good morning. coming up on msnbc's "your business," a halloween expo in the middle of winter? why you shouldn't be scared of going to convention and trade shows that can help you network and find new customers. bodoirre photography is becoming more popular year-round. that and what you need to know to capitalize on the changes. let's grow fast and work smart. that's all coming up next on "your business." >> "your business" is sponsored

by american express open. helping you get business done. hi, everyone. i'm jj ramberg. and welcome to "your business," the show dedicated to helping your growing business. trade shows are often expensive and for anyone who has been to one, you know they are exhausting. but if you do it right, they can land you new customers, new contacts and new ideas. that's why just a few weeks ago, months before the ghosts and goblins come out of hiding, thousands of vendors and buyers gather in new orleans to see what is new in the industry of halloween. across the country, it's the dead of winter. but in new orleans, the dead are dancing. ♪

>> our model is wearing garnet red, hooded pink with wings. item number 38203. >> that's because at the annual halloween and party expo, hundreds of manufacturers, buyers and haunted house operators are getting a very early start on the business of halloween. >> my name is danvers, i'm the horror host of demented features. check us dementedfeatures.com. >> don't wiggle it around to readjust it. you don't have to press hard. just very lightly hold it and lean back in the chair and take a load off. the hardest part is waiting. >> reporter: greg runs this event as the ceo of connecticut-based urban expositions, he produces 40 trade shows like this a year. follow him walking through the show and he'll tell you what makes a trade show tick. >> why do people come? and i said, the number one thing

is new, i want to see what's new. this adds a lot of new. so how has today gone? >> it's been amazing. >> have you been meeting a lot of buyers? >> a lot of buyers today. >> one thing new this year is haunt con. greg purchased this formally independent event from the founder and owner leonard pickle. >> this stuff looks great. >> thank you. >> he's a guy who has been around the haunt industry for a long time, so he's a founding father of the business. >> for more than 40 years, leonard has been all-in when it comes to haunted houses. he runs hauntrepreneurs. he founded a haunted house trade magazine and created the haunt trade show. all to help grow the industry and promote his business. >> right now we just covered a wig and then we'll wrap shroud around it. >> this is about sharing information, networking for people. we have had people get married in hong kong. >> leonard never expected haunt

con to get so big. it was only supposed to be a sideline. >> i started a magazine without ever taking a journalism class. i started a convention without ever really even thinking about what that entailed. >> i'm so impressed someone like that just decided an industry needs a show and i'm going to create it, right? and figures it out along the way and does a great job doing it. >> in fact, you may say he did too great of a job. because the demands of managing it took over all of his time. >> it got to the point where it was beyond what we could do by ourselves and really needed the help. it's a great price, too. now 15 years after its founding, haunt con is something of a monster. but selling it was not an easy decision. >> i mean, haunt con is kind of my baby. and now she's moving on. so that's always a parent's difficulty is wondering whether the husband is going to be good to her. so, of course, it's difficult. that's an incredible skull.

>> last year leonard finally made the decision to let it go. >> you know, i wasn't a convention guy, i was a haunted house guy trying to figure out how to make a living. >> greg's company bought him out and he took on the role of limited consultant. >> a lot of booths and vendors, so yeah, we're excited. >> with a bigger audience, a splashier costume ball and a staff of more than 100 people to manage things, it is easy to see that leonard made a good choice. but what made greg decide to add haunt con onto expo? >> we didn't do this in copslation. the inclusion of new categories ultimately ends up valuable for everybody. >> among the addition of buyers and vendors, greg says the key to any trade show rests on the direct face-to-face relationships fostered here. >> just realizing, we are of like mind. we can get along. we're thinking the same way

