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Four Reasons Why You Need A Business Plan

1/2/2016

One of the most often-overlooked aspects of entrepreneurship involves writing business plans. For many people, business plans are not all that important, or are seen as time-consuming projects that get in the way of other things. There are actually quite a few good reasons why you shouldn’t skip writing a business plan if you want your new start-up to be successful.

You need financing or grants
Few people have the cash resources needed to start a new business. If you’re planning to borrow money, showing a business plan to your lender could be required in order to gain approval for a loan. Likewise, many grants are also contingent upon having a business plan in place.

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When Terminating a Business Relationship is a Necessity

8/11/2015

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Clients are important for every business. However, there are times when a particular client isn't always best for the company. When this is the case, the business should consider terminating the business relationship. This is definitely not something that should be taken lightly. Instead, there are many aspects that business leaders should consider before terminating a business relationship.

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PREPARING For Next Tax Season

7/15/2015

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Nobody loves paying taxes, but as a small business owner, writing the check is often the least painful part of the process. Filing tax forms is a real hassle, especially if you leave it until the deadline is staring you in the face. And if you don't have a back-office staff, you'll be the one gathering all the information you need to satisfy the IRS, consuming time and resources you don't have. It doesn't have to be that way. Outsourcing your back-office needs is a good first step to getting a handle on your taxes. Below are some other tips:

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How to Design a Top-Tier Employee Compensation Plan

5/20/2015

Employers want to hire the best talent they can get while controlling compensation costs. Competition for skilled workers is tough against larger companies that can offer bigger benefit packages along with higher salaries. To succeed in this competitive environment you must have a well-designed compensation plan at a manageable cost. Business and Legal Resources suggests your overall compensation plan, salary and benefits need to fit into your strategy for recruiting and retaining employees. Here are a few suggestions for creating a top-tier compensation plan.

Busting Myths About the Cloud

5/13/2015

If you've ever considered using the cloud for your back-office needs, you've probably come across a few things that make you nervous. The cloud is such an innovative concept, and it's completely unlike anything else in the world. Because of this it seems a little dangerous. As it turns out, although every business decision comes with some risk, most of the negative things you've heard or thought about the cloud are probably completely inaccurate. Let's look at a few of the most common myths about the cloud.

Back-office Outsourcing: Big Benefits for Small Businesses

4/28/2015

Any small business owner knows that it takes hard work to make an enterprise successful. But as the business grows, it can be difficult for one person to do it all. The savvy small business owner turns to back-office outsourcing to handle the administrative side of things, leaving more time to focus on growing the business. Why should a small business owner consider outsourcing back-office functions? Some great reasons include:

It's economical - Pay for just the amount of support the business needs, without the cost of an administrative staff. Outsourcing firms offer packages tailored to small business needs.

It's professional - Back-office outsourcing services employ only skilled workers specializing in the areas of accounting, human resources, payroll, and office administration. Placing important tasks with a professional outsourcing company offers peace of mind to the small business owner.

Business Planning - Turning a Dream into Reality

4/23/2015

People all over the world dream of owning their own business. Two things stand in the way of realizing this dream. First, what kind of business would it be? You just know that if you had the perfect idea you could make it work. You are certain that someday you will know what "it" is and you will feel it in every bone of your body.

Second, how to describe your dream so you can convince others that it can become a reality. In practical terms, you need to "get it down on paper" which means creating a business plan. At this point you're sure to feel overwhelmed about where to begin. This is why people often turn to consultants who can help them develop their business plan.

What Tasks Can a Virtual Administrative Assistant Do?

4/20/2015

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Are you a business owner looking for a way to save time and money? Are you trying to do everything related to running your small business and end up feeling like you've accomplished nothing? Is your business growing slower than you want because you are tied down with the daily office tasks? Could you benefit from an administrative assistant but can’t afford to hire an employee? If you answered “Yes” to any of these questions – we have a solution: hire a virtual administrative assistant!

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Three Things You Can Do on the Cloud, and Why it's Better that Way

3/31/2015

The cloud is an ingenious creation, thought up and built through a collaboration of thousands of technologically advanced minds and companies. It can do so many things, especially for businesses. One of the places it can do the most good is in a small business office. The cloud allows a small office to rent only the storage space it needs, rather than dumping money into servers and a network. The cloud can quickly become huge corporation technology found in a small office. Here are a few things the cloud can help a business office with, and why the cloud might be the best choice.

Increase Quality with an Accounting and Bookkeeping Partner

3/26/2015

For many businesses, accounting and bookkeeping is a difficult part of running successfully, but for all businesses, it is essential. If your current business processes are lacking because of poor financial controls, governmental reporting problems, tax issues, or HR headaches, outsourcing your bookkeeping could be a great way to cost-effectively increase quality and free up time to focus on your core values.

Financial Controls
The most important aspect of accounting is accurate and reliable money handling. While you must maintain controls for your physical cash, credit cards and bank accounts, the next level of control is your financial information. Proper accounting promotes positive communication between owners (in partnerships, LLCs and Corporations) and gives all owners (sole proprietors too) the ability to accurately manage employees, payroll, income and expenses.

