2015 Business Tax Renewal Important Information

A Message from Antoinette Christovale, Director of Finance/City Treasurer

On behalf of the City of Los Angeles I would like to express our sincere appreciation to all of you who file your business tax renewal on time. Your business tax funds a wide range of essential City services such as public safety, libraries, and recreation and parks. The following are significant highlights, changes or tax reforms for the 2015 Business Tax Renewal.

1.Business Tax Renewal Form – This mailer is your official Business Tax Renewal Form. If you need any supplemental forms or instructions they can be printed from our website. In addition, forms or instruction booklets are also available at any of our Branch Offices listed on the front page of this mailer.

2.Expanded E-Filing Services – Our E-Filing services are now available in English and Spanish to assist more businesses conveniently and easily file their annual Business Tax renewals online. Over seventy percent of businesses that filed Business Tax renewals in 2014 used our E-Filing services. We encourage you to E-File as early as possible to avoid the last minute rush of businesses renewing online.

3.RENEW ONLINE – SAVE TIME, EFFORT AND POSTAGE!

Our E-Filing System speeds and simplifies the filing of your renewal. To access E-Filing, you can use either your account number, your Social Security Number, or your Federal Employer Identification Number. Visit finance.lacity.org, enter a few details and the system automatically calculates your Business Tax liability. If you qualify for an exemption or otherwise owe nothing, submit the form online and you are done! If a tax liability is due you can pay online via e-check, credit card (a service fee will apply), or by ACH (required if your tax liability is $50,000 or more).

4.New Business Exemption Changes – LAMC Sec. 21.30 now provides an enhanced three year Business Tax exemption for a new business that started in the City of Los Angeles or a business that relocated from outside the City on or after January 1, 2010 through December 31, 2015. To qualify, a taxpayer could not have been engaged in business at a fixed location in the City in the immediately preceding tax year. A new business must timely register for a Business Registration Tax Certificate to qualify for this exemption.

5.Other Business Tax Exemptions – Small businesses with total (both inside and outside of Los Angeles) gross receipts that do not exceed $100,000 and creative artists with total gross receipts that do not exceed $300,000 may also be exempt from tax liabilities. To qualify for these exemptions, you must file your renewal timely by March 2, even if no tax is due. Please check our website for further details regarding eligibility requirements for the Small Business and Creative Artist exemptions.

6.Small Business Tax Assistance Program – Businesses that qualify for the Small Business Exemption are also eligible to receive assistance in completing their tax renewal forms by calling (818) 374-6875. This program is available from January 2 through February 12, 2015.

7.Paperless Statement Program – In 2013 the Office of Finance started a Paperless Statement Program. This program provides an opportunity to help the environment, reduce costs, and provide easy on-line access to your account notifications. To take advantage of this new program, please visit our website at finance.lacity.org and click on Enroll in the Paperless Statement Program.

8.Future Customer Service Enhancements – A key priority of the Office of Finance is the delivery of excellent customer service and the continual effort to better serve the department’s stakeholders. Please check our website periodically to learn of new or enhanced services offered to assist businesses.

9.Customer Service Survey – Your feedback is important to us. Please visit our website and rate our services by taking our new Customer Service Survey.

Source:http://smallbizla.org

10 Tips From SBDC Entrepreneurs

As the year comes to a close, we included some of the best tips SBDC entrepreneurs shared with us on their business lessons learned. We invite you to read the tips below and check out their sites for more information on their product or service. 

1. Start on the Right Foot:The SBDC helped these partners select a legal structure, explained the benefits of each type, why and how to file a DBA, get a seller’s permit and obtain business licenses. “The SBDC saved us so much money compared to what we would have had to pay a law firm.”

2. Be Realistic with your Projections:“When you’re doing projections, it’s important to be realistic. The SBDC helped me do more in-depth analysis on the closest business model, look into the growth potential of the solar industry, and [estimate] what market share we could realistically expect to gain in the near future.” This client was the first funding cycle winner of $100k from Innovation Fund So Cal. 

3.Financing Takes Planning:The SBDC helped this first-time tech startup founder develop a compelling pitch deck, create realistic four year financial projections, assess a first-round financing and plan for future rounds. “My SBDC advisor at the Bixel Exchange had a very good idea of what angels expect to see in your business plan, your projections, and how it ties in to your overall story. Our advisor helped us convey our knowledge of the market as well as articulate our understanding of the competition. Our advisor has given us a long term view, both for ourselves and for the investors we’ll approach at a later date.” Six weeks into working with the Bixel Exchange, Frenzy raised $60k in financing. 

