Attorney Jermane Wright concentrates his practice in the areas of wills and probate, personal injury, bankruptcy, as well as personal and business income tax matters. He is a Florida licensed Certified Public Accountant, and prior to attending law school, he practiced in public accounting.

Born in Pensacola, Florida, Attorney Wright received his education as follows:

• Florida State University, Accounting, B.S., 1996
• Florida Coastal School of Law, J.D., cum laude, 2005
• University of Florida, LL.M. in Taxation, 2006

We’re proud to welcome Attorney Jermane Wright to the Network. Look for him in the next issue of People You Need to Know.

Atlanta Office 752 Moreland Ave. S.E., Suite 7 Atlanta, GA 30316 (Phone) 404-624-7447

Pensacola Office 301 North Barcelona Street Pensacola, FL 32501 (Phone) 850-380-2426

Dr. Larona Gore was born in Brooklyn, New York, but spent the majority of her childhood in North Carolina. She is a 1992 graduate of Elizabeth City State University in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, where she received her BS degree in Business Administration.

She is also a graduate of Life University Chiropractic College in Marietta, Georgia, where she received her Doctorate of Chiropractic degree in 2008. Dr. Gore is the owner and Chiropractic physician at the New Life Chiropractic & Wellness Center, LLC of Marietta.

Currently, Dr. Gore is a member and associate minister at Pleasant Grove Missionary Baptist Church in Marietta, Georgia. She is also the President and CEO of Larona Johnson Gore Ministries, a non-profit organization, and has produced various gospel music projects.

Dr. Gore has traveled throughout the country ministering the word of God in word and song. She produced and was featured in a 30 minute television show, the “Larona Gore Gospel Special” that aired on Fox Television in North and South Carolina in 2001 and 2002.

Other memberships include the Cobb County NAACP, Cobb Chamber of Commerce, Cobb Executive Women, Georgia Chiropractic Association, and the International Chiropractic Association.

We proudly welcome Dr. Larona Gore to the Network. Look for her on the next cover of People You Need to Know! Her office can be reached at (770) 427-0044.

Lenny Swinson is an entrepreneur with over 15 years of Executive IT Project Management experience in corporate America. He now brings that knowledge and outstanding customer service ethics to the Healthcare IT Industry.

His company, Pristine Technology Solutions, Inc. is comprised of a group of Independent Consultants, that provide education on the HITECH Act, Electronic Medical Record implementations, and qualified and certified Electronic Medical Record affordable solutions.

Pristine Technology Solutions, Inc. offers a host of Health Care IT Services tailored to fit the needs of organizations. Their spectrum of IT Healthcare services range from day-to-day management to strategic long-term planning of IT infrastructures. They provide Pre-Implementation support, Training, and Post Installation support. Through their consultative processes and approach, they tailor their services to fit your unique needs.

Pristine will work with your practice to select an EMR solution that will give you the ability to manage patient flow, immediately access patient records in-house or remotely, electronically communicate with the referring physicians and securely send consultation notes and clinical data. They will also work with you to ensure your EMR application is compliant with the HITECH Act (aka Stimulus Bill).

Pristine’s range of consulting services are designed to help your organization maximize profits.

• Practice Assessment
• Hardware Setup and Installation
• Software Implementation
• Training - They spend time with every client understanding their learning needs such as computer skills, workflow, staffing levels, and overall objectives so they can provide a tailored training plan for each client.
• Lifecycle Support – They support you from start to finish and after.

Whether your healthcare practice is just getting off the ground, or if it’s been up-and-running for years, Pristine’s practice management services can help you with the business side of medicine, so you can focus on the business of patient care.

Their billing and coding offerings as well as guidance help eliminate unnecessary claim denials and delays through a complete integration of workflow, billing, coding and reimbursement management.

For a personal consultation, call their friendly Sales Team (Office) 770.602.1166 or (Cell) 770.307.8265

Look for Mr. Lenny Swinson in the next edition of People You Need to Know.

Who is going to know that your business exists unless YOU tell them about it, render the type of service and quality to get others talking about it or pay someone else to get the word out for you? And the quickest way to do that is to invest - yes, invest - in advertising.

But where should you advertise and how much of it should you do? How much should you spend? How often should you advertise? What form should it take?

Lots of questions. Let’s look at some of the answers. And please note: Every advertising plan is unique, so these answers are just possibilities - suggestions - and should not be construed as YOUR plan. You will need to investigate the possibilities for your product and your target market and come up with your own plan before you begin.

Where you advertise depends on your type of business and the area you want to cover. You might choose local magazines and newspapers, or publications that are distributed free at local supermarkets and other retail and private outlets. You might also consider radio spots or press releases to augment print ads, try online videos, banners, etc., take the plunge into social media or sponsor events in your community.

We’ve already established that advertising is essential to identifying you as a player in your market. How much advertising you do depends on your budget. You must decide how much you can afford in order to get your name out. Since advertising is an investment, you will need to put a pencil to your finances to determine how much you can spend. Once you’ve established an advertising budget, begin by contacting potential advertising outlets. Ask what they charge for various ad sizes. Ask about circulation numbers and deadlines for placement. Print ads will be priced by ad size, circulation numbers and, sometimes, the location of the ad within the publication. Keep in mind that ads usually cost more if they run in color.