about this business. you know, we enjoy each other's company. i think we are both more excited now to say we're going to go into business together, right? >> and when you get that human chemistry going, greg says business relationships can blossom. >> there's one company here that i just heard yesterday got a massive order. they are a small company in one single booth and got a life-changing order yesterday. on their product. >> he's talking about this person, jay cool woodley, owner of special effects from jacksonville, florida. this was jay's first time at haunt con and it has paid off. he told us one of the big box stores placed an order for 100,000 units. >> that's the stuff we absolutely love to hear about. >> and that is what a happy ending looks like for the creepy, the cookie and the can

cadaveris. well, those who buy and sale halloween merchandise are focused on october, the rest of us are paying attention to the holidays closer in. and right now that's valentine's day. there is a whole industry cropping up around what to give your sweetheart. an album created from a bouidorraire bandwagon. she has more work than she can handle. >> i often call myself a photographer therapist. there's a therapeutic aspect to what i do. turn your head to the window, beautiful. >> when jen started generations photography in new york, she had no idea her boutique boudoir

photography business would go into more than taking sexy pictures. >> i think people assume it's about sex, women taking off their clothes and being looked at as an object. for me it is about women exploring their unique femme themty shamelessly. >> jen was a stay-at-home mom in 2008 dabbling with wedding photography when she found out she had a knack for making women feel comfortable in her own skin. when a friend suggested she tag along on a bouidoir shoot, she found her calling. she took photos in a make-shift of her own bedroom. >> many people said, that's stupid, you don't want people in your bed, what are you doing? i tuned people out and said, this is what i want and nothing is going to stop me. >> her can-do attitude translated into a savvy grassroots marketing campaign aimed at the influencers of her

target market. newly-engaged women planning their weddings. tell me about the cool girls. >> i went online at a wedding board that i knew because i was on there when i was getting married. >> a message board. >> yes. during that time i ran a contest and it didn't matter who entered the contest because i knew the two cool girls were going to win. those are the two girls everyone wants to look up to. those girls won. and part of the idea of the contest was to take pictures of you for free, but you have to post them and talk about me and tell everybody what a wonderful experience they had, which is the truth. they went on and did it. before i knew it, it was a snowball effect. >> business was booming. just three years after starting, she had more candidates she had. she rented a studio and business was grueling. this was not the business she wanted to run. the time had come to dramatically restructure and

raise prices. it was a scary time, but she was determined to stick it out in order to carve out the work balance to allow her to spend more time with her kids. after a few months of nail-biting, things slowly started to pick up again. >> it was definitely a pivotal moment for me. and i had to keep saying, this separates the men from the boys, so to speak, or the women from the girls. this separates true entrepreneurs and people strucking through the tough times. >> the price change and extra time in her schedule allowed her to tackle one of the biggest issues with her business. she didn't want to hire other photographers, so her ability to make money taking pictures was limited. if she really wanted to grow revenue, she had to pursue other ideas. she expanded her business just beyond taking pictures to teaching boudoir workshops. creating how-to workshops to sell on her website and it led to sponsorships from the photo industry. how is this revenue-wise from taking pictures to all the other

stuff that you do, the seminars and workshops and sponsorships? >> sure, it's about half and half right now. it's important to do this because i can't teach other people how to do it if i'm not doing it. so that's number one. number two, i enjoy it and it is why i got into the business in the first place. i enjoy connecting with the clients and doing that work. but the other side of it and the other passive income is important to me to allow work/life balance and play hookie with my kids. >> with her schedule in check, her singular focus on all things related to boudoir photography has paid off making her the go-with person on the subject. >> certainly, i have become an expert in this field. because i specialize so early on, i was really one of the few photographers doing that. i was starting to gain my position and notice from the photography industry, not just for my photography, but for my message and the fact it was all i was doing. in case you haven't been

paying attention, tax policy has changed. as someone making big decisions about your business, there are surprises there for you. some are good and some you may not be as happy about. mark culler is a cpa and tax legal adviser and author of several books. the latest one is "the business openers guide to financial freement dfree me freedom." let's talk about the things we should go talk to our accountants about. >> the biggest deduction for business openers, this is a big deal because the media is focusing on the individual side, but business owners are going to follow the bottom, it is what it is. medium to small business openers, the pastor, 90% of the small to medium business owners are s-corporations or llcs. and the legislation didn't leave main street alone. this is good, we won something. so we get a 20% pass-through

