When to open a bank account for your business

The simple answer to this question is you will know. You will know when it is time for you to be opening up that bank account for your business!

Now, I’m sure there are many other financial aspects involved in this decision making process. The second best answer to this question is when your business starts to spend money or earn revenue.

It is important to remember that the source of entrepreneurial joy is not only in the results but also within the process.

Anyone who’s ever on this blog regularly is thinking about starting a business or better yet, already started one and is on their way to achieving financial freedom!

For those who are in the former category, do not worry! There are so many questions I’m sure you have in your head, and we are here every step of the way to help you in your future endeavors… that being said, you might be tempted to rush through the beginning stages and get to the hustling part of business.

When it comes to opening a business bank account, one must consider whether or not they meet the requirements, some of the basic ones being:

1. Employer Identification Number (EIN) or a Social Security Number, if you’re a sole proprietor
2. Personal identification documents
3. Business licenses
4. Articles of Organization (for LLCs)
5. Articles of Incorporation (for corporations)

If you have all the required materials, it’s time to think about which bank you want to open the account with for your specific business entity. Keep in mind the fees, balance requirements, and transactions limitations involved with the maintenance of the account.

There are many benefits to business bank accounts that don’t come with a standard personal bank account: protection, professionalism, and especially purchasing power. If you’re ready to accept these perks and the responsibilities that come with owning a business bank account, go ahead and open that account!

Congrats for growing one step closer to being your own boss! And don’t be shy; let us know on social media what you did.

DISCLAIMER: Like everything on this blog, this is only sharing ideas. I am not a financial adviser or a consultant for your company. You are solely responsible for your own choices. Please do your own research beforehand. That being said, hope you enjoyed reading this post.

6 ways to increase your productivity

1. Ask yourself these 2 questions as a positive call to action:

How do I WANT to feel today?

What do I have to get done today in order to FEEL that way?

 

2. Curate a list of to do’s

Use time management to do these tasks. You can time yourself to do things within a certain amount of time before you move onto a quick social media break or move onto the next thing.

Do this, and try to accomplish those tasks within a certain amount of time. If you do the harder tasks first, and the easier ones last, this will leave you feeling much more efficient and satisfied with what you’ve done SO far.

 

3. Declutter your space

Oftentimes, the condition of your desk/work space dictates the condition of your mind. So many people are saying to themselves, “I should clean my work space… I should clean my work space” without actually doing so! It’s much like how you should always keep your room tidy. An organized space correlates with an organized mind. Saying that, it is never a bad thing to strive for less. There’s a reason for that saying, “less is more”!

 

4. Don’t waste time on irrelevant news

Think about what feelings the news make you feel. The average news mostly consists of negative stories which, in turn, act as negative stimuli and causes distress and affects our mood for the rest of the day. Most of the things reported on the news do not even matter to you. If you must hear/read of the news, then limit the amount of exposure you get to the news or actually look up articles that directly pertain to your interest and determine how you can use that novel information to get the most out of your day.

 

5. Decrease time spent on your electronics

Maybe delete the unnecessary apps, and actually download the ones that you deem necessary. Go take that social media detox you’ve been wanting to do for the longest time ever! Keep yourself in check by observing how long you spend each day scrolling through your Instagram feed, or how much time you spend watching those lengthy mukbang YouTube videos.

 

6. Listen to some music

If all else fails, it helps to just play your favorite playlist to get your creative jams going and get that workflow started. The funny thing is, that’s exactly what I’m doing as I am writing this article! 

 

Well, there you go… now you know what it takes to get things done! Hopefully, you learned something new from reading this and can incorporate some of these tips into your routine! There’s no need to add onto things that are already creating more stress for you in your life. Experiment with things you think will be helpful for you and your productivity in the long run!

FVHS hosts its very own Dancing with the Stars for the third time

by Agnes Chang, Staff Writer              

   

The dance team. Photo courtesy of Tara Bearden.

The upcoming Dancing with the Stars competition is causing an exciting sensation to be spread throughout the students of Fountain Valley High School (FVHS).

“Certain senior football players and dancers are chosen; some juniors are chosen too to be the competitors. And they can pick any teacher they want to be their partner, and it runs just like the actual show. So every group, every pair is given a genre to do a dance to, and the students have to choreograph it,” said Tara Bearden, Physical Education teacher, Pep Squad Director, and Dance Team Coach.

This is how the show has been running, but this year it will be a little different.                                                                                   
“The football players and dancers that didn’t get chosen are doing a dance together, like a big group dance. So besides the teams going, there’s also going to be a big group dance with all the remaining football players and dancers,” said Bearden.This is how the show has been running, but this year it will be a little different.