4. Use the Right Tools:The SBDC encouraged this client to transition from books on ledgers to QuickBooks, “This helped us tremendously with controlling costs and analyzing the business. Our SBDC advisor also showed us the cost ratios we should be looking at, how to control the cost of goods and what was realistic in terms of pricing.” 

5. There’s Hiring Help:The SBDC connected this client with the Foothill Workforce Investment Board (FWIB), a program that matches employers with employees who are seeking to learn new job skills and overcome disadvantages. “The fact that FWIB pays a portion of a new employee’s wages during their initial four months was a bonus. That has been a tremendous help because when a new employee has to learn 300 cheeses and the meats and wines that pair with them, a lot of labor is lost to training.” 

6. Understand and Monitor P&Ls:This SBDC client began to receive requests from out-of-state customers, which involves calculating different rates of sales tax. “Although it’s complicated, my advisor spent hours with me teaching me not only how to put in every single entry in QuickBooks, but also the big picture of being able to analyze your business’ profit and loss. My advisor showed me that without a tool like QuickBooks, you won’t really understand the nitty-gritty of your business. If I had hired someone to do the accounting, I never would have learned that.” This client generated more than $150k during the first four months of opening; 15% of sales came from her website. 

7. Improve Your Ops:One of the SBDC’s advisors, a Six Sigma process improvement expert, worked with this client to design a new workflow plan that would: increase the company’s manufacturing capacity, improve efficiencies, reduce costs in research and development and the prototype-build department. The SBDC connected this client with a business student who put all the company’s work procedures in writing. “In the auto industry, you need documentation. Now we’ve moved our processes out of being ‘tribal knowledge’ to being much more documented and structured.” This client received more than $32M in investments in 2013.  

8. Engage with Customers:This client developed a client base through offering facials as a hobby; the SBDC encouraged her to build on that clientele by adding email marketing and social media to her marketing. “I learned how to do email marketing with Constant Contact – now I send out monthly specials. The social media marketing program helped put us on the map and build awareness of our services in just a few months.” Further, this client is working on developing reciprocal relationships with medical practitioners interested in integrated wellness treatment options for patients. Six months after launching, Y. Belleza Wellness met its financial projections and was on track to double sales.

9. Know your Niche:This client sought help after acquiring a Vietnamese market; the SBDC helped this client advertise effectively and expand his product line to include different ethnic foods. “The SBDC advised me how to reach customers from these different ethnic groups.” Now, this client advertises in local magazines, newspapers and on Peruvian TV. The SBDC also advised this client on how to import food from Peru, which gave this client the freedom to sell his food under his own label, and collect a higher margin. 

10. Price your Products to Compete in Markets Abroad without Sacrificing Profit:The international team with the LA SBDC Network helped this client reassess her international pricing strategy to keep more of her profits, develop a plan for international expansion, find international distributors and vet international contracts. During a session, this client assessed her cost of goods and realized the product price was too low. “That was a tremendous eye-opener, the CITD helped us a lot with pricing – they came to our office and worked with us so that our pricing and branding adequately reflected a luxury good- which helped the company boost profits.” The CITD helped Laguna Candles secure a three year international order with one of South Korea’s largest candle retailers.

Source : http://smallbizla.org

Successful Small Business Saturday & Beyond

Small Business Saturday is November 29th this year, how are you prepping? Remember it’s not just about the day or the holidays, but also about spreading the word about your business. Use the ten tips below to complement your  strategy; don’t forget to connect with us for our 15 days of small business tips sent daily.

               

1.Create a Strategy: Take a look at your overall goals and then narrow down your goals for small business Saturday. Your plan can be as simple as, “I want to achieve a higher rate of foot traffic. I set a goal of 2x the amount of my normal daily sales amount of ($X) from foot traffic alone. I plan to offer convenience and personalized shopping to incoming customers. I will provide free coffee outside my business, a ready shopper staff member for customers that want holiday suggestions, bundled gift options and free gift wrap with purchase. I will use my email contacts, website, and social media to get the word out.” You then cover what you want to achieve, how you will measure, what your message is, what channels you will use to communicate, and how you will execute your message.