deduction. the bottom line, you get to deduct 20% of your profit as an expense. so if you made a million dollars, you get a $200,000 deduction. sounds amazing. you're saving taxes. now, for the average business that is maybe product or service based or restaurant construction company, you're loving it. good stuff. but then it takes a turn for the worst, because if you're a personal service business, it's limited. >> it's like dentist, what is a personal service? >> dentist, doctors, engineers, accountants, actors, actresses. you know what? architects dodged the bullet, i don't know what it is, but engineers get sucked in. so it is personal service, a broad definition of personal service. it feaszs out. if you're single and starting to make more than $150,000, gone. married and filing joint, make $300,000 or more, gone. that deduction we were hoping for, you're missing out. >> so the 20% deduction benefits some people, some people it's a wash. at a certain point. >> yeah. >> at a certain point.

okay, then let's talk about the thing that is have disappeared. so entertainment expenses, tell me where they were and now where they are. >> i feel like debbie downer today because it is so frustrating. this entertainment experps tain taking people out. talk business over golf, a spa, a theater, a show, something like that, baseball game. no longer a writeoff at all. entertainment expense is gone. and some of it will have an effect on the entertainment business itself. but the cost of business went up. i need to schmooze my clients and now i don't get to write off any of that. >> a lot of people are thinking i'm schmoozing clients and cannot write that off. on the other half, there are people out there saying, i am a client, and i have been schmoozed so i have been taken to these great shows and the sporting events. and no one will do that for me

now. >> what is vegas going to do? this is a big deal. so entertainment expense is gone. so businesses need to anticipate this. think about the year, what is my budget going to be for this type of stuff? do i need to rein in the spending accounts for this. >> and this includes everything, so yes, the sporting events, re >> the sporting events, shows, dinner? >> now that brings in meals. technically meals were part of this entertainment expense. all the accounts across the country are looking for loopholes, seeing how it plays out. isn't dining really a marketing expense? we'll see. dining, taking someone out to eat is also no longer a write-off, prospects, clients, employees, going out to dinner not a write-off. >> can't you consider the other ones marketing expenses? >> this is where it plays out. >> it gets complicated, it's all brand new. >> the devil's in the details, the code really excludes that

expense now. there's a second piece to this, meals and food in the office is still a write-off. it used to be 100% though, donuts on friday, the cafeteria. >> a lot of modern companies are trying to do because it's a benefit for their employees to hang out and talk with each other. >> now it's 50%. that used 100%. >> we used to get lunch, and now we're getting donuts. >> you'll get half a donut. >> these are simply all things we need to think about as we are budgeting throughout the year, what are we going to spend for entertainment, meals, et cetera? >> there's a lot of strategy involved, not only are you going to look at this entertainment and meals expense, where do i want to fall, but on this pass-through, historically this s-corporation has been a great strategy of dividing w-2 wages through k-1 and pass through income. it just got better.

we want to maximize the pass-through income, s-corporations are as popular as ever. look with your accountant. where will this deduction fall through for me? >> we're here to just get the questions that you go into with. thank you so much. >> thank you. >> there's a lot to digest here. appreciate you coming? >> thanks for having me. a cluttered space can create a cluttered mind. i know that i have a really hard time getting things done if my desk is messy or if my office is messy. you need a clear head in order to focus on what's really important for your business. here are five ways to declutter your office. one, get control of your cables. stores like ikea, staples, the container store and many others have solutions for keeping your wires from becoming a mess. search for cable management solutions online. two, digitize everything you