The show will take place on May 15 at 6 o’clock p.m. at the gymnasium, and the doors will open at 5:30 p.m.

Link to original article: http://www.baronnews.com/2016/05/13/fvhs-hosts-its-very-own-dancing-with-the-stars-for-the-third-time/

Perfect study spots for AP exams

by Agnes Chan and Zainab Khan, staff writers

With the Advanced Placement (AP) exams right around the corner, students who have signed themselves up to take these tests need great places to study for them. These few locations are some of the best places to settle down and focus on all the content you need for upcoming APs.

1. TeaArias Cafe

The TeaArias cafe is located in a plaza in front of Golden West College. This tranquil place is not too far from school and only 10 minutes away. Free wifi is offered here, and the cafe has happy hour everyday, which lasts from 5-7 p.m. Students are able to buy one product, and get another one for free. A highly recommended drink is the House Milk Tea.

2. Cafe Orange

Cafe Orange is in Garden Grove and approximately 15 minutes away from school. With its un-congested space and peaceful atmosphere, it’s a great place to study with your friends. This Korean cafe also offers free wifi. Something you should try out at this place is the peach lychee iced tea and popcorn chicken.

3. Huntington Beach Public Library

The Huntington Beach Public Library has a relaxed ambiance and even has a downstairs cafe. It takes roughly 8 minutes to get here from school. You could either study next to the books, or study downstairs while listening to the fountain water. If you want to be productive and like having a serene spot to study in, then this place is the perfect study spot for you.

4. Public Libraries

Along with the Huntington Beach Public library, libraries at college campuses are great to study as well. The libraries at UCI and Chapman university would be a great place for students to spend a few hours studying. 

Huntington Beach Central Library. Photo courtesy of Orange County Archives on Flickr

5. Home

Another option is to have a study session at home. Do you have a lot of terms you need to memorize? Having study groups at home where a bunch of friends can come together to review vocabulary or help each other out is a great way to learn new information.

Link to original article: http://www.baronnews.com/2016/04/28/perfect-study-spots-for-ap-exams/

Ceramics class finishes up their long-term succulent project

by Aozora Ito, Agnes Chang and Natalie Arreola, Staff Writers

On Wednesday March 2nd, the ceramics class planted succulents, otherwise known as “fat” plants that are thicker and more drought resistant, in the ceramics terrariums they’ve been working on since last semester.

 

“I wanted them to have a project that they can understand what they can do. Since we’re in a drought tolerant world, this is a great way to go for them to understand,” said Jones.In the previous year, JoAnna Jones, the ceramics teacher here at Fountain Valley High School, came up with a creative idea of building coil projects and succulent orders. The ceramics terrariums, which the students started working on last semester, was used to plant succulents during lunch.      Ceramics students choose                                                                                                                             succulents to plant in their                                                                                                                                  terrariums. Photo by                                                                                                                                             Edward Fahman

While she was on maternity leave, Jones got the idea for succulents while going on a walk with her baby. In the beginning of the school year, she was able to get a good deal from Succulent Source, the company she purchased the succulents from. She had been planning  this project for three months, but the students have been working on the ceramics terrariums for only around two weeks.

Jones said her goal was to have her students understand the bigger picture of what they’re building. Through Jones’ classes, students have learned they can make a big difference through planting these small succulents.

“Hopefully they realize that there’s a bigger science element there,” said Jones.

Illustration by Cayla Nguyen.

Many students in the ceramics class enjoyed working on this long-term succulent project throughout the months.

Joseph Liu (‘17), a student who was working on this project, said, “I think it’s a really interesting experience. It’s really cool how you’re able to create something, plant and make it useful.”

Through this opportunity, students could make a ceramic pot whichever way they wanted to and freely express their artistic abilities.

“I like how we got to make our own pots to put in the plants and since the size didn’t matter, you had to plan if you wanted to hang it up or not, so it was nice to see our options,” said Lena Tran (‘17).

Jones was able to express her idea to her students that, over time, the succulents will grow into a great plant, and this project was a way for the students to see that for themselves.

Using this project, Jones hopes the students understand that ceramics isn’t just a class that has to be taken during high school to fill a one year requirement, but a class that is useful for all areas of life.

“Usually kids take ceramics because it’s a requirement. I want them to sometimes understand that you can do something useful or there’s something bigger from that,” Jones said.

Link to original article: http://www.baronnews.com/2016/03/22/ceramics-class-finishes-up-their-long-term-succulent-project/

Vandalism tags the walls of FVHS

by Linh Nguyen, Judy Hua & Agnes Chang, Staff Writers 

Marc Trocchio, assistant principal of supervision, sent out a mass email to all staff members regarding information about recent vandalism at FVHS. The email had an attached photo of a specific graffiti sign, spelling out “Santo.”