Outsourcing Payroll Can Save Your Business Time AND Money

3/24/2015

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Of all the things employees rely on you as a business owner to perform correctly, it's payroll. But when you're a small business owner who can't quite justify hiring full-time HR personnel to do tasks such as payroll, the burden and responsibility falls on you. The good news is you don't need to add payroll to your already too-long task list. Here are 3 main benefits of outsourcing this important job to professionals:

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Call in the experts in human resources management

3/19/2015

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One of the challenges faced with a small business is hiring and maintenance of employees. While interviewees may not realize it, interviews themselves are usually awkward and nerve-wracking for the people on both sides of the desk. Jumping through all the HR regulations can also be a nightmare, and why many businesses bite the bullet and hire a full-time HR person to attend to all of that.

However, hiring someone dedicated just to HR can be a hard pill to swallow. Will their benefit outweigh their cost? Will they be able to tell who the good candidates are the same way you can? What about liability?

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Outsourcing to a virtual administrative assistant can help you save

3/16/2015

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As we slowly recover from the Great Recession, the businesses still really struggling aren't the multi-million dollar business conglomerates, but rather the small businesses. Those lower revenues mean making difficult cuts, but many of those have already been done, so where does one go from there?

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Avoid These Payroll Mistakes

3/4/2015

Payroll mistakes such as under or over paying employees or being late with paychecks cost employers in more ways than you might realize. They lose employees’ trust. They lose accuracy in their accounting systems. And they can lose money to IRS penalties. Many small businesses incur payroll-related IRS penalties each year, to the tune of $4.5 billion in 2013 according to the 2013 IRS Data Book. It’s important to establish an accurate and efficient payroll process and avoid common payroll mistakes.

Best Practices for Employee Terminations

2/23/2015

As a business owner, manager, or supervisor, there are times when we have to do one of the most unpleasant duties of the job: terminating an employee. When poor performing employees who can’t or won’t improve, it affects a company’s bottom line and may require termination. Firing an employee is a stressful situation for everyone involved. It’s not an easy thing to do or to experience. It can be a little more comfortable for everyone with proper preparation and with the following best practices for termination.

INCREASE Employee Engagement for Free

2/18/2015

Entrepreneurs and small business owners face the challenge of juggling business operations with managing their workforce. They must keep an eye on employee engagement because they need highly engaged employees to build their businesses. Gallup’s “State of the Global Workplace” report shows employee engagement is declining, making it very important to pay attention to engagement even if there are no funds for it. Read on to see how to increase employee engagement for free.

Best Practices for Employee On-boarding

2/9/2015

How successfully are you on-boarding your new employees? The experience new employees have when they start working for your company can have long-lasting effects on performance, engagement, and retention. According to the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), more than a quarter of U.S. workers go through career transitions each year.

SHRM reports that half of all hourly workers don’t last in new jobs past four months, and half of senior outside hires fail before their two-year anniversaries. It’s well worth it for employers to make the on-boarding process as efficient and productive as possible to welcome new employees and give them the tools they need to start contributing.

Tips for Paycheck Accuracy

2/5/2015

Paying your employees with an accurate and timely process is important to keep your company in compliance with local, state, and federal employment and tax laws. The wage and hour data you collect must be verified and entered correctly. Your pay period must be defined and your employees must be properly classified. Here are three ways you can keep your payroll running smoothly to support your workforce.

3 Things You Need to Know About I-9 Compliance

2/3/2015

Is your company in compliance with form I-9 regulations? What would you do if faced with an I-9 audit? Employers and HR professionals involved in hiring and on-boarding new employees work with the Employment Eligibility Verification I-9 form, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services form used to verify employee identity and establish U.S. employment eligibility. There are very specific rules and regulations for the use of this form that are outlined in the M-274 Handbook for Employers. Failing to properly complete, retain, and/or make available for inspection form I-9 as required by law may incur penalties of $110 to $1100 for each violation. Can you afford to be out of compliance?

Here are three important compliance issues you need to know about I-9 forms:

Could You Use a Virtual Administrative Assistant?

1/30/2015

Entrepreneurs and growing businesses often experience staffing shortages and problems developing a stable workforce. But the work that needs to be done can't wait until you hire that expert administrative assistant or office manager. What happens in the mean time? You get behind, things start to pile up, existing staff may become overwhelmed and productivity decreases. When you don’t have the resources to add another salary or you have a backlog you need help with, a virtual administrative assistant can be the answer.

interesting stuff

Four Reasons Why You Need A Business Plan

When Terminating a Business Relationship is a Necessity

PREPARING For Next Tax Season

How to Design a Top-Tier Employee Compensation Plan

Busting Myths About the Cloud

Back-office Outsourcing: Big Benefits for Small Businesses

Business Planning - Turning a Dream into Reality

What Tasks Can a Virtual Administrative Assistant Do?

Three Things You Can Do on the Cloud, and Why it's Better that Way

Increase Quality with an Accounting and Bookkeeping Partner

Outsourcing Payroll Can Save Your Business Time AND Money

Call in the experts in human resources management

Outsourcing to a virtual administrative assistant can help you save

Avoid These Payroll Mistakes

Best Practices for Employee Terminations

INCREASE Employee Engagement for Free

Best Practices for Employee On-boarding

Tips for Paycheck Accuracy

3 Things You Need to Know About I-9 Compliance

Could You Use a Virtual Administrative Assistant?

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interesting stuff