I know you are not an accountant, I know numbers are not your thing, I know tax invoices are not the most exciting topic, but sending out invalid invoices says a lot about your business – and it is not all good news. “I know I shouldn’t judge, but I hustle just as hard as the next entrepreneur, I work 60+ hours per week, have two kids, pay my taxes,… Read more
OK. Now before you get all grossed out and start gagging at the thought of a boss dating her employee, let me put this in context. I have an employee, I love her, she is amazing, she has worked with me for 3 months, I have never met her and I am taking her to lunch tomorrow and meeting her for the first time. It is like getting ready for… Read more
Well the festive season is in full swing – this means parties, gifts, eggnog, mistletoe, Santa and normally family feuds. But the thing causing the most stress at Christmas, is the level of credit card debt people put themselves in, which hangs over their heads for many months to come. Australians spent over $47 billion in the Christmas spending period between November 15th and December 24 (2015 statistics) according to Inside… Read more
As most of us in the startup phase of our entrepreneurship journey would know, getting cash to fund our dream is not an easy (or quick) task. There are many “No’s” before you hear the magical “Yes”. Or will you even hear the “Yes” at all? Your dream idea is only loved by a third party finance option, if it can see that the idea has the ability to generate… Read more
Now this may sound contradictory because surely if you provide great customer service you must be kicking goals in business right? Well I don’t think so. I don’t think you should be focusing on customer service, I think you should be focusing on having happy customers. “Yes, there is a difference. You can provide great customer service but still have unhappy customers.” So how does this possibly make sense, as… Read more
Why do I ask? Is my business in trouble? Hell no. But today I went to a Business Chicks breakfast where I heard from America’s original #girlboss Sofia Amoruso. She started the Nasty Gal empire along with a bit of a Girl Boss revolution in America. She has a podcast, fashion empire, books, soon to be released series on Net Flix – amongst other things. Well that was until a… Read more
Every single week I see people bitch and moan about the prices accountants charge, that they are too expensive, that the individual (or business owner) is not getting value, that people don’t understand what the accountant actually does, or even worse – that accountants just push buttons that you can do yourself so really are not worth their time. Now let me reverse this just for a minute. How would… Read more
Calling all business owners, entrepreneurs, solopreneurs, mumpreneurs, dadpreneurs – or any other fancy titles that are out there at the moment – the sooner you realise that profit is not the same as cash – the sooner you will start to plan for a fabulous financial future. You see here is the thing – I speak to business owners all the time who simply get frustrated (*insert swear words here… Read more
Cash Flow is the major cause 56% of small businesses don’t survive past their 5th birthday. It is time to turn the tables on that horrific statistic and be in charge of your cash flow (with confidence) and remove the stigma and fear around asking for your invoices to be paid. The first thing to consider is that cash flow is not just chasing debtors. Cash flow is understanding – when… Read more
Yesterday I met an inspirational man. Michael Crossland. Someone I had never heard of until I googled him the night before attending MYOB Partner Connect Conference. Accountants are not supposed to have emotions – but let me tell you why I spent time on the beach crying after listening to his key note speech. During the day – I was learning, networking, seeking advice, making connections, seeing developments in the… Read more
I am not a travel operator. I am not a travel guide. I don’t even travel that often. But seriously, how hard it is to show some common sense and respect when travelling? Clearly much harder than I thought. So the past month has seen me “get around a bit” as I sleep my way around Queensland attending accounting/bookkeeping software conferences. Next up is MYOB Partner Connect conference starting tomorrow… Read more
Not all accountants are the same. We don’t all want to do the same things, we are not all extroverts (surprise surprise), and we don’t all love big accounting conferences and sitting down with people that we don’t know (even if they are in the same industry). Some of us even have a life outside the accounting space, and love, (dare I say it), AFL. So, yes, while I am going… Read more
Your level of exhaustion should not be used to measure your level of success. So many business owners I speak to – whether that be on social media or in person, tell me that they are just so exhausted. Their business is consuming every waking minute, and even those minutes where you should be sleeping you are instead running all your business scenarios through your head. It never ends. I… Read more
Dear Random Stranger (who doesn’t want to pay for my services) Thanks for you phone call tonight at 5:55pm (on a Friday) and asking me if I have 5 minutes for…. “just a really simple GST question”. Whilst I appreciate that you think your question may only take five minutes of my time, the reason it takes five minutes of my time is because I have a lot of skills… Read more
Social Media – it slowly starts to consume your life (if you let it). But as a professional serviced based Financial Coaching, Accounting & Bookkeeping business, I need to remind myself that I am not “in the business” of social media. “Social media is a tool. A tool I can choose to use, or a tool I can choose to ignore.” I think a lot of business owners (**disclaimer –… Read more
As an accountant, fraud, and in particular financial fraud, really pisses me off. You see when you run a company you have obligations – morally and ethically, as well as financially and legally. “You can’t put your head in the sand and say “Sorry – I had no idea”. That just doesn’t cut it as a company director.” So when I read this article from Smart Company today about the… Read more
Often as business owners we are so focused on the “now” that we don’t think about the future. We don’t consider the “what if” as we can just do it all and be it all – so we carry on in the same manner….until disaster strikes. And then reality hits, we realise we can’t do it all – and you ask yourself “Have I Hospital Proofed my business?” What am… Read more
EOFY Payroll is easy right – I mean your accounting software does it for you so what have you got to worry about? A few clicks of a button and payment summaries are issued to staff. Done, feet up and champagne cracked open. But wait…. “If you don’t understand payroll and accounting terminology chances are your payroll is incorrect – FACT.” I know what you are thinking….my accounting data file… Read more
What does SaaS mean to you? Traditionally, it means Software as a Service. So generally the software is a subscription type model, where the user usually uses the software via a web browser. Now I have no issues of this type of product – my business wouldn’t be where it is today without cloud technology and the ability to work remotely. Especially as the three main types of this service… Read more
As an Accountant, Financial Coach and Cloud Accounting Guru to start-ups and entrepreneurs, I often see clients come to me after 30th June filled with stress, anxiety, fear and embarrassment. “It doesn’t need to be this way.” So, instead of heading into the end of financial year in a frazzle, follow our simple checklist to being organised. It will make the tax return process so much smoother and easier, and dare… Read more