How did this happen? I'm in business!

UPDATE: We're scheduled for Sunday, March 14, 2010, at 12:30 pm, in the Hilton Room E. Here is the detailed event page at SXSW.  

Hi, this is Becky McCray of SmallBizSurvival.com, and along with Liz Strauss of Successful-Blog.com, we're going to answer your questions in a Core Conversation at South By Southwest Interactive, called "How did this happen? I'm in business!"

Is this your life? You have a few beers with friends, come up with a good idea, and now you have to keep track of miles on business trips!

A thousand questions swirl in your head when you start a new business:

• How do I "become" a business?
• How much financial record keeping will I have to do?
• What expenses are tax deductible?
• How do I deal with miles I drive for business?
• Why do I need to keep a business calendar?
• How do I reach customers?
• What are the differences between sales, marketing, and just talking with your customers?
• What are my options for structuring my business?
• Are some structures better for interactive and new media creators?
• Do I need to file for a business license?
• What IRS tax filings are required?
• Where can I get answers to more business questions?

Well, sit down with Liz Strauss and me, the left brain and right brain of business. Liz turned a blog post into a successful conference series, and took a small publishing firm international. I started my first business in junior high, and today I manage a cattle ranch and a liquor store.

Whether you're a business of one or 100. Whether you're in business yet, or still thinking about it. ...Join the discussion. You'll find us under the title, "How did this happen? I'm in business!"

To get a preview of the simplified business and marketing plans, the checklist for going into business, and the difference between a freelancer and an entrepreneur, stop by Successful-blog.com and SmallBizSurvival.com. And bring your questions to Austin!

We're scheduled for Sunday, March 14, 2010, at 12:30 pm, in the Hilton Room E. Here is the detailed event page at SXSW. 

If you'd rather listen than read, here's the audio version:

(If this says "Playlist Empty," please click here for the audio page at Utterli.)

Photo of Liz and Becky at SXSW '09 (Liz is the tall one; Becky is the one standing on a step.) (cc) Shashi Bellamkonda Social Media Swami (cc) Network Solutions

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