We’re giving you guys a peek behind the curtain at some of the tools available to our users. Visit CMI Interactive’s sign up page to take advantage of these medical freelancing tools.

When you log in you are presented with a grid of options on our control panel. Features include our rate calculator, links to our book store, and links to our information sections for business coaching, financial advising, and internet marketing.

Jobs and Contract Opportunities

Our users want to know about the latest contracts and job opportunities and we offer a constantly updating list of openings all over the United States. Each posting lists the job title, location, date posted, and type of opening.

Book Store

Our CMI Interactive Book Store are recommendations specifically chosen for CMI Interactive by our Legal author. Interested in a purchase? Simply click through to buy from Amazon.

Rate Calculator

The rate calculator is a valuable tool that takes your hourly rate and a projected number of hours of work, subtracts common expenses like federal taxes, insurance, and typical business expenses, and presents you with a annual or monthly bring home amount.

Business Experts

As part of our exclusive partnership with experts in business coaching, executive recruitment, financial advising, legal, tax planning, and web marketing we offer articles that answer frequently asked questions. We even give contact information so you can reach out to our experts directly.

Sound useful? Visit CMI Interactive to sign up.

You can also follow us on Twitter, Facebook, or Friendfeed for more tips and info about medical freelancing.

Part of that reality is that you must be responsible for your own tax withholdings. For those that are changing over from a employee to being self-employed, you must set aside about 30% of each check that you deposit, because at the end of the year you will owe Uncle Sam his due.

If that’s news to you then read on, because while being a freelancer is a great way to make money, your new freedom brings great responsibility. Here’s a short list of tips about taxes for the self-employed.

1. Report all income to the IRS no matter the amount or form in which it is received. Big brother government might miss a few items every now and then, but it’s not worth putting your business at stake. Be straight forward about your income and you won’t have anything to worry about on April 15th.

2. If you work from home, there are several business related expenses that are deductible as long as they are ordinary and necessary to your job. For example, you can deduct internet connections, common office supplies, business cards, cell phone fees, computer software and hardware.

3. Another benefit of having a home office is that you can deduct a percentage of utilities, insurance, and a part of the mortgage or rent. But don’t get too carried away, the space must be specifically set aside as an office workspace. Though you may spend a lot of time in your kitchen while on business calls, your new blender is not a business expense.

Let’s get this straight, this is a blog, not a CPA. So you’ll need more help than we can list in a blog post. If you want to manage your business the right way there’s only one thing you’ll need to succeed, KNOWLEDGE! With the right tools you can be a successful business owner. We recommend the professional freelancing tools over at CMI Interactive.

Competing against bloated businesses with big brands and fat marketing budgets can be intimidating, but there are ways for independent contractors to stand out. That first impression is always key to setting the standard for the quality of your work.

It doesn’t take a large budget to show your clients that you have the same tools, structure, and knowledge as the larger businesses.

Don’t send a client an estimate you threw together using Word or Excel. That’s so 2003. Instead make use of online invoicing and book keeping tools. Just about every site offers some kind of free demo and the starter package is typically very cheap.

With an online invoicing tool you can send professional estimates, track timesheets, manage expenses, manage billing, and collaborate with other people you are working with.

Here’s a list of some of the more popular online invoicing sites:
- Freshbooks
- Harvest
- ZOHO Invoice
- Blinksale
- SimplyInvoices

Having the right tools is the only difference between you (the freelancer) and them (the big brand). You don’t have to be an expert accountant to manage your finances. With tools from business mentoring companies like CMI Interactive you can get expert advice from business advisors. And you don’t have to be a news junkie to stay on top of the latest news in the healthcare industry. With CMI Interactive’s news feeds for the sciences and health field you can stay up-to-date on the biotech, healthcare, medical device, and pharmaceuticals industry.

For the independent professionals in the medical industry you should check out the professional tools over at CMI Interactive.

If you want to work in a professional environment, you should consider renting a space to work outside of the house. But, if you are set on working at home and maintaining that home environment (with the door open) take a look at the following tips on managing kids in your home office.

#1 Keep their hands busy – Assuming you aren’t writing a book or require absolute silence in order to stay productive, consider keeping a toybox in the corner of your workroom. This will keep those little hands from grabbing coffee cups, keyboards, and power cords.

#2 Put them to “work” – Chances are good that you’ve got an old computer laying around and Junior would love to help you write up that report. So pass on that old slow computer and put them to work with a program like BabyType for one-year-olds, an education program for the kids, or even an internet connection for the older kids.

#3 Work around their schedule – Working at home means you don’t have to conform to the typical work hours. So use it to your advantage and do your intense work time during the midday nap or after bed time. Working during the “off hours” is much easier than working through a screaming tantrum.

#4 Use the internet’s resources – There are tons of resources to use online for kids. If they enjoy using a computer then try looking for things to help encourage their learning while they play. For example, KidRocket is a web browser for kids. Or you can set them up with a YouTube video or even search for coloring books you can print out.

#5 Establish rules – If you’ve tried distracting them with ideas like these, it’s time to step up and be the parent. Set aside times for work that mom (or dad) should not be disturbed. Go ahead and close the door, but make sure that they know it’s only for a limited time. Go find them after you’ve completed your project. It will be a reward for both of you!

Answer: No (unless you ask your 5 year old)

Then why are they the world’s largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants if they don’t make the best hamburgers? It’s because McDonald’s knows how to get you or your kids into their restaurant. They are great at marketing their products and they have carved out solid facility administration rules and standards for each of their franchises.

Are you afraid to open a business? Starting a new business is safe and simple, if you know what you are doing. The secret behind a great company’s start is in avoiding the pitfalls of starting and running a small business.