2.Invite: Before thinking about new customers, focus on your existing customers. Get your email invite out to your current subscribers engaging them to shop local at your business on 11/29, if you haven’t already. Remember to format the message for your home page and corresponding social channels. Remind your neighbors about your business. You might find a potential partnership opportunity for a sidewalk sale or in-store event. If you’re feeling ambitious you can help rally support for a street or block wide event! Don’t forget to mention the big day and any special offers to your customers shopping now to create anticipation.

3.Create an Offer or Incentive: If appropriate for you, pull together a special offer or incentive for customers to buy from you on Small Business Saturday. Most importantly, make sure your business can deliver on the offer. A great article on creating a last minute strategy from Constant Contact suggests being very specific for example, offering 15% off all new items, free coffee and cookies for guests while they shop, free gift over a purchase of $50, or free wrapping. If it’s a finite number of a giveaway item, be sure to say for example “for the first 100 shoppers” or “while supplies last.” If it’s a special contest, make sure to have customers fill out an entry form so you can keep in touch in

4.Promote: Three tools to help promote: 1) Constant Contact toolkit contains worksheets for creating a campaign.  2) The American Express Shop Small site has free tools including signage and postcard templates for your business as well as a banner for your website

5.Gather your Resources: Now that you have your offer and/or message, the Shop Small partners also offer many useful and often free resources to help you spread the word. Don’t forget to review the terms of the offers. Great resources from free poster printing with FedEx to free online ads on Yelp as well as Bing (terms apply). Review the offers that are best suited for your goals and business.

6.Reach out to Local Media: Some small business owners not only decide to start or run their business in the same area they live, but also have incredible stories to share – all of which appeal to local media. Try sending a press release to local media with a grabbing tagline for example, “Local Santa Monica Resident Opens Small Shop, But Thinks Big on Small Business Saturday.” Send the story behind how you started your business, how long you’ve lived in the area, any special offers for the day and invite media to interview your customers on the big day. Press release template and guide

7.Bundle: As  shares in her  bundles often solve holiday dilemmas and lend to higher transaction amounts when the right gifts are wrapped together. Consider pre-wrapping products by theme for “him” or “her,” display bundles together, bundle a service and product, pre-wrap gift cards with your catalog or restaurant menu, or consider gift baskets at different price points. More tips from Rhonda’s guide

8.Upsell: In two ways: 1) Increase the present transaction size by asking, “Would you like to add X to your purchase?” or “Did you get a chance to see X? It goes well with Y.” 2) Make it easier for your customers to spend more often by keeping them in the know about your business. It’s as easy as asking at the end of a transaction, “Would you like to be added to our special offers email list? It is sent out X a mo/week/.”If you’re using a tablet in store, make it easy for customers to check a box to be added to your email list or consider offering a small discount on a future purchase if they sign up. Tips on upselling from .

9.Staff: First and foremost, review your projected sales for the holidays and assess whether you can hire seasonal staff. If so, remind your staff that they are part of the shopping small experience, to say “thank you” to customers, and to upsell. If you’re thinking about offering free wrapping or beverages make sure you assign your employees duties on the onset of the big weekend to assure “stations” are always staffed or stocked. Lastly, in the event of unforeseen circumstances, you may want to consider having “on-call” staff members or advising family or friends you may need their help.

10.Review and Follow Up: After the day is over, make a note of some aspects you would improve in the future and ask your staff or customers their thoughts too. This will help not only replicate actions that worked for next year, but also help your ongoing marketing efforts. Did you reach your goal of 2x your normal sales from foot traffic alone? Did your customers enjoy shopping with you and receive value from your offers? Lastly, follow up with a simple “Thank you” email or note showing appreciation for visiting and anticipation for seeing the customer again soon. Consider including shots from the day and/or including one or two upcoming offers in your email or note.

Source:http://smallbizla.org

Savvier Traveler in 2015

1. Get carded: Thinking about applying for a travel rewards credit card—or switching the one you have? Check out the Barclaycard Arrival Plus World Elite, which lets you put your points toward any type of travel you book, rather than limiting you to a single airline or hotel chain.

2. Check your miles: If you bank your frequent-flier points with a single airline, review its latest policies, says Ryan Lile of the Frequent Flyer Academy. United and Delta, for example, have altered their programs this year, reducing the value for many members. You may want to switch.