“The two biggest taggers are known as Santo and Cripto,” said Trocchio, “they’ve been the biggest nuisance in the last couple of years.”

Vandalism stands as an issue for FVHS for as long as the school has been built, however, this problem has recently caught attention of many staff members and supervision. In previous years, tagging, a form of vandalism, has occurred two to three times a month. Trocchio said the school spends about $2,000 to $5,000 a year cleaning graffiti and other mishaps.

He decided to email all staff members because catching the culprit in action is a rare occurrence.

“Getting the awareness out there to a community of about 3,800 people of teachers and staff and students, someone’s going to see something,” said Trocchio.

Photo by Brandon Nguyen, Staff Photographer

Trocchio states that the purpose of it is to bring awareness to our school population, and hopefully find out more information about the tagging. Also, a $50 reward gift card will be given to anyone that has information leading to the culprit.

“Bringing more awareness, teachers see student notebooks and doodles, and things like that,” said Trocchio, “Often times, taggers are trying to perfect their tag by just doodling around in class.”

Information is shared with Officer Castille, Fountain Valley Police Department (FVDP) officer. According to Castille, the tagging has not only occurred at school but throughout the community.

At the moment, there are no suspects for the tagging. Several students that were known for such behavior were questioned, but all were of no use to their investigation. However, when the culprit is caught, that individual will be arrested and charged $60 per tag.

“What we want to do, is empower the students because you guys are the frontlines of knowing who’s who and a lot of times, the way we catch taggers is because a student will step up, see it happen, or know it’s happening and give us the information we need,” said Trocchio.

 

Link to original article: http://www.baronnews.com/2016/03/01/vandalism-tags-the-walls-of-fvhs/

Girls volleyball defeated by Los Alamitos on Senior Night

by Agnes Chang, Staff Writer, and Michelle Nhi Nguyen, Staff Writer/Photographer

Girls varsity volleyball demonstrates strong defense on the court against Los Al. Photo by Michelle Nhi Nguyen

The Lady Barons volleyball team faced the Los Alamitos Griffins in their last home game of the 2015 season.

Both teams played hard, but the girls ultimately lost 0-3, with the individual scores being 17-25, 16-25, and 16-25.

Los Al had several star players who kept the level of intensity high with their hard-driven hits and strong blocking, keeping the Lady Barons on their toes for all three sets.

Nevertheless, the girls never failed in maintaining their high spirits both on and off the court, as was evident with their consistency and endurance. Their strong performance was assisted by the solid serve receive of libero Alex Brooks (‘18) and fierce kills earned by outside hitter Erin Finley (‘17).

The enthusiastic Loud Crowd, consisting of Fountain Valley’s spirited students, also added to the positive atmosphere, giving much love and support for the players while dressed in all white for the White Out game.

Loud Crowd shows their support for girls volleyball during the White Out game. Photo by Michelle Nhi Nguyen

“The last four years have been an amazing experience and I’m sad to see it come to an end. Through the years I’ve made so many friends and memories that I’ll cherish forever,” said Thatsanaphonh (‘16). “We didn’t make it out on top but we sure fought hard. I love my team and [am] so grateful I had the chance to play with…them.”

This game not only marked the end of the girls volleyball season but also commemorated the team’s three senior players for Senior Night. Setter Brennan Cuttrell (‘16), opposite hitter Ashley Knipe (‘16), and outside hitter Maya Thatsanaphonh (‘16) were escorted across the court by family members as they were presented to the crowd and applauded for their high school volleyball career.

 

Girls volleyball dominated by Huntington Beach Oilers

by Agnes Chang, staff writer, and Michelle Nhi Nguyen, staff writer and photographer  

The Lady Barons line up after warm ups, waiting for the game to begin. Photo by Michelle Nhi Nguyen

The Lady Barons battled hard against Huntington Beach, but ultimately suffered a loss against the Oilers.

Although both teams played hard, the Barons fell behind and eventually lost with an overall score of 0-3, with scores of 16-25, 14-25 and 12-25.

The girls played strong offense in all three sets, with several kills from outside hitter Erin Finley (‘17) and middle blocker Kennedy Hood (‘17), as well as with powerful serves from opposite hitter Amy Hinnant (‘17). However, they fell short with their multiple hitting errors which gave the Oilers the advantage.

Kara Winthrop (’17) receives a tough serve from the Oilers. Photo by Michelle Nhi Nguyen

“We started off strong and…tried our hardest, but in the end we weren’t ready to face the Oilers,” said Britney Tran (‘17).

