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Small Business Matters
In two previous posts, I addressed some key tax consolidations that small business owners and employers need to be aware of as we head into tax season, including the specific tax requirements that impact employers this time of year as well as changes to tax law that can benefit all businesses during the 2010 tax filing season. While these considerations are very important, especially if you are new to business ownership, i;s also important you establish and follow clear accounting methods and periods to ensure you are accurately reporting all...
Are you a parent with entrepreneurial aspirations? Then you may just be the next Mompreneur or Dadpreneur! Contrary to what many might suppose, parents make great entrepreneurs, since many of the skills learned and applied as a parent are equally applicable to a successful business career. For example, both parents and business owners need to be goal-oriented, good planners, super organized, focused on the finances, team builders and fiercely tenacious, to name just a few! So how do you channel all these skills into entrepreneurship? Here are...
No longer regarded as a temporary back-fill for open staffing positions or one-off projects, outsourcing to freelancers and consultants has now become a regular practice among small and large businesses alike. And the benefits are obvious - outsourcing to trusted freelance workers can give you quick access to specific skill sets, industry-knowledge, and technical-proficiencies that you might not otherwise have on staff. It also allows you to adjust to spikes in demand, maintain a nimble talent pool, all while keeping your payroll outgoings at...
Whether it's downloading and sharing company confidential information (a hot topic these days), manipulating expense reports, or stealing merchandise- employee theft and fraud is a serious issue for business owners. In fact, studies show that occupational fraud now results in the loss of five percent of an organizatio-s annual revenue. Here are some tips for preventing and managing employee theft or occupational fraud. 1. Use Pre-Employment Background Checks Wisely One of the first steps to preventing fraudulent employee behavior is to...
You may recall back in October, Small Business Matters gave you a-sneak peek of the new sba.gov. Today, that site officially went live -- check it out at www.sba.gov. But wha's new? Well, quite literally everything, - a new look, new content, new navigation, and robust personalization features. The site has undergone a dramatic transformation, from soup to nuts, making a progressive leap in the way federal agencies use Web tools to better serve their constituents. In the case of the SBA, the new SBA.gov is focused...
For most business owners, 2010 is over -- at least mentally, if not actually -- and if you haven't started planning for 2011, now is the time to do so. Here are some quick tips to help guide you through the process. Conduct a Sales and Marketing Review In business you spend a significant amount of time looking ahead, whether i's budgeting, managing pipeline and cash flow, staffing plans and so on. But a lot can happen in a year, so taking stock of the year is a useful first step in helping you align your priorities for the year ahead....
Do deadlines rule your life? Is time your worst enemy? More than ever the pace of business is changing, and while new tools and technology claim to help us keep pace with evolving demands, they often work to the contrary. For business owners and entrepreneurs in particular, the sense of urgency to get as much accomplished in as little time as possible can become all consuming. Whether i;s answering every email the instant it hits your Inbox, pre-empting every deadline, or getting into a sheer panic over the volume of work you need to do. Throw...
We live in unstable times with many businesses experiencing disruptive change. Change isn't always a bad thing, but with employees putting in more hours and taking on more responsibilities, change can quickly become an ever-tightening noose around the neck of your business - unless it's properly managed. As humans we don't always welcome change - it brings uncertainty, stress, and can lead even the most loyal of employees to question their dedication to your business. Tha's why unstable times require honest and true leadership...
To coin an old phrase: 'Death, taxes and childbirth! There's never any convenient time for any of them.' (Margaret Mitchell, Gone with the Wind). This might be true, but you can at least alleviate some of the burden of tax season by doing some preparation in advance. For the small business owner, this means taking the time to maintain good records, understanding what tax deductions you may be eligible for, and taking steps to prepare for the January wage reporting season (see Part 1). But it also means familiarizing yourself and...
Most business owners can't afford to put off till the afternoon what they can do in the morning. The same is true when it comes to tax season preparation. It doesn't matter whether you employ two people or 100, getting ahead of your obligations and your arms around tax law changes is good business management. In this first tax preparation post, -ll discuss some of the steps you can take now to prepare for wage reporting season, as well as some of the new and existing resources that can help streamline the process. And, look out...
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by Caron_Beesley, Community Moderator on Tuesday, January 4, 2011 - 05:51