3. Be promiscuous: Sign up for every major loyalty program (including car rental firms). They’re free and may provide perks.

4. Reap the rewards: Airlines free up more award seats as the departure date nears, so try booking about a month out, says Brian Kelly of ThePointsGuy.com. Just remember: Many carriers charge extra for booking within 21 days of travel.

5. Search on Sunday: Use Sundays to research flights. “It’s the best day of the week to find low airfares,” says Lile.

6. Pick your day: When you book a ticket, choose the cheapest departure day. According to Kayak .com, that’s Friday for domestic trips, and Tuesday or Wednesday for international.

Source :http://time.com/money

Career Planning Tips

Building a Career

Today, and more than ever, most people are responsible for building their own careers.

Whether you are just starting, or you have several years of experience, these paragraphs might help you advance your career.

The 9 most important career planning tips is listed below:

1. Never Stop Learning

Life-long learning is your keyword.

The world is constantly changing, and everybody is looking for new ways of doing business.

If you have decided that your current skills are good enough, you have also decided that your current job is good enough.

But if you want a career in the future, you should add regular updates to your skills and knowledge.

2. Ask, Listen And Learn

A good listener can learn a lot.

Listen to your co-workers, your boss, and your superiors. You can learn a lot from their experience.

Ask about issues that interest you, and listen to what they say. Let them tell you about how things work, and what you could have done better.

Most people will love to be your free tutor.

3. Fulfill Your Current Job

Your current job might be best place to start your career.

It is often very little that separates successful people from the average. But nothing comes free.

If you do your job well and fulfill your responsibilities, this is often the best way to start a new career.

Talk to your supervisor about things you can do. Suggest improvements. Offer your help when help is needed. In return ask for help to build a better career. It is often possible - right inside your own organization - especially if you have proved to be a valued employee.

4. Build Your Network

Your next career step might arise from your contact network.

Did you know that more than 50% of all jobs are obtained from contact networks?

If you have a good contact network, it  is also a good place to discover future careers, to explore new trends, and to learn about new  opportunities.

Spend some time building new contacts, and don't forget to maintain the ones you already have.

One of the best ways to get serious information from your network is to regularly ask your contacts how they are, what they do, and what is new about their careers.

5. Identify Your Current Job

Your current job should be identified, not assumed.

Make sure you don't work with tasks you assume are important. This is waste of time and talent.

When you start in a new job, talk to your superior about your priorities. If you're not sure about what is most important, then ask him. And ask him again. Often you will be surprised about the differences between what you assume, and what is really important.

6. Identify Your Next Job

Your dream job must be identified.

Before you start planning your future career, be sure you have identified your dream job.

In your dream job, you will be doing all the things you enjoy, and none of the things you don't enjoy. What kind of job would that be?

Do you like or dislike having responsibility for other employees. Do you like to work with technology or with people? Do you want to run your own business? Do you want to be an artist, a designer or a skilled engineer? A manager?

Before building your future career your goal must be identified.

7. Prepare Yourself

Your dream might show up tomorrow. Be prepared.

Don't wait a second. Update your CV now, and continue to update it regularly.

Tomorrow your dream job may show up right before your nose. Prepare for it with a professional CV and be ready to describe yourself as a valuable object to anyone that will try to recruit you.

If you don't know how to write a CV, or how to describe yourself, start learning it now.

8. Pick The Right Tools

Pick the tools you can handle.

You can build your future career using a lot of different tools. Studying at W3Schools is easy. Taking a full master degree is more complicated.

You can add a lot to your career by studying books and tutorials (like the one you find at W3Schools). Doing short time courses with certification tests might add valuable weight to your CV. And don't forget: Your current job is often the most valuable source of building new skills.

Don't pick a tool that is too heavy for you to handle!  

9. Realize Your Dreams

Put your dreams into action.

Don't let a busy job kill your dreams. If you have higher goals, put them into action now.

If you have plans about taking more education, getting a better job, starting your own company or something else, you should not use your daily job as a "waiting station". Your daily job will get more and more busy, you will be caught up in the rat race, and you will burn up your energy.

Source : http://www.w3schools.com

25 Best Practices for Better Business Writing

1. Focus on lucidity or clarity: Write so that your readers will understand your intended meaning. Articulate your thoughts so that the average person can understand them.

2. Use an economy of words: Short sentences are best unless you’re writing for academia or the scientific world. Eliminate unnecessary words and repetition. Less is more.

