finish and read your plan, you will become inspired to start your business strong.

     You don’t have to be excruciatingly detailed in your plan.  Start small then embellish.  Your main goal is to get started and plug in information in the correct areas for now.  My favorite website for writing business plans is www.SBA.gov.  As I have said before, your best friend is www.SBA.gov and of course, me. :)

Questions? Comments? Do you have a business plan writer to recommend?  Leave a comment, like, +1, etc.

Cheers to your success!

Nancy Valdez

Texas 7-Step; How to Start a Business in Texas

What every start-up needs to know in the state of Texas.

Congratulations, you finally decided to start your side business or go at it full time.  It is so exciting and a tad overwhelming especially when you don’t know where to start.  Walking into the country clerk’s office with a business name in my head and an application and a numbered ticket is pretty exciting to me, like the birth of a newborn.  Whether you’re an "entreprenerd" like me or just need to get your business rolling I have compiled a helpful list on starting your new business in Texas.  

Photo Credit: vintageamericanatoggery.blogspot.com

Don’t hesitate to reach out to me directly if you have any questions or need to know what agency to contact etc.  As a matter of fact, I am adding more details on my website for you. www.Austinsva.com, if you need info on something not listed here, let me know so I can add it to my resource list.

Texas Step 1:

Once you have chosen a business structure, register your business with the Texas Secretary of State.  This step is for limited liability companies, corporations, limited partnerships, professional corporations, nonprofit corporations, professional associations and registered limited liability partnerships.  You will be able to search for the business name you wish to use here.  It is very important that you do a search and pay for your name if available.  For more information visit SOS Texas http://www.sos.state.tx.us/corp/forms_boc.shtml

Texas Step 2:

File a dba, Doing Business As, certificate with the Texas Secretary of State and County Clerk offices.  In some counties you have to file with either the State or County.  For more information, check out the SOS Website. http://www.sos.state.tx.us/corp/forms_boc.shtml

Texas Step 3:

Apply for an EIN, Employer Identification Number.  This can be found at www.IRS.gov, you may do the application online or by phone.

Texas Step 4:

Taxes Taxes Taxes.  Depending of the type of business you are running, you must register for several business taxes in the state of Texas.  In Texas we have Sales Tax Permit, Franchise Tax, Employment Taxes, and we have local taxes.  You will be able to consult with a Comptroller Agent at http://www.window.state.tx.us/contact.html

Texas Step 5:

Licenses, Permits, Registrations on a state, county and local official websites must be consulted in order to determine if your business needs a permit to operate in your area.  For example electricians and electrical contractors must be licensed to operate in Texas.  Food vendors must have permits, and day care centers must be registered.  Visit TDLR for licensing information on licensing and regulation http://www.tdlr.texas.gov/.  For local and county permits and registrations contact the nearest Small Business Administration.  www.sba.gov

Texas Step 6:

If you will be hiring employees, contractors or anyone at all, make sure to become familiar with Texas labor laws as well as the federal laws. In Texas, employers must register with TWC, Texas Workforce Commission and report new hires, paid wages and pay taxes for unemployment.  For more information contact TWC at http://www.twc.state.tx.us/twcinfo/contact-us.html.

Texas Step 7:

Set up a business bank.  This step is essential for every business everywhere or ever size.  At the end of the year your life will be much simpler if your business accounting is separate from your personal accounting.  Most banks offer business accounts as well as personal accounts.  You will need a copy of your State or County business certificate of formation or a certified copy of your dba record as well as your EIN.

Photo Credit:newmillenniummerchandise.com

Resources and Great Information:

http://www.texas.gov/en/discover/pages/topic.aspx?topicid=/business/start

http://www.texaswideopenforbusiness.com/small-business/start.php

http://www.traviscountyclerk.org/eclerk/Content.do?code=R.13

http://www.traviscountyclerk.org/eclerk/content/images/pdf_tc_rec_dba.pdf

http://www.twc.state.tx.us/customers/bemp/start-expand-your-business.html

And as always, don’t forget that a friendly Austin’s Virtual Assistant is here to help.

Cheers to your success.

Nancy Valdez

www.austinsva.com

What’s your worth?

How to charge for your services/products and stay competitive in the market. 

After all the marketing and preparation you finally have interested leads who are begging you to sell them a product or provide a service for them.  Your foot is in the door and beyond but when it comes to setting a fee, how do you know what to charge?  You don’t want to sell yourself short and you don’t want to charge too much either.  Ideally consumers shop for the best services rather than by price, but realistically only a few consumers shop by quality.  Many consumers are bargain hunters.  Of course this is different for every single industry and it doesn't apply to everyone.  But the question still stands, how do you set a rate/fee/price?  Of course you can do your research and see what your competitors are offering, what your current customers are willing to pay and how much demand there is for your product or service. 

How to figure out what to charge for a service?  In my opinion it is a little bit more confusing and nerve-wrecking to figure service fees because there is no obvious expense to cover.  When selling products you first have to cover production, packaging, etc but with a service where is the start line?  I have found a very interesting and helpful forum with valuable information for those of you who are starting up or reinventing their business.  http://www.sitepoint.com/forums/showthread.php?389195-How-to-determine-what-to-charge-a-client

They bring up:

• Estimating the scope
• Fixed price vs hour by hour
• Figuring out the hourly rate
• Methods to figure out the hourly price:
• Value based pricing
• Result based pricing

I’m very interested to know, as a start-up, what helped you decide what your rates/price/fee would be?  Did you have to adjust your rates over time?

~Till next time,

Nancy Valdez

www.AustinsVA.com