The Barons are working hard  to improve and are continuing to practice for their ongoing season every weekday.

“This loss is just a way for us to learn from our mistakes and improve for future games. We’re training even harder for the next game to make sure we come back as an even stronger team. Hopefully we’ll be able to make CIF playoffs and win.” Tran adds.

 

Lady Barons triumph over Marina Vikings 3-2

by Agnes Chang, Staff Writer, and Michelle Nhi Nguyen, Staff Writer/Photographer

Middle blocker Rilyn Todd (’17) reaches high over the double block and earns a kill for the Barons. Photo by Michelle Nhi Nguyen

Girls varsity volleyball won against Marina with a score of 3-2 at their cancer awareness game which successfully raised $915 for the McKenna Claire Foundation.

The McKenna Claire Foundation is an organization that aims to cure pediatric brain cancer by raising awareness, increasing community involvement and funding research.The players wore specially-made jerseys for the night and were joined by the enthusiastic loud crowd who wore pink to support the cause.

The girls had a shaky start and gave the first set victory to Marina, who was led offensively by front-row players #2 and #13.

However, the Barons were able to pull through with their consistent serving, wall-like defense and high spirits, ending the neck-and-neck match with overall scores of 23-25, 25-20, 17-25, 25-17 and 15-5.

“There was a lot of encouragement [on the court]. Even when they lost a point, they were still able to shake it off,”  said spectator Phiona Reilly (‘19).

The Barons were led in the offensive by right-side hitter Amy Hinnant (‘17) and middle blocker Kennedy Hood (‘17) with several kills, as well as by libero Britney Tran (‘17) with her consistent digs and serves throughout the game.

The girls huddle together for a time out in their specially-made pink jerseys. Photo by Michelle Nhi Nguyen

“They were very effective in blocking and attacking. Especially at the end of the match, our defense really picked up and that’s what helped us finish strong,” Assistant Coach Grant Metheny said. “There were some lulls, but the high points were really high and they finished strong.”

The girls practice every weekday from 3-5 PM after school and are working hard to improve their communication and synchronization on the court for the rest of the season.

“We’re pretty much just practicing by passing and shuffling. [We practice] a lot of hitting into the corner, rather than into the middle of the court so that way it’s harder for teams to get the ball,” middle blocker Rilyn Todd (‘17) says.

 

Link to original article: http://www.baronnews.com/2015/10/17/lady-barons-triumph-over-marina-vikings-3-2/

Audrey Beck shows her dedication through her passion of softball

by Linh Nguyen and Agnes Chang, Staff Writers

Softball shortstop player Audrey Beck has been playing on varsity softball for 4 years. Beck started off playing baseball when she was 5 years old. She ended up switching to softball when she was 8 years old because she felt it was more suited for her.

Audrey Beck (’16) poses at her National Letter of Intent Signing. Photo provided by Audrey Beck                                                                                                     

 The entire softball team has always displayed strong teamwork that there is no wonder why Beck and her team are very close together.

“I could easily call them my second family,” said Vu. “Honestly, I can just really tell them anything and they’ve been there to support through anything I do.”

Beck feels that softball has become a major part of her daily routine. From practicing with the Fountain Valley High School (FVHS) softball team after school for typically an hour and a half, she heads to another softball practice for the California Cruisers for another 3 hours. On her busy weekends, she plays for a total of 17 hours.

“Playing softball is definitely a sacrifice. I usually come home around 9 p.m. then I have to do homework and it is tough, but it’s a commitment I made,” said Beck.

Beck is very committed to her sport. Recently, she has been signed for a 4 year scholarship to Mount Mary University in Wisconsin and is the only person as of this year to do so. She is nervous for her future softball career, but looks forward to the experience. Beck thoroughly believes that it is worth the time and effort.

“The practice is definitely worth it. It’s changed how I play,” Beck said. “It’s definitely made me a better player on and off the field.”

Softball has impacted Beck’s life and believes that it has taught her many valuable life lessons.

“I’d have to deal with a lot of adversity, especially having to do with failure. Softball is a game of failure and I had to tell myself that you’re not going to get a hit every time or you’re not going to make the play every time,” Beck said. “So whatever mistakes you made, you have to let it go.”

Beck understands the difficulty of dedicating yourself to playing a sport. Additionally, she recommends to the athletes who are struggling to persevere and continue their path with the sport of their choice.

“My advice to athletes who are planning to sign is to not get discouraged on yourself. It is really difficult, but if you keep pushing yourself, you can get there,” Beck said.

 

Link to original article: http://www.baronnews.com/2016/01/14/audrey-beck-shows-her-dedication-through-her-passion-of-softball/