3. Avoid the latest jargon: Write simply. In an effort to impress readers, some writers mistakenly use the latest buzz words or phrases. It won’t impress articulate senior management.

4. It’s best to capsulize your points: When writing letters or reports, start by stating your information in a condensed form so that it summarizes your points in an easy-to-understand way. You should anticipate important reader questions. Like in journalism 101, answer the following: Who? What? When? Where? Why? How? Hint – ask yourself: “What do I want the reader to know?”

5. Professionalism counts: That means avoiding unnecessary enthusiasm or exclamation points. If you’re writing for a job opening, use the salutation, “Dear…” Close your letter or email with “Sincerely” or “Best regards.” Even if you don’t know the person, “Best” or “Regards” will suffice. The rule of thumb: Before you complete your writing project, consider how others will view it, as though it might appear in a newspaper or public-agency record. And remember, the Internet is forever.

6. Use correct grammatical structure: Your sentences should be complete, not fragmented, and contain a subject, verb, and object. A writer who is skilled at diagramming sentences will undoubtedly communicate skillfully.

7. Employ subject-verb agreement: If your subject is singular, your verb is plural (“He wants an agreement”). If your subject is plural, the verb is  singular (“They want an agreement”).

8. Know the right pronouns to use: A pronoun is a word that substitutes for a noun. The most common errors involve the use of “I” vs. “me.” The pronoun “I” is the subject in a sentence (“I want the project”). Me is the object (“Send the project to her and me”).

9. When to use “saw” vs. “seen.”: “Saw” is the simple past-tense form of the word, “see.” While “seen” is the past participle of “see.” For example, you want to write “I saw the bird” and “I have seen the bird.” (“Seen” requires a helper verb, such as “has,” “had” or “have.”)

10. Properly insert your periods when using a quotation: Insert your period outside the quote. However, journalists, such as the practice in this news portal, place the period inside the quotation.

11. Here’s how to use “that” and “which.” :“That” is a restrictive clause and it’s used to explain important information (“We don’t sell trucks; cars are the only vehicles that we market”). More often than not, it isn’t necessary to insert “that.” When using “which” remember it’s a nonrestrictive clause, and it introduces supplemental information that isn’t deemed vital (“Our salespeople have a variety of ways to make good commissions, which is important for their incomes”).

12. Correctly use prepositions: A preposition is a word that links nouns, pronouns and phrases. A preposition introduces the object of the preposition. In a prepositional phrase, for example, “The plane is on the tarmac.” (“On” is the preposition.) Typical prepositions include above, after, at, by, for,  from, in, into, of, on, over, to, under, up, and with. Remember – don’t end your sentences in prepositions.

13. When to use “who” or “whom:” When in doubt, remember it’s “to whom or for whom something is done.” For example, “She was asked whom will be affected.” Otherwise, whom is preceded by a preposition, such as: “At whom did she yell?”

14. How to use “a” vs. “an.”: Correct usage depends on the type of words that follow the “a” or “an.” Use “a” when it precedes a noun that starts with a consonant, “He wants a plane,” or a consonant sound, such as “That was a unicycle.” Use “an” before a noun starting with a vowel, “She wants an elephant,” or a noun with a silent “h”, such as “I want $100 an hour.” When the “h” is pronounced, you can use “an,” including this instance: “He was an hysterical complainer.”

15. Possessives need attention: You add an apostrophe to change your nouns into a possessive form. Here’s how to use a singular possessive: “Did you see the bird’s unique colors?” Plural possessives require that the apostrophe follow the “s” in the noun: “All of the birds’ colors were red.” If there is not a question of possessiveness, then there isn’t an apostrophe.

16. Avoid common mistakes in using “affect” vs.“effect.”:“Affect” is a verb and “effect” is a noun. For example, “On a sunny day, the bright sun affects my vision when I try to catch a baseball, and it has an effect on whether I catch it make an out.”

17. Save your copy as successful templates for future prototypes: If you’re successful in writing a good piece – save it –especially, if you sense that you will be writing a similar document for another occasion. You’ll save time, which is money in your wallet. Be sure, though, to substitute the right salutation or other information in the new document.

18. Insert a call for action: Don’t end your writing in a nebulous way. Make it clear what you hope or expect. For example, suggest setting a time or appointment. Give two options for the reader to consider. Ask the reader to choose the preferred option.