can. paper piles up. think of that stack of business cards on your desk. use an app like ever note to capture, organize and save all your essential papers to the cloud. three, use multi-use furniture and appliances. when shopping for something new, look for items that also have hidden storage. four, drop off donations immediately. don't let bags of conference freebies sit around for months. drop them off at your nearest denation. and five, make time for decluttering. it's not a one-time activity. you need to schedule time for your team to talk about your plans for cleaning up and taking action. and then, of course, do it. i'm here with this week's elevator pitcher, maria lord who's telling our panelist about her stationary line. >> good to see you. you brought your god-daughter

casey, the model today. maria, you design these yourself. >> yes, i do. i design them. most of my cards have textile and prints. a lot of artwork all around. >> have you pitched to investors yet before? >> never, this is my first time. >> are you nervous? >> very, i'm excited. >> you are going to be great. you know, you make beautiful cards. i know this, i'm about to buy one for my daughter for her birthday. both you guys come in. you're pitching to two people today. one, cat cowen. she works with 43 countries around the world. and the ceo of dot dash, under his leadership, that company grew to 100 million users. these guys know what they're talking about. i'm excited to see what they think. >> hello, my name is maria. this is my god daughter casey. i'm the creator and founder of

maria lord designs. we create unique greating cards that we feel are different than the ones in the market. we incorporate multicultural characters, we believe in the beauty of diversity, something that's reflected in our work. ever since i was a child, i love creating things with my hand, create things with paper and incorporate different colors. this is something i wanted to inspire me to start my own business and to believe there's nothing more personal than a handwritten card. we're currently looking for a $70,000 in exchange for 50% of my company. this will help us increase our manufacturing capabilities. it would also allow us to increase our sales and marketing team and participate in respectable trade shows. thank you. >> maria, that was amazing. spot on. you were saying how nervous you were before. you did so well. it doesn't matter what i think. it matters what these guys think. i want to get two numbers from you guys, one through ten, what

did you think of the product first, and what did you think of the pitch? >> neil, start with you. i love it, great, very of the moment, super relevant. i give the product a 7. tell you why. it has nothing to do with the product. i think this is a product other people could make, hallmark would make this. anyone could make this. the pitch, i'm giving an 8 to because it felt really personal like it came from you. >> let's turn those numbers around. >> i think that's how this whole thing is going to work. the best brands today have an arjen story. if the brand becomes about you and your family and the people like you why you made this, this can be something. >> and her god daughter. >> cat. i gave the product a 5, and the pitch an 8. i'll go into it. the product i gave a 5, mainly because i think that in terms of

growth there's two issues you're going to face. number one, you're making a paper product. and i think we're in a digital world. and i don't know how long the paper product is going to last. the reason why i didn't give it lower than a 5 is because i love the concept behind it though for people who are still using paper cards. i think there is a need for diversity and diverse, you know -- to represent diverse people on the cards. i like that vision behind it. i also think in terms of the product you named it after yourself. and you're not thinking globally, you're not thinking beyond yourself. i think there's a lot more you can do in terms of expanding with the actual name. the pitch i thought was excellent. you were very clear. and as neil said, it was very personal. and i understand why you're putting this out there. so i thought you did a great job with your pitch. >> thank you. >> thanks both of you. that was great advice.

maria, congratulations. beautiful cards, the best of luck to you going forward. >> thank you so much. >> thank you for being a fantastic model. see you both soon, i hope. to all of you elevator pitchers out there, listen up. we are offering five people the chance to come on the program and give a pitch in front of two buyers from hsn. they're going to judge the pitches and then they'll vote on who will be invited to pitch their product live on hsn's monday night show american dreams. that means you could get your product in front of the hsn audience. this is a big opportunity. just send us an e-mail or a video of your pitch to your business at msnbc.com. be sure to include a short summary about your product and, of course, why you think it's a good fit for hsn. we look forward to seeing those pitches. when we come back, how to combat complacency. why experts say success is dependent on long-term planning, and not chasing after those shiny new ideas.