First of all, a successful small business starts with the owner’s personal characteristics. As a business owner you will not have an overseer to guide you in the right direction. You must be motivated to and focused.

Poor choice of opportunity (or a lack of market research) is another small business’s administrative pitfall as well as failure to seek professional advice. Here at CMI Interactive, we focus on providing serious knowledge for science professionals. We offer business mentoring, discounted continuing education, industry news, as well as a toolbox full of small business tools for independent contractors. Visit cmiinteractive.com for more information.

Our clients always have more questions than answers about starting up their own business. No matter what industry or niche you are looking to fill with your new business, every company must consider the same essential questions before they launch their new career. Below is a list from entrepreneur.com of 7 essential business startup steps for any business.

#1 Do your market research: Just because you build it or sell it doesn’t necessarily mean anyone will buy it. The first essential step is to research your potential market. Who needs what you are offering? Is there space for your product or service in the market or is the market saturated? Is the market national? Is it a niche? Can you define your ideal customers? These are all questions that need to be answered before you even consider starting a business. Too many entrepreneurs have found out the hard way that there was not enough market share for them to capture. Others have realized that their target market audience was far too limited to make their business work.

#2 Show yourself the money: You can’t start a business without capital. Determine what you have, what you will need and how you will go about getting it. If you plan to seek investor funding or financing, start writing a business plan and practice your pitch. Research the costs associated with your business. Know how much money you’ll need and decide where it could come from.

#3 Hire a good business attorney: You don’t necessarily need to have an attorney on a retainer, but you’ll want to hire an attorney experienced with new businesses to help you get started. Your attorney can advise you about such things as drafting contracts, reviewing your lease and determining the right business structure.

#4 Hire a good accountant: An accountant will work in conjunction with your attorney and be instrumental in determining the best form of ownership. He can also help you establish bookkeeping and other record keeping procedures that can keep you on track for years. Most important, a good accountant will help with tax planning.

#5 Decide on a business structure: Your choices include sole proprietorship, partnership, corporation, “S” corporation or limited liability corporation (LLC). Personal liability, taxes, paperwork and regulations vary greatly among the different legal business structures. Your attorney and accountant will play a key role in assisting you in this important decision.

#6 Decide on a business name: It may seem obvious and simple, but the name is how your business will be known to the world. The right name says a lot about your company. Make a list of potential names and narrow the list down to the one that best describes your company in a few words, while being catchy, easy to remember, easy to pronounce and easy to spell. You should also consider how it will translate to a web domain name. You’ll also need to do research to see if there are a) similar business names and b) similar domain names.

#7 Get all necessary licenses and permits: Along with a business license, you may need to get additional licenses depending on the type of business and local laws. Research all licenses applicable in your county and your state. It’s also extremely important to know the zoning laws before you open a business. Don’t assume the zoning laws don’t apply to you. You can get information on zoning from your local county clerk’s office.

True or False: Pricing a product or service is more of an art than a science.

True or False: The best place to get money to start or expand your business is a bank.

True or False: All businesses should advertise heavily in the yellow pages since every home has a copy.

True or False: You should hire family members in your business.

True or False: Recent changes in tax law now gives employees a bigger tax break than small business owners.

Click the Read More click to find out the answers.

Pricing a product or service is more of an art than a science.
False! There are specific equations including cost, profit, and time in order to calculate one’s product or service price.

The best place to get money to start or expand your business is a bank.
False! There are hundreds of different sources that can provide funds to help you start or expand your business. While not all sources are appropriate for all industries there are many investment firms that are eager to invest in your company.

All businesses should advertise heavily in the yellow pages since every home has a copy.
False! No one marketing channel is the single most effective method of marketing for all industries. Each channel is diverse and will market to different demographics.

You should hire family members in your business.
True! The government gives special tax breaks to businesses that employ family members. Hiring family members will decrease your federal tax payout.

Recent changes in tax law now gives employees a bigger tax break than small business owners.
False! The government knows that small businesses are the heart that keeps our economy running. There are 122 different deductions available to small business owners.

Serious business knowledge is the only thing that can keep your company from failure. It’s not your product, it’s how your run your business. Take a look at the services offered at CMI Interactive that can help keep your business profitable.

CMI Interactive

The biggest pitfalls of starting a business is in the marketing and administration of your company. For example, part of your roles as a new business owner is in planning and management of your finances.

A great way to investigate and plan your company’s money is to use a billing rate calculator to gage your income and expenses.

Start with income based on your hourly rate and projected number of working hours on an annual basis. From there you will be able to see see your gross income and your adjusted gross income based on expenses including things like taxes, insurance, and office expenses.

There are several online tool available, but we recommend the CMI Interactive Billing Rate Calculator that comes with your small business tools package. It’s a great way for independent contractors to gain the knowledge they need to stay out of that 33% of failing new businesses.

Learn more at CMI Interactive

Hello and welcome to the new CMI Interactive blog! We’ve established this blog as a way to communicate our knowledge about how to be successful in the science and medical industry. This is not a sales pitch, rather it’s a platform for us to help guide independent science professionals with helpful information to launch their small business.

Our blog is designed for the purpose of guiding independent medical contractors with helpful information about the healthcare industry. Our interest in developing this blog stemmed from the concerns and questions frequently voiced by our independent contractors. We have identified several key areas of interest, such as entity formation, income tax payments, and retirement planning.

We’ll also be discussing topics like the difference between degrees and certifications, tips on how to find job and how to secure contracts, and frequently asked questions about freelancing such as telecommuting and home office ideas.

To make this discussion as valuable as possible we want your feedback. Feel free to leave us a comment right here on our blog, follow us on Facebook, Friendfeed, Twitter, or subscribe to our blog using RSS or email. You can also contact us using the form on our blog contact page.

Visit CMI Interactive for more information about support for independent professionals in the medical industry.