• Do understand that as an employer, you can be held accountable for what your employees do regardless of whether you have told them to do it or not. Employee training is critical and you need to document your training.
• Do not do anything that can be judged as playing favorite with employees.
• Do have a written employee manual spelling out all the rules/company policies and have each employee sign an acknowledgement stating that he/she has read the manual and understands the importance of abiding by company policies.
• Do be extremely careful about any action that can be construed as sexual discrimination or sexual harassment.
• Do keep your premise in good repair.
• Do everything you can to warn customers about any potential dangers such as wet floor, etc.
• Do implement binding arbitration or other alternative dispute resolution agreements with all staff and customers.
• Do treat your staff and customers with your best manners always.
• Do purchase adequate business and professional liability insurance.

An effective way to do this is to take the time to look at our business from our customer’s point of view. People make buying decisions based on different factors. What does your business offer? Is it what you think it offers or is it what your customer wants? When you draw that distinction, you begin to understand the mind of your customer.

For instance, if you sell advisory services, what is your customer really buying from you? Is it the products you sell, or is it peace of mind? Are those things one and the same? Or are they one and the same in your mind only. A customer places their trust in you to provide for their needs. They also expect guidance in achieving their goals and to have their questions answered..

If you own a gift business, your customer expects a good selection of gifts and a pleasant buying experience. They expect that your gift will delight the recipient.

If you own a dog grooming business, what are you supplying? A haircut for Fido, or a happy experience for a beloved friend? A flea dip, or a blessed release from misery? Once you begin to distinguish what your product or service means to a client, you begin to fill their needs and you become the provider of a solution. When you make this shift, finding and creating business becomes effortless and business booms. Then you need an accountant and key person insurance!

Tax Season Tips

Does the thought of preparing your small business tax return leave a feeling of guilt? Are you waiting until the last minute for some inspiration? Wait no longer.  Here are some motivators to overcome your tax procrastination habits.

Free Your Calendar: A big culprit to procrastination is time. Take a look at your schedule and block out a specific day as tax day. If you need to close shop (how much would that cost?!!) or get help to free your time Call us, we can handle it for you 561-212-8479.

Contract a Bookkeeper: Being overwhelmed by the amount of work to complete your small business tax return might suggest the need for a bookkeeper. A bookkeeper can help you organize your business, so every April your tax matters are easier to deal with.  We offer this service.

Get a Massage: When faced with an unpleasant task, a good motivator is to add a pleasurable reward. Choose a reward like a day at the spa or quality family time to boost your motivation to start your small business taxes.

Find an Accountant: As your small business grows in revenue and complexity, an accountant can help you avoid costly mistakes and frustration. A specialist can aid in other areas such as cash flow planning and providing practical advice.  Artistry is accepting new clients.

Hire Yourself: What are you worth to your company? Calculate your earnings over the last year and divide by the time worked to get your hourly rate. Now estimate your tax return dollars divided into the hours to complete your return. If your figure is higher than or equal to your hourly rate, it should motivate you to hire us to start your tax return.

Get an Extension: Time is a rare commodity for most small business owners. Your tax procrastination may add more pressure and little time to your business. Consider filing an IRS Extension of Time to File Your Tax Return form.  Call us and we will fax you the form.

CFO Time: It is possible your small business has outgrown the accountant as an advisor stage of your business. How do you know you need a Chief Financial Officer? When your executive management team is dealing with financial decision-making on a regular basis; it may be CFO time. If you are planning to raise large amounts of capital or go public in the future, then a CFO part or full-time may be required.

Start Small: Remember back to your company start-up. If you thought of all the tasks to start, you probably would have been paralyzed with fear. You succeeded by taking one step at a time. Apply the "start small" tactic to your tax preparation. Start with a simple task such as organizing your files and build from there.  It makes our job easier and your bill smaller!

Tax time will not make your top ten list of fun things to do. However, the pain of putting it off may be greater than actually doing your small business tax. Let Artistry Tax handle it for you!  Free your mind from the guilt of procrastination and reap the reward of less stress this April.  

 561-212-8479