19. Focus on correct genders, names and titles: These three are the most-important words to readers. Make a mistake with one of these and you’ve offended the readers. By far, these are the most-important words in their vocabularies.

20. Use courtesy: Be sure to thank the persons for their consideration. Use the term, “please,” whenever you want something. You’ll find that 98 percent of all communications provide an opportunity for one or both of these courtesies. Avoid the trite, dreadful phrase: “Have a nice day.”

21. Prevent buyers’ remorse: Enhance your odds for success by including a “buyers’ remorse” statement. Remind the readers about the benefits you’re proposing, and how pleased or glad they’ll be.

22. Contact information in e-mails: Your signature should include your contact information, for your reader’s convenience to reach you. If you have an idea or product to market, remember convenience is one of the top five reasons for success.

23. Proofread your work: Yes, it’s easy to overlook errors, and it’s important to double check your tone of writing. One trick I use is to read the  information aloud. That makes it easy to prevent embarrassing errors. If you write something while you’re in a bad mood, proofreading becomes even more important. Showing anger is not OK in business.

24. Use your spell check: Misspelled words are not good for your image. As a safeguard, spell check is a good service. NOTE: However, Microsoft Word’s spell check isn’t 100 percent accurate. In many cases, you’ll have to override the software.

25. Confirm whenever possible: When you receive an e-mail document a strategic partner, even unanticipated, don’t leave the person hanging. Respond with a confirmation. It’s considered good manners.

Not intended to be all-encompassing, these 25 tips avoid most of the errors I’ve seen as a business-performance consultant. If you’re not supremely confident in your organization’s writing, consider hiring a qualified freelance writer.

Source:http://www.bizcoachinfo.com

Career Tips For Something

However, I think I would have also wanted something more to specific to apply to my day-to-day life. In the spirit of sharing more practical advice based on what I’ve learned throughout my career, here is my best advice to my 20-something self:

1.Always show gratitude: If someone has done you a good turn, take a moment to express genuine gratitude by mail, email, text, or a few words and smile. It’s a gracious way to live. As old-fashioned as it seems, mailing a hand-written card to a potential employer or dinner party host leaves a lasting impression.

2.Remember: Whether you’re riding high on good fortune or you’re wallowing in the dumps of tough times, things move on and so will you. Be grateful when things are good. And be grateful for the things that are good when other things are crumbling around you.

3.Never expect someone else to advocate for your best interest or to navigate major life decisions: While there are people who will want to help you, you know yourself and what you need best. Take whatever time you need to research, learn and to create your best options. From great options, make good decisions.

4.Maintain your professional reputation: Avoid burning bridges with those you’ve worked with. If anything, invest a little time to continue cultivating your past relationships with colleagues. You never know when you might cross paths again in business.

5.Every night, think of three positive things from the day :– no matter how minor. This is another way experiencing gratitude, but it’s more introspective. Gratitude has been documented to generate success in individuals.

6.Exude confidence: You only have one body. So be comfortable in it. Confidence in yourself will spur confidence others will have in you. Don’t have the confidence? “Fake it ‘til you make it,” as they say.

7.Surround yourself with people who nurture you and encourage you: This is true in both your professional and personal life. Anyone else can be a distraction at best and an energy drain at worst.

8.Be generous with yourself: I don’t mean that you should go on a buying spree. Be more practical than that. For example, make your bed in the morning as a small comfort for when you’re tired after a long day. You will feel a little more cared for. In addition to investing in as much as you can in your 401(k), set aside savings for the opportunity to advance your education. Even if you don’t end up going back to school (graduate school or otherwise), you will have a safety net if the economy goes south. Spend 150 minutes a week on yourself by incorporating cardiovascular activity. If you don’t have your health, everything else falls away pretty quickly.

9.Understand that job interviews are a two-way street: View them as career interviews. The company is as much of a candidate for you as you are for them. After all, if you’re going to be spending 40+ hours per week somewhere, it’s important to be fully informed about how much they will enable your career growth. I always ask job candidates if they have any questions for me. What you ask is sometimes as important as what you’re answering.

10.Mistakes can be gifts: Whether a learning experience, a happy accident, or a humbling experience, mistakes can serve us well. Don’t be afraid to make them. Just try not to make the same one twice.

 Source: http://www.forbes.com/