Read the rest of this entry »

Looking for some small business marketing strategies that can help you succeed? Tune in to this wonderful and inspiring interview with Ms. Melanie Robinson.

Marketing Cafe owner, Melanie Robinson, is a guiding light for small business owners, no matter their challenges, no matter their budget. With an MBA and a passion for entrepreneurship, this Atlanta Marketing guru, along with her team of professionals at Marketing Cafe bring over 40 years of experience from major corporations, ad agencies and marketing firms. Her team will put their years of corporate experience to work for your small business and help you move to the next level.

Ms. Robinson believes real marketing success requires that a company understand your company at its core; who you are, your core values, your company’s personality and your short and long-term goals and expectations. Her company does this through a unique set of activities that translate into a four-step approach:

1. Educate: arm entrepreneurs with valuable knowledge by constantly educating them on the many layers of marketing.

2. Strategize: plan for success by developing sound marketing strategies that meet the needs of the business and are flexible enough to accommodate marketplace shifts.

3. Systemize: develop a marketing system to support the strategic vision and goals that is easy to follow, understand and measure.

4. Support: provide needed support and guidance via coaching and mentoring along the way.

Look for Ms. Melanie Robinson in the next edition of People You Need to Know!

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If you are anything like me, you love E-Bay! At one point in my life, I was hooked on E-Bay. In fact, I was on a first name basis with the UPS carrier. I’ve bought brand new shoes, leather coats and even textbooks on E-Bay! My ten year old daughter even makes her way to the site every now and then to “check-out” the deals. But I’m not just an online shopper; I’ve even had some luck in unloading an item or two. It beats having a garage sale and hoping someone will show up. We all have something better to do with our Saturdays.

E-Bay and other online auction sites are still today’s hottest trends. And if you are like me and many other Americans, you may have caught the online auction bug. Whether you are posting unwanted items from your attic or basement or have intentions of becoming a virtual entrepreneur, you should be aware of the tax rules that apply to your sales proceeds.

So I’m sure you are asking, what’s the deal? Is it taxable or not? Well, the old baby furniture or the unused treadmill generally do not have any tax consequences. In these cases, the amounts you receive for these items are generally less than what you paid for them so there’s no gain on the sale. The most you get out of the sale is cash to buy more junk and a little more space in your garage. And that, my friend, is not taxable!

If the items you are unloading are considered an antique or collectible item, then a different set of rules are applicable. In this case, you generally will receive more for the item than what you paid for it, creating a gain on the sale. The tax treatment on this sale will depend on whether or not you’ve had the items for a year or more. The general rule of having the item for less than a year deems it as a short-term gain and is taxed at your ordinary income rate. However, if you’ve had the item for a year or more, then it’s considered a long-term gain and you may be eligible for favorable tax rates.

So if you have made any online sales or are considering such sales we will be happy to advise you on the proper handling of your transactions for tax purposes.

© Copyright 2006, By The Book Accounting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Bernadette Johnson-Hairl, MBA, speaker and author is the President of By The Book Accounting. Look for her in the next edition of People You Need to Know. Bernadette has a BS in Accounting and completed her MBA at the Keller Graduate School of Management. She is also a certified QuickBooks training specialist. Because she enjoys teaching, she is also a part-time Adjunct Accounting professor.

(Re-post) According to the Breast Cancer Network of Strength website, doctors and researchers anticipate 192,370 new breast cancer cases and diagnoses in 2009. In an effort to continue the push for breast cancer awareness, Atlanta native and entrepreneur, Sophia Williams of T&S Shoes For A Cause has organized “The Pink Party: A Celebration of Survivorship” to take place on Saturday, October 10, 2009 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Hall C1 from 10am – 7pm.

“The Pink Party: A Celebration of Survivorship,” hosted by former America’s Next Top Model winner, Eva Pigford, was created to enlighten, encourage, inspire and motivate men and women of all walks of life to take control of their health.

The event will focus on the significance of early detection, the critical importance of performing self-exams, and the need for preventative, routine check-ups. With a portion of the proceeds going to the Greater Atlanta Affiliate of Susan G. Komen For The Cure, Williams hopes that participants will find the courage to take on a more active role in the well-being and health of themselves and their loved ones.

“Breast cancer is a disease that has affected so many families including mine,” said Sophia Williams, owner of T&S Shoes. “I wanted to create an event to celebrate survivors and their families. Life can go on after a diagnosis with breast cancer.”

Fantasia Barrino, winner of American Idol, will be headlining the event by putting on a full show. There will also be performances by Day 26 of MTV’s Making the Band, William Murphy, the OMG Girls, the Shades of Pink Breast Cancer Survivors Mass Choir, and many others. With a multitude of vendors, free health screenings, a KangaZoom Kids Area and much more, “The Pink Party: A Celebration of Survivorship” is full of excitement for the whole family.

So. . .come out and participate in this worthwhile event. You’ll discover that we’re all in this together. What affects one of us, literally affects us all. We look forward to seeing you there.

Tickets are on sale now. Please go to ThePinkPartyATL.com or call 404-914-2241 for more information.

Recently, I came across a blog article about how social media marketing can recession-proof your business. Interesting, I thought. All I have to do is join the social media bandwagon and my business will be sure to grow despite the economical issues surrounding all other businesses on the planet. Well, I just had to read further.