thank you so much. thank you! so we're a go? yes! we got a yes! what does that mean for purchasing? purchase. let's do this. got it. book the flights! hai! si! si! ya! ya! ya! what does that mean for us? we can get stuff. what's it mean for shipping? ship the goods. you're a go! you got the green light. that means go! oh, yeah. start saying yes to your company's best ideas. we're gonna hit our launch date! (scream) thank you! goodbye! we help all types of businesses with money, tools and know-how to get business done. american express open. so one of the first questions i have is what do you do with complacency in the work space? >> complacency is a direct

correlation to disillusionment. what happens is when people are disillusioned it's your responsibility as a leader to do three things. people need vision, they need time and they need encouragement. when they don't have vision, they perish. it's short term and long term. it's important to show them the vision they have personally for their life and tie it into the vision of the company. second, it's time. people need informal time and formal time. informal time means shooting the breeze, being present with them. formal time is meetings with them. the last thing is encouragement, specific encouragement, not generic encouragement. to grow people, people want to grow, if they're disillusioned, and they're complacent, it's a direct correlation to the vision they have, the time you're giving them and the specific encouragement to help them get to the next level. we now have the top two tips you need to know to help grow your business. cat cowen and neil vogel are

with us. cat, you started your company 20 years ago. gro grown tremendously. what's one thing you've learned along the way? >> think big. make your 20-year plan right when you begin. keep reinventing. when i started, i was by myself. i personally didn't name my company cat -- how do i have a global brand. thinking big. that's why i those the name ivy wise, to think of my market behind my own borders. >> how do you do it today? it's hard to think of a two-year plan, let alone a 20-year plan. >> i think you have to think of what you want to grow into, what you aspire to do, and keep up with the changes going on in the world. constantly reinvent that plan. >> neil, you've had many, many

ventures. >> a couple things. >> you've founded companies, running companies now under our leadership. dot dash has grown, doubled, 100 million users. that's so impressive. >> there's one truism, whether i've been on teams that have started things and been very fortunate to have good outcomes and now i'm running something that's very large, the one truism for both is don't chase shiny things. figure out what you're good at and do that. sometimes it might not feel sexy and boring. you might feel like i'm doing the same thing over and over again, find the one thing or the two things you are great at, build everything from there. super easy to get distracted. you need to have great ideas around what you're convinced your thing is. but ideas outside of that are not necessarily a good thing. ideas can be your enemy. focus on one thing. get great at that. >> how do you stop yourself? focused on one thing and maybe

it's not going great. >> focused very much on doing one thing and doing one thing really well. >> great advice today. so good to see you both. this week ears your biz selfie, roy and heather aguillon, they have such a cool business. reclaim wood from their local area, and turn it into rustic furniture. thank you so much for sending that in, roy and heather. we want to see your picture. take a selfie of you and your business, no professional shots, please, and send it to your business at msnbc.com. include your name, the name of your business, and don't forget to tell us where you are. use the #your biz selfie. >> thank you, everyone, so much for joining us. we love hearing from you. if you want to get in touch. send an e-mail to

yourbusiness@msnbc.com. we put up all the pieces from today's show, plus a whole lot more for you. we put up new content every single day on our digital and social media platforms too. one last thing, we have a new podcast. called been there, built that. i would love if you would just take a listen and let me know what you think. we look forward to seeing you next time. until then i'm jj ramberg. remember, we make your business our business. so that's the idea. what do you think? i don't like it. oh. nuh uh. yeah. ahhhhh. mm-mm. oh. yeah. ah. agh. d-d-d... no. hmmm. uh... huh. yeah. uh... huh. in business, there are a lot of ways to say no.

thank you so much. thank you. so we're doing it. yes. start saying yes to your company's best ideas. we help all types of businesses with money, tools and know-how to get business done. american express open. welcome to "politics nation," some say it's a good day when you get mentioned by the son of the president of the united states. well, maybe not always. this week donald trump jr. defended his dad from charges of racism, and claimed that i and other blacks liked donald trump before he got into politics. take a listen. >> i know him. i've seen him my whole life, seen the things he's done. it's amazing, all the